I’m writing in response to Debbie Clark’s letter to the editor in the May 18 Observer.

Clark is spreading misinformation and attempting to mislead voters and deteriorate support for volunteer emergency services.

She started spreading misinformation on Facebook on May 4, May 5 and beyond. I corrected her several times with the correct information. She continued to debate the facts.

In response, the city council added an agenda item to both the work session and regular session to answer questions. The city administrator also drafted a summary document relating to all of the inaccurate information.

Clark was informed by several individuals of this agenda item and was invited to attend. She was not present at the meeting. This document was shared online, and she was made aware of the existence of the document.

It is obvious that Clark does not appreciate nor support the volunteers of the Union Emergency Services/Union Rural Fire Protection District.

This movement was driven by said volunteers and we are now seeing the result of several years of hard work by over a dozen people, both within the fire department and citizens outside the department.

The city budget is not $552,243 as she has stated. She is getting those figures from resolution 2023-08 (resolution to adopt the 2023-2024 budget).

The actual budgetary expenditure is $199,804 after deducting capital outlay (reserve funds for future capital expenditures), contingency (funds held for possible unplanned expenses) and unappropriated funds (funds held as carry over into the next fiscal year).

As Clark is a former mayor (although recalled 13 months after taking office), I would expect that she would be able to read resolutions and budgets better.

Clark claims that city citizens pay a property tax for fire and an EMS fee for EMS services.

URFPD is funded by property taxes by citizens in the Rural District. Union Emergency Services is funded solely by the $10 EMS fee paid by city water users. If the annexation passes, the EMS fee will terminate and city residents will start paying the same property tax as rural district residents pay.

Don George

Union

The new question surrounding us is whether AI can be good for us or a complete failure. New technology on our iPhones will let individuals diagnose their health concern before they enter a hospital for care. Putting the answer before the question prior to the hospital visit with the doctor. Putting the hospital in your living room.

You can place an iPhone on your chest and a health app will gather the information and you will get an immediate opinion, maybe even better than from the physicians.

This is a truly unique time-saver and also a money saver. This is a future all could benefit from.

Or new technology in AI could be a detriment to society. Will AI be more intelligent than the human brain, more accurate and always on, without human help (humans need to rest and rehabilitate themselves occasionally)? John F Kennedy once said. “Technology has no conscience of its own.”

But in recent years that has been put to rest, and new laws in AI are now being put into law that before had been ruled out and prohibited.

The world is becoming more receptive to AI and what it will bring to make our lives easier and less costly.

It is only a matter of time until it is commanding our lives. It should be a step-by-step process and not all at once, which experts in the field of artificial intelligence are promoting and already being implemented if we realize it or not.

Mike Brink

Enterprise

A couple years back, I applied for a table at the La Grande Farmers Market. The board refused, saying “we aren’t doing any controversial things.”

My “controversial thing” was providing information about public school performance, and the need for reform, not only locally but nationally. And engaging the public in discussion.

Apparently, in La Grande, criticizing or discussing a school district where only 14% of 11th graders meet state standards in mathematics, or where first graders have access to “inappropriate” (pornographic) material on the district website, is beyond the pale.

Public school performance is a sacred cow for some in the community, including the media.

The La Grande Farmers Market has regularly provided a table for the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center to sell books and engage with the public, with lots of prominent LGBTQ+ flags seen at their table. The market’s registration table also prominently features this flag every Saturday.

The La Grande Farmers Market Board should have the integrity to admit that it doesn’t really exclude all “controversial things,” just those that don’t align with its particular political views.

The board should follow its own mission statement. Like creating a “vibrant community gathering place” for all, not just those who think like they do.

Steve Boe

La Grande