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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2015)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, April 15, 2015 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher JENNINE PERKINSON Advertising Director DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW Two truths and a lie TOPIC: Taxes Good morning. You’ve got until 5 p.m. today to get your taxes in the PDLOER[RUVHQWDORQJWKRVH,QWHUQHWWXEHVWRWKHJREEOLQJMDZVRIWKH government. ,I\RXDUHUXQQLQJODWHEHVXUHWRVHHDQDFFRXQWDQWSURQWRRU¿OH HOHFWURQLFDOO\RQFH\RXKDYHFKHFNHGDQGGRXEOHFKHFNHG\RXU¿JXUHV ,NQRZLW¶VQRWYHU\IXQWRWDONWD[HVXQOHVVDVL]DEOHUHWXUQLVKHDGHG\RXU way), but we promise this will be less tedious than transcribing your W-2. And yes, we checked, last year at this time we wrote a Two Truths and a Lie on taxes. Add this article to 2014’s and you’ve got the compendium: Four Truths and Two Lies. 6RZLWKRXWIXUWKHUDGRKHUH¶VYROXPHWZR TRUTH: The U.S. has the highest corporate tax rate in the world. 7KHIHGHUDOFRUSRUDWHWD[UDWHLQWKLVFRXQWU\LVSHUFHQW:KHQDGGHG to state and local taxes, it becomes the highest in the world, according to The Washington Post. %XWPDQ\86FRUSRUDWLRQV²HVSHFLDOO\WKRVHELJHQRXJKWRDIIRUGJRRG ODZ\HUV²RIWHQGRQ¶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eing untruthful on your tax return is a very bad idea. ,QDQRSHGIRU)RUEHVPDJD]LQHWLWOHG³7KHWUXWKDERXWO\LQJRQ\RXUWD[ return,” author Robert W. Wood says don’t do it – ever. ³0DNLQJXSVRPHWKLQJRQ\RXUWD[UHWXUQLVDWHUULEOHLGHD´ZURWH:RRG <RXPLJKWWKLQNWKDWWKH,56LVMXVWDQRWKHULQFRPSHWHQWIHGHUDO EXUHDXFUDF\ZLWKWD[UHWXUQVJHWWLQJORVWEHKLQG¿OLQJFDELQHWVDQGDXGLWRUV WKURZLQJGDUWVDWWKHZDOOWRVHHZKRVHSDSHUZRUNGHVHUYHVIXUWKHULQTXLU\ 7KDW¶VQRWWKHFDVH,QIDFWZLWKWKHDPRXQWRIHYLGHQFHWKH,56JHWVIURP EDQNVDQGHPSOR\HUVWKH\¶YHJRWMXVWDERXWDOO\RXULQIRUPDWLRQEHIRUH\RX ¿OH\RXUUHWXUQ7KDWRIFRXUVHEHJVWKHTXHVWLRQZK\GRHVQ¶WWKH86VDYH XVDOOWKHWURXEOHRIFDOFXODWLQJRXURZQWD[HV"0DQ\RWKHUFRXQWULHVHLWKHU MXVWVHQGDELOORUDUHIXQGDQGDFLWL]HQFDQHLWKHUDFFHSWZKDW¶VKDQGHGWR WKHPRU¿OHDFRPSODLQWDERXWWKHJRYHUQPHQW¶VHVWLPDWLRQ 8QWLOWKDWGD\FRPHVRUWKHFRXQWU\XQGHUJRHVFRPSUHKHQVLYHWD[UHIRUP we’re stuck with the current system. And that system is very harsh to tax FKHDWV)LOLQJIUDXGXOHQWLQFRPHWD[HVLVDIHGHUDOFULPH ³,I\RXPLVVWHS\RXPD\KDYHSUREOHPVHYHQLI\RXGRQRWWKLQN\RXZHUH µZLOOIXO¶´:RRGZURWH³$QGLI\RXUQXPEHUFRPHVXSWKHFRQVHTXHQFHV FDQEHTXLWHGHYDVWDWLQJ:LOOIXOO\HYDGLQJIHGHUDOLQFRPHWD[HVLVDIHORQ\´ LIE: The income tax started as a big-government power play. /DVW\HDUZHQRWHGWKDWIRUQHDUO\\HDUVRI$PHULFDQKLVWRU\ WKHUHZDVQRVXFKWKLQJDVDIHGHUDOLQFRPHWD[ ,QIDFWLWZDVWKDWVDYLRURIWKH8QLRQDQG$PHULFDQKHUR$EUDKDP /LQFROQZKR¿UVWHQDFWHGLW7KHPRQH\ZDVQHFHVVDU\DWDWLPHZKHQ WKHIXWXUHRIWKHFRXQWU\ZDVDWVWDNH Again according to The Washington PostPRXQWLQJGH¿FLWVGXULQJ WKHKHLJKWRIWKHZDUKDGEHJXQWRVSXULQÀDWLRQ7KHEDQNVZKR ZHUHIXQGLQJWKH&LYLO:DUGHPDQGHGDFWLRQWRHQVXUHWKH86 ZRXOGUHPDLQVROYHQWLQWKHIDFHRIPRXQWLQJGHEW7KHFRXQWU\¶V PDLQVRXUFHRIUHYHQXH²WDULIIV²FRXOGJRQRKLJKHU 7KH¿UVWWD[ZDVSHUFHQWOHYLHGRQLQFRPHVDERYHDQG SHUFHQWIRUWKRVHVHOHFWIHZZKRPDGHPRUHWKDQD\HDU%XW LWGLGQ¶WODVWORQJ,WZDVUHSHDOHGDIWHUWKH&LYLO:DUDQGZDVQRW UHLQVWDWHGIRUJRRGXQWLO ,WZDVDQRWKHU5HSXEOLFDQWKHURWXQG:LOOLDP+RZDUG7DIWZKR OHGWKHSURFHVVWRFUHDWHWKH6L[WHHQWK$PHQGPHQWLQ ,QFDVH\RXGRQ¶WUHPHPEHUKLJKVFKRROFLYLFVFODVVWKHWH[WRI WKDWDPHQGPHQWUHDGV³7KH&RQJUHVVVKDOOKDYHSRZHUWROD\DQG FROOHFWWD[HVRQLQFRPHVIURPZKDWHYHUVRXUFHGHULYHGZLWKRXW apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.” So pay up. Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of Publisher Kathryn Brown, Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, and Opinion Page Editor Tim Trainor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. YOUR VIEWS Show up and demand Requa statue at PHS We think Fritz Hill’s “viewpoint” DUWLFOHRQ%URZQ¿HOG3DUNDQGWKH'RQ Requa statue was a point well made. We suggest that the local citizens who believe Requa belongs at the school and %URZQ¿HOGUHVHUYHGIRUKLVWRULFDO¿JXUHV should attend the city council meeting on Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. and let them know our citizen desires. John Borgerson Pendleton Hillary Clinton has a legacy of deception +LOODU\IRUSUHVLGHQW":K\LVVKH allowed to even run when she is being LQYHVWLJDWHGIRUWKLVODVWLVVXHRIHUDVLQJ KHUVHUYHU" /RRNDWZKDWVKHKDVGRQHIURP back in the beginning and up until now. 6KHKDVDKLVWRU\RIO\LQJFKHDWLQJ GHFHLYLQJDQGPD\EHUHVSRQVLEOHIRU people’s deaths, as well as destroying people’s lives when in the White House with Bill. Look back and see about all WKHER[HVVKHORVWZKHQVKHOHIWWKHODZ ¿UPVKHZDVLQYROYHGZLWKWKDWZDV EHLQJLQYHVWLJDWHGIRUIUDXG :KDWLVWKHPDWWHUZLWKSHRSOH" How would anyone think she could be UHVSRQVLEOHIRUWKLVFRXQWU\" OTHER VIEWS 0DNLQJVHQVHRIZDWHU B (5.(/(<&DOLI²$OPRVW unreasonable use” are to be prevented. every number used to analyze The system is arcane, allowing &DOLIRUQLD¶VGURXJKWFDQEH some people and entities to get GHEDWHGEXWWKLVFDQEHVDIHO\VDLG VXUIDFHZDWHUQHDUO\IUHH7KLV 1ROHYHORIUHVWULFWLRQVRQUHVLGHQWLDO system, involving “senior,” as in use can solve the problem. The inherited, water rights, has never been solution lies with agriculture, which