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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Saturday, January 23, 2016 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 STEVE FORRESTER KATHRYN B. BROWN Pendleton Chairman of the Board Astoria President Pendleton Secretary/Treasurer CORY BOLLINGER JEFF ROGERS Aberdeen, S.D. Director Indianapolis, Ind. Director OUR VIEW Pushing minimum wage America the unfair? to the max D OTHER VIEWS Oregon will soon have a higher the world, but would be devastating minimum wage, but it’s unclear if to small businesses and to much Governor Kate Brown’s compromise of rural Oregon. Agriculture, most plan will please both sides of a notably, would be thrashed by the complicated argument. new rules. Brown’s proposal, as has been We argued, too, that the problem reported in this newspaper, divides of low wages would be much Oregon into two separate geographic PRUHHI¿FLHQWO\KDQGOHGE\WKH and economic regions, with wage private sector than by government rules differing in each. decree. Nationwide, long stagnant Rural Oregon wages were slowly will have a lower increasing, but the Some action minimum wage recent stock and oil than its urban tumble has put that on minimum counterparts, wage is critically once It is again at risk. especially Multnomah County understandable important and the greater that minimum component Portland area. It will wage should be also increase here at tied somehow to a of the short a slower pace. “living” wage — legislative That makes enough money to sense. The put a roof over a session. economic reality person’s head and is far different food on the table. in Pendleton And it’s easy to see than Portland, in Hermiston than that $9.25 per hour doesn’t quite Hillsboro. But the Legislature cut it in Portland, much less in will certainly tinker with Brown’s New York City or Chicago or San proposal, and how it emerges from Francisco. that tinkering — and how it will Yet there is an economic and effect rural Oregon — remains to be VRFLDOEHQH¿WWRDFRXQWU\DVWDWH seen. and a business, that some employees Still, some action on minimum can get experience without breaking wage is a critically important the budget. Teens, especially, component of the short legislative EHQH¿WIURPHQWU\OHYHOMREV/RZ VHVVLRQWKDWZLOOEHJLQMXVWRYHUD SD\LQJMREVGREHQH¿WSDUWWLPH week from now. The legislature and seasonal workers, too, who can must take action or it leaves Oregon use it to supplement their regular vulnerable to the blunt hammer of income. True, they can be taken a citizen initiative to decide state advantage of. But a higher minimum economic policy. ZDJHLVMXVWDVOLNHO\WRKDUPWKHP Though that is an ineffective and as it is to help them, by causing LQÀH[LEOHZD\WRRSHUDWHXQLRQDQG their employers to reduce hours and worker rights organizations have reduce labor costs. not been dissuaded by Brown’s bill There is plenty to debate. and say they plan to go forward with Minimum wage will without a doubt petitions that could bump statewide go up in Oregon, and the effect minimum wage to $15 an hour in a of that will be wide-ranging and faster time frame, and in all corners VLJQL¿FDQW5LJKWQRZWKHSUHVVXUH of the state. is on the legislature to come up with a plan that cuts the legs out With a plan similar to Brown’s from under those who would codify enacted by the legislature, it seismic economic shifts, while still may take the starch out of those allowing working class people to initiatives. make a decent living and maybe But what about minimum wage, even save a few dollars each pay in general, and allowing Eastern period. Oregon to play with different ,WZLOOEHGLI¿FXOWWRWKUHDGWKDW rules than its urban overlords? We needle, but doing nothing will be far RSLQHGODVW-XQHWKDWDMXPSWRD more problematic for our side of the $15 minimum wage would be no state. problem for the Nikes and Intels of 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. because of the