Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2016)
6 CapitalPress.com February 26, 2016 Editorials are written by or approved by members of the Capital Press Editorial Board. Opinion All other commentary pieces are the opinions of the authors but not necessarily this newspaper. Editorial Board Publisher Editor Managing Editor Mike O’Brien Joe Beach Carl Sampson opinions@capitalpress.com Online: www.capitalpress.com/opinion O UR V IEW T TPP deserves U.S. stamp of approval he Trans-Pacifi c Partnership agreement will not throw open the doors of all Pacifi c Rim nations to U.S. farmers and ranchers. But it’ll do the next best thing. It will provide a huge opportunity for U.S. agriculture to do more business with a half a billion consumers that represent most of our biggest and best trading partners — and develop fast- growing markets that offer huge potential in the future. U.S. agriculture, especially in the West, is trade-dependent. Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California export about $30 billion a year in agricultural goods, mainly to Pacifi c Rim nations. Included in the TPP are nearly all of those nations: Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Peru, Vietnam, Chile, Brunei, Singapore and New Zealand. The TPP represents a balancing act that will reduce and eventually eliminate confi scatory tariffs ranging up to 40 percent. Top 5 agricultural exports from the Northwest and California, 2013 Rank California Washington Idaho Oregon 1 2 3 4 5 Fruits/nuts Fruits/nuts Wheat Wheat Vegetables Vegetables Dairy Fruits/nuts Dairy Wheat Vegetables Vegetables Cotton Dairy Beef/veal Dairy Rice Beef/veal Feed/fodder Beef/veal Value of ag exports (Billions of dollars, 2013) California $20.1 billion Washington Idaho Oregon 4.5 2.4 Source: USDA ERS Alan Kenaga/Capital Press 2.1 Under the TPP, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam will eliminate all tariffs on fresh and processed fruits, potatoes and potato products and tree nuts. Malaysia and Vietnam will eliminate tariffs on dairy products and wheat and wheat products, and Japan and Canada will develop tariff-rate quotas that will allow more U.S. dairy products to be sold there. The TPP also ensures that sanitary and phytosanitary measures used by the TPP partners mirror U.S. food and agriculture safety policy and can be no more restrictive than allowed by the World Trade Organization. This will help take the politics and protectionism out of the standards, do away with unnecessary tests and make for more effi cient port of entry procedures. Free trade is critical to U.S. agriculture. Whenever U.S. ag exports catch a cold, farmers get pneumonia. Consider the prices of beef, dairy and other commodities sold overseas. The price of each is sensitive to overseas demand and the value of currencies. As demand goes up, so do prices. Cattle and milk prices have taken particularly deep plunges as of late, in no small measure because of fl agging demand overseas. Though TPP will not sweep aside all of the roadblocks to trade with the 11 other nations, it will go a long way toward leveling the playing fi eld. Our two largest trade partners — Canada and Mexico — are included in the TPP, which provided a forum to revisit the O UR V IEW Minimum wage bill has too much downside T he Oregon Legislature has passed a three-tiered minimum wage bill, and Gov. Kate Brown is set to sign it. The only thing good that can be said about it is that it is better than alternatives earlier proposed by lawmakers, and much better than a hike to $15 touted by proponents who are gathering signatures for a November ballot initiative. In Oregon, proponents of hiking the minimum wage say $9.25 an hour just isn’t enough for workers to meet their minimum living expenses, particularly in high-priced Portland. The bill passed was presented as a compromise to an across-the-board hike. Under the bill, the minimum wage all across Oregon will climb in July to $9.75 per hour. It will climb at regular intervals, but at different rates depending on the locale, through 2022. The minimum wage gradually will climb to $14.75 in 2022 within the Portland urban growth boundary, which includes parts of Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties. It will rise to $13.50 in Benton, Clatsop, Columbia, Deschutes, Hood River, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk, Tillamook, Wasco and Yamhill counties, and parts of Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties outside Portland’s urban growth boundary. In rural areas, the minimum will increase to $12.50. Those areas include Malheur, Lake, Harney, Wheeler, Sherman, Gilliam, Wallowa, Grant, Jefferson, Baker, Union, Crook, Klamath, Douglas, Coos, Curry, This letter is aimed at Don- ald Trump supporters. I hope that you will not be lulled