Grow local food

The California drought is a wake-up call! California’s drought has become so severe that California farmers announced they will plant only half the crop this year. This will impact all of us since so much of our fresh food comes from California.

Knowing this in March we have time to address this looming supply problem by taking action now. Gorge Grown Food Network is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) citizen’s initiative working throughout the Gorge to build a regional food system.

We want to inform all Gorge residents about this drought-created supply issue and encourage everyone to become involved with creating local solutions. This is the year to plant a small backyard garden, or do container gardening on your deck.

Consider joining a local CSA (membership farm shares) and plan to buy food at your community’s farmers market or the Gorge Grown Mobile Market as the source for your local fresh fruits and vegetables.

To find local food producers, please check out our Web site at www.gorgegrown.com. In May, a local resource guide listing all farmers, ranchers, food producers and restaurants that purchase from local growers will be available throughout Gorge to inform you of where to find locally grown food.

These food supply issues are just one more on top of the already volatile economic meltdown and banking collapse. But this is one that we can do something about.

Please join us at Gorge Grown Food Network as we work together to build a vibrant food system that will help us improve our economy, our community and our lives.

Ann Kramer
Hood River

Centering tax

“Class warfare” seems an extreme over-reaction to President Obama’s plan to only raise the top federal income tax bracket rate from 35 percent back to the 39.6 percent of the Clinton era.

Contrast that to Franklin Roosevelt raising it from 25 percent to 63 percent upon taking office in 1933, to 79 percent in 1936 to 90 percent while dealing with the Great Depression.

The top rate remained near 90 percent through the Eisenhower Republican administration and stayed at 70 percent or above on through the Republican administrations of Nixon and Ford until the Reagan administration drastically lowered it during the 1980s.

Americans forget how far right we have moved and widened the rich-poor income gap in the last 30 years. CEOS made 40 times the average wages of their workers 30 years ago, whereas it is 400 times today.

From this perspective President Obama’s ambitious program of change would simply move us to the center of the political spectrum, not nearly as far left as during the majority of the 20th century under both Republican and Democrat administrations

Norm Luther
Underwood, Wash.

Know the R’s

I went to see the movie “Watchmen” last night and was a little surprised to see the number of young (12-14 years old perhaps) people at the movie.

While I enjoyed the movie, I was a little uncomfortable with some of the scenes of rather graphic sex since there were a few of these younger folks directly in front of me. After the show, I overheard some parents that had brought the kids talking about how the movie was inappropriate for kids, as if it were the producer or even the theater owners fault!

I once again wondered where in the world some of these parents lost sight of the fact that it is up to THEM to be responsible for what their children see, or hear, or what video games they play!

For those who may not know, I have copied the definition of what an R rated movie means: R —Restricted Under 17: Requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. May contain very strong language or strong sexual emphasis, strong explicit nudity, strong violence and gore, or strong drug content.

So parents, before you bring (or allow) your kids to see ANY movie, you may want to check out the rating, and then actually make an informed decision before taking them to see it.

Gary Lindemyer
Hood River

Death hurts

Allow me to offer an alternative viewpoint on the recent (March 7) editorial about the upcoming “Art Heals” events in Hood River.

While art therapy may have a minor positive impact, sugar-coating death doesn’t take away its reality, finality and pain. This is true in particular when the one who dies is in the prime of life. Ask my 10-year-old niece, who has not recovered emotionally from the traumatic death of her mother two years ago. You can still see the veiled pain in her eyes and a certain heaviness of spirit, though she continues on, as she must.

Ask my 74-year-old mother, who to this day bursts into tears when talking about her beloved “Daddy” who died when she was a little girl of 11. Ask the second-grader who just lost her mother, featured in yet another fuzzy-wuzzy Hood River News article about elementary schools attempting to normalize and candy-coat premature death via “therapeutic art experiences.“

Ask anyone not yet initiated or not buying into the “Modern American Death Glorification Movement.“ Death separates survivors from the one who dies, and to the extent that person was loved deeply, there is no erasing the pain. Art heals? I think not.

Kristy Sargent
Hood River

ANOTHER VOICE

By NANCY JOHANSEN PAUL

As I have driven by the front of the Hood River County Courthouse on my way to work this winter I have noticed many parking spaces not being used.

I have had a parking permit for the last three years and until this past summer I was able to park in those spaces which are close to where I work at The Next Door. Due to the influx of tourists the City of Hood River decided that meter permit holders could no longer park in front of the courthouse but would need to park several blocks away.

If I had an office job, that would not be a problem; but I have a job as a New Parent Services Home Visitor and Parenting Education Coordinator. I often need to visit families and schools, using my car several times a day at which time I am often carrying several things to bring to the family or school.

At a special meeting in the fall before the Hood River City Council I suggested that during the winter when the tourist number lessens that meter permit holders (at $35 per month) should be allowed to park in front of the courthouse.

Apparently the city council decided to not allow this change to happen. Bob Francis, the city manager, said it would be too confusing for meter permit holders to make this change every year. I testified that I and many other Hood River locals could follow a parking policy that changed in the winter to accommodate those of us who work in the city of Hood River.

Recently we at The Next Door had an elderly lady from the FISH food bank kindly drop by some baby things that she thought a local family could use for their baby. She parked in the loading zone near our office.

Shortly after bringing in the items to our office a male City of Hood River Parking Enforcement Officer starting writing a parking ticket because the lady had not backed in her vehicle when she parked in the loading zone. Next to the loading zone parking space there is a sign that says no head-in parking which does not clearly pertain to the loading zone.

One of our staff members when she saw what was happening ran out and pleaded with the officer to not give this good-hearted elderly lady a ticket. She had only been in the loading zone for a couple of minutes.

I know that the inadequate parking situation downtown is something the City of Hood River is working on. It just seems that they could find some solutions that could lessen the problem; at least when we don’t have so many tourists. It makes me wonder if they really care about those of us who live and work here and just want to do our job well and efficiently.

n

Nancy Johanson Paul lives in Hood River and teaches family education classes for New Parent Services.