Letter to the Editor / other media - except The World
 
Say what!  Dick Leshley wrote to us again in the 24 October The World newspaper.  Sadly Mr. Leshley demonstrates how uninformed that the front man for BS Oregon is in matters regarding the JCEP.  This time Leshley tells us that payment by JCEP (fees in lieu of taxes) to the citizens will be akin to an individual making “a donation to a charity”; perhaps what he considers to be a free will offering by JCEP.  Apparently, he doesn’t consider hundreds of millions of (tax obligation) dollars during the next 20 years (fees in lieu of taxes) to be public money.
 
I have submitted many pages of comments and concerns regarding the CEP.  Some of my credentials to comment on what I believe to be an incomplete contract without adequate safeguards for the average taxpaying Coos County citizen include positions with large aerospace and high tech companies as Director of Contracting, Director of Subcontracting, Contracts Administrator, Auditor, Negotiator, Director of Business Development and staff to the company president.  I wrote and managed many fixed price and cost type multi - year, multi - task, contracts with variable options and with a value (in today’s dollars) in excess of $4 billion.  Titles are like knighthood; but, I understand contracting and governing law.
 
Eleven years ago, while other west coast of the Americas communities (from BC Canada to Tijuana Baja California) were rejecting LNG factories, JCEP found the Ports welcome mat.  JCEP also found that five years of tax avoidance and their ability for the tail to wag the dog accompanied the welcome mat.  Instead of thanking us for not rejecting them, their demands on us became ever increasing.  We owe JCEP nothing except what is pursuant to Oregon law and within the four corners of a well written contract document.  At a minimum, they owe us a legally enforceable agreement to hire locals first.
 
Now Veresen / JCEP, a company with minimal assets, demands more in the CEP.  And, the most vocal of the CEP supporters, county commissioner Sweet, finds nothing wrong with Veresen / JCEP demands.
 
Mr. Leshley, it’s tax avoidance, front loaded fees in lieu of taxes, assessments on the citizens, and the peoples tax money being discussed in the CEP; not a “large monetary windfall”.  AS proposed by Veresen / JCEP, the taxpayers assume all risk of non - performance by Veresen / JCEP and citizens lose money in the deal.  The CEP removes the people’s control of hundreds of millions of their tax dollars and gives total control for the next 20 years to a small group that will be unelected by the people, not appointed by the people, impossible to remove or replace by the people, to distribute the people’s money to entities they alone deem appropriate. 
 
In support of the argument for a SCCF / CEP / whatever, Coos County Tax Assessor Jansen told us that there would not be a difference in the total dollars received by the people from JCEP as tax or as fees in lieu of tax.  It appears that is no longer the case and this taxpayer has asked Assessor Jansen for a public update presentation to the people soon.
 
Fred Kirby
Coos Bay
24 October 2015

Related Posts:
BOC ~ County Dog Board, Prisoner Release, Public Meeting for October 13, 14, & 15
Board of Commissioners Op-Ed for Measure 6-152 Transient Occupancy Tax
Coos Bay Alternative Location for Waste Water Treatment Plant Oct. 6, 2015
Bandon Cheese Factory Receives Private Financing & Still Pays No Property Taxes
LTE ~ Leshley Don't Know Dick About the JCEP Work Camp
Jody McCaffree Appeals LNG Road Construction Coos County Planning Oct. 9, 2015
Do Enterprise Zones Work? ~ An Ideopolis Policy Paper February 2011
Educational Enterprise Zone Workshop Roseburg OR Thursday, September 17, 2015
Coos County Planning Decisions on LNG & Effected Roads
LTE ~ CEP appears to be great for Canadian Veresen / JCEP
LTE ~ LNG Pipeline Man and His Bag of Money  
LTE ~ Should We Be Worried Dealing with Veresen and the LNG
LTE~ A Package of Rancor for Coos County Commissioner John Sweet

VOTE YES on 2A Preservation Ordinance

Now is the time to come to the aid of our country's supreme law of the land; the U.S. Constitution and entire Bill of rights. Those in state leadership having voted in favor of SB941 violated their oaths to support the Constitution by unilaterally and blatantly opposing our inherent rights to keep and bear arms without molestation by government.

Our forefathers fought to ensure these rights, yet we honor them with the destruction of what they paid for with their ease. their lives, fortunes and sacred honor. Are we to ignore all of their warnings, advice and significance in what they created for their legacy and all time?

The despotic and tyrannical federal government gives billions of our tax dollars in military weapons including fully automatic assault rifles, rocket propelled grenades, fighter jets, Humvee's and tanks to illiterate Islamic radicals hell bent on killing Americans, yet they don't want law abiding Americans to possess common semi automatic rifles for personal defense.

To top it off, our government just gave our enemy Iran the nuclear bomb plus 150 billion dollars. How's that for our national security interests? Aside from the Bible, the U.S. Constitution is the greatest civil rights document the world has ever known and will ever know. Defend the Constitution for our legacy and VOTE YES ON 6-151.


Tom McKirgan
Coquille

October 26, 2015
 
Vote NO on the Transient Occupancy Tax
 
The Transient Occupancy Tax or Measure 6-152 will be on the ballot for voters in Coos County, Oregon, on November 3, 2015.
 
Approval of this measure would create a 10% countywide lodging tax on consumers, including local residents who stay in a hotel, motel, campground, RV park, or vacation rental in Coos County.  Cities that currently have a lodging tax will charge only the difference between the cities tax and the counties 10%, so if a city imposes a 7% tax it will only charge the consumer an additional 3% up to the total amount of 10%, which means the city and county taxes, would not be compounded.  
 
Cities in Coos County with a room tax:
Bandon            6%
Coos Bay        7%
North Bend     7%,
Lakeside         7.5% 
Oregon            1% statewide room tax for the Oregon Tourism Commission
 
Officials speculate the combined TOT could possibly yield $3.8 million dollars annually.  After the cities take their cut of 1.1 million that will leave 2.7 million for the county.  State law requires that the county spend 70% of the money on promoting tourism, which means the overall budget sacrifices $1.9 million of the room tax on advertising and marketing outside the county.  The county itself retains a measly 30% or $800,000 annually for the general fund---all of it discretionary. 
 
