THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
Rename Broadway
think Broadway in Seaside
should be renamed Jason
Goodding Way. It’s where
he patrolled; it’s where he
gave his life; it’s the heart of
the city; it’s where he will be
remembered now and forever.
JIM SPURR
Cannon Beach
I
The Bernie factor
o me, the most interest-
ing and puzzling aspect of
this election season is the Ber-
nie factor. Interesting, because
it arises at a time of wholesale
disillusionment in the minds of
our citizenry, and puzzling in
WKDWE\UHÀHFWLQJWKHEDVLFWHQ-
ants of our supposed democ-
racy, it is regarded as far-left
wishfulness. We have come
to expect that our politicians
give lip service to the will of
the people, but go about the
business of encouraging and
fostering persons and ideas
WKDW UHÀHFW WKH OHDVW RI RXU
aspirations.
We have been led to believe
that justice and fairness and
accountability are admirable
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such romantic notions become
OLDELOLWLHVZKHUHSUR¿WLVWKUHDW-
ened, and almost to a man we
have allowed this hollow nar-
rative to become the subtext of
our lives.
Then along comes a man
who speaks of justice, fairness
and accountability as if they
exist, not on the fringe but are
central to a free, inclusive soci-
ety. Perhaps we’re not as jaded
and cynical as we imagined,
for he has forced us to look at
our supposed democracy and
made us realize that we have
not only the power, but the
obligation to put it right again.
So I’m voting for Bernie
Sanders in the primary. I may
T
Take the LNG multiple-choice test
n this year of elections, every so often
I still hear someone say, “Is that LNG
issue still around? I thought it went
away.” Well yes it is, but Harney County
and marijuana have dominated the head-
lines lately. Since LNG is now a state-
wide issue, let’s do a multiple-choice test,
just to review.
Carbon dioxide, methane and hex-
ane are: A) Code names for the Three
Stooges. B) Environment-polluting gases
from an LNG terminal (yuck).
Permanent jobs for local people are:
A) So many, America will pay off the
national debt. B) Not many, especially
when compared to the estimated 44,000
jobs lost, or negatively affected through-
out the Columbia River Basin, due to
constant interruption of river commerce.
The correct spelling of sunami: A)
Tsunami. B) Who cares when you’re get-
ting hit by it — think Fukushima.
A blast zone is: A) Remember the old
saying, “have a blast”? B) An area around
I
be throwing my vote away, as
I’m often reminded, but is that
worse than voting for someone
whose history and motivation
are, at best, questionable. I’m
asking you, is that so absurd?
JACK GUYOT
Astoria
Fund infrastructure
he Astoria City Council,
led by ex-librarian Arline
LaMear, is attempting to push
through an expensive new
library construction project
with costs projected between
$29.7 and $38.7 million. We
all know that if $38.7 million
is the initial estimated cost, it
will be much higher — pub-
lic construction project costs
always are.
During the mayoral debate
T
the LNG terminal where property values
will likely go down, and house insurance
up — bummer.
Pipelines: A) Clatsop County Com-
missioners voted 5-0 against one. B) The
public voted 68 percent no. So please,
Gov. Kate Brown (503-378-4582), lis-
ten to us.
7KHGH¿QLWLRQRID¿VKKDELWDWLV$
6RPHWKLQJ ¿VK GR RYHU DQG RYHU 2K
wait, that is a habit. Sorry. B) Where food
IRUWKH¿VKLVDQG2UHJRQ/1*SURSRVHV
to dredge out 1.1 million cubic yards.
2XU¿VKHUPHQKDYHEHHQKXUWHQRXJK
Rumble, rumble: A) The soundtrack
from a Harry Potter movie. B) The sound
of hundreds and hundreds of trucks haul-
ing construction material through down-
town Astoria.
The Army Corps of Engineers is: A)
Possibly Oregon LNG’s worst night-
mare, as the corps holds an easement
on the proposed terminal location. B)
Answer A is the only thing I can think of.
in the last election cycle when
LaMear was running for
mayor, it seemed very conve-
nient that the woman picked
to ask questions for it had two
regarding a new library. It was
an omen of things to come.
Once elected, the new library
was going to take on a forward
momentum of its own.
Today, here we are with the
council considering whether to
approve and pay for it, despite
the wisdom of such a decision.
