Letters to the Editor: Sept. 8, 2023
Stipends deserve look
I appreciate that McMinnville School Board members ran for their seats without expectation of compensation, and am grateful for the time and talent they donate to the district.
However, HB 2753, which allows stipends for school board members, is a potentially important tool the board shouldn’t dismiss without further study.
The starting shift manager wage at McMinnville’s two McDonald’s outlets is $15 an hour. If someone wanted to serve on the board instead of doing that job — and voters agreed — a $500 monthly stipend would compensate them for 33.3 hours of work.
I gather that’s about what some board members put into their roles. Wouldn’t we like to make board service a viable option for someone who needs that money?
For a single parent to attend just the business meetings and work sessions every month, never mind attend committee meetings and conduct school visits, a babysitter might run $15 an hour and one large pizza $20 to $30. For two evening meetings, that’s $100 per month already.
Cash and childcare should not be prerequisites to serve, nor should we assume a lack of desire to serve among those who need to make rent. Not everyone would need to accept the stipend, and the board could later assess whether the policy was working or a change of course was needed, as could voters.
Let’s study relevant examples from elsewhere, such as other jurisdictions that have instituted or increased stipends to value citizen service and diversify their ranks and PTAs that offer meals and childcare to increase and diversify attendance. Then we can create policy based not on personal circumstances, but on evidence.
We should strive for a board that is representative of the families it serves. Stipends could be a means of achieving that goal.
Christine Bader
McMinnville
Provisions aren’t fair
In the 1980s, Congress passed an act that unfairly affects former federal employees receiving a retirement annuity.
I applied for Social Security after working for the National Weather Service for 35 years.
I had also worked for private sector employers, during which I paid into Social Security and earned benefits. But my payment was reduced 50% under the act’s Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset stipulations.
Over the 20 years since my retirement, my wife and I have forgone nearly $80,000. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley has been trying to get this rectified through the Social Security Fairness Act, and I urge U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas to sign on as co-sponsors.
Help us get this done. Help us eliminate this unfair penalty for 18,805 Oregonians affected by the WEP and 4,901 by the GPO.
Zane Suverly
Lafayette
Wake up to moral decline
To the Democratic readers of the News-Register who responded online to my letter to the editor of Aug. 18, you can whine, complain and vilify all you want, but it does not change the fact that America is in a moral decline.
In my letter, I pointed out a dozen or more examples of the rot and decay.
All I got in response is that “Trump and MAGA Republicans are mean, nasty people.” None of the responders challenged my actual claims.
So to all you lawless, brain-dead Democrats who see no evil, hear no evil and watch idly while Rome burns, I say this: Things will continue to get a lot worse until we return to our Judeo-Christian roots.
Meanwhile, a COVID update: Stand by for a new round of Biden/CDC mandates to control our freedom with masks, lockdowns and vaccinations.
Robert Long
McMinnville
Comments
Bleepbloop
I encourage everyone to ignore Mr Long. He just wants a response. Do not give it to him.
BigfootLives
Don’t respond to Mr. long? You mean like this?
The man is absolutely right. A human being’s sense of basic right and wrong is rooted in Gods moral law, the Ten Commandments, the do unto others as you would want them to do unto yourself. You do not have to be a religious person to feel called to live these principles, they are more or less engrained in the moral fiber of every person.
But what we are now seeing is a breakdown of moral social norms. Breakdowns in society response to hold suspect’s accountable, bring victims justice, and to ease the fear of vulnerable individuals in the community.
You don’t have to be pissed off at old white men for this to affect you or your family. An evening stroll through the wrong place at the wrong time will do the trick.
We have serious problems right here in Mac. They are only getting worse, I do not believe that the decisions being made will do anything other than pour gasoline on a fire. Going back to Christian roots as a community is a great place to start.
BigfootLives
Oh yeah, one more thing. Well done Mr. Long! I am glad to see that you read the online comments.
Don Dix
Something to ponder -- facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
TroyProuty*
Part 1.
Mr. Long
It is said that respect for ourselves guides our morals/values. Respect for others guides our manners.
Morality can be defined as a particular system of values and principles in conduct, especially one held by society as a whole.
You never defined “Morals” in your opinion, specifically ?