There is no guarantee in the wording on the ballot that the money would go to public safety, and the commissioners could save much more money by eliminating the five Urban Renewal Agencies that are draining property taxes from county coffers. 
 
Of course, that would reduce the tax burden on property owners.
 
The Board of Commissioners released a statement making the promise that, “The other 30% is unrestricted and would be used to fund public safety, including the Coos County jail, the District Attorney's Office, and the Sheriff's department.”
 
However, there are some things to consider before voting. 
 
At a time when the county is expecting a 10% shortfall in the budget, the equivalent of $3.1 million, can Commissioners Cribbins and Sweet be trusted to direct the funds towards public safety and not one of their pet projects?   
 
These same two commissioners are still trying to hire a County Administrator by changing the title of the job to Finance Director after the voters rejected spending the money to create that position.  
 
In addition, the tax is unfair to the unincorporated parts of the county, because the cities retain their portion of the TOT leaving the rural areas the responsibility of having to pay a disproportionate part of the basic services provided for by this tax.  There are more city dwellers incarcerated in the county jail than there are rural residents, so who is paying for whom in this deal.  
 
The BOC plans to create a new tourism committee to oversee where the county will spend the 70% of the taxes that has to go to tourism.  Some of the players on the committee will consist of the larger tourist industries and nonprofit groups, such as The Dunes, The Mill Casino, The Bandon Chamber of Commerce, The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, and the infamous, South Coast Development Council. 
 
Most of the smaller businesses in the tourism industry will not receive the same representation on the committee as the bigger corporations, or special interest groups.  The TOT will eventually become a slush fund subsidy for “big business”---all to the detriment of their smaller competitors. 
 
One more thing to consider, when citizen activists asked the BOC to reaffirm the Second Amendment by enacting a preservation ordinance through a vote of the board, Cribbins and Sweet refused.  Instead, they chose to turn their backs on the people. 
 
Why should the citizens vote for a tax increase, and give the commissioners access to more money if they will not do the simple job of defending the rights of the individual? 
 
Sign-up at CoosCountyWatchdog.com to receive more information, or join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cooscountywatchdog.  
 
Rob Taylor is the founder of CoosCountyWatchdog.com, which is a virtual network of local activist. 

Related Posts:
BOC ~ County Dog Board, Prisoner Release, Public Meeting for October 13, 14, & 15
Board of Commissioners Op-Ed for Measure 6-152 Transient Occupancy Tax
Coos Bay Alternative Location for Waste Water Treatment Plant Oct. 6, 2015
Bandon Cheese Factory Receives Private Financing & Still Pays No Property Taxes
LTE ~ Leshley Don't Know Dick About the JCEP Work Camp
Jody McCaffree Appeals LNG Road Construction Coos County Planning Oct. 9, 2015
Do Enterprise Zones Work? ~ An Ideopolis Policy Paper February 2011
Educational Enterprise Zone Workshop Roseburg OR Thursday, September 17, 2015
Coos County Planning Decisions on LNG & Effected Roads
LTE ~ CEP appears to be great for Canadian Veresen / JCEP
LTE ~ LNG Pipeline Man and His Bag of Money  
LTE ~ Should We Be Worried Dealing with Veresen and the LNG
LTE~ A Package of Rancor for Coos County Commissioner John Sweet

Letter for the Forum / Letters to the Editor Section
 
An open letter to the Coos Bay Schools Board from a concerned voter / taxpayer:
 
Dear Coos Bay Schools Board Members:
 
It has been reported by The World newspaper, and perhaps by others, that you have acknowledged the existence of turmoil within the schools system – turmoil alleged by complainants to have been caused by the Coos Bay Schools Superintendent; that you have accepted formal complaints from educators and others regarding the superintendent; that you and outside counsel have spent considerable time conducting a thorough review of complaints content; that you have interviewed complainants desiring such face to face interview; that you have provided a written response to each complainant; and that you have concluded investigative matters regarding the schools superintendent. 
 
One of the weakest traits of a leader is an inability to make a decision.  Based on facts made known, many of us voting, taxpaying, citizens believe that, in the interest of taxpayers, students, faculty, administrators and staff, it is appropriate that the schools superintendent be replaced.  It took less time to understand the origin of the Etruscan language than you have spent on this matter.  Please don’t waste my tax dollars, or yours, proceeding to the next level.  You conducted a search for a schools superintendent; you narrowed your search to an overqualified long time local teaching professional, Greg Mulkey, and to an unknown from outside of the area.  Ultimately you decided the unknown was better than the known.  Perhaps some of you now regret that decision.
 
Mr. Mulkey, a former student of local schools, a local teacher, an administrator, and a team player, ready to take command was one of two finalists considered to be qualified.  If he still seeks the position, there is no reason to believe that Mr. Mulkey would not rise to the top of the superintendent candidates list again.  He remains a known – more so than ever.  He enjoys the enviable loud vocal support of students, subordinates, faculty, peers, taxpayers and local business owners. 
 
A decision and immediate closure of this matter please.  More months of hiding under the legal protective umbrella called “executive session” with discussion and results undisclosed to the public are not required.  Don’t waste your time and our tax dollars searching for another unknown outsider when the clear choice to lead our schools is here and ready to bring peace to our edge of the planet.
 
Fred Kirby
Coos Bay
17 October 2015

Related Posts:
BOC ~ County Dog Board, Prisoner Release, Public Meeting for October 13, 14, & 15
Board of Commissioners Op-Ed for Measure 6-152 Transient Occupancy Tax
Coos Bay Alternative Location for Waste Water Treatment Plant Oct. 6, 2015
Bandon Cheese Factory Receives Private Financing & Still Pays No Property Taxes
LTE ~ Leshley Don't Know Dick About the JCEP Work Camp
Jody McCaffree Appeals LNG Road Construction Coos County Planning Oct. 9, 2015
Do Enterprise Zones Work? ~ An Ideopolis Policy Paper February 2011
Educational Enterprise Zone Workshop Roseburg OR Thursday, September 17, 2015
Coos County Planning Decisions on LNG & Effected Roads
LTE ~ CEP appears to be great for Canadian Veresen / JCEP
LTE ~ LNG Pipeline Man and His Bag of Money  
LTE ~ Should We Be Worried Dealing with Veresen and the LNG
LTE~ A Package of Rancor for Coos County Commissioner John Sweet

10.15.15

The anti-gun crazies have fired up their well funded anti-rights machine again.  

