Letters to the Editor: Aug. 28, 2026

Drain the swamp

The MAGA/Make America Great Again movement has been nothing more than a marketing scam. It was a scheme to create a political base by pandering to a disaffected portion of our population, which then, no longer needed, was tossed aside.

Under Trump, our country has put all of its energy assets into one basket, oil, with no alternatives, no diversity. Basically, the whole premise of the MAGA philosophy is, “One way or the highway.”

While we have turned our backs on alternative technology and scientific research, other countries, especially China, have been leapfrogging ahead of us.

No longer is the United States the favored destination of foreign scientists and students in research and development. We are now seeing a brain drain, thanks to forced and voluntary departure of brilliance from this country.

The international approval rating of the United States has dropped more than 40 percentage points in the past two years. The Trump presidency couldn’t have come at a worse time as far as the future development of this country goes for the good of all.

Under the practices of the current administration, we are in retrograde, a declining society. It is time to drain the swamp and return America to a country that works for everyone.

Stuart Gunness

Sheridan

Litmus test

We are starting to see signs for candidates running for election in November to represent us in a variety of different state offices.

We are a democratic republic wherein the people we elect are put in office by us to represent us and make decisions to improve the security and opportunities for all the people they are privileged to serve.

I am a nonaffiliated voter today. However, in almost 55 years of participation in elections, I was registered Republican and voted that way.

My litmus test for candidates in November is as follows:

1. Do you publicly state that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election?

2. Do you believe unlimited money is undermining our democracy?

3. Do you agree that Trump 1.0 added $8 trillion to our national debt and Trump 2.0 is on track to more than double that? (And just to be clear, that level of debt is unsustainable.)

4. Do you support our military and agree it deserves competent leadership, not a TV anchorman?

5. Do you believe the climate is changing and we need urgent action to address the problem?

6. Do you believe every human being deserves dignity and anyone on U.S. soil has a right to due process of law?

7. Do you believe in the rule of law, and thus that no person is above the law, not even the president of the United States?

8. Do you believe AI can be a good thing for humanity, but humans need to set boundaries around its use in society?

9. Do you reject money from foreign sources, including AIPAC?

10. Do you believe in cooperation with our historical allies and trading partners, not trade wars that increase our costs at home?

If you answer “YES!” to these questions, I will be looking to learn more about what you plan to do to improve our education, our economy and our environment in Oregon.

Phil Forve

McMinnville

Down their throats

I am glad County Commissioner Bubba King proposed a resolution to limit where data centers can be built locally.

According to the Pew Research Center, Oregon is one of the top 10 states for data centers. And Pew found that 67% of new data centers are planned for rural areas like ours.

The News-Register recently reported that no data centers are currently planned for Yamhill County. However, the speed at which data centers are being built indicates the need for strong measures to address their proliferation.

I was disappointed that Commissioners Starrett and Johnston put the brakes on King’s resolution. Starrett suggested future tech improvements could mitigate the strains data centers place on electrical grids and water resources. Johnston argued there is already a process in place for development on county land, so “it’s not like somebody’s going to shove a data center down our throats.”

I ask our commissioners to familiarize themselves with the data center under construction in Saline Township, Michigan.

Last year, both the township board and planning commission rejected a request to rezone 575 acres of farmland for a hyperscale data center for Oracle and OpenAI. The developer sued in response.

As a community of less than 3,000, Saline Township did not have the funds to fight a lawsuit backed by billionaire tech entrepreneurs, so was forced to settle. It thus earned some concessions for protection of the electrical grid and water supply.

So, Commissioner Johnston, the data center was, indeed, shoved down their throats.

Since Commissioners Starrett and Johnston propose a wait-until-they-come-for-us approach, it’s a relief others are being proactive.

In the 2027 legislative session, Democratic state senators will propose a three-year moratorium on new data centers. I hope Rep. Lucetta Elmer familiarizes herself with Saline Township and helps protect our community from unwanted data center development.

Adrianne Santina

McMinnville