Stable workforce
A stable workforce is crucial to the livelihoods of the pear, cherry, and apple growers in the Columbia River Gorge. Last week, thanks to the support of Congressman Cliff Bentz, the U.S. House passed H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. While not perfect, improvements made by this legislation will help ensure growers can access the workforce they need to continue growing and harvesting their pears, cherries, and apples now and into the future.
On behalf of the tree fruit growers in the Gorge, we thank Congressman Bentz for his support of family farmers by voting for this important bipartisan legislation. We look forward to working with him and our senators to further improve upon the bill, so that it can be passed into law.
Mark Powers
President, Northwest Horticultural Council
Sensible loss
Take Pounds Off Sensible (TOPS) support for weight loss: Has the COVID-19 pandemic become a weight problem that you are ready to do something about, like get rid of it?
Find support and accountability for your desired changes at a TOPS meeting. Meetings are held in The Dalles, Hood River, White Salmon, and online. Morning or evening times depending on which chapter meeting you attend. All TOPS chapters are low cost and offer support and information. My chapter meets at Zion church at 10th and Union streets in The Dalles on Thursday's at 9 a.m. with a weight in at 8:30 a.m. First meeting is free.
Visit a chapter this week and find out how TOPS can help you achieve your weight goals.
Karen Sype
Cascade Locks
Living in fear
My biggest problem with public mass shootings, besides the death and destruction, is what it has done to my psyche. Often when I am in a public space now, or a business,I look for my exits and find myself sizing up potential threats around me. Maybe this is just my issue but I think not.
No matter where you live and what you believe in we get supported in untold ways by the society around us. Grocery store clerks for example. Or teachers and if you work in an office.
If we can’t support our society through laws that promote safety for everyone, then what truly does that say about us and our collective ability to look at complex issues and move forward with solutions?
Watch the news these days and you see that each time a mass shooting happens, it’s shoved under the rug by making them isolated incidents. Mass shootings sure have the appearance of a problem with multiple symptoms screaming out to be addressed.
I agree mental health is one area to focus our attention. But we aren’t the only country with mental health issues. Our big difference in the US is the high gun ownership and ease of purchase in basically every state.
When you think about how much we all depend on a safe, well functioning society, I would think everyone would want to take the necessary science-based steps to implement as much safety and security as soon as possible.
Frankly, any argument to the contrary is just kicking this hard conversation further down the road of our nation's history.
Avery Hoyt
White Salmon
Thank you
We want to add our thanks to others for Columbia Gorge News continuing to keep local reporting alive in the Gorge. Given the double challenge of declining support for local papers and COVID-19, you all are doing an incredible job. Supporting all the communities in these trying times is a heroic effort.
Plus, we now get to be better informed of multiple communities in both Oregon and Washington. That helps make us all better connected and to understand what we all share and where we have unique concerns.
Thank you so much for your commitment to local reporting.
Les and Sheryl Penney
Dallesport
Improvements to Obamacare
There has been a lot of information in the news about the relief checks that many people will receive under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) recently signed into law by President Biden. However, there has not been a great deal of information in the news about how the ARP will increase and expand eligibility for Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies for people enrolled in marketplace health plans.
Starting April 1, 2021, people with healthcare plans purchased through the exchange will be eligible for increased subsidies. There will no longer be an income cliff, and people with income more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible to receive subsidies.
However, there is a catch. To qualify for a subsidy, you must have a plan purchased through the exchange. There will be a special enrollment period April 1 through May 15.
People who don't have health insurance, because the cost was unaffordable, or people who bought plans off the exchange may want to take a look at how much premium subsidy they can now qualify for under the ARP changes.
This is a complicated topic and the limitations on content in a "Letter to the Editor" make it difficult to provide detailed information on this subject.
However, if you are interested, there is an article posted on the Hood River County Democrat's website that provides additional information; visit hoodriverdemocrats.org and click on the article titled "Important Changes to ACA Premium Subsidies" for more information.
