Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (June 18, 2009)
The INDEPENDENT, June 18, 2009 Page 3 Letters Return the birdhouse To the Editor: I don’t know who you are but you must have turned around in our driveway. Saw our bird- house. Thought it was “Cool” and took it! Please return it, just put it back on the stump. Thank you, Kathleen Gwin Vernonia Prepare your entry for the July 4 Parade To the Editor: Vernonia Pride will again be sponsoring the 4th of July Pa- rade. Advance registration isn’t necessary, but participants Policy on Letters The INDEPENDENT will not publish letters that in- clude personal attacks on private citizens. Because of space limitations, preference will be given to brief letters, 300 words or less. All letters must be signed and include a verifiable ad- dress or phone number. need to arrive early enough to form up on Weed Avenue, alongside City Hall and the Li- brary, before the parade starts at 7:30 p.m. From City Hall, the parade will go along Bridge Street to State Avenue, where it will disband. Please, don’t park on Bridge Street during the parade so that everyone can enjoy the pa- rade. No ATVs will be allowed, but all other entries will be gladly accepted. De Loris Webb Vernonia Pride Questions are okay, but know the facts To the Editor: This letter is in response to the June 04, 2009, Letter to the Editor entitled, “Does Vernonia Need Five Police Officers?” I know most people in this community understand the need for police and appreciate the services we provide. But re- cently our department has been the subject of criticism from a few sources, and I feel the need to write a response. Where to Find Them U.S. Senator Ron Wyden Senator Betsy Johnson (Dem) 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 585 Portland OR 97232 Phone: 503-326-7525 223 Dirksen Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510-0001 Phone: 202-224-5244 E-Mail: http://wyden.senate.gov/ contact Website: http://wyden.senate. gov (Dem) Senate District 16 PO Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056 Phone: 503-543-4046 900 Court St. NE, S-314 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1716 E-mail: sen.betsyjohnson@ state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/johnson U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley Representative Brad Witt (Dem.) One World Trade Center 121 SW Salmon St., Suite 1250 Portland, OR 97204 Phone: 503-326-3386 107 Russell Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3753 E-Mail: senator@merkley.senate. gov WebSite: http://merkley.senate. gov (Dem) House District. 31 21740 Lindberg Road, Clatskanie, OR 97016 Phone: 503-728-4664 900 Court St. NE, H-373 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1431 E-mail: rep.bradwitt@state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/witt U.S. Representative David Wu (Dem) OR District 1 620 SW Main, Suite 606 Portland, OR 97205 Phone: 503-326-2901 2338 Rayburn House Ofc. Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-0855 Website: http://house.gov/wu Representative Deborah Boone (Dem) House District 32 PO Box 926 Cannon Beach, OR 97110 Phone: 503-717-9182 900 Court St. NE, H-375 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1432 E-mail: rep.deborahboone@ state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/boone Does little Vernonia need five cops? Well yes, in my opin- ion they do! In fact, eight or nine would be best. I’m not sure the author of that letter re- ally understands the facts of what your police and the de- partment does and the types of things they are responsible for. I would like to take this opportu- nity to explain some of the facts, and offer my opinion on a few other issues. In the late 90’s there were as many as six paid Police Offi- cers employed by the City of Vernonia. Those positions over the years have been slowly whittled away to where they are now. All the added duties and responsibilities now rest in the hands of only four. The Police Officers often work alone with no hope for a rapid response from outer agencies should one of them need emergency assistance. With future cuts to the Colum- bia County Sheriffs Office the likelihood of that rapid assis- tance will be even less. As stated in the published letter, these are different times. There are indeed bad people out there, and dangerous drugs on the streets. There are also many petty crimes committed, petty things that take a lot of time for Police to deal with. Al- though someone may think the issue is petty, someone else thought it serious enough to call for Police, requiring a re- sponse and often times a writ- ten report. The author of the let- ter would lead you to believe that he does not require police services, stating, “I’ve never had a problem I couldn't per- sonally resolve.” Actually, pub- lic records would show that Vernonia Police have respond- ed to his residence several times in the past few years, in- cluding once last month for a disturbance. In response to the people caught with illegal narcotics. The Vernonia Police Depart- ment is proud of all our drug ar- rests, big and small. In each one of those, illegal narcotics taken off the street could have caused serious physical injury or death if [they] landed in the wrong hands. I don’t believe anyone is portraying that any type of drug cartels are moving into town, but we do have a problem that needs attention in this community. In order to get those nar- cotics off the streets you have to have Police Officers working the street. Not just police offi- cers, but COPS. Officers that will stop a car at 2:00 a.m, alone and possibly out-num- bered. The Vernonia Drug Coalition recently received a large government grant to help work with youth and combat the drug issues within this commu- nity. The most recent Healthy Teen Survey portrayed Vernon- ia as above the state average on everything; teen drug use, teen pregnancy and violence in the schools were all above the state average. Maybe that is why the department is trying for a school resource officer, someone with resources and trained to work with our youth, not a security guard. See Letters, page 4 Salem Scene By Representative Brad Witt Oregon District 31 This past week was ex- ceptionally busy at the Capitol. The House passed two critical pieces of legislation, one revamp- ing the way we provide health care in this state and the other raising rev- enue from both individuals and corporations in order to help close the $4.2 billion gap in our state’s budget. I’ll begin with HB 2116 and HB 2009, the bills that will increase access to health care for thousands of Oregonians. There are many compelling reasons to revise the health care system in Oregon, not the least of which is the growing dependence by the unin- sured on emergency room treatment. This is the most expensive form of care and the costs are passed through to those who do have insurance. HB 2116 and its companion measure HB 2009, supported by both the hospital and insur- ance industries, will leverage additional federal dollars, a total of $1.7 billion over the next four years. The major components of these bills: • Increase health coverage for approximately 200,000 Oregonians 2009-2011 • Create or retain 3600 jobs in hospitals and health care facilities • Streamline a patchwork of health policy boards with a citizen-led Health Policy Board • Transfer almost all health-care-related re- sponsibilities now in DHS to the Board • Create a statewide database for all health care claims by all providers • Demand accountability and enhanced public input prior to insurance rate increases • Develop a central insurance marketplace for individuals and small businesses All in all, these two bills will do more to im- prove health care delivery than any program since the introduction of the Oregon Health Plan two decades ago. They focus on prevention, pri- mary care and disease management, and give consumers the tools to make better health care decisions. HB 2116 and 2009 were passed by the Senate and will proceed to the Governor’s desk for his signature. The House also passed the revenue package, HB 2649 and HB 3405, funding for the 2009-11 biennium. This was a difficult vote for all mem- bers, Democrats and Republicans alike. Out of an overall $17 billion budget, our state faces a $4.2 billion shortfall. After $2 billion in cuts to state budgets affecting the entire spectrum of programs, laying off over 1700 public employ- ees, and adding funds from the rainy day fund and the federal stimulus, it became apparent that there would be no way to escape turning to the taxpayers to help us bridge a $733 million gap. Some talk show hosts have characterized this as “soaking the rich.” This kind of inflammatory rhetoric ignores the facts. For too long, middle class families and small businesses have shoul- dered the burden of funding education, human services and public safety in our state. While these folks are sacrificing, over 60% of See Salem, page 5