We can’t fault the Oregon Department of Transportation for striving to make the state’s highways safer.

But the recent revelation that ODOT plans to reverse, albeit in a limited sense, the state’s long-standing aversion to spreading salt on its roads seems to us an unnecessary expenditure of time and money.

We use the word “revelation” intentionally.

ODOT didn’t ask the public, or even the state Transportation Commission, what it thinks before setting up the five-year pilot project.

The Oregonian reported last week that ODOT plans to experiment with rock salt, which melts snow and ice, on an 11-mile stretch of Interstate 5 near the California border, and the 120-mile section of U.S. Highway 95 in the state’s southeastern corner between Idaho and Nevada.

ODOT officials chose those highways because the three bordering states all salt their highways, creating the potential for drivers entering Oregon to almost immediately go from wet pavement to ice or packed snow.

ODOT didn’t offer The Oregonian any proof that this transition is responsible for highway crashes.

The evidence is overwhelming, though, that spreading salt on highways accelerates the growth of rust on cars.

Salt also can pollute streams and groundwater sources.

It’s not as if ODOT is powerless to deal with slippery highways.

The agency already uses deicing liquids that aren’t as likely as salt to damage cars or the environment.

Moreover, the prevalence of technological advances — key among them better studless snow tires and electronic stability-control systems, the latter mandatory on all new cars starting with the 2012 model year — has contributed to an unprecedented decline in highway deaths in Oregon. 

In 2010, a total of 292 people died in highway crashes in the state, the fewest in more than 60 years.

The death toll rose slightly in 2011, to 310, but the rate is down 3 percent from last year so far in 2012.

Oregon’s roads, based on the volume of traffic, have never been safer. Salt might not make things safer, but they’ll definitely introduce new problems.

Bogart’s opponent says mailer’s allegations not true

Today (Oct. 24) I was able to secure a copy of an anonymous mailer recently sent out in an attempt to besmirch and slander the reputation and integrity of a very honorable friend, and capable colleague, Steve Bogart. All of the allegations are unsupported by any fact and are patently untrue. I can speak to the facts of one allegation, of which Mr. Bogart is falsely accused. I was a Baker County department head when Matt Shirtcliff was hired. I was part of the interview team that selected him for the position of Deputy District Attorney, and was also party to the decision which was made to discipline him, and encourage him on the path of recovery. It was not a decision made by Steve Bogart.

To say that I was sickened and angered by the text I read in this mailer, is an understatement. In concert with the Herald Editorial Board, I ask you to disregard the garbage penned by this angry and misguided individual, and bring his/her name forward if you know their identity. In the mailer, at the end of his tirade, the writer quotes Albert Pike, an early leader in the free masonry movement. Hopefully the writer will learn to adhere to Mr. Pike’s principals, which taught brotherly love.

On a brighter note, please cherish your opportunity to vote, and choose to vote for the candidate of your choice, based only upon the facts, and the individual merits you believe your candidate can bring to the position of Justice of the Peace.

Don Williams

Baker City

Rep. Walden is a true friend of Baker County

I am writing in support of Greg Walden for Congressional District No. 2. Greg has been a strong supporter of the effort of local people to retain public access and use of our national forest through the Travel Management Plan. He was instrumental in getting the Record of Decision pulled back by the previous forest supervisor, as well as working with the Forest Service to help craft a new plan that more closely reflects the economic, social and historical needs and interests of the community.

Greg has a strong history of working across the aisle to achieve maximum benefit for his constituents, and Oregon. This was clearly demonstrated when he teamed with Senators Wyden and Merkley to get the Forest Service to listen to the people.

I ask for your vote for Greg Walden – a true friend of Baker County.

Jan Kerns

Haines

President needs assistance from Congress

How many of you remember the Great Depression and what caused it? It took over 10 years to recover from that one. How many people lost their retirement income and jobs as a result of the stock market crash? 

Social Security was originated back in 1936 so that people would have at least some sort of income when it was time to retire that wasn’t dependent on the stock market. People have always had the opportunity to invest in additional retirement accounts knowing the risk. 

How many people still don’t have any form of retirement other than Social Security? How many of you have lost a big part of your retirement savings? Don’t let them privatize Social Security.

When jobs are sent overseas there are fewer jobs available for those who are looking for them here, which reduces the revenue base and increases the deficit. Wouldn’t it be fair to ask those businesses to replace the lost tax revenue?

