Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
OTHER VIEWS
Daniel Owen/The Gazette via AP
Pallbearers carry the casket of Air Force Major Phyllis Pelky as they leave the
Air Force Academy’s Cadet Protestant Chapel, Oct. 26 in Colorado Springs,
Colo. Pelky was one of five people killed in the Oct. 11 crash of a British
helicopter in Kabul, Afghanistan.
America
soldiers on
LQ$IJKDQLVWDQ
$IJKDQLVWDQLVWKHORQJHVWZDULQ
$PHULFDQKLVWRU\
Earlier this month, President
%DUDFN2EDPDPDGHFOHDULW
wouldn’t be ending under his watch.
Obama — who originally
FDPSDLJQHGWRHQG*HRUJH:%XVK¶V
ZDUVLQ,UDTDQG$IJKDQLVWDQ²KDV
RQO\EHHQDEOHHQGRQHRIWKHP+H
may have chosen the wrong one,
too, as the Middle East devolves
into chaos and civil war and ISIS
grabs territory, beheads civilians
DQGGHVWUR\VDQWLTXLWLHV$VWURQJHU
$PHULFDQSUHVHQFHPD\KDYHKHOSHG
but would have come at a grave cost.
%DFNLQ2EDPDFRQ¿GHQWO\
declared the end of the U.S. combat
PLVVLRQLQ$IJKDQLVWDQ7KHSUHVLGHQW
said we would draw down to 1,000
WURRSVRQWKHJURXQGLQ$IJKDQLVWDQ
by the dawn of 2016. Yet he has had
to backtrack on that plan, and now
says the U.S. plans to leave about
10,000 troops in the country for at
least another year.
The decision was obviously not an
HDV\RQH%XWLWGRHVLOOXPLQDWHWKH
IDFWWKDWWKHVLWXDWLRQLQ$IJKDQLVWDQ
has devolved — not improved — in
WKHODVW¿YH\HDUV2EDPD¶VUHDVRQLQJ
is that more troops in the country
help dissuade Islamic terrorists,
LQFOXGLQJWKHYLFLRXVDQGH[SDQGLQJ
,VODPLF6WDWHIURP¿OOLQJDSROLWLFDO
and security vacuum. In some of
$IJKDQLVWDQ¶VPRUHUXUDOSURYLQFHV
UXOHRIODZLVQHDUO\QRQH[LVWHQWDQG
government oversight is nil.
+RZHYHUQRWKLQJFKDQJHVZLWK
Obama’s recent revelation that troops
will stay longer. The status quo will
UHPDLQIRUDQRWKHU\HDU%LOOLRQV
RI$PHULFDQWD[SD\HUGROODUVZLOO
continue to leech away into foreign
VRLODQG$PHULFDQOLYHVZLOOEHORVW
:KLOH$PHULFDQVKDYHEHHQ
occupied elsewhere — the
neverending swamp of Washington,
SUHVLGHQWLDOHOHFWLRQV6XSHU%RZOV
DQG.DUGDVKLDQV²$PHULFDQV
KDYHEHHQ¿JKWLQJDQGG\LQJLQ
$IJKDQLVWDQ:HRZHWKHPDVZHOO
DV$PHULFDQWD[SD\HUVDQG$IJKDQ
citizens, a clear plan for returning the
country to sovereignty and leaving it
safer and more secure than we found
it. The obstacles remain immense.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of Publisher
Kathryn Brown, Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, and Opinion Page Editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
OTHER VIEWS
Is Oregon’s economy
losing momentum?
and professional and business services,
ZKLFKORVWMREV
Sectors with job gains included
s it a monthly blip — or a sign that
government (including public education),
Oregon’s economic recovery is
ZKLFKDGGHGMREV+HDOWKFDUH
starting to lose whatever momentum
and social assistance, a sector which has
it’s built up over the past years?
enjoyed steady growth, added roughly
Last week’s statewide employment
800 jobs.
report was troubling, but let’s hope it’s
It’s troubling to see such broad-
just a temporary aberration.
based job losses in the private sector,
+HUHZDVWKHNH\WDNHDZD\IURP
especially since growth there was one
the report by the Oregon Employment
of the hallmarks of the state’s economic
Department: Oregon’s payroll
UHFRYHU\$QGLWVWLOOVHHPVDVLIWKH
HPSOR\PHQWGURSSHGE\MREVLQ
6HSWHPEHUIROORZLQJDJDLQRIMREV recovery took its sweet time to generate
new jobs.)
LQ$XJXVW
7KHGURSZDVVRXQH[SHFWHGWKDWLW¶V
7KLVPDUNHGWKH¿UVWGHFOLQHLQWKUHH
not out of the question that it represents
\HDUV7R¿QGWKHODVWWLPHWKHVWDWH¶V
nothing more than a blip, a brief detour.
economy shed any jobs, you have to go
In fact, a senior state economist told The
all the way back to September 2012.
Oregonian that despite the job numbers,
Now, let’s keep this in perspective:
DQRWKHUHFRQRPLFPHDVXUH²WD[
Over the last 12 months, Oregon’s
collections from paychecks — continues
economy has added about 49,500 jobs.
