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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2016)
OPINION 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MAY 2, 2016 Working-class fraud Founded in 1873 cial lives broken by First this country,” he said with Data — in Hagerstown, in a shrug, when asked about Maitland, Florida, in Den- it on CNN. Well then, how about e descended from the sky ver and on Long Island — was a buyout by a pri- the maids, bartenders and last Sunday in a helicop- vate equity irm, Kohlberg food servers at his ive- ter that could have come from Kravis Roberts, designed star hotel in Las Vegas? heaven, landing outside a hangar to enrich a few. It hasn’t They’ve been protesting in front of his gilded mono- in Hagerstown, Maryland. He gone so well. “Drowning in debt,” as The Wall Street lith because he will not would talk for little more than an Journal reported, First allow them to join a union, Timothy hour, mostly about himself, how Data has been slashing which could raise their pay Egan he is “a smart guy” and “I look workers to hit a stock tar- an additional $3 an hour. really good” and “I equal love.” get price after going public last year. China and Mexico are not a problem Trump never mentioned any of there. Other hotels in Vegas pay union To chants of “build the wall!” he that. It’s too complicated, and nasty. wages. Las Vegas is one of the few said he would “talk about jobs for a The villains don’t match his narrative. success stories for low-skilled people second, then we’re getting the hell And his prescriptions for winning — looking to ride an escalator to a bet- out of here.” He made good on both a trade war with China, a wall costing ter life. But Trump, the working class promises. He closed with a vow that upward of $30 billion on the Mexi- zero, is sticking it to them. Trump’s solution to the woes of no more jobs would leave Maryland, can border — would do nothing to bring those jobs back to Hagerstown. working families is to slap a 45 per- and then Donald J. Trump disap- Nothing. cent tariff on goods coming from peared back into the So it goes for China. The Chinese would retaliate, sky. Trump, a traitor to the of course, meaning American compa- ‘So it As he spoke, jobs class he professes to nies that sell aircraft, medical equip- were leaving Maryland. speak for. He “loves the ment and vehicles to China — part goes for Credit card proces- undereducated.” He’s a of the $116 billion in exports there sors, which had found working-class hero to last year — would have to cut jobs to Trump, a home in a place where the angry white masses make up for losses. a traitor people used to make who lock to his rallies. In Pittsburgh he promised to bring pipe organs and leather Of all the parts Trump steel mills back. What’s left of the to the car seats, were “consol- has been playing, this American steel industry has found idating,” as they put it. one is the phoniest. a home in the low-wage South. But class he The biggest company, With Trump, you even China is losing $10 billion a First Data Corp., had professes can be sure of one thing: year on its struggling steel indus- let people go at their He will betray those try. Manufacturing jobs are in global to speak people. We know this decline, as robots replace people. big ofice at the edge of Hagerstown. because he already has. “When I’m president,” said Trump, for.’ But these jobs were Wage stagnation is the waving his hand as if holding a magic not going to Mexico. most glaring symptom wand, “steel is coming back to Pitts- And they were not leaving because of a declining middle class. Trump’s burgh!” No sane economist, or even dirt-cheap operations in China could solution? He believes that “wages are steel industry shill, believes this. track credit cards any better than too high.” “We can’t be fooled,” said Richard the people of Hagerstown. They left Jaws dropped when he irst said Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, at because the company wanted “to this at a November debate. Then he its annual convention in Philadelphia upgrade the talent and skill sets avail- said it again, in a morning show. this month. “Trump isn’t interested in able to us,” as it said in a news release. Would he support raising the solving the problems he yells about and Where would that be? Possibly some- pathetic federal minimum wage, from swears about. He delivers punch lines.” where in the New York metro area, the current $7.25 an hour? No. Higher Yet they are being fooled. Meet the the company announced in another of wages make it hard for the United new boss, worse than the old boss. He its disruptive moves. Essentially, the States to compete. This he knows fooled the folks in Maryland, a state jobs were following Trump to New from personal experience, outsourc- he’s unlikely to see again in the gen- York. Others were disappearing. No ing his signature products to low- eral election. “You’re gonna remem- wall could prevent that. wage Chinese shops. “It’s very hard ber this day,” he said, just before The root cause of all the inan- to have anything in apparel made in being lifted out of Hagerstown. By TIMOTHY EGAN 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 EO Media Group/File Photo U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service