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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 2015)
OPINION 4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 Trump-ward, Christian soldiers? Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager Astoria needs more workforce housing A fter decades of having too many dwellings for its popula- tion, Astoria’s housing market is much tighter. Although this is a good thing for property owners and agents, D VLJQL¿FDQW PLVPDWFK EHWZHHQ supply and demand will make the FLW\OHVVLQWHUHVWLQJDQGKROGEDFN economic prospects. Rentals are a particular challenge. (PSOR\HUVDUH¿QGLQJLWPRUHGLI¿- cult to match new hires with places to live within the city. For those with adequate transportation, options still exist elsewhere in Clatsop County and across the Astoria Bridge. But KRXVLQJDIIRUGDELOLW\LVVXFKDPD- MRUSDUWRIDOLYDEOHDQGHFRQRPLFDO- O\VXVWDLQDEOHWRZQWKDWLWEHKRRYHV civic leaders to pay close attention. 7KHVWXG\FRPPLVVLRQHGE\WKH city of Astoria and our Wednesday UHSRUWRQLWFRQWDLQERWKHPSLULFDO and anecdotal evidence that should serve as a call to action: • “City planners took the gen- HUDOGH¿QLWLRQRIDIIRUGDELOLW\² households that devote no more than 30 percent of annual income WR KRXVLQJ ² DQG IRXQG WKDW percent of homeowners and 45.6 percent of renters exceeded the threshold in 2013.” • “There really is virtually zero vacancy,” said Sean Fitzpatrick, who serves on the Planning Commission and is a property manager. ³, WKLQN ZH QHHG WR EH FUH- ative and also a little careful that ZH DUH FUHDWLQJ DIIRUGDEOH KRXV- ing for residents of Astoria,” said Dave Pearson, the president of the Planning Commission. “Not that we EHFRPHWKHQH[W&DQQRQ%HDFK´ Pearson’s reference to Cannon %HDFK LV H\HRSHQLQJ (YHQ ¿YH years ago, the idea that Astoria PLJKW¿QGLWVHOILQDKRXVLQJVLWX- ation in any way analogous with &DQQRQ %HDFK ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ ODXJKDEOH 1RZ LW LQFUHDVLQJO\ IHHOV FRQFHLYDEOH 6XFK D VFH- nario would mean many of the wage-earners who support the economy of the city would have WRFRPPXWHIURPPRUHDIIRUGDEOH housing markets. Such a situation LVXQGHUVWDQGDEOH²LIVWLOOUHJUHW- WDEOH ² LQ FLWLHV OLNH 6HDWWOH DQG San Francisco. It should not hap- SHQLQ$VWRULDZLWKRXWD¿JKW7KH YLEUDQWPL[RIGLIIHUHQWDJHJURXSV HFRQRPLFFODVVHVDQGEXVLQHVVDF- tivities is what makes Astoria a fas- FLQDWLQJOLYLQJEUHDWKLQJSODFH 7KHVLWXDWLRQRIDIIRUGDELOLW\KDV EHFRPHZRUVHVLQFHDQGZLOO GHWHULRUDWH IXUWKHU LQ WKH DEVHQFH RILQWHOOLJHQWDQGSURDFWLYHFROODE- RUDWLRQV EHWZHHQ JRYHUQPHQW DQG private property owners. The U.S. Coast Guard will have to participate in housing discussions; the prospect RIDGGLWLRQDOSHUVRQQHOEHLQJEDVHG DW WKH PRXWK RI WKH &ROXPELD LV KLJKO\GHVLUDEOHIURPDQHFRQRPLF VWDQGSRLQWEXWZLOOFUDQNGRZQWKH RYHUDOODYDLODELOLW\RIGZHOOLQJV The city’s study makes a num- EHU RI ZRUWKZKLOH VXJJHVWLRQV which largely revolve around making the most of the space and existing housing, while facilitating IXWXUHEXLOGLQJDQGLQYHVWPHQW Some of the current situation is a direct consequence of the nation- ZLGH KRXVLQJ EXVW DQG WKH resulting tightening of lending. To a certain extent, construction will eventually catch up with demand. 