Your voice: July 24, 2024

Kellen Caldwell, 12

The Dalles

Time to talk

With the political rhetoric out of control, now is the time to do one simple thing. Talk to your neighbor. If we truly get to know one another, we will find that more unites us than divides us. And we can make our voting decisions based on factors other than the poisonous words that flow from so many paces. Our country, and all its citizens deserve better. We can all make a difference through our actions. Simply reaching out is a way to start. Let's do it together.

David Gross

Dufur

Misrepresentation

The title of the July 16 article "Public Concern with Urban Renewal" struck me as a gross misrepresentation of facts. This title unfairly represents who in our community has "concern" with Urban Renewal. In this instance, it is one person, with his own personal opinions.

Brian Hackett stated on the record at the May 13 City Council meeting that he was specifically speaking in his own capacity and not representing the county library district — which you chose not to mention. These were his personal opinions about the Urban Renewal process. His testimony was less than two minutes long, and inaccurate regarding how Urban Renewal funds are appropriated. He also forgets that city council members are elected officials too, with arguably more oversight than the county library district. The entire Hood River "public" does not share Hackett’s concerns.

Anyone who is unclear about how Urban Renewal functions is welcome with OPEN ARMS to attend the numerous Urban Renewal Advisory Committee meetings for just this purpose: citizen input. The URAC advises the city council and Urban Renewal Advisory Board, thoughtfully incorporating concerns and opinions from the public about future projects, prioritization, and budgets in their recommendations.

For the last year, our URAC meetings have been almost entirely unattended by citizens “with input,” despite robust outreach by the city and the easy option of online viewing and attendance. I’d say the low attendance is a clear sign of the robust public support for Urban Renewal, and the incredible projects it funds that modernize and improve Hood River for all.

I suppose some might think that is a gross misrepresentation of the facts. This is why clear and objective reporting is so important.

Kate Hoffman

Planning commissioner

and Urban Renewal Advisory Committee member

'Witnessed outcome'

It didn’t take long for MAGA Republican to blame Democrats for the shooting of Trump, though the shooter was a young, white, registered Republican. Calls for violence in America have come from Trump and other Republican leaders for years. When running against Hillary Clinton, he suggested that perhaps the Second Amendment people could take care of her. He told the armed attendees of the Jan. 6 insurrection, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country any more." We witnessed the outcome of that.

Trump has never apologized for any of it, and he now calls the insurrectionists heroes and victims. When Nancy Pelosi’s 82 year-old husband was brutally attacked with a hammer, right-wing media and Donald Jr. made jokes. Republican Rep. Paul Gosar posted a cartoon of AOC having her throat slit with a sword. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was the victim of a kidnapping attempt after MAGA calls for political violence.

Republican members of Congress wear AR-15 lapel pins. When Trump was convicted, his supporters wanted to have the jurors and judge killed. Republican leaders have not tried to stop any of this rhetoric. But now they want Democrats to “tone things down.” We have not been calling for violence. We have pointing out the danger that a Trump presidency would mean to our democracy, which he wants to change to an autocracy.

What do I call on Americans to do? Simply vote blue.

Kathy Godwin

White Salmon

Trump is 'best we can do'

A millimeter. A microsecond. That is all the difference it made on Saturday between the life and death of a presidential candidate.

There is little that I can state at this point that the news and social media channels have not already stated. There are many questions  that I hope will be answered in the next few days for the health of our nation, including the question: Is this the best we can do?

As to the hows and whys this could happen, this question can produce infinite discussion. When applied to the Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, the answer is a simple and resounding "YES!" For a man (or woman) in the midst of the stresses of federally motivated lawfare to stand after being grazed by an assassin's bullet, to stop the actions of multiple Secret Service agents so that he could look at the crowd and acknowledge THE PEOPLE, this is the true sign of a leader.

This cannot be scripted or planned, an emotional response in the time of crisis is genuine and reveals the true nature of a human being. Ballots will be arriving for the Primary in August and the General election in November.

A millimeter. A microsecond. A vote. They all make a difference.

Lisa Evans

White Salmon

Reflections on principles

I’ve thought a lot about our Republican State representative’s request, in his column, to “reflect on the principles that underpin our democracy" ("Legislator's Letter: Some thoughts for Independence Day 2024," July 3 edition). He lists them as liberty, limited government, personal responsibility, and community engagement. I think there are others, but I reflect on these.

Liberty: Today’s American young women have fewer liberties than their mothers, with the Republican-led overturning of 50 years of settled law in Row v Wade. And they don’t want to stop there; JD Vance has advocated prohibiting all abortion and IVF. Some Republicans recognize this is a loser and are flip flopping, but the damage is done. Can you trust the party whose appointments to the supreme court said Roe v Wade was settled law to follow their own rhetoric?

Limited government: A government or a party that inserts itself between a woman and her doctor is the antithesis of limited. A party that advocates criminalizing doctors for established medical procedures is not restrained. A party that would prefer judges make decisions on the safety and legality of drugs instead of scientists is without rational bounds. A platform that tries to limit what teachers can say about race, gender or history is big brother, not small government. A plan that advocates using our army to quell domestic protest would be the zenith of government force against its own people.

Personal responsibility: One thing inextricably tied to personal responsibility is honesty. Yet the former president and his Republican Party have repeated lie after lie in their quest for power. They lie about abortions up to and after birth. That’s infanticide, which has always been illegal in all 50 states. They lie about Democrats making laws that allow undocumented immigrants to vote in federal elections. Trump lied at the debate when he took credit for the medicare $35 limit on insulin. That was Biden’s directive. There are so many lies I can’t enumerate without going over the word limit. I can’t trust a party that lies so easily.

I urge the community to engage fully in the consequences of this election and vote them out!

Jennifer Ouzounian

Hood River

Vote Keethler

I encourage the voters in Washington State Legislative District 17 (LD17) to vote for Marla Keethler to be our representative to the Washington State Senate. Marla first served as a White Salmon city councilor, is now the mayor, is on the board of the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority and was elected to the board of the Association of Washington Cities.. Marla Keethler is consistent in her policies, understands the process of governing, is a good communicator, uses her staff wisely, does not bring attention to herself, and works in the best interest of the people she represents. There is no drama with Marla. You can read about her at www.marlaforsenate.com.

Janet Holen

White Salmon