OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016
GUEST COLUMN
Founded in 1873
Older Americans Act poised to return
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
Fighting for press
freedom ... again
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in the orbit of government. The amendment states that
Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press.
In Printers and Press must always be watched.
Freedom: The Ideology of After more than 200 years of
Early American Journalism, American government, that
Jeffrey A. Smith writes that is no less true. The opportu-
by the time the Constitution nities for misfeasance and
was written, Americans had malfeasance are just as rife.
As our story indicates,
known 200 years of an unbri-
dled press that was free to the apparent genesis of the
criticize its rulers. That, says Arizona House’s new security
Smith, is where the First measure is an Arizona news-
Amendment came from.
paper’s investigation that
It is perhaps a leap from revealed the Arizona House
the Constitution to what’s VSHDNHU ZDV YLRODWLQJ ¿QDQ-
going on in Arizona. But cial rules that apply to a gov-
the Arizona House of HUQPHQWRI¿FLDOFDPSDLJQLQJ
Representatives’ demand for IRURI¿FH
The House speaker has
extensive background checks
on reporters before giving used a recent incident in the
them access to the House House chamber as his excuse
is at odds with where the to apply background checks
SUHVV KLVWRULFDOO\ KDV ¿W LQ on reporters.
This is a step in the wrong
its always contentious rela-
tionship with government. direction. While we in the
See “Arizona House restricts press will object to what
journalists who reject check” the Arizona House and its
speaker intend to do, there
on Page 5A today.
Inherent in the First is another, more important
Amendment and in what remedy. We must do our jobs
early Americans, such as effectively and not be intim-
Thomas Jefferson, expressed idated by barriers thrown up
is the notion that government by those in political power.
T
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici believes the Astoria Senior Center and others like it show the benefits of social
programs for seniors. From left: Larry Miller, director of the Senior Center, John Ryan, Mayor Arline Lamear, Rep.
Suzanne Bonamici, Councilor Drew Herzig and Yvonne McCann, take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the
Astoria Senior Center in February.
At home in Oregon, I have seen 9LFWLPV RI HOGHU ¿QDQFLDO DEXVH ORVH
how OAA programs help seniors an estimated $2.9 billion a year, which
remain connected to their communi- sometimes includes their entire life
ties and avoid costlier long-term care. savings. We should do all we can to
W¶VEHHQ¿YH\HDUVVLQFHWKH¿UVW Many homebound seniors receive make sure older adults are not robbed
baby boomers turned 65, and their only hot meal of the day from of their resources or denied the dignity
programs like the OAA-funded they deserve.
each day 10,000 more Americans Meals on Wheels, and the volunteers
But like any compromise, my col-
reach that age.
who deliver these meals may provide OHDJXHVDQG,PDGHVDFUL¿FHVLQRUGHU
,W KDV DOVR EHHQ ¿YH \HDUV the only chance for social interaction. to move this legislation closer to the
since Congress allowed the Older I’ve packaged and delivered meals ¿QLVK OLQH :H ZLOO QHHG WR FRQWLQXH
to modernize OAA pro-
Americans Act (OAA) to expire. to older adults and have
seen how important that
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A Senate bill to reauthorize the act contact is, especially for There are increasing
diversity
passed the U.S. House in March.
those in isolated or rural more than among older adults,
and in particular work
As the population of older adults areas.
Recently I joined
6 million to remove barriers that
continues to increase and Americans
live longer lives, our nation’s policies hundreds of seniors to
prevent older adults —
victims including LGBT elders
celebrate the reopening
need to keep pace.
The growing need to have effective of the newly renovated
older individuals
of elder and
programs that help seniors live with Astoria Senior Center.
from diverse racial and
dignity is why I recently took a lead This vibrant community
ethnic backgrounds —
abuse
role in helping the House improve and hub, and others like it
from fully accessing the
every
pass an updated Older Americans Act. in my district, show the
programs that keep them
Originally a part of President Lyn- WUHPHQGRXV EHQH¿WV RI
healthy and engaged in
year.
don Johnson’s War on Poverty, the —and need for—social
their communities.
OAA funds programs that provide ser- programs for our seniors.
The passage of the
The new and bipartisan Older ELOOLQWKH+RXVHLVVLJQL¿FDQWEHFDXVH
vices to seniors in urban, suburban
and rural communities throughout the Americans Act also increases fund- it shows a bipartisan commitment to
country. The law supports nutritional ing for other programs to meet the seniors by members of Congress, but we
and transportation services, in-home growing need for supportive services. have a lot more to do. I’m proud of what
and legal assistance, protections against Importantly, this legislation takes sev- we’ve accomplished, and I will continue
elder abuse and family caregiver sup- eral meaningful steps to combat elder working with my colleagues on both
port. Taken together, Older Americans abuse.
sides of the aisle to strengthen programs
According to the Elder Justice for older Americans in the future.
Act programs make it possible for mil-
lions of older adults to remain indepen- Coalition, there are more than 6 mil-
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici,
dent and healthy, and to age with dig- lion victims of elder abuse every year D-Ore., has served in the House since
— roughly 1 in 10 people over age 60. 2012.
nity in their homes and communities.
By U.S. Rep. SUZANNE
BONAMICI
For The Daily Astorian
I
$W¿VKHU\ODZ ‘Bernie Bro’ Sanders over the edge
needs revamping
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ishermen’s News is
primarily a trade publi-
cation for industry insiders,
but every issue has articles
that demonstrate how com-
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ports of the Lower Columbia
River. The April issue con-
tains several noteworthy
items:
• This Wednesday is the 40th
anniversary of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act of 1976.
