Letters and Comments for September 25, 2009

Dinner make s a difference

To the Editor:

“If I could wave a magic wand to make a dent in our nation’s substance abuse problem, I would make sure that every child in America had dinner with his or her parents at least five times a week.”

— Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA chairman and president

Eating dinner with your family is an easy enough concept to grasp. However, many times this means the TV is on, iPods are playing and fingers are texting. It is understandable in our high-tech lifestyles that this would become the norm, but it is not the type of family dinner that really has a positive impact on our children.

Almost half of the fourth-graders in La Grande School District surveyed said the perfect time to talk about something important is during or right after dinner. Take advantage of this time to have conversation with your kids; talk about what’s on your mind and listen to what is on theirs.

Parents who are involved in their children’s lives have proven to be a major factor in reducing a youth’s risk for substance abuse. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has found that teens who are eating dinner with their families less than three times per week are more likely to have used marijuana, other illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, and abused prescription drugs.

It’s never too early to think about talking to your kids about substance abuse. Start a tradition on National Family Day, Sept. 28, and share a meal with your family. You can either eat at home or go out. Union County has 19 restaurants participating in National Family Day discounts. Check out www.UnionCountyKids.org for a complete list of establishments and their discounts.

 “America’s drug problem is not going to be solved in courtrooms or legislative hearing rooms by judges and politicians. It will be solved in living rooms and dining rooms and across kitchen tables — by parents and families.”

— Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA chairman and president

Billie-Jo Craigmile

Union County Prevention

Committee Member

Keep campaign to issues

To the Editor:

This letter is in response to “MacLeod to challenge Smith for state rep. seat.” printed Sept. 22.

I don’t know either of these candidates on a personal level and have no ax to grind, but I am a concerned citizen.

Colleen MacLeod stated she’s known for running a clean campaign, but she already started mud slinging by saying Mr. Smith was in favor of raising taxes for higher incomes. Before that, she stated the issue is taxing people when they’re down. I don’t think that statement makes any sense.

First of all, if she is one of those who has a higher income, how is it she can be one of those people who are down? I’m not in favor of higher taxes, but wouldn’t it make more sense to tax high incomes instead of taxing the people who have low incomes?

When MacLeod ran for county commissioner against Ken Johnson, didn’t she make a comment publicly that Mr. Johnson was only in this race to benefit himself? Aren’t both these comments negative?

And just what is she in it for? She said, “Let’s keep it to the issues.” The issues are taxes, I don’t think so. I believe the main issue is employment in Union County.

Can MacLeod validate herself? When I say validate, I don’t mean verify, I don’t want her to tell us about all the committees she’s been on. She should simply let us know what she’s personally done for Union County? Has she done anything for the homeless children in this county? Does she know that we have homeless children?

Can she really keep her campaign to the issues without telling us about all the wrong things the other candidates have done? She should validate and show us what it is she has done and let her actions speak for themselves.

Mike Voss

La Grande

Enjoy meal together

To the Editor:

Family meal time is the perfect time to reconnect with your children. Sounds simple, huh? Yet statistics show the older the kids are the more they need protected family time and the less likely they are to get it. Having dinner time together reinforces the family unit and bolsters adolescents’ feelings of security.

Unfortunately some parents may be holding on to the archaic memory of June Cleaver’s family meals: pulling a perfectly cooked pot roast out of the oven and serving it on a table with fine china and linen napkins, when in fact a bucket of KFC and paper plates will serve the same purpose for overworked and harried families.

A family meal is not just about food, it’s about engaging in worthwhile conversation, teaching etiquette, sharing and listening, developing positive eating habits and finding out what’s on your child’s mind. When it is time to sit down to the table, turn off the TV, video games, cell phones and portable video game systems.

Families who break bread together benefit tremendously. Such unity serves as a kind of inoculation, protecting kids from all kinds of harm. Studies show that the more often kids eat with their families the less likely they are to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, consider suicide, get suspended from school or engage in sex.

Monday is National Family Day, the perfect day to revive a family tradition or start a new one. Many local restaurants in

La Grande, Cove and Elgin are giving big discounts on the 28th. To qualify for a discount a family must have at least one adult and one child younger than 18.

Remember, family meal time is about sharing love in the form of time and attention.

Valerie Morrow

Union County Prevention Team

Enormous tourism potential

To the Editor:

I am writing on behalf of the Eastern Oregon Film Festival. A few weeks ago, Jerry Grant and the Mt. Emily Ale House played host to a packed weekend of films and live music. The lineup consisted of five bands and 20 independent films, which were submitted from a variety of local, national and internationally recognized artists.

We would like to thank everyone that came out and supported the festival in its first year. EOFF would not be possible without community support. This year, the festival attracted visiting filmmakers, volunteers and film enthusiasts from Medford, Pendleton, Portland, Walla Walla, Joseph, San Francisco, and Brooklyn, N.Y. EOFF will continue to bring people (and dollars) into our community.

We are planning to expand the festival, which will require increased support from local businesses and the La Grande Downtown Development Association. A prominent, organized film festival has enormous tourism potential. This from the University of Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research: “The 2009 Sundance Film Festival generated an overall economic impact of a record $92.1 million for the State of Utah, supported close to 2,000 jobs, generated over $18 million in media exposure and provided millions in tax revenue.” Sundance is clearly top tier, but, based on our initial success and future projections, it is clear that the EOFF has great potential for economic impact.

We are in the process of developing a strategy that will allow us to grow the festival next year — more films, more live music and more attendees. With Mike Surber, Chris Jennings and myself leading the charge, we are optimistic that a wave of volunteers will soon follow.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported the Eastern Oregon Film Festival. If you would like to get involved, please visit us online at www.eofilmfest.com.

Ian Clark

EOFF co-founder, co-director

La Grande