OPINION
6A
Founded in 1873
STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher
LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor
BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager
THE DAILY ASTORIAN WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016
Former Cannon Beach mayor
says, let bylaws be bylaws
SOUTHERN
EXPOSURE
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager
Water
under
the bridge
Compiled by Bob Duke
From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers
10 years ago this week — 2006
“We’ve burned the mortgage. We now own the trolley,” a beaming
Mayor Willis Van Dusen recently announced to the Astoria City Council.
Known as Old 300, the Astoria Riverfront Trolley is the mayor’s pride
and joy and a favorite of visitors and residents alike. The Astoria Riverfront
Trolley Association (ARTA) had been leasing it from the San Antonio Art
Museum for $1 a year.
But with concerns rising that someone else might come along and buy
it, last August the Trolley Association borrowed $50,000 from the Bank of
Astoria and made the trolley its own.
In the short time since then, the community came forward with enough
money to pay off the loan and then some. “Everyone was more than gener-
ous,” said Van Dusen, who besides being mayor is president of ARTA. The
trolley is insured for $450,000, he said, so ARTA got a very good deal.
A lack of funding in Oregon’s education system may have
consequences for Knappa students that follow them beyond high
school and out of the state.
Knappa High School has withdrawn from the Northwest Asso-
ciation of Accredited Schools, the regional agency that reviews
whether schools meet standards that ensure their students can
transfer degrees and academic credits to other institutions.
Schools pay to be members of the association, and most of
the process involves self-review, aside from an outside-team visit
about every ¿ve years.
Knappa High School belonged to the organization for half a
century, said Knappa School district Superintendent Rick Pass.
The district paid $600 to $700 annually.
He said it was pointless for the high school to pay to be graded
on standards it can no longer afford to meet.
A vicious storm barely slowed the workers and volunteers assembling
the new Fort Clatsop this week.
The team building the replica fort took the afternoon off Wednesday when
high winds began dropping branches on the work site. But the group was
back and ready to go Thursday morning, and despite more wind, rain and
hail the walls rose Tuickly on the “Of¿cers’ 4uarters” side of the structure.
SEASIDE – While Rep. Scott Bruun had plenty of kind words
for the Republican Party at the 42nd annual Dorchester Confer-
ence Saturday night, he said Republicans have lost their way.
“We’ve become the party of power for power’s own sake,”
said Bruun, R-West Linn. “We’ve become the party of big
government.”
50 years ago — 1966
Clatsop County was ¿ghting to break the late grip of winter Wednes-
day as temperatures began to warm and snow was melting from highways.
This area now has an industrial site ready for delivery, so far as land
title is concerned, to a site-seeking industry. This results from 3aci¿c 3ower
and Light’s purchase at public auction of the county-owned portion of the
so-called aluminum plant site south and east of Warrenton.
The site became well-known at the time a combine of aluminum produc-
ing companies sought a site somewhere in the Northwest two years ago. The
combine’s agents looked over this site and apparently gave it serious consid-
eration before eventually picking Bellingham, Wash.
Astoria clinched a Metro League berth in the Oregon A-1
high school basketball tournament Tuesday night and they didn’t
have to play to do it.
Coach Pete Bryant’s Fishermen, with a 16-3 overall league
mark and an 8-1 second half record, were assured of at least a
second place ¿nish in the second half and a tourney berth when
David Douglas surprised Gresham 76-59 to knock the Gophers
partially out of contention for the second round laurels.
75 years ago — 1941
The captain and of¿-
cers of the Russian ship
Serge Kirov, which
entered the river last
week, saw what they
considered an amazing
sight as their ship passed
Fort Stevens, it was
related by Clarence Ash,
bar pilot who brought
the vessel over the bar.
Ash said the cap-
tain was standing on
the bridge and look-
ing toward the new
cantonment buildings
recently erected there.
He scanned the shore-
line with his binoculars,
then suddenly called
several of his of¿cers
to the bridge for a look
through the glasses.
