Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
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
Shadow of
Citizens United
needs lifting
don’t think that has an effect on
It has been more than ¿ ve years
politicians and policy, you’ve clearly
since a 2010 Supreme Court ruling,
not lived long in this
now known
world. Money talks
colloquially as the
and politicians are
“Citizens United
A million
more apt than most
decision,” lifted
to give it a bullhorn.
prohibitions on
dollar-plus
What to do about
political spending
donation to a
it?
by corporations and
7he clearest
private citizens.
politician or
and simplest way,
It spawned the
political party is which has not had
era of the super
much traction in the
3ACs. 7hose
not a gift.
courts, is to limit
political action
It is a purchase. the size of cash
committees have
contributions to
been able to spend
political campaigns.
unlimited amounts
of money to campaign for candidates While that appears tied up for
for federal of¿ ces, as long as they do another presidential term or two,
OSPIRG presented some temporary
not coordinate with a candidate or
recommendations:
campaign.
ƒ Match small contributions with
Some consider the ruling an
expansion of liberty, an unshackling public funds, as is done in New York
City.
of regulation that has allowed the
ƒ Institute a voucher program like
free market to operate unfettered.
Seattle, where every voter in the city
We all have a First Amendment
right to free expression, and how we is given four $25 vouchers that they
can contribute to candidates of their
spend our money is as much of an
choosing.
expression as anything else. 7hink
ƒ Enhance and streamline
about a red, convertible Porsche.)
Oregon’s political tax credit.
But others worry that unlimited
But all of those theories just pump
¿ nancial donations have increased
more public money into a system
corruption, given the rich an
that we’re trying to get money out
oversized inÀ uence on federal
of. Maybe it is more fair that way,
elections, and made politicians less
but it’s still just feeding the beast
reliant on actually serving voters.
with a more nutritious meal.
7he OSPIRG Foundation, an
Newspapers are big supporters of
Oregonbased organization that
the First Amendment, and it takes
works to protect consumers and
a lot to convince us of the need for
promote good government, recently
restrictions of any kind.
looked at how donations inÀ uenced
But we accept libel and slander
the 2014 election in the Beaver
laws, and know you can’t get away
State.
with yelling “Fire” in a crowded
7hat year, OSPIRG found that
movie theater. We limit things that
small donors (those who gave less
do overwhelming damage to public
than $100) donated a total of $6.5
safety, to personal property and
million. OSPIRG estimated the
contributions came from as many as reputation, and to society.
And runaway political spending
91,000 people.
is doing overwhelming damage. 7he
At the same time, approximately
bene¿ t is only available to a select
1,000 organizations donated $5,000
few with the means to exploit it.
or more, and their contributions
A million dollarplus donation to
totaled $64 million. Out of state
a politician or a political party is not
donors were responsible for about
a gift. It is a purchase. If we don’t
$44 million of that.
want our politicians to be bought,
In essence, big spenders had
we must ¿ nd ways to limit political
nearly 10 times the inÀ uence than
donations.
did the measly 99 percenters. If you
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
Stay sane America, please!
are softening on 7rump because they
n January of 2017 someone will
think he is more electable than Cruz
stand at the U.S. Capitol and
are smoking something. According to
deliver an Inaugural Address. 7his
a Pew Research survey, a majority of
is roughly the place where Abraham
Americans think 7rump would make a
Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight
poor or terrible president.
Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan once
Chuck 7odd ran through 7rump’s
stood. I am going to spend every single
favorableunfavorable ratings on
day between now and then believing
“Meet the Press” on Sunday: Among
that neither Donald 7rump nor 7ed
David
Cruz nor Bernie Sanders will be
Brooks independents, 7rump is negative 26
points; among women, negative 36;
standing on that podium. One of them
Comment
among suburban voters, negative 24.
could win the election, take the oath,
Is the Republican Party really going
give the speech and be riding down
to nominate one of the most loathed men in
Pennsylvania Avenue. I will still refuse to
American public life?
believe it.
Fifth, America has never elected a candidate
Yes, I know what the polling evidence is
maximally extreme from the political center,
telling us about 7rump, Sanders and Cruz, but
the way Sanders and Cruz are. According to
there are good reasons to cling to my disbelief.
the Five7hirtyEight website, Cruz has the most
First, these primary campaigns will not be
conservative voting record
settled in February. 7hey
in the entire Congress. 7hat
won’t be settled in March or
takes some doing.
April. Sometimes a candidate
Sixth, sooner or later
can sweep Iowa and New
the candidates from the
Hampshire and cruise to
governing wing of their
the nomination. But that
parties will get their acts
candidate has to be broadly
together. Marco Rubio has
acceptable to all parts of
had a bad month, darkening
the party. 7rump, Cruz and
his tone and trying to sound
Sanders are not.
like a cutrate version of
As Jay Cost writes
7rump and Cruz.
in The Weekly Standard,
Before too long Rubio
“7his could mean a lengthy
will realize his ¿ rst task is to
nomination battle that
rally the voters who detest or
stretches all the way to the
fear those men. 7hat means
California primary in June.”
running as an optimistic
On the Republican side
American nationalist with
the early primaries and
speci¿ c proposals to reform Washington and lift
caucuses allocate delegates proportionally.
