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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2015)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Saturday, June 20, 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 Counties will say no to marijuana, +HDUWVEURNHQRSHQ yes to leeching I off taxpayers OTHER VIEWS %DFNLQ1RYHPEHUFLWL]HQVRI Umatilla and Morrow counties voted resoundingly against Measure 91, which legalized recreational marijuana in Oregon. In Umatilla County, 12,122 people opposed the measure while just 7,181 were in favor. ,WGLGQ¶WPDWWHUDVZHDOONQRZ and the statewide issue easily passed by more than 200,000 votes. That made Oregon the third state in the country to legalize the sale and possession of marijuana and gave legislators about seven months to get regulations and taxes in place by the time it became law. Those legislators did nothing but procrastinate for about six of those PRQWKV7KH2UHJRQ/LTXRU&RQWURO &RPPLVVLRQZKLFKZDVWDVNHG with overseeing regulation of the GUXJGLGOLWWOHPRUHWKDQWDNHQRWHV and shift personnel. But now, as the deadline to legalization draws near, DÀXUU\RIDFWLYLW\LVXQGHUZD\2QH piece will directly affect us here: the ability of local governments to ban marijuana businesses in places WKDWRSSRVHGWKHPHDVXUHEDFNLQ 1RYHPEHU0RUURZDQG8PDWLOOD FRXQWLHV¿WWKDWELOO There is little appetite among HOHFWHGRI¿FLDOVLQERWKFRXQWLHV for allowing marijuana business. If given the legal ability, bans are certain to be put into place. While Eastern Oregon has been a fertile ground for new ideas in education, agriculture and energy, there has been no interest in experimenting with drug reform. But what do we gain from refusing to participate? Maybe a few VODSVRQWKHEDFNIURPWKHVLPLODUO\ aged, in the short remaining period when anti-marijuana voters are the majority in our small slice of America. According to the Pew Research &HQWHUSHUFHQWRISHRSOH opposed marijuana legalization in 1969. That number has dropped steadily in the decades since, and QRZMXVWSHUFHQWRISHRSOHKROG that same view. A majority — 53 percent — now favor legalization, a 12 percent jump in just 10 years. 1RZOHJDOLQIRXUVWDWHVDQGWKH District of Columbia, marijuana will be an annual ballot measure across the country, with legalization coming out on top more often than not. But despite the gradual acceptance being won across the country, that virtue still has not penetrated the local brain trust — or the citizens at large. “How many deaths is it going WRWDNH"´DVNHG3HQGOHWRQ3ROLFH chief Stuart Roberts of city council, ZKLOHDGYRFDWLQJEDQVDQGVWRNLQJ fears about the destruction and death brought by legalization. Former Pendleton city councilor and local businessman Keith May continued with the hyperbole, saying he would close his business and move away if a marijuana shop opened on Main Street. Their cause is a lost one. It won’t WDNHORQJ²PD\EHDIHZPRQWKVRI life passing by as usual — until their fears are found to be unsubstantiated. In that time, some of those 12,122 YRWHUVZLOOUHWKLQNWKHLUGHFLVLRQDQG the ban will soon become a political liability, not to mention an economic one. Marijuana is still legal here on July 1. On that day, adult Oregonians can own four marijuana plants and give the drug away to their of-age friends. The county bans against marijuana shops will not reduce usage, but it will reduce the number of jobs and tax dollars we get from that usage. Could you imagine the uproar if Oregon instituted a sales tax and Portland declined to participate? Picture the metro area spending taxes we raised out here in cowboy country without adding their own dollars to the pot. There would be an outright revolt in Eastern Oregon, and rightfully so. What’s the difference with marijuana? A county that bans it will have to accept its title as a ZHOIDUHTXHHQ²ZLOOLQJWRFROOHFW and spend taxpayer dollars without putting their share into the pot. 