Letters to the Update are the opinions of the  writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Bill Eagle, or that of his wife, children, mother, father, sisters , brothers, domestic pets etc..
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From Clean Industries For Small Town 7/23/10
I just heard Marty, the owner of KOHI, hang up on Bill Eagle on the Friday talk show. Marty said he did not want to hear any questioning about the new plastic factory coming into South St. Helens. Bill simply asked if there was going to be any melting of plastic involved. Marty said that would be part of a second phase of the project, but didn't care what kind of industry came here as long as it brought jobs. Then he hung up abruptly on Bill. Marty said he will not listen to any hint of negative comments about any industry. Period.

Marty, the public is not allowed to be even a little concerned about what kind of industry comes here? Are we so Third World that anything goes? I am disgusted that you hang up on people who call your so-called call-in show if they aren't mindless supporters of industry. Don't question pollution. Don't question wages, backroom deals, not having to pay any taxes, etc. Forget all the lousy industries we've already suffered through. Recently a tire recycling plant wanted to come to town -- and it was stopped by concerned citizens. Now the community in Eastern Oregon that accepted this industry is dealing with a failing plant that didn't deliver what it promised. Marty would have welcomed this business with open arms.

"All industry is good" is not how to build a decent community. We should welcome businesses that won't make us sick. Welcome businesses that treat employees fairly. Welcome businesses that give at least as much as they take. We have had enough of industries that leave a bankrupt mess behind for taxpayers to clean up.
I have heard nothing that says the new plastic recycling facility is a poor fit to our area -- at least with phase one. Phase two may also be a good fit, as long as it has good pollution controls. That is a reasonable thing to ask. As a supporter of recycling plastic, I am hopeful the new plant will be an environmentally sound company.

That said, it's clear that Marty doesn't care if Columbia County attracts foul industries -- after all, he doesn't live here. He just wants growth so he can sell more expensive ads on his radio station.

Anyone who loves small towns and wants to attract high-quality industry is backwards, according to Marty. Anyone who doesn't proudly sport a brown nose when dealing with industry riles Marty up. He said he doesn't want to hear any bad stuff about past crappy businesses here. None of that remembering history so you don't repeat it stuff!

Sorry, Marty. People deserve better than foul industries lurking in the shadows -- trying to find a place where the people are desperate, uneducated, naive, and government is corrupt. People in China are committing suicide because working conditions there in factories are so horrible. People have to wear masks because the air in Chinese cities is filthy from industrial pollution. We need jobs, but there should be some standards -- we aren't slaves!

Maybe Marty should leave KOHI if he can't tolerate listening to views of ALL area residents. He demands callers be "positive", then gets nasty and treats people poorly who hint at being able to think.

I can think. I think I'll quit listening to the call-in show for awhile. All you get to hear is Marty's opinions, not anyone else's.

From Don Fell 7/23/10
Subject: Fw: Jury Duty call = ID theft
Pass this on to your grown children. This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below). Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summon summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced.
The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo, your identity was just stolen.
The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma , Illinois , and Colorado This swindle is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system.
The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites , warning consumers about the fraud.
Check it out here: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm
Yep! It's true
Please make sure and pass this on

From Mike From Gold Beach 7/20/10
The federal deficit increased 189% under Reagan
this baloney the GOP saying why they won't vote for an unemployment extension is just that
baloney