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SEPTEMBER 29, 2017, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5 KeizerOpinion KEIZERTIMES.COM Distractions in the face of tragedy While millions of American citizens suffer without power and communication, millions of other American citizens are debating pro- tests by players, coaches and owners of National Football League teams. As Puerto Rico’s 3 million peo- ple cope with the devastation that Hurricane Maria vis- ited upon the island last week, President Trump attacks people—who play a game for a liv- ing—for being unpa- triotic by taking a knee during the National Anthem played before football games. The president said he would visit Puerto Rico next week. Why is the suffering that Puerto Ricans are going through any dif- ferent than what Texans or Florid- ians or Louisanders suffered after Harvey and Irma? The country opened its wallets for those states, held telethons that raised millions of dollars, yet, our territory in the Caribbean is left twisting in the wind. Many things have gone topsy turvy in America over the past 18 months. It’s no wonder that we latch onto a secondary story as if it were a matter of life and country. Football players protesting in the way they see best is not on the same scale as millions of Americans suf- fering from a natural disaster or the fact that in the face of a rising ec- nomy, many American still feel un- settled and uncertain of their future. This is especially true when the United States is conducting a war of words with North Korea. Does turning a protest by a sports team into a major controversy seem para- mount compared to threats that our planes might be blown out of the sky even if it is only near North Korean air space? Who wants to get on a plan heading to Asia now? Americans have been rocked and jostled by events from the Great Recession, to home foreclosures, health care expenses, a constant war in Afghanistan, fears of terrorism, a divisive presidential election and Tweets from the victor. We want a break from wave after wave of bad news we can do nothing about—it is only natural we will re- spond to the things we can understand. Some think that foot- ball players who take a knee during the Anthem are protesting America. In reality, the protests began as a response to police shootings of African-Americans. The president tweeted that they were protesting the American fl ag and should be fi red. That’s how situations become full blown controversies. All this comes down to two words: respect and dignity. All citi- zens should respect our nation’s fl ag. The fl ag represents the freedom to protest what we disagree with. We should all strive to maintain the dignity of all other people. A per- son who does not share your beliefs is not the enemy, they are a person worthy of respect and dignity who does not agree with you. Americans are free to protest the protest, but what could really show that we are all part of one nation, indivisible, is to reach out to our fellow Americans. Puerto Ricans deserve the respect of their fellow Americans more than that they need fi nancial and infrastructure help. Turn the energy of trivial pro- tests to helping people in dire need. We would do nothing less for Americans in our own backyard. —LAZ our opinion Bills already circling capitol Every few months, all the legisla- are already 32 different petitions be- tors and lobbyists come back to the ing circulated this fall. If you would Capitol and participate in what is like to see a full list, you can Google the Oregon Abigail Adams called Legislative Days. Voter Education Project. We have committee A couple of the petitions hearings which mostly garnering the most news are informational—we coverage and speculation hear from agencies on are the petition to repeal how they are doing on SB719 (sometimes called implementing bills, and the extreme risk protec- sometimes discuss ideas tion order), the petition to for bills to introduce in repeal a recently instituted the next session. tax on hospitals and a peti- This week the Vet- to prevent a sales tax erans and Emergency from the tion on groceries. There are Preparedness Commit- tee met. We heard from capitol multiple petitions around vaccinations, getting big the state forester on how By BILL POST money out of elections and the department did dur- school access. If you have a ing the recent fi re sea- few minutes, it’s fascinating son. The information was incredible to hear and I am so to read about the issues that could proud of our forestry department. be on our ballots in November, They did a tremendous job fi ghting 2018. Switching gears, I don’t know the hundreds of fi res scattered across our state. From the report, it looks about you, but I am excited ev- like the fi res were managed well on ery time I drive by the Waremart state and private lands, but the ones by Winco building that’s under on the federal lands were the ones construction. I can’t