Governor Romney in the second debate says he will reduce tax rates and establish a deduction pool. He makes no mention of how he will replace this revenue. Whose wallet do you think he will go to, to increase revenue? What credits and deductions will he eliminate? He already said he would not agree to a tax increase on the higher income taxpayers. Do your own math.

The president (executive branch) doesn’t control domestic issues other than to make recommendations. President Obama has made many recommendations. It takes the House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans (legislative branch) working together to make changes happen. We have not seen this happen with the present Congress. Let’s put the blame where it really belongs.

Do we really want to go back to the conditions that caused the Great Depression and our recent Recession?

As a great statesman once said “If we choose to ignore history we are destined to repeat it.”

Duane Crampton

Baker City

Herald left out the part about Romney’s veracity

You conclude your editorial endorsing Mitt Romney with this curious statement: “President Obama is a good and earnest man. But his record is one of failure.We urge Americans to give Mitt Romney a chance to do better.” Ignoring any argument with your conclusion about Obama, what you fail to acknowledge is that Mitt Romney is a consummate liar.

Milo Pope

Baker City

Bogart has much experience in management, budgets

Steve Bogart is the best candidate for Baker County Justice of the Peace.

He has a great deal of experience in management, planning and orchestrating projects, conflict resolution, and budgeting. Steve has dealt responsibly and honestly in every aspect of Baker County and Baker City management. He also served the cities of Vale, Madras, Union and Heppner as city manager. Steve served as a member of the Oregon State Board of Education.

I am asking you to help elect Steve Bogart to serve us as a committed Justice of the Peace.

Sammye Linzel

Baker City

Oregon needs to reconsider elk-hunting seasons

It seems that the bad news for wildlife and big game in Oregon is never ending as is the case in point for cow and calf elk rifle season. Apparently no one in the would-be hunters group or more importantly the regulators of big game laws have considered that elk rut starts in September. This means that by late October as many as 80 percent of the dwindling herds of cow elk are with calf or calves. I wonder if bragging rights are in order for those that fill a tag.

I believe the words “sportsman” or “outdoorsman” need to be redefined and that Oregon big game regulations be re-examined and if a cow/calf elk season need be at all, shouldn’t it start before the elk have rutted?

Besides, the few real hunters left take mature buck venison for the freezer. Elk is just for the ego, and skull/antler decals are for the want-to-bes.

Just a thought.

Jim Smeraglio

Baker City

The Freedom of Information Act — FOIA, not to be confused with a fancy food made from the forcibly fattened livers of waterfowl — is one of those laws that sounds a lot better than it is.

(Unlike fois gras, which I’ve heard tastes better than it sounds. Although considering the recipe it could hardly be otherwise.)

President Lyndon Johnson signed the original federal law in 1966. Congress has tinkered with FOIA several times since, but the basic idea remains the same.

Which is that Americans ought to have reasonable access to the immense volume of data their federal government exudes.

The public servants who expectorate this avalanche of information are supposedly serving us, after all.

Many states, including Oregon, have enacted similar laws that deal with records from state and local governments, including cities, counties and school districts.

We journalists harbor a particular fondness for these sorts of laws.

We disdain secrecy, for one thing.

For another, unshackling reams of official documents makes possible more thorough, and responsible, reporting on important topics.

Frequently it’s a plain manila folder, not a flamboyant and shadowy off-the-record source with an affinity for clandestine meetings in parking garages, that breaks a big story.

Trouble is, neither the federal nor the Oregon law entitles citizens to go poking around in government file cabinets or computer records with what could reasonably be described as ease.

The stimulus did work — we should re-elect Obama

You’ve been told that “the stimulus didn’t work” — but it did over $3 million of good right here in Baker County! It reportedly funded these projects (some via the state): Adler Parkway $217,064, Birch Street Project $562,024, Road Department $600,000 (with Secure Rural Schools), Dewey Street Underpass $1,485,000, 5J $430,000. With the multiplier effect, working people and businesses benefitted from the boost many times over.

The crash was especially painful due to the bubble it followed. When you prick your finger, it heals quickly. But when you split your shin with an ax, healing takes much longer. It does not matter how much it hurts or how fast you wish it would heal, firing the doctor will not hasten your recovery.