VXFFHVVIXOO\FKDOOHQJHG2WKHUV FRQVXPHVPRUHWKDQLWVIDLUVKDUH sometimes including cities, can pay That doesn’t mean homeowners 100 times more. Mark can’t and shouldn’t cut back. ,QPRVWDUHDVJURXQGZDWHUIRU Bittman But according to estimates by the ODQGRZQHUVLV³IUHH´DVORQJDV\RX Comment 3XEOLF3ROLF\,QVWLWXWHRI&DOLIRUQLD can dig a well that’s deep enough. more water was used to grow almonds This has led to a race to the bottom: LQWKDQZDVXVHGE\DOOKRPHVDQG New, super-deep wells, usually drilled at great businesses in San Francisco and Los Angeles expense, are causing existing shallower wells, SXWWRJHWKHU(YHQZRUVHPRVWRIWKRVH RIWHQRZQHGE\SHRSOHZLWKOHVVPRQH\WRUXQ almonds are then exported — which means, dry. HIIHFWLYHO\WKDWZHDUHH[SRUWLQJZDWHU 7KDW¶VPRUHWKDQXQIDLU*URXQGZDWHU Unless you’re the person or that’s built up over a FRPSDQ\PDNLQJPRQH\RII millennium is being this deal, that’s just nuts. removed too rapidly to be &DOLIRUQLDSURGXFHVPRUH recharged, and in some than 400 commodities in cases the land is sinking as PDQ\GLIIHUHQWFOLPDWHVVR the water-saturated layers LW¶VGLI¿FXOWWRJHQHUDOL]H beneath it go dry. Those DERXWDJULFXOWXUH0DQ\ layers will most likely never IDUPHUVDUHFXWWLQJEDFN be replenished, making this on water use, planting DIRUPRIHQYLURQPHQWDO geographically appropriate suicide. FURSVDQGVKLIWLQJWR Knowing this, Brown techniques that make sense, has announced mandatory OLNH³GU\´IDUPLQJ2WKHUV FXWEDFNVRIDQDYHUDJHRI however, are mining water percent in residential water as they would copper: When use. He hasn’t said much LWUXQVRXWWKH\¶OO¿QGQHZ about agriculture, but he ways to make money. must. He needs to see this So the big question is not, crisis as an opportunity to ³+RZGRZHVXUYLYHWKHGURXJKW"´²ZKLFK rationalize the system. could well be the new normal — but, “How Last September, Brown signed the state’s GRZHDOORFDWHZDWHUVHQVLEO\"´ ¿UVWELOOWRPDQDJHJURXQGZDWHUWKHPRVW &DOLIRUQLDJURZVIUXLWVDQGYHJHWDEOHVIRU important groundwater basins are due to everyone; that’s a good thing. It would be an be “in balance” — that is, recharged at a HYHQEHWWHUWKLQJKRZHYHULIVRPHRIWKDW sustainable rate — by 2040. That’s probably SURGXFWLRQVKLIWHGWRSODFHVOLNH,RZDRQFHD too late. OHDGLQJJURZHURISURGXFH7KDWFRXOGKDSSHQ It would be better to have a national policy DJDLQLIIHGHUDOSROLF\VXEVLGL]HGVXFKFURSV SUHYHQWLQJSUR¿WPDNLQJIURPSXEOLFZDWHU UDWKHUWKDQFRUQRQVRPHRIWKDWXOWUDIHUWLOH and to encourage agriculture where it’s more land. naturally supported by the climate. But until &DOLIRUQLDDOVRJURZVDOIDOIDZKLFKXVHV that happens, Brown should challenge senior more water in total than any other