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Letters to the editor: Oct. 9, 2020

No hidden agendas

I’m endorsing the re-election of Mayor Scott Hill. I’ve known Mayor Hill for more than 35 years now, and have always been impressed by his dedication to the city of McMinnville and its citizens; his optimistic and encouraging leadership; his commitment to creating a feeling of civility and livability; and his work ethic and can-do attitude.

I worked with Mayor Hill in the private sector during his long career as an executive with KeyBank. And I served alongside him in many service projects in our community. Moreover, it was my privilege to watch him in action during my many years on the planning commission, budget committee and city council.

He is a man of integrity and honesty. He has a keen ability to listen empathetically to others. He plays no favorites and has no hidden agendas. He plays no partisan politics. He brings people together for the common good.

In my opinion, he is head-and-shoulders above anyone else running for mayor. No one comes close to him in experience and know-how; reliable and consistent, he’s a proven leader.

Please vote for Mayor Hill. We can all be thankful to have such a successful leader in our midst, especially in these confusing and divisive times.

Alan Ruden

McMinnville

 

Tyrannical leaders

I urge people to re-elect Sen. Brian Boquist. Oregonians need Senator Boquist to restrain the dictatorial impulses of the Democratic governor and legislative majority.

The United States was founded as a republic, with separation of powers between the three branches of government as a safeguard against tyranny. The state of Oregon emulated this model when it formulated its own constitution.

But there can be no restraint on the conduct of government when a single political party controls all three branches of government, then exploits this control to advance its agenda without any compromise with the minority.

The conduct of the Democratic majority in the Oregon Legislature during recent regular and special sessions confirms the need for checks and balances.

During the last special session, Republican senators and representatives were even forbidden to introduce amendments. The majority was so arrogant that the minority felt compelled to exercise the time-honored bipartisan tradition of boycotting the session, thus denying the despots a quorum.

What’s more, the Oregon Supreme Court recently ruled, in a challenge to statewide mask and shutdown orders, that the governor holds unlimited emergency powers not requiring the advice or consent of the Legislature. We know that Oregon is being subjected to tyranny of the majority.

The four months of continuous rioting, looting, vandalism and arson have been enabled by Oregon’s tyrannical leaders in order to advance their political agenda. That reveals what they will do to all Oregonians if their power is not restrained.

Jim Crawford

Yamhill

 

Fresh approach in Carlton

Carlton’s race for mayor is between two good-hearted people with very different approaches — incumbent Brian Rake and challenger Linda Watkins, a member of the city council. I am endorsing Linda Watkins.

Linda has a vision of a city government that actively includes and engages the community on city issues and development plans. This vision grew out of her time and experience on the council.

As a council member, Linda has not been afraid to stand up and say, “Something isn’t right here. We do not have enough information to move forward.” She has proven herself to be someone who looks deeply into situations and will not be railroaded.

In going door to door asking for people’s input, Linda listens to citizen concerns about Carlton. She takes the time — and has the passion and capacity — to engage with others and involve them in the process. If voted in as mayor, she would bring the town together with her to work on issues and fulfill Carlton’s comprehensive plan. 

Many Carlton citizens are rightfully confused when it comes to city matters. They wonder: How are our dollars spent? What is happening with our sewer and water systems? Where did this development come from?

While city meetings are open to the public, much is discussed and decided behind closed doors. Once the agenda is set by the mayor, many citizens who attend are left wondering, “What just happened?” 

City business information is not easily accessible. Solicited citizen involvement is minimal, even though state land use law and Carlton’s comprehensive plan provisions require citizen involvement in all stages of a town’s development, regarding it as critical.

Our town needs a fresh new approach that will nurture and invite community participation. This is Linda’s plan for creating a truly “Great Little Town.”

Marie Christine Frugia

 Carlton

 

Able and dedicated

We have lived in McMinnville for five years. One of the reasons we chose this city as our new home was its reputation as a beautiful, friendly and well-run community.

Shortly after we moved here, we got to know Kellie Menke and her husband, Gene. And we have been consistently impressed with Kellie’s contributions to the life of McMinnville.

Kellie has served on the boards of the St. Barnabas Soup Kitchen and Yamhill Community Action Partnership, as as treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity and the Library Foundation. She  won recognition for this service when she was named Director of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce and Woman of the Year in 2011 in recognition of her distinguished service.

