PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 10, 2017
KeizerOpinion
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Why this newspaper
is in your mailbox
Once each year—in March—we
here at the Keizertimes decide to
mail an issue to every house in the
city. We do it so residents who make
this city their home can
see there is a source for
the news and informa-
tion that is important to
them.
What you see in this
March 10 issue is a bit
bigger than a regular
weekly edition of the
Keizertimes, but the content is the
same and that is why it is important
to show those who don’t read the
Keizertimes on a regular basis.
With the nation and the politi-
cal discourse wracked with debates
and arguments about what is and
what is not real news, the Keizertimes
prints what is true. The newspaper,
owned by a proud Oregon publish-
ing family for almost 30 years, has
won countless awards over the de-
cades, a testament to our mission.
We publish news about city govern-
ment, police, the fi re district, schools,
sports (school and the Salem-Keizer
Volcanoes) and stories about Keizer
people.
Keizer is a special place
and that is refl ected every
week in the pages of this
newspaper.
At a time when so much
is uncertain and suspect,
we want those of you who
do not read the Keizertimes
regularly to know that we
take what we do very seriously. We
don’t have an ideological agenda—
however, we don’t reject opinions.
Page 4 (this page) is the place for
people to share and express ideas and
opinions. You will fi nd opinions on
this page but on every other page
you will fi nd only facts.
We hope we can turn you into a
regular reader and a subscriber. Let
me know personally what you like
and don’t like by dropping an email
to publisher@keizertimes.com.
—LAZ
from
the
publisher
A day of lemons
On Saturday, May 20, Keizer and
Salem, for the fourth time, turn its
attention to hundreds of elementary
and middle school students who will
become little businesspeople for the
day.
Lemonade Day, born in Houston,
is a project that helps kids understand
about how to create and run a busi-
ness. Hundreds of lemonade
stands will be stationed
throughout the two cit-
ies. The kids, either
individually or with a
team, will have created
a lemonade recipe, de-
signed and sited a stand and
attracted small investors who
will give money to these budding
entrepreneurs.
Lemonade Day is not a frivo-
lous day of play. Sponsored by the
Salem-Keizer Education Foundation
and working with schools and other
young organizations, the day teaches
kids about key aspects of business they
will use into the future: setting goals,
teamwork, responsibility, making and
budgeting money.
Participants of Lemonade Day are
asked to split their profi ts: one third
to their education fund, one third do-
nated to a charity of their choice and
one third into their pockets as mad
money.
Parents, guardians and teach-
ers throughout Keizer should
learn a little about Lemon-
ade Day, then encourage
their kids and students
to be part of a growing
project. The Houston,
Texas area alone boasts
tens of thousands of
stands and revenue nearing
$50 million. That success is some-
thing to want to be part of.
The offi cial launch of Lemonade
Day 2017 was earlier this week but
kids can register to have their own
stand. Visiting salemkeizer.lemonade-
day.org can start the whole process in
creating tomorrow’s business people
today.
—LAZ
Full speed ahead on bond
Salem-Keizer School District’s
Long Range Facilities Planning
Task Force held its fi nal meeting last
month and some decisions have to be
made.
The school board
will have to decide if it
will pursue a bond that
pays for all the projects
identifi ed. That could be
up to $550 million and
it would not include any
new schools. Under the
task force’s work, Keizer
families can be confi dent that the
city will remain a one-high school
town. But issues of crowding despa-
rately need to be addressed at Mc-
Nary High School and other district
schools.
McNary and other schools use
portable classrooms to ease crowd-
ing in the brick and mortar build-
ings. The use of portable units has
been in practice around the country
for decades, it’s an inexpensive solu-
tion that does not address long-range
crowding problems.
Overcrowded schools is a quality
of education issue. STEM (Science,
technology, engineering and mathe-
matics) education suffers because labs
are crowded and students don’t get as
much time on those subjects as they
should. Much attention is aimed at
STEM because those subjects are the
fi rst rungs in the ladder to a colle-
giate education in fi elds that are im-
portant to the economy the U.S. is
morphing into. Attention needs to be
paid to all areas of high school edu-
cation including the elective classes
that make school palatable
for many students.
