Letters to the Editor: Feb. 28, 2025
Looking for answers
On Sunday, I attended our junior senator’s town hall in Mac.
Unfortunately, while the News-Register reported the questions asked at that meeting quite well, my questions were not asked. My number, 820, was never called.
Those questions were:
Sen. Merkley, we have a $37 trillion debt, and can’t balance the budget. Please explain how your “tax the rich” solution will do that, and if so, why it wasn’t done during Joe Biden’s four years? A needed age of accountability seems to be coming in focus.
Sen. Merkley, you advocate citizen involvement against President Trump to stop bad methods. Were you against those methods when Presidents Obama and Biden employed them? The following analogy seems to fit: You are robbed. Elon Musk looks at surveillance footage and tells you who did it. Now you want to arrest Musk and fire Trump.
Sen. Merkley, did you advocate Oregon school shutdowns and child Covid vaccinations during the Biden years? Looking back at the results in South Dakota and Florida, and who didn’t, would you do the same again?
Sen. Merkley, was our border system broken during the Biden years? If so, what did you propose to fix it?
Sen. Merkley, I was a member of the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners and O&C Lands Board in the 1990s, when President Clinton shut down our federal forests, including our O&C Forest Lands. They were well managed and provided money to Yamhill County government and schools. The undergrowth removal, road maintenance and stand thinning are no longer conducted. While in office, what have you done to get that funding back?
It would have been helpful if the News-Register had done some balanced investigative reporting on those subjects. I want Sen. Jeff Merkley working WITH our President Trump.
Dennis Goecks
McMinnville
Making it happen
I admired the Pamplin articles for their tact and balance. It’s not an easy task for a sensitive subject.
To my mind, the News-Register is the News-Necessity in our community. Thanks to all of you for making it happen week after week.
Ruth Hand
McMinnville
All in for billionaires
After almost 40 days of the current presidential administration, the approximately 800 billionaires in our country are prospering. Despite gains for these individuals, millions of other Americans are in a more precarious position.
This week, Republican members of the House voted on a budget framework that includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the ultra-rich. To help offset the cost, the measure calls for a $1.5 trillion reduction in mandatory federal spending.
Given that Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security all fall under the category of mandatory federal spending, it’s hard to see a path to the required reduction that doesn’t go through such programs. And consider this: Medicaid covers 41.5% of births and 63% of nursing home stays in the U.S.
Elon Musk, the richest person on the planet and the president’s largest campaign donor, is also the unelected, unofficial leader of the Department of Government Efficiency. Since taking his position next to the president, he has fired thousands of federal workers.
Musk has also gutted the government agencies that were overseeing his companies — the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for Tesla, Federal Aviation Administration for Starlink and Food & Drug Administration for Neuralink. Meanwhile, his rocket company, SpaceX, has secured billions in government contracts.
Yet, the prices of eggs and gas have not fallen. And promised tariffs threaten to further increase the cost of consumer goods, ranging from groceries to cars.
No one in the current majority party in Congress, the cabinet or the White House appears to be fighting for working Americans. Billionaires are winning; the rest of us are losing.
Adrianne Santina
McMinnville
Now more than ever
I have actively avoided news coverage since the day Trump was elected. I have been too grief-stricken and too scared to listen to news reports of the mean-spirited executive orders, the alarming decisions and the ludicrous staff appointments festering out of his administration.
I have recognized my cowardice, but I felt actual shame when I read the eloquent and simple truths offered in the two magnificent letters last week from Michael Passo and Stuart Gunness. I realized that being angry and frightened is no excuse for avoiding the truth facing America right now.
So hats off to all brave souls who have the courage to listen and the courage to answer back. America needs them now more than at any time in our history.
As we live through this precarious interval, trembling between democracy and autocracy, it will be those who stand strong, who listen and respond, that will make a difference in our future — and more importantly, that of our children. I promise to do better.
