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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2010)
The INDEPENDENT, June 17, 2010 Where to Find Them U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (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 U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (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: http://merkley.senate. gov/contact WebSite: http://merkley.senate. gov 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 Senator Betsy Johnson (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 Representative Brad Witt (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 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 Page 3 Letters VHS Seniors thank supporters for trip To the Editor: Over Memorial Day week- end 15 students from the Ver- nonia Class of 2010 went to California for their Senior Trip. They attended Disney’s Grad Night Celebration from 8:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. the next morning. They were wiped out!! The group enjoyed one more day at Disneyland and Califor- nia Adventure. The next two days were spent at Knott’s Soak City Water Park and Knott’s Berry Farm. They also dined one evening at Medieval Times where they ate with their hands and watched a jousting tournament. To top it all off we had beautiful weather! We wanted to take a mo- ment to thank the people who helped us raise the funds to go on this trip. We can’t express enough how much we appreci- ate everyone who helped us in one form or another. We are truly blessed to live in such a giving community. A special thanks to Sentry Market for their donation of soda and candy for us to give out as prizes at basketball games and also their patience with us during all of our can/bottle drives; Black Bear, Jim’s Thriftway, Blue House Café, Café 47, The Clever Cricket, and Penny with Jazzercise for their donations of gift cards and/or products for our fundraisers, and every community member that has bought a raffle ticket, attended our rummage sale or donated cans to our can/bottle drives. And finally, a HUGE thank you to Curl School Bus Services for providing the bus to transport us to and from the airport, Shel- ley Cota for coordinating the transportation and Karen Davis for actually driving us! Once again, thank you to EVERYONE that has helped us. It is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Kari, David and Collin Moeller, Tim, Tara and Chris Bamburg, Tony, Michelle and Brandon Gilbertson, Debbie and Calie Johnston, Barb and Kaitlyn Carr, Dana Hyde, Rachel Wilcoxen, Danny V., Charels T., Levi T., Petr J., Kaylee D., Katie W., Katy S., Emma K., Klara B., and Brandon S. Vernonia Class of 2010 Senior Class Trip Candidate thanks voters and others To the Editor: Dear Republicans of Ver- nonia; I am writing to thank you for your vote of confidence in me during the primary election for County Commissioner a few weeks ago. Vernonia has so much to of- fer for economic growth and for families to live and enjoy the opportunities and the beauty of Vernonia; I would have worked hard for your future growth. I called Terry Luttrell the day after the election and I want to congratulate him again in my letter. Finally, but of equal impor- tance, I want to express my thank you to Shawna, Judith, Henry, Russ, and Terry for the public forums we spoke at throughout Columbia County; I learned a great deal from each of you. Sincerely, Glenn Dorschler Scappoose Policy on Letters The INDEPENDENT will not publish letters with per- sonal attacks on private citi- zens. Preference will be giv- en to brief letters, 300 words or less. All letters must be signed and include a verifiable ad- dress or phone number. Senator Merkley lays out a plan to eliminate non-North American oil In a recent speech at the Center for American Progress, Ore- gon’s Senator Jeff Merkley laid out a plan to eliminate all foreign oil imports from non-North American nations by 2030. The plan in- cludes steps to ramp up the production and use of electric vehi- cles, increase travel options and improve infrastructure, develop alternative transportation fuels, and reduce the use of oil to heat buildings. Merkley emphasized that the challenge is not primarily techno- logical, but one of political will: “American entrepreneurs and inge- nuity are undoubtedly capable of breaking our addiction to oil,” he said. “The question for all of us, policymakers and citizens, is whether we’re going to choose strength or vulnerability.” Following are excerpts from his speech. America’s Oil Vulnerability There is near-universal agreement that breaking the United States off of oil should be one of our nation’s top priorities. And yet gas prices remain around $3 per gallon, oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, and we are still dangerously dependent on for- eign oil imported from the Middle East. We face a choice between vulnerability and strength. So far we’ve made energy choices that Out of My Mind… From page 2 police officers, including the part-time chief, to commute in their police cars, and all except one live outside the Vernonia area. That practice adds to the cost of maintenance, fuel and insurance, and doesn’t make us safer. Incidentally, Oregon law enforcement has long expressed the ratio of one officer per 1,000 residents as appropriate staffing. We will soon be down to three officers, but this council wants five officers for 2,400 residents. Yes, there are many other problems. Goodness knows that wa- ter and sewer charges are at the top of the list for many people. The only way any of this will change is if enough citizens care enough to run for the council or mayor positions. The only way to be on the ballot in November is to get a nomination packet at City Hall now, and return the completed forms by late August. We need a city government that works smart, not one with a smart mouth. have exposed us to unnecessary risks, but it’s time for that to change. National Security Risks Of all the oil used in America each day, 57 percent is imported, and 70 percent of these imports come from outside North Ameri- ca. In total, the United States sends $1 billion a day overseas to fuel our oil habit. The four countries outside of North America that export the most oil to the United States are Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Nige- ria, and Iraq. These are nations that too often do not share our in- terests and are too unstable to safely make up such a large por- tion of our energy supply. Rather than sending a billion-dollar check to foreign nations every day, we should be spending that money on American energy solutions that put people to work here at home. Economic and Environmental Risks The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has demonstrated the devas- tation that oil drilling can cause, and the folly of thinking that do- mestic drilling offers a viable path to energy independence. This ongoing disaster has put the livelihoods of thousands of Ameri- cans, major portions of a region’s economy, and critical natural re- sources at risk. The cleanup is costing $6 million each day, and the projected total cost of cleanup and damages is $37 billion. Based on past oil spills, it is highly likely some oil will remain in the Gulf for decades to come. Additionally, the United States transportation sector – the circulatory system of our economy – depends on oil for 95 percent of its energy. As long as America is dependent on foreign oil, both our security and our economy are in jeopardy. Strength through a Clean Energy Economy The United States needs a comprehensive and diversified strategy to reduce our dependence on oil outright, with a goal of eliminating the need for any oil imported from outside of North America. Some might say that this objective is too difficult to achieve, but in fact we have the technology to reach this goal with- in 20 years. For the rest of this presentation, go to http//merkley.senate.gov and click on Merkley’s New Plan to Eliminate America’s Depen- dence on Overseas Oil.