|
|
|
March 19, 2009 Opinions |
|
|
—Editorial—
Too Young For High School
Making the decision to close North Baker School and the Baker Middle School Central building was undoubtedly a difficult task for the Baker 5J School Board. We sympathize with the parents and students and the approximately 15 people who will lose their jobs as a result of the closures.
We agree with their decision to close North Baker and the Central building, however, we wish they would reconsider their decision to move the kindergarten classes to the high school.
After spending their first five years in a home environment, Kindergarten is a big step for most children. They are vulnerable to ridicule and teasing from other students, even ones their own age. But high schoolers are
almost adults and can make big impressions on younger children who are taught from an early age to respect and listen to adults.
We’re not saying that all high school students would be a bad influence, quite the contrary, most, as School Board member Ginger Savage said, would “take those little guys under their wings and make it a fun program.”
But, there are always a few who won’t. There are those few who would continue to use profanity, brag about their exploits and even talk about how cool drugs are to kids of any age.
Kindergarten age children tend to look up to older kids. Baker City has many very nice teenagers that parents of youngsters would want to be role models for their children. But, then again, there are some they wouldn’t want their children to mold their lives after or even talk to.
Of course you can’t completely shield your young children from older kids if you want them to have any kind of social life, and we’re not saying that’s what you need to do. Even though the kindergarteners are housed in a
separate wing of the high school complex, they will still encounter older students at activities, events, riding the bus and even in their neighborhoods. But kindergarten is stressful enough for both the students and parents without putting them in an environment that is structured for older kids.
In the elementary schools, we’re talking just a few years difference in age. The extreme age difference encountered by putting the kindergarten in with the high school is closer to 10 to 13 years, which in most cases is a much wider gap than they even have with their own siblings.
Again, Kindergarten kids would do just fine in an environment with responsible, kind, non-intimidating teenagers, but let’s face it, not all
teenagers are that way. They are still experimenting and trying to find their way in life and five-year-olds don’t need to be caught up in that.
Kindergarteners will be in high school before you know it anyway, let’s not speed up that process any more than we have to.
—Guest Opinion—
You’re Americans, Not Globalists
By Steve Culley, BakerCity
One good thing about getting on in years is that whatever screws up the
human race makes it not likely to affect you for too much longer. You
can just get complacent and concentrate on catching a fish or watching
sports or whatever it is that you figured you wanted to do in your twilight
years. Don’t worry, be happy—unless of course you might feel some kind of
connection to children and grandchildren, then the future seems to take on
a different meaning.
In past generations it was generally thought that our kids and grandkids
would have a better life than we did. That seems to be in doubt now. Many
are saying this is the first generation where the next generation will have a
lower standard of living than the previous generation. If that is so, I
assume may of them will ask the questions: How did this happen?Why
didn’t somebody warn us? Ok, I will, and others have done so before.
The trouble is it is an old problem. You didn’t pay attention and you
didn’t get involved. You didn’t like reading the news. You never went to
see your legislators when they came to town. You never circulated a petition or wrote a letter to the editor, and you never bothered to inform yourself about the issues before the political parties gave you a choice between ding and dong. I know you worked hard, the kids kept you busy, and you didn’t think it would do any good to vote anyway. I often wonder what America would have looked like right now if the generation of the 1770s would have had the same attitude. We would still be kissing royal butt, is my opinion.
At any rate, we seem to be in trouble financially and culturally, and most wonder how we got here. The country is over run with pundits, so I guess one more won’t hurt. I think we got here because we had 28 years of Yale graduates in the White House. I connect the globalist track we took to
that place. The way things work, a few economists from there gained
credence and got others of like mind appointed to the economics depart-
ment and we were off to the races. We needed a world view. Trade enriches
all and forget about the details of the trade deals. If you trade with a communist dictatorship (China), they will change their ways, but others (Cuba) will not. Repressive Arab regime sells us cheap oil so we can ignore the fact that they hate our guts. Afew billion Marlboro smokers and Coke drinkers will make us all rich eventually and a few million cheap laborers crossing the border every year will be a good thing. The environmental stressors can be mitigated by zoning everyone into a city and taking away the rights of that insignificant minority who might object.