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 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. QDUHFHQWFROXPQ,DVNHGUHDGHUV KRSH7KHLPDJHRIWKHKHDUWEURNHQ if they had discovered a purpose open has become the driving force of in life and, if so, how they had my life in the years since my wife’s discovered it. A few thousand wrote death. It has become the purpose to my HVVD\V,ZDVVWUXFNE\KRZHOHPHQWDO OLIH´ life is. Most people found their Some people’s lives organize purpose either through raising children around a certain role or calling. or confronting illness or death. ³0\PRQLNHUFRXOGEHµIRUPLGDEOH Scott Addington writes, “As is DGYRFDWH¶´ZULWHV*HRUJLDQ/XVVLHU David often the case, my purpose became Brooks After her brother suffered a brain clearly evident after I had stopped LQMXU\VKHOHDUQHGWRKHOSSHRSOHZRUN Comment ORRNLQJIRULW2Q2FWREHU through the maze of the health care my daughter was born. Beginning with V\VWHP1RZVKHKHOSVROGHUZRPHQ that moment, there has never been the slightest ¿QGZRUN doubt regarding the purpose and source But, for many people, the purpose of life is of meaning in my life. simply to live it fully. Many Being a father is the most people don’t necessarily meaningful and rewarding see their lives as pointing pursuit a man could ever WRZDUG*RGRUDVGH¿QHG KRSHWRH[SHULHQFH´ by some mission statement. 1RWRQO\LQSDUHQWLQJ 7KH\VHHNWRGULQNLQOLIHDW but also in teaching. The full volume, to experience essays from teachers ring and help others richly. with special clarity and Jae Brown was driving force. Many of them see DIWHUVPRNLQJZHHGDQG clearly how their day-to-day GULQNLQJZKHQKHZDV activities are in line with pulled over. He confessed their ultimate end. This has everything to the cop, its downside after people who saw that Brown was leave teaching. in college and whispered, Carolyn from Michigan “Don’t let your friends get writes, “Before class, I you in trouble you can’t get sometimes would sit in \RXUVHOIRXWRI´DQGOHWKLP the chair of a student who JR³0\SXUSRVHLQOLIH´ was having a lot of trouble Brown writes, “is to mentor, and pray that I might be a provide that whisper in blessing to him that day. someone’s ear that changes Yes, for 37 years I was a WKHLUOLIH´ teacher, the last 25 as a high school special The great struggle in essay after essay is education teacher. That was my purpose; to remain emotionally vital and intellectually that was my calling. But now I am retired, alive. and I am adrift. What is my purpose now? Zachary Krowitz, 21, read the essays I struggle with it every day. When I was written in response to the column and teaching, I would bound out of bed at 6:15 concluded that “this desire for something HYHU\PRUQLQJ1RZ,ZDNHHDUO\EXWVWD\ that is surely true is present in all of us, and XQGHUWKHFRYHUV¿OOHGZLWKDZRUOG¶VZRUWK UHÀHFWVDQDWWHPSWWRNQRZZKDWZHUHDOO\ of anxiety. It might have been better had I died want. ... Unfortunately, based both on the while trying to teach students with learning essays written in response to your column GLVDELOLWLHVWKHEDVLFVRIJHRPHWU\´ and common experience, such meaning is 4XLWHIUHTXHQWO\SXUSRVHHPHUJHVIURP often lost as one travels through life, emotions loss. Greg Sunter from Brisbane, Australia, EHFRPHGXOOHUDQGOHVVFOHDU´ writes: “Four years ago, my wife of 21 years $OD\QH&URVVPDQLVDEOHWRNHHSKHU passed away as the result of a brain tumor. HPRWLRQÀRZLQJDWIXOOSLWFK³:LWKRXWWKH Her passage from diagnosis to death was less love of my family I wouldn’t be who I