CapitalPress.com
6
Editorials are written by or
approved by members of the
Capital Press Editorial Board.
October 14, 2016
All other commentary pieces are
the opinions of the authors but
not necessarily this newspaper.
Opinion
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
Our choice for Oregon’s governor: Pierce
I
n the campaign between incumbent Oregon
Gov. Kate Brown and GOP challenger Dr.
Bud Pierce, we give Pierce the nod.
Brown and Pierce are running to complete
the unexpired term of John Kitzhaber, who
resigned in 2015 on the heels of an inluence
peddling scandal.
As secretary of state at the time, Brown was
propelled without much warning into the top
job. She took over a state government put in
disarray because of the scandal and a series of
high-proile failures.
She did an admirable job in the immediate
aftermath of her succession to reassure Orego-
nians.
Brown is a Portland politician, with a
Portland perspective. As such, we think she is
out of touch with the realities of life east of the
Cascades, and in the ields, isheries and forests
where many Oregonians struggle to earn a
living and raise their families.
We gave Brown high marks
for promoting Katy Coba, for-
merly director of the Oregon
Department of Agriculture,
to chief operating oficer and
director of the Department
of Administrative Services.
But even then Coba was tout-
ed as the diversity candidate,
the token non-Portland cabinet
member in an otherwise Port-
land-centric administration.
We also applauded Brown’s belated support
of the Trans-Paciic Partnership, recognizing
that so much of Oregon’s economy, particularly
agriculture, is tied to trade.
Beyond that, we have not been impressed.
The three-tiered minimum wage hike that
came out of the Legislature and was signed by
Brown offered some breathing room for rural
employers, but still is tough on farmers and
processors who don’t set their
own prices. The low carbon fu-
els standard backed by Brown
will make the transportation
of ag products more expen-
sive.
Brown sees no alterna-
tives to Oregon’s inancial
problems other than passing a
$3 billion tax hike on the sales
of certain businesses, Measure 97.
Pierce opposes Measure 97 as a huge,
unchecked expansion of government.
Pierce opposes the creation of the Owyhee
Canyonlands National Monument in Malheur
County. Brown has refused to take a deinitive
stand, repeatedly saying she wants various
interests to collaborate to reach a decision.
Pierce wants to see federal lands turned
over to the state incrementally over the next
20 years. That’s never going to happen. And
we’re not sure handing over the land to a state
so dominated by liberal Democrats would
improve the lot of ranchers and timbermen
currently working that land.
But, Pierce is right when he says the poli-
cies of the federal government and the actions
taken by agencies such as the Environmental
Protection Agency have hurt rural Oregon. He
says he’ll ight back. We think that shows a
more realistic understanding of the dynamic
now in play.
He supports less regulation for farmers and
small businesses, more opportunities for rural
Oregon.
Pierce, a successful Salem oncologist, is far
from the perfect candidate. He has no govern-
ment experience, and is the obvious novice on
the campaign trail.
But after more than 30 years of one-party
rule, Oregon needs a change. Pierce is that
change.
Readers’ views
O ur V iew
Oregon Measure 97 another sales tax
Eric Mortenson/Capital Press
Clackamas High School agriculture teacher Kathy Mayield, center, gives directions to students Lauren Dale, left, and Remi Lam. Ore-
gon Measure 98 would allow high schools to seek additional funding from the state for vocational classes, advanced academic classes
and dropout prevention.
Vote ‘yes’ on Oregon Measure 98
A
sk a parent whether every
teenager is well-served by
Oregon’s public school system.
Then ask a teacher, and an
administrator.
Most importantly, ask a student.
They will all agree that public
high schools must do a better job of
providing relevant classes and skills
that will help students make their way
in the world.
That’s what Oregon Measure 98 is
all about.
It would provide funding for
school districts to offer vocational and
technical training, including agriculture.
Such classes — called career technical
education nowadays — open doors to
those students whose interests aren’t
necessarily in academics. The classes
help them understand how academic
subjects such as mathematics and the
sciences are relevant and provide them
with skills that will open the door to
jobs after graduation.
