Fighting global warming should be first priority

The opinions on Tuesday’s February 11 editorial page are meaningless squabble without addressing the first priority this nation and every nation should have: bringing down the level of pollutants entering the atmosphere. If not lowered enough, the result will be the extinction of the human race and many other species.

This country should be leading this fight. Yet President Trump withdrew this country from the Paris accords and is slashing environmental protections. The Republicans in Congress are letting him do it. With their impeachment acquittal they have given President Trump encouragement to continue ruling at his whim.

Everyone’s progeny faces decades of angst over the future. Young people know this. Go, Greta!

No politician gets my vote without setting the fight against global warning as his/her first priority.

Gary Dielman

Baker City

Editor should emulate, not criticize, AP’s fact-checking

The “Checking the facts” editorial on February 11, which tried to defend some of Trump’s many lies, was an embarrassment for the Baker City Herald.

As for the Trump tax cuts, the fact that its impact as a stimulus may already be fading is not something that is hidden or needs to be documented by the AP reporter. Anyone in the news business, or in fact anyone who watched Greg Walden try to justify his vote for this deficit-increasing tax cut, knows that the Trump Treasury Department predicted the economic stimulus would cause 2.9% annual growth in the GDP for the next ten years, magically wiping out the deficit it created. There was indeed a short-term stimulus, but now growth has fallen to 2%, and economists who advise the Federal Reserve are predicting it will drop to under 2%. Once again, trickle-down has been proven wrong.

As for the “More Americans are working than ever before” claim, obviously this is because the population is higher than ever before. For the editor to selectively single out the years of the Great Recession as the one instance in a lifetime when there was a drop in employment proves nothing except the editor’s bias. I have seen presidents make this claim many times in my life, and it is always dishonest, and it always insults my intelligence, no matter who makes it.

When it comes to Trump’s claim he is responsible for the oil and gas boom, I am sure he did not invent fracking, and that is the innovation that has been driving this boom. The AP reporter was correct to point out that this boom started during the Obama years, not after Trump.

The AP report on Trump’s falsehoods is a good example of journalistic integrity and competence. The Herald editor could improve his craft if he tried to emulate good journalism instead of rashly criticizing it.

Craig Martell

Baker City

Chamber should continue running visitor center

What the heck?

The old saying is “if it ain’t broke — don’t fix it.”

Well, the Visitor Center and Chamber, in the very capable hands of Shelly Cutler, is doing just fine and is certainly not broken.

Shelly Cutler has brought the Visitor Center and Miners Jubilee back to the heyday of success it was when Shirley Jennings was Chamber exec. I have had over 30 years of dealing with Chamber/Visitor directors and must say that I think Ms. Cutler is doing a bang-up job. She is an asset to our community. The right person is finally in the Chamber/V&C seat. Let’s keep her there and let her continue her exemplary job with the support she deserves from the County Commissioners.

To the County Commissioners I say — leave it alone and be happy you are lucky enough to have a dedicated, hardworking person at the helm of Chamber/V&C

The Visitor Center needs to stay in the convenient location it is for the sake of travelers.

The Jubilee needs to continue to be organized by the Chamber/V&C — they are doing a great job.

To the public, ask this: What is motivating the Commissioners to make a change? Voice your opinion, elected officials need to hear your feelings and ideas.

Lynette Perry

Baker City