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PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, DECEMBER 23, 2016 KeizerOpinion KEIZERTIMES.COM Honoring human dignity By MICHAEL GERSON It is one of fate’s cruel jokes that conservatism should be at its modern nadir just as the Republican Party is at its zenith—if conservatism is defi ned as embracing limited government, dis- playing a rational, skeptical and mod- erate temperament and be- lieving in the priority of the moral order. All these principles are related, and under attack. Conservatives believe that human beings are fal- lible and prone to ambition, passion and selfi shness. They (actually, we) tend to be- come swaggering dictators in realms where we can act with impunity—a DMV offi ce, a hostile traffi c stop, a country under personal rule. It is the particular genius of the American sys- tem to balance ambition against am- bition through a divided government (executive, legislative and judicial). The American system employs hu- man nature to limit the power of the state—assuming that every branch of government is both dedicated to the common good and jealous of its own power. Conservatives believe that fi nite and fallen creatures are often wrong. We know that many of our attitudes and beliefs are the brain’s justifi cation for pre-rational tendencies and desires. This does not make perception of truth impossible, or truth itself rela- tive, but it should encourage healthy self-examination and a suspicion of all forms of fanaticism. All of us have things to learn, even from our politi- cal opponents. The truth is out there, but it is generally broken into pieces and scattered across the human expe- rience. We only reassemble it through listening and civil communication. And conservatives believe that a just society depends on the moral striving of fi nite and fallen creatures, who treat each other with a respect and decency that laws can encourage but not enforce. Such virtues, often rooted in faith, are what turn families and commu- nities into the nurseries of citizenship. These institu- tions not only shape good people, they inculcate the belief that human beings have a dignity that, while often dishonored, can never be effaced. In the midst of all our justifi ed skepticism, we can never be skeptical of this: that the reason for politics is to honor the equal value of every life, beginning with the weakest and most vulner- able. No bad goal—say, racial purity or communist ideology—outweighs this commitment. And no good goal—the effi ciency of markets or the pursuit of greater equality—does either. So how do we get this set of beliefs and commitments when they seem in short supply? It is hopeless to demand results from an organic process—to order the grass to grow faster. But this type of conservatism —a conservatism of intellectual humility and moral as- piration—also has the advantage of being an organic process. It grows with tenacity in hidden places, even- tually breaking down the cement and asphalt of our modern life. It appeals to people who would never call them- selves conservatives —who probably wouldn’t use words like “nadir” and “zenith”—who provide examples of hard work, personal responsibility, un- failing decency, family commitment, quiet faith, inspiring compassion and other views 2016 is almost over. Whew. What’s that big sound? It is a col- lective, national exhaling at the relief that we are at the fi nal week of the year. Most would agree that 2016 was annus horribilis. The holidays well be a much needed distraction from the woes and wor- ries of the world. This year brought too much suffering, anger, fi ghting, terrorism. All topped off with fake news that too many people take for truth without question. Can a time period such as a year really be horrible? This year had 12 months, 52 weeks and 366 days like any other year. A year can be great or bad depending on how our individual lives are going. It’s not a bad year for someone who received a big raise or found a living wage job after a pe- riod of unemployment. It might be called a bad year if a couple was go- ing through a marital break-up or if a loved one passed before their time. The American people are a good people. We cheer when others win; we cry when others lose, but gener- ally we are on the side of our fellow citizens. Two thousand sixteen gave us plenty of things to cry about, but that should not defi ne us as a nation. Our nation and our world is too mature for us to look at it through rose-colored glasses, yet, believing in the spirit and the goodness of people should be our default posi- tion. Life is either something that we let happen to us, or we help shape our life. Peo- ple in general are not pow- erless, unless they accept the belief that they are. Like all things precious, it takes struggle, dedication and perseverence to make life what we wish it to be. Many may say 2016 was a horrible year and be depressed about what may come in 2017. We can accept what happens without comment or action, or we can, as we Americans always do, rise to the occasion. They say that life is what you make it; it’s also true that life is what you believe it is. —LAZ editorial Real news and real local By DON VOWELL Merry Christmas, Keizertimes. As a community we are lucky to have such a healthy and civic-minded weekly paper as a vital organ. Our family has lived in Keizer for a little over 30 years. By a sort of content- ed default we’ve slowly learned to believe this is