BAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, OCTOBER 28, 2016
KeizerOpinion
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Camp gone, homelessness isn’t
Mike could sleep standing up.
It wasn’t a parlor trick he’d learned
to impress people, it was a survival
skill. He’d spent much of his late
teens and early twenties homeless
and fi gured out that if he could fi nd
a 24-hour laundromat and leaned
up against the dryers while they ran,
it solved two problems: 1) he could
sleep in a warm, dry place, and 2)
people would simply think he was
waiting for his clothes to dry and not
hassle him for loitering.
I thought about Mike for the fi rst
time in years as I nervously walked
across the street hoping to talk with
some of the members of a homeless
camp that had been slowly grow-
ing for three days. I’d been watch-
ing mentions of the camp pick up
throughout the weekend on a couple
of social media sites and fi gured it
was only a matter of time before the
Keizer Police Department were asked
to intervene.
It turned out offi cers had talked
with members of the group a few
hours before I summoned up the guts
to approach them.
Like Mike, the man I met at the
old Roth’s building, Wiz, has his
own areas of expertise. He knows
the warmth and security of sleeping
next to a stranger on a frigid night,
he knows that we could drown the
predators of the world in the wells
of kindness, and he knows that pride
should be no barrier to starvation,
which is a kind of pride all its own.
Wiz teared up three times as we
talked, but never over his own cir-
cumstances. His eyes pooled in re-
sponse to what he’d seen in others
he’d met living on the streets.
A very wise man once told me
that pride and shame will keep some-
one moving – even when they have
nothing else to cling to.
Once I learned this, I started see-
ing it everywhere, in those with pres-
idential aspirations to the men and
women living on our streets. Pride
and shame are the engines that drive
us to wake up and face another day,
and the only differences are the cir-
cumstances we have to stare down in
any given 24-hour period.
The same man also told me that’s
its our responsibility to heal the
pride and shame of others when it is
bruised or damaged – a lesson I try to
hold close whenever I meet someone
new.
Keizer police are responding to a
increased number of homeless com-
munities springing up around the city,
which means that the Roth’s camp
was likely just the tip of an iceberg.
That’s worrying for two reasons. First,
it means that there is a larger, unseen
homeless population just beneath the
surface. Second, and more troubling,
it might lead some to think that the
“problem” has been solved because
the most visible camp has dispersed.
The sight of a homeless commu-
nity in Keizer may be a shock to our
values, but that in itself might not be
such a bad thing. It’s what we choose
to do about it that defi nes what we
become.
-EH
Brown unenthusiastic choice
Oregon’s not unusual in terms of
embracing one major U.S. political
party and then the other. Take the last
eighty years, late 1930s to the present
day, and the reader will fi nd
that there have been eight
Democrats and eight Re-
publicans occupying the
chief ’s offi ce in our capitol.
It’s not like some elec-
tions for governor have not
been close. And, now, if
GOP candidate “Bud” Pierce, a gen-
erally moderate Republican, hadn’t
stumbled badly in debate in Port-
land when he discussed domestic vio-
lence and sexual assault, showing lack
of understanding of two societal issues
and then not taking responsibility for
what he said, the current race might
have been much tighter. Meanwhile,
as usual, with little chance to win,
there are other candidates for Oregon
governor through Libertarian James
Foster, Independent Cliff Thomason
and Constitution’s Aaron Donald
Auer on the ballot.
Regarding offi ce tenure, for-
mer Governor John Kitzhaber proved
to me, as expressed through con-
cerns in earlier columns, that serv-
ing more than two terms can result
in an offi ce-holder who concludes
he owns the people rather than that
the people own him. For Kitzhaber
it meant resigning in disgrace at the
start of term-four under charges, yet
unresolved, of infl uence peddling.
He also jettisoned the public’s trust
by surrendering his authority and re-
sponsibility to a fi ancée.
Meanwhile, in 2016, I borrow
from The Daily Astorian when I re-
port their “reluctant” endorsement of
Kate Brown. Journalists there, edito-
rializing about the election, view this
state’s voters facing a “conundrum,
having to choose between a sitting
governor who lacks vision, visibility
and leadership, or an inexperienced
political newbie whose debate stum-
bles showed he’s clearly not ready for
prime time.”
If developments go the
way they’re expected to
go, with Brown in the job
for the next two years, it
would seem high time for
a Republican to take over
the reigns of Oregon’s
highest public offi ce. It’s
surmised that some of the job holders
in top state jobs have probably been
there since Goldschmidt’s administra-
tion which may explain why disturb-
ingly often there’s a scandal among
department heads. In the mean-
time, Brown has proven herself some-
what able to get things done by way
of legislation on the minimum wage
and sick leave.
Questions, nevertheless, persist
as to her lack of assertiveness in deal-
ing with Democrat buddies in the
Oregon Senate and House.
A confession not having to do
with breaking a law or committing a
sin is usually easy to admit.
Listening to two of them de-
bate on October 20 concluded
that Brown may be more likely
to contribute the most as governor.
