News
Curry County Reporter
Joel Summer
Month 1, 2007
Sen. Wyden assures local residents that "safety net" payments will be coming
Sen. Ron Wyden took a break from "crunch time" in Washington D.C. to assure Curry County residents at last Saturday's town hall meeting that Congress was going to get the federal forest safety net legislation passed in the next few months.
"It's not going to be the most elegant way to get it done, but we're going to get it done," said Wyden. "We're not going to let Curry County fall into the Pacific Ocean."
Wyden spoke to a standing-room-only crowd at Gold Beach City Hall on March 10 and covered the bases from health care to immigration, from the war in Iraq to the Copper Salmon Wilderness, and from salmon fishing to our energy policy.
But it was county safety net payments that Wyden kept giving his reassurance to those listening.
Peter DeFazio and Greg Walden have been working hard to get a one-year reauthorization, but the discussions in the Senate are a little different, Wyden said.
"The Senate doesn't just want it for one year. They want to get county officials off the roller coaster," said Wyden. "I have authored a bill to fund our counties for seven years. We have 11 senators who have now signed on as co-sponsors. Once we can secure the survival of our counties we can look at a variety of things with our forests. We can get the woody waste off the floor, we can engage in a thinning program."
"We have hundreds of thousands of acres of overstocked forest. Our forest lands are no longer productive. Let's look at things like growing hemp, biomass and then thinning. First, though, we have to get our county payments," said Wyden.
Wyden said he and other Congressional representatives have been hearing the message loud and clear from some commissioners saying they would have to dismantle the counties to a commissioner in Grant's Pass saying if they have to let go of their sheriff's department, they would have to consider calling out the National Guard.
Wyden said the House appropriations committee has agreed to give Oregon $400 million for 2007.
"It's a little less than what we were hoping for, but it's a start," said Wyden.
Wyden, who chairs the Forestry Subcommittee, said he welcomes debate on a permanent solution for Oregon and the nation's forests.
"It's long overdue. We need to look at a long term solution that discusses sustainability. We need to get the environmentalist, the scientists and the other stakeholders together," said Wyden.
"When people ask me about why I authored the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act, I tell them ‘this is where God put the trees'. We need to look at harvest and volume. There are people who just want to undo history. We're not going to turn rural communities into sacrifice zones."
Wyden said that part of the problem is that people now living in Curry County and other forest-receipt counties no longer feel connected to the land.
"If people felt they got a benefit from the land, they would have a much different attitude," said Wyden.
Copper-Salmon Wilderness
Wyden said there has been an extraordinary amount of interest in getting a wilderness designation for the Copper Salmon area on the Elk River.
"I need to see if my colleagues have the same temperature as I do about this issue. I would like to get (the wilderness designation) done in this Congress. I want to move the Mt. Hood wilderness designation and I see no reason why we can't tack on other smaller wilderness areas to Mt. Hood. If I have my way, it will get done in this Congress," said Wyden.
Energy policy
"We need to drive home the point that when you're paying huge gas prices in Gold Beach, part of what you pay goes to Middle East countries and those countries backdoor the money to terrorists who want to kill you," said Wyden. "What you are doing essentially, is paying a "terror tax" in Curry County."
Wyden said it is essential that the country starts looking at alternative sources of energy. He envisions allowing fuel to be made from Oregon crops; canola, hemp, and a variety of other crops.
Wyden said it's time to force a vote to cut oil subsidies. He said the oil companies have even said they don't need the billions of dollars.
Iraq War
"I was one of just 23 who voted against going to war. How I wish my vote prevailed," said Wyden to great applause. "I didn't agree with President Bush about Saddam Hussein, but I did not believe there were weapons of mass destruction, or a connection to Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, and I did not believe that going in there would magically produce a democracy. In 2006 I was one of just 13 who voted to largely wind down our combat role this year. My side didn't prevail."
Wyden went on to say that the House has already started debating how to wind down America's combat role. He said the Senate is not as far along.
"What the President is doing is more than a surge," said Wyden. "This is a big time escalation. I wish there was an ideal option. Let's try to promote regional stability. Let's bring people home rather than escalate."
Tax Reform
Wyden said he favors a fair flat tax proposal, which he says was first proposed by President Ronald Reagan and another "tall guy with a better jump shot", Sen. Bill Bradley.
"Reagan proposed a top rate of 28 percent for the wealthy down to a bottom rate of 14 percent," said Wyden. "Get rid of all the junk, all the clutter, and all the exemptions."
Immigration
Wyden faced some hostility from a few audience members who asked why the senator had not signed on to Rep. Duncan Hunter's bill that would pardon two border guards currently in prison for wounding a Mexican drug smuggler.
Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos are now serving 11 and 12 year sentences, respectively, in federal prison, for wounding a drug smuggler trying to smuggle in 700 pounds of marijuana.
Wyden said he was not persuaded that pardoning the border agents was the right thing to do.
As for an immigration policy, Wyden said the immigration laws have to be enforced. On the other hand, Wyden said he recognizes the employment problem faced by employers, especially small business owners and farmers, trying to survive.
"You go to a restaurant. The people washing the dishes are probably illegal immigrants. You order fruit. The people picking that fruit are probably illegal immigrants. You go back to your hotel room. The people making your bed are probably illegal immigrants," said Wyden. "Farmers tell me they cannot get American workers to work for them at a price they can stay in business. However, the current immigration system is breeding skepticism. We can't continue with this broken system on our borders."
Health insurance
Wyden said the key to health insurance is that every person has access to it. Wyden says under the current system insurance companies "cherry pick" the healthy people and foist everyone else back on government programs.
"There will be $2.3 trillion spent this year on health delivery systems. There are 300 million of us. If you do the math, you could hire one doctor for every seven families and pay that doctor $200,000 a year," said Wyden. "I talk to doctors and they say, where can I sign up?"
Salmon fishing
Wyden said that according to the fisheries management council, there should be a decent salmon season. Wyden says, however, "that we really have to hustle" and be responsible for the times when the salmon season is not strong.
Wyden also said now is a good opportunity to get farmers, fishing families and environmentalists together in an effort to better manage the Klamath River basin. Wyden also said it is important that Oregon's Gov. Ted Kulongoski and California's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger get together on these farm and fishing issues.