Back in the 70s when the left could still think and wasn’t enamored by
cute puppy stories Edward Abbey laid out the future that really applies to
modern Oregon. In a letter to the industrial worker, Oct. 1, 1988, he had
this to say: “...As I have said and written many times in many places, I am opposed to all further mass immigration, legal or illegal, from any source, and my reasons for this position are quite conventional. Like all Earth Firsters, almost all environmentalists, most union members and (according to polls) the majority of African Americans and Hispanics, I think we should seal our borders for the following good, clear and obvious reasons: 1. The USAis overcrowded aready. 2. Alarge influx of cheap labor—docile, uneducated and desperate foreigners—will put bonafide native-born (or naturalized) American working people at further disadvantage in their struggle with big business and big government. 3. Growing population means greater pressure on all resources, including clean air, clean water, clean soil, open space, schools, medical facilities, wildlife, wilderness, and our public lands in general. 4. Agrowing population leads inevitably to more government laws, regulations, police, centralized control, authoritarian policies, and a generalized stifling of personal freedom for all but the very rich.”
Garrett Hardin wrote extensively about population trends and how it was
unsustainable in “The Ethics of the Life Boat.” The nation didn’t listen.
Far lefties took over groups like the Sierra Club and sold the idea that we
needed to work on world population problems. Sounds nice, but it is impossible to go over to an Arab country and tell them to have fewer kids. It would just be seen as the Crusaders trying to dominate the Muslims.
You can’t go to a Catholic country like Mexico and tell them to practice
birth control. Arecent story in “The Oregonian” projected population
growth on the way to 9 billion the next couple of decades. Arab countries are growing by leaps and bounds, as is Mexico. Mexico doesn’t worry about
it because they know that the United States is just a short hop over the
border, and their poverty can be exported north and the new arrivals
can send back a lot of money, second only to drug money. And they know
our leaders are globalist in sentiment.
Observe the recent vote by Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to kill the E
Verify or no-match rule. Asimple click on a computer would tell an employer if a name matched a social security number. It is 99.7 percent effective immediately and the wrong no matches are usually cleared immediately if there are legitimate problems. Wyden says there are lots of problems, and Merkley, who beat Smith largely due to Smith’s immigrant problem at his Weston plant, is doing the old lying politician dance.
Japan, Russia, Italy and others have just the opposite problem. Their popu-
lations are downsizing rapidly. Of course, the corporate globalists in this
country don’t want to see that. They like cheap labor, customers and green
card soldiers for the empire. They won’t mention the fact that the extra
100 million population from the 1965 Immigration Reform Act had an effect on land prices, gas prices, fights over water, living space, and all the other things that people compete for. It seems that constant, never-ending
“growth” is their formula for the future. A half billion or maybe a billion
Americans is just fine for the elites who have their private estates, but the
serfs will suffer. And the serfs don’t seem to care or don’t know how to
fight the trend. Wide open borders and trade deals that kill us, and massive
borrowing from foreign enemies seems to be the way of the future.
Well kids, it’s your future and it’s being made in the present. Ignore it at
your peril but don’t tell me you weren’t warned. The founding fathers
gave you a road map to prosperity and freedom and a free republic. If an overpopulated, overcrowded world for the benefit of a small class of elites is what you want, then full speed ahead. But if you would like some change you can believe in, then take the bull by the horns and tell your corrupt leadership enough is enough. Seal your borders, drive out the drug cartels, reassert your property rights, and let the world do its thing. You are, after all, Americans, not globalists.
—Letters To The Editor—
Who Is Above The Law?
