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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2015)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Saturday, March 7, 2015 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor EO MEDIA GROUP East Oregonian • The Daily Astorian • Capital Press • Hermiston Herald Blue Mountain Eagle • Wallowa County Chieftain • Chinook Observer • Coast River Business Journal Oregon Coast Today • Coast Weekend • Seaside Signal • Cannon Beach Gazette Eastern Oregon Real Estate Guide • Eastern Oregon Marketplace • Coast Marketplace OnlyAg.com • FarmSeller.com • Seaside-Sun.com • NorthwestOpinions.com • DiscoverOurCoast.com MIKE FORRESTER Pendleton Chairman of the Board STEVE FORRESTER Astoria President TOM BROWN Bigfork, Mont. Director KATHRYN B. BROWN Pendleton Secretary/Treasurer JEFF ROGERS Indianapolis, Ind. Director OUR VIEW OTHER VIEWS Pearls before Congress W Congress must act to avoid port disaster in which both sides knew they Here’s a headline from the year had to reach an agreement, but not 2020: “Longshore workers, port before putting the screws to all of operators at impasse.” And here’s their customers. Only after President what the story will say: “A months- Barack Obama belatedly sent his long work slowdown at West Coast labor secretary to take part in the container ports has backed up WUDI¿FFRVWLQJDJULFXOWXUDOH[SRUWHUV talks did the sides magically reach an agreement. billions of dollars in delayed and That’s nonsense. lost business, as the The minute the old longshore workers union and the port Only Congress FRQWUDFWH[SLUHG year, both sides operators delay can place the last knew they would negotiating a new contract.” ports under the have to negotiate new agreement. For that matter, Railway Labor a They knew an you can take any agreement would of the headlines Act and prevent require give-and- the West Coast the union from take on the part of newspapers, both sides. But they including this one, taking action dawdled for months have run during the past nine months detrimental to as union members about problems the timely and VORZHGSRUWWUDI¿FWR a near-standstill. at West Coast Such drama may container ports and efficient flow of be OK for backwater recycle them. When goods through operations, but WKHQHZ¿YH\HDU for West Coast FRQWUDFWH[SLUHV the port. container ports, H[SRUWHUVDQGWKHLU which handle customers will hundreds of thousands of incoming have a sense of deja vu. All they and outgoing containers a year, it is will have to do is look at the stacks XQDFFHSWDEOH7KH¿QDQFLDOGDPDJH of outgoing containers and their SUR¿WDQGORVVVWDWHPHQWVWRVHHWKH is unacceptable, and the child-like damage done. behavior is unacceptable. During the past year, both Only Congress can make sure this the International Longshore never happens again. It can place and Warehouse Union, which the ports under the Railway Labor represents 13,000 West Coast dock Act and prevent the union from ZRUNHUVDQGWKH3DFL¿F0DULWLPH taking any labor action detrimental Association, which represents port WRWKHWLPHO\DQGHI¿FLHQWÀRZRI operators and shipping lines, have containers through the ports. amply demonstrated their inability to Railroad workers and airline negotiate a new contract in a timely employees are already included in manner. the law. It’s time to add the port 7KH¿QDQFLDOGDPDJHWR workers. all shippers — but especially This nation cannot afford any DJULFXOWXUDOH[SRUWHUV²KDVEHHQ more needless and costly drama at in the billions of dollars and put the ports. Congress needs to do the companies at risk of losing their ULJKWWKLQJDQG¿[WKLVWKUHDWWRWKH overseas customers. U.S. economy. The problem at the docks was not Another disaster awaits inaction. a strike; rather it was a convoluted Even a dysfunctional Congress ILWU-choreographed Kabuki dance would have to agree. elcome to a whole new In its debut performance, the caucus world. managed to kill a bill to fund the In Congress, that is. Not Department of Homeland Security for in the actual world. Control your just three weeks. H[SHFWDWLRQVIRUKHDYHQ¶VVDNH It is true that Labrador is the only You may have noticed that in member of Congress with the same an orgy of bipartisan cooperation, name as a large, friendly retriever, but Congress passed a bill this week he can be really strict. funding the Department of Homeland Pop Quiz: After conservative Gail Security until the fall. Then, on Republicans killed Boehner’s bill to Collins Wednesday, the House passed a fund the Department of Homeland Comment