For decades Oregon high schools
have been short-changed. Because the
state and federal governments have
placed so many requirements on them,
from common core to certiicates of
mastery and other mumbo-jumbo, many
school districts were forced to drop
or reduce the number of non-required
courses such as vocational training.
At the same time, the graduation
rates plummeted as high school lost
relevance for many students. In 2014,
Oregon’s 72 percent graduation rate
ranked 46th in the nation.
Not coincidentally, many young men
and women who did graduate were not
ready to enter the work force. They had
no marketable skills.
Teenagers have a lot of interests.
Some are interested in academics,
which is terriic. But many are
interested in farming, ranching,
welding, electronics, robotics, the health
care ields and other skills that could
provide them with a living-wage job.
Measure 98 will allow schools to
train those students at a relatively small
cost to the state. It will not require a
tax increase, only that the legislature
re-set its priorities and recognize the
importance of providing adequate
funding to the state’s high schools.
Measure 98 isn’t only about
vocational education.
It would provide the money to offer
college-level or other advanced classes
to high school students, giving them a
start on their college educations.
It would also help high schools work
with students to keep them in school. A
high school dropout in the 21st century
will face a steep uphill struggle in the
workforce, and in the world.
Some people will say they don’t care
about dropouts, or about vocational
education. They obviously haven’t tried
to hire any employees lately. Many
high school graduates and dropouts
are unprepared even for the most basic
entry-level jobs.
Others worry that the state can’t
afford such an ambitious effort. Our
answer: It can’t afford not to do it. The
students and the state economy both
suffer because of the lack of funding
for Oregon’s public school system. It’s
shameful.
The state’s leaders always seem
to ind money for half-baked health
care websites that don’t work or for
bridges that aren’t built. But they whine
and moan when it comes to funding
schools and colleges in this state. It’s
time for all of them, Republicans and
Democrats, to get a wake-up call.
This is it.
You’ll note that a broad coalition
of unions and other organizations also
supports Measure 98. They include
the Oregon Agriculture Teacher’s
Association, AFL-CIO, Sierra Club,
the International Longshore Workers
Union, PCUN, the NAACP, the Eugene
and Medford chambers of commerce,
the Associated General Contractors
and the Democratic, Independent and
Progressive parties.
That’s OK. If you put us in a room
with most of these folks, we probably
couldn’t agree on what to have for
lunch, let alone agree on a ballot
measure.
But when it comes to providing a
good education to the next generation,
we all can agree that Measure 98 is a
necessary step in the right direction.
Our country was founded
on the truth of a Creator who
gave humanity the inalienable
rights of life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness.
The founders then con-
structed a constitutional gov-
ernment of, by and for the
people to protect those natural
rights. The founders contin-
ued with the Bill of Rights,
which included free speech,
freedom of religion, freedom
of the press, the right to bear
arms and so forth. Then the
10th Amendment assigned the
rest of the responsibilities, not
expressly written in the Con-
stitution, to two groups: state
governments and the people.
Fifty-one of the 55 found-
ers (93 percent) held a Chris-
tian worldview. This over-
whelming
super-majority
believed in a higher power
over government. They also
believed the only fair govern-
ment is one limited in size and
scope, subject to the people it
serves.
In Oregon, this is not the
case. State government cranks
out thousands of new regula-
tions each year. In addition,
over the past nine years state
revenue has increased 28
Let’s base votes on acreage
I have this outrageous
idea. Let’s let the number of
acres in a county determine
the voters in these decisions
instead of the politicians. If
the county residents say “No”
to a proposed project such as
the Owyhee Canyonlands Na-
tional Monument the number
of acres would be the number
of votes. This would override
Climate plan costly,
damaging
I am certainly glad to see Donald
Trump saying that he “will rescind
the Climate Action Plan (including
the Clean Power Plan (CPP))”. The
CPP will cost billions of dollars and
millions of lost jobs, yet will have
no measurable impact on climate.