Jessica Berty
Hood River
Kudos!
For 21 years, departing Hood River News editor Kirby Neumann-Rea has helped to keep Hood River informed. He has been the faithful chronicler of endless events and meetings. He has given us thoughtful editorials filled with integrity and good will. He has made our community richer, thank you Kirby!
For eight years, departing Columbia River Gorge Commissioner Janet Wainwright has served the National Scenic Area passionately advocating for Gorge Protection. She helped bring the new Climate Action Plan into being and helped to increase the diversity of the commission, advocating for the appointment of two Native American Gorge Commissioners. Thank you for your service Janet!
Peter Cornelison
Hood River
History lost
I never dreamed that our well documented past could be changed in any manner. Guess who was incorrect? Me. Quietly but aggressively, our country’s history is being erased and rewritten by America’s schools, colleges and universities, the media, Big Tech companies, and the cancel culture.
Our schools and college students are being taught that America was built on racism and evil ... that capitalism is wicked and socialism is the way we should go. It’s unfortunate that many youngsters of this day and age don’t know that capitalism has lifted tens of billions of people out of poverty and is the greatest anti-poverty program ever developed ... yet alarmingly, these young folks are not advised that socialism has only created poverty, misery, starvation and death wherever tried.
Bill Davis
Hood River
Stice for CGCC
Columbia Gorge Community College is a major asset in our region, and it is governed by a board of directors elected from the area it serves.
I write to express my support for the election of Nate Stice to that board.
Nate grew up along the Columbia River in rural Umatilla County and did his undergraduate work at Willamette University.
Graduating Phi Beta Kappa, his degree included political science, economics and Russian language. He later earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Oregon.
His work history has been in public service, including some time in government relations at the University of Oregon.
I have long served on a state group of regional leaders focused on problem solving local issues. Nate took on staffing efforts for that group several years ago and has led efforts to deal with the pandemic, with accessible housing, and broadband.
In that work, he has become well known as a problem solver and leader in bringing people together.
Nate has been serving on the CGCC Budget Committee for over two years, demonstrating his commitment to higher education in our community.
We need him on the board.
Please vote for Nate Stice for the board of directors of Columbia Gorge Community College.
Keith Mobley
Dufur
Books are real
There are probably a thousand reasons why millions of decent, law abiding, intelligent people avoid “The Scriptures” (the bible). “Opium of the people.” All one has to do is review the horrid history of those who have claimed to be readers of their (bible). One of my favorite (bible) reading groups was those who hanged “witches” in Salem. What of the very intelligent (bible) reading group found in the Waco, Texas, compound? Maybe the wonderful incident down in Guyana when 900 folks drank poisoned sugar water while reading their (bible).
Well, maybe you would want to live in Ireland and become a Protestant (bible) reader or a Catholic (bible) reader and inherit the religious duty to kill your brother. What of the history of the Catholic Church in Europe for a thousand years? What words of the (bible) did they read before arresting, torturing and killing what millions in the name of Jesus?
What of enslaving Africans and slaughtering Native Americans without shame since they were not good (bible) reading “Christians”?
How is it possible that a book that claims to teach love, peace, compassion, understanding and forgiveness and be authored by a divine being produce so much hate and sickness? Is it even necessary to include the grotesque TV ministry shows who constantly beg for money with (bible) in hand? If you can not put out the message freely then don’t do it at all.
Why would any reasonable person ever touch these books when one considers the behavior of those who claim to be reading them? They would not.
Thus the religion of evolution is an answer for those who see the hypocrisy and cruelties perpetrated by those who claim to be guided by a reading of their (bible). Who could blame an evolutionist for denying that the book is the word of an intelligent loving Creator? Not me.
What is going on? It is not the books. Pastor and the church system are the culprits. The books are real and there’s proof!
Gary Fischer
The Dalles
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