Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2015)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, May 6, 2015 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher JENNINE PERKINSON Advertising Director DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW The power of WKH3RVW2I¿FH Like the steady climb of gasoline prices, the price of stamps keeps going up. Obviously, there is a direct link between the two. Transportation costs help set the price of delivering a letter. But there is another similarity between the price of gas and the cost of a stamp: we love to grumble about them both. Yet as a nation, we have a point RISULGHZLWKWKH863RVW2I¿FH (Pony Express and through sleet or snow or gloom of night, etc.) that we don’t have for any oil and gas company. The USPS is as American as Norman Rockwell and apple pie, we imagine all three of which reside in one of the most patriotic wings in the Smithsonian. <HWWKH3RVW2I¿FHIDFHVDWWDFNV that other Americana seems immune from. Cutbacks and closures have already hampered the nationwide network that allows the USPS to RSHUDWHHI¿FLHQWO\DQGHIIHFWLYHO\ And more cuts are coming, many of them negatively impacting rural America. Eastern Oregon will not be immune. Next on the slashing list is the mail distribution center in Pendleton, along with similar centers in Bend and Eugene. That means nearly all sorting of Oregon mail —inbound and outbound — will be done in one large facility in Portland. The loss of local distribution abilities will have plenty of effects on the economy of Eastern Oregon, negatively impact local customers, result in the loss of jobs and continue the degradation of service. The USPS tells us the decision has already been made, there is no turning back now, and we guess we must operate under that assumption. %XWWKLVVRUWRIVHOILQÀLFWHGZRXQG is not just debilitating to mail delivery, but to the fabric of life in rural America. We depend on the PDLOWREHWLPHO\DQGHI¿FLHQWLQ order to pay bills, deliver goods and facilitate communication. Heck, the EO Media Group is one local company that depends on our local mail distribution center. Our Capital Press newspaper is mailed each week to about 35,000 subscribers across the Northwest after we print it in Pendleton. The more time delayed as it shuttles between Pendleton and Portland, the less nimble we are in reaching our customers. The USPS remains a sound business model, despite a national image to the contrary. Post- recession, the agency is back into the black, reaping more than $1.4 billion LQSUR¿WODVW\HDU And now is a good time to remind Americans that the USPS uses no tax dollars to operate. These cutbacks are not some governmental belt tightening. It is, however, an enterprise that is forced to make cuts and layoffs in order to comply with onerous government regulation. Congress doesn’t have to bail out or prop up the USPS. Thankfully, it doesn’t need it. What it does need to do is allow the USPS to operate like any other business: nix the regulation that it pre-fund future UHWLUHHKHDOWKEHQH¿WV Especially here in rural America, we rely on the USPS to make our economy hum and strengthen our connection to the larger world. 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 Give up on reforming PERS (Salem) Statesman Journal Give up on trying to “reform” the Public Employees Retirement System. That was the unspoken subtext of the Oregon Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling last week, which struck down most of the PERS reforms made by the Legislature in 2013. The court ruled that PERS regulations at the time of employment and retirement are an ironclad contract with the public employees covered by those provisions. Changes can be made, but they will apply only to pension calculations based on employees’ pay that is earned after the time of those changes. Sound confusing? It will be a mess for PERS going forward, as future pensions will allow different cost-of- living allowances for different years of public employment. We supported the PERS reforms but thought they did not go far enough. However, the Supreme Court sided with PERS recipients that a contract is a lifetime contract, even when lawmakers might not realize they’re creating one. No more changes There is little chance that any future PERS reforms could pass constitutional muster. State Senate President Peter Courtney FRQ¿UPHGWKDWLQDPHHWLQJZLWKWKH Statesman Journal Editorial Board hours after the Supreme Court released its decision. PERS reforms are off the table, for now and probably forever. ³7KLVLVQ¶WDÀLPÀDPGHFLVLRQ,W¶VD well-thought-out decision,” he said. Workers vs. retirees In effect, the decision pits current and future employees against current and future retirees. Governments must pay retirees for the cost savings that now have been deemed unconstitutional. The state, cities, counties, school districts and other entities — could owe