am WKDQVL[PRQWKV$VVKRFNLQJDVWKDWWLPHZDV WRGD\,WPHDQV,FU\GXULQJµ)UR]HQ¶HYHU\ DOPRVWDVVKRFNLQJZDVWKHVHQVHRISHUVRQDO single time. It means I cry when I listen to JURZWKDQGDZDNHQHGXQGHUVWDQGLQJWKDWKDV 9DQ0RUULVRQ¶Vµ$QFLHQW+LJKZD\¶,DP come from the experience for me through ridiculously sentimental because I choose to UHÀHFWLRQDQGLQQHUZRUN²WRDSRLQWWKDW, remain open to this vast, messy thing we call IHHODOPRVWJXLOW\DERXWKRZVLJQL¿FDQWP\ OLIH´ own growth has been as a result of my wife’s For many people, the purpose of life is to death. KDYHPRUHOLIH7KDWPD\QRWKDYHGH¿QHG ³,QKLVERRNµ$+LGGHQ:KROHQHVV¶3DUNHU people’s purpose in past eras, when it might Palmer writes about the two ways in which have had more to do with the next life, or RXUKHDUWVFDQEHEURNHQWKH¿UVWLPDJLQLQJ REHGLHQFHWRDFUHHG%XWPDQ\WRGD\VHHNWR the heart as shattered and scattered; the second live with hearts wide open. LPDJLQLQJWKHKHDUWEURNHQRSHQLQWRQHZ Ŷ capacity, holding more of both our own and David Brooks became a New York Times the world’s suffering and joy, despair and Op-Ed columnist in September 2003. For many people, the purpose of life is simply to live it fully. Many people don’t necessarily see their lives as defined by some sort of mission statement. YOUR VIEWS Immigrants shouldn’t have access to state scholarships Sponsors of Senate Bill 932, legislation that would grant access to Oregon Opportunity Grants to illegal immigrants, seem tone deaf to the will of nearly one million Oregon voters who less than eight months ago rejected Measure 88, legislation that would have granted state issued driver cards to illegal immigrants. By a 2-to-1 margin, voters defeated Measure 88 indicating that Oregon voters are very opposed to the idea of providing illegal LPPLJUDQWVDQ\IRUPRIVWDWHEHQH¿WOLNHD state issued identity that would validate their presence in the state. Senate Bill 932 in a very clear way validates the presence of illegal immigrants in WKHVWDWHE\JUDQWLQJWKHPWKHEHQH¿WRIHTXDO access to Oregon Opportunity Grants. This school year, only 30 percent of the 120 thousand Oregon students eligible obtained a taxpayer funded Oregon Opportunity Grant. Currently there are not enough state monies available to fund Oregon Opportunity Grants for all American citizen Oregon students, let alone for persons illegally in the state. 7KHOHJLVODWLRQFRXOGUHTXLUHWKHVWDWHWR ZULWHDFKHFNRIXSWRIRUWKH 2016 school years to each illegal immigrant who applies and is accepted to receive a JUDQW2YHUWKHWLPHWKDWLWWDNHVWRFRPSOHWH a traditional four-year college education, an individual illegal immigrant could receive as PXFKDVLQVWDWHRSSRUWXQLW\JUDQWV Earlier this year, Rep. Jessica Vega Peterson estimated that 76 illegal immigrants living in the state could be eligible to receive opportunity grants. Doing the math on 76 illegal immigrants receiving Oregon Opportunity Grants for a period of from one to four years could cost WKHVWDWH¶VWD[SD\HUVEHWZHHQDQG The state government administrative costs for giving illegal immigrants opportunity grants are estimated to be, over the next four \HDUV $¿QDOWURXEOLQJIDFWDERXW6%LVWKDW sponsors of the legislation have placed an emergency clause on the Senate Bill, which means Oregonians’ opposing this legislation would be prevented from using the state’s referendum process to put this issue of whether or not illegal immigrants should get access opportunity grants before the state’s voters. Oregon voters who reject the idea of JUDQWLQJWKHEHQH¿WRI2UHJRQ2SSRUWXQLW\ Grants to illegal immigrants, a legislative action that validates their presence in the state, should contact their state senator and representative and tell them to vote no on SB 932. David Olen Cross Salem
