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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 2015)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Thursday, November 19, 2015 OTHER VIEWS Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW Half of Pendleton council doesn’t want public input 7KHJURXQGLVVKULQNLQJDURXQG :KDWLVOHVVXQGHUVWDQGDEOHLV 3HQGOHWRQFLW\FRXQFLORUV7RP WKHXQ\LHOGLQJGHVLUHRIDOOIRXUWR <RXQJ1HLO%URZQ-RKQ%UHQQH NHHSYRWHUVIURPKDYLQJDVD\LQWKH DQG%HFN\0DUNV PDWWHU 7KH\¶YHVWDNHGWKHLUSRVLWLRQRQ :K\":KDWDUHWKH\DIUDLGRI" WKHTXLFNO\HURGLQJ Maybe the LVODQGRIDEDQ FRXQFLORUVUHDOL]H It makes sense they are in the DJDLQVWPDULMXDQD EXVLQHVVHV%XW PLQRULW\DQGGRQ¶W to be against WKH\¶YHDOVRVWDNHG want to be proven marijuana RXWDQHYHQOHVV RXWRIWRXFKE\ VWDEOHDQGOHVV DQHOHFWLRQGD\ businesses, SRSXODUSRVLWLRQWR ODQGVOLGH0D\EH NHHSWKHSXEOLFIURP WKH\WKLQNWKH\ but it’s hard having any say on to understand NQRZEHWWHU WKHPDWWHU WKDQWKHSXEOLF 7KHIHDUVRPH WKDWPDULMXDQD being against a IRXUVRPHFODLPV LVDFRPPXQLW\ public vote on destroying weed that WKHSXEOLFDOUHDG\ had their say on the FLWL]HQVFDQQRWEH the matter. matter when it voted WUXVWHGZLWK0D\EH on Measure 91 WKH\OHJLWLPDWHO\ EDFNLQ$OWKRXJKWKHPHDVXUH WKLQNWKH'($LVJRLQJWRVFUXE 3HQGOHWRQRIIWKHPDSIRUVXFK SDVVHGHDVLO\VWDWHZLGHLWIDLOHG LQVRXFLDQFHHYHQDVVWDWHDIWHU ZLWKLQWKHFLW\OLPLWVRI3HQGOHWRQ VWDWHEHJLQVWRUHOD[LWVUHFUHDWLRQDO DQGLQ8PDWLOOD&RXQW\ PDULMXDQDUXOHV %XWWKDWDUJXPHQWGRHVQ¶WSDVV %XWLW¶VMXVWDVSRVVLEOHWKDWWKH PXVWHU7KHSXEOLFYRWHGRQDQRWKHU PDWWHUEDFNWKHQ²WKHOHJDOL]DWLRQ IRXUFRXQFLORUVKDUERUDGLVWUXVWRI WKHSXEOLF¶VDELOLW\WRFKRRVHWKHEHVW RIUHFUHDWLRQDOPDULMXDQDXVHIRU FRXUVHIRUWKHFLW\ DGXOWVLQ2UHJRQ7KHQH[WYRWH $OOHLJKWFRXQFLORUV¶HDUVDUH ZRXOGEHRQDQHQWLUHO\GLIIHUHQW VXUHO\UHGIURPEHLQJEHQWVRRIWHQ LVVXHDQGLW¶VSRVVLEOHWKDWVRPH RQWKHWRSLF$QGZHUHDOL]HLW¶VXS 3HQGOHWRQLDQVZRXOGFKDQJHWKHLU WRHDFKWRGHFLGHLIWKHDUJXPHQWV PLQG PDGHE\WKHLUFRQVWLWXHQWV²ERWK ,WPDNHVVHQVHWKDWVRPH WKHLUIULHQGVDQGWKRVHWKH\GRQ¶W SHRSOHZLOOQHYHUFKDQJHDQG NQRZ²DGGXS UHPDLQVWDXQFKO\DJDLQVWDOORZLQJ %XWLW¶VKDUGWRLJQRUHWKHVKLIW PDULMXDQDLQWKHLUFRPPXQLW\,WKDV EHHQDIDVWHYROXWLRQIURPHGXFDWLRQ QRWMXVWLQOHWWHUVWRWKHHGLWRU DQGRQVRFLDOPHGLDEXWLQWKH WKDWIRUJHQHUDWLRQVGULOOHGLQWKH VWUHHWVFRIIHHVKRSVVWRUHVDQG IDFWWKDWDOOGUXJVPXVWEHIRXJKW QHLJKERUKRRGVRI3HQGOHWRQ DWDOOFRVWV6XFKDTXLFNFKDQJH ,I<RXQJ%URZQ%UHQQHDQG LQRXWORRNFDQEHXQVHWWOLQJDQG 0DUNVDUHLQWHQWLRQDOO\LJQRULQJ LW¶VXQGHUVWDQGDEOHWKDWSOHQW\RI WKHSXEOLF¶VGHVLUHZHVXJJHVW SHRSOH²LQFOXGLQJWKHVHIRXU FRXQFLORUV²ZRXOGQ¶WEHFRQYLQFHG WKH\UHWKLQNWKHLUUROHVDVSXEOLF VHUYDQWV E\WKHOHJDOL]DWLRQFURZG Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of Publisher Kathryn Brown, Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, and Opinion Page Editor Tim Trainor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. 