into the euphoria of grand state- ments by a political candidate and put your mark in a box that you will live to regret. Trump has said, is saying, what every right-thinking American wants to hear. I hope that you will take time to check into his past, listen to his past statements and decide if you really think this is the person who can best lead us back to prosperity. He says he will build a wall and the Mexicans will pay for it. How? He will put tariffs on Mexican and Chinese goods. What he will do is get us in a By STEVE GHAN F Umatilla and Morrow counties. There are measurable differences in the economies of various locales within the state. Portland is far more robust and diversifi ed than John Day. Employers in Oregon’s “rural” communities will have an easier time dealing with a minimum wage of $12.50 rather than $14.75. But a business’s location does not determine its ability to pay a higher wage. Low-margin businesses struggle no matter where they are located, particularly if they compete with people who have lower labor costs. Hood River fruit growers who will pay $13.50 won’t get more for their fruit than growers in Umatilla County who will pay $12.50. Nurseries within Portland’s urban growth boundary paying $14.75 will be at a competitive disadvantage with nurseries down the road but outside the boundary paying $13.50. Eastern Oregon onion packers, who will pay the lowest rate, say they already struggle to compete against packers in Idaho who pay $7.25. They promise to move east. None of that could matter if 15 Now Oregon makes good on its promise to put an initiative on November’s ballot that would increase the minimum wage to $15 statewide by 2019. Obviously, this would be far more ruinous. Proponents suggest businesses can easily absorb a wage increase or just hike prices. They say no one will lose their job or have their hours cut. They’ve also never covered a payroll or sold a product. It’s a laudable goal to raise the prospects of unskilled workers. Pricing them out of the job market isn’t the way. We would all be better off by promoting policies that encourage the creation of better-paying jobs, and facilitate the training of workers to fi ll them. Readers’ views Vote for a real conservative Fee on fossil carbon would help save our snowpack For the Capital Press Rik Dalvit/For the Capital Press trade war. He has no political philos- ophy. He is a PAC. He distrib- utes money wherever it will do him the most good. Would a conservative Republican ever consider giving money to Harry Reid, Charlie Rangel, Charles Schumer, the DNC or the Clintons? He gave $1,000 to the Republican Campaign Committee and $20,000 to the Democratic Campaign Com- mittee in the same year. Is this the man you want to nominate the next Supreme Court justice? Think about it, there are three extremely im- portant things that will hap- pen in November that could change the direction of Amer- ica. Number 1 and most im- portant is the Supreme Court nominee, Number 2 is the president of the United States and Number 3 is for the Re- publicans to keep control of Congress. Instead of picking a brash unknown quantity, think about putting that X in Ted Cruz box. Ted has a philos- ophy that he practices every day of his life. He will appoint a nominee who will defend the Constitution of the United States and not write law from the bench. He will defend and con- trol the borders of the United States. He will demand a re- write of our tax laws that will bring corporate money back and also encourage business- es to expand and new busi- nesses to start. He will undo Obamacare and encourage a health plan that is affordable for all. He will tear up the agreement with Iran and track and annihilate ISIS wherever they operate. He isn’t afraid to say “Radical Islamists.” He will strengthen our mil- itary and be proud that we are the most powerful country in the world. He will work to balance the budget and reduce the national debt. He will defend the sec- ond amendment of our Consti- tution. He will undo all of the regulations that stifl e business that Obama enacted without the consent of Congress. Ted believes in limited gov- ernment! Think about it, folks. This might be the one and only time to get it right. Vote for a proven conservative. If you are on the other side, vote for Bernie. At least he is honest. P.T. Rathbone Marsing, Idaho North American Free Trade Agreement and correct some of its insuffi ciencies. Critics say the TPP doesn’t include China, but that was China’s decision. Plus, the option remains for China, or virtually any other nation, to join the TPP. The TPP is not perfect. Some of the tariffs will take years to completely disappear. But for farmers and ranchers who depend on trade with Pacifi c Rim nations, it is a good deal. If you don’t believe that, consider