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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2011)
The INDEPENDENT, April 7, 2011 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 313 Hart 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 Should admire and emulate the wealthy To the Editor: In response to Out of My Mind, March 17, 2011, publica- tion. Just another article about someone trying to convince themself and others the wealthy continue to receive government benefits. Far from the truth the wealthy pay more taxes and create more com- merce than anyone that has ever committed or wrote against this fact. I have always admired the wealthy and worked hard and took financial risk to create more wealth for me and my family. In fact I start- ed a business from ground zero and at the time of selling it em- ployed 24 individuals. Let’s talk about greed. In my opinion greedy are the individuals that continue to partake in social programs as a lifestyle and al- ways want what the other guy has but not taking on more re- sponsibility or working longer hours to create more for them- self. Too bad articles like this one don’t look into the burden social programs put on the deficit, both locally and nationally. How many times have you stood in line and seen a perfectly healthy person buying gro- ceries with the Oregon Trail Card and what type of food was purchased? I bet it wasn’t the staples; like flour, milk, beans and such. And gone to the emergency room or DMV and waited to be helped lots of tax- paying citizens hanging around in those waiting rooms lately. Or talked with someone that works in a hospital maternity ward and seen the amount of babies being born to people who think that healthcare is free because they are on the Ore- gon Health Plan. The reference to 25 percent American homeowners are un- der water again is referencing the wrong issue. It’s not the mortgage companies fault, people if you can’t afford it don’t buy it. Social programs were started to help anyone in time of need and I still believe that is needed but they have since be- come a lifestyle. I will always be grateful to my parents who taught me if you want some- thing work for it, if you create a consequence pay for it. Yes I was arrested at 17 years old. Guess who paid for that mis- take? I did, as my parents saw to it I didn’t get away with any- thing, it was my fault so I paid. Mr. Abraham Lincoln said once, or something close to it, don’t take from one man’s house to build one for another. We need to get back to those basic principles. This is still the greatest nation on earth and land of opportunity. So if you want opportunity go get it don’t wait for someone to hand it to you. The greatest gift we can give our kids, or kids we know, is work ethic and pride in them- selves and basic principles. Brian Bassett Vernonia Action against Libya, Gadafhi is absurd To the Editor: Not since the war of Jenkins’ Ear has there been a conflict so absurdly initiated, and subse- quently fought, as this modern- day campaign on the part of the Obama administration to “pun- ish” Gadafhi, and then deliver Libya into the arms of his oppo- nents. As U.S. and “allied” mili- tary assets crash onto Libyan soil, spokespersons for the U.S. administration and its Eu- ropean sidekicks declare that they are “only interested” in protecting civilians from being massacred by Gadafhi’s armed forces. Obama himself de- clared the other day that he had visions of the awful deeds Colonel Gadafhi intended for people in the rebels’ strong- holds. “We had to act.” Now, don’t these sorts of rhetorical ruffles and flourishes emanating from Obama and his crowd remind you of the rabid hyperventilating indulged in by Bush’s neocons during the run up to our 2003 invasion of Iraq? How soon we forget! Just as people like Condoleezza Rice and Paul Wolfowitz had “vi- sions of mushroom clouds” as they mulled the implications of Saddam’s non-existent Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), so today Mr. Obama maintains that he “had to act” due to bad dreams about the fate of rebels in their eastern strongholds. Yes, indeed, the President just “had to act” when it became clear that the rebel- lion was becoming totally unglued, and that Gadafhi’s armed forces were a lot stronger and more proficient than anyone gave them credit for early in the game. Obama waltzed into Wash- ington D.C. as the man who would fundamentally change the bruised and battered rela- tionship between the U.S., on the one hand, and the rest of the world on the other. To my way of thinking, his Libyan ad- venture provides positive proof that his administration differs in foreign policy only marginally, if at all, from every single U.S. administration since Truman’s. “We had to act.” Actually, Obama’s fear of be- ing styled a wimp in foreign af- fairs impelled him to act. Like every U.S. Chief Executive since 1945, Obama has had to “prove” his national security bonafides by indulging in a bit of interventionism and demon- strative militarism. So far from being “different” from his predecessors, Oba- ma’s foreign policy actually rep- resents “more of the same.” And why was anyone fooled by Obama’s rhetoric on the cam- paign trail? Just because his campaign rhetoric didn’t reek quite as much of machismo as McCain’s and Palin’s merely in- dicates that he adhered to the “normal” tone of U.S. politi- cian’s post-1945 national secu- rity discourse. He does so to- day. “He had to act.” Frank W. Goheen Camas, Washington 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. Salem Scene By Representative Brad Witt Oregon District 31 The big news this week is the Ways & Means Co- Chairs budget. Governor Kitzhaber released his budget in January, and this is the Legislature’s response to his suggest- ed allocations. Chief among the differences is the Legislature’s pro- posed funding for education over the next two years. It is by far the largest expenditure in state government as K-12 accounts for 38% of the general fund, which is made up of income tax and lottery revenues. The Co-Chairs budget allocated $5.7 billion for K-12 funding, roughly the same amount of funds as the current school year and slightly more than the Governor’s budget. An additional $55 million could be added for 2012-13 funding if the economy shows continued improvement. The $5.7 million means school funding is flat or slightly reduced for the next biennium and, ac- cording to reports from school districts across the state, it isn’t enough to avoid layoffs and loss of school days for many of Oregon’s schools. Although the process has been relatively friendly in the face of a divided House, there are many remaining issues to be resolved. Items of Interest... On Tuesday, I was honored to be present as Governor Kitzhaber announced the granting of $11.2 million to the Vernonia School District from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the dismantling of their flood ravaged school buildings and the creation of a city park. This event recognizes the remarkable collabora- tion of the community of Vernonia, federal elect- ed and emergency management officials and the Oregon Solutions Team. The new city park will protect environmentally sensitive wetlands, as well as provide a venue for environmental edu- cation and school athletic performances. Con- gratulations to the people of Vernonia for their dedication to their community and their children. Way to go, Vernonia!