PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 31, 2017
KeizerOpinion
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Deductions, PERS, K-12 & life
Another couple of weeks in the nearly 30 years so I constantly hear
Oregon Legislature and the days are about the struggles in our K-12 ed-
ucation system. I have per-
long here at the Capitol,
sonally advocated that the
but each one seems to go
K-12 budget be separated
by quickly as they are full
from the rest of the budget
of committee hearings,
and require that it be voted
research, and meetings
on by March 1, so that our
with constituents and
local school districts have
others regarding specifi c
certainty going into their
bills.
own budgeting process each
There are many con-
year. I can assure you that
versations being had
about the budget and from the the minority party and I
are very much in favor of
what is being called the
capitol a much larger budget for
“transportation
pack-
age,” but it’s currently Rep. BILL POST K-12 and want it passed
right now. We have been
too early to tell what will
be included in those bills. While we told the schools are asking for $8.4
are waiting for the details, we are billion. We are asking the co-chairs
moving a few bills every day on the to get that to the House fl oor right
now for a vote.
House fl oor.
Recently I had several farmer
I am always glad to hear from
constituents and recently I have constituents drop by the offi ce to
heard from a lot of you on some talk about Senate Bill 779 as well
important issues. We are currently as receiving a very good amount of
being bombarded by emails from emails from farmers in the St. Paul
concerned homeowners regard- area. This bill would provide clarity
ing House Bill (HB) 2771 and HB for agricultural employers regarding
2006. Among other things, these the sick leave legislation that passed
bills would eliminate the property last year. Many of the farmers in my
tax deduction as well as cut the district have reached out to me on
mortgage interest deduction. I am this, and I am hopeful that the bill
not a fan of discouraging home will come out of the Senate to the
ownership, but rather encouraging House where I will be able to vote
for it.
it.
By far however, the bill that I
We have received many phone
calls and visits regarding PERS. This have heard from you all the most
is such a huge issue that impacts our has been HB 3017. It is the ban
entire state in many ways. Previous on late term abortion. I have been
legislatures have voted to cut ben- gratefully stunned by the number
efi ts that were already contractu- of constituents who took the time
ally agreed on, and the courts have to thank me for co-sponsoring that
struck those down. We need creative bill. I want to thank them for their
solutions to solve this crisis, but they support and very kind words.
(Bill Post represents House Disd
need to be constitutional solutions
and I believe we must do it this ses- trict 25. He can be reached at 503d
986d1425 or via email at rep.billd
sion.
post@state.or.us.)
My wife has been a teacher for
Popular vote
should be rule
districts or districts with
voter suppression laws in
place.
Analyses of how the
congressional
district
method might work as-
sume all states adopt this
method, therefore elimi-
nating state choice. The only way to
ensure every person’s voice is heard
is to base presidential election re-
sults on the national popular vote.
NPVIC only goes into effect when
states with 270 electoral votes sign
on. If you want Oregon to sign onto
NPVIC, contact Senator Thatcher
and your state representative today.
Angela Roccograndi
Wilsonville
letters
To the Editor:
On February 23, our
state senator, Kim Thatch-
er, argued in The Times
against Oregon signing on
to the National Popular Vote Inter-
state Compact (NPVIC).
NPVIC states allocate Electoral
College votes to the presidential
candidate with the plurality of votes
across the country. NPVIC does not
change how the Electoral College
works. It changes the way states sign-
ing it allocate their votes, a state right
under the Constitution.
Senator Thatcher seems to prefer
the congressional district method
that “give[s] the states better rep-
resentation within their own geo-
graphical diversity.” This method
moves the level of control from the
state (winner take all) to the district.
It does not protect “minority opin-
ions or different ways of life” within
districts, especially gerrymandered
Share your opinion
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Email to:
publisher@keizertimes.com
How Trump can get his groove back
By MICHAEL GERSON
The central promise of the
Trump administration—the repeal
and replacement of Obamacare—
has failed. The central premise of
the Trump administra-
tion—that Donald Trump
is a brilliant negotiator—
has been discredited. In the
process of losing a legisla-
tive battle, Trump has lost
the theory of his presi-
dency.
The lessons, however,
run deeper. Like other
politicians before him, Trump ran
for offi ce arguing, in essence: Just
give my party control of the elected
branches of the federal government
and massive change will quickly
follow. Many Americans believed
in this promise of winner-take-all
government.
The American system of gov-
ernment—with its constipated
Senate rules and its complicated
House coalitions—is designed to
frustrate such plans. But the close-
ness of recent national elections has
encouraged partisan dreams of po-
litical dominance. Republicans had
control of the House, Senate and
presidency in the 108th Congress.
Democrats had the same in the
111th Congress. Now Republicans
have it all in the 115th Congress.
Total control is intoxicating. The
winners feel like they have a man-
date, even a mission. But the losers
know, if they maintain partisan dis-
cipline and prevent achievements of
the other side, they have a realistic
chance of winning it all back. This
leads to a cycle of hubris and ob-
structionism.
