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Legislators deserve praise for phone poll

May 23, 2009 letter to Herald and News by Virginia Topham, Sprague River

    I notice that articles in support of the Klamath River Restoration Agreement make the front page. The news in opposition to the Klamath River Restoration Agreement appears buried inside the paper. Coincidence?

    Congratulations to State Sen. Doug Whitsett and Rep. Bill Garrard for commissioning the survey of Klamath County residents on our views on the Klamath River Restoration Agreement.

    Maybe the large majority of local opposition to the so-called agreement, including dam removal, will demonstrate how out of step the Herald and News has been on this issue.

    Hopefully this realization will lead to more even-handed reporting on this subject in the future.

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of HeraldAndNews.com. Comment Disclaimer: The editors of heraldandnews.com reserve the right to refuse publication of any comment posted for consideration. We may refuse for any reason, including use of profanity, disparaging comments, libelous comments, etc. Any reader who notices a comment they believe is particularly offensive, should notify us at webmaster@heraldandnews.com.

D.A. wrote on May 26, 2009 8:37 AM:

" I just have to assume that there will be some restraint once the dams are removed to keep the areas from flooding, and to keep all the supply of water from just rushing out to sea. All parties to this day are not represented at the table which is a game stopper for me. I also believe the power companies should pay for the removal. Of course they would pass the buck on to us with no federal restraints to stop them, so why not. It is just like the Valdez oil spill, it is their neglect but we pay for it. The power company has been soaking us for years and now we have to pay for the dams to be removed plus also the gov't is letting them raise our rates too. Well these politicians are in there pocket, I won't be praising any politician in this endeavor because it is where the buck comes from and not public opinion. "

Its otherwise called extortion wrote on May 25, 2009 7:57 PM:

" If this is" a private company working with the federal government on a business decision" then why are both parties asking for the ratepayers (who have NO say in this matter) to pay for their decisions?

PacifiCorp testified three separate times in government hearings that they would NOT remove the dams if they were not being forced to.

That's hardly a "business decision" -that's called extortion by anyone's definition. "

Word your own poll wrote on May 25, 2009 7:50 PM:

" The questions were prepared by a professional survey company called "Target Market Strategies". The legislators did not write the questions, nor the answer choices, according to the survey data sheet.

Anyone in the least familiar with polling know that the reputable companies are not allowed to preface poll questions with explanations. Also, all polling companies put questions in the order they desire and carry it out how they want to. ie: random computer selection of all registered voters from an area, etc.

That's why a portion of any population is unfamiliar with polled questions.

What is so biased about " Do you support or oppose removal of the four Klamath hydroelectric dams "? That's about as straight a question as there is.

Question: If you think it is such a slanted poll, why don't the federal project and tribes do a poll themselves?

Answer: They would NEVER do a poll because no matter how they worded it, the public does not support dam removal, secret meetings and the tribes controlling the water of the basin - plain and simple. "

Dave wrote on May 24, 2009 8:15 AM:

" It's pretty much a done deal and whining isn't going to change it. Obama says he'll sign the bill. You have to look at the bill and at least see the good parts of it. It's not like it's a lose lose situation. "

Slanted wrote on May 24, 2009 6:18 AM:

" That was the most slanted poll I have ever seen. It starts out with what the pollsters wanted: "Do you want dams removed," and then it goes downhill all the way in order to get what they wanted without all the facts. Most of us do not want the dams removed, but we do want water!! We do not want another 2001!! I thought the article regarding agreement was a huge step forward in this issue helping our Basin towards a settlement. Remember, the dam removal issue is beyond any of our influence. IT IS A PRIVATE COMPANY WORKING WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON A BUSINESS DECISION!! Let's move on from the issue of dam removal to how can we come to an agreement with everyone on the WATER issue. "