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Letters to the Editor: Oct. 16, 2021

Feeding the mind

“Reading, living and breathing our history:” What a terrific essay on history from beginning to end.

It feeds the mind to see what has happened in the past so you can repeat it if good and not if bad. But you must read history first.

The author is most correct that if you read history or the bible, you will find there are no new sins. You will thus have better judgment of situations of today.

This essay is a prelude to Labor History Month in Oregon. If there is history to be taught, this history covers it all — native peoples, immigrants, minorities, nationalities, religions, races and sexes.

If you taught it to high school students, it would let them see there is a lot more than the sagas of the “Robber Barons” that made this country. It was the sweat, blood in the work and lives of millions of people who gained them their wealth.

Perhaps it’s “the powers that be” that have helped minimize history since 1985. As Harry S. Truman warned, “Without a strong educational system, democracy is crippled. Knowledge is not only key to power. It is the citadel of human freedom.”

Lastly, I was truly fortunate to have received a degree in labor history, which I utilize to this day.

Remember, next month is Labor History Month. Think of all those folks who made a dream come true for us.

Let’s read what they did and not damage their dreams, but build on them for those to come.

Mike Sullivan

McMinnville


 
Too costly to keep

It is very curious that Yamhill County Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer laments on social media about the cost of an election to recall her from office.

Why was cost not a concern when she insisted Newberg hold an unnecessary election regarding new urban growth boundaries to the tune of $70,000? Where was her financial concern when crafting and voting for an ordinance that caused Yamhill County to be sued by the Oregon Department of Justice — after being warned by the county attorney that passing the ordinance would put the county at high risk of such a lawsuit?

What about her actions resulting in Yamhill County having to pay back $1.1 million in grant money for the Yamhelas Westsider Trail, or the $75,000 laid out to disassemble a trail bridge?

The list goes on and on. Yamhill County can’t afford to keep Lindsay Berschauer!

Kris Gabrielsen

McMinnville

 

Lots to opine on

The last two weeks’ letters were disappointing.

Five of 11 robotically criticized Yamhill County Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer, drawing zero responses from online readers. How boring.

Missing were letters on our porous border, with record highs for sex slaves, lethal drugs, terrorists and violent criminals. COVID deaths in August, double those of a year ago. Or public schools being abandoned in record number, as they abandon standards for graduation while protecting continued indoctrination.

The president’s approval cratered, but not as fast as that of the Ducks football team. Go, Beavs!

Climate mania returned to its pre-climategate hysteria. A bill to dump trillions into the money supply was promoted so corporate giants could tighten their hold on individual freedoms.

Our military botched the exit from Afghanistan, triggering direct challenges with military aggression by China and Iran. The FBI is to be weaponized to silence parents at school board meetings. Redistricting is gerrymandered with a broken promise.

There’s lots to opine on for those who care to.

Happy people work to better their families’ lives and circumstances. Unhappy people search for company to share their misery.

Universal health care doesn’t entitle anyone to a healthy spiritual life.

Tom Hammer

Hopewell

 
Hate speech?

Open letter to the Newberg School Board:

I would like to hear from Board Chair Dave Brown why he is so closely connected to Carey Martell as to take a call from him during a board meeting posted on YouTube.

Martell posted a 272-minute statement accusing community members and school employees of involvement in a criminal mafia cult. He said he had reported everyone to the FBI, complete with personal information.

My concern here is Brown having a close enough relationship to give him an audience.

Mr. Brown, do you want to be the person who fuels his manic activity and empowers him to target local people? Or do you want to separate yourself and set safe, clear boundaries by denouncing his recent actions?

Then there was citizen Michael Gunn. He showed his true colors when, not realizing his mike was still on after his testimony, he called one our Newberg students a “little fag.”

That is hate speech. I would like the school board to refuse any opportunity for this man to speak at upcoming meetings.

His motivation is clearly hate. Otherwise he would not have said it, especially about a CHILD. 

It feels incredibly important that certain members of the board stop inviting people to engage when they are not affected by the decision, do harm to those who are and intend to be hateful. Take some anti-bully action and come out with a statement denouncing this behavior. 

This is not me requesting people be silenced. This is me asking that you to listen and amplify who you were elected to serve and protect.

You allowed a man to spew hate. You are not responsible for his words, but you are for providing the platform. 

I am deeply concerned with the way these behaviors are escalating, and the direct connection to the board chair. 

