Letter to the editor for November 17, 2008

Boy Scouts food drive a success

To the editor:

Last Saturday (Nov. 8) the Boy Scouts of Baker County conducted a food drive to benefit the needy families in Baker County.

The Boy Scouts went door to door-to-door collecting donations of canned goods. The Scouts collected 3,375 pounds of canned goods.

The canned goods were equally divided between the four food banks in our area. People of all ages helped make the drive a success.

Thank God we have a community that cares about people.

Thank you citizens and Scouts of Baker City for being so generous with your time and donations.

May God bless you all!

Do our guns make us safe?

To the editor:

In January, the Baker City Herald ran a front-page story on training for a “mass shooting incident” at Baker High School. Local law enforcement agencies participated. According to the Herald, the training ranged from engaging a shooter down a long hallway, to confronting an armed suspect in a classroom full of students.

In the run-up to the election, there were a number of national stories of gun violence. In Ohio, a teenager was shot and wounded for stealing a John McCain yard sign. In South Carolina, a 12-year-old was shot to death through a front door while trick-or-treating with his family. And in Massachusetts, an 8-year-old fatally shot himself in the head when he lost control of an Uzi he was firing.

Now, I’m reading that “semi-automatic rifles and handguns have been flying off the shelves” at Baker City gun dealers (Nov. 11). Why? What will these weapons be used for? The Herald did not print comments from our police chief or sheriff. Do they have any advice for us? What are the new gun purchasers thinking?

I’m also looking back at the Herald’s Oct. 6 article on the Elkhorn Muzzleloaders. According to the Herald: Roger Barth, a 66-year-old gunmaker from Baker City, said that unlike modern repeating weapons that use manufactured bullets, government firearms registration requirements don’t apply to blackpowder firearms. When asked why not, Barth said, “Who is going to hold up a bank or liquor store with a one-shot pistol?”

That remark leads me to ask that if AK-47s had been around in 1789, would James Madison have used the vague justification of “a well regulated militia” when he drafted the Second Amendment? Times change. We learn.

My thoughts go to the Lori Hayes-Kotter tragedy at the post office two years ago. Luckily, it wasn’t even worse. Seems to me we would all be wise to pause and weigh the fears behind the current “buying frenzy” against the obvious evidence of our human insanity and the potential for other tragedies here in Baker City.

Important story about adoption

To the editor:

Thank you, Baker City Herald, for the excellent front page article on adoption in the Friday, Nov. 14 paper. The benefits of adoption need to be emphasized because adoption benefits everyone involved including society in general.

Providing loving homes for children who need them is essential for the children and a blessing for the adoptive family. We have been blessed to have three adopted children, who are now adults and productive citizens. We are thankful that their mothers chose life for them instead of abortion.

Jack Ferguson a great Bulldog fan

To the editor:

I very much enjoyed the article on Jack Ferguson that Mike Ferguson wrote. Jack Ferguson is indeed a huge fan of the Baker Bulldog football team. I have known Jack for some years and I wanted to add some of the things Jack also does for the Baker football team.

He is known for buying a crate of watermelons on the last day of football daily doubles. Setting up a bench and cutting up the watermelons for the football team player for a treat. Jack is also known for buying boxes of apples and oranges for the football team on their trips to away games.

When the football season is over all the other Baker High School teams are also much discussed as Jack and friends also highly support all the other Baker High School teams to the utmost. Well done, Jack.

Support Baker City’s downtown

To the editor:

Regarding Historic Baker City’s efforts to renew the BID/EID for downtown revitalization, I fully support the organization’s efforts. In the 25 years that the Main Street Program has been used by communities in Oregon, BID/EID funding has been critical to the success of many of these programs. When Oregon did not fund the state coordinating program, the need for downtown revitalization did not go away. We were very pleased in this first year of the new Oregon Main Street Program to see that Baker City, Corvallis, and McMinnville had continued to follow the Main Street Approach™.

With over 1,800 communities nation-wide following this approach, the documented community and economic benefits include new investment, job creation, new business, and increased commerce. In this time of economic challenges, communities need to focus their efforts on downtowns, particularly to retain business and develop competitive economic strategies.

The Main Street Approach™ is a very collaborative and comprehensive process that requires local commitments and partnerships. Based on over 30 years of national experience, funding is necessary to support downtown revitalization, including a full-time paid program manager. National criteria for “certified” Main Street programs require meeting these criteria.

We were pleased on Sept. 26 to announce the selection of Baker City as one of four Oregon Performing Main Street cities. The selection is confirmation that the Baker City program is following this proven approach. Baker City is an outstanding example, if not the best, for historic preservation and economic revitalization in Oregon. I continue to use Baker City’s experience to inspire other communities beginning the revitalization process.

I believe that EID/BIDs are one of the fairest funding mechanisms for downtown revitalization, because those that pay into the fund are the primary recipients of the benefits and services of the program. Indirectly, the community and other business benefit from these downtown efforts, which contributes to a sustainable local economy. Programs need to adapt to changing conditions and be responsive to the needs of business and property owners, but the need does not go away.