My Dreams of a Better World v2 It's what I'm up to after hours...

The full resolution reads:

RESOLUTION No. 3881

RESOLUTION DECLARING AN ECONOMIC, MENTAL HEALTH, AND CRIMINAL ACTIVITY CRISIS DUE TO THE CURRENT COVID-RELATED STATE EMERGENCY DECLARATION AND RELATING OSHA MANDATES AND GUIDANCE

WHEREAS, the Oregon Governor’s Executive Order 20-03: Declaration of Emergency due to COVID-19, and all subsequent and related OSHA guidance, and present and future executive order extensions of such are arbitrary, ineffective, and draconian; and

WHEREAS, we as a municipality have no legal ability to summarily flout these mandates, guidelines, and enforcement by OSHA, and therefore cannot protect any local business from State-directed targeting, repercussions, and penalties if such local business personally chooses to; and

WHEREAS, we also recognize that neither city, county nor the state government has the legal right to flout the Oregon State Constitution or the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, we do believe our citizens are fully capable of making their private, individual healthcare and lifestyle decisions themselves; and

WHEREAS, we recognize that COVID-19 is indeed a contagious virus and contagious viruses do exist in the world; and

WHEREAS, science has shown over the last year that COVID-19 is overwhelmingly survivable and lockdowns do not stop its spread; and

WHEREAS, all models and projections used to justify initial state emergency mandates have been proven inaccurate over the past year; and

WHEREAS, our local hospital and health care system are not overwhelmed with COVID cases, and never have been; and

WHEREAS, Baker City is obligated to adopt regulations designed to promote the public safety and general welfare of its citizenry; and

WHEREAS, a majority of our local businesses directly attribute state lockdowns and OSHA guidelines as solely responsible for their inability to earn a living or pursue other rights as outlined in our State and U.S. Constitutions, and therefore we believe their property is being unconstitutionally seized by the government without due compensation under the auspices of inappropriately weaponized State agencies; and

WHEREAS, too many businesses in Baker City are on the brink of permanent closure, creating a fiscal emergency and a devastated local economy; and

WHEREAS, too many businesses in Baker City have already closed their doors permanently as a result of the Governor’s emergency declaration; and

WHEREAS, the Governor’s lockdown and masking mandates are actively creating division and unrest with the increased potential of physical violence within our community as those of one opinion are encouraged by it to impose their opinions over the free will of those of another in a physical way, and we are obligated to address and prevent crime; and

WHEREAS, the limited number of beds in our local County Jail is resulting in an ongoing “cite and release” system that puts criminals straight back on the streets to further victimize our community immediately after arrest; and

WHEREAS, the Governor’s mandates result in pitting local law enforcement against law-abiding citizens rather than criminals, which damages our community’s strong relationship with our valued local law enforcement, and which is a dynamic no community should tolerate; and

WHEREAS, deliberate isolation of the ill in hospitals or the elderly left to die alone of that isolation is the cruelest of abuses and is not to be accepted in any civilized society; and

WHEREAS, it is a violation of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution for a government to limit how our churches and citizens choose to practice their religious freedoms, which are crucial to mental health; and

WHEREAS, social distancing and prolonged isolation are proven to create a number of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, sometimes pushing individuals over the edge toward suicide as a last resort; and

JorieJ, [30.04.21 15:49]

WHEREAS, that same social distancing and prolonged isolation, combined with unemployment and other stressors, are increasing cases of domestic abuse and violence; and

WHEREAS, we believe in the kindness, compassion, and common sense of our citizens and businesses to help protect the most fragile and susceptible in our community; and

WHEREAS, fear is a tool of untruth, manipulation, and control – characteristics all of which do not reflect the values of our citizenry; and finally

WHEREAS we are mindful of the sentiments of our founding fathers such as Patrick Henry who said, “Give me liberty or give me death;” and Samuel Adams who said, “Our unalterable resolution should be to be free;” and Thomas Jefferson who said, “The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive,” and, “What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?”; and finally, John Adams, “But a constitution of government once changed from freedom can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever”;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we declare an economic, mental health, and crime crisis due to the current COVID-related State Emergency Declaration and related OSHA mandates and guidance, as a means of loudly and symbolically supporting our citizenry; and

BE IT RESOLVED, the City will communicate in writing with the Governor’s Office to encourage

the full opening of our city and county, recategorization to low-population status, or

suggesting other means necessary to give our citizens relief from these mandates; and

BE IT RESOLVED, the City will support upcoming legislation, dependent upon its straightforward and unharmful wording, which provides reparations to business owners who have had their businesses and income taken without compensation; and

BE IT RESOLVED, the City will support future statewide ballot initiatives that limit the duration and extent of Governor’s emergency powers, which may create similar lockdown scenarios during future emergencies, natural disasters, and pandemics; and

BE IT RESOLVED, the City will share this resolution with other Oregon cities, counties, and media outlets in the hope those entities will also speak more loudly; and

BE IT RESOLVED the City recognizes the citizenry of Baker City are free, sovereign individuals within a Constitutional, Representative Republic, not subjects or slaves, and will be recognized as such as we firmly stand to represent them.

PASSED by the City Council of the City of Baker City, Oregon and signed by the Mayor of Baker City,

Oregon, this 23rd day of March 2021.

SIGNED: Kerry McQuisten

Mayor