To The Record-Courier:
To give the obvious answer: not any of us, or Federal, State, or Local,
Legislature, and Executive branches of Government. “Liability” is evoked by the U.S. Constitution, on Civil Rights, and the ADAthese demands pertain not to the sphere of ought, but to that of must! First we discuss the Police and their Oath of Office “prevention”, “Detection”, and “Apprehension” of crime and criminals. The road closures by the USDA& USFS and their statements do not acknowledge the prevention aspect of their sworn duties. Those that enforce the law, must also obey the law. Police do not leaves the door wide open, for those involved in illegal activity, are given protection and coverage by these closed roads. Community policing that is now in place after long and difficult programs, will be abolished again, due to the road closure policy’s. Only people on foot being allowed in to our forest is a great handicap, to all those that may be lost , disabled, or any number of emergencies. Due to the lack of reliability of cell phone coverage, which is nearly nonexistent, this confounds the timely reporting by those in need of assistance. Furthermore removal of signing on closed roads, secrets the location of persons in need, from the police, aid and rescue response people.
Are these cultural needs part of the EIS, these are very compelling rea-
sons, U.S. Constitution, Civil Rights, ADA, Due Process, Equal Protection,
Bill of Rights, 13th.,14th., 15th., 19th. Amendments, 1872 mining Law, Rs2477. These and many more are the most compelling reason we
have for keeping our rights-of-away open to the public. We are a nation of
laws.
Roy Barnes
Reminiscing Bargain Prices vs. The Here and Now
To The Editor:
Well what is she up to now with a title like that one? With my last article
regarding the corners of the bottom fitted sheet and all it was almost
entertaining to me to come up with the title for this letter. Yes it did sound like I was trying to cut corners on how to fit such an issue to hit home, and to round off the corners and all and make it fun to read.
Now-a-days we all want a good deal when we see one. In all my times
of shopping etc., especially groceries at the local food store chains, it took
awhile for using coupons to sink in with me. I appreciated the clerk who
waited on us, which is one of our neighbors to explain to me how the
coupons worked etc. I never really paid attention to using coupons, but
one needs to these days.... I know many of you do latch on to them and
with those $10 coupons that Safeway extends to the public and all, it is
worth the savings you come up with the $50 plus and then all the other
coupons can be deducted from them on there....wow for the savings....our
grocery shopping has been escalating to the $60 mark and $10 savings
deducted from that is a sigh of relief to the old budget..and not only that,
both stores honor each others coupons from what I was told...so yes
there are some good deals in one or the other that can make it fun for
shopping.
Not too long ago, Koin News 6 had a script called Koin Savers. The
woman is on from time to time and in fact it was brought back on because
of all the requests that she was getting...the last one involved going on-
line for those of you who can, which I did myself and you get coupons etc...on-line. Be careful what you do with this issue etc...but the gal saved
all her coupons, and then this was called a game coupon that you had to
apply for with deductions off of your food shopping. She did a lot of home
work on this for the script. If there was something she didn’t need then
she didn’t get it if she already had it, etc... she had a list that she printed off
etc. and did the shopping from there after comparing prices etc... she had a
total of $150 for her budget if I remember right and it seemed like it
was under the $100 mark for her savings. It could have been a little more
than that before deductions.
For a little bit of history, we all remember when Albertsons, and Safeway were next to each other and we would go shopping from one to the other, before she was done... It even came down to looking at the ounces etc... especially corn chips I remember so well and kinda of laughed at her, but now look at me — it is no laughing matter anymore. But you know sometimes with those bags of chips we can even get short changed because sometimes they are only half full and the price for a chip off the old block is not cheap anymore either. With the economy and all trying to make ends meet, anyone will go for a deal or bargain ence... not to mention Wilson’s sometimes have even better deals at that....if I remember the quote right,
“Apenny saved, is a penny earned.”
Even the prices back in early times were something else and look how
our economy has escalated and just trying to make $1 stretch is not easy
to come by these days. I was able to get out to the Grocery Outlet and got
some biscuits that were the Texas Style and they had them 4 for a dollar
with 5 in each, one which is just right for us is $.25 cents — what a deal. So
that is just under six cents a biscuits....to be specific. Not to mention
our garden coming up. Even my husband came out with a better deal for
cutting corners and moving it back some to make even more room.
