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
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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
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(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.
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that other Americana seems immune
from. Cutbacks and closures have
already hampered the nationwide
network that allows the USPS to
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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.
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is not just debilitating to mail
delivery, but to the fabric of life in
rural America. We depend on the
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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
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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
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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
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Statesman Journal Editorial Board hours
after the Supreme Court released its
decision. PERS reforms are off the table,
for now and probably forever.
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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
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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
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baggage of being linked with PERS.
One positive aspect of the court
ruling is that taxpayers no longer must
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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So what happened to Secret?
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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