Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
OTHER VIEWS
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
We need a nuanced
solution from Salem
on minimum wage
communities.”
When the Oregon Legislature
Sen. Courtney’s skepticism is
convenes a 2016 short session,
well founded. While many Portland
lawmakers will confront various
proposals to raise the minimum wage. employers would have little or no
dif¿culty handling a large wage hike,
And voters next November could
such a boost would push many small
confront multiple minimum wage
and mid-sized businesses in smaller
increase ballot measures.
economies to the
The reality of
margin of survival
the Legislature’s
There is a gulf
and perhaps failure.
coming minimum
State Sen. Betsy
wage discussion
between Portland’s Johnson
recently
carries at least two
economy and the led legislators on a
elements. Thanks
around Oregon.
to a 2002 ballot
rest of Oregon. trip
She says: “From
initiative, Oregon
Ontario to Roseburg
has a minimum
to Astoria, I’ve talked to people who
wage that is the second highest in
say $15 is crippling. I don’t think we
the nation. It is indexed to rise with
have anticipated all of the unforeseen
inÀation. Secondly, any discussion
consequences. I am still absorbing
of abruptly hiking the minimum
information.”
wage to $13.50 or $15 must reckon
Gov. Kate Brown’s press aide
with Oregon’s two economies: that
Kristen Grainger says: “The main point
in Portland and that in the rest of the
she’s trying to make is she wants to
state.
make sure that it meets the needs of
Last week’s issue of Willamette
rural Oregon and small businesses and
Week reported that Senate President
Peter Courtney is leery of a one-size- in Portland. She has been careful to stay
¿ts-all approach to a major minimum away from a dollar amount.”
Our own Republican legislators Bill
wage hike. Courtney recognizes there
is a gulf between Portland’s economy, Hansell, Greg Smith and Greg Barreto
have all talked about the job-killing
which is one of the hottest in the
effect of a steep increase to the
nation, and the rest of Oregon, much
minimum wage. Hopefully they have
of which has not recovered from the
been able to get that point across with
Great Recession. “If we increase the
wage, I want to see a minimum wage their colleagues across the aisle.
A nuanced solution from the
that has a Àoor — less than $13.50,”
Legislature would be a good thing.
said Courtney. “Portland should be
That would give Oregonians a
allowed to go big time, but I can’t
landmark in the ballot initiative
have a very big minimum across
campaigns we an expect.
the state. It’ll just crush smaller
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.
YOUR VIEWS
Echo’s honor for veterans
was moving
On Thursday I had the privilege of
helping the Echo elementary and junior
high school students honor veterans. My
three children attend Echo School, and
my wife is a teacher there, so I may be
somewhat biased. Having said that, I
was highly impressed with the level of
preparation and, most importantly, honor
that went into celebrating our veterans.
To begin the festivities, all the students
dressed in patriotic garb, made Àoats from
wagons, and carried handmade signs in a
parade through Echo to honor each branch
of the military. Veterans and their families
from the surrounding communities were
invited to attend a ceremony later in the
day, and were introduced by name and
honored by the students, one by one.
There were several songs and a couple of
videos to further highlight those who have
served our nation since its inception.
After the main celebration, the guests
were invited to a reception with cake,
and a display by Echo students dressed
as historical military ¿gures, ranging
from the Revolutionary War to Navy
Seal sniper Chis Kyle. These students
put in a tremendous amount of work to
honor veterans. Well done.
Further, I would like to commend
the staff members that were overseeing
these presentations and offerings. It is a
rare thing to see a school take time from
their already tight academic schedule to
show honor where honor is certainly due.
Thank you for that. It is no less important
to their education as math and reading.
My wife and I have made it a
priority to make sure that our children
understand the sacri¿ce our military
personnel make on a daily basis, and
have made over the years of our nation’s
existence. We teach them that it is not
only polite, but required, to show honor
and respect to veterans, as they are truly
the reason our nation lives in relative
safety, and I am con¿dent and grateful
that Echo School reinforces that practice.
So, again I say thank you to our
veterans, and job well done to Echo
elementary and junior high students and
staff.
Bring back checks, balances
“We the people” have the tools to rein
in government
“We the people. ...” The framers of
the Constitution put these bold words up,
front and center, to emphasize that all
power and authority of the United States
government originates with the people.
Most Americans, no matter their
political party, agree that the people
don’t have much power left. It was
stolen by an overreaching federal
government that gave us $19 trillion
in debt, totally broken immigration
and health care systems and endless
job-killing laws, regulations and taxes.
The framers, in Article V. of our
Constitution, provided the tools to deal with
an out-of-control federal government that
does not have the will to repair itself —
exactly the circumstances we have today.
The relevant part of Article V. states:
“… on application of the legislatures
of two thirds of the several states
[Congress] shall call a convention for
proposing amendments. …” This simply
says that when two thirds (34 of 50) of
the state legislatures make application,
Congress must call a Convention of
State Legislatures to propose corrective
amendments to the Constitution.
Clearly, this is NOT a constitutional
convention, only a meeting of state
legislators to propose amendments that
must be approved by three-fourths (38)
of the states to be rati¿ed, providing a
high threshold of safety.
The Convention of States Project
is a national grassroots movement to
propose amendments speci¿cally limited
to restricting the authority, scope and
jurisdiction of the federal government
with common sense ideas like congres-
sional term limits and a balanced budget.
