Drilling for oil in Alaska

What could be anybody’s objection of having Congress permit drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? At least allow a hearing on it. The calendar is full of items that will be going nowhere this year, but this could if people want oil.

Do you remember the oil pipeline in the 1970s drilled and paid for by the oil companies? The pipeline ran for 700 miles through tundra, over rivers, over hills, over mountains, the Alaska Range, and to Tidewater with no problems. Talk about putting people to work — there were thousands of men and women who were on a

24-hour, seven-day-a-week schedule. They also had room and board. This did not hurt the caribou, all they did was walk under the pipeline, which is raised up for their migration. The oil line has been going for 30-plus years; has anybody heard of problems?

Not for the pipeline you haven’t, and keep in mind that those who worked on it made great wages. They made $2,000 a week with the Teamsters. Houses were paid off, cars were bought. This can be checked by calling any union in Alaska.

Call or write your congressman and ask them to put this on the congressional calendar.

Howard A. Baker, Sweet Home

The move to a nursing home

Last fall I put my 85-year-old Mom in Century Fields assisted living in Lebanon.

She had lived with my wife and me for a year after a heart attack. An apartment came available, so I put a deposit on it, and my daughters and son-in-laws all pitched in and completely furnished it.

That Wednesday back in December when we told Mom she had a new home, she was not very happy with the family and me. Now after six months, she has met a lot of new friends and she now plays bingo for the first time in life.

There are lots of activities and Century Fields is like a four-star hotel. All the staff is caring and very helpful. I would also like to thank Rachel, Marsha and Robert at the Department of Human Services in Albany for all their help.

I know there are hundreds of baby boomers in the area who are in the same situation or are going to be in the future. I highly recommend Century Fields in Lebanon.

Tom Aldrich, Lebanon

Cart ordinance lacks logic

It looks as though Albany is going to have a new ordinance in place after the May 28 city council meeting. I’m really struggling with the logic involved in such a decision.

Is the council saying that the stores who provide carts for the convenience of their customers are also creating an attractive nuisance for vagrants? Are they saying that it is the store’s own fault that the carts get stolen and then dumped? That the stores are “asking” for it by providing the carts in the first place?

Are they saying that it is the store’s responsibility to locate and retrieve property that has been stolen from them? Are other businesses held to the same standard? Is the council implying that the stores are responsible for the litter that their stolen property creates?

I may not be the brightest streetlight in the city, but I can’t find the logic behind fining a business for the illegal dumping of property that was stolen from them.

Come to think of it — there are a lot of other businesses in the city whose “property” ends up as litter. Fast food restaurants could be held responsible for the dumping of their food wrappers by irresponsible customers.

Where do we draw the line of responsibility? The carts are stolen property! How can the city hold the stores responsible?

Perhaps the council should amend the ordinance to include everyone who is found to have things stolen from them and dumped. Woe be to me if my lawn statue ends up in the canal!

Bill Daley, Albany

Support those who aid animals

In response to Dorothy Doakes’ letter, “Animals need services too,” kudos to you, Dorothy, for supporting SafeHaven Humane Society. I am also a supporter of the local animal shelters. There are others out there who also do great work. One person I would like to mention is Julie Shoemaker. Julie rescues cats, spays/neuters, nurses them back to health and has a store in Brownsville, “Paws for the Cause,” where she adopts them out to good homes. Julie recently rescued at least 30 cats from a house in Lebanon that no other agency could handle. It’s the start of kitten season now and I know she could use some support.

Her nonprofit is Spay Inc., P.O. Box 746, Brownsville, OR 97327. I know any donations would be appreciated. There are other bird and animal rescue organizations out there doing great things. Thank you all.

I would also like to say a word for Linn Benton Food Share, just one of the agencies in our area helping people. Even though they just had a food drive through the postal service, people tend to make monetary donations at the end of the year. I’m sure they and many others would be grateful for any thing you can give. Their address is 545 S.W. Second St., Corvallis, OR 97333.

Greg McLagan, Albany