President Obama has been calm, steady, and consistent. Why would we go for a vague “big new plan” from an unproven challenger when Obama’s plan is working now and every recovery indicator is moving in the right direction!

And what is Obama’s plan? End the wars, grow jobs, invest in America (small business, clean energy, education, infrastructure) protect the vulnerable, decrease the deficit over 10 years. 

General Colin Powell, The East Oregonian, and even the Salt Lake Tribune have all endorsed Obama.

The Eugene Register-Guard states: “He [Romney] would be elected president as leader of a party with a retrograde social, fiscal and foreign-policy agenda. If a President Romney tried to temper that agenda, he’d be stymied by the same opposition that Obama has repeatedly encountered. And if a President Romney fully embraced the GOP program of tax cuts, military spending and a shredded social safety net, the country could expect four years of widening economic and social inequality at home and belligerence abroad.

 “Obama has neither the wings of an angel nor the horns of a demon. Perhaps after four years Americans can begin to see Barack Obama for what he really is: a cautious and conciliatory man who is by nature inclined to provide centrist leadership. Americans should vote for Barack Obama, and hope that his re-election begins a more productive period in the nation’s politics.”

Suzanne Moses

Baker City

Buehler would be an excellent Secretary of State

I’m writing in support of Knute Buehler for Secretary of State. Before moving back to Baker City I lived in Bend for many years and got personally acquainted with Knute. We served together on the OSU-Cascades Advisory Board and worked on other community activities. Even though he was very busy, he took time to let my kids, then high school students, job shadow with him and provided great insight into the medical profession. It worked, they are both PAs today. 

He is extremely sharp, energetic, creative, open-minded, a leader with great ideas, and someone who will provide ideal leadership in any role. He will be an excellent Secretary of State and provide Oregon with fresh, new ideas. He deserves a chance with your vote.

Jim Carnahan

Baker City

Remembering the past, I voted for Obama

I never thought it would actually happen, but it looks like the presidential election is finally for real. I have voted in many of these events but this is by far the most disgusting of them all, despicable because of the viciousness and depravity displayed. We have much to be proud of in this country, but this sickening debacle sure isn’t one of them. In keeping with the adage “If we forget the lessons of history we are forced to relive them” and recognizing the historical fact that most truly great civilizations of history have destroyed themselves, imploded if you will, by means of most of the seven deadly sins, I have to wonder why in the world I would want to return the party back into power who nearly trashed this once great nation so many times. 

I too have a business background and I can assure you if I had an employee that was so inept as to nearly destroy any segment of that business, and return seeking that job again I would be hostile indeed to his insanity. Four years ago the administration in power at the time, (Republican) turned over a nation that was teetering on the ragged edge of total collapse to the incoming party (Democrat) and said fix it! A nation of 320 million people in shambles and to think anybody is able to fix that mess in four years is an insult to our intelligence! In 2000 Clinton left a $265 billion surplus in the treasury to Bush who ran that into our horrendous multi-trillion-dollar deficit because of the immoral policies of the unholy Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld triumvirate. The Iraq and Afghanistan war deaths are estimated way over a million, all of this a result of the 9/11 slaughter that they had been warned was in the offing, 3,000+ dead and God only knows how much money that cost. We were lied to on television about WMD to go to war that still continues? I will always remember what they did, so I voted for Obama!

Gene Wall

Baker City

Newspaper endorsements don’t all favor Obama

On the Oct. 24 opinion page, Gary Dielman puts forth the typical liberal genre of cynicism and lies. Gary makes it appear in his letter as though Mitt Romney has called 47 percent of Americans “freeloaders,” victimized and entitled to government assistance. Although it is true that 47 percent of Americans do not pay federal income taxes and they do lean left, the word “freeloader” was never used (simply the slant the paper wants one to see and Gary wants to push). I wonder if Obama has ever used any political “tactics” to lure “Tea Party” voters? Recently President Obama called Mitt Romney a “bullsh***er.” (Now that’s presidential.) At one point in the final debate Barry said to Mitt that he was not on an “apology tour” of America when first elected, as Mitt had described him, and that it was all proven wrong and taken out of context and “it was just not true.” That was fact-checked extensively ... oh, yeah “apology tour” in fact, in fact-checking truth, Romney wins 70 percent to 30 percent.

