Letters to the Editor: Feb. 26, 2016

Local program a miracle

I am very appreciative of the fact that certain individuals in Sheridan care so much about people in need. I love the idea of the Angel’s Attic program.
It helps the needy in our community. The program gives items such as hygiene products, clothing, shoes and other necessities. I like the idea of people giving a chance to the poor and weak. I also like the idea of other organizations helping out and partnering with it, such as Sheridan’s Cavalry Church and public library. I think that the Cavalry Church made a good decision in giving the program all that it had. If more programs helped out, that would be a miracle in Sheridan.

Thank you for taking your time in listening to my opinion toward this program. I really appreciate you as well! Also I would like to thank you for putting this story in the newspaper, so other people know and can help out with the program.

Noah Ellis
Sheridan

 
School bond is painless

We all have the opportunity in May to painlessly improve our community. How? By passing the proposed school bond measure.
This bond will improve our schools and the education of our children, and as a result, the quality of life in our community.

The bond will provide for facility upgrades that will increase both safety and energy efficiency of school buildings. It will provide for necessary repairs to maintain our current structures. It will provide more classrooms, a new music room, upgraded fitness facilities and a new library at McMinnville High School.
And most importantly, it will fund a new vocational center that will ensure our students graduate with the skills necessary to compete and succeed. Whether or not you are the parent of a student, we know the whole community benefits from a well-educated citizenry.

When this new bond passes, you will see no change in your tax bill because the old bond is expiring. So without raising taxes, we can improve our schools, help our students and make McMinnville even a better place to live. I encourage you to vote yes on the May bond measure and painlessly improve our community.

David Sumner
McMinnville

 
Gun law goes too far

Eric Swensson’s Feb. 12 letter was exactly right concerning mandatory incarceration for crimes involving the use of a gun. For too long, there have been existing state and federal gun laws that have not been enforced or prosecuted fully enough.

However, recent gun laws passed by the Oregon Legislature and signed into law by our governor have gone too far, and now ensnare otherwise law-abiding citizens. As an example, a widow cannot give to her husband’s hunting partner and friend of more than half century a meaningful and treasured M-21 or M-12 duck gun or a pre-64 M-70 deer or elk rifle without first getting the approval of the government.

Some law-enforcement officers that I know are of the opinion that this law is unenforceable. I agree.

Jim LeTourneux
Sheridan

Don’t bite at Apple

Apple is in a fight with the FBI over the iPhone of San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook. The FBI wants Apple to write software, currently not in existence, that would allow them to access the memory in the phone.

Apple says no, contending that software made to unlock this one iPhone would work to unlock anyone’s iPhone. Apple also says this case would create a precedent that prosecutors elsewhere would pounce on.

Apple is right. They created a legal encryption-protected product. The government now threatens to nullify that protection. Prosecutors claim that they only want this one phone hacked, but if the courts grant that right in this one case, judges across the nation could grant the same right of access to the phones of other suspects.

When prosecutors throughout America obtain software to unlock iPhones, how long before hackers grab it? Your phone will be about as secure as rabbit in a wolf pack.

If the courts demand that Apple write software to hack this phone, they will force a private company to act as an extension of law enforcement. This is not just demanding that records be opened for review, such as phone company logs. It is a demand to create something that law enforcement lacks the expertise to make.

Such a case would set a dangerous precedent that could lead to legal coercion of private companies to create all manner of tools that law enforcement says they need.

Encryption is a controversial area that should be decided by Congress, not the courts. If Congress wants to outlaw encryption, or to grant broad authority to prosecutors, even at the hazard of widespread loss of privacy protection, let them debate it and vote on that law. Perhaps they would, but I doubt they have the spine for it.

Scott Gibson
McMinnville

Sanders just a New Dealer

Many Americans are nervous or hostile to Bernie Sanders’ claim to be a democratic socialist.