But it is her work on the city council that has caused us to write.

Kellie has served the city well, using her background as a CPA and businesswoman. She has brought these skills to both the basic work of the city and her remarkable service on the budget committee. She has also taken the lead in addressing difficult issues like affordable housing, urban boundary expansion and economic development.

Like all cities in Oregon, McMinnville will face severe economic challenges in the coming years. These have arisen due to the crises created by COVID-19,  the environmental conditions underlying the recent historic fire season, homelessness and urban growth.

To meet these challenges, we will need extraordinarily able and dedicated elected officials. We believe Kellie is one of these, and thus urge you to join us in supporting her re-election.

Henry and Rose Kass

McMinnville

 

Discussion thread rebuttal

Last week, your paper ran a letter misrepresenting comments I made in a McMinnville Community Discussions Facebook thread about an article by a Los Angeles journalist who covers Scientology.

According to the article, which discussed Brittany Ruiz’s attempt to win a seat held by City Council President Kellie Menke, Ruiz was a high-ranking member of Scientology. The article indicated her husband’s first wife disappeared under mysterious circumstances, along with the wife of the head of the global church.

This was the triggering factor in actress Leah Remini’s decision to leave Scientology. It has been aired in numerous national publications and is currently featured in the Remini podcast “Fair Game.”

I did not write the post raising the issue. Frankly, I regret commenting about it, based on what “fair game” means and the potential risk that poses to me and my family.

Until the letter targeting me and my wife, my primary concern was Ruiz’s positions and actions.

First, I strongly disagree with her conduct toward the McMinnville School District last year, when she falsely accused the district of violating public meetings law and made numerous baseless complaints while opposing school-based medical clinics.

Second, I disagree with her desire to get rid of the city’s fluoridated water system.

Third, I do not approve of false statements she made last year while publicly opposing my efforts to get an air quality monitoring station sited here.

Fourth, I question why Mrs. Ruiz chose to delete her entire “activist” twitter account when she filed for public office.

Finally, a personal comment to those who attribute my wife’s comments to me and vice versa.

Tanya and I love and honor each other. We are both outspoken, but have many different views on politics and religion, and do not speak for each other on them.

Sal Peralta

McMinnville

 

Thuggish dictators

We do not live in Belarus, Turkey, Brazil, North Korea, the Philippines, China or Russia. What those countries have in common is that they are ruled by thuggish dictators.

America has not succumbed to that disease yet, but we are infected. Our self-styled “Wartime President” has openly mused about how good “president for life” sounds, how “12 more years” would be a great idea, and how if we could “get rid of the ballots” we would have a peaceful transition, “no transition at all, really.”

He has given up trying to get elected and turned his attention to getting rid of the election itself. His latest “Big Lie,” that his victory will be stolen with mail-in ballots, ignores the fact that write­-in ballots get checked against voter rolls and that the documented voter fraud rate is less than 0.003%. Josef Goebbels would be proud.

The plan now is to poison the democratic process itself. He’s done a great job of trashing every institution he has come in contact with, and now he’s trashing the Republic as a whole.

He and his crew will suppress as much of the vote as they can by neglecting COVID, slowing down the mail, purging voter rolls, intimidating voters at the polls and closing down polling places. If that’s not enough, he has teams of lawyers ready to flood key states with litigation on Nov. 4, in order to sow confusion and delay the counts.

If that is not enough, he has his militias on “standby,” and a stolen seat on the Supreme Court to work with.

This man is enamored of dictators and wants to join the club. If he makes his bones, he could become Putin’s right-hand man.

Don’t let that happen. Help heal the republic with your vote.

Bill Johnson

McMinnville

 

Stealth candidates

Lindsay Berschauer won a county commissioners seat after getting $70,000 from seven PACs ($21,250), 17 corporations ($26,440), 11 individuals ($19,400) and various “miscellaneous” donors ($3,400).

Heidi Parker Hughes Zorin Orta, candidate for mayor of McMinnville, moved here in 2016 from California. Her work and income history are sketchy and she has no experience in government.

She’s received $1,500 from PACs, $1,650 from relatives, $1,000 from Berschauer and $1,365 from “miscellaneous” small donors.

That sounds a lot like lobbyist Brittany Ruiz, a Scientologist from California. She’s a McMinnville City Council candidate who arrived in Mac in 2015.

