The INDEPENDENT, April 18, 2012
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 Suzanne
Bonamici, (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://bonamici.house.
gov
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
Thank you for buying
Girl Scout cookies
To the Editor:
We wanted to say thank you
to everyone who helped sup-
port the Girl Scouts by buying
cookies from us. Whether it
was from a Girl Scout you
knew or from one of us at the
booth at Sentry, the support is
greatly appreciated.
Our troop went beyond our
goal of selling enough boxes to
go to a pool party as well as do-
nating 10% of our profits to
Turner for flood recovery.
We also earned enough for
an extra special treat such as
another outing or party. Thank
you again, without you, we
could not have achieved our
goals.
Girl Scout Brownie Troop
43023; Carly, Brianna,
Averie, Taylor, Nita, Abby,
Kaili, Morgan, Audrey,
Sailor, Angie, Sky, Sadie,
Hennessy, Jenna, Sydney,
Kassidy, and Jayda
Vernonia
Support for school
fund is appreciated
To the Editor:
The VHS Leadership Class
would like to thank the local
businesses that supported the
Donate a Dollar, Build a
School, Save a Town cam-
paign. The fundraiser received
$1,619.10 for our new school.
We would like to thank the fol-
lowing businesses for display-
ing the donation jars and pro-
moting our cause: NAPA Auto
Parts, Bridge Street Mini Mart,
Mariolino’s, Clever Cricket,
True Value Hardware, Vernonia
Pharmacy, Sentry Market,
Black Bear Coffee Co., and
Creatures Pet Store. We ap-
preciate your help. Without
your dedication to our new
school, we could not have
raised the money.
Thank you so much!
Vernonia High School
Leadership Class
Thanks, Synda, for
20 years of service
To the Editor:
Have you heard? One of
‘US’ is leaving. Synda and Ray
Allen have decided to leave
their post as care-takers at the
cemetery and sadly Vernonia
too.
I can’t let this happen with-
out saying a big “Thank You!”
to her for her 20 years of serv-
ice to the city.
Synda has cared for our de-
parted loved one’s last resting
place, through rain or shine,
good times and bad, so that we
may visit there and be proud.
She has always shown a
caring heart for the families left
behind. Her memorial services
have been memorable.
20 years, 20 years of re-
spectful service.
So thank you, Synda, for
your hard work, but most of all,
thank you for being the caring,
loving lady you are.
I can only hope we find
someone to fill your shoes who
will care half as much as you.
Much luck in your new
“digs”.
Sally Harrison
Vernonia
Hyde has worked for
all of Columbia Co.
To the Editor:
As residents of Columbia
County and retired teachers for
the Vernonia School District, it
is with confidence and high re-
gard to say that our county is in
good hands with Tony Hyde as
one of our county commission-
ers.
Year after year we have per-
sonally witnessed the commit-
ment Tony has given to this
county and the town of Vernon-
ia. He continues to prove him-
self with his hard work and ef-
fort to help our county prosper,
and our small town flourish.
Tony’s recent accomplish-
ments have been helping to se-
cure funds to finish the con-
struction of the new K-12
school without adding extra
costs to the taxpayers. Trust is
earned by how you prove your-
self and Tony has exceeded
this expectation.
It is without reservation that
Jim and I fully support the re-
election of Tony Hyde for Coun-
ty Commissioner.
Ginger Johns
Jim Johns
Vernonia
Vote for new faces
Preheim and Maygra
To the Editor:
The first president for which
I was old enough to vote was
John Kennedy back in 1960.
The first political election in
which I became involved was
Robert Kennedy’s run for the
presidency in 1968. After that
election I was paid for my serv-
ices to help people get elected.
I began by working for Wayne
Morse, Mark Hatfield, and vari-
ous other candidates for both
state and federal elections.
Now, I am actually a cam-
paign manager and I feel really
good about this one even
though, once again, I am not
getting paid. Tammy Maygra
and Brady Preheim are running
for positions 3 and 1 against
two incumbent commissioners,
one of whom has been in office
for 16 years and the other who
is already a PERS retiree.
Once again we are a grass
roots organization as we were
when I worked to help repeal
the hospital tax and then again
to get new people elected to
the Columbia Health District
board.
This time, however, it ap-
pears people are taking even
more interest and are actually
donating money for this elec-
tion.
Which, of course, brings me
to my moment of contention.
By logging on to ORESTAR, I
found that on Earl Fisher’s last
election, he had nearly $40,000
to spend which averages about
$20 per vote. He actually paid
his campaign manager more
than $18,000 to help him win.
The same campaign manager
is back to help him this time
and, with inflation, I cannot be-
gin to imagine what she is be-
ing paid this time around. I also
found many investors and con-
sultants from out of town and
out of state contributed to his
campaign. He contributed
Please see page 19
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.
Out of My Mind
From page 2
elements for profitable businesses and a healthy
economy.
Your income taxes also pay for many non-tax
corporate subsidies. These include farm subsi-
dies that go to mostly big ag corporations for
corn, soy beans, cotton and wheat, despite their
high, and highly profitable prices. In contrast,
only 13% of farm subsidies go to farmers who
grow vegetables.
Other non-tax subsidies include those for the
exploration and development of oil/gas wells.
Once the wells are producing, their operators re-
ceive depletion subsidies. Yep, we pay them to
find and develop the wells, then we pay them be-
cause they use up the product we paid them to
find. And BP saved $13 billion in taxes by writing
off losses from their gulf oil spill. In other words,
you paid for BP’s lack of attention to safety. It’s
almost enough to make a strong man cry.
If you haven’t noticed that Republicans in the
House of Representatives have passed a budg-
et bill that, they say, “cuts the deficit and creates
jobs”, I’m sure you’ll hear much more about it in
the months to come. The budget designed by
GOP budget guru Paul Ryan maintains the Bush
tax breaks and reduces tax rates for wealthy cor-
porations and individuals (Tax effects for individ-
uals will be in a future column).
The deficit reduction side of the Ryan budget
sort of includes eliminating some tax breaks, but
doesn’t specify even one tax break for elimina-
tion. It does, however, specify cuts to Medicare,
Medicaid and Social Security, along with Pell
grants, food stamps and other programs that
help people who actually need the help.
As Mitt Romney said, “Corporations are peo-
ple, my friend.” Apparently, to be treated like a
person, we must become a corporation.
But that won’t work either, because there
wouldn’t be enough non-corporations (formerly
known as persons) to pay for corporations’ tax
and business subsidies. What a dilemma.
Note: Tax data included here is from studies by Citi-
zens for Tax Justice, a 501 (c)(4) public interest re-
search and advocacy organization, and the Institute
on Taxation and Economic Policy, a 501 (c)(3) non-
partisan research organization that focuses on feder-
al and state tax policy.