6SDFHZLOODOZD\VEHDWDSUHPLXP in Astoria, however, considering the small river peninsula it occupies. Maintaining a healthy mix of hous- ing will demand ongoing attention for many years to come. Gov. Brown makes a signature hire Upgrading state computer systems ZiOO Ering enormous eI¿ciencies C lyde Saiki is not a household QDPH %XW KH ZLOO VKRUWO\ EH- FRPH RQH RI WKH PRVW VLJQL¿FDQW players in Oregon state government. Saiki (whose name rhymes ZLWK 1LNH RQ 7XHVGD\ EHFRPHV WKH VWDWH¶V FKLHI RSHUDWLQJ RI¿FHU and head of the Department of Administrative Services. This is Gov. Kate Brown’s sig- nature hire. A good measure of 6DLNL¶VWDVNZLOOEHWRPRYHVWDWH government’s computer opera- tions from antiquated to up-to- date. Many of the state agency computer systems cannot talk to other agencies’ systems. Gov. Brown inherited two ma- OLJQDQW VWUDLQV XSRQ WDNLQJ RI¿FH unexpectedly last January. There ZHUH VFDQGDORXV UHYHODWLRQV DERXW KRZ *RY -RKQ .LW]KDEHU¶V FRP- panion Cylvia Hayes had used the LPSULPDWXU RI ¿UVW ODG\ WR SXUVXH SULYDWH EXVLQHVV IURP LQVLGH WKH JRYHUQRU¶V RI¿FH 6HFRQGO\ WKH &RYHU2UHJRQ¿DVFRUHYHDOHGKRZ QDLYHWKHJRYHUQRUKDGEHHQDERXWD major software rollout. No one with DUHOHYDQWEDFNJURXQGZDVDGYLVLQJ *RY.LW]KDEHURQWKHVWDWH¶VGHDO- ings with the software giant Oracle. Saiki said the goal of his agen- cy and the new state chief informa- WLRQRI¿FHULVWRLGHQWLI\FRPSXWHU issues sooner and deal with them quickly. Saiki told Oregon Capital Insider that Gov. Brown spoke to KLP DERXW WKH QHHG IRU WUDQVSDU- HQF\ 7KH JRYHUQRU EHOLHYHV WKDW knowing why government is doing things is as important as knowing what government is doing. State government is enormously important to all citizens. It reaches into every community with ser- vices ranging from employment to economic development to human services to law enforcement. It is also a huge enterprise. :HOO EHQHDWK WKH KHDGOLQHV LV where the real work of state gov- ernment happens. Updating the state’s computer systems is not sexy or eye-catching. But it will EULQJ HQRUPRXV HI¿FLHQFLHV $QG as Saiki has said, money saved WKURXJKHI¿FLHQF\FDQEHGLUHFWHG to Oregonians’ needs. By FRANK BRUNI New York Times News Service L et me get this straight. If I want the admiration and EOHVVLQJVRIWKHPRVWÀDPER\- ant, judgmental Christians in America, I should marry three times, do a queasy-making DPRXQW RI VH[XDO ERDVWLQJ YHUEDOO\ GHJUDGH ZRPHQ WDON WUDVK DERXW SUHWW\ PXFK everyone else while I’m at it, HQFRXUDJHJDPEOHUVWRKHPRU- rhage their savings in casinos EHDULQJ P\ QDPH DQG FURZ LQFHVVDQWO\ DERXW KRZ PXFK money I’ve amassed? Republican Seems to work for Donald Trump. Charlie Neibergall/AP presidential candidate Donald Trump greets supporters during a rally Tuesday in Dubuque, Iowa. What’s different and fas- SD\EDFNIRUKLVGRQDWLRQVWRFRQVHU- 