All this will do is take much
needed resources from infra-
structure projects that the city
desperately needs, and put
it into a new building that’s
rarely used by most Astori-
ans. The City Council should
turn its focus to other issues
that really matter to taxpay-
ers. I’d bet my library card
If you missed any of these ques-
tions, please attend an LNG informa-
tion meeting, held on the third Thurs-
day of each month, at 3 Cups Coffee
(under the bridge) at 6:30 p.m. Refresh-
ments are at 6 p.m. If you got a perfect
score, here is a bonus question: What
vital local multi-million dollar industry
has been providing good jobs since the
1850s, and as recently as 2013 was No. 1
on the entire West Coast for the amount
RI ¿VK ODQGHG" ,I \RX VDLG FRPPHUFLDO
¿VKLQJ\RXJHWDJROGVWDUDQGZHZRXOG
be happy to meet you at the above LNG
meetings.
Oh, one more question. What are
those key words to use if you decide
to call Gov. Brown (503-378-4582)
and ask her to stop all LNG terminals
in Oregon? They are: A) Coastal Zone
Management Act; B) Clear Air and
Water acts.
CARL DOMINEY
Astoria
that most taxpayers, if actually
consulted, would like to see
better city streets, sidewalks,
curbs, gutters, housing proj-
ects and the parking situation
improved.
Ask people going to and
from Astoria and Warrenton
last summer what the biggest
infrastructure problem is, and
they’d say U.S. Highway 101
and the Youngs Bay Bridge,
not a library expansion.
The City Council should
address this issue head on, and
begin a planning process to
widen the bridge to four lanes,
or make another alongside it,
with a four lane highway from
the bridge to Seaside. Obvi-
ously this would require the
city to get state and federal
funding to proceed.
It’s a multi-million dol-
5A
maybe the City Council can
focus their time and atten-
tion to projects that will really
improve Astoria.
JEFF JACQUES
Astoria
Vote Bernie
s a 75-year-old mother,
grandmother, strong fem-
inist and pro-choice advocate,
Bernie Sanders is my presi-
dential choice.
First, because he is the only
candidate of either party with
strong empathy for all people.
Bernie gets it. Second, because
the younger generations get it
that the quality of the rest of
their lives hangs in the balance
with the 2016 presidential out-
come, and that Sanders is the
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about them. Third, Sanders
wisely and boldly opposed the
Iraq War, correctly forecasting
the dire result of the war.
Fourth, he continues work-
ing to reign in Wall Street and
¿QDQFLDOLQVWLWXWLRQVWRRELJWR
lar project, but the longer this fail because they do not have
is ignored by city, county and LQÀXHQFH RYHU KLP )LIWK KH
VWDWHRI¿FLDOVWKHPRUHH[SHQ- has a 100 percent rating from
sive it will be when it must Planned Parenthood, and has
be done. Sooner or later it always been strongly pro-
will have to; Clatsop County choice. Sixth, Bernie supports a
is not going to stop growing. living wage and a multitude of
The argument to move on this measures providing opportuni-
now is that 10, 15 or 20 years ties and equality for all citizens.
down the road, this size of a
Bernie Sanders will win the
construction project won’t get presidency if my generation joins
any cheaper — it’ll come at an the strong drive of the younger
astronomical expense.
generations to protect and
Better streets, sidewalks, improve the quality of all their
parking, roads, bridges, hous- lives. Listen to what they have to
ing projects or moving for- say. Do not heed the messages of
ward on a convention center the dark money media forces.
on Port property would be time
Together we can improve
well spent by the city council. lives for all generations.
A modest library remodel is It is a legacy we can and
¿QH DQG OHW D GHYHORSHU EX\ should leave our children and
the Merwyn, tear it down and grandchildren.
build a small housing or park-
CAROL SCHERER
ing structure instead. Then
Eugene
A
Republicans see how long they can hold their breath
Of course you don’t. There’s
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a human brain and no reason
whatsoever that McConnell
aybe we’d better should be taking up space.