workers carry a captured Columbian white-tailed deer netted near Skamokawa in 2013. Some deer were moved to Ridgefield in an effort to make sure the species survives. Some species protection may become impossible Transplantation and strategic triage will become the norm H ur region boasts outstanding examples of once-endangered species that now prosper — bald eagles are perhaps the most obvious. Once teetering on extinction, they now are easy to see every day around the Columbia River estuary. Ongoing struggles of other species, however, give cause to wonder whether endangered wildlife strategies need a big rethink. One such story concerns make them especially vulnera- Columbian white-tailed ble to inbreeding, diseases and deer, an elegant and sympa- natural disasters. These are the thy-arousing little species that very same issues that led to the dwindled to about 300 by 1967. deer being listed as endangered Blindsided Furthermore, I have had several of Experts predict Columbia chinook t’s not every day one is unfairly, pub- her clients give me rave reviews of the extinction by 2018. Commercial ish- Since then, intense efforts have 49 years ago. licly slandered by self-appointed level of service, energy and intellect ing will likely fall into major decline. probably succeeded in ensur- It may be that the deer live in value experts (“City to hold hear- that she brings to the job. I think anyone Regarding eco-tourism, our endan- ing the survival of the species. brushy backwaters of the estu- ing on property sale,” The Daily Asto- who considers the broad range of attri- gered Southern Resident Orca pop- April 19). It created a moment of butes Dawn possesses will agree with ulation relies primarily on Colum- This is mostly because deer ary not because they prefer to, rian, self-relection on working nine years me. Hopefully, the voters will give this bia basin chinook for food. Since their have been successfully nur- but because that is all the habi- for the Clatsop County Assessors serious thought before casting their bal- Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing in 2005, over 40 individuals have died tured in southwest Oregon’s tat left to them after decades of Ofice, and 32-years as an indepen- lots for this ofice. dent fee appraiser in Clatsop County, Once again, I support and will vote due to conditions they may have sur- Douglas County, where they intense land conversion efforts responsible for valuing over $115 mil- for Dawn Mclntosh. vived had there been an adequate sup- RICK NEWTON ply of salmon. Their extinction would number more than 6,000. by white settlers. These areas lion of residential property last year, and career total of over $2 billion in valu- Warrenton city commissioner equal nearly $34 million in lost annual Meanwhile, several pock- are likely to become even less a ations, resulting in a corresponding dol- revenue. Furthermore, we are in a power sur- ets of deer on Columbia River tenable deer habitat as the sea lar amount of local mortgages, estates, Judicial character and marketed properties. I am proud of plus, wherein removing the four lower islands — including Oregon level rises, the climate luctu- the work I’ve done for the community. have been chief deputy district attor- dams would not cause power dei- islands east of Tongue Point ates and additional millions of The situation presents a teachable ney here in Clatsop County since cits. However, their continued upkeep moment, to inform the public about real January 2004. I have been a prosecu- wastes taxpayer money, as the return is — and adjoining loodplains people move to the Northwest. estate appraisals. Appraisals are objec- tor for 29 years, and an attorney for 37 only 15 cents on every dollar spent. So, totaled nearly 1,000 last year. White-tailed deer are far from tive, unbiased opinions of real property years. I have been Dave Goldthorpe’s are we willing to suffer the economic and environmental repercussions that Though better positioned to the only regional species in these value based on a description of the sub- supervisor for the past six years. ject property and a supportable analysis In fact, I hired Dave over the phone come with doing nothing? survive disaster, a tripling straits. From snowy plovers to of the most comparable sales. because I was so impressed with his Call Obama at 202-456-1111 and of deer numbers here on the pocket gophers, dozens of spe- While a value amount can easily be good attitude and family and work encourage executive action to breach Columbia is not very impres- cies — including iconic salmon criticized by homeowners, borrowers, ethic. I have not been disappointed the dams immediately. Save our endan- loan reps, realtors, engineers or other since. Dave is very conscientious gered species, save our tax dollars, and sive or reassuring after nearly — hang on, thanks only to con- unintended users, I know profession- about his work and he handles every- save our economy. ally the set of comparables I’ve selected thing from major felonies to drug cases ARIEL YSETH half a century of intense spend- stant human aid. and analyzed yielded a report which is to sex abuse cases, and is a member of Lynnwood, Washington ing, community disruption, The white-tailed deer