Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 2016)
OPINION 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016 The Obama boom Founded in 1873 By PAUL KRUGMAN New York Times News Service 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 %HQH¿WVRISROLFHERG\ FDPHUDVÀRZERWKZD\V Video can provide an undeniable record of police interactions with suspects RG\ FDPHUDV IRU ODZ HQIRUFHPHQW RI¿FHUV DUH FOHDUO\ D mature technology with general acceptance in Clatsop County, as described in our story last Friday. The Astoria Police Department has bought more cameras and video soft- ZDUH6RPHRI¿FHUVKDYHEHHQXVLQJWKHPIRUDGHFDGHDQG vehicle-mounted cameras even longer. B ,W LVQ¶W GLI¿FXOW WR ¿QG FLWL- zens who object to the cameras based on concerns video record- ings contribute to modern so- ciety becoming a “surveillance VWDWH´ LQ ZKLFK RI¿FLDO QRWLFH is taken of many transactions that used to be unobserved and transitory. It is possible to sym- pathize with the feeling that a degree of creepiness attaches to the possibility of being recorded by police. On balance, however, con- sidering the policies and pre- cautions taken by Astoria Police and other agencies, these con- cerns are less valid than they might otherwise be. Steps like blurring faces and discarding videos without investigatory or judicial relevance allay most citizen worries. The advantages of having recordings of police-citizen in- WHUDFWLRQV DUH JUHDW 7KH\ ÀRZ both ways. While they can’t be relied on for every element of context and nuance, videos pro- vide a nearly undeniable record of who said and did what during police actions. Not only are vid- eos powerful evidence, but the cameras serve as an incentive for good behavior on the part of cops and those they contact. Using cameras is, especially, a no-brainer from the standpoint of managing insurance and legal liability for departments. Body cameras are available to citizens, too, and these re- cordings are certain to become a bigger issue in terms of privacy. In tandem with the rapid expan- sion in drone aircraft owner- ships, ubiquitous video cameras are a growing part of modern life. Working out the legal obliga- tions and simple good manners of this technology will require deliberate thought and discus- sion for years to come. CNN won’t report the sage grouse deal Problems avoided are costs avoided P roblems avoided are a lot like wars that don’t happen. They don’t get the attention of problems that explode in public places. When calamity — es- pecially armed calamity — is avoided, we save money and lives. During his Astoria town hall meeting last Saturday, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden mentioned success- ful negotiations over the greater sage grouse. The outcome was an agreement that the grouse would not be listed as endan- gered while affected states were charged with developing and carrying out plans to protect the species. Unlike the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the sage grouse deal will not get national coverage. CNN will not show up. The sage grouse process WUDQVSLUHGRYHUVRPH¿YH\HDUV It involved federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service as well as en- vironmental groups and users such as ranchers. “This produced a commend- able plan to improve habitat on 60 million acres of public lands in 11 western states,” said Mark Salvo of Defenders of Wildlife. “Nobody would dispute that. This is a step forward, especial- ly for the BLM , which had not managed lands well.” Evaluating the various states’ strategies, Salvo said: “Oregon’s is considered one of the better strategies for sage grouse. It is an all-lands approach. It in- cludes state and private lands, steps no other state has taken.” The Oregon Natural Desert Association is especially fo- cused on the outcome. Said Dan Morse, its conservation direc- tor, “From our perspective, both plans (federal and state) have many positive elements that if implemented will help us turn the corner.” During his Astoria appear- ance, Wyden compared the oc- cupation in Harney County to confrontation over the poten- tial endangered species listing of the greater sage grouse. It was an apt comparison and it makes a point that some presi- dential candidates fail to grasp. Our land use economics are complex. Progress on species preservation is possible. But to move forward sometimes de- mands years of work. Editorials that appear on this page are written by Publisher Steve Forrester and Matt Winters, editor of the Chinook Observer and Coast River Business Journal, or staff members from the EO Media Group’s sister newspapers. D o you remember the “Bush boom”? Probably not. Anyway, the administration of George W. Bush began its tenure with a recession, followed by an extended “jobless re- covery.” By Paul the summer Krugman of 2003, however, the economy began adding jobs again. The pace of job creation wasn’t anything special by his- torical standards, but