I find it really funny how Gary lumps the state of Utah and their left-leaning newspaper and Mormons in the same paragraph and the newspaper (so righteous in its understanding) endorsing B.O. Here are some left-leaning newspapers for you. The Des Moines Register, only the second time in its history, the New York Post, a state in the tank for Obama, the Detroit News, in the heart of auto bailout country, the Washington Examiner, Beltway liberal news, the Orlando Sentinel, all endorsing Governor Mitt Romney. Whoa! Kinda blows your theory on the weight of endorsements. All said and done, Romney will win Utah big.

If memory serves me correctly even in our own little community politics can be pretty harsh. With the school district issues, the county and also the City Council, some things have had to be ironed out. That’s politics, I guess.

John Marcum

Baker City

Williams has a record of efficiency as manager

I have had the pleasure of knowing Don Williams for several years. He is a man who has given a lot of hard work to this community restoring agencies that were dysfunctional and at times an embarrassment to Baker County. The Services to Children and Families comes to mind, which was rife with unethical and even criminal conduct.

He quickly restored credibility to the branch and made it an effective and enjoyable work environment for both employees and clients, who then received a level of respect to which they were not accustomed.

Don is genuine, forthright and his experience record is one of efficiency and courtesy as both a manager and jurist. Baker County deserves this level of strength of character, courtesy and efficiency in its Justice Court.

Don Williams is the candidate who is the most qualified to fill the position of Justice of the Peace. Baker County needs such a man of his experience. Let’s keep him there!

Bill Lee

Baker City

Government contributes to individual success

Some say individual success is built only on individual effort. The truth is that help was given. As an example we as our government invested in roads, education, water and sewer systems, the Internet, health and technology research and so on to enable individuals to succeed.

Another myth is that the government can’t do anything right. As an example, Mitt Romney says that Steve Jobs built Apple Computer. But, the Internet was invented in a government laboratory and developed with federal funding. The computer was first the product of public financing. Even the core technology of the iPhone came from years of government funding and research. Also, some say the private sector is more efficient. But remember, after all the costs are accounted, the big difference is that private companies require profit — not so with the government.

Finally, the idea that the government punishes success is a myth. The chasm between the rich and the rest of us grows ever wider. Mr. Romney criticized the 47 percent saying that they are “takers” who do not contribute. When you look carefully at the tax receipts, people who earn $20,000 to $33,000 pay 10.5 percent of their income in payroll and excise taxes and fees. People who make $450,000 pay less than half that rate. State and local taxes for those earning less than $20,000 equals about 12.3 percent of their pay while the wealthy who make $450,000 or more only pay 7.9 percent. Corporate America cries about the 35 percent tax rate, but Citizens for Tax Justice analyzed the actual tax bills of 280 of America’s biggest corporations and found that they averaged paying only half the rate. Thirty of the giants paid zero during the three-year period used. They found that American corporations have the second-lowest tax rate for developed countries.

So, let’s thank ourselves for working together (our government) to create a place where individual effort and creativity can flourish.

Bruce Raffety

Baker City

Southwick has served our community well

We are endorsing Mitch Southwick for sheriff. He has many successful years in the law enforcement field and has proven he is the right pereson for sheriff of Baker County. He has the ability to problem-solve and cares about the safety of our community. He is a dedicated family man and active community leader. We have known him for years and know he will continue to serve our community with pride and dedication.

Dan and Renece Forsea

Richland

The crux of the presidential race is this question: Have President Barack Obama’s policies failed to revive the U.S. economy because they are flawed, or because they haven’t had sufficient time to take effect?

We believe the former is true.

That tops the list of reasons why we hope voters will elect Republican Mitt Romney to replace Obama.

To be clear, “flawed” is not synonymous with “wrong.”

The president’s faith in the federal government’s ability to cure macroeconomic ills is not implausible.

Yet the prescriptions he has offered during his term, most notably the 2009 stimulus bill, simply haven’t paid off as the president and his supporters in Congress insisted they would.

Despite recent hints of improvement — a relatively robust stock market, a modest decline in unemployment rates — we’re not willing to take the risk that four more years of similar approaches will reverse the nation’s troubling course.

Although Obama and Romney sometimes sound similar on the campaign trail in touting their plans to “get America working again,” the differences in their philosophies are significant.

As his maneuvering on the stimulus bill and on Obamacare showed, the president sees Washington, D.C., as the origin of an economic revival, regardless of what the people who have run successful companies believe.

Romney, for instance.