home. And Keizertimes is our home- town newspaper. I’m only familiar with Salem and Portland news- papers but if they are rep- resentative of how other towns are served by their local papers it only emphasizes how uniquely fortunate we are. We are trained to believe that shareholder profi t is the be-all/ end-all of every corporate endeav- or. That is turning the Salem paper into a pale imitation of its former self. The editorial page now appears only sporadically. Maybe that mat- ters only to a few, but it is the only means of conversation that includes both the people that produce the paper and those that read it. Edi- torial statements and opinions also give you some insight into those who have the privilege of choosing what news you get to see each day. A major portion of column- inches in the Salem paper is given over to USA Today, a Gannett in- sert. It seems like reliable reporting but also seems like removing the lo- cal editors’ choices as to what story might be relevant to local readers. And the deadline pressure of being printed off-site means local sports stories are historical in nature. When I moved to Keizer I used to brag to out-of-town family and friends about how wonderful Port- land’s major paper was. Compared to Seattle, Spokane, and Alaska dai- lies I had known it was the best. It is silly to weep over the decline of printed daily newspapers—they must answer to fi nancial reality. Still, the Portland paper has de- volved from banquet to thin gruel. I admire the remaining staff for soldiering on, knowing they are being done in by the Ameri- can attention span. Our most recent presidential campaign is the perfect example of damage done by abandoning print- ed media as source for news. Many of the people I know and love sup- ported or despised either candidate for reasons unsupported by fact. Newspapers are held accountable for what they print. Facebook is not. Twitter is not. Being buried alive in mud makes it impossible to examine each speck of dirt. Yet the Keizertimes prospers. My children went to local schools. We shop at local stores. We are safe in the protection of local services and utilities. This paper is knowingly assembled by people who live here and like it. Keizertimes always cov- ers things that are happening in the town where I live, and generously offers space to local citizens to speak up. So, speak up I shall. Merry Christmas, Keizertimes and thanks for staying true to the cause. And a Merry Christmas to all local read- ers who make it possible. With your support we can do this again next year. a box of soap (Don Vowell gets on his soapbox regularly in the Keizertimes.) Keizertimes Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGING EDITOR Eric A. Howald editor@keizertimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Derek Wiley news@keizertimes.com One year: $25 in Marion County, $33 outside Marion County, $45 outside Oregon PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY ADVERTISING Publication No: USPS 679-430 Paula Moseley advertising@keizertimes.com POSTMASTER Send address changes to: PRODUCTION MANAGER Andrew Jackson Keizertimes Circulation graphics@keizertimes.com 142 Chemawa Road N. LEGAL NOTICES Keizer, OR 97303 legals@keizertimes.com EDITOR & PUBLISHER Lyndon Zaitz publisher@keizertimes.com BUSINESS MANAGER Laurie Painter billing@keizertimes.com Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon RECEPTION Lori Beyeler facebook.com/keizertimes twitter.com/keizertimes resilience in adversity. They are the potential recruits of a humane politi- cal conservatism. This is not the political force that has recently taken over the Repub- lican Party—with a plurality in the presidential primaries and a narrow victory in November. That has been the result of extreme polarization, not a turn toward enduring values. The movement is authoritarian in theory, apocalyptic in mood, prone to con- spiracy theories and personal abuse, and dismissive of ethical standards. The president-elect seems to offer equal chances of constitutional crisis and ut- ter, debilitating incompetence. The plausible case that Russian es- pionage materially contributed to the election of an American president has been an additional invitation to anger. Now, not only the quality but also the legitimacy of our democracy is at stake. This extreme threat would seem to require a commensurately radical response—some way to change the outcome. But what is the proper conserva- tive response? It is to live within the boundaries of law and reality. There is no certain way to determine if Rus- sian infl uence was decisive. And no serious constitutional recourse seems to remain. While open to other op- tions, I see none. It will now fall to citizens and institutions to (1) defend the legislature and judiciary from any encroachment, (2) defend every group of people from organized oppression, including Muslims and refugees, (3) expand and defend the institutions —from think tanks to civil liberty or- ganizations—that make the case for a politics that honors human dignity. And pray for the grass to grow. (Washington Post Writers Group) Enough revenue, not enough backbone As we come to Christmas, I greatly enough revenue. We just don’t seem hesitate to write about politics in this to have a control on where to spend column but feel I must address an it. There will be cries for more rev- important item with the upcoming enue in the form of cutting interest deductions, raising taxes on what you 2017 