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2 Wednesday, October 5, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O N Robert B. Reich American Voices Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address and phone number. Let- ters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: Amidst bad news, bad behavior, and just plain meanness comes the story of Josh Erskine and the book he wrote (“co-wrote” as he says), “Inque.” To not only take on the pain of a friend’s suicide but to turn it into a force for good is inspirational. I love that he used the project to further his education, honor a friend, and create a fund dedicated to suicide prevention. The story made me cry and then it made me celebrate. I bought the book on Amazon and a couple to share as well. I am grateful to The Nugget for running the story and grate- ful to Josh for his courage, kindness, and perseverance. Karly Drake-Lusby s s s To the Editor: There is controversy over some NFL play- ers sitting down, locking arms, or raising fists in protest of injustice in America during the National Anthem prior to NFL games. I am a Vietnam veteran, and spent my career in law enforcement. I am a huge sup- porter of the 1st and 2nd amendments. My reaction is one of complete anger and disgust towards these self-righteous “children” who have gained so much on the backs of those who gave everything. Having spent two tours in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, I’ve witnessed the horrendous price paid for our freedoms; selfless acts that completely exacerbate the pettiness of contemptuous behavior during the National Anthem. These overpaid prima donnas need to take their protests elsewhere so I, and I’m sure millions of other patriotic Americans, don’t have to witness their dis- graceful tantrums while I enjoy football. Good for Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who made it clear to his “employees”: show respect or lose your job. Pat Bowe s s s To the Editor: Deschutes County needs Sheriff Nelson. As longtime residents of Deschutes County, we have seen our community change from what has been described as “an artsy resort community in the high Oregon desert” to what Aspen is to Colorado. Over 50,000 residents have been added to our population since the 1990s. Bend’s See letterS on page 28 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday thursday friday Saturday Sunday Monday Showers Partly sunny Mostly cloudy Mostly sunny Partly sunny Partly sunny 54/32 60/37 64/38 69/37 69/37 63/na The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Fax: 541-549-9940 | editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. Publisher - Editor: Kiki Dolson News Editor: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Williver Classifieds & Circulation: Teresa Mahnken Advertising: Karen Kassy Graphic Design: Jess Draper Proofreader: Pete Rathbun Accounting: Erin Bordonaro The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $45; six months (or less), $25. First-class postage: one year, $85; six months, $55. Published Weekly. ©2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as uncondition- ally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially, that all rights are currently available, and that the material in no way infringes upon the rights of any person. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photos, or manuscripts. Last week, Congress engaged in a bipartisan bar- rage of CEO bashing. The Senate Banking Committee assailed Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf for pushing employees to create as many as 2 million bogus bank and credit card accounts without customer consent — making custom- ers pay overdraft and late fees on accounts they never knew they had. Meanwhile, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform criticized Mylan NV CEO Heather Bresch for raising the price of its EpiPen, an emergency allergy treat- ment, forcing customers to pay $608 for a two-pack that had cost $100 in 2009. Noting that Mylan had sought legislation to increase the number of patients who receive prescriptions for EpiPens, Rep. Mick Mul- vaney, R-S.C., angrily told Bresch: “You get a level of scrutiny and a level of treat- ment that would ordinarily curl my hair, but you asked for it.” Such shaming before con- gressional committees tends to reassure the public that Congress is taking action. But, especially with Repub- licans in charge, Congress is doing nothing to prevent the wrongdoing from recurring. Can we be clear? CEOs have only one goal in mind: making money. If they can make more money by mis- leading or price-gouging, they’ll continue to do so until it’s no longer as profitable. For years we’ve watched Congress grill CEOs of Wall Street banks about bank fraud. If it’s not Wells Fargo’s sham accounts, it’s JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, whose bank failed to report trading losses. (Remember the “London Whale”?) Or it’s Gold- man Sachs’ Lloyd Blank- fein, whose firm defrauded investors. Republicans rage at the CEOs who appear before them, but they haven’t given the Justice Department enough funding to pursue criminal charges against corporations and executives who violate the law. They haven’t even appropriated enough money for regula- tory agencies to police the market. Funding for the Consumer Financial Protec- tion Bureau, for example, is capped at 12 percent of the Federal Reserve’s operat- ing expenses. Even now, Republicans are trying to put the CFPB’s funding into the appropriations process, where it can be squeezed far more. Congress has allowed Wall Street banks and phar- maceutical companies to accumulate the sort of vast market power that invites wrongdoing. Similarly, for years we’ve watched Congress condemn CEOs of pharmaceutical companies for price-goug- ing. If not Mylan’s Bresch, it’s Turing Pharmaceuticals’ Martin Shkreli, who jacked up the price of Daraprim — used to treat life-threatening infections — from $13.50 to $750 a pill. Or Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ Michael Pearson, who quadrupled the price of Syprine, used to treat an inherited disorder that can cause severe liver and nerve damage. Or Amphastar Phar- maceuticals CEO Jack Y. Zhang, who hoisted the price of naloxone, used in cases of heroin overdoses, to more than $400 a pop. Yet Congress has not enacted any laws prohibiting such price-gouging. To the contrary, as with the banks, Congress has allowed phar- maceutical companies to accumulate the sort of vast market power that invites wrongdoing. Mylan and other phar- maceutical companies can engage in price-gouging because they’re the only ones producing these lifesav- ing drugs. Congress has made it ille- gal for Americans to shop at foreign pharmacies for cheaper versions of same drugs sold in U.S., and it hasn’t appropriated the Food and Drug Administration enough funds to get compet- ing versions of lifesaving drugs to market quickly. Instead of setting up fur- ther rounds of CEO perp walks for the TV cameras, Congress should give the Justice Department and regulatory agencies enough funding to do their jobs. © 2016 By Robert Reich; Distributed by Tribune Con- tent Agency, LLC Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.
