Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
Umatilla River a gem
with more potential
As the city of Pendleton grew in
they were able to rally enough
the late 1800s, the Umatilla River
support to build the path.
running through its core was a
That kind of creativity and
liability.
dedication is such an important
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part of Pendleton’s DNA. It’s a city
threatened to wipe out downtown,
where a good idea has a chance to
so the levee was built. As a side
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effect, the city quite literally turned
to put in the effort to make it happen.
its back on the river — houses and
There is so much more that can
businesses were constructed facing
be done with the river, and we’re
away and it
hopeful to
was used as
see a new
a dump for
generation of
sewage and
leaders step
other refuse.
up and take
Thanks to
the challenge.
a small group
Not only could
of dedicated
the parkway
visionaries, the
be extended in
community
any number of
began
directions to
embracing the
show off more
river in the
of the area’s
latter half of the
natural beauty,
20th century
amenities like
and today it is
boat ramps
one of the truly
and other river
unique and
access points
valuable assets
would give
Pendleton
recreationalists
boasts.
a reason to
A big part
visit and even
of that is the
move here.
two-and-a-half
Remember,
mile River
a river running
Parkway,
through town
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
which gives
A man rides his bicycle down the River is not a luxury
residents and
most places
Parkway on Wednesday in Pendleton.
visitors alike
have. Name
access to the
another city
natural beauty of the river. It took
where Main Street literally crosses
the tenacity of people like Amy
a stream full of salmon, and which
Bedford, Marie Hall, Bud Moore
is walkable almost every day of
and Hazel Hubel in the early days
the year. It’s a dream for anglers,
to get the project off the ground.
birdwatchers and joggers alike.
They saw the potential, and thanks
What was once a feared adversary
to their willingness to go against the is now a prized resource. We’re
stream and petition property owners lucky to have it, and people who will
and city leaders to support the cause, make the most of it.
Salmon, temps on a
collision course
came to an overall conclusion that
You don’t have to be an expert
many species are harmed by higher
on Northwest salmon to know they
temps.
have been on a collision course
For example, “salmonid stocks
with rising temperatures. There
that make long-distance migrations
have been news items in recent
to inland spawning grounds during
years — including this summer —
the summer and fall may be more
about returning salmon sweltering
and dying in the Klamath Basin and vulnerable to increased water
temperatures and loss of cold-water
the Willamette River.
refuges.”
It stands to reason that adult
What constitutes cold water
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differs from species
ocean waters will
to species, but
struggle when the
water — and hence
It is vital to find species of vital
interest in the
their own body
and protect
Columbia River
temperature — is
require colder water
drastically higher
places along
than they often
than what they are
the salmon
now encounter.
used to. Like most
For instance, fall/
organisms, salmon
migration
route
summer Chinook
are adaptable to
where they can prefer a spawning
a point and there
of 41 to
is much variation
be refreshed by temperature
between different
56 degrees; spring
colder water.
species and runs.
Chinook 40 to 64;
But every creature
coho and steelhead
has its limits, and
50 to 55; sockeye
the 21st century’s climate has
36 to 46.
started testing the outer boundaries
In its latest work, NOAA
of adaptability for many Columbia
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Basin salmon.
as the level at which some major
There was news last Tuesday of
species become weak and diseased
an agreement by NOAA Fisheries
or died. They may have trouble
WRZRUNZLWK2UHJRQRI¿FLDOVRYHU spawning or thriving well before
the next three years to begin dealing that point.
with rising water temperatures by
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locating, protecting and restoring
places along the salmon migration
cold-water habitat in the Columbia
route where they can be refreshed
and Willamette.
by colder water. This will likely
This is overdue.
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As early as 2001, the U.S.
places and will further complicate
Environmental Protection Agency
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treaty tribes certainly must share in
issued a major report about the
this effort.
impacts of rising water temps on
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(www.tinyurl.com/FishTempStudy) rely on them need careful nurturing
as this warm century progresses.
It found a complex situation, but
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
Despair, American style
A
couple of weeks ago President
of wedlock, yet Sweden’s middle-aged
Barack Obama mocked
mortality rate is only half of white
Republicans who are “down
America’s.
on America,” and reinforced his
You see a somewhat similar pattern
message by doing a pretty good
across regions within the United
Grumpy Cat impression. He had
States. Life expectancy is high and
a point: With job growth at rates
rising in the Northeast and California,
not seen since the 1990s, with the
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percentage of Americans covered by
traditional values weakest. Meanwhile,
Paul
health insurance hitting record highs,
Krugman low and stagnant or declining life
the doom-and-gloom predictions of
expectancy is concentrated in the Bible
Comment
his political enemies look ever more at
Belt.
odds with reality.
What about a materialist
Yet there is a darkness spreading over part
explanation? Is rising mortality a consequence
of our society. And we don’t really understand of rising inequality and the hollowing out of
why.
the middle class?
