Letters and Comments for July 7, 2009

Letters and Comments for July 7, 2009

Railroad is an asset

To the Editor:

Soon after the railroad car storage venture started near Joseph, many people have written letters of protest. The letter that pushed me to write was in The Observer May 29 (“Money loser day one”). That is an absolute untrue statement.

I am 85. I was born in the Wallowa Lower Valley in June 1924. I live in Lower Valley on property that was homesteaded in 1872 by my great-grandfather, Winslow Powers. My ancestors claim that the Powers family was the first white family to settle in Wallowa Valley. My grandfather, Henry Shaeffer, and grandmother, Viola Powers, were the first white couple to be married in Wallowa Valley, in 1873. I reside in the house that Winslow Powers built in 1885.

From my front porch, I have a great view of the Wallowa Mountains. Straight south is Bear Creek Canyon. I regret that many people have had their grand view interrupted, but that is temporary. Perhaps if people who live near a stored rail car could feel some of that $2.1 million dribbling into their pockets, some of their frustrations would fade away. That $2.1 million is good for the county and the people.

For many years, the railroad was the lifeblood of Wallowa County. The railroad hauled passengers, mail and freight. A great amount of lumber and logs (millions of dollars worth) have been hauled from the country, as well as grain, cattle, hogs and sheep.

Real wealth comes from the land. Government officials do not produce any wealth. However, they have a big hand in what takes place. For instance, for many years, several bands of sheep grazed during the summer months in the high Wallowas. No sheep are there anymore, which means that now the grass (a renewable resource) is a total loss. The same goes for the logging business. For a long time, there were mills in Wallowa, Lostine, Enterprise and Joseph. One Forest Service regulation that to me makes no sense is the rule prohibiting harvest of a tree that is over 21 inches in diameter. Trees over 21 inches in diameter will become a waste.

Some people would rather we lose our precious, valuable railroad than to have their million-dollar view interrupted temporarily. The railroad came into Wallowa County in 1908. It is a great asset to be cherished.

Arnold Schaeffer

Wallowa

Dump negative thoughts

To the Editor:

Several years past, I learned an application on getting rid of negative thought patterns. The technique is easy. You get a negative thought in your head, reach up with one hand to your forehead and grab the thought and litterally throw it into a large tree, a greer, anything of nature.

Say for example, you were mistreated as a child. So every time that thought enters your mind, you throw it with conviction into a large tree, etc. And in time you won’t be bothered by that thought any longer.

I’ve been dumping negative thoughts by the bushel basket today with great results.

Richard Jones

La Grande