3ROOV VKRZ KLP WR EH FLQDWLQJ DERXW WKH 7UXPS vative religious groups. the preferred candidate worship is that he doesn’t 2U PD\EH KLV SRPSDGRXU KDV DPRQJQRWMXVWDOO5HSXE- even try that hard for a righ- mesmerized them. It could, in the OLFDQ YRWHUV EXW DOVR WKH WHRXVIDFDGH²IRU3RWHP- ULJKWZLQGEHPLVWDNHQIRUDKDOR party’s vocal evangelical kin piety. Sure, he speaks of ,¶P JUDVSLQJ DW VWUDZV EHFDXVH VXEVHW enthusiastic churchgoing, there’s no sense in the fact that many +H¶V PRUH EHORYHG and he’s careful to curse of the people who most frequently WKDQ 0LNH +XFNDEHH D Planned Parenthood and to espouse the Christian spirit then pro- former evangelical pastor, LQVLVWWKDWPDWULPRQ\EHUH- ceed to vilify immigrants, demonize or Ted Cruz, an evangel- served for heterosexuals as PLQRULWLHVDQGOLQHXSEHKLQGDFDQGL- Frank ical pastor’s son, or Scott GHPRQVWUDEO\LQHSWDWLWDV date who’s a one-man master class in Bruni Walker, who said during he is. such misanthropy. WKH UHFHQW 5HSXEOLFDQ GHEDWH ³,W¶V %XW EH\RQG WKDW" +H MXVW DERXW From Trump’s Twitter account RQO\E\WKHEORRGRI-HVXV&KULVWWKDW UXQV WKH WDEOH RQ WKH VHYHQ GHDGO\ gushes an endless stream of un-Chris- tian rudeness, and he was ,¶YHEHHQUHGHHPHG´ VLQV+HSHUVRQL¿HVJUHHG at it again on Monday :KHQ7UXPSPHQWLRQVEORRGLW¶V HPERGLHV SULGH UDGLDWHV The night, retweeting someone OHVVELEOLFDODV0HJ\Q.HOO\FDQZHOO lust. Wrath is covered else’s denigration of Kelly attest. E\ KLV DQWLLPPLJUDQW holy DVD³ELPER´6KRXOGQ¶WKH No matter. The holy rollers are anti-“losers” rants, and rollers EHWXUQLQJWKHRWKHUFKHHN" smiling upon the high roller. And if we interpret gluttony For politicians as for they’re proving, yet again, how selec- WR LQFOXGH ELJ EXLOGLQJV are voters, devotion and grace tive and incoherent the religiosity of and not just Big Macs, EH ¿FNOH FRQYHQLHQW many in the party’s God squad is. he’s a glutton through and smiling FDQ things. Courting the evan- Usually the disconnect involves through. That leaves envy gelical vote, Cruz used stern moralizing, especially on mat- DQGVORWK,¶PEHWWLQJWKDW upon his own Twitter account WHUVVH[XDOE\VKRZLO\GHYRXWSXEOLF KH KDUERUV SOHQW\ RI WKH ¿JXUHVZKRDUHWKHQH[SRVHGDVDGXO- former, though I’ll con- the high last week to say that his and prayers are terers or (gasp!) closet homosexuals. FHGHWKDWKHH[KLELWVQRQH roller. “thoughts with President Jimmy Car- I’d list all the names, starting with of the latter. ter,” whose struggle with -RVK'XJJDUDQGZRUNLQJEDFNZDUG In 2012, inexplica- EXW P\ FROXPQ GRHVQ¶W VSUDZO RYHU EO\ KH ZDV LQYLWHG WR /LEHUW\ 8QL- cancer was riveting the nation. But an entire page of the newspaper. versity, where he digressed during then Cruz pressed on with a speech 2U WKH GLVFRQQHFW LV EHWZHHQ his remarks to extol the prudence of WKDW EHPRDQHG WKH ³PLVHU\ VWDJQD- HYDQJHOLVWV¶SDQHJ\ULFVDERXW&KULVW¶V prenuptial agreements. But all was tion and malaise” of Carter’s presi- penury and their hustle for funds forgiven: His host, Jerry Falwell, told dency. He couldn’t