They all babbled in
Russian and appeared This editorial cartoon appeared in the Dai-
to be excited by some- ly Astorian this week in 1941. It expressed
thing, Ash said.
the mood throughout the country as war
The captain told Ash approached.
he had seen a red Àag,
carried by some soldiers who were marching within sight of the ship. Ash
said it was either a guidon or regimental colors. The Russian ship captain
told him, “I never expected to see the red Àag in the American army.”
B Y
R.J.
M ARX
couple of months back,
we wrote about Initiative
Petition 28, a state proposal
headed to the November ballot.
A
Corporations with more than $25
million in revenues would be sub-
ject to a gross receipts tax, with a
new levy of 2.5 percent of their gross
Oregon sales.
The $5.3 billion it could raise over
two years would go into the state’s
general fund.
Former Cannon Beach Mayor
Mike Morgan likes the proposal. He
thinks it’s fair
to raise state
funds for educa-
tion and public
safety through a
tax on the state’s
largest compa-
nies. And he
doesn’t want to
see local busi-
ness
groups
derail a fund
Mike
that could pro-
Morgan
vide money for
Oregon’s schools, which, he said, are
desperately short-changed.
Safety, school needs
Oregon is 49th out of 50 states in
business tax rankings, behind only
Louisiana, Morgan said. Washington
state is 24th, he added, citing statis-
tics from the nonpro¿t group A Better
Oregon, an advocate for the corporate
earnings tax.
“That’s the thing that struck me,”
Morgan said over coffee at Sleepy
Monk. “Look at some of the states that
have higher taxes but a much stron-
ger economy. You can’t possibly make
the argument it’s going to hurt the
economy.”
Morgan and proponents initiative
say it would fund schools and services,
to the tune of more than $2 billion a
year, bumping up the general fund by
“10 percent or so.”
“Thirty-four-hundred
teachers
laid off in last decade, third-largest
class size in the nation, 200,000 peo-
ple who don’t have health insurance,”
Morgan said. “Oregon, supposedly
such a progressive state, has such
a terrible higher education system.
The amount of money the state pro-
vides to the higher education system
is pathetic compared to other states.”
A portion of the $2.5 billion per
year potentially raised by the tax could
be used for emergency preparedness:
building and retro¿tting the state’s
at-risk hospitals, schools, city halls,
and police and ¿re stations.
Morgan said he is outraged the
Cannon Beach Chamber of Com-
merce is considering a change in
bylaws to allow lobbying in opposi-
tion to the tax.
“It’s not going to affect mom-and-
Submitted Photo
Georgia-Pacific holdings in Oregon.
pop operations,” Morgan said. “It will
affect the Intels, Walmarts and the
*eorgia-Paci¿cs. I think it’s amaz-
ing that the chambers of commerce
brought this issue up. Probably the
only corporation in Clatsop County
that has more than $25 million in sales
is the Koch Brothers’ Wauna Mill on
the Columbia River.”
Wauna Mill’s parent Georgia-Pa-
ci¿c has revenue in the billions, Mor-
gan said, a substantial slice of that
from Oregon operations.
Koch brothers in mix
this and apologies for the delayed
reply,” David Dziok, director of
communications for Koch Compa-
nies Public Sector said in an email
Tuesday. “This measure is not yet
on the ballot and we’re continuing
to assess it. It’s fair to say, however,
that like hundreds of other employ-
ers in our state, we have some initial
concerns. A $5 billion tax increase
on the sale of products and services
that Oregon consumers buy every
day will increase costs for Oregon
families, small businesses and large
employers alike.”
Our attention really perked when
Morgan mentioned the Koch brothers.
Chamber role
Bringing them into a political debate
A meeting of the Cannon Beach
is like throwing red meat to the lions. Chamber of Commerce — an inde-
The brothers — Charles and David — pendent chamber not af¿liated with
are summoned as demons by the pro- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
gressive left and heralded
— on the topic locally
as not-so-quiet doers for
was delayed, according
Oregon to Executive Director
the right.
Koch Industries Inc.