Ruiz has raised $2,500 from the Yamhill First PAC, relative Lita West, mayoral candidate Heidi Parker and Gary Christenson. Ten “miscellaneous” donors have given her another $1,724.

Both Parker and Ruiz have ties to Hemet, a small California town located near a big Scientology compound.

Paulette Alexandria, candidate for Yamhill County treasurer, is registered as a farm manager with the Oregon Secretary of State Office. She hasn’t been licensed as a broker or financial adviser for 10 years. She claims to have taught college finance courses, but it doesn’t show up on Google.

Two PACs provided her with $5,000. Five individuals gave her $11,500 more between them — Lindsay Berschauer $1,000, Craig Pobols $3,500, Kit Johnston $4,000, Meadow Ridge Farms $1,000 and Greg & Celine McCarthy $1,000.

PAC and big donor money funds these candidates. They donate to each other. And they all get reliable support from Lindsay Berschauer and Mary Starrett. Check their funding at OreStar, the Secretary of State campaign finance site.

The inability to verify these candidates’ resumes, their newness to the area and the big money connections are unsettling. They do not appear to be non-partisan.

Is Yamhill County being targeted by conservative PACs, big money, and stealth candidates? If so, why?

Please vote for people who have lived here, worked here, know our community and have served with integrity in the past. Avoid these stealth candidates.

Margaret Cross

McMinnville

 

Service claim questioned

Brian Boquist is running for reelection to the state Senate in our local District 12. I decided to look into his record, since I have not heard much about him, outside his threat to harm state police officers during the Republican walkout.

The biography section of Sen. Boquist’s legislative page states, “Brian retired after 34 years of active military service, as a special forces officer, in July 2011 from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Brian’s official military retirement commenced in October 2018.” It goes on to say, “Today Brian serves as an executive of an international small business. Formerly, he worked with a group of companies and government entities preparing Marine, Army and Navy soldiers for service in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.”

A bit more research quickly became confusing.

According to Votesmart.org, he worked for Evergreen International Aviation from 1990 to 1993, then took over International Charter Incorporated, which he still runs. A 2012 article in Willamette Week states, “Journalistic accounts of ICI missions in West Africa in the late 1990s describe a paramilitary force of well-armed Russian and American veterans who serve as military proxies in areas deemed too dangerous for uniformed soldiers.’

He was active military for 34 years while running a private paramilitary organization at the same time? Well, perhaps not.

According to VoteSmart, he served in the Army Reserve from 1975 to 2012. According to Wikipedia, he did serve in Iraq in 2003-2004, and again in 2007.

But he apparently did not serve on active duty for 34 years. Active military is not military reserve, nor is active military defined as running a private paramilitary company.

It is disgraceful that he would claim military service he did not serve while profiteering from foreign military adventures. He does not deserve to be our state senator.

Sandra Coates

McMinnville

 

Stealing elections

Regarding the Oct. 2 letter from Marsha Mackie in which she said our current president stole the election in 2016.

I would like some proof of this. Did not 62 million people vote for him in the right states, allowing him to garner more votes in the electoral college?

I find people who do not like our president, and there are many, repeating any and all bad things about him and his family, regardless of the truth. They report the motives for everything he does  as if they were able to read his mind.

I am shocked by the hatred for this man. It is past dislike or disagreement.

I had a president for eight years that I disagreed with. But thankfully, it never developed into the hate now so prevalent in our society.

Joanne Williamson

Dayton

 

Many accomplishments

The city of McMinnville has many complex parts, so it takes time and experience to become an effective city councilor. As a former councilor, I know.

Kellie Menke certainly has that experience — 29 years on the city budget committee and 16 on the city council. She’s a glutton for punishment.

Kellie Menke loves her unpaid job, loves the city of McMinnville and does a great job. An example of her work is the $24 million transportation bond passed six years ago.

She was on the initial committee that approved the bond, then spent countless days explaining it via public speaking engagements. As a result, we are now nearing the end of  a huge transportation project that has brought good changes to almost every area of the city in the form of improved sidewalks, alternate vehicular routes, a rebuilt bridge, roundabouts and widened roads.

The list of her accomplishments go on and on. That is why Kellie Menke has been endorsed by many McMinnville leaders, including longtime mayor Ed Gormley and longtime city manager Kent Taylor.

I join them in encouraging you to re-elect Kellie Menke to the City Council.

