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OPINION
East Oregonian
Friday, February 13, 2015
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
JENNINE PERKINSON
Advertising Director
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
Tip of the hat;
kick in the pants
A kick in the pants to Cylvia Hayes and John Kitzhaber’s lawyer
Jim McDermott for talking the embattled governor into staying in his now
untenable position atop our state government.
For more on the controversy, see our front page story today, see our front
pages stories from last week and see our
front page stories that will continue for
weeks ahead.
This collapse will not end until
Kitzhaber is deposed. He can make it
easy on himself and Oregonians and
go now, or he can drag out the process
and our patience. But these two people
— the one he sleeps next to and the
other that he pays — are the only ones
who believe Kitzhaber can still do the
job. Democrats in the legislature have
called for his resignation, as did Treasurer Ted Wheeler. Secretary of State
Kate Brown — who would take over the job if Kitz quits — described the
current governor’s actions as “strange” and the situation as “bizarre” and
“unprecedented.” She also said she’s ready to step in.
Democrats are not just throwing Kitzhaber under the bus, they are
throwing said bus into reverse and running him over again and again.
With so little support and a growing mountain of incriminating evidence,
it’s hard to believe it will last much longer.
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while putting his state through the ringer, is enough to make you sad for the
state of political affairs and the state of our beloved Oregon.
A tip of the hat to the leadership classes at Hermiston and Pendleton,
which both spent a day at the East Oregonian this week.
The classes — organized by each city’s chamber of commerce — are a
great way to groom community leaders by both showing them what makes
our towns great and by introducing them to other movers-and-shakers.
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opportunity to host these classes, lead a
tour of our facility and show them what
we do on a daily basis. We believe being
well-read about local news is necessary
to being a good citizen, and even more
so a citizen leader.
This week’s program was just one
of many spread out over months,
introducing the classes to local cultural
centers, government, law enforcement,
agriculture and more.
If it sounds like something you are
interested in, call up your local chamber and have them to put you on the list
for next year. We look forward to seeing you.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of Publisher
Kathryn Brown, Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, and Opinion Page Editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
Support for Requa bronze:
I read with interest your opinion in
today’s paper about the “problem” with
the Requa statue. I don’t believe there is
a “problem” with the placement of the
statue on Main Street. You said yourself,
“Worthwhile art is never going to make
everyone happy.” That is what is going on
here, a subjective disagreement — there are
no problems with the placement because all
of the right things have been accomplished
along the way to satisfy the city regarding
the placement issue.
Unlike other pieces of public art in
downtown Pendleton, this statue had
unanimous approval from the city council
on a vote taken on January 7, 2013. Unlike
other pieces of public art in downtown
Pendleton, this statue will be engineered
by the city engineering department for
proper structural support and safety of the
placement.
Based upon the approval of the city
council, the Linebackers Club raised
substantial funds for this project in a very
short period of time. Donors relied on what
was described to them when they were
considering giving their money, and the
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cornerstones. I know, because I raised a fair
amount of the funds from individuals and
grants. Now there seems to be a move afoot
OTHER VIEWS
Jeb rolls out kinder candidacy
W
hen Bushes run for president,
food, to housing, to you name it.”
they portray themselves as
Bush’s message in Detroit was
more caring, more gentle
plain and simple: I am as far from Mitt
and more compassionate than their
Romney as is humanly possible.
sometimes heartless and harshly
But Bush is doing more than just
ideological fellow Republicans.
distancing himself from Romney and
It worked for George H.W. Bush in
Ryan — or 2016 rival Walker. He’s
1988, it worked for George W. Bush in
returning to the original Bush blueprint
2000, and now Jeb Bush is preparing
that won for his father and later for his
Byron
to give it another go in 2016.
brother.
York
The youngest Bush, who is still
In 1988, George H.W. Bush,
Comment
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running for president after two terms
run, is doing a slow rollout of themes
as Ronald Reagan’s vice president,
for his candidacy. In a recent appearance at
sought to distinguish himself from the image
the Detroit Economic Club, Bush tested a few of the Reagan administration as cruel and
ways to distance himself from Republicans
insensitive to the needs of poor Americans. “I
who have stumbled on issues related to the
want a kinder, gentler nation,” Bush said in the
poor and the government’s
most memorable passage of
efforts to help them.
his 1988 convention speech.
For example, Bush
The preparation of that
accused Washington — not
speech offered a peek into
Republicans, not Democrats,
what would become the
just big-government
Bush family strategy. Bush
Washington — of creating
sent speechwriter Peggy
programs that ensnare
Noonan a note which said,
people in poverty. “Instead
“I know what drives me
of a safety net to cushion
... Everyone matters.” In
our occasional falls, they
her book “What I Saw at
have built a spider web that
the Revolution,” Noonan
traps people in perpetual
described how she also
dependence,” Bush said.
received “a list of words
Compare that to Rep.
that had special meaning for
Paul Ryan’s suggestion,
him” — a list that included
repeated many times during
“kindness,” “caring,”
the 2012 campaign, that
“decency” and “heart.”
government programs
“He spoke with a
can be an inducement to
gentleness that was
laziness. “We believe in a
striking,” Noonan wrote of
safety net,” Ryan said, “but
Bush. “This was the genesis
we don’t want to turn it into
of ‘I want a kinder, gentler
a hammock that lulls able-
nation.’”
bodied people into a sense of complacency.”