story not matched or exceeded by others who the Clatsop County Multi-Disciplinary predator control and so on. demonstrates a worrisome choose biased or limited information. Team, which deals with the county’s Collective thanks An April report by the truth, that it may cease to be And, Real Market Values (RMVs) from issues of child abuse and neglect. the assessor, list prices, or Zillow “Zest- Dave is very easy to supervise ongratulations and thank you Washington Department of possible to preserve a particu- imates” are usually just slanted, unsup- because he has a great work ethic. He to Columbia Paciic Common never complains, and always has a pos- Sense and Columbia Riverkeeper for Fish and Wildlife concluded lar species in every region they ported numbers. So, I take the opportunity to assure itive attitude. He has tried a lot of jury their work in opposing the liqueied most Columbia River subpopu- once occupied. As this trou- Clatsop County, and especially the res- trials of all types, and is a veteran in the natural gas (LNG) push to build a $6 lations of the deer still aren’t at a bled century moves forward, idents of the city of Astoria, that I was courtroom. He has the respect of the billion terminal and pipeline on the self-sustaining level — though transplantation to new habitat never aware of, participated in, or had police, the private bar and the judiciary. Skipanon Peninsula. any involvement in a conspiracy of the I have never had a single complaint We, who have not been actively they aren’t actually sure what and strategic triage decisions “Astoria Order of the Well-Connected.” about either Dave’s personal or profes- involved, have no idea of the time, The staff of the city of Astoria has sional conduct or decision-making. physical and emotional energy and that level is. Such low numbers will, sadly, become the norm. O Open forum I I C FYI: Clippings from the press of the Paciic Northwest and the nation ESPN’s talent dynasty is walking out the door If ESPN were one of the teams ESPN covers, it might describe itself as an organization “in transition,” which is a dainty sports cliché that means the immediate future isn’t as promising as the recent past. One reason for pessimism: The “Worldwide Leader in Sports” has seen a steady drain of superstar talent over the past 10 months, an exodus that is occurring amid deeper struc- tural changes that are eroding ESPN’s once-unassailable fortress. — The New York Post A German on England’s European Union question In any case, leaving the European Union is not in the end an option for Germany in the way it is for the UK. Germany is simply too central to the EU, which, after all, was created in part as a solution to the vexed “Ger- man question”. The EU could survive a British withdrawal, but not a German one. — Hans Kundnani in The Observer always engaged appraisal services from me in a completely open, transparent and professional manner. I never accept assignments where I feel there are con- ditions which are not completely honest to all parties involved, including lands owned by the public. I was totally blindsided on April 20 to read that the appraisals of three unique, limited-use properties in Asto- ria, with dificult access, challenging topographies, and restricted potential ownerships were somehow diabolically connected to the “AOWC.” STEVEN WEED Gearhart Voting for Dawn ust a note to let people know that not all of the Warrenton City Coun- cil agrees with the mayor’s endorse- ment of David Goldthorpe. After giv- ing thought to the amount and types of experience listed in the array of articles that have appeared in The Daily Asto- rian, I endorse and will vote for Dawn Mclntosh. J Above all, Dave has far better judi- cial temperament than his opponents. Dave remains calm under ire and never reacts angrily. He is always fair and compassionate with victims. Dave Golthorpe will make a great judge. You can count on it. RON BROWN Astoria money that the activists, farmers, ishermen and estuary residents have put forth on this for the last several years. There are hundreds of us who thank you. KATHY WEIGEL Seaside Dam concerns I apitalism frequently grapples with saving money over saving nature, but what if one choice could be iscally and environmentally responsible? Our region faces such a solution. The Snake River, which conluences into the Columbia, boasts 15 dams pro- viding largely hydroelectric uses. The four lower Snake River dams, how- ever, prevent endangered chinook salmon from reaching critical spawn- ing grounds. High temperatures the last two years have obliterated lower river basin spawning habitat and, thus, chinook returns have hit unprecedented lows. C Woltjer for judge am voting for Ron Woltjer for Judge of the Circuit Court, 18th District, Position 2. I have known Judge Woltjer from my years in the Astoria Regional 911 Center, collaborating on audio evi- dence while he was senior deputy dis- trict attorney and through his years as judge for several municipalities in Clat- sop County. I suggest all voters review the vot- er’s pamphlet, because it provides important details. I think his back- ground, experience and temperament will shape his performance as an excel- lent Circuit Court judge. I recommend you vote for Ron Woltjer. DICK LANG Astoria