He makes the compelling argument that businesses are more likely to prosper when they face fewer impediments from the capital, whether those be taxes or regulations.

Although we’re not so naivé as to believe that Romney’s election will mark a new era of bipartisanship in Congress, his ability as the Republican governor of Massachusetts to work closely, and effectively, with a Democrat-dominated legislature is telling.

President Obama is a good and earnest man. But his record is one of failure. We urge Americans to give Mitt Romney a chance to do better.

Mitch Southwick has earned a third term as Baker County’s top law enforcement official.

Southwick has been an effective administrator — one so respected by his peers that they elected him as president of the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association in 2008.

Southwick has not been content, though, to manage from his office.

We appreciate his willingness to get involved in search and rescue efforts, to regularly visit outlying cities, and to be an active member of his community through the Lions Club and other outlets.

In addition to overseeing the sheriff’s office, Southwick is responsible for the Baker County Jail and the Parole and Probation Department.

We also find Southwick’s no-nonsense attitude refreshing.

Although he has maintained a good working relationship with the county commissioners, Southwick points out, and rightly so, that “my boss is the people of Baker County. I don’t work for the commissioners — I can oppose them if I want.”

Southwick’s opponent, Dee Gorrell, has impressive law enforcement credentials, including experience with the Baker County Sheriff’s Office.

But Southwick’s resumé is longer still — including 28 years with the Oregon State Police, 18 of those years as a supervisor or manager, before he “retired” and was elected in 2004 as sheriff.

More importantly, though, Southwick has proved his ability to perform his current job at a high level, and expressed his eagerness to continue doing so for four more years.

Re-electing Obama a threat to American gun owners

This nation is in real danger of forfeiting the basic constitutional rights that we take for granted if our president is re-elected.

Our continued freedoms depend largely upon a constitutionally oriented Supreme Court and our Second Amendment right to own guns for personal protection and the defense of our freedoms,  both of which are under siege by the executive branch of our federal government.

The two ladies who were last appointed to the Supreme Court both have histories of voting socialistic agendas and hold the belief that the Constitution means what they want it to mean, regardless of the historical intent. If elected to another term, the president will have an opportunity to appoint two more justices who are likely to have similar social values.

The president and his vice president, secretary of state, attorney general and most of his cabinet are right now attempting to find a way around the Second Amendment in order to destroy our rights to own and use guns. Prior to his election as president, the senator supported at least 14 bills restricting access to firearms and to criminalize their use, even in self-defense. Since election he has continued his assault on our Second Amendment rights. For a more complete picture of what the president intends check his web site — change.gov. Gun owners have won the last two Supreme Court decision by just one vote each. If he is re-elected there soon will be no more such wins.

The constitutional freedoms we have in this once great country are hanging on by a very badly frayed thread. Two of the mainstays of that freedom are under full attack by the people we elected to serve us, not enslave us. The Supreme Court is one vote short of becoming an enemy of freedom. Our right to keep and bear arms is being attacked by our own elected officials and the United Nations. Unless we reject our present leadership on Nov. 6 this nation will join Rome in its demise. Now it is truly up to YOU.

Jasper Coombes

Haines

Williams has proved himself in the courtroom

Don Williams is running for the office of Baker County Justice of the Peace and I am endorsing him as a candidate for this position. I have known Don for nearly 15 years. Don and my late husband, Keith, worked on many projects together when Don was the program services manager for Powder River Correctional Facility.

I am convinced that both candidates are fair and honest, and they both have established their credibility. However, if you have ever sat in a courtroom and listened to cases being presented and decided, it is very evident that a judge needs to have more than those attributes. Knowledge of the law and experience in administering it is a must. The courtroom is not a classroom, where learning is the primary purpose; it’s a place where justice should be fairly imparted, based upon one’s knowledge of the law. With 28 years of courtroom experience, Don is far and away the leader in that category.

As a judge, knowledge of and experience in interpreting Oregon law is indispensable. That’s why three past attorney judges: our retired Circuit Court judge, and the last two Justice Court judges (all members of the Oregon State Bar), are all endorsing Don. They have had a broad experience in seeing him function in their courtrooms.

I urge you to join with me and vote on Nov. 6, for the most knowledgeable and experienced choice for your Justice of the Peace, Don Williams.