lead, but also because onald Trump and Bernie Sanders they don’t matter to the U.S. political don’t agree on much. Nor do the system. U.S. politicians are too busy Black Lives Matter movement, chasing campaign donors to help them. the Occupy Wall Street protests and There are solutions — more about the armed ranchers who seized public that in a moment — but a starting point lands in Oregon. But in the insurgent is to recognize that this public mood presidential campaigns and in social of impotence and unfairness is rooted activism across the spectrum, a common thread is people angry at the Nicholas in something real. Median wages have way this country is no longer working Kristof stalled or dropped. Mortality rates for young white adults are rising, partly for many ordinary citizens. Comment because so many self-medicate with And they’re right: The system painkillers or heroin. Blacks have been is often fundamentally unfair, and protected from this phenomenon by another ordinary voices are often unheard. unfairness: Studies indicate that doctors ,W¶VHDV\DQGDSSURSULDWHWRUROORQH¶V discriminate against black patients and are less eyes at Trump, for a demagogic tycoon is likely to prescribe them painkillers. not the natural leader of a revolution of the America’s political and economic disenfranchised. But the populist frustration is inequalities feed each other. The richest 1 understandable. One of the most remarkable political science studies in recent years upended percent in the U.S. now own substantially more wealth than the bottom 90 everything rosy we learned in percent. civics classes. Solutions are complex, Martin Gilens of Princeton imperfect and uncertain, but the 8QLYHUVLW\DQG%HQMDPLQ I. Page of Northwestern biggest problem is not a lack of University found that in tools but a lack of will. A basic policymaking, views of step to equalize opportunity ordinary citizens essentially would be to invest in education don’t matter. They examined for disadvantaged children as 1,779 policy issues and found the civil rights issue of the 21st that attitudes of wealthy century. people and of business groups “I think any candidate mattered a great deal to the seriously aiming to reduce ¿QDORXWFRPH²EXWWKDWSUHIHUHQFHVRIDYHUDJH inequality would have a mild increase in tax citizens were almost irrelevant. on the rich to fund higher school spending,” ³,QWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVRXU¿QGLQJVLQGLFDWH says Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford expert on WKHPDMRULW\GRHVQRWUXOH´WKH\FRQFOXGHG inequality. I would add that investments in ³0DMRULWLHVRIWKH$PHULFDQSXEOLFDFWXDOO\ education should begin early, with high-quality KDYHOLWWOHLQÀXHQFHRYHUWKHSROLFLHVRXU prekindergarten for at-risk children. government adopts.” We also need political solutions to repair One reason is that our political system is our democracy so that ordinary citizens count increasingly driven by money: Tycoons can’t DORQJZLWKWKHDIÀXHQW³7KHUHLVQRPDJLF quite buy politicians, but they can lease them. bullet that will set things right, but meaningful (OHFWHGRI¿FLDOVDUHKDPVWHUVRQDZKHHO FDPSDLJQ¿QDQFHUHIRUPPXVWEHDWWKHFHQWHU always desperately raising money for the next of a reform agenda,” Gilens says. “States and election. And the donors who matter most cities are leading the way. Arizona, Maine DUHDVPDOOJURXSMXVWIDPLOLHVDQGWKH and Connecticut have had statewide, publicly companies they control donated almost half the funded ‘clean election’ systems for some time money for the early stages of the presidential with varying degrees of success.” campaign. One step toward transparency: President That in turn is why the tax code is full of Barack Obama could require federal contractors ORRSKROHVWKDWEHQH¿WWKHZHDOWK\7KLVLVZK\ to disclose political contributions. you get accelerated depreciation for buying a Right now, the bitterness at America’s private plane. It’s why the wealthiest 400 