wait to have more grocery shopping options in that went crazy. Some of the other issues being our community. I was honored to heard in the building this week are: host a town hall on the lack of op- Carbon cap and trade; the Equi- tions and had conversations with fax data breach; moving election the Winco team as well as Mayor dates; and, gubernatorial appoin- Cathy Clark—and to the best of my knowledge it may open before the tees. Oregon is unique in many ways end of the year. I always enjoy hearing from you, and one important thing we do that not every state does, is allow please don’t hesitate to drop me a for citizens to repeal laws that the line (900 Court St NE, Salem, OR legislature has already passed, or put 97310). in place laws that the legislature re- ( Bill Post represents House Dis- fused to deal with. I think it’s indic- trict 25. He can be reached at 503- ative of the disconnect of this par- 986-1425 or via email at rep.bilpost@ ticular group of legislators that there oregonlegislature.gov.) Keizertimes Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com MANAGING EDITOR SUBSCRIPTIONS 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 INTERN Random Pendragon facebook.com/keizertimes twitter.com/keizertimes Can we avoid a health care horror? By E.J. DIONNE JR. It is diffi cult to decide which is the worst aspect of the Republicans’ latest try at repealing Obamacare: the irresponsibility, the cruelty or the lies. There is only one reason the Senate is even consider- ing a vote this week on the catastrophically fl awed proposal from Sens. Lind- sey Graham and Bill Cas- sidy. The GOP base wants repeal. So never mind what happens to Ameri- cans with modest in- comes who have cancer, diabetes or heart trouble. Politics matters more than giving serious thought to a bill that would upend one-sixth of our economy. It has been two months since the last repeal bill was defeated. Did the GOP’s House and Senate majori- ties use the time to hold hearings on the bill that’s being considered? Did they bring in doctors, nurses and insurers to help craft something sensible? Of course not. They scheduled a quickie, last minute hearing this week for show. Since this vote is all about appearances, who cares about expertise? President Trump and his party want “a win.” They’re willing to wreak havoc on the insurance markets, state governments and people’s lives to get it. If they had engaged in any seri- ous deliberative process, they would have had to grapple with the views of the bipartisan National Associa- tion of Medicaid Directors on Gra- ham-Cassidy’s approach of marry- ing block grants to severe cuts. The association’s statement last week called the bill “the largest intergov- ernmental transfer of fi nancial risk from the federal government to the states in our country’s history.” “Any effort of this magnitude,” the Medicaid directors added, “needs thorough discussion, exami- nation and analysis, and should not be rushed through without proper deliberation.” No kidding. This was Sen. John McCain’s ad- mirable rationale for voting against the last repeal bill. And even though Graham is his best friend in the Sen- ate, he stuck to prin- ciple and announced Friday he was voting against this bill, too. Here’s hoping he eased the path for other Republicans to oppose this legislative contraption whose cruel- ty is obvious. There has always been something deeply wrong about our country’s failure to provide health insurance for all our citizens, which every other wealthy industrialized nation does. It’s not OK for people to face bankruptcy simply because they are doing everything they can to stay alive. Obamacare was a cau- tious, market-friendly attempt to make the system a bit kinder. Since the Republicans launched this year’s repeal offensive, many Americans who thought of the Af- fordable Care Act as a vague sort of failure have heard the compelling stories of those with pre-existing conditions and serious illnesses who are far better off today because of the law. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Friday showed Americans preferred Obamacare to Graham-Cassidy by 56 percent to 33 percent. Many who believed Trump and other Republicans when they promised to pass something bet- ter than Obamacare now know that this pledge was a sham. What the GOP really wants is to spend a whole lot less government money other views helping people get health care. But they can’t admit it because it sounds heartless. So instead, they lie outright about what their bill does. Slate’s Jamelle Bouie provided one of the best compendiums of falsehoods being offered on behalf of this bill. Jimmy Kimmel called out Cassidy for fail- ing to live up to what the senator himself called the “the Jimmy Kim- mel test.” Kimmel described this as a pledge that “no family should be denied medical care, emergency or otherwise, because they can’t afford it.” Cassidy, Kimmel charged last week, “lied right to my face.” Trump