Marilyn Shollenberger

Baker City

Utah paper’s endorsement of Obama no surprise

As a former resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, for over 30 years, I was surprised neither the article nor the advertisement concerning the endorsement of Barack Obama by the Salt Lake Tribune mentioned that the “Trib” was the liberal, non-Mormon Utah newspaper. Its endorsement of that candidate was only to be expected. The Deseret News is Utah’s conservative newspaper. Hmmmm — I wonder which candidate they endorsed.

Please vote for the candidates who value the sanctity of life including the pre-born, the elderly and the disabled.

Karel Anne Dyer

Baker City

Shouldn’t assume which side is stealing signs

I absolutely agree with Ms. Urey that we have the right to express our political views to include placing political signs in our yards. I also agree that no one has the right to go on private property and steal signs. Ms. Urey “assumes” that someone opposing the re-election of President Obama is stealing signs. It would do well for us to remember the very popular definition of the word “assume.”

Although Ms. Urey has the right to her comments she has no right without proof to accuse the opposing party. In regards to “current list of lies” maybe it’s about time the commander in chief admits his failures and tells the American public the truth about the terrorists’ attack on our consulate in Benghazi.

Brenda Holly

Baker City

Knute Buehler has taken an interesting approach to the inherent challenges of his candidacy for Oregon Secretary of State.

One of those is to convince voters that Secretary of State is a vital job, and that choosing the right person for the post can have wide-ranging effects on residents across the state.

Buehler, who already bears the considerable burden of being a Republican in a state that has elected few candidates from his party to statewide office in the past 30 years, has emphasized — correctly — that the Secretary of State can have a major influence on important issues.

More to the point, he makes a compelling argument that his challenger, incumbent Democrat Kate Brown, has not wielded that influence with much vigor.

Oregon’s Public Employee Retirement System (PERS), for instance, is not, strictly speaking, under the Secretary of State’s bailiwick.

Yet PERS’ exorbitant, and growing, appetite for tax dollars not only at the state level, but for cities, counties and school districts statewide, is a looming fiscal disaster, and Buehler, unlike Brown, has proposed a series of reforms that could help ease the PERS threat.

That’s what we expect from an elected official, regardless of what their official job description says.

We also like Buehler’s enthusiasm for taking a more active role as a member of the State Land Board, and questioning the status quo. The Secretary of State is one of three members of that board, which among other things sets policy for how state forests are managed.

Finally, we believe Buehler will be more aggressive than Brown has been in using the state’s audits division, which the Secretary of State oversees, to find frivolous spending in state agencies.

Oregon voters should elect Buehler and give him a chance to make good on his plan to turn the Secretary of State into something more than another office in Salem.

When someone suggests the government should get to keep more money earned by individuals or businesses, our first question is always: “What’s the government going to do with it?”

Proponents of Measure 85 on the Nov. 6 ballot, which would end Oregon’s corporate tax “kicker” system, answer our query with the predictable: “It’s for the kids.”

Except it might not be for the kids.

The money could, in fact, be used for pretty much whatever the Legislature decides.

That uncertainty is why we urge a “no” vote on Measure 85.

To be clear, the measure has nothing to do with the other leg of Oregon’s unusual income tax kicker system. The personal kicker, which gives rebates to people and families when income tax revenue exceeds the state’s projects by more than 2 percent, wouldn’t be affected by Measure 85.

The measure instead targets the corporate kicker, which works the same way but is by far the smaller, in dollars, of the two legs. Since the kicker system started in the late 1970s, the state has “kicked back” $2.6 billion in personal taxes, and $527 million to corporations.

Measure 85 would divert any future corporate kickers — there have been just three in the past 20 years — to the state’s general fund.

The measure’s backers say that money is destined to prop up Oregon’s financially ailing public schools.

But there’s a lot more to the general fund than schools. And Measure 85 doesn’t require the Legislature to spend corporate kicker dollars on schools.

Ultimately the measure isn’t necessary anyway.

The Legislature already can vote to keep the corporate kicker — and it has, most recently in 2007.

On that occasion lawmakers put the money into a rainy day fund that can’t be tapped except with the support of two-thirds of the Legislature.

That at least put a level of restraint on how the money is spent.

Measure 85, by contrast, would simply dump the dollars into the maw of the general fund. If we’re going to stamp out the corporate kicker we need more assurance that the money will be spent wisely.