Kristen Stoller

Newberg

 
Cut ’em loose

There’s a widely circulating hashtag suggesting far right extremists want to foment another Civil War. It originated with an Iowa resident, who said that’s what’s coming in answer to “the stolen election” this past year. 

She’s probably unaware that Iowa has a favorable balance of payments with the federal government of $2.5 billion. What this means is that Iowa receives $2.5 billion a year more in federal aid than it contributes in federal taxes.

There are 11 states that pay more in federal taxes than they receive in benefits. They carry the other 39.

Eight of the 11 are blue states. The only red states with a negative balance are Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah.

Good luck having those three carry the rest of the new confederacy. The biggest life change in the new confederacy would be the immediate need for every working age citizen to get a second job, if not a third.

Here in the blue states, we’d expect a fairly large tax cut, now that we no longer had to provide for our former fellow citizens. Watch out what you wish for.

Fred Fawcett

Lafayette

 
Costs dwarf benefits

Businesses use the cost/benefit ratio to weigh the costs vs. the benefits accrued from a project. What if Yamhill County were to calculate the costs vs. the benefits of Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer’s service?

She joined with Commissioner Mary Starrett to shut down the long-planned and much-needed Yamhelas Trail, despite strong community support for completing this multi-use project.Now the county has to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars to the state and contractors for work that had been done.

Next was the designation of the county as a Second Amendment Sanctuary.

The Oregon Attorney General is now suing two counties, including Yamhill, for passing an ordinance purporting to supersede any new state and federal gun regulations. County taxpayers will be forced to pay the legal bills Berschauer has forced the county to rack up defending this action in court against the state’s top lawyer. 

A cost that won’t translate as easily to dollars and cents is the public health dysfunction caused by Berschauer’s strident anti-science antics relating to the need to encourage county residents to mask up and vaccinate. Who knows how many have been sickened or harmed because of Berschauer’s insistence on blocking as many pandemic safety measures as possible?

When we gauge how the county has benefited from her time on the board, can we point to any positive thing she’s done for the county? Can we really afford to keep her in office with that kind of cost/benefit ratio?

Please sign the petition to recall Commissioner Berschauer as soon as possible — before the cost of her remaining in office gets any higher.

Mary Adams

McMinnville

Comments

yamhillbilly2

If the recall petition is approve for the ballot, Lindsay has five days to resign. If she doesn’t, then the special election must go forward. Once again, it will be Lindsay’s personal choice to stick Yamhill County with the costs. She doesn’t care about Yamhill County!

Don Dix

Fred Fawcett -- at a time when this country should be focused on cooperation, compassion, and caring for all Americans, you fire another partisan shot. For what purpose? Is the partisan political divide not wide enough for you?

treefarmer


Curious comment from Mr. Hammer suggesting that criticisms of Ms. Berschauer drew “zero responses from online readers” in the last two weeks. This online reader noticed that the letters from last week weren’t added to the online forum until October 15th and as of this moment letters from October 1st still aren’t posted. Perhaps folks will have their say now that some of the letters referenced are actually available for comment? (For the record, I did read those letters in the print copies of the N/R and they did not seem “robotic” to me.) However, I certainly DO agree that misery loves company and will even work to create it when it can’t be found elsewhere. Sad!

And yamhillbilly2, what a cogent observation. We are not more than her little fiefdom. Just as power can corrupt, it can also reveal. It sure didn’t take long for the Berschauer agenda to be revealed.

Lulu

It's challenging to exit a war you never should have started and afterward would never be recognized as victors. Remember this country's final departure from that boondoggle Vietnam? Hopeless, desperate people hanging off airplane wings, drowning in overfilled rowboats. Next time politicians want to invade a country, let them lead the way.

Flex5796

I find it interesting that someone, who was recently called out for their close connections to others, is attempting to deflect the attention they are now receiving.

Refusing someone to speak at a public meeting, more specifically you asking for it, is your request for someone to be silenced. I don't think the school board can refuse for someone to speak at a school board, I am not 100% sure on this, however they may be able to have someone available who can "kill" the sound in the event that a microphone isn't turned off. I don't believe the school board sat there and allowed for someone to speak words of hate, they didn't allow the platform anymore than the NR allows people to place their opinions on a comment forum. It was a microphone that didn't get turned off, kind of like people pocket dialing someone and then having a private conversation.


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