insisted in a tweet: “I would not sign Graham-Cassidy if it did not include coverage of pre- existing conditions. It does!” Ac- tually, it lets states undermine this coverage. Then there is the much-repeated lie that ACA repeal bills are about giving states and individuals more “choice” in health care. Right, and I have the “choice” of buying a fl eet of Rolls-Royces. The bottom line: No money, no choice. And if Obamacare is so bad, why are Republicans reportedly trying to buy the vote of Sen. Lisa Murkowski with a special provision that would, in effect, allow Alaska to keep the Affordable Care Act pretty much as is? Why not give every state this option by killing Graham-Cas- sidy altogether? This week is a testing time. It’s a test of whether the movement that successfully defended the ACA this summer can rally once more. And it’s a test of a handful of Republi- cans who claim to take the health care issue seriously. No one who votes for this bill can ever make that claim again. (Washington Post Writers Group) Tax cuts won’t create booming economy By GENE H. McINTYRE Americans of modest fi nancial means may want to withhold their cheers over President Trump’s latest declaration, the one where he wants to reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 to 15 percent. It’s an urban myth that a former U.S. president said, “What’s good for General Mo- tor is good for Ameri- ca,” but it just as well be ascribed to President Trump as he, personally, and his wealthy pals, are those who enthusiasti- cally greet this plan and will benefi t from it. But look at the facts in this latest of issues to hit the fan: Trump and company ar- gue that the additional money go- ing into the coffers of U.S. corpora- tions would free up valuable cash for them. Then, these companies could use the money to increase their in- vestments, increase employees’ pay and earnings, accelerate corporate hiring and move the economy into greater growth. Additionally, it’s ar- gued by Trump, corporations that now deposit trillions overseas to keep from paying U.S. taxes would bring the money home and thereby compete better with rivals from countries with lower tax rates. Meanwhile, American econo- mists, tax experts and business own- ers believe that this tax adjustment is unlikely to doubtful to fulfi ll what Trump promises. Here are some rea- sons: (1) Preferring not to hire ad- ditional employees, companies may use much of their savings to buy back their stock or simply increase dividends to their wealthy inves- torsl. Many companies have already been able to borrow money at very low rates in order to grow but have not been inclined to add employees; and (2) Corporate tax cuts will pro- vide small overall benefi ts because the general health of the current American econo- my is low unemployment at 4.4 percent and remains in a slow steady upward turn where big tax cuts would deliver nothing or next to it. Two examples from recent corporate tax cuts serve to inform. The state of Kan- sas, in 2012, exempted thousands of its businesses from corporate taxes and cut individual rates but then faced a devastating revenue short- fall with an anticipated growth that didn’t happen, all resulting in public services, including education at all levels, realizing destructive conse- quences. The Bush administration provided a tax “holiday” in 2004 in hope of bringing profi ts back to America but later discovered that tax revenues declined while U.S. companies stashed their cash over- seas in wait to receive a tax discount. Currently, those savvy in this matter, including the non-partisan Tax Policy Center, comments that what will happen regarding the Trump plan is that the federal defi - cit will swell like a bumblebee sting. Those folks tell us that even if all tax guest column breaks were eliminated, the corpo- rate rate could not drop below 26 percent without sending the defi cit further into the stratosphere. Of course, one of Trump’s chief advisors is a guy who’s ensconced in the White House. Gary Cohn, very rich, argues for the big corporate tax reduction. He says small businesses would especially benefi t. His point is that planned tax cuts on profi ts would “double” owners’ personal income and free them to hire more employees. Full of misinformation, the Cohn doctrine assumes business owners want to increase their pay- roll rather than enjoy higher profi ts and personal income. The ever-shrinking number of Americans still receiving their in- come from traditional “defi ned benefi t” pensions do not, by the way, receive more money if the stock market rises. And, any argu- ment that proposes corporate tax cuts are a path to benefi t the Ameri- can worker or retiree is now and has always been proven to be the sink hole of the “trickle-down” prom- ise to every U.S. worker myth and the old lump of coal in what’s tried- to-be-sold as a Christmas bonus. (Gene H. McIntyre lives in Keizer.) 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