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Helping firefighters / 17-20
From Joel F. Downing, Senior Master Sgt., U.S. Air Force (Ret.)
Cave Junction

The volunteers of this valley have served us well during the years, but the number of volunteers is slowly diminishing, and new volunteers are becoming hard to recruit. 

The industry in the valley is not growing as fast as the population.  And the new population that is taking up residence appears to be mainly those coming to retire. 

A viable firefighter needs to be physically fit and able to withstand the stress of the job.  As the population in the valley grows, the young and fit frequently leave to find work in other cities.  We have a group of very dedicated volunteer and paid firefighters who need the help and support of the community.

In order to provide the fire and emergency protection that the homes in this valley require, we need to hire additional firefighters. These individuals will then become residents of our community and add strength to the life of this valley.

The Illinois Valley Fire District is requesting the voters in the valley to support a five-year levy to increase the fire-fighting capability of the district. This levy will allow the district to hire additional full-time firefighters that will be on duty 24 hours a day. These additional personnel will reduce the response time for emergency and fire related situations.

A reduced response time also can improve home owners insurance rates by altering the insurance rating for emergency and fire response.  The district has the facilities and equipment, but lacks the manpower to provide a more immediate response. The present force is provided by four paid staff members and supplemented by a volunteer contingent.

Although this levy would increase property taxes it can also reduce the amount a home owner would be required to pay in home owner insurance premiums.

The brave and underpaid personnel of our fire district are required to absorb the brunt of the strenuous and demanding tasks of providing continuous and vigilant response to emergencies that occur in the valley daily.  We as residents of this community cannot stand by and remain ignorant to the plight of the paid staff and volunteer firefighters who are providing protection within the fire district.

Residents and voters in Illinois Valley need to stand up and recognize that the volunteer and paid firefighters cannot stand alone and do require the support of the voters of Illinois Valley through approval of Measure 17-20.

About Jim Raffenburg
From Steve Lyons
Cave Junction

It is interesting and disappointing to read the letters to the editor regarding Jim Raffenburg, after the political assassination by the Daily Slurier. I have read that rag six days a week for 17 years and have seen the same thing pulled on others, creating news instead of reporting it. 

Those who believe everything they read or see in and on the news are idiots. Weeks ago, I accompanied Jim to the Courier, where he delivered documents disproving its article and respectfully requested to do a guest editorial.

He changed his name -- so what?  He was in the service and has his DD-214, time served is immaterial. He has his Master Gardener Certificate, trade school certificate, Tae Kwan Do certificate, etc.  The Daily Discourager prints what I call libel on page 1, but if it corrects or retracts, its on page 9.

Kudos to the Illinois Valley News, U.S. Observer, and KAJO Radio and Carl Wilson for giving Jim a forum to tell his side of the story. And shame on Dave Toler and Dwight Ellis for discontinuing the weekly show.

Jim Raffenburg has represented my views as a Conservative and is my (and many others) anti-Toler. 

How about some exposés on the reporters, editors and recall petitioners in Grants Pass who tried to smear Sheriff Gilbertson? I wonder if they could stand the scrutiny.

In Kevin Widdison’s April 28 piece in the Courier, he picks Mackin, Iverson, Albright and Makepeace and dismisses the rest. All his picks are pro-tax and county managers.  Does the Courier have an agenda? 

Iverson and Makepeace would not answer questions for the Christian Voters Guide (full of interesting information). Whoever the Slurier endorses - I will not, nor will I purchase that paper or advertise anymore.  I’ll be green and read my Dad’s paper and use alternate advertising.

Remember, just because you see it in a newspaper or on the news doesn’t mean it’s so. And tell the recall petitioners to take a hike. The opinions herein are my own and not of any organization I may belong to or company I work for.

Also about Raffenburg
From Ananda Floyd
Cave Junction

I recently attended the I.V. Ranch land-use hearing, which spanned four meetings. I noticed Commissioner Jim Raffenburg leaving Anne G. Basker Auditorium after the regular business meeting and before the hearing began.

When I inquired as to his whereabouts during these hearings, Raffenburg admitted to “defending his name” instead of doing his job on at least one of these occasions. While I’m offended at the blatant misuse of my tax dollars by Raffenburg shirking his duties, I find what happened at the final I.V. Ranch hearing even more insidious.

