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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2015)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Friday, February 20, 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 one of the last measures backed by Secretary of State Kate Brown before she graduated to the governorship this week. That bill, HB 2177, calls for automatic voter registration. It would require the state to use DMV address records to identify eligible voters and send them a ballot. Voters can then opt out and be unregistered, but you know people: when given the option of doing nothing or something, we tend to sit on our hands. Which is why so few of us vote, even when it’s already pretty darn easy. Call us a little Calvinist, but voting should require the smallest modicum of effort (though it’s awfully painless now in Oregon, with mail-in ballots and registration that can be done in just a minute or two on a smartphone). We think that makes it more meaningful. And, hey, if participating in your democracy is not your thing, then there’s no need to expend money and energy to include you. As Secretary of State, it was Brown’s job to make voting as easy as possible without inviting fraud, and gathering more addresses and sending out more ballots is one way to do that. But we think the added expense will QRWJUHDWO\LQFUHDVHWXUQRXW7KRVHWKDWZDQWWRYRWHKDYHOLIWHGWKHLU¿QJHU to do so. The Legislature wasn’t waiting for our thoughts on the matter, though. It is moving quickly on the bill already. It sailed through committee and passed a full House vote and could soon be signed into law by Kate Brown herself. A tip of the hat to Chet Prior, who died earlier this week after a lifetime of community service. News articles and his obituary have already told much of Prior’s story, but ZHWKLQNKLVLQÀXHQFHRQWKHUHJLRQLV hard to overstate. The Echo man was involved in just about everything that happened around his neck of the woods — from agriculture and community development to education and economics. He was everywhere, involved in everything. He had more seats on more boards than a high school graduation in an old gymnasium. And yet, he did it without hogging the spotlight. When we went looking through our archives for photos of Prior, in almost every shot he was listening to someone speak or shaking someone’s hand. He was a modest leader — not an oxymoronic phrase when it came to him. Lloyd Piercey, owner of Echo’s Sno Road Winery, told our sister paper The Hermiston Herald that “there isn’t anything positive that happened in Hermiston that he didn’t have a touch in.” That touch will be missed. We tip one low to you, Chet. OUR VIEW Pasco killing is a familiar refrain Police shootings of civilians in spontaneous imposition of the death Portland and Seattle have received penalty by police. He was unarmed, a lot of attention, and yet such open-handed, arms partially raised as violence is something we have bullets ripped his life away. almost come to expect in an urban Pasco isn’t a continent away setting. from Astoria and surrounding The death of an unarmed Hispanic communities. Even if it were, we man in a confrontation with three should still take an interest. Hispanic RI¿FHUVLQ3DVFR leaders there have Wash., is somehow called for the U.S. more shocking, Justice Department We must perhaps because to investigate, we picture human and it should. build better relations outside big Complete objectivity intercultural cities as providing and thorough some degree of connections now professionalism are LPPXQLW\WRRI¿FLDO to begin to avoid future essential violence. healing the massive There have distrust that has violence. been four fatal blown up in the police shootings in Hispanic population the southeastern Washington city of Pasco. The current investigation since last July. Other eye-catching by a special investigative unit statistics include only one Hispanic FRPSULVHGRIRI¿FHUVLQVXUURXQGLQJ city council member in a community communities is nowhere near that is 56 percent Hispanic, and 15 credible, particularly after absolving +LVSDQLFPHPEHUVLQDRI¿FHU 3DVFRRI¿FHUVRIDOOEODPHLQWKH police department. three previous fatal shootings. Antonio Zambrano-Montes’ death Beyond advocating for justice, last week wasn’t an unusual outlier police reform and political in this scenario of unbalanced power, empowerment in a small city in our but an accidental cause célèbre region, this case should interest all of because a bystander happened us because it suggests a general need to video record the shooting and to do a much better job bringing events immediately leading up to it. Hispanic residents into local power As with the August 2014 death of structures. It is important for that Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., community to assert itself. Zambrano-Montes cannot be said Civic leaders, including senior to be completely blameless: He ODZRI¿FHUVVKRXOGEXLOGFRQQHFWLRQV appears to have been throwing rocks with immigrant and low-income at cars in the street shortly before communities to build understanding police arrived. He started to run before shootings occur — not away when they confronted him. But as some dismal and half-hearted what he was doing did not merit a reaction afterward. 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. OTHER VIEWS Scott Walker’s bumpy evolution education I t’s almost as if Scott Walker knew FRQWULEXWHPRUHWRWKH¿JKWDJDLQVW he could get in trouble just by the Islamic State. Not Walker. “I defer traveling to London. In the U.K. to the president, even though I don’t recently for a trade mission, the always believe in the same things that governor of Wisconsin and likely he does politically,” Walker said. presidential candidate went to the Justin Webb, the BBC presenter Chatham House think tank to talk moderating the session, remarked Wisconsin business — and ended up that in today’s hyper-partisan world, the headline of stories about, of all Walker’s response was “almost an old- Byron things, evolution. fashioned way” of dealing with such York Walker seemed to suspect issues. Comment something was coming. Answering a “When you’re in any country, not question about political polarization, just the United Kingdom,” Walker he brought up the unpredictability of media answered, “no matter