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Friedman won the 2002 Pulitzer RIKRZELJWKHFKDOOHQJHLV Prize for commentary, his third Pulitzer for 6L[W\\HDUVDJR$VLDQGLFWDWRUVWROGWKHLU SHRSOHLQHIIHFW³,DPJRLQJWRWDNHDZD\\RXU The New York Times. He became the paper’s foreign-affairs Op-Ed columnist in 1995. IUHHGRP²EXWJLYH\RXWKHEHVWHGXFDWLRQ YOUR VIEWS Time to think positively about Pendleton’s problems 1HZVÀDVKIURPFLW\KDOO7KHPD\RUDQG FLW\FRXQFLOZHOOVRPHRIWKHPDWOHDVW GHVHUYHDQDSRORJ\-HUU\&URQLQ(YLGHQWO\ \RXOLYHLQVRPHIDQWDV\ZRUOGZKHUH\RX H[SHFWUDWLRQDOGHFLVLRQVIURPRXUHOHFWHG RI¿FLDOV7KHUHDUHVHYHUDOSRVLWLYHWKLQJVWKDW GHVHUYHUHFRJQLWLRQ :HDUHSUREDEO\WKHRQO\FLW\RIWKLV VL]HWRDFWXDOO\RZQIUHHDQGFOHDUD³5RDG WR1RZKHUH´:LWKWKHFLW\¶VIXOO¿QDQFLDO VXSSRUWZHQHDUO\KDGDPXFKQHHGHG.RUHDQ UHVWDXUDQW:HDUHSUREDEO\WKHRQO\FLW\ RIWKLVVL]HWRKDYH³VSHHGEXPSV´RQWKHLU 0DLQ6WUHHW$ZHOOGHVHUYHGWKDQNVIURP/HV 6FKZDELVGH¿QLWHO\LQRUGHUKHUH ,I\RXERWKHUHGWRFKHFNRXWWKHSODTXHVRQ WKH0DLQ6WVWDWXHVRWKHUWKDQ5HTXDDQGWKH PDGDP\RX¶G¿QGWKDWEHVLGHVWKRVHJHQHURXV LQGLYLGXDOVOLVWHGZKR,¶PVXUHSHUVRQDOO\ ¿QDQFHGWKHSURMHFW\RXDUHLQFOXGHG7KRXJK QRWVSHFL¿FDOO\PHQWLRQHG,WKLQN³7KH &LW\RI3HQGOHWRQ´LVDOOLQFOXVLYH7KDW¶VD ZHOOGHVHUYHG³7KDQN<RX-HUU\´ 2XUFLW\LVWKHODUJHVWUHDOHVWDWHRZQHULQ WKHFLW\OLPLWVDQG,¶PVXUHWKH\KDYHDGDUQ JRRGUHDVRQIRUKRRGZLQNLQJWKHFRXQW\ RXWRIWKRVHH[WUDPLOHVRIVWUHHWV%\WKH ZD\WKHROG(LJKWK6WUHHWEULGJHLVIRUVDOH 7KHVDOHRIWKLVYDOXDEOHDQWLTXHVKRXOGPRUH WKDQPDNHXSIRUWKHORVWUHYHQXHH[SHFWHG IURPWKHJDVWD[IDLOXUH/XFNLO\DVLQJOH LWHPVSHFLDOHOHFWLRQNHSWFRQIXVLRQRYHUDQ\ other pending issues to a minimum — pretty WKRXJKWIXORQWKHSDUWRIWKHFRXQFLO <RXMXVWKDYHWREHDOLWWOHPRUHSRVLWLYH 7DNHVRPHWLPHDQGYLVLWWKDWQHZ6HUJHDQW &LW\GHYHORSPHQWQHDU2OQH\,WZLOOUHLQVWLOO WKDWORVWFRQ¿GHQFH\RXKDYHIRURXU OHDGHUVKLS Rick Rohde Pendleton Early voting states have too much power in elections $VZHUXVKLQWRWKHQH[WPDMRUHOHFWLRQ QRZOHVVWKDQD\HDUDZD\WKHVDPHTXHVWLRQ FRPHVXSRYHUDQGRYHU7ZRVWDWHVDOZD\VRQ WKHWLSRIWKHUHSRUWHUV¶WRQJXHV ,WKLQNLWXQIDLUWKDWWKH\DUHDOORZHGWR GRPLQDWHWKHHDUO\HOHFWLRQIXU\DQGXQIDLU WKDWWZRVWDWHVJHWDOOWKHQHZVDWWHQWLRQ ,ZRUU\DERXWVWDWHVIDUDFURVVWKHODQGWKDW PLJKWFXWRXWFDQGLGDWHVIRUZKRPZHPLJKW ZDQWWRYRWH Thomas L. Farney Hermiston LETTERS POLICY The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send letters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.