Court Carrier.
is 49th
purchased Georgia-Pa-
“We were shy a few
ci¿c for $21 billion out of 50 board of directors due
in 2005. Georgia-Pa-
to vacations, medi-
ci¿c, according to their
states in cal issues and holi-
own business overview,
day conÀicts from the
business weekend,” Carrier said
employs 2,000 people
in nine Oregon locations
after the chamber’s
tax
from Clatskanie to Coos
February meeting. “I
Bay. The company pro-
have emailed our pres-
rankings,
vides a total of $517 mil-
ident requesting that
lion in total combined
he call a meeting of the
behind
wages and bene¿ts to
bylaws committee to
only
Oregon workers and
discuss it.”
$662 million in capital
Morgan said the
Louisiana. chamber
investment for growth.
should stay out
In Clatsop County,
of political lobbying.
one doesn’t need to do much research
“I’m glad Cannon Beach uses the
to ¿nd a direct connection.
bulk of its hotel and lodging reve-
“Georgia-Paci¿c’s Wauna paper nues to run the city,” Morgan said.
mill, which turns 50 this year, remains “You’ve got expenses caused by
the largest single employer in Clatsop tourism, like police, parking lots,
County, with more than 800 employ- public restrooms, all of those things
ees,” wrote Edward Stratton in The are directly caused by the inÀux of
Daily Astorian last October.
tourists.
Are the Koch brothers ¿ghting
“As far as political lobbying —
this corporate tax?
the chamber would be wise to stay
We contacted Georgia-Paci¿c away from that,” he added.
at their Atlanta, Georgia, of¿ce
R.J. Marx is The Daily Astori-
and Koch Industries in Wich ita, an’s South County reporter and edi-
tor of the Seaside Signal and Cannon
Kansas.
“Thanks for reaching out to us on Beach Gazette.
The Donald doesn’t understand
libel law … which surprises no one
already established as to
to be on target has vastly
his rights to do that.
outweighed any circum-
But we all know that
stances where it wasn’t.
The fact is that our society
onald Trump said Friday, Mr. Trump isn’t interested
in
legalities
in
this
case.
relies upon the newspa-
“I’m gonna open up our
He is clearly just trying
per industry to be a consis-
libel laws, so when they write to intimidate news organi-
tent, challenging voice to
purposely negative and horrible, zations and bully them in
the wealthy and powerful
— and newspapers have
false articles, we can sue them providing more positive
coverage
of
him
and
his
a long history of carry-
and win lots of money.”
candidacy for president.
ing out that mandate with
David
The
speci¿c
He should
care and a deep sense of
Chavern
media outlets he
pick a dif-
responsibility.
mentioned were The Newspapers ferent target. News-
Newspapers have successfully
have dealt stood up to sitting presidents, vast
New York Times and
have dealt papers
with
more
intimidat- religious organizations, governors,
The
Washington
ing
¿gures
and immensely powerful
with more Trump. than Mr. mayors
Post.
corporations, among many others. If
By DAVID CHAVERN
Newspaper Association of America
D
The ¿rst thing to intimidating
Newspapers,
understand is that
actually, have a
under the landmark figures than long, long history of
Supreme Court case
speak-
Mr. Trump. responsibly
of New York Times
ing truth in the face
vs. Sullivan, it was
of great power. One
determined that news organizations could think of Watergate or the
could be found liable when they Oscar-nominated movie “Spotlight”
deliberately publish false informa- for some better-known examples.
tion. The speci¿c standard is “actual Throughout history, those in power
malice.” So if Mr. Trump wants to have complained about newspaper
address media organizations that reporting when it didn’t meet their
“write purposely negative and hor- agenda and the number of instances
rible, false articles” then the law is where the reporting has been found
Mr. Trump wants to try to bully news
organizations into providing report-
ing that he likes, then he will have
to do a whole lot better than mak-
ing weak, misguided promises about
changes to a law that aren’t needed
in the ¿rst place.
David Chavern is the president
and CEO of the Newspaper Associ-
ation of America, a nonpro¿t orga-
nization representing nearly 2,000
newspapers and their multi-platform
businesses in the United States and
Canada.