Useful Propaganda - Baker Co Democrats, DPO

***click pic for full size***L/R Chuck, Roxanna, Mike ,Randy, Craig, Marilyn, Linda, Marie, Ed

There are a lot of ways to propagandize, George II recently showed one way at the Knesset, the kind of thing that gives the word a bad name. Then there is this way of doing it, the Baker Co Democrats of Democratic Party of Oregon would like our name associated with positive images in the public's mind; so we adopted a section of OR Hwy 86 from I84 to the base of the hill leading to the BLM Oregon Trail Interpretive Center as well as Hell's Canyon. This is a well traveled section of road leading to several of our county's more notable landmarks.

The well travelled part means that it also gets a fair share of trash deposited along side the road, so for the propaganda value of a sign stating that Baker Co Democrats have adopted the road ODOT (Oregon Dept of Transportation) gets to have volunteers clean it up a couple times per year. This is a win for each organization, ODOT doesn't have to spend money and resources cleaning that section of road and it is cleaned and BCD is publicly acknowledged as doing something in the community interest - that doesn't involve a candidate.

For organizations interested in doing this, the procedure is pretty simple, ODOT has a list of road sections, you select the one you'd like to do, and commit to doing it a couple times per year. There will be a mandatory safety orientation meeting and participants need to sign a waiver that they know what they're doing (over 16 years) and ODOT will provide signage, bags, vests, and grapplers (pick up stuff tools) and pick up the filled bags along the road. Nothing really to it other than a few hours a few times a year of picking up trash. Yes, there can be stuff you shouldn't touch, like meth lab debris and other nasties, mostly it is just the kinds of things that either blow off vehicles or are tossed by unthinking individuals. For this, ODOT will place highway signage stating "Adopted by *****."

Travelers, please note that we all live in a beautiful country, you can do your part to keep it that way, where ever you are headed there is a place to put that trash that doesn't involve spoiling the countryside. BCD appreciates the propaganda value of the sign, but we'd more enjoy it being unnecessary. BCD thanks ODOT and everyone else that participates in this worthwhile endeavor.