what my opinions might FRYHUDJHDQGUHIHUUHGVSHFL¿FDOO\WRWKH be of this President of the United States right recent London visit of New Jersey Gov. Chris now, I just don’t think it’s wise to undermine Christie, who ended up on the defensive over the president of your own country.” comments about vaccines. And so it went. Walker was happy to talk “Look at my colleague, my friend,” Walker about unions, health care, the University said, referring to Christie. “When he came of Wisconsin budget, trade agreements, oil here a week or so ago, and I’m not going to exports, and more. And then, 44 minutes get into his statement, but into a 45 minute question- just saying that became the and-answer session, Webb focus (of news coverage) ... turned to Walker and even though that probably said: “We’re out of time, wasn’t the most substantive governor. I know you have thing he was talking about to be somewhere else. Can here. And yet for whatever ,¿QLVKZLWKDTXHVWLRQ² reason, that was the lead in it’s almost a tradition now many ways on the news.” to ask visiting, particularly Twelve minutes later, Republican, senior something similar happened Republicans who come to to Walker, despite all his London. And it’s not about efforts to play it safe. cheese, and it’s not about Walker was in the U.K. foreign affairs. It’s actually in his capacity as governor, about evolution. Are you to promote the sales of comfortable with the idea of Wisconsin products. Yes, evolution? Do you believe it’s hard to view an overseas in it? Do you accept it?” trip, especially by an American governor “For me, I’m going to punt on that one,” with presidential ambitions, as anything but a Walker said. “That’s a question a politician campaign event. But Walker steered clear of shouldn’t be involved in one way or the other, politics and didn’t take any members of his so I’m going to leave that up to you.” presidential political team along with him. Up until that moment, the story of the $VEH¿WVDUHSUHVHQWDWLYHRI:LVFRQVLQ London trip might have been Walker’s Walker talked a lot about cheese. He wants deference to Obama. Instead, it became, in the world to buy and enjoy vast quantities of the words of an Associated Press headline, Wisconsin cheese. His enthusiasm gave rise to “Wisconsin Gov. Walker Refuses to Answer far too many lame cheese jokes at venerable Evolution Question.” Chatham House. Walker’s political team back home Walker also said many deeply boring VFUDPEOHGWR¿[WKLQJVUHOHDVLQJDVWDWHPHQW things about Wisconsin trade. Things like: saying he believes “faith and science are “Thanks to God and the glaciers, we have the compatible.” But remarkably, for a man who best industrial sand in the United States, and KDVUXQIRUKLJKRI¿FH:DONHUGLGQ¶WKDYHD arguably in the world.” ready-to-repeat answer on evolution. His staff After Walker’s speech, the Chatham House didn’t even know his views before drafting the statement. audience of journalists and businesspeople But Walker learned a few lessons. First, not surprisingly had questions that touched there’s no protection from out-of-the-blue on U.S. foreign policy. Walker took particular questions. Second, Republicans, as Webb care to avoid criticizing President Obama, suggested, get special treatment when adhering to the now-quaint idea that an traveling abroad. And third, it doesn’t matter American politician should not criticize his if a candidate wants to talk about cheese and country’s leaders while abroad. industrial sand, he’s never the one setting the For example, a reporter asked whether agenda. %ULWDLQVKRXOGFRQWULEXWHPRUHWRWKH¿JKW Ŷ against the Islamic State. Any Republican Byron York is chief political correspondent running for president might well have for The Washington Examiner. answered that President Obama should There’s no protection from out-of-the-blue questions — a candidate is never the one setting the agenda. YOUR VIEWS Walden’s messsages leave voter amazed and disgusted I am constantly amazed and disgusted with the messages from Rep. Greg Walden. His recent claim that the Affordable Care Act has reduced funding for Home Health Care can only be called what it is — a lie. Only the GOP wants to kill this program along with the postal service, Social Security and many others. The money from Medicare used for the ACA is only from the money that was otherwise wasted in subsidies to the private sector for Medicare Advantage plans. Most 0HGLFDUHUHFLSLHQWVKDYHJUHDWO\EHQH¿WHGE\ the ACA in reduced co-pays for prescriptions and no co-pays for preventive medical care like colonoscopies and other services. And the premiums have grown by the smallest amounts in decades. Mr. Walden also wants to assist in the SDVVLQJRIWKH7UDQV3DFL¿F7UDGH$JUHHPHQW This scheme totally and exclusively written by the rich and powerful (to whom Mr. Walden grovels) will mean huge job losses to America. NAFTA will look like an ant on an elephant’s butt in comparison, and we all know how well that went for jobs in America. Congress is not allowed to debate nor even copy the document but must blindly vote on your behalf. Logs will be exported for processing again, cheap beef imported, and maybe even the RVs we make here in Pendleton will be made overseas due to cheap labor. This pact is exactly and RQO\IRUWKHEHQH¿WRIELJLQGXVWU\ZLWKQR protections for American workers. He is also willing to risk your safety by shutting down the Dept. of Homeland Security because of politics. He is apparently not willing to understand that he and his cronies will not be able to stop the President’s Immigration Executive Order. He wants to take away the farm labor so needed in the Hermiston area. The Democrats learned their lesson well from the GOP minority in the Senate for the past four years. Now that the Dems are doing the same as the GOP did to them, it is somehow nearly criminal but was ¿QHZKHQWKH*23GLGLW:KDWSDUWRI6HQDWH rules does Walden not understand? What part of “do as I want, not what I did” does Walden not grasp as unfair? Now Walden has co-sponsored a bill to make nearly all his constituents (yes, you) pay to get faster Internet service. LETTERS POLICY Dave Fitzsimmons Pendleton 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 withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number. Send letters to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
