Opinion
LABEL
4A
Saturday, April 4, 2020
The Observer
THE COMMON GOOD
COVID-19 and the
Trump budget
B
etween 100,000-240,000 Americans will die from
COVID-19 unless there is an immediate nationwide
stay home/stay healthy/save lives order. More than 10
million Americans have lost their jobs. As much as 32% of
the American labor force is likely to become unemployed,
eclipsing 25% unemployment during the Great Depression.
In response, Congress passed a $2 trillion relief package
that meets some, but not all, of our immediate need. Sen.
Bernie Sanders and other Democrats are asking for additional
legislation. Congress, they contend, must work quickly to pass
a new stimulus bill ensuring that every working family in
our country is made whole, that ends the anxiety people are
experiencing wondering how they’re going to pay their rent
and utility bills, put food on their tables and access needed
health care without
unaffordable out-
of-pocket expense.
BILL
Republicans appear
WHITAKER
reluctant to consider
additional relief.
As the COVID-19
crisis persists, Congress will need to pass a budget for fiscal
year 2021. Budgets represent our values. The way we spend
our money shows what we care about. We need a budget that
supports the common good.
President Donald Trump’s proposed FY2021 budget hurts
health care, hurts rural communities and small farmers and
ranchers and increases hunger and malnutrition nation-
wide. Although Trump’s budget is unlikely to pass while
there is a Democratic majority in the House of Representa-
tives, it’s worth close attention in an election year. If Trump is
re-elected, Republicans keep control of the Senate and win a
majority in the House, Trump’s budget will shape our lives.
Trump’s budget cuts Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention programs for chronic disease prevention and health
promotion by $237 million. It cuts $500 million from Ameri-
ca’s Health Block Grant, which would use funds from the Pre-
vention and Public Health Fund for state-based chronic dis-
ease programs within CDC. It cuts $897 million from National
Cancer Institute funds. It eliminates health professions training
programs. Over 10 years it cuts Medicare by $845 billion,
Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies by $777 billion. It
eliminates Medicaid expansion under the ACA.
Of particular importance to Eastern Oregon, Trump’s
budget contains many provisions that hurt rural communities,
farmers and ranchers. It eliminates Rural Economic Devel-
opment, Conservation Stewardship and Livestock Forage
Disaster funding. It reduces the average premium subsidy
for crop insurance from 62% to 48%. It eliminates the Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Community
Services Block Grant. It eliminates Preschool Development
Grants and School Kitchen Equipment Grants. The budget
reduces funding for the Temporary Assistance to Needy Fam-
ilies block grant and eliminates the TANF contingency fund.
Trump also hurts Eastern Oregon rural communities by
budget cuts that increase hunger and malnutrition. His budget
cuts SNAP (Food Stamps) by about 30%, a $220 billion
reduction over the next 10 years, and eliminates SNAP-Edu-
cation. It cuts funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants and Children by 15% and main-
tains flat funding for the breast-feeding peer counselor pro-
gram. It cuts national school lunch and breakfast programs by
$1.7 billion over 10 years and eliminates funding for Farmers
Market Nutrition and Food for Progress programs.
The president’s budget reduces discretionary nonmilitary
spending 5% and increases military spending 9%. If the pro-
posed $1.3 trillion cuts to nonmilitary programs had to be
replaced by religious charity, each religious congregation in
the U.S. would have to give an extra $375,000 per year for the
next 10 years. Could your place of worship absorb those costs?
The Trump administration is proud of its proposed cuts
to nonmilitary spending. According to a senior administra-
tion official expressing concern about the national debt, “This
budget will have more reductions in spending than any presi-
dent in history has ever proposed.” Prior to COVID-19 legisla-
tion, the deficit has swollen largely because of the Republican
tax cuts enacted last year.
If we truly want a “Budget for America’s Future,” as the
president puts it, then we need a budget that ensures families
have access to quality, affordable health care, enough food
to feed their kids, affordable housing and decent-paying jobs
with decent benefits. The president’s budget takes us in the
opposite direction.
About the Author
Bill Whitaker lives in La Grande. He is professor emeritus
of social welfare at Boise State University. He taught commu-
nity organizing, social policy and planning for 40 years while
serving on national social work education boards and state
legislative task forces.
Editor’s Note
“The Common Good” is the new monthly column from
Bill Whitaker of La Grande. We’d like to add other local col-
umnists. If you’re interested in providing a regular column,
please email editor Phil Wright at pwright@lagrandeob-
server.com.
Your views
Bill Miller will bring new
energy and talent to
UCSO
Every four years as a voter you
have the duty and responsibility to
select the person who will serve as
county sheriff — “the chief exec-
utive officer and conservator of
the peace of the county” (ORS
206.010).
When there are more than one
running for the position, you must
evaluate who you think will best
serve the needs of the county for
the next term.
The fact that the incumbent has
been in office for more than one
term does not necessarily mean
he is the best choice. As a former
Union County District Attorney
(1971-1984), I concluded that for me
three terms of service was enough
and the position required new
energy and talent. I believe this is
true for other service positions.