have hit pause on to support less-than-penurious life- DXGLHQFHPHPEHUVWKDW7UXPSFRXOG WKH&DUWHUEDVKLQJIRUDZHHNRUWZR" &DUWHUSUHVVHGRQWRR²ZLWKKLV styles. John Oliver, the host of HBO’s EH FUHGLWHG IRU ³VLQJOHKDQGHGO\´ ³/DVW :HHN 7RQLJKW´ KDV EHHQ IRUFLQJ 3UHVLGHQW %DUDFN 2EDPD WR usual weekend routine of teaching PDNLQJ EULOOLDQW VDWLULFDO IXQ RI WKLV UHOHDVH KLV ELUWK FHUWL¿FDWH 2K KRZ Sunday school, which he has long E\ SURPRWLQJ KLV QHZ WD[H[HPSW they cheered, as if ugly, groundless done with little fanfare. His own church, Our Lady of Perpetual Ex- partisan rumor-mongering were on a &KULVWLDQLW\ LV QRW D EOXGJHRQ EXW D emption. Last Sunday he apologized saintly par with washing lepers’ feet. EULGJH $V IRU 7UXPS , PXVW QRW EH to viewers that his wife, Wanda Jo, 0D\EHLW¶V7UXPS¶VMLQJRLVPWKH\ ³FDQQRWEHZLWKXVWKLVHYHQLQJ´ adore. They venerated Ronald Rea- watching the same campaign that his “She’s at our summer parsonage gan though he’d divorced, remarried HYDQJHOLFDOIDQVDUHEHFDXVH,GRQ¶W in Hawaii,” he continued, “for a week and spent much of his career in the see someone interested in serving *RG,VHHVRPHRQHLQWHUHVWHGLQEH- of spiritual introspection and occa- godless clutch of Hollywood. sional parasailing.” 0D\EH WKHLU IHDOW\ WR 7UXPS LV ing God. Living in the northwest Ring of Fire the North American plate WR1HZ=HDODQG²\RXOLYH KDV ¿QDOO\ VHWWOHG D WVX- where most of the world’s nami from an ocean heave earthquakes happen. ,¶YH EHHQ WU\LQJ WR KH:HVWKDVEHHQRQ¿UHDOO ZRXOG EXU\ VPDOO FRDVW- al communities. More make peace with these month, with dream homes than 13,000 people would calculations ever since IDOOLQJ WR D FRPEXVWLYH SXQFK die, most of them under geologists mapped out ZLOGKRUVHVVHDUHGE\ÀDPHDQG a mountain of seawater. the Seattle Fault, more than 20 years ago. Smaller VXIIRFDWHG E\ VPRNH HYHQ D Throughout the region, a WKDQWKHELJ&DVFDGLDOLQH PLOOLRQ SHRSOH ZRXOG EH UDUH³¿UHQDGR´GDQFLQJDFURVVD along the coast, this east- temporarily displaced. Timothy landscape in which seven million west fault runs right under :H¶YH NQRZQ DERXW Egan ,QWHUVWDWH EHQHDWK WKH DFUHVKDYHEHHQEXUQHGWKLV\HDU all of this for some time. ,W ZDV VKRFNLQJ WR EH OD]LQJ 7KH 3DFL¿F 1RUWKZHVW LV VR EHDXWL- city’s downtown skyscrapers and the through the rituals of summer at IXOEHFDXVHRIWKHVWLOODFWLYHWHFWRQLF QHZEXLOGLQJVRI$PD]RQ¶VFRUSRUDWH forces that have shaped it. But this kingdom, under the stadiums where Lake Chelan, one of the world’s summer, The New YorkerSXEOLVKHGD the Seahawks and Mariners play, PRVWEHDXWLIXOERGLHVRIZDWHULQ piece that wrapped old news in new DQGEHORZP\IDPLO\¶V\HDUROG Washington’s eastern Cascades, WHUURU$QGZKDWKDGEHHQEXULHGLQ house. So yes, I’m living on top of the ZKHQZLOG¿UHVDUULYHGZLWKDFDQ- the recesses of Northwestern minds QRQDGHRIOLJKWQLQJ²EOD]HVWKDW VXGGHQO\ÀDUHG7KHFROOHFWLYHDQ[L- Seattle Fault. It’s somewhat reassur- ing that the thick walls of my home’s have now taken lives and forced ety has not gone away. The larger question, from Seattle to