Illinois Valley News

(Editor“s Note: Views and commentary, including statements made as fact, are strictly those of the letter-writers.)

Typed, double-spaced letters are considered for publication. Hand-written letters that are double-spaced and legible also can be considered. “Thank you“ submissions are not accepted as letters.

Enough is enough;
take back the town
From Irish Smith
Cave Junction

This is my first letter to the editor. My frustration has grown through my 30 years as a Cave Junction resident due to the inability of this town“s law enforcement being supported, either in manpower or money.

Business after business has been broken into, sometimes several times. The last straw for me was the food bank. It was broken into twice in a matter of days — what in the world is the matter with the quality of these people“

The food bank gives away food to the people who need it, and the little jerks who broke in should realize — it gives away food! All anyone has to do is go to the door and ask. The woman who runs the food bank has lived here with her family all her life, and you couldn“t find a more caring, giving, loving family.

They spend endless hours of service to others asking nothing for themselves. They continue to do for this town out of the goodness of their hearts — as a town we need to stand up to these ignorant, disrespectful, rude, unkind, immoral twits. Enough is enough.

Remember the movie, Network some years ago, and there is a line in it that is fitting for this situation“ — “We are mad as hell and we are not going to take this anymore.“ That is where we all should be. Take back our town. As long as it remains lawless, we are going to continue to have these problems.

Obviously these are young people. What kind of parents do they have“ That“s obvious too. Certainly not the kind of parents most of us had: Ones who would teach right from wrong, what respecting your neighbor was all about, what manners are; and when we did something against this teaching, our parents gave us consequences.

I don“t want to have to parent kids again, but these kids need it badly, so it is up to the town folk. Take back our city, and don“t let it run lawless any more. Whatever it takes, it has to stop — now.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Dave Toler “thoughtful,“
wants balanced policies
From Mort Mondale
Selma

Sixty years of life has taught me that there are election factors more important than political party. The key elements a candidate must have include integrity, a willingness to lead positively and responsibly, clear communications, and a commitment to human and environmental improvement.

Is it possible for a candidate to have and practice all those qualities“ During the years I“ve known Dave Toler, I have been more and more convinced he is that rare example. He demonstrated all those qualities and high-level management skills when he chaired the Three Rivers School Board making hard decisions.

He has shown tolerance and intelligence working with other board members, and during commission debates and votes he emphasizes long-term community and county health.

He was instrumental in getting our libraries open. He understands discipline and priorities in a tight budget, and he works diligently to establish balanced policies in our forest-dependent county. And he understands that there have to be family wage jobs.

Toler never makes “knee-jerk“ ideological decisions. I even admire his thoughtful rejection of ideas I favor because I trust his depth of consideration on issues. For those who want a thoughtful, organized leader as a Josephine County commissioner, their best hope is Toler.

Biomass energy project
needs “thinking ahead“
From William Gray
Takilma

I read with interest the letter by Dr. Bob Zybach (Illinois Valley News, Feb.17, 2010), as well as the article from the previous week that sparked his letter.

I agree that we do indeed have an unnatural and potentially dangerous buildup of woody materials in our forest and brushland ecosystems, and that if we already need to eliminate some of this material for safety and ecological health reasons, we might as well use it to generate energy.

I also agree with Orville Camp, that these woody materials serve important ecosystem functions, and that there can be negative effects of removing them. And I would point out that even controlled burns and wildfires have positive effects, such as making soil nutrients available immediately to plants.

My primary reaction to both men is that this sort of “black-or-white“ mentality is damaging to the level of discourse on any subject. It seems that most people do not like to admit this, but there is enormous complexity in all natural systems, as well as all social and political issues.

There is truth to Zybach“s remarks, and to Camp“s, and those of Commissioner Dave Toler, who (appropriately, as a politician) seemed to me to have the most reasonable approach. Most environmentalists are not dummies; they look at the issues, and ask probing questions. This is not simply to obstruct, but to ensure that we stop making the same shortsighted mistakes we have been making for generations.

So I see truth also in the concerns of environmentalists about use of woody biomass for electrical generation.