what life would be if the U.S. were to bail out of the TPP. In coming years the other 11 nations will be enjoying tariff-free trade on most of their goods, but the U.S. would be stranded on the sidelines. Depending on the political winds, Congress may soon take up approval of the TPP. Our hope, and the hope of many in agriculture, is that Congress will provide its stamp of approval and set in motion the many good developments that await all 12 members of the TPP. Guest comment ew have forgotten the an- Steve Ghan guish of stunted crops and terror of devastating forest fi res last year because of the on fossil carbon at the source meager snowpack that yielded (mine, well or import) and re- paltry irrigation water and tin- turn all of the revenue to the economy. This spurs the market der-dry soils. The snowpack was far below to meet energy demand with normal last year not for lack of cost-effective carbon-free sub- precipitation, which was nor- stitutes for fossil fuels without mal, but because of how warm hurting the economy. Govern- it was. Most mountain precipita- ment regulations, cap and trade, tion fell as rain rather than snow. and emission limits are unneces- Mountain snow is invaluable sary. A border tariff adjustment as a natural reservoir of wa- could refund agricultural ex- ter, storing winter precipitation porters, discourage businesses for use during the dry growing from relocating to other nations season; 70 percent of runoff in and incentivize those nations to the western U.S. is from snow- adopt equivalent prices on car- melt. Moreover, snow keeps bon. Regional Economic Model- the soil moist and vegetation green during summer, limiting ing Inc. estimated the econom- the spread of forest fi res when ic impact of a carbon fee that returns the revenue lightning strikes. Research has shown To save the snow as a dividend to ev- ery legal resident. It the Cascade snow- pack has decreased we need a cost- concluded: • CO2 emissions 25 percent over the last few decades effective way of decline 33 percent as the climate has reducing fossil after only 10 years, and 52 percent after warmed in response to the atmospheric fuel use without 20 years. • National em- accumulation of hurting the ployment increases carbon dioxide, pri- by 2.1 million jobs marily from burn- economy. after 10 years, and ing fossil fuels. 2.8 million after 20 My research concludes a 50 percent reduc- years. • Some 13,000 early deaths tion in snowpack by 2050 and a 70 percent reduction by 2100 from coal mining and respirato- are likely unless global CO2 ry illness are prevented annually emissions are substantially re- after 10 years. • $70 billion-$85 billion an- duced. Meager snow years like nual increase in Gross Domestic last year will become normal. A study by the Institute for Product from 2020 on. • A negligible impact on ag- Policy Integrity at New York University found that 84 percent riculture. Not considered in the anal- of economists say agriculture, fi shing, insurance and health ysis are the $100 billion annual services stand to lose the most cost of U.S. military to ensure productivity as a result of cli- access to Mideast oil no longer needed as fossil fuels are phased mate change. To save the snow we need a out, or the economic damages cost-effective way of reducing from lost snowpack and fl ooded fossil fuel use without hurting coastal property avoided as CO2 accumulation is mitigated. the economy. It is sometimes hard to imag- Farmers cannot alone reduce global CO2 emissions enough ine farming without fossil fuels, to make a signifi cant difference. but fossil carbon-free technol- But when it comes to climate ogy is already available. It just change, everyone has skin in needs a clear market signal to the game, and no one can ex- replace fossil fuels. The tractor pect others to reduce emissions manufacturer New Holland has if they don’t. This interdepen- already developed hydrogen dency explains the success of fuel cell tractors, but has not the Paris Climate Conference, marketed them because they which secured commitments of cannot compete with subsidized 184 of 196 nations to substan- fossil fuels. By enacting a carbon fee and tially reduce carbon emissions. Yet the Paris agreement is dividend to encourage the tran- not suffi cient to save the Cas- sition to a carbon-free econo- cade snowpack or the ice on my, we can save our snowpack, Greenland. Moreover, relying preserve our water supply for on emissions caps could harm future generations, and continue the economy. A more effective to compete in the global agricul- tural market. approach is needed. Steve Ghan of Richland, Economists agree the most effective method of reducing Wash., is a climate scientist and carbon emissions is to put a volunteer with Citizens Climate steadily increasing national fee Lobby.