The INDEPENDENT, December 21, 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 ace
pl
620 SW Main, Suite e 606
r
Portland, OR 97205
o on
Phone: 503-326-2901
– n lecti
d e Ofc. Bldg.
2338 Rayburn
l
ne ti House
g
i
Washington,
s un DC 20515
e
t
Phone:
R en 202-225-0855
Website:
m 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
Yes, Virginia, there
is a Santa Claus
(This timeless classic is from
the Editorial Page of The New
York Sun, written by Francis P.
Church, September 21, 1897)
To the Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my
little friends say there is no Santa
Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in
The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me
the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O’Hanlon
New York
Virginia, your little friends are
wrong. They have been affected
by the skepticism of a skeptical
age. They do not believe except
they see. They think that nothing
can be which is not comprehensi-
ble by their little minds. All minds,
Virginia, whether they be men’s or
children’s are little. In this great
universe of ours man is a mere in-
sect, an ant, in his intellect, as com-
pared with the boundless world
about him, as measured by the in-
telligence capable of grasping the
whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa
Claus. He exists as certainly as
love and generosity and devotion
exist, and you know that they
abound and give to your life its
highest beauty and joy. Alas! how
dreary would be the world if there
were no Santa Claus! It would be
as dreary as if there were no Vir-
ginias. There would be no child-
like faith then, no poetry, no ro-
mance to make tolerable this exis-
tence. We should have no enjoy-
ment except in sense and sight.
The eternal light with which child-
hood fills the world would be ex-
tinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus!
You might as well not believe in
fairies! You might get your papa to
hire men to watch in all the chim-
neys on Christmas eve to catch
Santa Claus, but even if you did
not see Santa Claus coming down,
what would that prove? Nobody
sees Santa Claus, but that is no
sign that there is no Santa Claus.
The most real things in the world
are those that neither children nor
men can see. Did you ever see
fairies dancing on the lawn? Of
course not, but that’s no proof that
they are not there. Nobody can
conceive or imagine all the won-
ders there are unseen and unsee-
able in the world.
You tear apart the baby’s rattle
and see what makes the noise in-
side, but there is a veil covering the
unseen world which not the
strongest man, nor even the united
strength of all the strongest men
that ever lived, could tear apart. Only
faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance,
can push aside that curtain and view
and picture the supernal beauty and
glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Vir-
ginia, in all the world there is noth-
ing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God!
he lives, and he lives forever. A
thousand years from now, Vir-
ginia, nay, ten times ten thousand
years from now, he will continue
to make glad the heart of child-
hood.
Girl Scouts again to
sell spring bloomers
To the Editor:
I would like to thank the
community for their continued
support of the girls who are in-
volved in Scouting in Vernonia.
Your past purchases have
made it possible for us to rent
the camp lodge at Mountain-
dale, as well as all of the “cook-
ie” trips the girls have planned
and taken.
The Vernonia Girl Scouts
will once again be pre-selling
flowering, potted tulips and hy-
acinths from VanderZanden
Farms as a fund raiser for our
spring camping trip. All Girl
Scouts are selling them from
December 1 through January
3, and they will be available for
pick-up from WGS on Monday,
February 13th from 1:30 to
3:30 p.m.
This is a great way to sup-
port Scouts while getting fresh
flowers for a loved one, teacher
or friend near Valentine’s Day.
Remember, the bulbs can be
planted in your yard and en-
joyed for many years to come.
These are the same beautiful
varieties planted by our Scouts
at the “Welcome to Vernonia”
sign. The cost will be $6 for a
brightly wrapped, blooming pot
of 5 tulips or 3 hyacinths. Or-
ders can be placed with any
Girl Scout and are greatly ap-
preciated.
Girl Scouts is a program that
instills leadership skills and a
sense of responsibility to the
girls’ community as well as a
place to have a whole lot of fun.
For further information on
Girl Scouts please call 503-
429-5709. Thank you again!
Susan Ely
Vernonia
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.
Mackenzie Carr is the new Miss Rodeo America
From page 1
stain resistant, waterproof
coating. Carr has two white
hats for this year, but admits to
having many more, some in dif-
ferent colors, at home in her
closet.
When she’s not on the rodeo
circuit, Carr loves to bake pies,
play volleyball, and has been
giving riding lessons to seven
girls and one boy (all ages 7 to
10), plus a couple of older chil-
dren.
“I’m so thankful for the sup-
port I’ve received from the
whole town,” Carr said at a
special Welcome Home event,
held at the high school on De-
cember 17. Delores Belling-
ham of the Vernonia Ridge Rid-
ers presented Carr with an
honorary lifetime membership
in the riding club.
There was cake, punch,
competition videos, autographs
and lots of pictures with the
new Miss Rodeo America.
Young girls, in particular, were
very excited to have their pic-
tures taken with Carr.
When asked what she would
say to her young fans, Carr an-
swered, “Dream big and keep
going, even if people say it
can’t be done, stick with it and
it can happen. If this can hap-
pen to a regular small town girl
like me, anything is possible.”
Renters will get help from Merkley bill
From page 1
hands, they may lose their abil-
ity to have that long-term stabil-
ity. This reform simply provides
those individuals and families
with more certainty that even if
their rental unit is sold, they will
still have a home,” said
Merkley.
Under current law, if an
apartment building is being
sold, rental assistance for that
property can be extended for
only one year under three af-
fected federal programs. Banks
are, therefore, unwilling to
make loans to new owners to
buy or improve the property, as
there is little guarantee the
building will continue to benefit
from federal housing programs.
And tenants suffer from a lack
of stability.
Merkley’s language would
allow for multi-year rent-assis-
tance contracts, which provide
more certainty for lenders,
owners and tenants alike, with-
out any additional cost to tax-
payers.
The language was included
in the legislation funding the
departments of Agriculture,
Commerce, Justice, State,
Transportation, and Housing
and Urban Development for fis-
cal year 2012. The bill was
passed by the House and the
Senate the week of November
18 and was signed by Presi-
dent Obama on November 18.