Current Justice of the Peace endorses Williams

The last three people to hold the position of Baker County Justice of the Peace, myself included, worked as pro tem JP for a period of years to gain experience before being elected or appointed to that office. Only Don Williams has any appreciable prior experience as pro tem. His experience goes beyond the years he has worked in Justice Court. He started gaining experience long ago as a juvenile court counselor, juvenile department director and DHS branch manager.

It is that experience that led Lise Yervasi to nominate him for appointment as Justice of the Peace pro tem. A move which I endorsed and wisely continued after my own appointment to the bench. Only Don Williams has the necessary experience to be Justice of the Peace on Jan. 1, 2013. He is ready today with the experience, common sense and integrity for the job.

I endorse Don Williams.

Damien Yervasi

Baker City

Bogart has proved himself a capable leader

My choice for Baker County Justice of the Peace is Steve Bogart.

I have always been impressed with the commitment and common sense Steve has displayed in his management positions in Baker County and Baker City.

He has proven himself as a fair and capable leader in Baker County government and Baker City along with four other Oregon cities.

I believe he will bring the same level of dedication and skill to the position of Justice of the Peace.

Let’s elect Steve Bogart as an effective Justice of the Peace.

Barbara Sherman

Baker City

Citizens should take advantage of right to vote

We, as American citizens, have been given a right by our founding fathers. This right is the right to vote. Their idea was to give the citizens an opportunity to have voice in their government. We still have that right and we need to exercise this privilege at every opportunity.

I urge each citizen of this great land to exercise this privilege before Nov. 6. If we do not vote, we have no right to complain.

Judy Brazofsky

Haines

Bogart for Justice of the Peace: A ‘no brainer’

Rarely in an election do voters have the opportunity to cast a vote among two candidates with vastly different qualifications for an office. This year’s Justice of the Peace race is one of those rare occurrences. I have had the opportunity to work alongside Steve Bogart both when he served as Baker County Commission Chair and as City Manager. Steve has all the necessary skills and experience to bring fairness, respectability and honor to the position. I cannot imagine anyone better suited to the job. Your decision is, without question, a “no brainer.” Please join me in voting for Steve Bogart for Justice of the Peace. Baker County deserves no less.

Charles Hofmann

Baker City

Feds make it difficult,          to get public information

I recently submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which is not “free” at all, in an attempt to gain more knowledge as to the management activities on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest (WWNF). We, as a group, have been told repeatedly to “engage and participate” in the Travel Management plan “process” by congressional staff and leadership from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). My request to be able to garner more information as to historic management of our forest has been accepted, but at a cost, of nearly $1,000.  

This is not how to run an “open and transparent” government. When you limit the public’s ability to access knowledge based on their financial status you no longer have a democracy, but an elitist system where the ones that have rule over those that do not. While I have received other information from another FOIA request, it is hard to put together any kind of consistent knowledge base when I am not allowed access to the information I request from a public agency, which generated that data from taxpayers’ dollars.

I am asking my elected county, state, and federal representatives, that have or are in any way, shape or form supported the efforts of the USFS to lock American citizens out of public lands, to reassess that position.  I know that some of our congressional staff feels pressured by the environmental community to move in their direction, as they would “be all over our backs.”  When a government official finds it appropriate to send an American citizen a letter that states that they will have to pay $832 (estimated) to access information, something is terribly wrong.

My request for information in no way will ever be used to generate any financial gain for myself or anyone; I simply want to track trends of management techniques to elk population numbers.

I want to participate in the process, and I want to participate in it with a full base of knowledge. Limiting my opportunities to that information based on my ability to pay a public employee to do their job is wrong, and un-American.

John D. George

Bates

Bogart has deep local roots, wide-ranging experience

I have known Steve Bogart for over 25 years and he has earned my vote for Baker County Justice of the Peace.  Through his years of successful service to the people of Baker County and Eastern Oregon, I have observed his characteristics of honesty, good judgment and fairness –- great qualities for this judgeship position.

Steve’s years as a Baker County Commissioner, Baker County Judge (Chairman of the Board of Commissioners), city manager of Baker City, Vale, Madras, Union and member of the State Board of Education have given him experience in managing and listening to people, preparing budgets and using funds effectively and a legal background in local ordinances and state and federal laws.  Steve’s deep roots in Baker County give him a unique understanding of local issues and people.  I urge you to join me in voting for Steve Bogart for Baker County Justice of the Peace. 

Marilyn Dudek

Baker City