Environmental Protection Agen-
cy Administrator Gina McCarthy
has admitted the CPP will have an
insigniicant climatic impact but
said about the Paris climate agree-
ment, “You are trying to stymie
(our growth) with an agreement. ...
That’s stupid. I will not honor that.”
The foundation of the Paris
Agreement gives an out clause for
developing nations, stating, “Eco-
nomic and social development and
poverty eradication are the irst and
overriding priorities of the develop-
ing country Parties.”
Actions to signiicantly reduce
CO2 emissions would entail cutting
back on the use of coal. As coal is
the least expensive source of elec-
any outsider’s votes. Yes,
even the president’s.
Sounds to me, and to you,
that Rep. Earl Blumenau-
er is trying to guarantee his
re-election. I would think that
he would stand with the folks
in that part of his great state of
Oregon.
Marvin Reed
Reno, Nev.
In favor of Washington Initiative 732
While I appreciate the
fact that California is leading
the nation in action to reduce
the carbon emissions that
are driving climate change, I
couldn’t help but wonder how
the carbon content of gasoline
and diesel fuel can be reduced
by regulation. Carbon is pret-
ty much what gasoline and
diesel fuel are made of.
I regret that the state try-
ing hardest to reduce carbon
emissions has selected a reg-
ulatory approach rather than a
market-based method. Econo-
mists such as George Schultz
agree that we can solve this
problem so much more effec-
tively and eficiently with a
revenue-neutral carbon tax.
Washington Initiative 732
would provide such a solution
for the state of Washington.
By taxing all fossil carbon, it
ensures the consumer pays the
full cost of all fossil carbon
and lets the market determine
technologies to replace fossil
carbon. By reducing sales tax
and business tax and provid-
ing tax rebates to the poor,
it returns the revenue to the
economy where it is needed.
That is a non-partisan solu-
tion that many other states
could embrace if they see it
working in Washington.
Steve Ghan
Richland, Wash.
Letters policy
Readers’ views
says it is still worthwhile because it
is “positioning the U.S. for leader-
ship in an international discussion.”
This would make sense if we knew
a climate crisis was imminent and
developing nations would follow
our lead.
But we don’t know the future of
climate and developing countries,
the source of most of the world’s
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions,
have indicated that they will not
follow us.
On July 18, President Rodri-
go Duterte of the Philippines even
percent to record levels. Or-
egon’s government continues
to grow and yet this is not
enough.
Case in point is Ballot
Measure 97, which plans
a massive increase to state
revenue by $3 billion a year.
Measure 97 will tax the sales
of corporations generating
$25 million or more each
year. This means large scale
agriculture, grocery stores,
gas stations, pharmacies and
utilities will be forced to pay
this new sales tax. These busi-
nesses will then pass those in-
creases along to the rest of us.
In the end, Oregonians will be
worse off — $3 billion worse
off each year.
Enough. As your state rep-
resentative I will say “no” to
tax increases and bad ideas
such as these generated by lib-
erals in Portland, Salem and
Eugene. Instead I will champi-
on the rural Oregon values of
liberty and personal responsi-
bility, not more government.
We the people.
Your liberty irst!
E. Werner Reschke
Republican for
State Representative
Malin, Ore.
tricity in most of the world, reduc-
ing emissions by restricting coal use
would interfere with development
priorities. So developing countries
won’t do it. America’s sacriice will
be for nothing. It is very worrisome
for us here in Canada when our pri-
mary defender is bent on crippling
itself in this way.
Tom Harris
Executive Director
International Climate Science
Coalition
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
Write to us: Capital Press welcomes
letters to the editor on issues of
interest to farmers, ranchers and the
agribusiness community.
Letters policy: Please limit letters to
300 words and include your home
address and a daytime telephone
number with your submission. Longer
pieces, 500-750 words, may be con-
sidered as guest commentary pieces
for use on the opinion pages. Guest
commentary submissions should also
include a photograph of the author.
Send letters via email to opinions@cap-
italpress.com. Emailed letters are pre-
ferred and require less time to process,
which could result in quicker publication.