Way to go Baker City, Oregon

I heard this interview tonight on the 7 PM Eastern show on Fox.

Baker City, Oregon is a little town, about 10,000 people I think (give or take a few folks) in Eastern Oregon. The county seat of Baker County. Baker City is far from the leftist kooks running Portland into the ground…and 5 or 6 hours from that lunatic Governor in Salem.

The city is trying to set itself up as a sanctuary city…for common sense. What a concept. It’s going to take work because so much of what happens in that state is being dictated by far left woke nutjobs.

Here’s what the Mayor said…courtesy of foxnews.com.

Baker City, Oregon mayor Kerry McQuisten told “Fox News Primetime” Monday she is taking it upon herself to fight back against Governor Kate Brown’s COVID-19 restrictions by declaring a state of emergency because the state’s mandates are “hurting our people more than the virus.”

McQuistion: “The common sense sanctuary idea was brought forth by business owners and citizens in town. What came from that after meetings and public testimony and more public testimony and then a work session, was a resolution and a letter to the governor. The resolution is we are declaring a state of emergency. We are saying these lockdowns and mandates are hurting our people more than the virus.”

“What we don’t have is the ability as a municipality to come up against OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] and prevent those fines. What we do have is the ability to stand up for our citizens and give them a voice and that’s what we have done. Hopefully, if this resolution spreads like wildfire across Oregon, which it seems to be doing, the people will realize that the power has always been with them. If you think about it, if all of these businesses that are facing lockdowns open up at once, there is no physical way for OSHA to be able to police that system.”

This line is key… “We are saying these lockdowns and mandates are hurting our people more than the virus.”

The mayor went on to say…” We are backed into a corner at this point. These businesses either have to just go out with a whimper or shut their doors or they have to fight back. We have been backed into a corner by the governor. We don’t really have a separation of powers in Oregon right now. We have a Supreme Court that overturned an effort to overturn her emergency powers. We have a legislature that has done nothing all year. They need to look at her powers and take them back. As a result, we have a governor who keeps giving herself more and more power.”

I don’t know if this idea will spill over into other smaller cities in Oregon. I hope it does. Oregon has a huge geographical area in the southern and eastern part of the state that proudly rejects the bad ideas of the left. Hard working farmers and ranchers and proud residents of cities with 5 or 10 or 15000 people getting by despite the stupidity coming out of Salem and Portland as people like Governor Brown try to out liberal her neighbors to the north and south.

I m proud of my friends in Baker City!

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Here’s more on a simple idea…maybe it will work in your town.

Back in February a pair of small business owners, Shannon and Whitney Black contacted the mayors office asking for the city to stand for their opportunity to run their business.

The Blacks propose a “Common Sense Sanctuary” for city businesses.

“The couple explain the concept in the letter, writing “business owners would then be free to devise individualized safety measures for employees and customers and confidently open their businesses. Each business would be free to determine the most effective way to keep their unique customer population happy, healthy, stress-free and contributing to our local economy.”…Whitney Black said she and her husband have noticed the fluctuating business restrictions have contributed to a widespread sense of helplessness and frustration
…“This just stinks for everybody,” Whitney said…
Baker County has been in the extreme-risk category, and thus subject to the most stringent restrictions on businesses and other activities, for all but two weeks since the state instituted the four-category system Dec. 3.”

I guess I m the only one who cares but it’s good to see a small town fighting back and standing up for its citizens!

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I think this may become more prevalent as more and more people, businesses and local govts have had enough.

They are also not saying to hell with it all, they are giving businesses the ability to do what works for them as not all are one size fits all.

I agree…I know a lot of people in that town and that region. They are rightfully fed up with the nonsense coming from the leftists who unfortunately dominate the state from three or four west side counties. This country has somehow gone from 15 says to flatten the curve 14 or 15 months ago to people who’ve in some cases invested thousands in trying to set up their businesses to meet government mandates only to have the government continually alter those mandates every other week.

It’s time to let the American people make these decisions for themselves instead of endlessly saddling us with the stupidity of bureaucracy. We know who the vulnerable people are…protect them, let the rest of us live our lives…and maybe stop randomly letting new illegals who shouldn’t be here storm across the southern border undoing all the progress we’ve made…and shipping them all over the country.

Coincidentally, the chamber of commerce, a small business group, and small business owners tend to donate heavily to Republicans. I am sure these lockdowns that have devastated small businesses in America had nothing to do with that.

Nahhhhh…Democrats wouldn’t do that!!!:roll_eyes:

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These businesses either have to just go out with a whimper or shut their doors or they have to fight back. We have been backed into a corner by the governor.

^^^^ This is true in many areas across the US and I hope all would stand up for themselves and us all ^^^^^

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That’s why I started the thread.

It’s not easy but there are ways to battle the kook fringe left.

Lol a common sense sanctuary.

PoMo as .gov. What could go wrong?