foundation have survived three rel- towns to evacuate. Sagamore Hill, is how atively minor earthquakes, in 1949, But even as ZH ¿W GLVDVWHU LQWR RXU 1965 and 2001, without even a hair- It’s eye-tearing smoke, red GDLO\ OLYHV ² D SDFW line fracture. And I certainly sleep sun and yellow-shirted with the known un- EHWWHU NQRZLQJ WKDW WKH WLPEHUHG ghastly ¿UH¿JKWHUV KDYH EH- known. There is no such IUDPHRIP\ROGKRXVHLVQRZEROW- come a part of life this thing as a safe place on ed, in most places, to that foundation. to think summer, many of us on this earth. More than 90 :RRGKRPHVDUHVKDNHQEXWJHQHUDO- about: the West Coast can’t percent of Americans O\QRWVWLUUHGLQDELJTXDNHLIODWFKHG VWRS WKLQNLQJ DERXW D live in an area with at to their footings. 10,000 7KH 6HDWWOH )DXOW ZDV FRQ¿UPHG JUHDWHUWKUHDW²HDUWK- least a moderate risk TXDNHV VSHFL¿FDOO\ of tornadoes, or wild- LQSDUWE\GLVFRYHU\RIWKHUHPQDQWV or more the Really Big One. ¿UHV RU KXUULFDQHV RU of giant trees that slid into Lake Wash- The unclenching of buildings ÀRRGV RU HDUWKTXDNHV ington 1,100 years ago. That quake two large plates along Not to mention the WXUQHGEOXIIVLQWREHDFKHVDQGEHDFK- WKH 3DFL¿F VKRUH IURP crumbling. larger threat of climate es into cliffs, so my little earthquake Northern California to FKDQJH H[DFHUEDWLQJ ¿[HVDUHKDUGO\DGHTXDWHLIWKHEDFN- yard drops 20 feet. 9DQFRXYHU,VODQGZRXOGEHE\FRQ- PRVWRIWKHDERYH ,¶YHJRWP\ZDWHU¿OWHUIURP5(, sensual predictions, the worst natural You gauge the odds; that’s really disaster in North American history. the crux of choosing where to live. my emergency supplies, my propane. It happened once, more than 300 And you hope your political leaders I have a woodstove for emergency years ago, a magnitude 9 shake that have the foresight to spend money heat, decent vino in the cellar, canned was 60 times stronger than the 1906 on things that may not have an im- JRRGVZLWKDQH[SLUDWLRQGDWHIDUEH- yond the Donald Trump moment. earthquake that left San Francisco in PHGLDWHEHQH¿W %XWLW¶VODXJKDEOHDOORILWLQWKH ruins. It most assuredly will happen In the Northwest, these are the odds: again, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps in There is a 10 to 15 percent chance of ELJ VFKHPH RI WKLQJV<RX MXVW KDYH a hundred years. a magnitude 9 earthquake happening to hope that the surface plates remain ,W¶VJKDVWO\WRWKLQNDERXW over the next 50 years, and a 30 percent stuck, in a wrestler’s tension grip, RUPRUHEXLOGLQJVFUXPEOLQJ%ULGJHV chance of a smaller, though still enor- for another century or so. And you VZD\LQJEXFNOLQJVKXFNLQJRIIFDUV mous, collision of plates. If you live in REVHVV RU WU\ WR SDUVH WKRVH RGGV A tangle of natural gas lines causing WKH5LQJRI)LUH²WKDWKRUVHVKRHRI all while realizing that you wouldn’t explosions no terrorist could pull off. seismic activity running along the Pa- have stayed here without the condi- And then, just as the shaken crust of FL¿FVKRUHIURP&KLOHWR$ODVND-DSDQ tions that created that risk. By TIMOTHY EGAN New York Times News Service T