Steve Macy

McMinnville

 

Honor non-partisanship

Whatever our political leanings, let’s all be sure to vote.

The Yamhill County treasurer is a non-partisan position that requires a skilled financial background to prudently manage and invest county funds. Regardless of party affiliation, we should all support Kris Bledsoe.

Government investment officers are guardians of taxpayers’ money, and Kris is a certified government investment professional with an economics degree. She has experience in the banking and investment industries, as both a portfolio manager and a bank compliance officer. And she is already up to speed because she serves on the Yamhill County Investment Committee.

This is why outgoing County Treasurer Mike Green said in the May voter’s pamphlet:

“By far, Kris Bledsoe is better suited and trained to fill the role as Yamhill’s County treasurer. She understands the policies and the philosophy of public funds investing, and will ensure that the policies currently in place will continue to benefit the county.”

Unfortunately, there are those who choose to see almost every aspect of government though a partisan lens. Let’s keep the county treasurer position non-partisan by electing the most qualified candidate — Kris Bledsoe.

Sid Friedman

Yamhill

 

Most qualified candidate

Please join me in voting for Paulette Alexandria as our next county treasurer. 

Alexandria is the only candidate certified as a public funds investment manager. She is the only candidate to have managed this size of a portfolio.

She can navigate market risks, especially during this uncertain time with COVID-19. She has no interest in seeking a future partisan position, so will manage her duties with impartiality.  

Unfortunately, I don’t believe Kris Bledsoe can serve with impartiality. Not only has Bledsoe changed her political party nine times in the past seven years, but in 2018, she specifically did so to run as a fake Republican in the House District 23 primary.

She was quoted in the local paper saying she’d never been a registered Democrat. However, voting records prove otherwise. In fact, she was a registered Democrat until she changed to non-affiliated on May 21, right after the primary.

She ran unsuccessful races for county commissioner in 2008 and 2010. In the political world, candidates like this are referred to as “ladder-climbers.” She has political aspirations that are a mismatch for the serious duties of a county treasurer.  

I don’t believe Bledsoe when she says she will serve the public as an impartial person. I think her past actions have proven otherwise.  

Please join me in voting for the most qualified candidate to handle the county’s investments — Paulette Alexandria — for county treasurer.  

Lindsay Berschauer

Carlton

 

Competent and Caring

I support Mayor Scott Hill in his re-election bid.

Today, I was talking with a friend about what we value in a candidate for public office. I said, “I will vote for a candidate when they are smart, strong, competent and clearly care about making the best decisions.”

Mayor Hill is all of these things, in addition to being patient with those of us who are new to elected office. And I should know, as I work with Mayor Hill on a daily basis in my capacity as chair of the county board of commissioners.

We work together on land use issues, on housing supply and homelessness, on reducing the rates of virus transmission in our community, and on long-term strategies for traffic and economic development.

I have seen Mayor Hill caring deeply for everyone in McMinnville. For example, he speaks at both racial justice protests and Back the Blue rallies.

Mayor Hill knows how to bring people together, regardless of their status or political party. Please join me in supporting Mayor Scott Hill — the strong, smart, competent, caring candidate.

Casey Kulla

Grand Island

 

Going MIA not OK

As someone who has been deeply involved in Republican politics over many years, I have seen how much the party has changed. It’s reached the point I can no longer be a member of the Grand Old Party of Tom McCall, Mark Hatfield and Gordon Smith, among other statesmen.

Over the last two years, we have seen three ugly walkouts by Republican members of our Legislature. Like spoiled children who couldn’t get their own way, Republican senators stalked out of the Capitol twice in 2019, once protesting funding for schools and schoolchildren, the second time protesting membership in the Climate Initiative to save our planet and the future of those children.

Not only did they walk out, completely neglecting their duties for four days in May and nine in June, but my own state senator in District 12, Brian Boquist, threatened our state police. He challenging Gov. Brown to send “well-armed bachelors” in any attempt to force them back.

He also threatened other members of the Legislature. As one of his constituents, I was furious!

The following February, they did it again, this time taking Republican House members with them. The peoples’ work — including a climate bill and funding for homelessness, mental health, foster children, people with disabilities and wildfire prevention, according to The Oregonian — could not be completed. Many important and valuable actions died.