So yes it does pay to shop around and like the old saying goes “you
shop, till you drop”...hold on there....I am sure many of you can come with
some comparisons and all and write some letters to the editor with history
and all so we will all look forward to those bargain prices whether it be
from the old to the here and now!
Coffee Anyone?
Brenda Dickison
Baker City
Fundraiser ASuccess, Not As The Oregonian Reported
To The Record-Courier:
I just returned to our ranch in Harney County from the reception for
Republican National Committee Chairman, Michael Steele, held in
Portland for the benefit of the Oregon Republican Party. It was one of the
most uplifting, positive, reinforcing and motivating functions I’ve ever
attended.
Steele was brilliant, but approachable, humble, but strong and both
soothingly introspective and resolutely focused on the party’s core and
future. The 500-plus paid crowd was responsive to the point of nearly non-
stop celebration. Standing ovations at times exploded over the top of Steele’s words. Imagine my surprise when I picked up The Oregonian and
read the March 13, 2009, front page story by Edward Walsh. He made the
mourning and handwringing, mired in the past and attended by lonely souls demoralized by the media’s attempt to define the Republican party as little more than an unburied corpse.
Nothing could be further from the truth or the tone of the event. The
results speak the truth. It was the largest single fundraiser for the Oregon Republican Party ever! I later found out that Mr. Walsh had not actually bothered to attend the event, but focused his article on responses to structured media questions pushed at Mr. Steele in a pre-event press meet-
ing. Mr. Walsh’s article was a piece of negligent journalism at best and out-
right yellow journalism at worst.
Politically active people such as myself are often cautioned to not pick
a fight with the media, but Mr. Walsh’s article was so outrageously
demeaning and negatively misrepresentative to the people in our state,
that to ignore it is simply not acceptable. Nor will Republicans in Oregon
any longer stand silent while the media promotes the failing liberal
policies of the Governor’s office and the Democrats in our legislature
while misrepresenting or ignoring conservative ideology at every turn.
We are motivated, on the move and demanding fair representation from
the media. 2008 may be the year journalism died in the United States, but
yellow journalism is apparently alive in Mr. Walsh’s office.
Tim Smith
Harney County
Why Fight Each Other?
To The Record-Courier:
Split estates: wherein one party owns the land surface of the parcel,
pays the taxes on that parcel, and may or may not utilize that land surface
for residential, grazing, pasture, farming, recreation, etc. AND a second
party owns the minerals under the surface of that parcel and therefore holds a right to mine those minerals.
In these instances, first and foremost, there needs to be communica-
tion and regard for the other’s interests; this goes both ways. In many
cases, this may be quite simple, when ited or no interest in activity on the
parcel or section(s) of the parcel. More frequently, both parties will
have interest in some activity on the parcel but here again and dependent
on extent, value, and expanse of activities may have negligible impact
to the rights and activities of the other.
In still other cases, impact to the other could be substantial and there-
fore creates a conflict between which party can actually utilize the parcel.
In these cases, an equitable and agreeable compromise must be reached, as each party has a right of ownership. In these latter situations, it should
be irrelevant as to who trumps who, but rather be considered objectively
to reach a fair and just agreement.
The details of such an agreement/compromise should be very unique and specific to each particular situation. A one-size-fits-all will generally not fit all in these cases and needs instead to be tailored to meet the needs and requirements of each party, hence the first rule of communication.
In these current uncertain times, more than ever, we need to ally our-
selves with like-minded individuals to protect our rights and preserve our
culture and way of life. We are all land users and as users are also land
stewards. We recognize the need to utilize the land while we also recog-
nize the need to preserve the land for our continued use. We are fortunate
in that these parcels and the resources on them and under them are still relatively private and may still be utilized, unlike many of our public
lands, which are rapidly being taken away by concrete environmentalists
to be fenced into “wilderness” until which time our government deter-
mines what elite group to sell it to. What echoes in the winds when we
battle amongst ourselves is “divide and conquer” the cheer of the con-
crete environmentalists and federal agencies... So, with all the challenges
already out there, why is it we waste our energies fighting each other?
Esa Murrell
Baker City
|
|
|
