Lessons
Recently, I shared a short visit with a good family friend, who will be turning 100 years old in a couple months. The connection that our elders have to our collective past is priceless for the rest of us. Take a moment today to reach out to someone older than you. Their perspectives on life ... the journeys they have gone on to arrive at their current point, are so valuable for the rest of us. At the edge of the void, they tell us things like, smile more, be grateful for what we have and spend time with people we love because life sweeps by us all so very quickly.
Avery Hoyt
White Salmon, Wash.
Running for office
As a volunteer in local elections over the past 15 years, it has become apparent to me that the influence of big money in our elections process is what is wrong with politics today. By inserting itself into virtually every campaign, big money now owns and controls our politics.
This is why politics have become increasingly ineffective. Big money’s widespread use of the politics of divisiveness has made consensus building virtually impossible, thus rendering many critical problems of the day politically unresolvable.
Many people are aware of this huge problem, but feel powerless to do anything about it. Others, like myself, feel we must do something about it, and soon, or face the continued degradation of our way of life.
Once again this year I was unable to find a State Representative candidate willing to represent our district without taking large campaign contributions from powerful special interests, so I have decided to run myself.
I am currently gathering signatures to “file by petition” to run for the House District 52 State Representative seat in the 2016 Democratic primary. To do this, I need the valid signatures of 241 active registered Democrats from across our district. I could have just paid $25, but I feel that filing by petition is a better way to make contact with voters.
I intend to run a clean campaign, accepting campaign funds only from people living in the district, in amounts of $50 or less, per individual, per year. I will offer the voters of House District 52 an opportunity to vote big money out of their politics right now, it they want to.
If you are a registered Democrat living in Oregon’s 52nd District, and would like to help grant me this opportunity to represent our interests in Salem, please contact me directly at 503-668-7618 or walt.trandum@wavecable.com and I will arrange to get a petition to you.
Thank you for your kind consideration.
Walt Trandum
Sandy
Letter thoughts
Re: Letter by Jon Laraway (Jan. 20).
I like comedy. I especially like slapstick comedy. But I do not want a comedian running our country.
I have a difficult time understanding how any intelligent person could support Trump or the present Republican candidates for president. However, I do think that Jon is very intelligent. That presents a problem, unless you consider personal prejudices.
The present positions of the Republicans are a repeat of the Reagan agenda. These policies resulted in gutting unions, reducing taxes on the ultra-rich from 74 percent to 28 percent, increasing CEO’s pay from an average of 30 times the average worker’s salary to over 373 times, and resulting in over 10 million U.S. workers becoming working poor.
Personally, I prefer electing someone who has an idea about how the government works, instead of a person who has never worked in the public sector, has had numerous bankruptcies, and has consistently attacked the poor.
Our nation should push for all citizens to vote. Any party that consistently tries to limit this vote is not a party that I can favor; the only reason that a party tries to limit voting rights is to benefit. Notice, I did not refer to the attacks on Hillary, primarily because this is a repeat of information and is being pushed by a biased personnel. As for Sanders, pushing for an increase on taxes for the ultra-rich is much better than reducing these taxes and reducing help for the poor (a Republican agenda item).
Leonard Hickman
Hood River
High school recognition
I want to thank Kirby Neumann-Rea for his front page article on Hood River Valley High’s robotics teams (Jan. 20). Hood River is fortunate to have a high school that’s rated in the top six or seven percent in the State of Oregon by U.S. News and World Report. You can also see, by looking at the ratings for graduation state-wide, that our school is rated highly. In the same edition, you’ll also see that our students are competitive in athletics, whether it’s wrestling, football or our state champion soccer team coached by a Hood River alum. Our school has produced excellent debate teams, which to me says we do well in many different arenas.
I hope that citizens in all our towns take pride in all our schools — they have to do well in order for the high school to achieve the stature it has in our state. If you get the chance, attend some of the events at your high school, whether it’s for a sporting event, a concert, or theater production. You’ll be amazed at what our students are doing.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the great teachers and administration who work to prepare their students, and your school board, who put in much time for the community, all unpaid.
Rob Brostoff
Cascade Locks
Collagen
It may be that some do not yet know what I am about to say. If you do know, and you can tell us still more, please write in and let us know the whole truth.
I will let you in on my source now. In 1960, I sold nice creams for Beauty Counselor. “You can sell collagen,” my boss told me, “but I would not use it if I were you.”
It turns out the creams that the stars buy now have that in them — for what is it that makes the skin plump up so well and give that nice look of youth, and in a short time too? What is it that brings forth all those blurbs in black and white, day in, day out, “I look so good,” and “I can’t wait to get some!”
Looks like no one asks, “What then? What next?”
But back to the future. “Why don’t I want to use that too?” I’d asked my boss, and she let me know. “When you plump your skin, and add collagen, it will stretch the skin a bit. Yes? So when you stop, and it goes down, a small crease will fall in here and there, and then more.”
Can you tell us more?
Donna J. Gray-Davis
Hood River
Commented