|
|
|
January 7, 2010 Opinions |
|
|
—Editorial—
This We Think...
Cell Phone Law
The new law regarding driving while using a cell phone got off to a good start, but came up short when it was amended to include several exemptions.
Those under 18 can’t use a cell phone while driving (hands free or not), and adults can use cell phones as long as they have a hands free accessory. This is good. But then they added exemptions, which allow adults to use hand held cell phones as long as they are in the “scope of the person’s employment if operation of the motor vehicle is necessary for the person’s job.”
We understand the need for emergency service vehicles to be exempt, but we see no clarification in the law of the definition of the “scope of employment” and “vehicle necessity.” Does that mean if someone is calling their office or a client while driving a motor vehicle (which is necessary to get somewhere) to an appointment (in the scope of their job) that it is O.K. to use a hand-held phone?
Are people who use a cell phone in the scope of their employment somehow less likely to get distracted and cause an accident than someone who is going to the grocery store? If so, we would like to see the statistics on that please....
Kudos
Kudos to the Baker City Public Works Department for putting up the cheerful holiday decorations. They work hard to get it done and do a very nice job. Their efforts add to the community festivities and are greatly appreciated.
Measures 66 and 67
Aren’t these Measures a tad bit Socialistic? If we need to generate more funding for state, county, and school services, fine, let’s do it. But let’s do it fairly and raise everyone’s taxes rather than punish those who are successful. If we raised income taxes evenly across the board, the increase would be minimal and since the taxes are based on the amount of income, those who make more money, as always, pay higher taxes and those who make less don’t have as much to pay.
—Letters To The Editor—
Resolution Rebuttal
To The Record-Courier:
By way of supplemental New Year's Resolution, I resolve to demonstrate to Beverly Calder that, being a generally happy person, I smile frequently.
And, I whistle. Happily.
Milo Pope
Baker City, Ore.
Borrowers Should Return Library Books On Time
To The Record-Courier:
In response to Ms. Brown-Johnson’s Dec. 24, 2009, letter to the editor suggesting library tax dollars can be better utilized, I say “I wholeheartedly agree.”
Every year, the library expends far too much resources, time and energy in effort to recover items that are more than 60 days past due. Most of these situations are appalling to us as well, since they could easily be avoided.
For our part, we mail no less than four printed overdue notices over a period of several weeks and then try to reach the borrower by phone. After these two months, if we have still had no contact or resolution from the borrower, we then report the matter as a theft to the Baker County District Attorney. Sixty days may seem short, but the longer we wait to take recovery action, the less chance we have of getting the items back.
The library certainly prefers less intrusive ways of resolving incidents such as the unfortunate one described by Ms. Brown-Johnson. For the family’s part, perhaps they had moved and forgot to notify the library of a new address. Perhaps someone may have taken a few moments to call and let library staff know of mitigating circumstances. If so, they’d have found us fully willing to accommodate life’s surprises and being charitable when reasonable.
As to the implication that exorbitantly overdue library books should never be a police matter, I disagree. No public library can afford a Netflix service model where one returns items whenever they get around to it. Police involvement is our means of last resort. It may be “embarrassing” to the recipient but this is both a fulfillment of the law and of our public duty to efficiently and responsibly use taxpayer dollars by protecting the community’s investment.
We are grateful to the Baker County D.A. and Sheriff’s Department for their cooperation to maintain the integrity of our community collection. They say they are not doing us a special favor, just enforcing state law (ORS 357.975 willful detention of library property). But some public libraries, which lack such intergovernmental support, have no other option but to contract a credit reporting agency—or just eat the costs. Both options consume a far greater portion of taxpayer resources.
So, rather than faulting the library or Sheriff’s Department for taking action to recover missing public property, I contend it is the borrower’s responsibility to their fellow taxpayers to return items in a timely manner. Neglect to resolve missing materials for more than 60 days, or to notify the library of special needs in that period, is a behavior that costs the taxpayers unnecessarily. We’d rather not have to send out a single overdue notice; much less a police visit. It’s much more fun to buy new library books than spend our time and budget on reminders, recovery and replacement efforts.
If for some reason, you should find yourself in the Powder River Correctional Facility, however, we do serve that institution with our Bookmobile.
Thank you for your time, dear readers. I do appreciate this opportunity to clarify matters and explain our processes. I look forward to seeing everyone—preferably by the time any checked out materials are due—at our local public library.
Perry Stokes, Director
Baker County Library District
Baker City, Ore.
Elk Population Not Dwindling Due To Roads
To The Record-Courier:
I have worked on the forest for 15 years taking care of two grazing allotments for two different owners and helping a third. In doing my job I have ridden many miles on the back of a horse moving cattle. I have also spent my share of time using a 4-wheeler putting out salt, fencing, working on water developments, and all the many chores required on a grazing allotment.
The letter of Jan. 4, 2010, by David Mildrexler states that the WWNF has 9,111 miles of roads. Not all of the roads are open. A lot of those miles are old roads that have been closed by Mother Nature and haven’t been used in many years. Every year She closes more.
Mr. Mildrexler says elk numbers are dwindling and blames this on roads and humans. I just do not believe this to be true.
Elk are not that bothered by roads or anything else that I can see. In the last few years I see more elk than ever. They cross roads, big or small. The elk in Sumpter Valley cross the highway everyday of the year all up and down the valley coming and going from around Phillips Lake. I cannot count the number of times I have sat either on my horse or 4-wheeler to wait for herds to cross roads in front of me. When elk want to be somewhere or go somewhere they do it. Nothing stops them if they have a mind to go.
And don’t let them tell you that grazing upsets them either. Elk graze right along with the cattle if it is where they want to be. I’ve even seen them calve and hide their young amongst a herd of cattle.
I believe in being a good steward of the land, and I care about it and all that need it. But, if we allow environmentalists to close even one mile, they will not stop until they lock us out.
Valerie Omann
Baker City, Ore.
The Harder Or Faster We Work, The Deeper In Debt We Must Go
To The Record-Courier:
It is stated that virtually our entire money supply of interest-bearing bank credit must be borrowed into existence. That in the vast majority of bank loans, no debt exists between the banker and borrower! Each owes the other exactly the same amount of money and each has the other’s note to prove it.
The existing money system is a “debit forever system.”
That total debt (public debt plus private debt) must perpetually increase by a geometrical progression to keep the entire economy from collapsing. The harder of faster we work, the deeper in debt we must go as a group. If we double our production we must, as a group, go twice as deeply into debt — permanently!
If we collectively pay off any fraction of the fake bank loans, which form our money supply, we will then find ourselves more deeply in debt than ever in terms of hours of labor owed. This is what happens during every depression (of money supply).
If we were to repay all bank loans we would thereby destroy our entire money supply. There wouldn’t be a single dollar in circulation and no one would have a bank account.
There would be 100 percent unemployment. Yet if each individual debtor does not repay the loan with interest, he loses his property through foreclosure. We (citizens) can’t win for losing.
Bruce Parke
Sumpter, Ore.
|
|
|
