The Democratic Party of Douglas County had a great time at the Douglas County Fair. It was good to see old friends and make some new ones. There are many issues of the day and while presidential politics are important, the Democratic Party of Douglas County believes we have much in common on local issues. We seek to learn where we can work together and tend to matters right here where we live.
In following that ideal we designed a nonpartisan survey to offer people from all walks of life in Douglas County a chance to answer 12 questions. Many people walking by were obviously hostile to us but it was not a bit surprising that when Republicans took the survey there was no dramatic differences. There were some interesting trends and comments.
The first question was: Where do you live? Of the 240 people who took the survey, 120 were from the city of Roseburg; 77 were from an incorporated town other than Roseburg; 27 were from the country and 16 people lived on more than 10 acres. This means the vast majority of respondents were from town.
The next question was how old are you? Twenty people were between 15 and 21; 39 were between the ages of 21 to 40; between the ages of 41 and 65, there was 79 citizens and 102 were over 65 years of age. In all of these groups half were from Roseburg.
The third question was: Do you see the effects of a changing climate in Douglas County? The overwhelming response at 80+ percent said yes. This was in all age groups and all locations.
Next was: Are local governments doing enough to help the homeless? Twenty people chose not to answer and 44 people, or 18.33%, said yes; 176 people said no governments are not doing enough for the homeless. This was 73.33% from all ages and areas. One respondent commented “governments were doing more than enough” and another said governments needed to do different things but was not sure what they might be.
Question 5 was: Have you considered buying an electric car? The results were split 50-50 across all ages and locations. Several comments were that the price was too high, several people said they had hybrids.
Question 6: Scientists at OSU have said a major earthquake is coming to Oregon’s coast. Are you aware of this prediction? Slightly over 84% said yes and the vast majority of the people said no, live in Roseburg.
Question 7: Are you aware that local timberland is being sold to out-of-state investors? This was interesting the split was almost 50-50 between yes and no, but the vast majority of the individuals who live in the country or on 10+ acres said yes. There were also strong comments that the respondents did not like this; no one said they did.
Question 8: Would you be willing to consider a program where government money allowed local communities to buy and manage timberland as Community Forests? Without knowing exactly what this concept might be, 72.5% said yes and more people chose not to answer than those who said no. What is a Community Forest?
Number 9: Should tourism be encouraged for the economy of Douglas County? Slightly over 83% said yes and only 10.8% said no. There were many comments on this question mostly disparaging the county commissioners.
Question 10: Currently timberland owners of less than 5,000 acres pay a severance tax when they sell logs. Landowners over 5,000 acres pay no tax. Do you think anyone selling logs should pay a severance tax? This was a confusing question and over 10% did not answer. Of the 62% who said yes, the people who lived out of town were unanimous
Question 11: Do you think the State of Oregon has mismanaged the legalization of cannabis? Another interesting response: 52.65% said yes and 36.76% said no. The majority of people over 40 said yes and the majority under 40 said no. There was a substantial number of people who did not answer.
The last question was: Studies have shown that the Winchester Dam harms fish runs in the Umpqua River. Should the Winchester Damn be removed? This question had 15% no answer, 43% said yes and 41% said no. Many comments on this one. Some people said it was beautiful and a well known feature on Interstate 5. Others said they liked the fish viewing opportunity. Those who wanted it gone were quite vehement in the damage done to the fisheries and the process by which the Water District got their permits.
Rural Oregonians have a lot more in common than we realize in a world of controversy and sound bites. We have a lot to be thankful about as well. The Democratic Party of Douglas County seeks civil dialogue and honest debate towards making the Umpqua a better place to live.
This article was published in the News-Review on Aug 27 2023.
コメント