Wednesday, February 22, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
TOWN HALL: Wide
range of subjects
touched on at event
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Russia,” Wyden said. “With no
explanation, this president has
broken with decades of pol-
icy with respect to Russia. If
Vladimir Putin had done what
he has with Ukraine human
rights violations and poison-
ing of journalists… If that had
happened under a Democratic
or Republican president in the
past, they would have moved
very aggressively, whether
with sanctions or any other
steps and now there is no
explanation.
“Obviously this has raised
concerns, and now these sto-
ries of very substantial finan-
cial relationships of Trump
with the Russians. Given
the fact that every presiden-
tial candidate in the last 40
years has published their tax
returns… tax returns don’t
lie. Tax returns tell us about
allegiances with foreign gov-
ernments. In terms of Russia,
he might say those are more
important than the American
people.”
In a recent open intel-
ligence committee meet-
ing, Wyden was told by FBI
director James Comey that
he couldn’t say anything
about open investigations into
Russia-Trump ties. Wyden
pointed out that Comey had
plenty to say about open inves-
tigations 11 days before the
election. Now there is going
to be a bipartisan investigation
with open hearings, subpoenas
served, and declassification of
information.
Wyden assured the audi-
ence this matter was important
for people all over the state.
“I am not going to let it
(possible Russian ties) get
swept under the rug. In my
view, American people have
a right to see Michael Flynn
walk into an open intelligence
hearing, raise his right hand,
and explain to all of you what
exactly happened. In America
the truth always comes out
and the truth is going to come
out about Russia. Count on it,”
he said.
On the topic of immigra-
tion and the travel ban, Wyden
reminded the audience “that
first and foremost we are a
nation of immigrants.” His
parents came to America after
fleeing Nazi Germany.
“I think this travel ban is
unconstitutional and is a thinly
veiled religious test,” Wyden
said.
He believes the travel ban
will go all the way to the
Supreme Court and will still
be declared unlawful.
One audience member
challenged Wyden’s charac-
terization of the travel ban and
asked whether he accepted the
outcome of the election.
“Yeah, I think he (Trump)
was elected president,” Wyden
responded.
One audience member
commented to The Nugget
later that he was very disap-
pointed that only one person
in the audience clapped when
Wyden affirmed his accep-
tance of the outcome of the
election. He said he thought
that was a sad commentary
on the state of the national
attitude.
In addressing the chal-
lenge regarding the travel ban,
Wyden stuck to his position,
but thanked the questioner for
having the courage to speak
out in front of an audience that
was obviously on the other
side of the issue and he said
that this kind of dialogue is
what is needed.
When asked about the
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), Wy d en
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people together. I take a back
seat to no one in trying to take
a bipartisan stance.”
In response to a ques-
tion after the meeting from
The Nugget regarding what
might happen to the cost of
insurance whatever happens
with the Affordable Care Act,
Wyden replied:
“If they just repeal it, or use
these executive orders, what’s
going to happen is insurance
companies are going to pull
out, providers are going to
pull out, and the risk pool will
shrink. There will be mostly
people who have a high
degree of sickness and premi-
ums will go up for the people
both inside the exchanges and
outside the exchanges because
the people you have in the risk
pool are largely people with a
fair amount of illness.
“So to me, what would
really make sense, and they’re
starting to see that their ideas
don’t add up, is that they
drop this partisan idea and
they work with those of us
who have a history of being
bipartisan.
“The first thing I’d say is
that the individual insurance
market, which is only about 6
to 7 percent of the people, is a
big part of the cost increases.
Let’s make the insurance mar-
ket pools much bigger so you
spread the cost and the risk
through it to hold the cost
down and be in a position to
get more healthy people in the
pool. “
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people with pre-existing con-
ditions),” he said.
In response to a question
about fake news, Wyden said
the best way to fight fake
news is by supporting a free
press, and then the free press
must persist in its job.
Wyden addressed questions
about the possible elimina-
tion of the Office of Violence
Against Women (Attorney
General Jeff Sessions doesn’t
support it), marriage equal-
ity, women’s health (he said
he’s not going to see the right
taken away of a woman to
see the doctor of her choice),
guns (he says that 92 percent
of Oregon gun owners sup-
port background checks), and
infrastructure (including the
energy grid and broadband).
“Never let a politician con-
vince you that you have to
give up your liberty to have
your security,” Wyden warned
regarding cyber security. “You
have a right to policies that
give you both.”
In 2006 Wyden introduced
the first net neutrality bill
and he gave a warning about
the possibility of an informa-
tion aristocracy – people of
wealth offered faster and more
Internet connection.
“The net has been a democ-
ratizing force,” Wyden said,
and he doesn’t want to see that
change.
Wyden told the audience,
“If there’s one thing I want
to be remembered for it is
that I was a force for bringing
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confirmed that newly
appointed head of the EPA,
Scott Pruitt, is not sympa-
thetic to the Oregon Way
when it comes to the environ-
ment. He is hopeful, however,
that Republican Ryan Zinke
of Montana, the nominee for
Secretary of the Interior, will
be a reasonable steward of our
natural resources.
“I want no private interests
having their way with our pub-
lic lands,” Wyden reiterated.
Throughout the meeting,
Wyden stressed his belief that
only with bipartisan actions
will Congress be able to
accomplish things for the good
of the country. He has a strong
record of successful bipartisan
efforts, often working across
the aisle with Republicans. He
believes in finding common
ground.
With the current adminis-
tration “not playing within the
lanes,” proffering “alternative
facts,” Wyden said he fears
that extraordinary damage
may be done to our democ-
racy. He pointed out, however,
that here in Oregon we are
leading the nation in repre-
sentative government with the
most town hall meetings in the
country.
The Affordable Care Act is
going to present a lot of tough
battles, according to Wyden,
especially when it comes to
pre-existing conditions and
lifetime limits.
“We can’t go back to the
days of discrimination (against
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