legislative session. First of all, when it comes to the eat, drink, smoke, wear and more. On governor’s budget we need to re- top of that, a transportation package member it’s not a budget but rather will require a gas tax. Re- a wish list. On her wish member, list Governor Kate Brown the leg- writes that we will have a from the islature $1.7 billion shortfall in the capitol is the next biennium. The truth is, branch we have a windfall of state charged revenues, to the tune of an Rep. w i t h 8.5 percent increase over the BILL POST craft- last biennium (and that’s af- ing and ter a 14 percent increase in passing revenue in the previous bi- ennium, making a total of 22.5 per- a balanced budget, not the governor, cent increase in revenue since 2013). and you overwhelmingly chose a cer- The problem is she “wishes” she tain state representative from Keizer could fund all of the items in her who believes that we, as a state, don’t budget which is what has led to anx- have a revenue problem but instead iety for many over the cuts she has have a spending problem. Therefore proposed which include education, I intend to do all that I can to hold health care and some psychiatric and the legislature accountable for ev- ery dollar. (You can read more about corrections facilities. The reality is we have more than the governor’s budget and the rev- enue numbers here: http://billpost. us/2016/12/09/its-not-a-budget- shortfall-its-really-a-windfall/). But here is the bottom line: the people of Keizer are some of the most giving people I’ve ever met. We are a city of volunteers and we care about each other. Our churches do incredible humanitarian work. Our Chamber of Commerce is one of the best there is evidenced by the recent Christmas parade, the food drives and other activities. We have one of the most livable cities in Oregon and one of the most caring; yet none of that is derived from government, it’s derived from we the people. On this Christmas week, I want to wish you and your family all of the best not just for this season but for all time. I work for you and I am ea- ger to get back into the legislature in January and do all that I can to help Keizer and Oregon succeed. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from my home to yours. (Bill Post represents House Dis- trict 25. He can be reached at 503- 986-1425 or via email at rep.bill- post@state.or.us.) Christmas story: A child and a movie Cute stories about American chil- dren and Christmas are seemingly endless. One to add has come to the attention of my wife and myself dur- ing the past week. It is planned that a certain grand- daughter will spend Christmas Eve with gramma and grampa. That’s the night, of course, during which tra- dition promises that Santa Claus will visit each child’s home with presents, leaving them to open on Christmas morning. We have a gas fi replace that would be diffi cult to traverse for even a mouse, much less a bag of pres- ents. Granddaughter is not to be deterred in her belief of a visit by Santa. She has already ex- plained to her mother—in no uncer- tain terms—that she does not want to sleep in that room. Why? Because she does not want to get in Santa’s way or startle him by waking up when he’s in the middle of a special delivery. She says she must sleep in a room with a door that shuts tightly. She sim- ply does not want to disturb Santa at work and also does not want to see or hear anything among the presents that would spoil a total surprise at day break. This little girl, this pre-school child, has mastered the particulars for making certain Santa and presents from his North Pole workshop will get to her and a chuckle for us. When granddaughter’s wishes were passed along to me, I thought of her mother and our other daugh- ter’s childhood fantasies about Santa and the Easter Bunny. Meanwhile, when children and Christmas come to mind, I think again about my favorite and most endearing Christmas mov- ie, A Christmas Story. When I was a child, my family and I always watched It’s a Wonderful Life, but it was kind of “dark” and scary in places, much like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Imagining there is an American adult who has never viewed A Christ- mas Story, is a stretch beyond my grasp. Nevertheless, if there is such an American, it’s hoped that they will see it this December. Disappoint- ment in the movie is un- likely as its 93 minutes will keep any newcomer view- ing it from beginning to end. In the movie, the cou- ple’s oldest son desires to receive a BB gun drives the plot of the fi lm. The father wins a “major award” in a contest but does not know what it is until it’s deliv- ered; meanwhile, it causes “the battle gene h. mcintyre of the lamp” between the movie mom and dad. Another howler is the dad’s never-ending struggle with the fam- ily’s ancient furnace. Then there’s the neighbor’s dog, the fl at tire scene and the fi nal confrontation with the neighborhood bully. Lots of laughs and good family fl ick fun can be en- joyed in this G-rated movie that can be seen more than once to absorb ev- ery last tickle. A Merry Christmas is passed along from this writer to all Keizertimes readers. May you and yours bask in the warmth and good cheer of a tra- ditional American family gathering, regardless of how cold it gets out- side. And, keep in mind, as the new year gets underway, longer days and warming temperatures are a mere fi ve months away. (Gene H. McIntyre’s column ap- pears weekly in the Keizertimes.)