Values however are never compromised. Values must be chosen freely. The consequences of the value must be recognized as well as alternatives to them.
Values can only be, when time and energy are spent on it and it must remain consistent in one's life, there is no compromise.
Immanual Kant spoke of pure reason. The premise appears to be that if I do something for community instead of myself, Don't I also improve because I'm part of community?
In Buddhism there is threat towards this called Duhkha, driven by selfish desire. (Self Destructive) in nature.
TroyProuty*
part 2
What can get lost in your argument is “Empathy”. The United States appears to have an “empathy” crisis derived by Duhkha..
With Empathy comes respect, with respect comes truth and honesty and values and with values comes morality.
TroyProuty*
part 3.
You brought up MAGA, so let me respond. MAGAnites are supporting a person that is a chronic liar, who paid off affairs, cheated with charity, violated money laundering regulations, falsifies business records, kept top secret documents and obstructed justice, violated the criminal provision of the Hatch Act, and attempted to overturn an election, claiming false information and lured people to storm the capital where some died, He even lied about Covid-19 after signing the order in Decemeber 2017 to allow banned risky testing. The MAGA's also appear to minimize slavery, are anti immigration with fabrications about it, they lie about CRT, but can't explain for example why Blacks 14% of out popular make up the majority of wrongful conviction, why they have longer sentences, more illegal police stops, more deaths (even unarmed), higher unemployment, and lower wages., they claim voter fraud in area's (higher amount of black voters) and remove them from voter rolls at a higher rate. MAGA and GOP supporters vote against price gouging regulation, hope the economy tanks so they can get “Ttheir” candidates in office, use gerrymandering to maintain control like “Wisconsin”, prefer less people vote so they use illegal voter suppression tactics. MAGA people threaten violence don't think right wing extremism should be called terrost. Wear a pin on their suit of a AR-15, They prefer intimidation including breaking the window at the Democratic office, most MAGA people denounce environment issues and regulations (self defeating in reality btw), and allow more white collar criminals. Up to 450 Billion a year in the U.S. Now btw.
Remember I said Values have no compromise. So,
Troy Prouty*
Bill B
A whole lot of preachin' going on here!
TroyProuty*
Over the years it was said if fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag carrying a cross.
Many of these people don't believe in the Constitution, it's why they are calling for State Convention to eliminate the bill of rights and replace our constitution into their interpretation of the bible.
There is nothing "Holy" about these people, let's be straight about that. People like Michael Flynn calling for a one religion nation. It's the same old thing, religious wars, religious prosecutions, genocide, slavery, bigotry, and witch burning. That's history....
That's what thy bring and what they are...
There is a Bible Verse that does specifically mention them though.
Matthew 7:15.
Take Care.
Troy*
TroyProuty*
John Adams ...
Certainly, an interesting character in history. That 1800 election is one of the most interesting moments in our history. What many people don’t discuss is how Jefferson would have lost that election to Adams, had there not been the one third rule of slaves toward population in slave states allowing more representatives for those States and ultimately more electoral vote. “18” in fact.
Don't tell Prager U that. Dennis doesn't like facts.
Adams, himself was not without shortcomings, however. Let’s take Adams 1798 Alien and Sedition Act for malicious writing against Congress or the President, where he locked up and fined his many critics including people like Representative Matthew Lyon, Benjamin Franklin Bache, and James Callander.
In Federalist 52.
Federalist 52
“Madison strongly supported the prohibition against any religious test for office. He wrote that the door of government is open to merit of every description, without regard to any particular profession of religious faith’.
treefarmer
Seems quite hypocritical to accuse/complain that some folks consider MAGA supporters to be “mean nasty people,” and then counter your indefensible contention by labeling about half of your fellow Americans as “…..lawless, brain-dead Democrats.” Would that assertion be defined as mean and nasty in your dictionary, Mr. Long? If you were just trolling for attention, or a forum for sharing hateful rhetoric, looks like you got it. What a shame that differences of opinion have escalated into rigid tribal warfare. Unhealthy, counter-productive, and demoralizing.
MR. S
Re-criminalize all drugs (yes, pot too). Oregon is the laughing stock of the US.
Jean
Some nice herbal tea and a long walk in the woods. Pure bliss.