Pierce is critical of everything while
his solutions are vague, lacking in de-
tail and prosaic. Further, he needs a
speech coach to help him deliver an-
swers as he too often talks like he’s
reading from a medical encyclo-
pedia while he speaks too fast and
in monotone voice. Brown speaks
clearly, using precise facts and action
ideas and comes across as friendly
and approachable. One could go on
and on but the weight factors are in
Brown’s favor; suffi ce it to say that, al-
though I remain unenthused to date
and await demonstrations of leader-
ship, I’ll vote for Kate Brown.
gene h.
mcintyre
Read between the lines on Measure 97
By DON VOWELL
You can’t vote maybe. You can
vote yes or no. If your life is guided
by political campaign ads you must
believe that a yes vote for Measure
97 dooms us to higher taxes, loss
of jobs, and crippling burdens for
some Oregon-based businesses. A
no vote means a continuance of fail-
ing schools, shortage of health care,
and less funding for senior services.
Who would vote for either of those
outcomes?
As members of a responsible vot-
ing citizenry we are to make in-
formed votes on issues. So I read the
voter’s pamphlet. There were many
of what seemed to be reasonable ar-
guments in favor of this measure and
more of what seemed to be reason-
able arguments against this measure.
The two things I took away from
this are that the reasonable choice
is to be for and against this measure,
and that the effects of money being
equated to free speech are being felt.
There are some questions not
asked and not answered in the
voter’s pamphlet. The fi rst ques-
tion is why must we vote on this?
The Oregon State Legislature was
elected to make a budget and justify
it. They have a remarkable breadth
of resources, experts in every fi eld,
to guide them in shaping the form
of revenue versus expense. As a re-
tired guy in Keizer I don’t have any
confi dence that I can possibly make
a two year projection on how the
state economy will devel-
op. Even their own bud-
get gurus cautioned that
their forecast is iffy, very
much dependent on eco-
nomic events and trends
that can’t be foreseen.
The dire fi gures quoted
with such repetition in campaign
fl yers are only guesses, worst case
scenarios.
Another question left unan-
swered is why would Comcast,
Walmart, Farmers Insurance, John-
son and Johnson, Wells Fargo, and
a host of other mega-corporations
be pouring millions into advertising
to defeat this measure if they could
simply pass through the costs of
this measure to Oregon consumers.
They could, but they don’t. Cable
TV and toothpaste cost the same in
Keizer as they do in Amarillo.
If this measure increasing corpo-
rate tax rates actually does raise the
cost of life in Oregon then we could
ask if the thirty-some year trend of
reducing corporate tax rates in Or-
egon resulted in a corresponding
reduction in the cost of goods and
services here. I don’t think I no-
ticed that. Our corporate tax rate
has shrunk from 18.5 percent down
to the current 6.7 percent as a share
of the total. The same shifting of tax
burden holds true for property taxes.
Corporate share is down,
homeowners’ share is
up. Again there was no
expensive initiative cam-
paign to protest this. It’s
a one way street. Oregon
consumers foot the bill
regardless of corporate
tax increase or decrease.
Since I can’t vote maybe, I’ll vote
yes. I do wish they’d aimed for a
smaller increase and found a way to
exempt smaller Oregon-based busi-
nesses. If the Oregon Legislature is
handed three billion dollars a year
they may feel compelled to spend
every cent rather than save any.
Failure of this measure would leave
them to magically solve some sub-
stantial budget shortfall problems.
Their history of overcoming inertia
and partisan differences with bold
legislation doesn’t bode well.
The timing is horrible. Having
just received our property tax bills
we are reluctant to support anything
that might cost us more. I can only
hope that our legislators are not so
different from us and will take se-
riously using this new revenue for
maximum benefi t to those who
need it most. I wouldn’t begrudge
that at all.
Election. As always, I urge you to
make sure to vote. I am not going
to ask you to vote for me or anyone
else in particular
as this forum is
really to inform
you of the things
I encounter as
your state repre-
sentative, not to
convince you to
vote for me. I just
want you to vote!
From the top of the ticket in this
very strange and contentious presi-
dential race to the furthest down the
ballot you go, all of these positions
and ballot measures are so very im-
portant - and you have a vote, a vote
that means an awful lot.
Most of us know a veteran of
some sort from some branch, some
of them were wartime veterans and
others were peacetime but all served
and all sacrifi ced something to give
to us the freedoms that we hold so
dear. Voting is not just a right or
privilege, it is a duty. One that no
one should take lightly. In Oregon
we’ve made it pretty darn easy, with
the mail in ballot. Though I like to
wait to fi ll mine out on Election Day,
I urge you to not let it sit on the table
or kitchen counter too long. Study
the Voter’s Pamphlet or other guides
that are out there and then fi ll out
that ballot. This republic called the
United States of America and this
great state called Oregon needs every
one of us to be involved. To all of the
candidates I wish all the best and may
God Bless America and Oregon!
Bill Post Represents Oregon’s House
District 25.
would accept the results of the elec-
tion and then did not,” said Kellyanne
Conway, Trump’s campaign manager.