Erma Vasquez
McMinnville
No confidence
It would certainly be great to have the option to call for a “no confidence” vote at any time on any politician deemed unworthy.
Larry Larson
McMinnville
Comments
treefarmer
Mr. Goecks – You must have been in line with me last Sunday as our numbers were close to each other. While I am completely unable to understand the logic behind your letter, it is instructive to read your rational. For starters, your analogy about “citizen involvement” makes no sense to me. You may well take issue with actions of previous Presidents but this current regime is NOT EVEN SLIGHTLY analogous. This regime is methodically dismantling our democratic republic, which is diametrically different than any opinion of mistakes made in the past. Our new autocrat has seized the Justice Department, the Military, intimidated Congress into spineless submission, threatened the last guardrail available to stop him when he vows to “impeach” any Judge who dares to enforce the rule of law and follow the Constitution. He has thrown the entire world into profoundly dangerous chaos.
Even though I can no longer consider myself a citizen, and I refuse to be a loyal sycophantic subject to the self-proclaimed king, I am nonetheless ashamed of what the last election has set loose on the country and the world. If some of you welcome and support the coup, understand that others will resist the destruction of America. Thank you Senator Merkley for being our voice.
Meanwhile, do some research into the fascist roots of the South African madman Musk. Ask yourself, who will take your complaint when your Social Security check disappears? (No doubt Musk has grand plans to enrich himself with your retirement savings.) And while you’re at it, have a look at how Hitler gained control over Germany in about seven weeks. The parallels are beyond chilling.
Appreciate your letter, Ms. Santina. And I am with you Ms. Vasquez ~ we cannot afford the false security of a news diet right now. Let us all hope it is not too late.
treefarmer
p.s.
Mr. Larson - most regrettable that the “no confidence” option is not available to us as I perceive that a sizeable percentage of the maga crew is realizing what their vote has cost them personally. The checks and balances provided in the Constitution depend on a functioning Congress, alas that is no longer viable and buyer’s remorse cannot undo the damage.
mikes
Mr Goecks. Do you cut your income to pay your debts? Do you cut your income and attempt to cut spending to pay your debts? Do you say you are lowering your debt but actually continuing to borrow and go in debt? Not extending the super wealthy tax cut and cut spending might have a chance to lower the debt.
Moe
Dennis Goecks:
Great letter. Definitely hitting on all 8 cylinders. In particular: "I want Sen. Jeff Merkley working WITH our President Trump."
//
Also recall your prescient arguments in the 16 May 2023 Voters' Pamphlet for NO votes on Measures 36-226 & 36-227. There you stated:
"The city keeps the authority to tax for services not provided."
36-226 McMinnville Rural Fire Protection District
36-227 Formation of McMinnville Fire District
tagup
Hmm… statement in the voter’s pamphlet….seems to undermine the posts that voters were misled.
Moe
tagup:
Voters WERE misled.
Above quote was from Dennis Goecks' lone argument to vote NO.
His sage advice proved to be prescient:
"The city keeps the authority to tax for services not provided."
Whereas the 36-226 Summary stated:
"Measure would dissolve McMinnville Rural Fire
Protection District and eliminate McMinnville Rural Fire Protection District’s permanent tax rate."
tagup
Uninformed might be a more accurate description.
It also seems possible that voters got what they wanted.
Moe
https://www.yamhillcounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14769/BO-23-438-pdf?bidId=
Excerpt from above letter from YC BOC to City:
"We were shocked to hear the comments made at the city budget committee meeting on Tuesday
evening. Mayor Drabkin stated that one of the intended outcomes of the fire measure vote was
to “liberate city property tax dollars so that they could be reassigned to other city services”. With respect Mayor Drabkin, that is not what voters thought they were approving in May. City voters were not presented with information by the McMinnville City Council or the fire department that said a vote of approval is a vote to raise taxes by $2.00/1000."
Lulu
Goecks was one of the worst commissioners ever. Which is saying a great deal.