LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 11:37 AM PDT
Sales tax should be on the ballot
Editor,
The City Council of Ontario must act now to put a 1 percent sales tax measure on the November ballot.
From all reports, almost all city departments are underfunded now, and with the way inflation is going, the problem will only become more severe. The only proposal from the revenue committee that would supply the needed funds is a 1 percent sales tax.
As I remember it, when Oregonians passed the measure limiting property taxes, it also contained a provision that government entities could not increase other taxes for general fund revenue without a vote of the people.
With Oregon’s double majority law, more than 50 percent of the voters must approve the measure in an election where there is at least a 50 percent turnout of voters. The only time Oregon gets a 50 percent turnout is a presidential election date, which is only every four years.
As I remember it, the ballot measure must be submitted no later than Sept. 10, if the city wants to propose a sales tax.
If the City Council doesn’t act now and get a measure on the ballot, the city should be prepared to go on a starvation diet for the next four years.
Oregonians have a strong aversion to any sales tax, but I believe that the people of Ontario would vote for such a tax if it’s the only plausible way to maintain city services.
It is said that merchants worked to defeat such a measure in the last election when it was put up for vote. If they are going to live and work in Ontario, they need to consider what kind of city they want and what services it needs. With almost every item being bar-coded and modern electronic systems, it shouldn’t be that hard to calculate a tax.
I think most citizens of Ontario realize the city has a severe general fund problem and a sales tax is the only way it can be solved.
I believe the people of Ontario should be given an opportunity to vote on the sales tax measure, but it isn’t going to happen unless the City Council gets on the ball and puts the measure on the November ballot.
Lynn Hermo
Ontario
School bond will help out schools and communities
Editor,
I have enjoyed reading the historical pieces about Ontario in the Argus over the past month.
After reading these pieces, I talked to a number of longtime residents about why they chose to live in Ontario. Most of them said it was for a good job, to be nearer family or to make a change from a bigger city. These are the same reasons cited by many of the newer residents to Ontario (including my wife and I).
One of the major changes that has occurred from when earlier generations moved here is the number of choices people have as to where to live.
My wife always notes that when she grew up there wasn’t much going on in Fruitland, and she never envisioned the growth in housing opportunities on that side of the river. That is no longer the case.
Today people also appear to be more willing to live in one community but work in a different community to meet their family’s needs. These new choices pose a challenge to our town of Ontario — that is, how do we remain competitive with our neighboring towns to keep and retain families?
A key ingredient to keeping Ontario the most desirable place to live in our area is to maintain and enhance our public schools. It is for this reason I became involved in the citizen-led facilities task force and am a strong supporter of the upcoming school bond measure for Ontario schools.
This bond will provide critical funds to remodel and enhance our current school facilities.
I hope you will join me in support of the upcoming school bond, which will help Ontario remain competitive in attracting future families to settle in the Treasure Valley.
Ken Hart
Ontario
Animals should be
treated kindly
Editor,
First, I want to compliment the young ladies that were protesting KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken, for buying and selling chickens that had been abused.
I was under the impression that when it came to the attention of the public this problem was taken care of by the authorities.
I belong to the National Preventive Society for Abused Animals, so naturally I thought the plant had been closed. I quit eating any chicken from KFC three years ago, and I hope all the people in the area did also.
I also want to praise the Argus for the story. Only through the media do we learn of abuse. I can’t understand why an “inspector” would allow this. Meat that is tough is so because the animal has been abused.
I have taken in 12 strays and borrowed the money to have them all neutered and spayed. Four of the cats were killed on Northwest Fourth Avenue. The person hitting and killing my cats never stopped to see if they were still alive. My good neighbor saw this happen and called me to tell me the sad news. Did they stay? No!
Never let an animal go away hungry. It is so painful to need food and not be able to get someone kind enough to feed them. God put these wonderful animals there to give us pleasure.
My dad, years ago, had to shoot the neighbor’s horse. He was watching the horse that had open sores on its shoulders, and the flies were all over him. My dad said he could not stand to see the poor animal suffer, no water and little feed. Protection was not thought necessary then, now it is, and so people had to do whatever they could to protect an animal that was abused.
My family said it was our duty to care for God’s animals, so we did.
Vera Davis
Ontario
Don’t worry about global warming
Editor,
Global warming brings about great concerns and cause for serious discussions about the future. Yet within the realm of faith and all of those who believe in the concrete promise of the Lord, there is this blessed hope: redemption. This includes not only the new resurrection body that lives forever (Luke 24:36-44), but the new heaven and new earth. Revelation 21:1-5 promises, I make all things new. So we pray not only for relatives and friends, but governments, presidents, kings and all who are in authority. Christ our savior will have that all men be saved and depend on trust in this hope (Titus 2:13).
Marine life in the seas and ocean are seriously affected by global temperature. Melting glaciers and bees disappearing are at the present time causing the world great concern. What has been reported should be taken very seriously as Anderson Cooper spoke about in “Planet in Peril” and what Sen. Kerry, Newt Gingrich and former Vice President Al Gore reported.
Though all of this is true, there is no cause for alarm because the quiet strength of Christ says: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea,” (Revelation 21:1).
Roy W. Hunt
Wintersville, Ohio
