Letters and Comments for July 6, 2009

Letters and Comments for July 6, 2009

More strain on national forests

To the Editor:

July 8 is a very important date in the lives of the people in our surrounding community. For all of us who enjoy the outdoors, your comment at the meeting with the Forest Service in La Grande is of vital importance.

They are currently deciding which roads and trails to close in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. This could amount to 6,000 miles of closed roads. Many believe this pertains only to ATVs, but in reality it is all motorized vehicles.

A recent article in The Observer pointed out the green benefits of quiet recreation, and all the opportunities we now enjoy. I believe the article cemented my opinion that we should not change anything. This study brought out the financial gains we have by leaving the forest the way it presently exists.

If we close roads we will be putting all recreationists in the same area and the quiet will be gone forever — that is if you are successful in obtaining a reservation. We may as well stay home, and I am sure this is the hope of some. The green benefits will shrink, not increase. With the reduced area we will be putting more strain on our national forests, not less.

If these road closures take effect, whether you hike, bike, walk, hunt, fish, pick berries, harvest mushrooms, cut wood, photograph, camp or simply go for a drive, your activities will be immensely affected.

For me, recreating in our national forest is my right and is important to my way of life. We are facing a terrible time in our present national economy and this is no help. They have stopped logging and starved us out. Now, with no access to heating wood, they will freeze us out.

Stand up for your rights before you and your children lose them forever.

Hank Rodman

Union

Display World Series sign

To the Editor:

Little League all-star tournaments are in full swing and I find myself reminiscing about one of the greatest times of my life.

In 1993 the La Grande Little League Senior Girls All-Stars battled all the way to the World Series in Kalamazoo, Mich., winning district, state, divisional and regional tournaments. I was so lucky to be a part of that team. It was the greatest summer and such an amazing experience for myself and 15 other people — 14 players and 2 coaches. Not only do I remember how much I learned that summer about softball and teamwork but I recall how phenomenal it was to feel the support of our community. That meant so much to all of us and our families.

However, I am saddened as I have come to realize this experience has been forgotten by many in the community. After we returned home there was a wonderful sign boasting our accomplishment placed high on the backstop of the Optimist field, just opposite of the Babe Ruth World Series Contenders sign. Several years ago that sign was removed and, rumor has it, has been stuffed into a storage shed.

I have heard from others that people of this community claim that no Little League team from La Grande has ever made it to the World Series. As the saying goes, “Out of sight, out of mind.’’

I am certain I speak for my teammates and coaches as well as myself when I say no one ever wanted individual recognition. Our hopes were that our accomplishments would inspire others.

No one would have predicted that a team from the small community of La Grande would make it so far, but with a few goals, a bit of skill and a lot of heart anything can happen!

Wouldn’t it be nice to see that sign back in place?

Amy Frederick

Island City

Give up gold-plated plan

To the Editor:

Mark Shields almost got it said in his June 29 column — but he was too busy trashing Republicans, as usual, to finish it.

I heard this from a wise young man several weeks ago: If Congress would agree to give up their “gold-plated” health insurance plans — paid for by taxpayers, of course — and sign on to the very same national health insurance reform plan being offered to John Q. Public, perhaps there would be more cooperation from everyone in the discussions.

Indeed! Where is the real bipartisan olive branch?

Evalee Reed

La Grande

Liberal solution bodes disaster

To the Editor:

Mark Shields’ column on government-run health care was DOA and DOL (devoid of logic). He thinks that if it is good enough for Senate or House members, then it is good enough for everyone. He fails to note that senators and representatives are largely white males, relatively young, much healthier than the population at large, and certainly with better salaries than most.

To think that the “government-run” health care system for them will be just fine for the entire nation is absurd. That government health care system would have to provide for people of all ages from neonates to centenarians, across at least 50 jurisdictions, citizens and illegal aliens, with vastly different needs than the small groups that he used.

Why didn’t Shields use other “government-run” health care programs like Medicare or the VA as examples? Was it because we regularly hear horror stories about the care provided, the enormous bureaucracy required or fraud associated with these programs? The federal government is already heavily involved in regulating health care. Will more be better?

Make no mistake, we need reform of our health care system and how we pay for it. But the liberal solution currently proposed will be disastrous. And I think it’s safe to say that there was never any “olive branch of bipartisanship” offered. President Obama’s position has been “We won.”

Steve Boe

La Grande

Appreciate law enforcement

To the Editor:

The recent capture, in Louisiana, of a con-artist, who made off with $30,000 worth of guns from a Wallowa County home causes me to be thankful for the quick action of our Sheriff’’s Department that led to the arrest.

I also paused to reflect on how easy it seems to be to take the security we have for granted. On Memorial Day I reflected that not only have thousands of our military died so we can enjoy our freedom, but every year, law enforcement personnel are killed in the line of duty.

We are fortunate to have a very capable and alert Sheriff’s Department in the county, as well as the OSP and city law enforcement. If it were not for these folks and the protection they provide, I would not be able to write this letter, touting the fact that we can feel secure in our homes and elsewhere.

It is comforting, to me, to see the various police agency vehicles patrolling (perhaps, with the exception, of seeing one in my rearview mirror?). Without their protection we would be mired in deep muck and sitting by our doors night and day with a shotgun across our lap. Sadly, there are less-than-model citizens out there who would gladly relieve us of our property and/or lives.

So, I say, “three cheers for law enforcement” and, because of them, I will sleep peacefully tonight!

Stormy Burns

Joseph