To no one's surprise they are using the murders in Roseburg as a vehicle to demand a virtual end to gun rights in Oregon.

Here is a sample of their demands: 

"Central registration of all firearm owners and their weapons."

"A 28-day waiting period on all firearm purchases."

"Require that weapons be stored unloaded, in a gun safe, with a trigger lock."

"Ban any clip or magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds."

And that's just for starters!

The resistance began in Roseburg when Obama came to exploit the deaths at UCC to promote more gun restrictions. 
 
Those efforts were inspiring but there is much more that needs to be done.

Please visit this page for details and our new auto mailer message and take action today.

And please consider supporting our efforts financially.  This last year has been extraordinarily expensive as we have faced billionaire opponents who are committed to ending gun ownership in Oregon and across the nation.  You can help keep OFF in the fight with a donation of any amount.

The battle is just beginning. Thank you for your activism.

10.19.15


 
The utter insanity that is the anti-gun movement continues to rear its ugly head in ways both mindless and dangerous.

Today the Brady Campaign sent out an email by Dan Gross saying "90 %" of Americans want more failed gun control!

That number is both absurdly fictitious and inflated daily.  No doubt soon we will be told that 100% of Americans, including almost all gun owners, want increased attacks on their rights. It's ridiculous of course, but you can bet the media will be parroting that number soon while never making the slightest attempt to verify it.

What's even more bizarre is Gross's contention that "I know first-hand what the families of the Umpqua Community College victims are facing. My brother was shot in the head during a mass shooting..."

This statement was made in a new demand for background checks!  The rest of that sentence tells the story however. "My brother was shot in the head during a mass shooting at the Empire State Building."

Yes, the Empire State Building, in New York City, which has had "universal" background checks for generations and some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country.  And while this simply proves the failure of these dangerous and unconstitutional laws, you'd better believe the courts are sucking this garbage up and spitting it back out while working overtime to end your 2nd Amendment rights.

Today we received the US Appeals Court 2nd Circuit's response to a lawsuit filed in opposition to the draconian and outrageous anti-gun laws passed in New York and Connecticut. 

The court upheld almost every aspect of both states' anti-gun laws!

In a decision that demonstrated just how little the judges understand about firearms they said:

 "As for the other enumerated military-style features-such as the flash suppressor, protruding  grip, and barrel shrouds-New York and Connecticut have determined, as did the U.S. Congress, that the "net effect of these military combat features is a capability for lethality-more wounds, more serious, in more victims-far beyond that of other firearms in general, including other semiautomatic guns." (sic)

At the same time, the Court admitted that American's rights to have firearms for "self defense" was protected. We are totally at a loss to understand how "lethal" a self defense firearm is allowed to be.  

But it get's worse.  The Court went on:
"Indeed, plaintiffs explicitly contend that these features improve a firearm's "accuracy," "comfort," and "utility."This circumlocution is, as  Chief Judge Skretny observed, a milder way of saying that these features make the weapons more deadly."

That's right friends, a US Appeals Court actually believes that  "protruding grips" and "barrel shrouds" make firearms "more deadly."

It becomes more painfully obvious every day that we cannot look to the courts to protect our rights.  People who reach these kinds of conclusions have clearly chosen to ignore the plain language of the US Constitution and create rulings that are obviously nonsense. They also ignore previous Supreme Court decisions that say only military firearms are protected!  

In light of the Court's nonsensical ruling, and the current makeup of our legislature, you can rest assured there will be a new wave of attacks on gun rights in Oregon. We've already told you how one organization is using the UCC shootings to beat the drum for an almost complete elimination of privately owned firearms in Oregon.

If you are not a member of OFF, now would be a good time to become one.  If you already are, thank you for your support.  

Contributions to continue this fight can be made safely online here.

Related Posts:
ACTION ALERT ~ Coos County Vote YES ON measure 6-151 ~ November 3, 2015
Senate Republican Responds to Questions About Preventing Firearm Tragedies
Resistance to 941 Grows ‏Especially Here in Coos County ~ Time to Rally
Coos County Second Amendment Rally Friday August 28, 2015 5 pm to 7 pm 
VOTE YES!!! ~ Measure 6-151 The Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance
LTE ~ The Second Amendment Preservation Petition Submitted to County Clerk
Download The John Sweet Recall Flyer & The Second Amendment Preservation Flyer
Cribbins & Sweet Snub Second Amendment Supporters Again
History of the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance
OFF ~ Recall Petitioners Take Heat ~ Sweet Recall Continues
OFF ~ Another Sheriff Says No to SB941 While Cribbins & Sweet Whistle in the Wind
OFF ~ Sine Die Legislature Ends The Local Fight Begins
Second Amendment Deficiency Letter on Initiative ~ the Petition Drive Continues
Special Second Amendment Event in Josephine County July 11, 2015 
OFF ~ Democrats Smell Fear & Republicans Are Fearful Sadly Even Krieger & Kruse

The recent Democratic presidential debate confirmed long-held suspicions regarding that Party’s apparent antipathy towards the free market principles upon which this great nation was founded. Regrettably, Oregon’s self-styled “progressive” leadership has been all too eager to be at the forefront of many of these failed big government policies. They appear to particularly favor programs that attempt to eliminate the private sector and impose government-sanctioned monopolies by force and edict.

Perhaps the most salient example of this interference with private sector industry was the 2010 passage of the controversial Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as “Obamacare.” Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate eagerly voted to enact the 1000-plus page bill on a strict party-line vote.

Most Americans would consider it unconscionable for their elected representative to knowingly and deliberately vote to enact a law without learning how it will affect their constituents. Yet many Congressional Democrats voted to enact the law that affects roughly one-fifth of the country’s economy without reading it. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) famously stated that “we have to pass the bill so that you can see what is in it.”

Oregon was first in line for this grandiose experiment. It wasted a monstrous $300 million on a website for the state health care exchange that made our state a national laughingstock.

The website admittedly never signed-up a single person for private insurance coverage. The combined cost of replacing the failed website to sign-up private sector and Medicaid participants will cost in excess of $100 million more.
But the worst impacts of this folly are yet to be felt by our state’s taxpayers. When the Legislature convenes for its 2017 session, the Oregon Health Authority will face tremendous budgetary shortfalls in the cash needed to fund the enormous Medicaid expansion made possible through the Affordable Care Act. Although federal funds have thus far bolstered the system, that funding will be gradually phased out starting next year. Oregonians will be required to make up the difference, and to say the least, it will be costly.