Article V gives the people a method
to restore some of the checks and
balances that have been breached. “We
the people,” working through our state
legislators, have the responsibility and
now a well-organized opportunity to rein
in some of government. Learn more at
conventionofstates.com. If you like what
you see, sign the petition, join the effort
and let your representatives know.
Justin Russell
Pendleton
Stephen Peck
Walla Walla
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.
Fearing fear itself
L
ike millions of people, I’ve been
language.
obsessively following the news
A much bigger risk, in practice, is
from Paris, putting aside other
that the targets of terrorism will try to
things to focus on the horror. It’s the
achieve perfect security by eliminating
natural human reaction. But let’s be
every conceivable threat — a response
clear: It’s also the reaction the terrorists
that inevitably makes things worse,
want. And that’s something not
because it’s a big, complicated
everyone seems to understand.
world, and even superpowers can’t
Take, for example, Jeb Bush’s
set everything right. On 9/11 Donald
Paul
declaration that “this is an organized
Krugman Rumsfeld told his aides: “Sweep it up.
attempt to destroy Western
Related and not,” and immediately
Comment
civilization.” No, it isn’t. It’s an
suggested using the attack as an excuse
to invade Iraq. The result was
organized attempt to
a disastrous war that actually
sow panic, which isn’t at
empowered terrorists, and set
all the same thing. And
the stage for the rise of ISIS.
remarks like that, which
And let’s be clear: this
blur that distinction and
wasn’t just a matter of bad
make terrorists seem more
judgment. Yes, Virginia,
powerful than they are, just
people can and do exploit
help the jihadis’ cause.
terrorism for political gain,
Think, for a moment,
including using it to justify
about what France is and
what they imagine will
what it represents. It has its
be a splendid, politically
problems — what nation
bene¿cial little war.
doesn’t? — but it’s a robust
Oh, and whatever people
democracy with a deep
like Ted Cruz may imagine,
well of popular legitimacy.
ending our reluctance
Its defense budget is small
to kill innocent civilians
compared with ours, but
wouldn’t remove the limits
it nonetheless retains a
to American power. It would,
powerful military, and has
however, do wonders for terrorist recruitment.
the resources to make that military much
Finally, terrorism is just one of many
stronger if it chooses. (France’s economy is
dangers in the world, and shouldn’t be
around 20 times the size of Syria’s.) France
allowed to divert our attention from other
is not going to be conquered by ISIS, now
issues. Sorry, conservatives: when President
or ever. Destroy Western civilization? Not a
Barack Obama describes climate change
chance.
as the greatest threat we face, he’s exactly
So what was Friday’s attack about? Killing
right. Terrorism can’t and won’t destroy our
random people in restaurants and at concerts
civilization, but global warming could and
is a strategy that reÀects its perpetrators’
might.
fundamental weakness. It isn’t going to
So what can we say about how to respond
establish a caliphate in Paris. What it can do,
to terrorism? Before the atrocities in Paris,
however, is inspire fear — which is why we
the West’s general response involved a mix
call it terrorism, and shouldn’t dignify it with
of policing, precaution, and military action.
the name of war.
All involved dif¿cult trade-offs: surveillance
The point is not to minimize the horror.
versus privacy, protection versus freedom of
It is, instead, to emphasize that the biggest
movement, denying terrorists havens versus
danger terrorism poses to our society comes
not from the direct harm inÀicted, but from the the costs and dangers of waging war abroad.
wrong-headed responses it can inspire. And it’s And it was always obvious that sometimes a
terrorist attack would slip through.
crucial to realize that there are multiple ways
Paris may have changed that calculus a bit,
the response can go wrong.
especially when it comes to Europe’s handling
It would certainly be a very bad thing
of refugees, an agonizing issue that has now
if France or other democracies responded
gotten even more fraught. And there will have
to terrorism with appeasement — if, for
to be a post-mortem on why such an elaborate
example, the French were to withdraw from
plot wasn’t spotted. But do you remember all
the international effort against ISIS in the vain
the pronouncements that 9/11 would change
hope that jihadis would leave them alone.
everything? Well, it didn’t — and neither will
And I won’t say that there are no would-be
this atrocity.
appeasers out there; there are indeed some
Again, the goal of terrorists is to inspire
people determined to believe that Western
terror, because that’s all they’re capable of.
imperialism is the root of all evil, and all
And the most important thing our societies can
would be well if we stopped meddling.
do in response is to refuse to give in to fear.
But real-world examples of mainstream
Ŷ
politicians, let alone governments, knuckling
Paul Krugman joined The New York Times
under to terrorist demands are hard to ¿nd.
in 1999 as a columnist on the Op-Ed Page
Most accusations of appeasement in America
and continues as professor of Economics and
seem to be aimed at liberals who don’t use
International Affairs at Princeton University.
what conservatives consider tough enough
Killing random
people in
restaurants
and at concerts
is a strategy
that reflects its
perpetrators’
fundamental
weakness.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. Senators
U.S. Representative
Ron Wyden
Greg Walden
Washington office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office:
541-962-7691
Washington office:
185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande office:
541-624-2400
Jeff Merkley
Governor
Washington office:
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office:
541-278-1129
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582