It is a fact that more
students will be attending
Keizer and Salem schools
in the coming years. There
is a social obligation to as-
sure that our children have
adequate space to do their
learning. If it costs the
school district $500 million to as-
sure a quality education, then it must
move forward.
Addressing seismic and over-
crowding issues piecemeal should
not be an option; the school district
and the school board have a duty to
its students to fi x and expand capac-
ity at schools as soon as possible. Dis-
cussions by the task force, the district
administration or the school board
are not trivial—this is an important
issue that should be tackled head on
and at full tilt. We support moving
forward with a whole package to
complete upgrades and expand ca-
pacity to present to voters.
Children are our greatest natural
resource and we should not skimp
when it comes to assuring that they
grow into educated and engaged
members of society. That’s society’s
obligation.
—LAZ
our
opinion
Keizertimes
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Taking advantage of an eclipse
By DON VOWELL
Oregon is very near the center
line of the path the August 21 solar
eclipse will follow. If you have dis-
tant friends looking for lodging it is
already too late. For this reason we
have decided to open our home for
those still needing a room. Not only
will they be able to enjoy this very
rare celestial treat but, co-
incidentally, it falls exactly
at the same time as Lüten-
pillage, a rarely celebrated
tribute to capitalism where
local merchants observe
the infl ux of tourists with
special pricing.
In order to preserve
Keizer’s safety we ask that you no-
tify prospective guests right away so
there will be enough time for semi-
extreme vetting. This application
process will be included in the price
of the room. All guests must swear
they have not met with any offi -
cial of the Russian government and
must submit tax returns for the last
fi ve years unless of course they are
currently being audited by the IRS.
Because we have our fi nger on the
pulse of American health care, so to
speak, we’ve already repealed the
Affordable Care Act at our house.
We’ll need a doctor’s letter certify-
ing that guests are healthy.
There will however be a small
surcharge for the wall we are build-
ing around the north and south bor-
ders of our property. When we fi nd
which undesirables we are keeping
out we will bill them and send you
a refund. As we have a private email
server, we ask that all highly classi-
fi ed government business be done
on your own devices. Wi-Fi is sup-
plied free of charge. The password
is $25.
So that guests will feel fully
embedded in native lifestyle the
rooms are decorated
in humble, thrift shop/
McNary High décor
typical to Keizer. Air
conditioning would be
out of place, but small,
quiet fans are included.
Rooms are carpeted
and have blinds and
doors to protect your privacy. Each
room has a closet you could con-
ceivably walk in. Small travel bags
that fi t under the bed are allowed
at no cost, and there is only a $35
fee for each larger suitcase. Each
room will cost only $345 per night.
The bathroom is down the hall to
the right. Owners claim fi rst dibs.
Showers are timed and rated per
minute.
Directly out the back door of the
house is a bird sanctuary so, though
pets are welcome, we ask that you
lock them in your car at all times.
Speaking of cars, valet parking is
available at $30 a night. If your dogs
seem resentful at spending the night
in the car a complimentary pass to
Keizer’s beautiful riverside dog park
is included at no charge.
Though we consider this estab-
a box
of
soap
lishment more bed than breakfast,
a small breakfast is provided from
8 to 8:20 each morning. Choices
include toaster pastries, pre-cooked
sausage patties, shrink-wrapped
muffi ns, bulk cereals, fruit-free fruit
drinks, gluten-free, fat-free, sugar
free, peanut-free, and taste-free
items.
For your leisure time there is a
piano on site. We have a television
with eight or 10 channels, an origi-
nal Nintento game console with Te-
tris, and fully shuffl ed cards.
Don’t miss Keizer’s local attrac-
tions when you visit. We are within
easy walking distance of the new
roundabout, where near-misses and
traffi c standoffs provide thrills as
passive and aggressive drivers make
their decisions. There is also the
Claggett Creek Wildlife Reserve
where there are regular sightings
of cows. Heavy rains occasionally
produce enough standing water to
attract a variety of mostly geese.
There is minor league baseball,
little league ball and possibly a new
Winco store by then. Keizer Station
has lots of new stores and restaurants
and guided tours will be offered so
that you can avoid endless looping
in search of an exit.
This is Oregon. If complete
overcast prevents viewing of the
eclipse a handwritten note of deep
sympathy will be sent to your home.
Postage due.
(Don Vowell gets on his soapbox
regularly in the Keizertimes.)