Only 16.2 percent of the delegates overall come the working class.
from winnertakeall states. 7hat means the
If he can rally mainstream Republicans
delegategetting war will be a slog.
he’ll be at least tied with 7rump and Cruz
7he ¿ rst day when any candidate could rack in the polls. 7hen he can counter their
up a big winnertakeall delegate harvest is
American decline narrative, with one of his
March 15, an eternity from now. More than half own: 7his country is failing because it got too
the delegates will be allocated after that date.
narcissistic, became too much like a reality
Second, Cruz and 7rump will go after each
79 show. Americans lost the ability to work
other with increasing ferocity over the next
constructively to get things done.
many weeks or months. 7here is a decent
Finally, eventually the electorate is going
chance, given their personalities, that they will
to realize that in an age of dysfunctional
make each other maximally unattractive and go government, effective leadership capacity is
down in each other’s death embrace.
the threshold issue. 7hat means being able to
7hird, the 7rump and Sanders turnout
listen to others, surround yourself with people
problems are real. 7rump is doing very well
smarter than you, gather a governing majority
among people who haven’t voted in the past
and above all have an actual implementation
four elections. It’s possible he has energized
strategy. Not 7rump, Cruz or Sanders has any
them so much they will actually caucus and
remote chance of turning his ideas, such as they
vote, but you wouldn’t want to bet your
are, into actual laws.
goldplated faucets on it. People who don’t vote
In every recent presidential election U.S.
generally don’t vote.
voters have selected the candidate with the
Sanders is drawing support from nonvoters,
most secure pair of hands. 7hey’ve elected the
too. Sanders is up in some polls overall, but
person who would be a stable presence and
he trails big time among people in Iowa who
companion for the next four years. I believe
caucused in 2008 and among those who are
they’re going to do that again. And if they’re
de¿ nitely registered to vote.
not, please allow me a few more months of
It’s quite possible that the big story
denial.
postIowa will be how badly these two
Ŷ
underperformed.
David Brooks became a New York Times
Fourth, establishment Republicans who
Op-Ed columnist in September 2003.
I
The candidate
has to be
broadly
acceptable to
all parts of the
party. Trump,
Cruz and
Sanders are not.
Who pays for Malheur standoff?
The (Bend) Bulletin
Gov. Kate Brown said Wednesday in
a press conference that she will ask the
Legislature next month to come up with
money to reimburse Harney County for
the expense of having
militants ensconced on
the Malheur National
Wildlife Refuge.
Lawmakers must do just
that.
7he occupation,
which began Jan. 2,
has been an expensive
proposition. In the
early days, the county’s
chief executive of¿ cer,
Judge Steve Grasty,
put the price tag at
about $70,000 per day.
Wednesday, Brown said the county’s
ongoing expenses were running about
$100,000 per week. Either way, it’s
money Harney County doesn’t have.
7he county is the state’s largest ²
more than 10,000 miles square — and
its sheriff’s department has an annual
budget of $2.289 million. By contrast,
Deschutes County is only about 3,000
miles square, and the sheriff’s of¿ ce
has a budget of some $44.6 million.
Just about 7,000 people live in Harney
County, only slightly more than live in
the city of Madras.
7he task of providing law
enforcement for a gaggle of visitors
ranging from Federal Bureau of
Investigation personnel to journalists to
occupation sympathizers has stretched
the small sheriff’s department beyond
its limit, so much so that
law enforcement of¿ cers
from around the state
have been helping out
when they are able.
And, while Grasty
has said he will bill the
occupiers’ leaders for the
county’s costs, that’s a
move unlikely to result
in a paid bill.
7here’s some logic
to sending that bill to
the federal government,
to be sure. 7he
wildlife refuge is owned by the federal
government, and federal of¿ cers are
in charge of how occupiers are being
dealt with — or not dealt with. 7he
occupation’s cost, in other words, is not
something the county can control.
But asking Uncle Sam to pay the
bill is not the same as getting a check
in the mail, and unless and until there’s
certainty that the check is on the way,
the state must step in. 7hat means
lawmakers, who will convene in Salem
beginning Feb. 1, must act to take up the
slack.
The
occupation,
which began
Jan. 2, has
been an
expensive
proposition .
YOUR VIEWS
Water on Mars will provide
a boon to Earth
Now that water has been found on Mars,
there’s no reason to leave it there.
Here come hinged rockets full of water,
trunk to tail, in sweet tandem day by day.
Swimming pools, rejoice. Wash your car
with elegant Mars2O! Deserts will bloom.
Forests with rejoice.
Global warming will succumb to fuller
oceans. And fatter clouds.
Water is heavy, so if the payload is in
overload we simply dehydrate the water.
D.G. Reese
Echo
Repeal, not reform, is only
option for Measure 11
Barb Dickerson has made the people
believe that reforming Oregon Measure 11
by handing it to the judge to make decisions
in sentencing will reform Measure 11. In fact
it does not change Measure 11 guidelines
the judge would also have to follow. Look at
the Hammonds ² they have to ¿ nish their
sentences, based on mandatory minimum
sentences.
Reform will not release anyone who is
sentenced under Measure 11. Measure 11 is
meant for ¿ rsttime offenders. 7he district
attorney charges the defendant with more than
one Measure 11 offense, so the bargaining tool
is on the table for a sure conviction.
In my opinion the DA extorts human life,
telling the defendant, “If you take this plea
you get less time,” or the state will give the
defendant more time if it goes to trial. In fear
of the many threats the DA gives the defense,
the defendant takes a plea.
7he inmates should follow and exhaust
appeals. Bring allegations against court ethics
violations. 7his includes defense attorneys,
district attorneys, judges and police. Measure
11 looks like a form of human traf¿ cking.
Abolishing Oregon Measure 11 is a start to
reforming the Oregon justice system and
stopping some of the corruption in the justice
system.
Measure 11 was a ballot initiative. But
lawmakers add laws that affect Measure 11 in
a negative manner without the consent of the
voters. Measure 11 needs to be put back on the
ballot to be abolished. We need education for
the public to understand how Measure 11 can
affect the public and their loved ones. Measure
11 has put away innocent people.
We have to stand together and get involved
to make a make a change in the justice system.
Cynthia Lester
Pendleton
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.