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Letters to the Editor: Nov. 26, 2021

All the best

No matter where I have lived, I have always subscribed to the local newspaper.

It is a way of knowing my community. That way, I have a better understanding of issues, concerns, celebrations and just general news.

I signed up for the News-Register when my family moved to McMinnville in the mid-1990s. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to meet a number of the owners, editors and reporters. I have always been impressed with their professionalism, dedication and ethical considerations as they cover McMinnville and Yamhill County.

I have found that, yes, the editorial page does indeed lean in certain directions. But I have also found the newspaper coverage to have a comprehensive offering in reporting on all sides of the issues. And I would note that we have coverage on elections, bond issues and so many other things that simply are not comprehensively covered anywhere else. Now then, I just have to smile when I see the letters from those individuals who go into a tirade and rant about News-Register coverage.

They have every right to present their viewpoints. I would ask them however, to please keep something in mind: Over the past 15 years, the number of journalists working for newspapers has been cut in half and more than one in five papers in the United States have been shuttered.

We are so fortunate to have an excellent local newspaper. I wish the News-Register all the best for the future.

Lee Howard

McMinnville

 
Pushback misses mark

The pushback against public health mandates — e.g., vaccines and masks — brings into sharp relief an enduring problem in political philosophy. When is it legitimate for a government to mandate that people do or refrain from doing something?

A traditional answer is to prevent harm to others. This is a basic minimum because government often reaches beyond it.

There are many examples that we live with daily — paying taxes, wearing seat belts, educating our children, stopping at a stop sign, vaccinating our children against diseases like measles before enrolling them in school.

The laws and mandates of a well-ordered society allow all its members to live relatively safe and secure lives. Without mandates, society would soon devolve into a Hobbesian state of nature characterized by “war of all against all.” As a result, life would be “nasty, poor, solitary, brutish and short.”

Today, parents acting badly at school board meetings are a sign we are devolving. On the face of it, the COVID mandates prevent harm to others, thus are justified. The only rational choice during a global pandemic is to get vaccinated and wear masks in public spaces.

I know it’s a Hobson’s choice, but sometimes the best horse is located nearest the stable’s entrance.

Robert Mason

McMinnville

 

Bottle drop needed

Amity, or at least McMinnville, needs a bottle drop location. Too many students and other consumers during COVID have limited safe options to recycle and reclaim bottle deposits.

Can we please fill one of our empty spaces with a bottle drop location. For more information, visit: www.bottledropcenters.com/return-green-bags.

Terry Diemer

Amity

Comments

treefarmer


In response to the excellent letter from Lee Howard I will add my agreement and my gratitude. We are extremely fortunate to have this invaluable community resource! Thanks N/R - it can't have been easy but you have persevered.

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