Having already intruded into health care, progressive Democrats at the state and federal level are now hoping to do the same with regards to private retirement savings.

A recent Wall Street Journal editorial details a new rule being promoted by the U.S. Department of Labor that “could more than double the cost of investment advice for many savers.” Under the new rule, savers rolling money from a 401K system into an Individual Retirement Account could only be advised by people acting in their “best interests” as fiduciaries. The addition of seemingly simple words can create significant changes.

Brokers are currently paid on commission while fiduciaries receive a fixed percentage of their clients’ assets. The commission model generally costs consumers about 0.5 percent of their assets while the fee-based approach generally takes around 1.1 percent, in addition to other fund expenses. What this means in plain language is the model being sought by President Obama will cost investors more than twice as much and will also deprive them of many of the options they currently enjoy under the existing system.

Obama called on the Labor Department to propose the rules by the end of the year, in a speech made last July to the White House Conference of Aging. The rule is being created under the auspices of providing a clear path forward for states to create retirement savings programs. Several states, including Oregon, have passed legislation to do exactly that.

Oregon once again appears to have volunteered to be a testing ground for a risky federal concept that may have unintended consequences for the same people it purportedly is aimed at helping. Moreover, it appears to be overtly attempting to supplant the state’s private sector retirement savings industry with a state government-operated monopoly.

The Wall Street Journal editorial states that the proposed Labor Department rule will ultimately end up “harming a law-abiding industry, making services more costly to the consumers it claims to be helping, and then encouraging them to become dependent on government programs that create new risks for taxpayers.” It also states that the Department will place the newfound fiduciary burden created by its policy changes on private competitors, and that Obama is helping state governments “grab a share of this market.”

In a previous newsletter, I warned about the potential pitfalls of this concept and shared concerns about the true motivations of its proponents. Having already placed the health care industry in the controlling clutches of big government, liberal Democrats are attempting to do the same with the nation's energy sector, under the guise of saving the environment. They are now working to add private retirement to the list of industries that the State will regulate out of existence and replace with another government-sanctioned monopoly.

Our next presidential election is just over a year away. Americans will decide if the eight years of disastrous economic policies pursued by the Obama administration should continue, or be replaced with free market principles. My hope is that we choose wisely, before we run out of industries for “progressive” liberals to take over through more big government mandates.

Please remember--if we do not stand up for rural Oregon, no one will.

Best Regards,
Doug
Senate District 28
Email: Sen.DougWhitsett@state.or.us I Phone: 503-986-1728
Address: 900 Court St NE, S-311, Salem, OR, 97301
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/whitsett

The Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance, or Measure 6-151 will be on the ballot for voters in Coos County, Oregon, on November 3, 2015.
 
If approved, this measure prevents the use of county resources to enforce certain restrictions on gun ownership.  It would declare invalid and void any law that violates provisions guaranteeing the right to bear arms in the U.S. Constitution and the Oregon Constitution.  
 
Moreover, Measure 6-151 would prohibit the use of county funds or resources to enforce any law that impedes the right to bear arms, including, but not limited to, laws that establish:

1. Registration requirements for legally owned firearms
2. Prohibitions against "assault" type firearms
3. Restrictions pertaining to magazine or clip capacity and ammunition type
4. Background check requirements beyond those required as of December 2012
5. Restrictions against possession, carry or transport of legally owned guns and ammunition

If enacted, Measure 6-151 encourages the county sheriff to use existing discretionary authority to preclude any particular law that violates the Second Amendment rights of the individual.  The Sheriff has the powers to prioritize crimes according to the discretion of the office and the department already responds to calls based on the resources available.  Approval of the measure is not retroactive against criminal laws regarding firearms, meaning the measure does not nullify any criminal laws previously established. 
 
However, its passage would apply to defunding the enforcement of Oregon Senate Bill 941 at the local level.  Additionally, the initiative would institute fines of $2,000 per violation for individuals and $4,000 per violation for corporations for any efforts to enforce laws, rules, or policies prohibited by Measure 6-151.

Related Posts:
Senate Republican Responds to Questions About Preventing Firearm Tragedies
Resistance to 941 Grows ‏Especially Here in Coos County ~ Time to Rally
Coos County Second Amendment Rally Friday August 28, 2015 5 pm to 7 pm 
VOTE YES!!! ~ Measure 6-151 The Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance
LTE ~ The Second Amendment Preservation Petition Submitted to County Clerk
Download The John Sweet Recall Flyer & The Second Amendment Preservation Flyer
The Mosquitoes Return to the Coquille Valley
Sweet Recall Meeting 7:00pm Friday July 31, 2015
 Cribbins & Sweet Snub Second Amendment Supporters Again
History of the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance
OFF ~ Recall Petitioners Take Heat ~ Sweet Recall Continues
OFF ~ Another Sheriff Says No to SB941 While Cribbins & Sweet Whistle in the Wind
OFF ~ Sine Die Legislature Ends The Local Fight Begins
Second Amendment Deficiency Letter on Initiative ~ the Petition Drive Continues
Special Second Amendment Event in Josephine County July 11, 2015 
OFF ~ Democrats Smell Fear & Republicans Are Fearful Sadly Even Krieger & Kruse
IMPORTANT NOTICE ~ Cribbins & Sweet Recall Organizing Meeting June 12, 2015

Letter to the Editor
 
Eleven years ago I authored a web site that was intended to inform local folks about LNG.  That site was visited by 1.1 million in 53 different countries.  Then and now, I am neither for nor against local LNG.  Only you should decide if a LNG factory (possibly factories later), a noisy power plant and flares, a 36” pipeline across your land (private and public) and frequent LNG transport vessels that are the size of the aircraft carrier Reagan are good for your long term interests.    
 
We heard from local LNG supporter and BS Oregon front man, Dick Leshley - again.  Mr. Leshley may be a pillar of the community and the best Yellow taxi cab company this side of West Quoddy Head Maine.  I do not believe that he intentionally misleads the people with his many letters to the editor in support of local LNG.  I believe that he is being misled by the LNG man.  His letters, accessible on the Internet, may soon create a stampede of job seeking people to our area jeopardizing your chance for employment.
 