$QGWKHVWDWH¶VXQHPSOR\PHQWUDWHVWD\HG to increase, a sign of stability in the job
UHODWLYHO\ÀDWLQ6HSWHPEHUDWSHUFHQW PDUNHW$QGLW¶VQRWDWDOOXVXDOIRUWKHVH
monthly job numbers to be revised as
DVRSSRVHGWRSHUFHQWLQ$XJXVW
DGGLWLRQDOGDWDÀRZVLQ
%XWWKHVL]HRIWKHMREORVVLQ
2QHVLJQWRZDWFKLQQH[WPRQWK¶V
September was enough to catch the eye
of state economists, who noted that losing report will be the number of jobs in
the retail sector, which should start to
more than 5,000 jobs in a single month
increase as merchants begin hiring to
has been a rare occurrence over the last
PDNHVXUHWKH\KDYHDGHTXDWHVWDI¿QJIRU
VL[\HDUV
the holiday shopping season.)
If you dig a little deeper in the
%XWRYHUDOO6HSWHPEHU¶VUHSRUW
report, other troubling signs emerge:
should serve as yet another sobering
The economic sectors that absorbed the
reminder that the state’s economic
biggest job losses included construction,
recovery — which never really has felt
which lost 1,800 jobs.
&RQVWUXFWLRQZDVRQHRIWKHHFRQRPLF robust — could be slowing down. We
hope that’s not the case.
sectors that was hardest-hit during the
%XWOHJLVODWRUVDQGRWKHUVWDWHRI¿FLDOV
recession, and one of the bright spots of
the state’s recovery has been watching the charged with building and maintaining the
state’s budget need to remember that hope
rebound there.
LVQRWVXI¿FLHQWWREDODQFHWKHERRNV²
Other sectors that suffered job losses
and that they need to move with care when
in September included retail trade,
ZKLFKVKHGVRPHMREVOHLVXUHDQG taking any action that could throw another
KRVSLWDOLW\ZKLFKORVWDQRWKHUMREV hurdle into the path of economic recovery.
The (Corvallis) Gazette-Times
I
Marijuana can help Pendleton
L
Our city planners have severely
ast week’s article titled “Plute’s
limited the number of dispensaries
path out of the pot-hole” brings
that can be located within city limits.
out the debate between council
The county has banned sales within
members of whether to opt in or
their purview. Pendleton will have the
out of marijuana sales in the city of
ability to capitalize on this and bring a
Pendleton.
considerable amount of revenue into
Marijuana is legal in the state of
WKHFLW\FRIIHUVLIWKHFLWL]HQVHQDFWD
Oregon. The percentage of people
SHUFHQWWD[RQLWVVDOH
in Oregon who have smoked pot is
Al
7KLVSHUFHQWWD[FDQEHRQWKH
DSSUR[LPDWHO\SHUFHQW,WKLQNLW¶V
Plute
gross sales within the city for sale and
fair to say there are a lot of people who
Comment
JURZWK,¶PXVLQJ¿JXUHVIRUVDOHV
know something about it and that’s
only. I believe there will be at least
probably why the law passed. The
$1.5 million in sales for the
election settled that.
¿UVW\HDU+RZGLG,DUULYH
The debate now is whether
at that? If there are 625 one
to receive income from the
ounce sales per month at a
sales and growth of marijuana
price of $200 per ounce, that
in Pendleton. Marijuana sales
would equal the yearly sales
take place in this town every
¿JXUH7KDWZLOOHTXDWHWR
day whether the mayor and
$45,000 per year revenue for
council likes it or not.
the city not counting the state
There is money to be made
on the sales if our city opts in.
contribution. Do you believe
&RXQFLORU&KXFN:RRGJDYH
there will be 21 sales per day?
the council his best estimate
I do and more. There will be
of income from sales, based
people from town and out of
on information supplied to the
town. The people who come
/HDJXHRI2UHJRQ&LWLHV,W
in from other towns will
is my opinion that the league
purchase food to eat, gas up
was very conservative in their
their cars and shop in town
estimates.
while they are here. So we’re talking ancillary
My projections are also an opinion, but
revenue for businesses.
EDVHGRQ&RORUDGR¶V¿JXUHVDQGWKH¿UVW
7KHDPRXQWRIWD[UHYHQXHOLNHO\ZLOOQRW
week’s sales in Oregon of $11 million touted
come even close to the amount collected on
in the East Oregonian2UHJRQ¿UVWZHHNVDOHV WKHIXHOWD[6R,ZRXOGHQFRXUDJH\RXQRW
KDGQRWWDNHQSODFHZKHQ&RXQFLORU:RRG
to depend on this strictly for the streets or
gave his estimate. Somewhere in between may anything else for that matter.
be the answer.
7KLVLVQRWDVXEVWLWXWHIRUWKHIXHOWD[,WLV
If Pendleton opts in, our city will have
DQH[WUDVRXUFHRIUHYHQXHWRKHOSWKHFLW\WDNH
almost 100 percent product market share in
care of what we have.