Writing on behalf of the At-sea
Processors Association, a col-
umnist offers an enthusiastic
opinion that the act sets the
“gold standard” for U.S. and
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Magnuson-Stevens has
brought economic bene-
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eign vessels out beyond the
200-mile U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone. With
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improved management of
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But it remains a disap-
pointment in a variety of
ways. This is perhaps most
obvious on the East Coast,
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are a small fraction of what
they were in 1976. Fisheries
on the West Coast, and the
U.S. in general, continue to
struggle.
• Commenting on 2016
federal legislative priori-
ties, two employees of the
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Fishermen’s Associations
write of the need for a thor-
ough revamp of Magnuson-
Stevens. They argue that
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depends entirely on the
health of the environment.”
As such, they highlight
the need to manage factors
like onshore pollution. It’s
not fair, they argue, to penal-
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beyond their control.
• On the pragmatic issue of
maximizing the value of har-
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they are fresh for consum-
ers, Fishermen’s News edi-
tor Chris Philips reports on
a new hand-held device that
can instantly tell how much
shelf life is left in any par-
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them that way after harvest.
Improving consumer con-
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popularity and prices.
These improvements will
be good for all of us at the
mouth of the Columbia.
And then there was
the table about big banks
Wednesday’s rant about
misses the point.
Yet going on about big
how Clinton is not “quali-
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rom the beginning, many and banks is pretty much all
Sanders
has
done.
On
the
What probably set that
probably most liberal pol-
rare occasions on which he
off was a recent interview of
icy wonks were skeptical about was asked for more detail,
Sanders by the Daily News,
Bernie Sanders.
he didn’t seem to have any-
in which he repeatedly
seemed unable to respond
On many major issues — includ- thing more to offer. And
when pressed to go beyond
ing the signature issues of his cam- this absence of substance
beyond
the
slogans
seems
his usual slogans. Clinton,
Paul
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to be true of his positions
asked about that interview,
Krugman
he seemed to go for easy slogans over across the board.
was careful in her choice of
hard thinking. And his political theory
You could argue that
words, suggesting that “he
of change, his waving away of limits, policy details are unimportant as long hadn’t done his homework.”
as a politician has the right values and
But Sanders wasn’t careful at all,
seemed utterly unrealistic.
character. As it happens, I don’t agree. declaring that what he considers Clin-
Some
Sanders
supporters For one thing, a politician’s policy spe- ton’s past sins, including her support
responded angrily when these con- FL¿FVDUHRIWHQDYHU\LPSRUWDQWFOXH for trade agreements and her vote to
cerns were raised, immediately accus- to his or her true character — I warned authorize the Iraq War — for which
ing anyone expressing doubts about about George W. Bush’s mendacity she has apologized — make her totally
their hero of being corrupt if not actu- back when most journalists were still XQ¿WIRURI¿FH
This is really bad, on two levels.
ally criminal. But intolerance and cul- portraying him as a bluff, honest fel-
tishness from some of a candidate’s low, because I actually looked at his Holding people accountable for their
supporters are one thing; what about tax proposals. For another, I consider a past is OK, but imposing a standard
commitment to facing hard choices as of purity, in which any compromise or
the candidate himself?
Unfortunately, in the past few days opposed to taking the easy way out an misstep makes you the moral equiv-
the answer has become all too clear: important value in itself.
alent of the bad guys, isn’t. Abraham
Sanders is starting to sound like his
Lincoln didn’t meet that standard; nei-
worst followers. Bernie is becoming a
ther did FDR. Nor, for that matter, has
The way
Bernie Bro.
Bernie Sanders (think guns).
Let me illustrate the point about
And the timing of the Sanders rant
Sanders is
issues by talking about bank reform.
was truly astonishing. Given her large
The easy slogan here is “Break up
lead in delegates — based largely on
campaigning
the big banks.” It’s obvious why this
the support of African-American vot-
slogan is appealing from a political
raises serious ers, who respond to her pragmatism
point of view: Wall Street supplies
because history tells them to distrust
character and
an excellent cast of villains. But
extravagant promises — Clinton is
were big banks really at the heart of
strong favorite for the Democratic
values issues. the
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nomination.
ing them up protect us from future
Is Sanders positioning himself
But in any case, the way Sanders is to join the “Bernie or bust” crowd,
crises?
Many analysts concluded years ago campaigning raises serious character walking away if he can’t pull off an
that the answers to both questions were and values issues.
extraordinary upset and possibly help-
It’s one thing for the Sanders cam- ing put Donald Trump or Ted Cruz in
no. Predatory lending was largely car-
ried out by smaller, non-Wall Street paign to point to Hillary Clinton’s the White House? If not, what does he
institutions like Countrywide Finan- Wall Street connections, which are think he’s doing?
cial; the crisis itself was centered not real, although the question should be
The Sanders campaign has brought
on big banks but on “shadow banks” whether they have distorted her posi- out a lot of idealism and energy that
like Lehman Brothers that weren’t tions, a case the campaign has never the progressive movement needs.
QHFHVVDULO\WKDWELJ$QGWKH¿QDQFLDO even tried to make. But recent attacks It has also, however, brought out
reform that President Barack Obama on Clinton as a tool of the fossil fuel a streak of petulant self-righteous-
signed in 2010 made a real effort to industry are just plain dishonest and ness among some supporters. Has it
address these problems. It could and speak of a campaign that has lost its brought out that streak in the candi-
should be made stronger, but pounding ethical moorings.
date, too?
By PAUL KRUGMAN
New York Times News Service
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