conserva- tives insisted that the job gains after that trough represented a huge triumph, a vindication of the Bush tax cuts. From a conservative point of view, Obama did everything wrong, afflicting the comfortable (slightly) and comforting the afflicted (a lot), and nothing bad happened. We can, it turns out, make our society better after all. And Obama, in particular, has been attacked at every stage of his presi- dency for policies that his critics al- lege are “job-killing” — the former House speaker, John Boehner, once used the phrase seven times in less than 14 minutes. So the fact that the Obama job record is as good as it is tells you something about the validi- ty of those attacks. What did Obama do that was supposed to kill jobs? Quite a lot, actually. He signed the 2010 Dodd- )UDQN¿QDQFLDOUHIRUPZKLFKFULWLFV claimed would crush employment by starving businesses of capital. He raised taxes on high incomes, espe- So what should we say about the cially at the very top, where average Obama job record? Private-sector tax rates rose about 6.5 percentage points after 2012, a step that critics employment — the relevant num- claimed would destroy incentives. ber, as I’ll explain in a minute — And he enacted a health reform that hit its low point in February 2010. went into full effect in 2014, amid Since then we’ve gained 14 million claims that it would have catastroph- MREVD¿JXUHWKDWVWDUWOHGHYHQPH ic effects on employment. Yet none of the dire predicted roughly double the number of jobs consequences of these policies have added during the supposed Bush materialized. It’s not just that over- boom before it turned into the Great all job creation in the private sector Recession. If that was a boom, this — which was what Obama was sup- expansion, capped by last month’s posedly killing — has been strong. really good report, outbooms it by a More detailed examinations of labor markets also show no evidence of wide margin. predicted ill effects. For example, Does President Barack Obama there’s no evidence that Obamacare deserve credit for these gains? No. In led to a shift from full-time to part- general, presidents and their policies time work, and no evidence that the matter much less for the economy’s expansion of Medicaid led to large performance than most people imag- reductions in labor supply. So what do we learn from this ine. Times of crisis are an exception, and the Obama stimulus plan enact- impressive failure to fail? That the ed in 2009 made a big positive dif- conservative economic orthodoxy ference. But that stimulus faded out dominating the Republican Party is fast after 2010, and has very little to very, very wrong. In a way, that should have been do with the economy’s current situ- obvious. For conservative orthodoxy ation. The point, however, is that pol- has a curiously inconsistent view of iticians and pundits, especially the abilities and motivations of cor- on the right, constantly insist that porations and wealthy individuals — presidential policies matter a lot. I mean, job creators. On one side, this elite is pre- sumed to be a bunch of economic superheroes, able to deliver univer- sal prosperity by summoning the magic of the marketplace. On the other side, they’re depicted as in- FUHGLEO\VHQVLWLYHÀRZHUVZKRZLOW in the face of adversity — raise their taxes a bit, subject them to a few regulations, or for that matter hurt their feelings in a speech or two, and they’ll stop creating jobs and go sulk in their tents, or more likely their mansions. It’s a doctrine that doesn’t make much sense, but it conveys a clear message that, whaddya know, turns out to be very convenient for the elite: namely, that injustice is a law of nature, that we’d better not do anything to make our society less unequal or protect ordinary families IURP ¿QDQFLDO ULVNV %HFDXVH LI ZH do, the usual suspects insist, we’ll be severely punished by the invisible hand, which will collapse the econ- omy. Economists could and did argue that history proves this doctrine wrong. After all, America achieved rapid, indeed unprecedented, in- come growth in the 1950s and 1960s, despite top tax rates beyond the wildest dreams of modern pro- gressives. For that matter, there are countries like Denmark that com- bine high taxes and generous social programs with very good employ- ment performance. But for those who don’t know much about either history or the world outside America, the Obama economy offers a powerful lesson in the here and now. From a conser- vative point of view, Obama did ev- HU\WKLQJ ZURQJ DIÀLFWLQJ WKH FRP- fortable (slightly) and comforting WKHDIÀLFWHGDORWDQGQRWKLQJEDG happened. We can, it turns out, make our society better after all. Focus on illegal guns from whom he acquired about where criminals get WKHLUJXQVDQGKLV¿QGLQJV the weapon. In addition, 47 were somewhat shocking. percent of the respondents Corrupt dealers supply quizzed as to whether they ate Thursday a madman ap- some of