(DVWHUQ2UHJRQ+RZPDQ\EXVLQHVVHVLQWKLV
Ŷ
town would like to have that business?
Al Plute is a Pendleton city councilor.
Marijuana
sales take
place in this
town every
day whether
the mayor and
council likes it
or not.
YOUR VIEWS
RXUJUHDW¿UH¿JKWHUVDQG(07VZLOO
respond.
Larry O’Rouke, who I respect for his
The streets in Pendleton are a mess. I drive many years of community activities, is wrong.
+HZDVZRUULHGWKDWRXWRIWRZQEXVLQHVV
on them daily and cringe at the bumps and
RZQHUVPLJKWLQÀXHQFH\RXUYRWH$ORWRI
crunches. Since I do not live in the city limits
our business owners live out of town and they
I am unable to vote in the election but I want
WRVXSSRUWWKHQLFNOHVSURMHFWWR¿[WKHVWUHHWV certainly have a right to try to protect their
livelihood.
My family and I will continue to buy all our
7KLVLVWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVRI$PHULFDIUHH
JDVLQ3HQGOHWRQDQGSXWRXUQLFNHOVLQWKH³¿[
VSHHFKLVSURWHFWHG+RZPDQ\HPSOR\HHV
the streets” account.
Arlene Malcom does Mr. O’Rourke want the eight service
Pendleton stations to lay off?
%RWKRIWKHVHUHVLGHQWVQHHGWRDWWHQGDIHZ
council meetings, maybe they would learn
Punishing Pendleton council
something.
ZRQ¶W¿[WKHFLW\¶VVWUHHWV
,KDYHWRDGGVLQFHDQRWKHUSROLFHRI¿FHU
ZDVNLOOHGLQ1HZ<RUN&LW\ZHGRDSSUHFLDWH
Do you want to feel really good about
ZKDWRXURZQSROLFHDQG¿UH¿JKWHUVGR
doing something? OK. Let’s get rid of all the
Thanks from the bottom of my heart.
RI¿FLDOGRPDWFLW\KDOO&RXQFLOPHPEHUV
5H[-0RUHKRXVH
bureaucrats, etc., and all the others who cause
Pendleton
us such troubles. Will that make you feel
JRRG"*UHDW%XWLWZRQ¶W¿[\RXUVWUHHWSDWFK
the holes or pave the surface.
&RXQFLORU+LOOFODUL¿HVTXRWH
8QWLOHDFKRIXVGHFLGHVWRSD\IRU¿[LQJ
about downtown shopping
our streets it ain’t going to happen. Every time
Montana Peaks is a tremendous asset to
we buy a gallon of gas we vote to contribute
our community. My family has purchased
DQLFNHO²FHQWV²WRWKH³¿[WKHVWUHHW´
custom hats from Laura and Richard and we
IXQG,IZHGRQ¶WZDQWWR¿[WKHVWUHHWVWKH\
ZRQ¶WJHW¿[HG:KHWKHUWKHFRXQFLOLVDURXQG refer friends and professional colleagues to
them. Montana Peaks is not just a store — it’s
or not. Whether the bureaucrats or the bean
counters or anyone else we can possibly blame a working museum.
'XULQJDUHFHQW3'&PHHWLQJ,PHQWLRQHG
are around.
Montana Peaks while making the case that we
It won’t work. We are the only ones who
need to continually encourage people to shop
FDQ¿[WKHVWUHHWV*RWLW"*HWWKHQLFNHOV
locally.
out. Let’s do something big for a change.
The East Oregonian reported on October
¶1XIIWDON)L[WKHGDPQVWUHHWV9RWH\HV+DYH
8 that I said stores like Montana Peaks were
DQLFHGD\
/DUU\2¶5RXUNH perfect for Round-Up week but might not
Pendleton appeal to shoppers during the other 51 weeks
of the year. I did not say that. I do not believe
that. Montana Peaks does 8 percent of its
(PHUJHQF\VHUYLFHVGRQ¶W
annual business during the Round-Up season.
QHHGJDVWD[WRIXQFWLRQ
Locals account for 4 percent of annual sales.
Montana Peaks is a thriving year round
I have to write one more letter before the
business.
election. There were two letters to the editor
If you read something in the news and say
ODVWZHHNIURPSURWD[DGYRFDWHV
to yourself, “I can’t believe she said that” you
Mr. Gavette said he hoped I would never
need an ambulance. Mr. Gavette was referring might be right. I offer the East Oregonian a tip
of the hat for running a correction about my
WRP\VWDWHPHQWWKDW¿UHSROLFHDQGVWUHHWV
comments at the meeting.
VKRXOGEHIXQGHG¿UVW+HIRUJRWWKDWLQ
-DQH+LOO
Pendleton the ambulance service is part of
Pendleton
WKH¿UHGHSDUWPHQW,I,GRQHHGKHOSDQGFDOO
Pendleton streets need work,
nickels will help
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.
Deadline reminder: No letters to the editor regarding the November election will run in print
after Saturday. Please submit immediately to ensure publication.