Page 4A
OPINION
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Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
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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
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Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Gov. Kate Brown speaks with the East Oregonian editorial board Friday
about her administration’s priorities for Eastern Oregon.
Eastern
thinking
the council’s recently stated desire
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for increased public awareness and
high on new governor Kate Brown’s
transparency.
priority list.
And it’s that lack of clarity that
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IURQWSDJHRIWRGD\¶VSDSHU2QHLVDV continues to cloud the drone project.
ROGDV(DVWHUQ2UHJRQVHFXULQJPRUH First, there is the mountain of
muddled, still-being-sorted Federal
water out of the Columbia River to
EHQH¿WDJULFXOWXUH7KHRWKHULVDVW Aviation Administration drone
rules, which City Manager Robb
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Corbett aptly described as a “bowl of
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spaghetti.” Then there
We’re happy to
are the yet-to-be-
see both are on the
decided details about
governor’s radar
Brown said
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and are happy to
she is eager
ranges. And then there
welcome any political
is debate between the
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to connect
test range sites and
investment we can
with Eastern
how revenue will be
get from Salem. This
divvied up between
newspaper has long
Oregon.
the different entities.
been a supporter of
Also, there is the
the Umatilla Basin
inability of Pendleton
water project, and
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we think the ag community has put
forward a sustainable project that will about the number of aerospace
boost output and the river economy.
technology companies interested in
Former governor John Kitzhaber
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was high on the project, too, but it
than a dozen, but won’t name any at
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each company’s request. And then
it to fruition. She expects to partner
there is the great unknown as to what
with State Senator Bill Hansell
those companies see in the drone
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proposal before the ways and means
experiment in, or is it a headquarters
committee next month. She said she
and base of operations?
is eager to see it pass.
This bureaucratic swamp, mixed
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with the vagaries of a quickly
often during her trip, in her public
changing and regulated industry,
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presents a real hurdle to quick and
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guaranteed success.
interview afterward with the East
But $1.7 million in state dollars
Oregonian editorial board.
to build necessary infrastructure sure
She is eager to connect with
helps clear some hurdles. Some are
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straight grant dollars and much of the
support the water, drone, housing and rest is low-interest, low-risk loans that
transportation projects in the region.
are well worth accepting. A piece of
And in general, she’s eager.
the package will have to be repaid if
Pendleton city council was also
less than 130 jobs are created by the
eager on the drone project, perhaps
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any public interaction and without
high-tech jobs in such a short period
even noting it on the council
of time would be an overwhelming
agenda, they agreed to accept a mix
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of loans and grants from the state
worth $1.7 million in taxpayer money
worth nearly $1.7 million. It was a
and would spark a much-needed
haphazardly planned action that took return to vibrancy for the Pendleton
some starch out of Brown’s public
area.
remarks at the airport. It was also a
Like Kate Brown, we are eager to
disappointing one that undermined
see if the bet pays off.
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 is-
sues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The
newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about indi-
vidual 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. 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. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
he United States Senate is worse
“They’re putting poison pills in
than ever.
their own bills!” Sen. Chuck Schumer,
I know this is hard for you
D-N.Y., said in a phone interview.
to believe, people. But, really, this
Before we discuss how badly
week was a new bottom. The Senate
the Republicans behaved, we need
found itself unable to pass a bill
to take time out to note that none
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of the Democrats on the Judiciary
a practice so terrible that it is one of
Committee seem to have noticed
the few subjects on which members of
that somewhere along the line, this
Gail
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Collins change had been inserted in the bill.
bipartisan amity.
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Comment
“This has got to get done for
an aide knew, but never shared the
me to continue having faith in this
information.)
institution,” said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp,
It was easy to miss, the Democrats
D-N.D., who’s particularly concerned about
contended, being very oblique and supertiny.
sexual exploitation of Native American
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women. She has always struck me as one of
sentence,” complained Sen. Dick Durbin,
the more cheerful members of the Senate, so
D-Ill.
this seems like a bad sign.
I believe I speak for many Americans
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives
when I say that missing a change in important
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legislation is excusable only if the Senate
already this year.
