Solve parking

Mayor Arthur Babitz’ proposal to create a five-minute grace period before someone is issued a parking ticket was a welcome, if somewhat unenforceable, effort to deal with an escalating problem.

It almost seems like the City is trying to destroy Hood River’s downtown. The expansion of parking meters and aggressive enforcement of parking meters is aggravating shoppers and merchants.

There are many more than a few people upset about the way parking and traffic is being handled in town. Many locals are refusing to even shop downtown due to these issues. There are other places for them to go: Walmart, Safeway, Rosauers and the new mall. None of these places charge for parking.

Shoppers and businesses are beginning to avoid downtown and if something is not done, downtown could collapse. It has happened in other cities. The Dalles quit charging for parking downtown to try and bring their downtown alive again; it has not worked so far.

Large cities — Houston, Texas, for one — have spent millions of dollars to resuscitate downtown districts after short-sighted policies created sterile, non-productive downtowns. Their results have been mixed at best.

Right now, we have a downtown that is thriving. How about some solutions for these problems that would stem the tide of aggravation? We really don’t need to further irritate customers and merchants; to do so will likely end the prosperous, vibrant downtown district that we currently enjoy.

Gregg Morris
Hood River

Check colons

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. We are the media go-to people for the Relay for Life of the Columbia Gorge and wanted to get out some information about colorectal cancer.

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy encourages everyone over 50 years of age, or those under 50 with a family or other risk factor, to be screened for colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer affects an equal number of men and women. It’s not just a “man’s disease.” After lung cancer and breast cancer, colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in women in the United States.

Colorectal cancer is highly preventable. The Society encourages you to talk to your doctor about colon cancer screening.

We also want to remind you that Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s national signature event where teams raise money, honor survivors and remember those who died from cancer. Teams walk through the night in hope that we will find a cure for cancer, because cancer never sleeps.

Relay happens on July 18-19 at Hood River Valley High School’s track, starting at 9 a.m. The team captains’ meetings are the third Tuesday of the months leading up to Relay. Please contact Terry Joyner at (541) 399-2081 or (541) 386-5467 for forming a new team or if you have any questions about Relay for Life.

It’s a great event; and just come by anyway even if you don’t have a team. We bet you’ll be back next year with a team.

Kathie Alley and
Lorrie Wingerd
Hood River

Back to haunt

It comes back to haunt; the town of Hood River laments over how to pay for traffic improvements on Cascade Avenue.

At one time Walmart was willing to pay for street improvements. Walmart was rebuffed to the point of expanding in the next town at Hood River’s loss of road improvements.

Without Walmart’s bringing in more taxes and traffic, there is no need for improvements.

Paul Nevin
Hood River

‘Tax and grab’

This must be a very proud time to be a Democrat. Your guy, Obama, just signed into law the biggest welfare “give away” in the history of mankind. $850 billion. And he is already saying he needs a further $700 billion to give away.

In Democrats’ “tax and grab,” “gimme, gimme” mentality this is okay. Never mind that Obama is mortgaging your grandkids’ great-grandkids’ future.

It seems to me like it makes no difference to you Democrats as long as the hand you are holding out gets filled with free money, benefits and entitlements. Maybe that’s because you know your guy plans to unfairly overtax small business owners to pay for it. Kind of a penalty for being successful. But businesses will fight back.

You Democrats might want to consider that as employers downsize to reduce tax liability they also stop employing a number of people. Eventually, if this trend continues, there won’t be anyone left to pay any taxes. Nobody to feed the masses. Nobody to house them. Nobody to clothe them.

Since some of the welfare masses are too lazy to help themselves, a portion of them will simply cease to be. They will starve or freeze to death — a result of what’s called “survival of the fittest.” Or at least survival of those who try to help themselves.

You Democrats want to help them? Start a business. Put up everything you own for operating capital. Invest everything you have in the business to build it to a point where it is successful. Then pay nearly 60 percent of your earnings in taxes (state and federal). That way you can use your own money to help your brethren, not money you steal for businesses with unfair taxes.

Cliff Mansfield
Odell

Grief varies

I was very moved by Kristy Sargent’s letter (March 11) objecting to the rather standardized idea that the arts provide easy healing for the feelings surrounding death. It was thus particularly disappointing to read a letter from one correspondent suggesting that Ms. Sargent must hold “anger” (rather than, presumably, some requisite “acceptance” phase?) in her grief.

Surely it is unnecessary to demand standardized responses to death, or to insist that the “preparatory process” of any culture may “ease the soul into” some “next place.”

Art’s healing powers should not be claimed absolute.

Paula Friedman
Parkdale

DU thank you

The Gorge Chapter of Ducks Unlimited recently held its annual fund-raising banquet at the Hood River Inn.

The Gorge Chapter Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who attended the event for their support and participation. We would especially like to thank the local business community for the many generous donations that made our banquet a great success.

We would particularly like thank this year’s corporate sponsor and major donor, Mid Columbia Marine and Motorsports.

Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. These habitats also benefit our other wildlife and people.

Rick Thurman, Fred Coleman, co-chairs
Gorge Chapter
Ducks Unlimited
The Dalles

ANOTHER VOICE
By SHARON GUIDERA

Here we go again!
    The beer industry has not had an increase in tax for 31 years and comes out swinging anytime it is suggested that they pay a share of the huge costs the product has to all of us! Threats of higher prices and job losses are used to avoid paying a fair share.

Beer producers say a considerable increase would translate to an additional $2 per pint. That’s demonstrably false. A week ago a group purchased a six-pack of Widmer brew in Vancouver, Wash. — where the beer tax is three times that of Oregon’s and Washington’s sales tax is 6.2 percent. We discovered that a six-pack of Widmer was cheaper at $8.69 at a Vancouver Fred Meyer store compared with $9.49 at a Portland Fred Meyer.

There is also no evidence a beer tax increase would cause job losses or financial ruin for our thriving Oregon brewers. And, in fact, the vast majority of the $320 million that would be raised would come from the major out-of-state beer companies.

Why should you care? Consider these facts from Hood River alone: 76 percent of males (18 and over) reported using alcohol in the past 30 days; 35 percent of males (18 and over) reported binge drinking (five or more drinks in a short time span).

Binge drinking is associated with injuries, motor vehicle crashes, violence, fetal alcohol syndrome, neurological disorders and many medical conditions.

In Hood River County there were 213 total Driving under Influence of Intoxicants offenses (2006); 30 percent of the DUII convictions were second- and third-time offenses (2006).

For more current statistics you can look at the log Hood River News prints and see the number of alcohol-related incidents law enforcement responds to in the county. I would prefer to have the doors open for treatment than the streets a hazard for drivers, bikers and pedestrians.

Mid-Columbia Center for Living sees many of the residents in the Gorge for addiction services; in an average month 219 persons receive addictions treatment at our agency. The biggest barrier for those seeking services is the cost.

The agency (public money) subsidizes treatment on a sliding fee scale but a number of residents have difficulty paying for the initial assessment. Instead of paying enormous sums of money to child welfare, prisons, juvenile detention, and local jails to address the consequences of addictions, we need to prevent the disease and treat it for those who need care.

I would like to ask our local breweries to be part of the solution and step up and share in the cost of their product. Treatment works and we will have a healthier and safer community for all!

n

Sharon Guidera is executive director for Mid-Columbia Center for Living.