There is not enough ink in the barrels at The World to continue publishing letters to the editor challenging what Mr. Leshley writes.  In Mr. Leshley’s latest letter published 3 October we are informed that the average Jordan Cove Energy Project (JCEP) worker will be paid $90,000 annually.  No they won’t.  Contemplated agreements with JCEP are governed by Oregon Law (ORS).  Several laws relate to JCEP annual wage.  One typical law states the JCEP must “annually compensate all new employees hired by the firm at an average rate of not less than 150 per cent of the county average annual wage”.  The key words here are “new” and “average”.  Using Mr. Leshley’s numbers, we should expect a JCEP average annual salary of $57,000, not $90,000.  In the abortion called a Community Enhancement Plan (CEP), a plan soon to be endorsed by your elected and appointed politicians, where you lose control of your tax monies, it is stated that the 150% number ($57,000) is inclusive of benefits.  Will JCEP be “hiring” anybody?  Where is the written contract document with provisions to flow down these laws to JCEP contractors and subcontractors or successor companies?  Where is the legally enforceable written agreement that JCEP will employ only “skilled union workers” as suggested by Mr. Leshley? 
 
Fred Kirby
Coos Bay
5 October 2015

Related Posts:
LTE ~ JCEP Attorney Demanded Facts & Truth from Citizens, Not Emotion
Coos Bay Alternative Location for Waste Water Treatment Plant Oct. 6, 2015
Bandon Cheese Factory Receives Private Financing & Still Pays No Property Taxes
LTE ~ Leshley Don't Know Dick About the JCEP Work Camp
Jody McCaffree Appeals LNG Road Construction Coos County Planning Oct. 9, 2015
Do Enterprise Zones Work? ~ An Ideopolis Policy Paper February 2011
Educational Enterprise Zone Workshop Roseburg OR Thursday, September 17, 2015
Coos County Planning Decisions on LNG & Effected Roads
LTE ~ CEP appears to be great for Canadian Veresen / JCEP
LTE ~ LNG Pipeline Man and His Bag of Money  
LTE ~ Should We Be Worried Dealing with Veresen and the LNG
LTE~ A Package of Rancor for Coos County Commissioner John Sweet
Democratic Party Passes Resolution Opposing Eminent Domain for LNG 
Commissioner Candidate Refuses to Disclose Answers to a Questionnaire
Commissioners Campaign Contributors are Champions of Corporate Welfare
Officials Obscuring Facts on the Bandon Marsh Mosquito Infestation
Yes to LNG, No to the CEP

Related Posts:
Board of Commissioners Op-Ed for Measure 6-152 Transient Occupancy Tax
Coos Bay Alternative Location for Waste Water Treatment Plant Oct. 6, 2015
Bandon Cheese Factory Receives Private Financing & Still Pays No Property Taxes
LTE ~ Leshley Don't Know Dick About the JCEP Work Camp
Jody McCaffree Appeals LNG Road Construction Coos County Planning Oct. 9, 2015
Do Enterprise Zones Work? ~ An Ideopolis Policy Paper February 2011
Educational Enterprise Zone Workshop Roseburg OR Thursday, September 17, 2015
Coos County Planning Decisions on LNG & Effected Roads
LTE ~ CEP appears to be great for Canadian Veresen / JCEP
LTE ~ LNG Pipeline Man and His Bag of Money  
LTE ~ Should We Be Worried Dealing with Veresen and the LNG
LTE~ A Package of Rancor for Coos County Commissioner John Sweet

As you read this, catastrophic wildfires continue to burn the western United States with no end in sight. More than 8.8 million acres of federal land have burned this summer. The U.S. Forest Service is transferring another $250 million from forest management accounts to battle these fires — a practice known as fire borrowing. This brings the total amount of additional appropriations for wildfires to $700 million for the year — the highest amount since 2002. Yesterday, Congress passed legislation reimbursing the Forest Service for this amount. Unfortunately, more funding alone will not fix our wildfire crisis.

On Sept. 15, the Obama administration implored Congress to address fire borrowing. This is a problem that must be fixed, but dealing with fire borrowing alone only treats the symptoms without addressing the underlying disease.

On July 9, the House passed H.R. 2647, the Resilient Federal Forests Act. H.R. 2647 treats both the disease of
overgrown, mismanaged forests and the resulting symptoms of wildfire, disease and insect infestations. It solves the fire-borrowing problem and sets in place wise forest management policies that reduce the risk of future catastrophic wild fires.

The timing of the president’s request comes as California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has already estimated a price tag of $212 million for his state’s efforts to fight wildfires this season. The Valley fire in California is on track to become the worst wildfire in the state’s history. With more than 60 large fires burning across the West and several other “small” fires burning in the same area, costs are estimated to soar even higher.

While federal and state governments are looking at hundreds of millions in costs to fight wildfires, property owners face staggering losses that will likely soar into the billions. With fires continuing to grow, more homes and lives are at risk.

The current lack of preventative forest management action is proving catastrophic for our national forest system. With the threat of massive fires growing every year, addressing only one aspect of the problem is both shortsighted and dangerous. In addition to classifying certain large-scale wildfires as disasters, H.R. 2647 also promotes proper forest management practices based on proven science.

Part of active management is not only prevention but quick reforestation following a catastrophic event. Current regulation includes environmental review processes that are simply too slow to be effective for the removal of dead trees. On average, the Forest Service reforests less than 3 percent of areas destroyed by wildfire. The Resilient Federal Forests Act requires 75 percent of an area impacted by wildfire be reforested within five years and allows for expedited environmental review to ensure the removal of dead trees to pay for reforestation efforts. 

The federal government successfully conducted an expedited environmental review for salvage work on forests in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. It can do the same on our national forests after wildfires.

These efforts at reforestation and forest management are not small tasks, which is why the bill includes a provision to allow the Forest Service to accept funds from state governments for assistance with management projects. Additionally, tribes will be given the opportunity to assist with the management of national forest lands adjacent to reservations in order to reduce the risk of not only wildfires but also insects and disease.