Through the looking glass
By E.J. DIONNE JR.
Donald Trump’s astonishing and
reckless accusation that he was wire-
tapped on orders from President
Obama should fi nally be the tipping
point in how the country views him
and his presidency.
Obama, through a
spokesman, said the charg-
es were “simply false.” It
appears that Trump is-
sued his wild tweet storm
Saturday morning largely
on the basis of reports in
conspiracy-minded right-
wing media.
He signaled his lack of evidence
fi rst by reportedly pushing his White
House staff to ransack sensitive in-
telligence information to fi nd sup-
port for his claim. Then on Sunday,
White House press secretary Sean
Spicer said Trump wanted Congress
to look into the matter and that the
administration would offer no fur-
ther comment.
Trump has a problem either way.
If he was not wiretapped, he invent-
ed a spectacularly false charge. And if
a court ordered some sort of surveil-
lance of him, on what grounds did
it do so?
Every time the issue of the rela-
tionship between Trump’s apparatus
and Moscow comes up, he is moved
to unleash unhinged counterattacks.
This only underscores how urgent it
is to get to the bottom of this story
quickly.
We need to understand why
those in Trump’s orbit who engaged
with Moscow stick with lies and
misdirection until the moment their
falsehoods are publicly revealed. The
truth has to be dragged out of them
by the media, working in concert
with those in government (AKA
“leakers”) who refuse to sit by while
the system they serve is endangered.
No wonder Trump hates leakers
and the press. With so many Repub-
licans in Congress prepared to aban-
don everything they said about ac-
countability before Jan. 20, 2017, the
main lines of defense against execu-
tive abuses have to come from jour-
nalists, those who supply
them with information,
and courageous judges.
The Washington Post’s
revelation last week that
Attorney General Jeff
Sessions misled the Sen-
ate about his two meet-
ings with Russian Am-
bassador Sergey Kislyak came after
Michael Flynn, Trump’s fi rst nation-
al security adviser, lied about the
nature of his own Russian contacts.
Flynn stuck to false claims about his
conversations with Kislyak until the
Post and other media blew them out
of the water. Flynn had to resign.
Sessions’ convenient memory
lapse (“I didn’t have—did not have
communications with the Rus-
sians”) was especially jarring be-
cause it came after an inquiry from
Sen. Al Franken in which the Min-
nesota Democratdid not even ask Ses-
sions whether he met with Russians.
Franken’s query ended this way:
“... if there is any evidence that
anyone affi liated with the Trump
campaign communicated with the
Russian government in the course
of this campaign, what will you do?”
Why did Sessions think he had
to respond to a question that wasn’t
even posed?
And during his news conference
announcing his recusal from investi-
gations into the Russia connection
—Trump, by the way, was enraged
because he didn’t want Sessions to
pull back—the attorney general re-
membered many things Kislyak had
said, but used the phrase “I don’t re-
other
views
call” fi ve times about various other
aspects of the encounters.
The Sessions moment was fol-
lowed by the confi rmation of pre-
viously undisclosed meetings with
Kislyak, one involving Flynn and
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner,
another with former campaign ad-
visers Carter Page and J. D. Gordon.
The crucial issue is how all this
affects our national security. But this
saga also reminds us that a crowd
claiming to place “America First”
does not really believe its own slo-
gan. They place only about half of
America fi rst, the part that opposed
Obama and supported Trump. When
it comes to the other half, they feel
only contempt.
This is why Russian interference
in our democracy appears to matter
far less to Trump than saving his own
skin. It’s also why he could compare
Obama unfavorably to a foreign au-
tocrat during the 2016 campaign.
He said Vladimir Putin had been “a
better leader than Obama because
Obama’s not a leader” and ominous-
ly praised Putin for having “very
strong control over a country.” What
do such statements have to do with
American patriotism as we have tra-
ditionally understood it? And now
Trump has accused Obama of vio-
lating the law.
Trump seems to assume that the
truth doesn’t matter anymore, that
a leader just needs enough voters
to believe the “alternative facts” his
side invents.
If there is any good news here, it’s
this: Alternative facts can take you
only so far. A president can’t just
make up charges against his prede-
cessor, call him a “Bad (or sick) guy,”
and then get away with it.
Can he?
(Washington Post Writers Group)