He used to say that when
refrain from having
Republicans got control,
any new opinions until after democracy and venerable tra-
the election.
dition would rule. No more
of those sneaky tricks that his
Follow the leader.
predecessor Harry
Reid used to keep
Mitch McCon-
the other side’s ideas
nell says the Sen-
from coming up for
ate shouldn’t do
a vote: “The answer
anything about the
is to let folks debate,
Supreme
Court’s
to let the Senate
vacancy as long
work its will.” He
as Barack Obama
had a vision of a
is president. Not
deliberative body
even go through the
that argued so long
motions of pretend-
and hard that even-
ing to think about it.
Gail
tually all the Demo-
We’ve hit a whole
Collins
crats would collapse
new level in the poli-
from
exhaustion and
tics of obstruction.
Don’t he, Majority
Leader
Why stop there?
For the next 11
even Mitch, would walk
over their prostrate
months it’s probably
bother bodies to principled
better if we let every-
victory.
thing go except for
That was the
the purchase of food to fake
good
old days. We
staples.
it.
remember them with
Don’t
even
nostalgia, like the
bother to fake it. Vir-
tually every Republican with a golden era when members of
job more elevated than zoning both parties drank in the same
commissioner thinks the best bars. Now apparently the Sen-
thing to do with any Supreme ate can’t even be trusted to hold
Court nomination is to act as if a committee hearing.
“We’re not moving for-
it isn’t there, like a wad of gum
ward on it, period,” said Sen.
on the sidewalk.
“Delay, delay, delay!” Marco Rubio. He used to be
cried Donald Trump at the last regarded as the most rational
debate. Some listeners might person in the Republican pres-
have presumed he was call- LGHQWLDO ¿HOG 7KDW ZDV MXVW
ing for the return of the for- because we hadn’t had time to
mer House majority leader get acquainted yet.
If you want to under-
who resigned during a cam-
SDLJQ¿QDQFHVFDQGDODQGODWHU stand why the Republicans
rehabilitated himself by doing are broadcasting their com-
the cha-cha on “Dancing With mitment to obstructionism,
the Stars.” Exactly the kind it’s useful to take a look at
of guy Donald Trump would Rubio’s campaign. Given the
like. But in this case he was tenor of our times, it’s nat-
talking about stonewalling any ural that all the candidates
would depict Barack Obama
Supreme Court nomination.
“If I were president ... I as the worst thing that’s hap-
guess I’d put in a name,” Trump pened to America since ... oh,
admitted in a phone call to Ste- I don’t know. Pearl Harbor?
phen Colbert. This is extremely The Panic of 1837? But Rubio
mild language for the leading also insists that the president
Republican presidential candi- has been ruining the country
date. Normally you’d expect on purpose: “All this damage
Trump to say something like: that he’s done to America is
“If I were president I’d nom- deliberate.”
This is a theory, much loved
inate somebody who would
scare the hell out of them. on talk radio, that involves an
Putin! I’d nominate Putin. And insidious presidential plot to
then they’d be so nervous that make America just a run-of-
they’d let me have anybody I the-mill country — smaller and
wanted, which of course would weaker and burdened with uni-
versal health care. When things
be Sarah Palin.”
People, do you remember go wrong it isn’t because of
what Mitch McConnell used ineptitude. It’s a careful Obama
to say when he was the pow- scenario aimed at bringing the
erless Senate minority leader? country down. A man that sin-
By GAIL COLLINS
New York Times News
Service
M
ister can’t be allowed to even
put a nomination into play. God
knows what would happen.
Close your eyes and pretend he
isn’t there.
Ben Carson made the same
point in his traditional way —
that is, in language that made
no sense whatsoever: “It is
imperative that the Senate
not allow President Obama to
diminish his legacy by trying
to nominate an individual who
would carry on his wishes to
subvert the will of the people.”
7HG&UX]YRZHGWR¿OLEXV-
ter any attempt by the Senate
to vote on a nominee. Because
¿OLEXVWHU LV \RX NQRZ ZKDW
Ted Cruz does. Just put your
hands over your ears and hum
very loudly until you get your
way.
And Jeb Bush ... OK, we
don’t need to talk about Jeb
Bush. This is the man who
recently tweeted a picture
of a handgun with his name
engraved on it, over the title
“America.” The only good
thing you can say for his cam-
paign is that he did not send
out a video called “It’s Morn-
ing Again in America” that
opens with footage of Vancou-
ver. That was Marco Rubio.
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