With the loss of nearly 9 million acres this year due to catastrophic wildfires, Americans — especially those in the West — are seeing the direct impact of ineffective management. We need to deal with this problem in a fiscally responsible way, and that is why we are urging our colleagues in the Senate to quickly take up and pass the Resilient Federal Forests Act. The millions of acres burned, hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage and lost timber and the loss of lives this fire season demand immediate action on this long-term solution.

Westerman has represented Arkansas’s 4th Congressional District since 2015. He sits on the Budget; the Natural Resources; and the Science, Space and Technology committees. Schrader has represented Oregon’s 5th Congressional District since 2009. He sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Open Letter to Rep. Bruce Westerman on Origins of CBWR in H.R. 2647

Outsourcing US Land Management to the Indians  

Does Advisory Vote Trump a Resolution for Management of the Wagon Road Lands

 County Commissioners are elected to solve problems, manage county government and provide leadership.  A large part of the leadership that Commissioners provide involves setting and managing the county's budget.  Much of the County budget comes from the state and federal government, and it comes with strings attached.  We are told how much to spend, and what it can be spent on.  Roughly 20% of the County's budget comes from a mixture of property taxes, timber sales, and other miscellaneous revenue streams.  With this 20%, we make sure that the deed for your house is recorded, a police officer shows up when you call and a place to take the person that is arrested, you have a clean, safe place to dump your trash, and many other services that our citizens have come to depend on.  We have made great progress in the last few years in making departments such as Parks and Planning self-sustaining, while still providing the same or better levels of service.  We know that we can always do better, and we continually strive to make sure that we are providing the best level of service for the budget we have available.

Many people ask why the County can't just make the federal government increase timber harvests, or pay the County for the lands that they are not harvesting.  Over the last twenty years, Coos County has consistently lobbied the federal government to increase timber harvests and return to sustainable harvest levels that will provide both jobs and tax revenue.  These efforts have been largely unsuccessful, although we continue to educate, remind, and lobby for changes to federal timber policy to create a sustainable solution that meets the needs of all, not just the needs of the few.  We believe that federal timber policy will change in the future in large part because of the catastrophic forest fires, but this change will likely be years in the making.  Coos County needs to improve its financial future now.
The Coos County Commissioners continue to actively seek ways to improve the County budget situation. When you open your ballot in a few weeks, you may notice Measure 6-152, put on the ballot by the Commissioners.  This measure would create a county-wide lodging tax.  Coos County citizens would not pay this tax unless they stayed in a hotel, campground, RV park, or vacation rental in Coos County.  Tourists are currently not contributing any lodging tax in the unincorporated portions of our county except the statewide lodging tax, which is kept by the State of Oregon and used to promote tourism statewide. 

Lodging tax has restrictions under Oregon law.  Seventy (70) percent must be used for tourism promotion or tourism related facilities.  The other 30% is unrestricted and would be used to fund public safety, including the Coos County jail, the District Attorney's Office, and the Sheriff's department.  Public safety is the largest user of our unrestricted funds, and it needs to have a long term, sustainable funding source in order for us to attract and retain our dedicated deputies.  This measure would raise about $2.7 million dollars total per year, which would provide about $800,000 for public safety and $1,900,000 for tourism promotion.  It doesn't fund all of our public safety needs, but it is a good start.
Won't people avoid Coos County if we have a lodging tax? Unlikely.  Tillamook County passed a similar tax in 2013, and they experienced a 16% increase in tourism last year.  Coos County is one of the few Oregon coastal counties that does not have a lodging tax. In all, 82 cities and 16 counties in Oregon have lodging taxes.  In fact, Curry County voters will also be considering a  lodging tax this November. Currently, visitors who stay in the unincorporated areas of Coos County only pay a 1% tax that goes directly to the State of Oregon.  If visitors stay in a city in Coos County, they currently pay a lodging tax imposed by the city as well as the state tax.  This county-wide tax would level the playing field, so a tourist will pay the same rate no matter where they stay in the County.

Coos County’s tourism industry is a key component of our economic future. Tourism provides a sizeable portion of the jobs and income in our County.   We can do a better job of marketing ourselves through tourism promotion, advertising and upgrading our tourist facilities, and a lodging tax would bring in the revenue needed to accomplish that goal. 
Vote yes on improving the future of Coos County.  Vote yes on 6-152.
 
Melissa Cribbins, John Sweet, and Bob Main
Coos County Board of Commissioners

The next meeting of the Coos County III% will be on
Thursday 10/15/2015
7 p.m. at Coos Bay Fire Station #1. 
Planning & Organizational Meeting.


The agenda is as follows (feel free to reply with other things you would like to discuss):

1. Curriculum for an upcoming medical trauma class
2. Local radio procedures
3. Setting a consistent day and time for III% meetings (i.e. the third Thursday of every month)
4. Setting up more range days and/or firearms training at a member's private property
5. Discussion of local school security and how we might assist with active shooter planning

Related Posts:
NOAA ~ Public Comment on Management Plan Review for Monterey Bay by Oct. 30
NOAA ~ Federal Involvement ~ What the Government Thinks of YOU
USACE ~ Comment on Permit Application Process Wednesday November 18, 2015
Beaver Slough Drainage District Tax Increase Resolution Meeting June 8, 2015
Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Presentation on Winter Lake Restoration Project
Family Fishing event featured during Family Fun Day ‏
Watchdog Keeps ODFW on Track with Rebuttal on Land-Use Issue
ODFW ~ Cormorant hazing aims to protect young fish ‏
USFWS ~ Email Exposes ODFW Lie About the Winter Lake Restoration Project
Fred Messerle Bankrupting Beaver Slough Drainage District to Harass Neighbor  
ODFW ~ Permit for the Winter Lake/China Creek Project,  Messerle Named Manager  
ODFW ~ Purchases Private Property for Wetland Restoration "Mosquito Preserve"
ODFW ~ Commission to Consider Land Grab in Willamette Valley December 5, 2014

The Elections Division is extending the deadline for comments on proposed OAR 165-005-0170 (Draft Oregon Motor Voter Registration Manual) to October 23, 2015. 

Our office has received extensive comments and suggestions about the contents of the mailer that will go out to potential registrants under the Oregon Motor Voter (OMV) program. Attached please find a draft of the OMV Mailer and Letter. The Elections Division is especially interested in feedback on the attached draft documents. All comments received to date will also be considered. 