as much as $870 million during the 2017-19 budget cycle alone. That money can only be found by increasing government revenues, decreasing services or both. During the Great Recession, and before these short-lived reforms, school districts and government agencies were FXWWLQJMREVWR¿QGVXI¿FLHQWPRQH\ for their PERS obligations. Unless the Legislature or the public provide more revenue, Oregon will face that situation again. More complex pensions The ruling creates a pension-system nightmare, with different levels of cost- of-living increases applying to current employees’ work performed before and after the reforms took effect. For example, employees hired since August 2003 are covered by the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan, a hybrid, stripped-down version of the earlier PERS. When they retire, those employees likely will get far smaller EHQH¿WVZKLOHEHDULQJWKHVRFLHWDO baggage of being linked with PERS. One positive aspect of the court ruling is that taxpayers no longer must SURYLGHVSHFLDOEHQH¿WVIRUUHWLUHHVZKR have moved out of state. The answer Yes, there is an answer to the court’s ruling, and it involves Gov. Kate Brown and the Legislature. But it has little to do with PERS itself. Oregon government is most dependent on the revenue from jobs — the income taxes paid by individuals, small businesses and, to some extent, corporations. Now, government faces an increased — restored, actually — PERS obligation that could top $4 billion over the lifetimes of the affected retirees. If the Legislature and the governor want to meet those obligations without VDFUL¿FLQJVHUYLFHVWKH\PXVWKHOS Oregon businesses prosper, so they can create more jobs, especially middle-income jobs. Thus the overriding issue for the 2015 Legislature becomes strengthening the economy and supporting businesses — now and in the long term — which in turn will help enlarge the state coffers. The only way for Oregon to achieve and maintain an economic advantage is for it to have the friendliest, healthiest business climate along North America’s 3DFL¿F5LP Editor’s note: Letters to the editor regarding issues on the May ballot must be received by the East Oregonian by 5 p.m. May 7 to ensure publication in our May 9 edition. Letters received after the deadline will be posted online but not in print. Email them to editor@eastoregonian.com or drop them at 211 S.E. Byers in Pendleton. OTHER VIEWS Secret’s doomed script I n every episode of “Silicon Valley,” But Byttow — who wears only WKHWHUUL¿F+%2FRPHG\VHULHV black in public, to judge by his various created by Mike Judge, there is YouTube appearances — and Bader- always a moment, rendered utterly Wechseler were convinced that making deadpan, that both mocks and explains it easy for people to post anonymous the current, are-we-in-a-bubble-yet messages — to their friends, no less state of play in, well, Silicon Valley. — would, indeed, make the world a In one episode this season, for better place. Or at least they convinced instance, the show’s hero, Richard enough gullible venture capitalists of Joe Hendricks, the nerdy founder of Pied Nocera this that they were able to raise some Piper, mentions the plans he has $35 million during their company’s Comment “once we have a subscription-revenue short life, giving it a valuation at one model.” His backer, an obnoxious point of $100 million. billionaire, leaps out of his seat. “No, no, As for revenue, it pretty much followed no!” he exclaims. “Why would you go after the “Silicon Valley” model. Any interviewer revenue?” who asked how a completely anonymous “To make money?” Richard answers “community” could serve as the foundation meekly. “If you have no revenue, you can say for a moneymaking business was told, quite you are prerevenue,” explains the billionaire. matter of factly, that it was far too early “You’re a potential pure play. It’s not about to contemplate such mundane matters. how much you earn; it’s about what you’re Searching for a revenue model “would be a worth. And who’s worth the most? Companies distraction at this point,” Byttow explained to that lose money!” the technology journalist Kara Swisher, who In other episodes this season, we’ve been occasionally plays her sardonic, all-knowing introduced to an app called “Bro” — its only self on “Silicon Valley.” “You have to function is to allow someone to send the word build liquidity in your users,” added Bader- “bro’” to someone else — and the coming of Wechseler. ³GDWDJHGGRQ´WKDQNVWRDOOWKH³VHO¿HVDQG So what happened to Secret? XVHOHVV¿OHVSHRSOHUHIXVHWRGHOHWH´ Cyberbullying was a problem from the start, And, of course, there is the way all the which seemed to surprise the founders, who young, scruffy entrepreneurs on “Silicon were in a constant struggle to keep control Valley” profess to be in business to “make of the posts. Security and privacy were also the world a better place” rather than get issues. (“We