This year we need to elect representatives who are actually willing to do the work of the people who elected them, not run away at the first challenge. We need to elect Bernadette Hansen to replace Boquist and Lynnette Shaw to replace Ron Noble in McMinnville’s House District 24.

Both of these women are competent, intelligent candidates. They deserve your consideration and support. Check them out and you’ll be impressed.

As a taxpayer, I expect the $31,200 state legislators are paid each year to actually be earned.

I expect them to avoid going missing in action. Don’t you?

Maureen Hovenkotter

Carlton

 

Diligence and integrity

I wholeheartedly support Kellie Menke for city councilor from Ward 2.

Until recently, I lived in Ward 1 for many years. But I was impressed with her diligence, integrity and knowledge of the issues before the Council, so compared whoever was running in my ward with the qualities she exemplified.

Several years ago, social gaming came before the council. So I attended council meetings focused on that issue.

I was amazed that she was the only councilor who actually went out of the area to visit social gaming businesses, giving her a first-hand understanding extending beyond the testimony presented to the council during its meetings.

Her background as a CPA gives me great assurance that we are getting value for our dollar in the city budget, and that the numbers make sense. Her sense of commitment to the community — by virtue of her civic involvement, from Sunrise Rotary to St. Barnabas — is another reason.

If you attend council meetings, you will agree she is not one to bloviate, but instead absorbs the information presented, then asks pertinent questions that go to the heart of the matter.

Now that I live in Ward 2, I am look forward to casting my vote for Kellie Menke for city council.

Denise Murphy

McMinnville

 

People’s representative

I am thrilled to write a letter in support of Tynan Pierce, who is running for the McMinnville City Council in Ward 3, in the Northeast section of town.

This seat is currently held by Adam Garvin. I believe that Tynan would bring a fresh perspective, guaranteeing an equal voice and equal bargaining power to those who are underserved in McMinnville.

At a time when racial justice and climate justice have become critical concerns, even among our youth, Tynan felt it was important to step up and give voice to those who work tirelessly to improve our quality of life, yet frequently feel unrepresented. He has helped organize the McMinnville People’s Collective, initiating neighborhood dialog to discuss important issues such as the need for affordable and low-cost housing as well as support for our unhoused neighbors and the Latinx communities.

The People’s Collective, which meets weekly, plans to build communication within the neighborhoods by placing suggestion boxes in various yards where people can share ideas, concerns, needs and skills. It has reached out to YCAP and the First Baptist Church to discuss services for our houseless population.

Tynan has asked supporters who wish to contribute financially to his campaign to instead donate their money to organizations working to help our houseless neighbors. It is his intent to serve Ward 3 by delivering our collective message to the city council and serve as our voice and our vote.

Please join me in voting for Tynan Pierce as Ward 3’s new city councilor.

Liz Marlia-Stein

McMinnville

 

 

Unhappy dealings

As a taxpayer and employee of a local business in our town, I have worked hard to engage with the city council on issues important to me.

I have reached out to Councilwoman Kellie Menke on numerous occasions, but have felt she was rude in her responses. She did not work with me to address my concerns, but instead sent me an email response to more than 10 questions with a response of “NO.”

I have had other, more favorable experiences with other council members. But I’ve had to work very hard to reach any of them.

During her tenure, our city buildings and road have gotten years behind in upgrades, to the point that demolishing our buildings is now considered more viable than upgrading them.

Menke has voted consistently to increase taxes. She has voted against improvements to our fire department, sided with developers and failed to represent citizens fighting to protect property rights and address traffic concerns.

She’s been on our city council for 16 years.

We need a new vision, a new voice. We need an elected official who cares about citizens.

I will be voting for a new voice on the council — that of Brittany Ruiz.

Lisa Lindman

McMinnville

 

Experience and integrity

Kris Bledsoe has been endorsed by the current Yamhill County treasurer, Mike Green, as well as the retired city of Newberg finance director, Kathy Tryby, who serves with her on the Yamhill County Investment Advisory Committee.

Both have worked with Kris’ opponent in the past. Her opponent served one term on the committee, but her appointment was not renewed. One member of the committee described her as “all hat and no cattle.”

When choosing to fill an important position like county treasurer, it is important to look at qualifications. you’ll find Kris’ are directly related to the duties of the treasurer.

Then you need to look at who supports them.

Kris has been endorsed by two of the three county commissioners, the county treasurer, a member of the county’s Investment Advisory Committee and former county department head Murray Paolo. She has not endorsed by any partisan PACs.