Bush won the presidency, and a family
Ryan no longer uses it, but the line is still
template was set. In 2000, George W. Bush
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ran by promoting himself as a “compassionate
example, unveiling his new state budget this
conservative,” which, like “kinder, gentler,”
week, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said,
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“These programs should be a temporary safety there was something wrong with other
net — not a hammock.” Walker said the same
Republicans.
thing in a well-received speech at a GOP
Now comes Jeb Bush. There are
presidential forum in Iowa.
conservatives who will gag at what he’s doing,
There’s a lot of difference between a spider just like older ones gagged at “kinder, gentler”
web and a hammock. Bush’s message was
and “compassionate conservative.” But Jeb’s
absolutely clear: I’m not one of those guys.
critics will have to confront this question: Can
In addition to those Americans caught in
they name any Republicans not named Bush
the web of big-government social welfare
who have been elected president in the last 30
programs, Bush also discussed millions more
years?
who live “on the edge of economic ruin.”
The fact is, the Bushes are the only
“Something is holding them back,” Bush
Republicans who have cracked the code for
said. “Not a lack of ambition. Not a lack
winning the White House in more than a
of hope. Not because they are lazy or see
generation. Maybe that will change in 2016,
themselves as victims ... “ As Bush sees it, the but Jeb Bush will have his supporters.
“something” holding poor Americans back is
Jeb speaks of George H.W. Bush with
the burdensome intrusion of government.
enormous reverence. “My dad is the greatest
Compare that to Mitt Romney’s infamous
man alive, and if anybody disagrees, we’ll go
“47 percent” hidden-camera video from the
outside,” he said in Detroit.
2012 campaign. “There are 47 percent who
Now, he’s doing more than just paying
are with (Obama),” Romney said, “who are
tribute. He’s adapting his father’s game for
dependent upon government, who believe that 2016.
they are victims, who believe that government
Ŷ
has a responsibility to care for them, who
Byron York is chief political correspondent
believe that they are entitled to health care, to
for The Washington Examiner.
There are
conservatives
who will gag
at what he’s
doing — but
can they name
any Republicans
not named Bush
who have been
elected president
in the last 30
years?
YOUR REQUA VIEWS
to have the statue moved. That simply should
not happen.
Coach Requa had a positive impact on
literally thousands of Pendleton High School
students, myself included. His impact was
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currently memorialized in all the existing
downtown statues combined, and then some.
Mike Temple
Seattle
As a former student and Buckaroo player
at Pendleton High School, I strongly support
the placement of coach Don Requa’s statue
on the Main Street site.
As a former resident of Pendleton, a
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hand the impact “Req” had, not only on our
great city, but the countless lives he touched,
myself being one.
Jim Rackley,
PHS class of 1964, Gresham
I am in strong support of the Requa
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The leaders of Pendleton have put in many
great statues throughout the city, especially
on Main Street.
Having the Requa bronze located on the
north end of Main would draw people to that
area where several historic buildings and
the Pendleton River Parkway and walking
trail are located, not to forget the beautiful
Pendleton Arts Center and historic homes
that are right across the bridge.
Lori Anderson Johnson
Redmond
Concerning the placement of the
Requa bronze: I think the folks who
want to place the statue away from Main
Street obviously have not seen the bronze
and/or don’t understand the concept of
honoring an outstanding person of so many
accomplishments.
Well, I have seen it. And touched it
in its full-sized clay incarnation — it is
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I cannot conceive of the bronze being
placed anywhere but its home: near
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Pendleton.
Ron Kearney, PHS Class of 1957
Tualatin
I am writing this letter to show my
support of placing the Don Requa bronze in
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As a former player for Coach Requa and
follower of Pendleton football, I know he
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people’s lives. I encourage the community to
honor him and Pendleton athletics by placing
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Todd Knop
Ione
Statues of a person are useful in recalling
the noble qualities of that person and to
inspire others to make valuable contributions
to their communities, states, nations
religions, etc.
I, and many others feel Mr. Requa
was such a person. Placing his statue in
a location where it will be seen by many
people seems more appropriate than at our
old high school where few young people
could be inspired by it.
Bill Wright (PHS class of ‘58)
Coos Bay
Editor’s note: These letters were edited
for space consideration. They appear in their
entirety at eastoregonian.com.
LETTERS POLICY
The East Oregonian welcomes original
letters of 400 words or less on public
issues and public policies for publication
in the newspaper and on our website. The
newspaper reserves the right to with-
hold letters that address concerns about
individual services and products or letters
that infringe on the rights of private cit-
izens. Submitted letters must be signed
by the author and include the city of
residence and a daytime phone number.
The phone number will not be published.
Unsigned letters will not be published.
Send letters to Managing Editor Daniel
Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendle-
ton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastorego-
nian.com.