 Written comments can be delivered as follows: 
emailed: elections.sos@state.or.us
faxed: 503-373-7414
delivered or mailed: 255 Capitol Street NE, Suite 501, Salem, OR  97310

To be considered, comments must be received by 5:00 PM on October 23, 2015. For more information, go to www.oregonmotorvoter.gov.

If you would like to be removed from the Elections Division administrative rules interested parties list, please respond to this email. 

Sincerely,
Summer S. Davis
Initiative, Referendum, Referral Specialist
Oregon Secretary of State, Elections Division
255 Capitol Street NE Ste 501
Salem OR  97310
503-986-1518

Breakfast Meeting Announcement
Bay Area Chamber of Commerce

Natural Resources Committee & Douglas Timber Operators

 Please join us for our October Breakfast Meeting featuring our guest speaker:

 Tim Walters ~ ODFW~ Program:

Coquille Valley Wildlife Area Restoration and Management 

RED LION HOTEL, COOS BAY
Friday, october 16, 20157:00 a.m.
No - host breakfast  


NOTE:  If you plan to attend, please help us guarantee adequate food and seating by calling the Bay Area Chamber Office at 541/266-0868.

Please RSVP to assure a place is set for you at the table.


Audrey Barnes
Executive Assistant
Douglas Timber Operators
3000 Stewart Parkway, Suite 104
Roseburg, OR 97471
Phone:  541-672-0757
Cell:  541-430-7037
Fax:  541-672-3833

Related Posts:
Coos County Approves Nature Conservancy's Tide Gate for China Camp Creek
ODFW ~ Conservation Opportunity Areas for Stealing Private Property
USACE ~ Comment on Permit Application Process Wednesday November 18, 2015
USFWS ~ Treating Private Property off the Bandon Marsh
The Mosquitoes Return to the Coquille Valley
Sweet Recall Meeting 7:00pm Friday July 31, 2015
Two Bills on Wetlands in Oregon Legislature SB544 Protects Landowners
ACTION ALERT ~ Bandon City Council Meeting Jan. 5, 2015 ~ Real Mosquito Report
Fred Messerle Bankrupting Beaver Slough Drainage District to Harass Neighbor  
ODFW ~ Permit for the Winter Lake/China Creek Project,  Messerle Named Manager  
ODFW ~ Purchases Private Property for Wetland Restoration "Mosquito Preserve"
Did the Mayor of Bandon Lie to the People of Coos County? 
Officials Obscuring Facts on the Bandon Marsh Mosquito Infestation
#USFWS Admits Fault for the Bandon Mosquito Infestation
Someone should have told the USFWS the Three Reasons Mosquitoes Suck 
USFWS---Coos County Public Health Joint Press Release Bandon Marsh Mosquitoes 

CG912Project Members and Friends, 

Am passing on the information shared with me to you.


We are all aware of what took place at Umpqua Community College last Thursday. At Monday's meeting, there was discussion as to how we could support Sheriff Hanlin and the victims of this tragedy. Sheriff Hanlin has actually been asked to resign by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. He has also taken a lot of grief from the media because of his position on the 2nd amendment.

On Friday, Oct 9th, 10 AM to 5 PM there will be a gathering/rally of people to support the Sheriff and the UCC Victims. The rally will take place in Roseburg on Garden Valley Rd between BLM and Fred Meyer.

This is NOT a political agenda. This is a gathering of support and attendees need to act in a way that honors the Sheriff, his department and the UCC victims. You are asked NOT to bring any political signs.

This event may be a very large one as people from Washington and California have expressed a desire to attend.

I know you've all heard the President plans on being in Roseburg on Friday. There is no definite time he might roll past the supporters. It has been suggested that if a possible motorcade rolls by you turn your back to the cars and drop all signs of support for the Sheriff and victims. This will be a silent protest of Obama's arrival against Roseburg's wishes.

Attendees are asked NOT to wear any organizational t-shirts or hats (no Oath Keepers, III%, 9-12, Tea Party etc.) attire as this will be a rally of support of individuals by individuals.

Please pass the word!

Thanks!

Pam Duffy
Liaison
Cottage Grove 912 Project
--Congressional District 4 Calendar: http://bit.ly/Oregon-CD4LibertyCalendar


Statewide Calendar of Events - http://bit.ly/OregonLibertyCalendar



Bob Sowdon 
Issues Committee
CottageGrove912project.org
Tweet @CG912Project
FaceBook Cottage Grove 912 Project https://www.facebook.com/groups/CottageGrove912/ 
Get Connected: http://connect.freedomworks.org/node/21443

Related Posts:
Open Letter to Rep. Bruce Westerman on Origins of CBWR in H.R. 2647
RPCC---Video of Candidate Forum for County Commissioner April 24, 2014
RPCC---Republican Monthly Meeting "Candidate Forum" April 24, 2014
RPCC---Republican Party Monthly Meeting "Candidate Forum" February 27, 2014
RPCC---Republican Party of Coos County Monthly Meeting January 23, 2014
Republican Party of Coos County Monthly Meeting December 19, 2013
RPCC---NO Republican Meeting for November have a Happy Thanksgiving. 
AFP---Patriots Picnic Saturday October 12, 2013
The Republican Party of Coos County Should Take a Stand
Republican Party of Coos County Monthly Meeting Thursday June 27, 2013
Political Leadership School Saturday June 1, 2013
Republican Party of Coos County Monthly Meeting April 25, 2013
Save the Mingus Memorial---Updated 3/31/2013‏
Greg Walden wants Your Opinion
Republican Party of Coos County Monthly Meeting 02/28/2013 At Red Lion  
Republican Party of Coos County Monthly Meeting 01/24/2013 At Red Lion 

Letter to the Editor 
 
In their lengthy 3 September message to the people of North Bend, the Veresen / Jordan Cove Energy (JCEP) attorney demanded facts and truth from concerned citizens, not emotion, when discussing the planned workers camp matter.  OK counselor; some clarification please.
 
First, telling the citizens of, and nearby, North Bend that their overburdened infrastructure must accommodate a 20% increase in population almost overnight causes emotion and reaction.
 