Follow my lead and vote for experience and integrity. Vote for Kris Bledsoe to be our next Yamhill County treasurer.

Sally Dallas

Newberg

 

Keep Mac Mac

Holy cow! Heavens to Betsy!

Wasn’t it only about a year ago that we were being asked to vote for McMinnville as the best small town in America in a national contest? And didn’t McMinnville come in second with lots of votes?

Now, in last Friday’s letters to the editor page, a former city manager endorses re-election of a candidate for city council who will “shepherd it from a small town to one of Oregon’s medium-sized cities.”

Who moved here to live in a medium-sized city? Most folks I know want and treasure our small, agriculturally based town.

I don’t even get to vote in this election. But I’d caution anyone who does to review the goals of your chosen candidate.

Eleanor Fuhrer

McMinnville

 

Expanded treatment options

A friend of ours has had many health problems, leading to struggles with prescription drugs and later street drugs. He has tried many things, but could never afford the in-house treatment he needed.

Now in prison, he’s due out in December. One of his parole requirements will be getting into treatment, but will programs be available for him? Measure 110 would make money available to establish more treatment programs for those who want to end their addictions.

Treatment would keep many out of prisons and jails. That would save huge amounts of tax dollars, as it takes $30,000 to arrest, prosecute and jail someone just for simple drug possession. It would also help victims of addiction to become productive members of our communities. I’m voting yes for less drug-related crime, for less criminalization of people who use drugs, and for greatly increased availability of treatment programs, appropriately funded through surplus marijuana taxes. I hope you will join me in voting for Measure 110.

Evelyn Stewart

McMinnville

 

Working for us

Send someone to Salem who will work for us here in Senate District 5, which stretches along the coast from Coos Bay to Cape Meares, and takes in most of Yamhill County’s West Valley.

In June of 2019, the Republicans in our state Legislature didn’t show up for work because they didn’t want to vote on a cap-and-trade bill, HB 2020. They didn’t want to do their job. Some of them even went so far as to hide like children who don’t want Mom to find them so she could make them clean their room.

The Grand Old Party, known as the GOP, has shown its true colors time and again on both the state and national levels. If it can’t win fair, the Republican Party is comfortable dishonoring itself by cheating.

The cap-and-trade bill I referred to was supported by all nine federally recognized Native American tribes in Oregon, major corporations like Nike and the general population of the state.

The Republicans didn’t do their job, didn’t represent their constituents. They hid. Is that how you want our state to be governed?

I am a retired small business owner who is registered as an independent. I have voted on both sides of the aisle.

Looking at the people running for office, I support those who will make Oregon a better place for all. In District 5, I support Coos County Commissioner Melissa Cribbins, nominee of both the Democratic and Independent parties.

Melissa is the candidate who will work to enhance her constituents’ lives and the great state of Oregon. What she won’t do is hide from the tough issues.

She won’t work to line the pockets of the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us. She won’t defund the police, as her Republican opponent would like you to believe.

Melissa will look for ways to fund professionals, thus relieving the police of tasks they never wanted to take on in the first place.  This will free them up to do the difficult and dangerous job of protecting all of us from criminals. That’s not only what the people want, it’s what law enforcement wants.

Please cast your ballot for Melissa Cribbins in Oregon Senate District 5.

Heather Haugland

Lincoln City

 

Learn and live

When the COVID-19 pandemic was getting started, articles talked about 60,000 Americans dying every year of the flu, as if that number represented an acceptable compromise, versus a full-fledged pandemic.

When flu season arrives this year, most people will already be wearing masks in public. It will be interesting to see whether these precautions reduce the impact of any flu outbreak.

It makes you wonder how many of that yearly 60,000 might be alive today if people who developed symptoms had stayed home or worn a mask to stop the spread. The aggravation and steamed glasses are a small price to pay if we learn how to reduce the spread of airborne disease.

Fred Fawcett

Lafayette

Comments

Don Dix

Maureen Hovenkotter -- As of Feb. 1, 2019 -- long session --
The pay for most of the state’s 90 legislators increased by nearly 28 percent, to $2,600 every month ($31,200). House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney now make twice that.

Lawmakers are also paid $149 each day of the legislative session to pay for meals and lodging — a provision that could give them another $23,840 this year (2019). And they receive monthly allowances of at least $450 for routine expenses when the Legislature is out of session.

