Letters to the Editor: June 8, 2018

Paying price for moral rot

I don’t usually read newspaper inserts published in small print, especially if statistics are involved. But I actually took the time to read the 2018-19 Yamhill County  Budget, and was appalled by the amount of money and resources allocated to the criminal justice and health and human services functions.

Some 57 percent of the budget goes to these two elements, and they account for 74.2 percent of taxes collected locally by the county. The latter is justified by the fact that grants and other revenue sources support other county programs, but doesn’t disguise the fact that an enormous amount of money is being allocated to taking care of the product of a grand social experiment conducted the last 50 years.

The keys were disintegration of the family unit, a permissive society that applauded moral decay, lack of meaningful discipline, both in our schools and society in general, and a departure from God’s way. As the saying goes, “The chickens are coming home to roost.”

All of this comes at the expense of those who take responsibility for their actions, and work hard to provide for themselves and their families. Not only do we pay up front for these services, but we have to suffer accusations afterward that we aren’t sharing enough or caring enough to help the “less fortunate.”

When we are called on to pay for the poor choices others make, many of us willingly step up to the plate to help. The larger problems are: How do we reverse this tide of crime, addiction and lack of personal responsibility? How do we turn this sinking ship around?

It can be done. But it would be a painful transition, and I don’t think anyone at the helm is willing to do what it takes.

Steve Sommerfeld

Sheridan

Questions for council

As a downtown merchant, I have some questions for the McMinnville City Council:

If you can perform behavior modification on our town, by taking a paper bag out of a grocery store and mandating a nickel penalty for providing such a bag to customers, why would you think twice about stopping a small group of offenders from waving toxic sparklers in our faces in our iconic downtown trade district?  How many cigarette butts does it take to screw in a light bulb? 

Tim McDaniel

McMinnville

Policy ‘vicious, heartless’

This coming Thursday, June 14, a family march will be held in McMinnville to increase awareness of the plight of thousands of immigrant children being pulled from their parent’s arms at the border. Being organized by Yamhill County Awareness, the march will commence at 5 p.m. in the upper level of the McMinnville Parking Garage.

The children have committed no crime, yet are being emotionally tortured by this deliberate separation.

Our junior U.S. senator, Jeff Merkely, tried unsuccessfully, to view one of the many centers holding these unfortunate children. He was turned away and police were called!

This is what Sen. Merkley has to say about the situation:

“This cruel treatment of children and families arriving to the U.S. is completely un-American and unacceptable. Americans should be outraged by the fact that our taxpayer dollars are being used to inflict spiteful and traumatizing policies on innocent children.

“The Trump administration’s vicious, heartless family separation policy must be stopped. President Trump should end this policy immediately. Any Republican who claims to embrace ‘family values’ must step up to oppose this cruel anti-family agenda.”

To support our senator’s efforts and to make your indignant voice heard, join us at the march. Bring the whole family, with signs to display.

Kris Bledsoe

Dayton