have learned a lot!” Bader- rich. “We’re making the world a better place :HFKVHOHUWROGDQLQWHUYLHZHU¿YHPRQWKVLQ through Paxos algorithms for consensus Brazil ordered it shut down. Marc Andreessen protocols,” says one company founder at a criticized it. As the app’s novelty wore off, TechCrunch Disrupt conference. people stopped using it. Byttow and Bader- “And we’re making the world a better Wechseler responded by redesigning the site place through software-defying data centers so that it more closely resembled Yik Yak, a for cloud computing,” says another. more successful competitor. Which perhaps explains why I immediately Employees started leaving, including thought of Judge’s parody of life in techland Bader-Wechseler in January. Meanwhile, as as I read the real-life news last week that the The Times reported, the founders had each social app Secret was shutting down after only taken $3 million off the table in the second 16 months. Like many of the fake companies URXQGRI¿QDQFLQJDQG%\WWRZKDGERXJKWD on “Silicon Valley,” Secret was based on a red Ferrari (which, The Times also reported, he truly ridiculous idea: that an app that allowed has since gotten rid of). people to send anonymous messages would Most new tech companies that realize their not only be a hit but would “reduce the barrier business model is doomed spend the rest of to communication” and make it possible to their money “pivoting” to something more convey the “raw truth” without that annoying promising. Byttow instead decided to return ¿OWHURILGHQWLW\ the leftover money to his investors. A classy Anonymity was going to be the next big touch. thing in “social,” according to its founders, In the blog post in which he announced David Byttow, 33, and Chrys Bader- that he was shutting down the Secret app, Wechseler, 31. Byttow promised that he would “publish “It helps you become a better person if you postmortems so that others can learn from the want to be a better person,” Byttow told the unique mistakes and challenges we faced and audience at — where else? — a TechCrunch the wisdom gained from such an incredible 16 Disrupt conference. months.” Internet anonymity can make you a better No doubt Mike Judge will be taking notes person? Since when? Hadn’t we learned long for future episodes. ago that cyberbullying, gossip of the rankest Ŷ sort, and the spreading of false rumors were Joe Nocera is an Op-Ed columnist for the usual results of Web anonymity, crowding The New York Times. He joined The Opinion out other, more ennobling responses? Pages in April 2011. YOUR VIEWS Remove cows from wildlands before Oregon delists wolves Outstanding BMCC program spans time, helps region I am in favor of delisting the wolf from the endangered species list when I no longer have to step around cow poop to go to a bathroom in a Forest Service campground. If I wanted to listen to cows lowing and walk around patties, I could stay home. I want to see deer, elk, coyotes, owls, etc, and their scat. Not cow poop or cows. I would like to recognize the East Oregonian editorial staff with a tip of my hat for an article in the April 24 paper (Days Gone By 50 Years Ago column) that gave due recognition to the Blue Mountain Community College Dental Assisting Technician program. Why? Because if you are looking for an established, well respected and successful workforce development program, here is one that for over 51 years has been offered on the Pendleton campus. So how good is it? Only 17 students are accepted each year and in 2014, 14 of 14 graduates passed their national boards on the ¿UVWWU\DQGHDFKRQHZDVRIIHUHGHPSOR\PHQW at graduation time. Take that a bit further — if nearly 82 percent of BMCC graduates stay in the local area, then chances are pretty good your own dental hygienist could be a BMCC graduate. So, while most letters supporting the May 2015 BMCC bond have talked about the creation of new programs, how about some recognition for a long-time existing program in need of new equipment and technology upgrades? Please join me by voting yes on BMCC Measure #30-106 and let’s help continue to build on this program’s success for other 50-plus years. Melissa Dunn Irrigon Oregon wolves share a laugh at state’s population estimate We got a good laugh at your population estimate for Oregon wolves. At a our last pack meeting, all were present and your count was off. For example, Reginald lives over toward Mill Creek and when he hears or spots an ODFW rig, he lopes into Washington for a few days. Rico lives in the Steens now and chooses a hunt in Idaho. Not to be outdone, Mary Alice takes the gang from the Klamath area to California. She doesn’t stay too long because the pups ate something that made them sick last year. The pack appreciates your concern, but a census report is out of the question. A. Wolf, pack master (as told to Mike Mehren, the wolf listener) Hermiston Louie and Betty Carlson Heppner