Judiciary Committee is suffering from a
Wow, the House is doing great! If you
shortage of lawyers.
overlook the introduction of a budget that
No one seemed clear on how the new
features terrible math
language got there in the
and many assaults on
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hapless poor people, the
restriction is not something
lower chamber has been
you casually toss into a
on a roll lately. Speaker
bill that you want to pass
John Boehner and Nancy
with support from both
Pelosi, the minority leader,
parties. It would be as if
rescued the budget for the
the Democrats had quietly
Department of Homeland
added a stipulation requiring
Security, and now they’re
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barred from carrying a concealed weapon.
cliff, which involves keeping Medicare
Cornyn argued that it made no difference
running.
whatsoever because there were plenty of
Plus, this week, the Republican majority
exemptions that would allow any sexually
got rid of disgraced Rep. Aaron Schock, who
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an abortion anyway. That was a good point,
“Downton Abbey.” In the wake of questions
except for the part where you wondered
about his mileage reimbursement requests,
why he was so insistent that this allegedly
Schock announced his resignation. Since
meaningless language be preserved at all
he had never successfully sponsored any
costs.
legislation in his six-year congressional career,
“My wish is that we hadn’t junked that
his greatest legacy may be a reminder that
bill up with abortion politics,” said Sen. Mark
members of the House of Representatives
Kirk, R-Ill., who has to run for re-election next
should avoid brightening the workplace with
year. Many Republicans agreed with him, but
vases of pheasant feathers.
in public they dug in their heels. In retaliation,
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the Democrats brought all progress to a halt
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and subtracted Aaron Schock. Maybe it’s
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who
going to become the center of bipartisan
thought he was going to show how to make
cooperation the nation has been waiting for!
the Senate work, was irate, and said there
2.SUREDEO\QRW$Q\ZD\LW¶VEHHQGRLQJ would be no vote on Loretta Lynch, President
better than the Senate.
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At the beginning of the month, the Senate
until Democrats gave in.
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sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas,
“Republicans who can’t lead meet Democrats
with several Democratic co-sponsors. The
who can’t read.”
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Lynch did get some support from former
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New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who penned
victims.
a letter urging Republicans to get behind her.
Sounded promising. The Senate Judiciary
When Giuliani is the most sensible voice in
Committee had easily approved Cornyn’s bill
the room, there’s not much farther down to go,
earlier this year. Then before it reached the
unless they start bringing in pheasant feathers.
Ŷ
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Gail Collins joined The New York Times in
a clause forbidding the use of the money to
1995 as a member of the editorial board.
provide victims with access to abortions.
Republicans
who can’t lead
meet Democrats
who can’t read.
YOUR VIEWS
BMCC medical programs
valuable to local hospitals
I am writing in support of Blue Mountain
Community College and the upcoming
bond measure. It has been my pleasure over
the past 20 years to serve two terms on the
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the college’s efforts to provide high quality
education to our residents even as state
funding for community colleges has continued
to shrink.
As vice president of human resources
at Good Shepherd Health Care System, I
have seen the value of our local community
college in helping to educate registered
nurses, medical technologists and many other
occupations we need at a community hospital.
Good Shepherd has been happy to help fund
a nursing instructor at BMCC to ensure the
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patients.
BMCC provides our area with affordable
college education opportunities not only
in Pendleton but also in Hermiston and
Boardman, two communities where I spend a
lot of time.
I am impressed with the coordination
between our local school systems and BMCC
WRIXO¿OOWKH(DVWHUQ3URPLVHWKDWKHOSVVR
many of our high school students get a head
start on a college education with dual credit
classes.
It is for these reasons that I encourage the
citizens of Umatilla and Morrow counties to
vote yes on the BMCC bond on the May 19
election ballot.
Your vote will be an investment for years
to come, and will allow BMCC to continue
to provide a quality learning environment
through upgrades at its facilities, enhance
existing successful programs such as nursing,
agriculture, dental and diesel tech, and develop
new workforce development programs to meet
the needs of regional industries so vital to our
area.
No one likes to pay more taxes but BMCC
is vital to the continued growth of our region.
In my opinion passage of this bond will be a
good investment in our future.
Please join me in voting yes for the BMCC
bond.
Be heard!
Kelly B. Sanders
Irrigon
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