For 11 years the number of Jordan Cove Energy Project (JCEP) required temporary workers has frequently moved between 250 and 4,000 depending on the official or unofficial JCEP spokesperson, the audience, and for essentially the same LNG import, now LNG export, terminal.  Currently the JCEP advertised peak number of temporary workers is 2,100; the average number will be significantly lower.
 
For 11 years, expecting local struggling taxpayers (who will soon lose control of many tens of millions of their tax dollars) to give JCEP between five and 19 years of tax avoidance as promised to JCEP by our local elected, appointed, and self - anointed professional politicians, and for other valuable consideration, JCEP has repeatedly promised to give preference to hiring, and paying a premium to, skilled and unskilled workers from Coos County and from the southern coast of Oregon.  There must be at least 1,000 qualified skilled job seekers within daily driving distance (many who are currently under employed or overqualified) ready to start working tomorrow.  Labor unions and their members’ friends and families throughout Oregon have endorsed and supported JCEP relying on these promises to their thousands of dues paying job seeking members.
 
If Veresen / JCEP intends to keep its promise that its contractor and subcontractors will hire locals first (locals who do not necessarily possess LNG factory construction experience); if Veresen / JCEP intends to ensure that any successor company honors the JCEP promises and contractual obligations (including those promises that are set forth in the Community Enhancement Plan (CEP) that will never be legally enforced); and assuming that job seeking locals have homes; why is a workers camp that would make the Joad family envious, that is planned to accommodate at least the peak amount of 2,100 bodies (apparently assuming no locals will be hired), required to be situated under the McCullough Bridge? 
 
Fred Kirby
Coos Bay
25 September 2015

Hey Folks,

The following Press Release is good news for the tax payers of Bandon, because we no longer are the financiers of the Bandon Cheese Factory.  However, what they did not bother to mention is that the business is in an Enterprise Zone, so the corporation does not pay property taxes. 

Do you think that is fair to everyone else?

And, to top it off, the patriarch of the Drobot family pleaded guilty to one of the biggest fraud and bribery cases involving buying politicians to defraud the Medicaid system.     
City of Bandon---Local Developer Michael Drobot Admits to Bribery & Conspiracy 

Government Economic Development is a slush fund for redistributing money from the poor to the wealthy....Rob T. 

 Craft3 borrower Face Rock Creamery graduates to local credit union
by Jennifer Janda | Aug 19, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

08/19/15


Contacts:    Jennifer Janda, Craft3 Marketing Manager, 888-231-2170 ext 205

                  Greg Drobot, Face Rock Creamery President, 619-756-7910

                  Lucette Lovell, First Community Credit Union- Vice President Commercial Lending, 541-396-2145

Craft3 borrower Face Rock Creamery graduates to local credit union

Loan originally made to bring cheese and jobs back to Bandon is refinanced by First Community Credit Union.

BANDON, ORE. - Craft3 announced the start-up loan it made to Face Rock Creamery in Bandon, Oregon has been paid off. First Community Credit Union refinanced Craft3’s loan and provided additional capital to purchase a city parcel. Craft3 considers it a win-win for everyone involved.

In 2012, City leaders backed local developer Greg Drobot’s idea to open a new cheese factory, Face Rock Creamery. But there were problems securing financing to make the project a reality. Start-up capital for rural businesses is hard to find.

“The banks are extremely difficult to deal with if you’re a startup, and unless you’re a business with a long track record of financials it is damn near impossible to get a loan,” Drobot said.

That is when he learned about Craft3, a nonprofit lender. Craft3 specializes in lending to businesses unable to access financing from traditional sources. Craft3 provided Drobot with loans for the construction of the cheese factory and retail store and to purchase production and retail equipment.

Since opening, Face Rock has been a huge success. Not only does it employ 20 people full-time, Face Rock Creamery cheese is available in almost 2,000 grocery stores across nine Pacific Northwest states, including Costco, Fred Meyer and New Seasons.

“After two years in operation, we were able to get conventional financing. But we would have never made it where we are today without Craft3,” he added.

“Craft3 is proud to have helped bring cheese back to Bandon,” shared Craft3 Senior Business Lender, Brad Hunter. “When a loan client like Face Rock Creamery qualifies for traditional financing, we consider it huge a success. Everyone wins.”

Craft3 considers itself to be a hands-on financial partner. It is an advocate for its clients, staying in close touch with the business owner and offering its expertise wherever possible.

“First Community Credit Union appreciates alternative lenders like Craft3 that can help start-up businesses in rural communities grow and thrive,” explained First Community Credit Union Vice President, Lucette Lovell. “We strive to build lasting partnerships and as a financial partner of choice in our communities, I would like to thank Greg Drobot for choosing First Community Credit Union. We are excited to be Face Rock Creamery’s local financial partner.”

Craft3 lends to businesses, government agencies and nonprofits that strengthen the region.

• Business Loans are available for financing commercial real estate, energy efficiency upgrades, start-ups and expansion of businesses needing working capital, acquisitions, inventory, fixtures, equipment and related business property. 
• Nonprofit Loans are available to finance community development projects, health care, childcare, environmental conservation and human services initiatives.
• Conservation Loans are available to conservation organizations to acquire sensitive lands, restore habitat, and protect water quality.

Learn more about Craft3 and its loans at www.Craft3.org.

###

About Craft3

Craft3 is a nonprofit CDFI lender that invests in businesses that create jobs, strengthen the economy and reduce environmental impacts. Its mission is to strengthen economic, ecological and family resilience in Pacific Northwest communities. Craft3 does this by providing loans to entrepreneurs, nonprofits, individuals and others who don’t normally have access to financing. It then complements these financial resources with expertise, personal connections and other advocacy for its clients. Learn more at www.Craft3.org and www.Craft3.org/Videos. 


About First Community

First Community Credit Union has been serving Oregonians for nearly 60 years, and with more than $850 million in assets and 73,000 members, today we are among the strongest credit unions in the nation. As a federally insured, not-for-profit, full-service financial institution, we're dedicated to helping our members and our communities prosper through solutions that result in financial success, as well as personalized service that focuses on transparency, simplicity, and trust. We offer all the benefits of a big financial institution, but with personalized, cost-saving services that are in your best interest. Nearly anyone can join! With minimal membership eligibility requirements, it's easier than ever to discover the benefits of banking with First Community. Call us today, we are ready to help your business grow, 888-396-2145. Learn more at www.myfirstccu.org.