Raffenburg was strongly urged by representatives of
Copeland Corp. via an email to attend the final (voting) hearing. Despite claiming to represent the people, Raffenburg did not bother to do his job until corporate lawyers requested his presence. This
is precisely the kind of blatant disregard for the rights and will of the people which is ruining our county.

Rather than waste another $48,000 paying for this lack of representation until December, we can save $28,000 with a recall election. We need a representative who will, at the very least, show up for work.

Ballot counting
From James Walmsley
Cave Junction

As I looked over my nominating ballot I was disturbed to see at the bottom right corner the Copyright ‘Election Systems & Software Inc. 1981, 2002’

(ES&S) which apparently is the software used in Josephine County to run the optical scanners that count our votes.

November 1998, Honolulu, Hawaii: A state senate investigation was conducted into the 1998 malfunction of voting machines in seven precincts at once. ES&S acknowledged the error and paid more than $250,000 for the recount, in which the biggest expense was hand-counting, according to Vice President Todd Urosevich.

After more than six years of problems with electronic voting machines, the Government Accountability Office conducted a study of electronic voting machine problems. In summary, on page two of this 107-page report critical of electronic voting equipment, it states that “... cast ballots, ballot definition files, and audit logs could be modified...”

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was passed to provide better access for disabled voters. In Oregon we vote at home, so this is a non-starter. The act also was authorized to provide funds to upgrade antiquated election systems. I am not sure what is antiquated about hand-counting ballots. Accuracy over speed is paramount. I’m also not convinced that HAVA is a mandate as told to me by at least one election official.

The only constitutional power the federal government has over state elections is to set the date for the general election. This is my opinion, and if any election official can show me where I am wrong under penalties of perjury, I will stand corrected.

This presidential vote is the most important vote to date, if we are to restore America to the great nation she once was.

The mortgage crisis, the high fuel and food cost, the declining value of the dollar, etc. are all fallout from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). One of the first acts by President Clinton was to sign NAFTA. It has been a monumental failure, and needs to be repealed. He also signed legislation removing the Glass /Steagall Act, which allowed banks to enter the speculative derivatives market and hedge funds, all high risk.

We now see fallout from that. The three front runners for president are all in favor of NAFTA, open borders, higher taxes, and have no comprehensive solution to the energy crisis.

I am fed up with the finger pointing between congress and this administration. To put a true American in the White House, I’m voting for Ron Paul.

Gender/racial barrier
From Wally Hardie
Selma

This nation as a whole owes more than most of us realize to President Bush. Oh, I am aware that this president has only a 28 percent approval rating, and that’s declining by the day or hour, but look at the truly great side of his time in office.

President Bush has made it possible for the unbelievable to occur. Had he been a mediocre president, or even a poor president, the American people would have continued to elect a Republican. We always keep a war-time president in office or elect another to continue his policies.

However, President Bush and company have performed to such a level that they will go down in history as or near the worst. But for this level of incompetence for the first time in the history of America, we will elect either a woman or a man of color. President Bush has allowed the gender/racial barrier to not only be broken, but for both a woman and a man of color to be on the same ticket at the same time.

Something only a very short time ago was unthinkable. Even though most Republicans will unite and vote against this new president, it will happen. And they will go down in history as those who voted for this historic event or those who continue to believe a woman or a man of color should never be a president of the United States.

Home Rule Charter
From Jim Rafferty
Selma

There’s a lot of talk and media hype about changing our form of county government.

In 1958 our state Legislators authorized Oregon counties to become self-governing when the Home Rule Charter Act was adopted. We, and eight other counties, adopted “Home Rule” charters where the voters solely have the power to adopt and amend charter-controlled governments, rather than county governments being agents of, or mandated by the state.

Of Oregon’s 36 counties nine are “Home Rule” and 23 are governed exclusively by a board of county commissioners, while the other 13 counties are ruled by an administrator/board of county commissioners.

The manager form of government would add additional layers of non-elected bureaucracies. These appointed managers are not directly accountable to the voters. Bureaucracies in general function behind closed doors void of any public scrutiny. I believe this form of additional bureaucracy is unnecessary and a feeble attempt to solve the supposed woes created by some of our disobedient commissioners.

Josephine County commissioners have the responsibility of conducting county business openly and within the framework of our counties “Home Rule” charter. Remember, commissioners are elected and directly accountable to us the voters.

We must elect commissioners who will strictly and continuously oppose the county manager and adhere to our Home Rule Charter form of representative government. So I am voting for Jack Brown/position 3, and James O’Grady/position 2.