New leadership and new vision
are valuable. Our current sheriff
has been in office for 16 years, and
now there are three other candi-
dates, two having been members
of the sheriff’s department, run-
ning against him. This should cause
you the voter to question why this
is so as you are making your choice
on the ballot. It is time for you to
examine the qualifications of lead-
ership, variety of experiences,
goals, integrity and promise of ser-
vice to you the electorate for the
next four years of each candidate
for Union County Sheriff.
Bill Miller spent five years on
the sheriff’s command staff as
a detective sergeant and has had
experience in other areas including
corrections, patrol, drug task force,
and parole and probation. He is
anxious to bring transparency,
communication and accountability
to the sheriff’s office.
Join Ginny and me with your
vote for the candidate we feel is the
most qualified to be the next sheriff
of Union County: Bill Miller.
Dale Mammen
La Grande
Stay with Rasmussen for
Union County sheriff
Here come all the “vote for my
pal” letters. Happens every time
there’s an election.
Boyd Rasmussen is the Union
County sheriff. He’s done that job
for a while now. I haven’t read
about some attorney taking over
our county jail on his watch. No
one has told me all sorts of “woe is
me” tales about the sheriff’s office
being in jeopardy for this or that.
The sheriff’s office isn’t in litiga-
tion for any wrong doing I’m aware
of.
Seems to me the sheriff’s office
is running pretty well, looking
from the outside in.
I know if I call Boyd I can talk
with him on the phone. I know if
he’s busy I can make an appoint-
ment to see him. I know he and I
hold many similar views from con-
versations with him and what he’s
said when I’ve heard him speak in
public.
I don’t know why I’d care what
someone who doesn’t even live
in my county has to say about my
sheriff. It’s inconsequential to me.
I don’t know why I’d vote to
send someone not qualified to be
my sheriff to the police academy
for 16 weeks on my tax dollars to
become qualified to do the job I’d
already be paying for.
I don’t know why I’d pay
someone to reinvent the wheel: con-
tacts important to the job, develop
inroads attained from years of ser-
vice etc. It’s not always what you
know. Often it’s who you know.
I don’t know why I’d consider
folks that say one thing and do
another. Let’s see, a deputy is in
charge of union business, that orga-
nization votes to support the cur-
rent sheriff. The deputy leading the
union resigns his position and runs
against his boss. The association
withdraws their support. Re-read
my first sentence.
It’s not time for a change while
things are going fine. It’s time for
change when they aren’t.
I’ll vote for Boyd Rasmussen
again. He does what he gets paid
for and more. You do what you like.
That’s the great thing about our
republic: we get to choose.
Michael Gove
La Grande
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Donald Trump: The White
House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Wash-
ington, D.C. 20500; 202-456-1414; fax
202-456-2461; to send comments, go to
www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
State Rep. Greg Smith (57th Dis-
trict): Salem office: 900 Court St. NE.,
H-482, Salem, OR, 97301; 503-986-1457.
Heppner office: P.O. Box 219, Heppner,
OR 97836; 541-676-5154; Website:
www.oregonlegislature.gov/smithg.
Email: rep.gregsmith@oregonlegisla-
ture.gov.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative
documents and information are available
online at www.leg.state.or.us.
City of La Grande: Mayor Steve
Clements, City Manager Robert Strope;
P.O. Box 670, La Grande, OR 97850; 541-
962-1309; fax 541-963-3333.
Union County Commissioners:
Donna Beverage, Matt Scarfo and Paul
Anderes; 1106 K Ave., La Grande, OR
97850; 541-963-1001; fax 541-963-1079.
Wallowa County Commissioners:
John Hillock,Todd Nash and Susan Rob-
erts; 101 S. River St., Room 202, Enter-
prise, OR 97828; 541-426-4543, ext. 11; fax
541-426-0582.
Elgin City Councilors: Mayor Allan
Duffy, 501 N 11th St., 541-437-1016, may-
or@cityofelginor.org; Mary West, 260 N
5th Ave., 541-805-0443, councilor3@city-
ofelginor.org; Kathy Warren, PO Box 697,
541-786-9611, councilor6@cityofelginor.
org; Risa Hallgarth, PO Box 525, 541-
437-9462, councilor2@cityofelginor.org;
Rocky Burgess, 800 N 14th St., P.O. Box
854, 541-786-2417, councilor1@cityofel-
ginor.org; David Reed, 1011 Detroit St.,
PO Box 368; 541-975-3306, councilor4@
cityofelginor.org; Ryan Martin, council-
or5@cityofelginor.org.
La Grande City Council: Mayor
Steve Clements, Gary Lillard, Nicole
Howard, Corrine Dutto, Mary Ann
Miesner, Jim Whitbeck, Justin Rock;
through the city manager’s office, 541-
962-1309.
City of Cove: Mayor Del Little, (503)-
508-6727, 504 Alder St., P.O. Box 8, Cove,
OR 97824; City Recorder Donna Lewis,
(541) 568-4566.