U.S. grass-roots is often channeled in ways that are WD[SD\HUVDOOZLWKLQFRPHRIPRUHWKDQ divisive and destructive: at immigrants, say, or PLOOLRQHQGHGXSSD\LQJDQDYHUDJHIHGHUDOWD[ at Muslims. The challenge will be to leverage rate of less than 23 percent for 2013, and less the populist frustration into constructive than 17 percent the year before. postelection policy. But it has been done before. Conversely, it’s why the mostly black ³5HIRUPVZHUHDGRSWHGLQWKH¿UVW*LOGHG children in Flint, Michigan, have been poisoned Age, an era similarly plagued by government by lead coming out of the tap: As Hillary dysfunction, political corruption and enormous Clinton noted Sunday in the Democratic debate, economic inequality,” Gilens notes. “Perhaps WKLVZRXOGQ¶WKDYHKDSSHQHGLQDQDIÀXHQW they will be again.” For the sake of our country, white suburb. Lead poisoning permanently let’s work for an encore. LPSDLUVEUDLQGHYHORSPHQWEXWLW¶VQRWFRQ¿QHG Ŷ to Flint. Some 535,000 children across the Nicholas Kristof grew up on a sheep and country suffer lead poisoning, according to the cherry farm in Yamhill, Oregon. A columnist for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The New York Times since 2001, he won the 7KRVHNLGVQHYHUKDYHDFKDQFH²QRWMXVW Pulitzer Prize two times. Tycoons can’t quite buy politicians, but they can lease them. YOUR VIEWS Hiring non-tribal member a step back for CTUIR This is in response to the East Oregonian article on the hiring of Jane Hill for the Umatilla Confederated Tribes legislative manager. It is important for the reader to know that while Chuck Sams is the spokesman for the tribal government administration, in no way is he the spokesman for the hundreds of grassroots tribal members who are the heart of the Umatilla Confederated Tribes. I state this because the article implies the entire tribe supports this hire. That is hardly the case. Our tribal constitution has the important provision that tribal government will implement tribal self-determination and tribal self-governance to the “maximum degree.” In other words, we will work for our tribal JRDOVRXUVHOYHV:HZLOOEHVHOIVXI¿FLHQW independent, and non-dependent on outside assistance. The most obvious demonstration of self-governance can be seen in our employment UDQNV²WKDWZH¿OOHPSOR\PHQWRSHQLQJV ZLWKRXURZQTXDOL¿HGWULEDOPHPEHUV 7KHUHZHUHWKUHHTXDOL¿HGWULEDOPHPEHUV who applied for the legislative manager position. One of them should have been hired. They are all college graduates with many years of experience in tribal issues and affairs. This new person hired knows nothing about our tribal values and issues. We also have a policy WKDWFDOOVIRUTXDOL¿HGWULEDOPHPEHUVWREH KLUHG¿UVWRYHUQRQWULEDOPHPEHUDSSOLFDQWV Tribal employment preference policies have consistently been upheld by the courts because they are not based on race, but on political DI¿OLDWLRQPHPEHUVKLSZLWKDIHGHUDOO\ recognized tribe. The former legislative manager is a CTUIR tribal member, so it is obvious that with this hire the tribe is regressing, not progressing, in our self-determination efforts. The tribe has taken a huge step backward. Our senior managers should be assisting in advancing our TXDOL¿HGWULEDOPHPEHUMREDSSOLFDQWV\HWWLPH DQGWLPHDJDLQWKH\DUHGHQ\LQJRXUTXDOL¿HG WULEDOPHPEHUVMREVLQIDYRURIQRQ,QGLDQV ZKRDOZD\VJHWWKHEHQH¿WRIWKHGRXEW And what does our newly elected Board of Trustees have to say about this situation? During their recent election campaigns, most of them spoke boldly about what they would do WRLPSURYHFRQGLWLRQVLQFOXGLQJHPSOR\PHQW within tribal government. This letter is nothing personal against Jane Hill, it is about senior tribal management once again intentionally denying, without MXVWL¿FDWLRQWULEDOPHPEHUVDQHPSOR\PHQW SRVLWLRQWKH\DUHPRUHWKDQTXDOL¿HGIRU,FDQ VDIHO\VWDWHWKDWDPDMRULW\RI8PDWLOODWULEDO members are not supportive of this hire, in FRQVLGHUDWLRQWKDWWKHUHZHUHWKUHHTXDOL¿HG tribal members who applied for the position. Bob Shippentower Pendleton