There is obviously the problem of air pollution from the combustion, although this is probably more easily dealt with in a point-source situation than in a non-point source wildfire. There is the issue of this energy source contributing carbon to the atmosphere, although as I see it, these fuels would probably combust and release carbon anyway, in a wildfire if not a power station.

The most compelling issue I see regarding biomass use is that of controlling the scale, as Toler pointed out, to be sure we are not actually verging on “deforestation,“ as Camp warned.

If, in our enthusiasm for this renewable energy source we let the energy generation drive the extraction, we could wind up with excessively tidy forests, to the point where they cannot perform all their functions any longer.

Therefore, it is vital to figure out how much extraction is OK, and how much is too much. We need clear guidelines in place before the project gets going. This is what humans as a species are so capable of, but usually fail at: thinking ahead.

In summary, if knowledgeable people on both sides of the issue can come together, acknowledge each other“s expertise and intelligence, and craft solutions together, instead of dismissing each other“s points of view in an attempt to gain political points and over-simplify reality, then there may be some hope for developing a promising technology without destroying our ecosystems.

I wonder if Camp and Zybach are up to that, and if Toler can bring them together.

“Success“ of incumbent vs.
“inexperienced wanna-be“s“
From Judy Hoyle
Cave Junction

I“m glad Josephine County finally has a good fiscal manager in Commissioner Dave Toler. Since he took over the economic development liaison position in January 2009, the county has used $85,000 in seed money to attract $3.5 million in other funds for four area firms.

The result is projected as 100 to 150 new jobs for our county by the end of 2010.

Toler has worked effectively to bring 21st century jobs to Grants Pass and now our Illinois Valley. He and Commissioner Dwight Ellis approved a $20,000 economic development grant for Rogue Truck Body in Kerby, then secured another $25,000 by collaborating with I.V. Community Development Organization.

This will go toward 10 to 15 new family wage jobs for this firm.

Toler also has championed the canola project by approving a grant to “Josephine Soil & Water“ to introduce the food/biofuels market to area farmers. This project also has exceeded first-year projections for return-on-investment.

Toler has been so successful, I“m surprised that completely inexperienced wanna-be“s are running for his position. Seriously, why would anyone vote for a car mechanic or a school bus driver to manage a multi-million dollar budget“

Like many area business and civic leaders, I“m voting for Dave Toler“s many years of management experience, and his demonstrated perseverance and vision.

We don“t need any more loose cannons in this county. We need leadership.

Encourages statesman-like political campaigning
From Simon Hare
Cave Junction

Election season is upon Josephine County, and if history has taught us anything, it is that political competition has the potential to bring out not only the best in candidates, but also the worst.

I respect anyone willing to sacrifice personal time and energy to give back to their community, but I would encourage today“s candidates to learn from the past mistakes of others and rise to a higher level of statesman-like political campaigning.  

I, for one, will not participate in, encourage or condone the personal attacks and “mudslinging“ that have plagued past elections. Like many, I am interested in hearing about the issues that face this county and what each candidate has to offer as a solution to challenges we face currently and in the future. I hope this election season will determine a new generation of leadership for the next generation of Josephine County.

Jack Brown seen as
a “real“ Conservative
From Lorraine Rafferty
Selma

I am of the opinion that no real Conservative would run for commissioner against Jack Brown, who is for a matter of fact a real Conservative. Real Conservatives pull on the same side of the rope.

Jack was the first candidate to file for the 2010 commissioner race against Dave Toler, who is most certainly not viewed as a Conservative.

Recently several other candidates have filed; some claim to be Conservative. Again I assert that no real Conservative would run against Jack. He has all of the qualities of a real Conservative and an excellent chance of winning this election.

In light of his great qualifications and convictions any real Conservative would get behind him and pull on the same side of the rope, rather than run the risk of splitting the Conservative vote. But alas, wedges are driven and the battleground divided in many ways.

How shall we stand if we are divided“ Brown is the sort of guy who will fight for our rights. Who will pull with him and who will pull against him“

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