How can this cycle be broken?
There is only one way. Someone
must do genuine outreach, involv-
ing the credible promise of com-
promise, from a position of strength. It
is the winners who must act fi rst,
taking the risk of offering a hand
that may be slapped
away. Then it is the po-
litical losers who have
the responsibility to re-
ward good faith.
Obamacare—passed
in a partisan quick
march and viewed by
some Republicans as
the focus of evil in the
modern world—may not be the
most promising ground for agree-
ment. The same may be true for tax
reform, which involves a thousand
well-funded special interests. But
genuine negotiation might be pos-
sible on an infrastructure bill. The
same might be true on legislation
designed to increase the skills of 38
percent of American workers whose
jobs are threatened by automation.
And at least one culture-war issue
belongs on the list: religious liberty.
Many religious conservatives
imagined they would, at this point,
be in a defensive crouch. Instead,
unexpectedly, religious conserva-
tives fi nd themselves in a position
of relative strength, as one of the
main contributors to Trump’s vic-
tory. It is possible they will squan-
der their standing on repeal of the
Johnson Amendment that restricts
political endorsements from the
pulpit -- a change that few have
demanded and none really need.
Instead, they could use their infl u-
ence to encourage genuine plural-
ism, with benefi ts that are shared
and nonsectarian.
What would the elements of a
legislative compromise look like?
michael
gerson
It would need to allow institutions
motivated by a religious mission,
including religious schools and
charities, to maintain their identity.
Religious liberty involves, not just
the freedom of individual belief but
the freedom to create institutions
that refl ect a shared belief.
But any realistic agreement
would also need to include broad
anti-discrimination
protections
in employment and services—in-
cluding for gay people—outside of
the strong carve-out for religious
nonprofi ts. Religious conservatives
would need to accept sexual orien-
tation as a protected group in eco-
nomic interactions.
This is consistent with what
Jonathan Rauch calls “the obvious
compromise: protections for gay
people plus exemptions for reli-
gious objectors.” In practice, this
would allow religious people to or-
ganize colleges, hospitals and chari-
ties according to their beliefs. But
the cake baker would need to bake
for everyone. The fl orist would
need to sell to everyone.
The strongest advocates on both
sides of this issue will fi nd any com-
promise abhorrent. But it could be
powerful for religious conservatives
to attempt outreach from a position
of political strength, And Donald
Trump, oddly, may be the leader
to get this kind of deal. He broke
ground among Republicans in rec-
ognizing LGBT rights in his con-
vention speech. But he is also close
to religious conservative leaders.
And just about now, Trump
needs a way to reconstitute the
meaning of his presidency.
(Washington
Group)
Post
Writers
I choose more cops over parks
By ROBERT CONAHEY
I am writing in response to the
recent article in the Keizertimes
about a proposal to add fi ve offi cers
to the Keizer Police Department.
I exceptionally and greatly sup-
port this proposal; it is
greatly needed and over-
due. I only wish that there
could be more offi cers
added. I enjoy the system
of parks that the city of
Keizer has and they are
very nice but I think that
it is more important to have
additional police protec-
tion.
The recent burglary covered in
the March 24 issue of the Keizer-
times illustrates this point. More po-
lice means more coverage and more
coverage means less crime. Suspects
are more likely to be caught and
locked up.
By having more
offi cers on the streets
the word will go out
through the criminal
network that Keizer
is not open for busi-
ness. Criminals will
not be welcome
here and they should
just move on and go
somewhere else to
commit their crimes.
I have been a vic-
tim of crime and
reported it to the
police. If there had
been more offi cers
and more resources
available to the de-
partment and the of-
fi cers then maybe the
case could have been
resolved instead of going cold and
me having to pay out of my own
pocket for a private investigator and
lawyer with my limited resources.
It is important to have a safe
community and for the residents
and others to know that
they are safe and well
protected. New resi-
dents and businesses, es-
pecially those that pro-
vide good living wage
jobs will not come to an
area that is not safe and
well protected. I think
that we all aggree that
Keizer is growing and will con-
tinue to grow and that employers
who provide good jobs that pay a
living wage with benefi ts are what
we seek and they will not come to
an area that it not safe and well pro-
tected.
guest
column
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I don’t mind paying more taxes
to have good police and fi re protec-
tion. If that is what it takes to make
and maintain Keizer as a safe and
vibrant community and the place
we all want it to be.
Long-term I would like to see
the Keizer Police Department be
staffed so that there are two offi cers
in the car at all times. In the short
term during the hours of darkness
there should be two police offi cers
per car. It helps with offi cer safety
and productivity
As for parks, the city of Keizer
prides itself on volunteerism. What
is wrong with having volunteers,
churches, youth groups such as the
various scout groups and those re-
quired to do community service
perform these tasks.
(Robert Conahey lives in Keizer.)