Political Commentary

Doug Robertson

Last week all three Douglas County Commissioners attended the annual meeting of the American Forest Resource Council in Skamania, Washington.

Marilyn Kittelman

In the past two weeks local papers have featured front page stories on the current health of our county, or lack thereof. Douglas County unemployment is just under 10%, considerably above the state average of 6.4% and nearly double the national average! The number of children now living in poverty in our county is 5,736 according to a report from Children First for Oregon, again among the highest in the state. I have often mentioned our high rate of unemployment, child abuse, meth abuse and low rate of job creation since having our timber jobs replaced with a “safety” net.

Doug Robertson

Some time ago, the county was approached by a group of citizens requesting that changes be made in the way the Internal Revenue Service files liens on property to collect delinquent taxes.

Marilyn Kittelman

Isn’t it amazing, that in today’s society, those screaming the loudest about toleranence are oftentimes the least tolerant of all of us? I have learned to be highly suspect of those preaching the gospel of tolerance. It occurs to me that they have come to expect that they have a ‘right’ to live in a world that doesn’t offend them…at all, while requiring that we embrace their views as if they were our own.

Susan Morgan

Douglas County has much to gain from nurturing a thriving South West Oregon economy, and we have much to gain from working within a regional partnership that focuses on our transportation system.

Doug Robertson

We often hear it said, timing, is everything. If you subscribe to that thought you will probably find it odd that our Governor is now proposing tens of thousands of acres of new wilderness. The timing seems to be particularly questionable for the 25,000 plus acres of new wilderness proposed in Douglas County. That would be in addition to the 11 legislated wilderness areas that have been created since 1968.

Marilyn Kittelman

I use this weekly column to share with you the happenings in the Commissioner’s office, other county business, and important matters affecting our citizens. This week the biggest ‘eyebrow raiser’ was a Friday public meeting, very well attended, requested by a group identified as Liberators 11 (formerly called The Lawmen). These folks have been raising the issue of proper recording in the Clerk’s office.

Susan Morgan

LOTS describes what is going on with the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad (CORP), their parent company Rail- America, Fortress Investment that owns RA, the shippers, Oregon government, and the Federal government.
The rail shippers, both on the Coos Bay line and the Siskiyou line, have organized as a potent group. Southwest Oregon legislators have joined with the Governor’s office and the shippers’ coalition. Senator Gordon Smith, Senator Ron Wyden, and Congressman Peter DeFazio have actively engaged with this issue on the Federal level. Shippers on the Siskiyou line are talking with California Governor Schwarzenegger’s office.

Susan Morgan

We do a very poor job of delivering mental health services in Oregon.

Marilyn Kittelman

Well, I’m back from Washington D.C. and running full speed! What a great conference! We worked on a wide variety of issues. The national committee I serve on is the Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee and three subcommittees including Native American Affairs.