crop — yes, ZDWHUULJKWVVWULFWO\UHJXODWHWKHSXPSLQJRI more than almonds) that then gets shipped to groundwater, and perhaps even stop irrigation &KLQD,WJURZVOHWWXFHLQWKHGHVHUWDQGRWKHU entirely on lands where growing water- crops in places that make no sense. The state intensive crops makes no sense. has also become the biggest dairy producer :KHQ,DUULYHGKHUHDIHZPRQWKVDJRDQ LQWKHFRXQWU\DWOHDVWDSDUWRIWKDWLQGXVWU\ ROGIULHQGZKRPRYHGKHUHLQWKHVFDPH would work better back east, where both water IRUGLQQHUDQGVFROGHGPHIRUP\GLVKZDVKLQJ and land are available. WHFKQLTXH³7XUQWKDWZDWHURIIWKHUH¶VD 7KDWHYHU\RQHLQ&DOLIRUQLDQHHGVWR drought.” conserve water is a no-brainer. But a relatively ,DOPRVWSRLQWHGWKDWP\XVHRIZDWHUZDV small adjustment in agricultural use could trivial compared with ... well, nearly everyone PDNHWKLVGURXJKWORRNOLNHDSHULRGRI HOVH¶V%XW,VKXWXS$IWHUDOOHYHU\GURS DEXQGDQFH3URSHUO\PDQDJHGWKHUHLVPRUH really does count. Wise use and conservation WKDQHQRXJKZDWHUIRUHYHU\WKLQJLPSRUWDQW — not new dams, not desalination — are ,PSURSHUO\PDQDJHGDVLWKDVEHHQIRUPRUH the answers, and conservation means than 100 years, there is a crisis. common sense should take precedence over It won’t be easy to rationalize water use SUR¿WHHULQJ LQWKHIDFHRISRZHUIXOZDWHUGHSHQGHQW Ŷ interests; though agriculture is a surprisingly Mark Bittman writes (mostly) about food PLQXVFXOHSDUWRIWKHVWDWH¶VJURVVGRPHVWLF for the New York Times Opinion pages, and is SURGXFWLW¶VDELJSROLWLFDOIRUFH%XW*RY The Magazine’s lead food columnist. He is the Jerry Brown and the State Water Resources author of “VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00” and &RQWURO%RDUGKDYHWKHDXWKRULW\WRGRZKDW “How To Cook Everything.” Follow Mark it takes, as the constitution says “waste or Bittman on Twitter and Facebook. The big question is not how we survive the drought —which could well be the new normal — but instead how do we allocate water sensibly? Mike Olson Pendleton BMCC tuition a bargain, and so is the May bond ,I\RXFKHFNWXLWLRQDWWKHIRXU\HDU XQLYHUVLWLHV\RX¶OO¿QGWKDW%0&&LV RQHKHFNRIDEDUJDLQ,I\RXFRPSDUH instruction you’ll be pleasantly VXUSULVHG,I\RXFKHFNSURJUDPVLQ place and those to come, you’ll be GHOLJKWHG$JRRGVWDIIGDUQJRRGDGPLQ people, good leadership — what the hell PRUHGR\RXZDQWIRU\RXUPRQH\" &¶PRQGR\RXUVHOIDIDYRU²YRWH yes this go around. You can’t do better than that. Larry O’Rourke Pendleton 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 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. 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. Be heard! Comment online at eastoregonian.com