“He retracted his concession.”
This, of course, is ridiculous, as the
fact-checkers have shown. Gore’s call
to Bush after midnight conceding
the race actually showed how much
respect he had for the electoral pro-
cess. It was only after news organiza-
tions withdrew their calls of Florida
for Bush, depriving him of an Elec-
toral College majority, that Gore de-
cided a recount was called for.
To this day, many Democrats view
the Supreme Court’s 5-to-4 decision
abruptly halting recounts and award-
ing Florida to Bush by 537 votes as
partisan and even lawless. Yet despite
this, and even though Gore won
the national popular vote by more
than 500,000, he nonetheless con-
ceded with exceptional graciousness.
“What remains of partisan rancor
must now be put aside,” Gore said,
publicly congratulating Bush and
urging the country “to unite behind
our next president.”
It’s very important to notice that
Conway was effectively channeling
the efforts of Bush partisans during
the Florida struggle. They attacked
Gore simply because he wanted a
recount in an agonizingly close race.
The Wall Street Journal’s editorialists
spoke then of “a Gore Coup d’Etat”
while Rush Limbaugh fl atly assert-
ed that Gore was trying to “steal it.”
Limbaugh also said this: “We know
the whole thing has been rigged.”
Yes, we’ve heard almost every-
thing Trump and his minions are
saying before. You wonder how
much introspection Republicans will
be capable of after all the votes are
counted this year.
E.J. Dionne’s email address is ej-
dionne@washpost.com. Twitter: @EJ-
Dionne.
a box
of
soap
It’s time to vote
It’s so good to be a Keizerite!
As I write this, I’ve just found out
what you have no doubt already dis-
covered, that we
have a Winco/
Waremart
gro- from the
cery store com-
capitol
ing to Keizer! I
couldn’t be more
excited. This town
Rep.
has proved over
BILL BOST
and over that it
can support more
than one grocery store and I know
this new one will be welcomed with
open arms. I am certain that this will
also help the existing Safeway store
in many ways as competition makes
business grow and offer more choic-
es.
Also, as I write this, we are two
weeks away from the 2016 General
Trump is not a Republican aberration
By E.J. DIONNE JR.
WASHINGTON -- The lies
and distortions that Donald Trump’s
campaign messengers deploy to ra-
tionalize their candidate’s outra-
geousness are more typical of the
last couple of decades of our politics
than we’d like to admit.
Especially revealing and infuriat-
ing are the efforts to use Al Gore as
a human shield against the public in-
dignation Trump aroused by refusing
to say whether he would accept the
verdict of a democratic election. To
compare what Gore did in the after-
math of the contested 2000 election
with what Trump is doing now is
like analogizing a fi re marshal inves-
tigating the causes of a blaze to an
arsonist.
But fi rst, the larger lesson. As
Trump has plummeted in the polls,
more conventional Republicans
who thought they could get away
with supporting him have tried to
pretend that Trump and his message
were foisted on them from some dis-
tant planet.
On Thursday in Florida, Presi-
dent Obama called the GOP’s bluff.
“Trump didn’t come out of no-
where,” he declared. “For years, Re-
publican politicians and far-right
media outlets had just been pump-
ing out all kinds of toxic, crazy stuff.
... Donald Trump didn’t start all this.
Like he usually does, he just slapped
his name on it, took credit for it, and
promoted the heck out of it.”
Obama cataloged the craziness
he had in mind: the “birther thing,”
climate change as “a Chinese hoax,”
and claims that “I’m about to steal
everybody’s guns in the middle of
the night and declare martial law, but
somehow I still need a teleprompter
to fi nish a sentence.”
The headline news was about
Obama taking on Sen. Marco Rubio
for calling Trump “dangerous” and a
“con artist” and then deciding it was
still OK to endorse him. A race is on
between now and Election Day: Can
Republican candidates run away
from Trump fast enough to keep
their opponents from tagging them
as enablers of the most dangerous
candidate ever nominated by either
party?
Many politically vulnerable Re-
publicans have tried to cover them-
selves by condemning Trump’s re-
fusal to say he’d accept the election’s
outcome if he lost. But his election-
rigging charges have a long history.
Part of Trump’s rationale rests
on accusations that the media are
stacked against him. This has been a
staple Republican talking point since
the days of Richard Nixon and Spiro
Agnew. And Trump’s insistence that
Democrats win elections through
“voter fraud,” mostly in big cities
and minority neighborhoods, is the
groundless, evidence-less rationaliza-
tion Republicans have used for years
to justify laws aimed at disenfranchis-
ing those who are inclined to vote
against them.
In fact, voter suppression is a far
graver danger to our democracy than
the vanishingly tiny amount of fraud,
as Ari Berman, the author of “Give
Us the Ballot,” documented last
week in The Nation.
Which brings us to Gore. Know-
ing the political trouble Trump’s bla-
tant disrespect for the democratic
process is causing him, the Republi-
can’s defenders are relying on inno-
cence by association. “I’m going to
keep reminding everybody about the
2000 election when Al Gore said he
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