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The INDEPENDENT, December 18, 2008
The
INDEPENDENT
Published on the first and third Thursdays of each month by
The Independent, LLC, 725 Bridge St., Vernonia, OR 97064.
Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410.
Publisher Clark McGaugh, clark@the-independent.net
Editor Rebecca McGaugh, rebecca@the-independent.net
Mentor Noni Andersen
Printed on recycled paper with vegetable based dyes
Opinion
Christmas is a time for…
Christmas time is the time for giving. This year more
than last, many are in need. Many people have lost
jobs, more jobs will probably be lost before the econo-
my takes a turn in a positive direction. If you have ex-
tra money, or time, someone can probably use a hand.
Think of it as Christmas giving. If your needs and your
family’s needs are met, find a way to help others.
Christmas is also a time of great stress for many
people. It’s a time of expectations. Everyone is expect-
ed to be happy and joyous. At the same time, a recent
report said that the average family spends $800 on
Christmas. There are lots of families that don’t have
that to spend and either go into debt, or more debt, or
feel they aren’t ‘making’ it. Unfortunately, this time of
year also sees an increase in suicides, domestic and
other types of violence, possibly due to the pressure of
expectations. The number of calls to suicide prevention
lines has been going up in the past months and that is
attributed to the economy. Whatever the reason, if you
or someone you know seems to be less than happy
and joyous, there are resources available. Please don’t
hurt alone and please don’t hurt others. Call one of
these numbers; Oregon Partnership’s Suicide Preven-
tion Line (1-800-273-TALK), another Suicide Hotline
number is 800-784-2433. Columbia County Mental
Health can be reached at 800-294-5211.
For crisis prevention, including alcohol and drug
counseling and treatment referral, call the Helpline at
1-800-923-HELP. A peer-to-peer crisis line for teens is
available at 877-553-TEEN.
Our Christmas wish list
We wish the City of Vernonia would buy local. Just a
few of the items that we’ve noticed the City buys out-
side of town, that are available here, are tires, snow
tires, holiday lights, even legal notices. Considering the
time it takes to shop around, go out of town to get
items, wait for items, etc., a modest price difference is
inconsequential and, when time and gas are consid-
ered in the equation, it often causes the out-of-town
purchase to cost more than buying locally.
We also wish our government in Washington, D.C.
would bail out those in need, rather than those in
greed.
And, finally, we wish you all a happy holiday season.
Out of My Mind…
by Noni Andersen
If you have a job, you are more fortunate than
nearly two million Americans (and counting) who
have lost theirs in the past year. Yet, during the
past few weeks, we have watched the spectacle
of some self-righteous U.S. Senators saying no
to a LOAN of $15 Billion to the auto industry be-
cause “they brought it on themselves.”
Yes, they did, with help from people who
wanted big, gas guzzling SUVs and trucks, until
high gas prices cut into those high profit models.
But I don’t recall that a lack of responsibility was
a problem when the financial sector – Wall Street
and banks — asked for a BAILOUT, not a loan,
of hundreds of billions of dollars because, “with-
out it there will be a recession.”
So far, 87 companies have received $250 Bil-
lion of our taxes, and all but $15 Billion of the first
$350 Billion is pledged. Despite that, we are in a
recession.
The cause of the financial meltdown was
greed, from mortgage brokers who duped naive
home buyers, to unregulated hedge funds happi-
ly selling bad loans bundled with a few good
ones and, oh yes, those politicians who chanted
the mantra of “deregulation” in exchange for do-
nations.
Possibly the most maddening element of the
financial bailout is the total lack of control on how
our tax dollars are used. We were told the bailout
was needed to maintain business and consumer
loans, and we should trust the financial markets
to do the right thing. Yeah! So far, half of the
bailout has gone not for loans, but for dividends
to shareholders.
The basest corporate attitude is exemplified
by performance bonuses paid to executives of
companies that would fail without a bailout from
taxpayers. American International Group (AIG)
received a loan of $85 Billion from the Federal
Reserve Bank before getting an additional $40
Billion from the bailout. In return, their execs
have received $503 Million in bonuses, presum-
ably for their skill at shaking down the taxpayers.
The senators who oppose loans to the auto
industry say that one problem is exorbitant pay
to members of the United Auto Workers, who av-
erage $26 per hour. Because of wage conces-
sions in 2007, newer UAW hires get $14 per
hour. Yes, there are some very well paid work-
ers, but the average annual salary of UAW work-
ers is about $54,000.
In the past 18 years, salaries of U.S. Repre-
sentatives and Senators have gone from
$97,500 per year to $169,300, and will be
$174,100 in 2009. That’s an increase of $76,600
from 1991-2009, or about $4,255 per year. Addi-
tionally, about half of the Senators are million-
aires.
I know this is the Christmas season and I
should be sharing joyous thoughts. But I can find
nothing joyous about a ruling philosophy that
dismisses the needs of average people as “irre-
sponsibility” while AIG-type millionaires enjoy
their ill-gotten gains.
Abraham Lincoln said it best: “Nearly all men
can stand adversity, but if you want to test a
man’s true character, give him power.”