the guns. Accord- KDG HYHU VWROHQ D ¿UHDUP proached a police cruiser in ing to Bieler: during a crime admitted 3KLODGHOSKLDDQG¿UHGDWOHDVW “Some researchers have to so doing and 86 percent WLPHVDWWKHRI¿FHULQWKHYHKLFOH suggested that gun retailers of the felons who admitted divert a relatively low vol- SULRU VWHDOLQJ RI ¿UHDUPV striking him three times in the left ume of weapons, while oth- reported multiple thefts.” arm. ers have found them to be a Rather than focusing on Charles Even with those wounds, the of- major source.” all guns, the vast, vast ma- Blow ¿FHU ZDV DEOH WR JHW RXW FKDVH WKH Some come from gangs jority of which are owned VKRRWHUDQGUHWXUQ¿UHVWULNLQJKLPLQ DQG IDPLO\ DQG IULHQGV 6SHFL¿FDOO\ by responsible people and are never “Research has put their role as a sup- used in the commission of a crime, we the buttocks. ply source at 30 to 40 percent of crime have to focus on keeping guns out of The shooter would later tell the po- guns, but little is known about the the hands of this relatively small num- lice, according to Capt. James Clark, composition of this nebulous ‘friends ber of criminals. People, including the president in commander of the Police Depart- and family’ category.” And research by the Bureau of his speech and town hall meeting last ment’s homicide division: “I follow Allah and I pledge allegiance to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Ex- week, like to compare increasing gun Islamic State. That is the reason why I plosives suggests that “just one per- regulations to the way cars are regu- FHQWRIOLFHQVHG¿UHDUPVGHDOHUVVROG lated. But they didn’t simply get safer did what I did.” This is a disturbing reminder of the more than half of the guns recovered due to regulations. They also got safer LQÀXHQFHRIWKH,VODPLF6WDWHRQLQGL- in crimes, and that most gun dealers because the market desired more safe- viduals disposed to acts of terror, and rarely have one of their guns show up ty, as well as anti-theft features. Many how hard it is to identify all of them in crime.” of the innovations, carmakers came But what I found most shocking up with on their own. The gun market before they commit a violent act. was the number of doesn’t behave that way. But the episode guns that are stolen also highlighted some- Furthermore, cars are required to each year: as many as be licensed, registered, insured and thing else that does not Our current a million. Each periodically inspected. Also, you get enough discussion: discussion half year! And many of can’t hide a car the way you can hide the use of stolen guns those stolen guns are a gun. Cars are operated on public in crimes. about used in other crimes. You see, the gun roads. In a 2003 book, used in the Philadel- If we want to truly put a dent in gun increasing “The Challenge of violence, we must take some incredi- phia attack had been gun Crime,” published by bly unpopular steps in some pockets. stolen, from a police University Safety features — including smart RI¿FHU QR OHVV LQ regulations Harvard Press, authors quot- JXQVWKDWFDQRQO\EH¿UHGE\WKHRZQ- 2013. ed researchers who er — are going to have to be added to Our current discus- often found the following: sion about increasing the market. That will be hard to sell “They learned that because no one wants a gun to fail to gun regulations often centers 32 percent of the fel- because it lacks a charge or due to a centers on efforts that on efforts ons had acquired their WHFKQRORJ\ JOLWFK 2QH RI EHQH¿WV RI would mostly affect most recent weapon traditional guns is that, technological- people who legally through their own ly, they are simple and ancient. There EX\¿UHDUPV0DQ\RI that would theft; an additional are no batteries or chips. them make sense, in mostly 14 percent knew that theory, but the truth is We are also likely to have to reg- their friend, family, or ister guns and require insurance. This that they would not be affect street source had sto- would be almost impossible, given the likely to have a huge len the weapon before gun lobby’s and many gun owners’ impact on criminal people who conveying it; and an current stance and the paranoid fears gun violence, because additional 24 percent RI FRQ¿VFDWLRQ D IHDU VRPH OLEHUDOV many of those crimi- legally buy thought that the weap- feed. nals obtain their weap- firearms. on probably had been ons illegally. Making guns safer and keeping So, when the gun lobby and gun stolen by his source. At least 46 per- more of them out of the hands of crim- owners make this case, we must admit cent, then, and possibly as many as 70 inals and in the hands of responsible percent of felons’ most recently owned owners can be done, but not as long as that they have a point. In 2013, Samuel Bieler of the Ur- ¿UHDUPV KDG EHHQ VWROHQ HLWKHU E\ many responsible owners are also un- ban Institute wrote a fascinating article the offender himself or by the source reasonable ones. By CHARLES BLOW New York Times News Service L