The Sanders campaign has done a poor job of explaining what that means. It isn’t Bolshevism or Soviet Communism. It is simply being a New Deal Democrat in the mold of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

FDR was one of America’s best-loved presidents, and he gave us programs like Social Security, labor laws and the notion that a fairly run America is what builds a great and strong America. He didn’t attack the wealthy or seize their wealth. He simply made sure that the rich and powerful did not use their wealth and power to trample the lives of working and poor Americans.

He made it his business to get to know everyday Americans and what their problems were. The only president to serve more than two terms, he was loved by the American people. When his body passed through one town, a bystander fell to his knees crying.

Asked if he knew FDR personally, the man replied “No. But he knew me.” The Sanders’ campaign needs to explain clearly to the American people that democratic socialism is New Deal democracy that has proven itself able to solve many of our current problems.

Fred Fawcett
Lafayette

 
Support schools

We are a wonderful community with great attraction. People flock here to join in many forms of celebration, including success in our wine industry, state-of-the-art museums and even a yearly alien invasion. We celebrate these things as well, but know that this community is attractive year-round. Our community has a down-home vibe, outstanding parks and superb schools.

You have certainly heard by now that the school district will be seeking community approval for an upcoming bond. Since the 1997 bond will be retiring in June 2016, this new bond will come to the voters with no increase in property taxes.

With this new bond, the school district will improve student security and safety (including seismic updates) while making needed energy improvements. We also intend to expand career, technical and vocational classroom space at the high school. Lastly, the district intends to address many necessary repairs in all district facilities.

This bond will continue the investment in the future of our children. These new and improved educational spaces will help our students become the 21st century leaders of our community. Please join me in supporting the upcoming school district bond measure.

Larry Vollmer
McMinnville

Stop praying, get to work

The Yamhill County commissioners’ Feb. 18 meeting was outrageous in its brevity and lack of transparency.

The meeting was only 11 minutes long. In that short time, there was a four-minute period allowed for the opening prayer. There was another four-minute period used to vote on one of the most significant land-use issues in Yamhill County’s history, the Riverbend dump.

Most of these four minutes were taken up by the county attorney explaining what had been added to the file and giving the commissioners an opportunity to honor Waste Management’s request to disallow citizens’ earnest and factual letters to be included in the file. The letters will be allowed to remain in the file.
The commissioners took only one minute to move for approval and then all three voted in support of expanding the dump. No discussion and/or explanation of their votes were given by the individual commissioners.

When we get to the point when we spend more time in prayer than we do addressing issues that greatly affect the county, we have a problem. It is time to consider electing a new commissioner in May when there’s an open seat.

Kris Bledsoe
Dayton

Time to open our eyes

What happened after so many years that suddenly Bullseye Glass in Portland is in trouble?

Just how could that be? Was no one at the wheel? Look at the situation in Sellwood. The grounds are in question. The people are scared. The air is bad. The children at the school are unsafe. People cannot eat the crops from the gardens they grow. Why now?

Does anyone know why a woman engineer who was 58 years old and worked for DEQ committed suicide? Could it be that covering the Bull Run water was not a good idea?

Let us move on to the decision by the Yamhill County commissioners to vote yes for the dump — once again. They imagine that Yamhill water and farmers’ fields are not being harmed by the dump as it gets bigger and bigger and the smell gets worse and worse.

They think they can trick Mother Nature into believing that everything is fine. It would be fine with me that all the votes were yes for the dump if they signed a contract and agreement with the people who have been against the dump to give up their houses, their retirements, their savings, themselves, their children and the children after them as collateral if something bad happens later, like poisoned ground water, undrinkable Yamhill river water, contaminated farm land and deformed animals.

I do know they will lose down the road. You can count on it. I would believe in the commissioners if they were perfectly healthy — no cancer, no high blood pressure, no diabetes, no bellies, no prostate cancer and no weight problems. I say this because if they were on-the-mark healthy with no disease they then would see life from a different standpoint on knowing what is right and what is wrong.

My question to you is how can we knowing citizens help the blind see? It is time — unless we are just all closing our eyes and voting for Trump because we have become a society which is mentally ill and lost.

Helen Bitar
Sheridan