Those totals become over $56K/yr. (long session). And during election seasons, candidates are very interested in becoming a member or defending their seat. Seriously, I can't name any one of Oregon's legislators that actually 'earn' what they are paid for what is essentially a part-time job.

treefarmer


As stated before, I remain unable to understand some of my fellow citizens - the ones who stand up for Trump and try tenaciously to defend and justify what he has done to our nation. He proves over and over that he doesn’t care about you, what is it that makes him worthy of your loyalty?

Is it somehow easier to dismiss and disregard reality if you can just chalk it up to HATRED? Recognizing the venal and vindictive nature of a person, calling that person out for dangerous and destructive patterns of “leadership,” mourning 214,000 deaths caused by irrational maladministration of a national crisis……. should we just remain silent in the face of clear irrefutable facts? Should we pretend that negative news must be suppressed so that the truth will not “make Trump look bad?”

My wise and witty mother used to observe that emotions like hatred and bitterness only eat away at the vessel that holds them. I do not hate Trump, but I consider him to be a catastrophic wretched excuse for a president. He is destroying our country, our values, our security, and our standing on the world stage. Since that is what I believe, it is patriotic – NOT HATEFUL - to publish my observations.

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Dear Joe,

Thank you for your willingness to take on the monumental task of rescuing America from the precipice. I have faith you will put ethical capable people in charge to clean up the corruption, starting with an Attorney General who will actually honor the Constitution and uphold the law. Tens of millions of us are praying for your health, wisdom, and well-being. We are also praying for a decisive landslide that will prevent immoral authoritarian tactics from stealing the election and putting the final nails in America’s coffin.

With profound gratitude,

an American treefarmer

news junky

I find it interesting that someone (according to the Assessor's Office) who has never paid a dime in Yamhill County property taxes - Lindsey Berschauer - thinks her opinion about the County Treasurer means anything. The Treasurer needs to be focused on one thing, return on investments. Since Berschauer and Starrett think they can install a puppet(Alexandria) as Treasurer, its obvious they want to have their fingers in the county treasury. One of the reasons that Mike Green was so successful with the citizens investments was that he stood up to the commissioners and county administrator when they tried to tell him what to do. I value Mike Green's opinion which has obviously yielded millions of dollars for the citizens of Yamhill County. His opinion is that Kris Bledsoe is the most qualified candidate. That carries way more weight than whatever Lindsey Berschauer's non-invested opinion might be. She may have bought herself an election with outside the county special interest money, but that doesn't make her an expert in county investments at all.

Don Dix

The County Treasurers's race -- one side is claiming the other is in cahoots (or will be) with the county commission -- that appears to be true -- now which candidate would that be? Answering 'both' also appears to be correct.

Hibb

Evelyn Stewart: In reading your fine letter I took exception to some of the points you made, chiefly of which that there will be more opportunities to treat drug addiction if Measure 110 is passed. Let's balance that with a couple of facts worthy of our consideration.

[1] There are already many facilities in and around the county where treatment can be received. Your friend's parole officer will be able to put them in contact with the facility that they will recognize and recommend.

[2] Measure 110 does not generate its own revenue stream to support its lofty ideals. Rather, it robs Peter to pay Paul and if Oregonians fall for this trap, we will see less money for schools, public safety, etc. as it reinvests marijuana revenue into an unproven program that have no real guidance or punishment for bad behavioral choices like doing hardcore drugs.

[3] Measure 110 has as its chief financial backers in the likes of notorious characters like globalist billionaire George Soros (he also funds BLM, Antifa, and pretty much all the protests we see in major US cities, Portland, Oregon included) and another billionaire globalist in the person of Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and creator of Facebook. Neither of these two characters live in Oregon and I do not know if they have ever visited here either, but that did not stop them from pouring in millions of out-of-state money into this election cycle.

A vote for Measure 110 is not in the best interests of Oregonians!

VOTE NO ON MEASURE 110

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Hibb, I am so pleased and grateful that you called out George Soros for the notorious and satanic character that he truly is. However, you failed to mention that it was Soros who kidnapped the Lindbergh baby, burned the Reichstag, and was the second shooter on the grassy knoll in Dealey Plaza in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Not only that, but I have it from a very reliable and trustworthy source at FOX News that George Soros is really D.B. Cooper.

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