bipartisan bill funding the Amtrak Security for three weeks, Boehner system. realized that: And then everybody went away because it A) Homeland security isn’t actually all that was, you know, going to snow. big a deal. But, still, bipartisan cooperation. It all B) His own right wing was completely started with the Senate. Republicans have crazy, and, if he wanted to get through the EHHQKRUUL¿HGWRGLVFRYHUWKDWZKHQHYHU year, he was going to have to work with the the now-minority Senate Democrats. Democrats don’t like C) “If ands and buts were something, they can simply candy and nuts, every day ¿OLEXVWHUUHTXLULQJYRWHV would be Christmas.” to move the bill forward. Yes! Boehner seems to The Democrats always have realized that he’s going complained bitterly when to have to work with the the Republicans pulled that Democrats. Also, he said trick on them, but now they that thing about the candy say the circumstances are and nuts, but nobody really totally different. knew what he was talking The Democrats about. demanded that the homeland Both the homeland security funding bill be security bill and the Amtrak passed without any side funding were passed with assaults on President Barack unanimous Democratic Obama’s immigration program. And Mitch support and huge Republican defections. The McConnell, the majority leader, eventually Amtrak bill, by the way, is more ambitious had to give in. than your normal kicking-of-the-can-down- In a way, you could look at last week’s the-road legislation. There’s money to actually homeland security crisis as similar to the improve the infrastructure, which is more than reported theft of a $150,000 gown, covered Congress has managed to come up with lately entirely in pearls, which actress Lupita for highways and bridges. It also opens up the Nyong’o wore to the Academy Awards. wonderful world of rail transit to pet dogs and Later, the disgruntled thief called TMZ and cats, which I have to say is something most of said he had left the dress in a hotel restroom us were not anticipating. out of disgust after he had two of the pearls The last bit seems to be the inspiration of appraised and discovered they were fake. a California Republican who owns a French So, good news is that the Department of bulldog that likes to travel. It is possible the Homeland Security is going to be funded. program may be limited to small animals, Also, that very attractive gown is back. The but we will refrain making any jokes about bad news is that we’ve now hit the point aggrieved Labradors. where keeping the government running So this appears to be the path to the future: sounds like a big victory. And the pearls Senate Democrats will block anything they weren’t real. don’t like, forcing the Senate majority leader, ,URQ\DERXQGV:KRH[SHFWHGWKH6HQDWH Mitch McConnell, to compromise. In the Republicans to be surprised when the House, the Labradorians won’t vote for any 'HPRFUDWVVWDUWHG¿OLEXVWHULQJ":KRNQHZ Senate compromises, so Boehner will need the GUHVVWKLHYHVKDGVXFKSULQFLSOHGVWDQGDUGV" Democrats to pass any legislation that could The Senate Democrats’ success really actually make it into law. ticked off the Republicans in the House, which +HUHZHJR²IRXU¿VFDOFOLIIVLQWKH nurtures a long and glorious tradition of hating RI¿QJDQGLIWKH5HSXEOLFDQPDMRULW\ZDQWVWR the Senate, no matter who’s in charge. (The avoid falling off any of them, they’ll have to Senate ignores the House completely.) join hands with the Democrats and tango. We “If we’re going to allow seven Democratic won’t get any big, dramatic reforms, but we senators to decide what the agenda is ... might avoid any big dramatic disasters. then we might as well just give them the 3OXVSRRGOHVRQ$PWUDN:KRNQHZ" chairmanships, give them the leadership of the Ŷ Senate,” groused Rep. Raúl Labrador. Gail Collins joined The New York Times Labrador is a leading member of a in 1995 as a member of the editorial board superconservative Republican caucus, which and later as an Op-Ed columnist. In 2001 she was created recently, with the apparent goal of became the ¿rst woman eYer appointed editor bossing House Speaker John Boehner around. of the Times’s editorial page. We’ve hit the point where keeping the government running sounds like a big victory. 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. LETTERS POLICY The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters. Sub- mitted letters must be signed by the author and include a daytime phone number. Send letters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
