Chas B. Davis
IVN Contributing Writer
On March 1, more than 30 Valley citizens gathered at the I.V. Visitors Center for a demonstration in response to the recent mass firings of government employees.
The demonstration was marked by the presence of homemade signs with messages such as “WE ALL NEED FORESTRY WORKERS,” “FORESTRY JOBS ARE ESSENTIAL,” “HONK IF YOU SUPPORT YOUR NPS,” “WE NEED NATIONAL PARKS,” and “HONK IF YOU LOVE YOUR RANGERS.”
Participants expressed their discontent and worries regarding the firings. Comments from the crowd included: “Musk isn’t cutting out the deadwood. He’s taking a chainsaw to the new growth,” “Who will fight the forest fires?” and “Who will staff the parks?”
One local resident in attendance was former Cave Junction mayor and retired National Forest Service employee Rita Dyer.
Dyer showed concerns, highlighting the impact on veterans. “Many veterans work for the federal government after they leave the service. These veterans, along with all federal employees, have a probationary period whenever they change positions, therefore not all employees on probation are new employees. Many have a long career with the federal government and are changing locations or have been accepted for promotions.”
“Those are not real jobs producing federal revenue, by the way. They’re consuming taxpayer dollars. Those jobs are paid for by the American tax people, who work real jobs, earn real income, pay federal taxes and then pay these federal employees,” said U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia during a Feb. 25 House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing. Green then added, “Federal employees do not deserve their jobs. Federal employees do not deserve their paychecks. And these are jobs that can be fired at will.”
Dyer responded to this statement to the Illinois Valley News: “Those jobs are paid for by the American tax people, who work real jobs, earn real income, pay federal taxes and then pay these federal employees. Maybe she doesn’t know that federal employees are also federal taxpayers.”
One rabble rouser commented, “Trump promised to replace taxes with ‘beautiful’ tariffs. However, eliminating most of the government is the only way to make that work. The alternative is huge debt. That is what this is all about.”
Another unnamed protester suggested that there were other ways to reduce waste besides eliminating what we have in common. The Truman Committee in 1942, is an example. Harry Truman found and cut government and military waste. But he didn’t destroy the military in the process.
The demonstration reflected some of the community’s shock and dismay at national developments.