There has been a lot of comment, and
Well, it’s not that simple. We are, after all,
rightly so, over a new paper by the economists talking about the consequences of behavior,
Angus Deaton (who just won a Nobel) and
and culture clearly matters a great deal. Most
Anne Case, showing that mortality among
notably, Hispanic Americans are considerably
middle-aged white Americans has been rising
poorer than whites but have much lower
since 1999. This deterioration took place while mortality. It’s probably worth noting, in
death rates were falling steadily both in other
this context, that international comparisons
countries and among other groups in our own
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nation.
higher subjective well-being than you would
Even more striking are the proximate
expect, given their incomes.
causes of rising mortality. Basically, white
So what is going on? In a recent interview
Americans are, in increasing numbers, killing
Deaton suggested that middle-aged whites
themselves, directly or indirectly. Suicide
have “lost the narrative of their lives.” That
is way up, and so are deaths from drug
is, their economic setbacks have hit hard
poisoning and the chronic liver disease that
because they expected better. Or to put it a bit
excessive drinking can cause. We’ve seen this differently, we’re looking at people who were
kind of thing in other times and places — for
raised to believe in the American Dream, and
example, in the plunging life expectancy that
are coping badly with its failure to come true.
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That sounds like a plausible hypothesis
But it’s a shock to see it, even in an attenuated to me, but the truth is that we don’t really
form, in America.
know why despair appears to be spreading
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across Middle America. But it clearly is, with
a well-established pattern. There have
troubling consequences for our society as a
been a number of studies showing that
whole.
life expectancy for less-educated whites is
In particular, I know I’m not the only
falling across much of the nation. Rising
observer who sees a link between the despair
suicides and overuse of opioids are known
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problems. And while popular culture may
volatility of right-wing politics. Some people
focus more on meth than on prescription
who feel left behind by the American story
painkillers or good old alcohol, it’s not really turn self-destructive; others turn on the elites
news that there’s a drug problem in the
they feel have betrayed them. No, deporting
heartland.
immigrants and wearing baseball caps bearing
But what’s causing this epidemic of
slogans won’t solve their problems, but neither
self-destructive behavior?
will cutting taxes on capital gains. So you
If you believe the usual suspects on the
can understand why some voters have rallied
right, it’s all the fault of liberals. Generous
around politicians who at least seem to feel
social programs, they insist, have created
their pain.
a culture of dependency and despair, while
At this point you probably expect me to
secular humanists have undermined traditional offer a solution. But while universal health
values. But (surprise!) this view is very much
care, higher minimum wages, aid to education,
at odds with the evidence.
and so on would do a lot to help Americans in
For one thing, rising mortality is a uniquely trouble, I’m not sure whether they’re enough
American phenomenon — yet America has
to cure existential despair.
both a much weaker welfare state and a much
Ŷ
stronger role for traditional religion and values
Paul Krugman joined The New York Times
than any other advanced country. Sweden
in 1999 as a columnist on the Op-Ed Page
gives its poor far more aid than we do, and a
and continues as professor of Economics and
majority of Swedish children are now born out International Affairs at Princeton University.
YOUR VIEWS
and infrastructure, not to mention that they
are reallocating the funds we have to Barnhart
The Pendleton River Parkway falls within
Road, which is jeopardizing our economy.
the oversight of the Oregon Juniper Unit, an
Now they want to spend more money on
organization that works with environmental
pet projects, literally, a dog park — really!
groups in preserving wildlife and wilderness
The location is just ridiculous and very few
areas. We had nothing to do with this parkway, will use it. Extending the parkway? We need
but as a member of the unit, I compliment
to do one thing at a time (you know, our
the people involved in making this parkway
roads and infrastructure). What does a person
available to the public.
have to say to the planners and leaders of
0UV$P\%HGIRUGZDVWKHPDMRULQÀXHQFH Pendleton? If we cannot afford the necessary
in making the parkway possible. I remember
basics for our town (like infrastructure and
her gracious manner and determination and
roads) is it not obvious we cannot afford
her ability to persuade owners of land now
anything else at this point?
included in the parkway to donate property.
Pendleton leaders and planners are so
When others seemed discouraged, she never
careless with our money, and so far out of
gave up. I wish she were here today to see
touch with how a city really works. We do
what she started.
not have the money for all your new taxes, let
We owe a thanks to Mrs. Bedford and
alone money for your pet projects! Maybe we
to the land owners for their generosity. It is
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indeed a pleasure to hear such good news in a
Once our roads, infrastructure and our budget
land disrupted by so much violence.
are secured and maybe, just maybe we have a
Did you see the beautiful beaver along the
little extra money to spend, then we can have a
Umatilla River in E. J. Harris’ photograph?
conversation on pet projects, not before.
Dr. Dorys C. Grover
Whether these projects actually materialize
Pendleton or not, the fact they are talking about this in
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‘Pet’ projects can wait
of Pendleton that our leaders do not have our
best interests at heart.
Pendleton leaders our forcing extremely
Chris Hallos
high taxes for roads and infrastructure on the
Pendleton
citizens. We need $100 million just for roads
Parkway a public treasure
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.