Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2016)
VIEWPOINTS Saturday, January 30, 2016 I hope you can recover. One of the sad things about the takeover of the refuge is the damage it surely has done to the very posi- tive cooperative projects on the refuge. Can refuge staff feel safe with outsiders who will remain (or come in) to meddle and agitate and stalk? Can they trust local ranchers ZKRZHUHEHQH¿WLQJIURPWKHVHSURMHFWVEXW who didn’t (or felt they couldn’t) speak out against the threats? — Emily Sieger Rural communities are being governed by folks who have no idea what impact their decisions make. I believe that many of the decisions are well meaning but, because of lack of understanding, are contributing to the death of the way of life of many rural communities and families. — Jennifer Smith Wine ,I\RXZDQWWRSURWHVWSXWGRZQWKHULÀHV It’s maddening that rural Oregon doesn’t understand this. I do not support your right to protest by threatening people around you with military style weapons. Period. — dead_red I think we also need to remember that, while people may have their “lists” of things they would change in this country, there is also a vast, open, and mutually agreed upon way of being that we can all be at peace with WKDW LV UHÀHFWLYH RI RXU FRPPRQ YDOXHV Everything else is meaningful, but should not be put against loving one’s neighbor, or fellow citizen. — Ed Jordens The feds needed to act. John Day was just WKH ¿UVW RXWVLGH H[FXUVLRQ ZLWK 0DOKHXU &RXQW\QH[WRQWKHWUDYHOLQJFLUFXV$VKDV been stated here, civil disobedience backed by gun is not how things should be changed. — zdonb Education also needs to be key. We need more education on how our government works and how people can be involved in the appropriate ways. — Jean $VDOLIHWLPHUXUDO2UHJRQLDQIURPQHDU the coast, I’d like to thank the people of Eastern Oregon for all the wonderful trips I’ve enjoyed on “the dry side of the moun- tains,” in particular the open and friendly community of Burns, where I’ve spent a considerable amount of time. I look forward to more great trips in the future. We’re all Oregonians, and we’re all in this together. Best of luck to all of you. Come and visit us on the wet side. — Bill Uhlig I’m a Willamette Valley Oregonian, but I’ve spent a lot of time in central, eastern, and southeastern Oregon. I treasure those places and love and admire the people I’ve PHW WKHUH 7KH 0DOKHXU :LOGOLIH 5HIXJH and the Steens are sacred places to me. The occupation by the militants and its results are heartbreaking. Don’t let it destroy the good work that has been done there to understand and acknowledge a variety of interests and to work together for the common good. Please spread the word that hundreds of people all over Oregon DUHWU\LQJWR¿JXUHRXWKRZZHFDQVXSSRUW the residents of Harney County when this is done. I think really listening would be a good start — Susan Christie I think it’s important to note almost none of these yahoos, in particular, none of the hardore dead-enders or the leaders, were from Oregon. I think rural Oregonians have enough sense to have problems with the federal government, but address them appropriately. It just tears me up they’re the ones that have to deal with the aftermath of this. — ragekage117 One of the great lessons of the Twitter age is that much can be summed up in just a few words. Here are some of this week’s takes. Tweet yours @Tim_Trainor or email editor@eastoregonian. com, and keep them to 140 characters. Page 5A New year, new look at Pendleton city budget Quick takes Dark days in Eastern Oregon East Oregonian ell it’s a New Year and EDVLVLVPRUHOLNHWRRSHUDWH time to get busy with and maintain with an investment of more information for PLOOLRQWRPDNHWKHQHFHVVDU\ you on our city budget. improvements. I hope you kept some of the With the income we have now, previous articles so you can ZLWKQRH[SHFWDWLRQ add up the shortfall of what the that we can raise city really needs to adequately LWVLJQL¿FDQWO\ sustain itself. I will deal with four will mean the Vert Al buildings in this article. will cost the city Plute 7KH$UWV&HQWHUEXLOGLQJ budget a minimum Comment is owned by the city. It was RISHU\HDU remodeled in the late 1990s with ZLWKWKHH[SHFWDWLRQ DSSUR[LPDWHO\PLOOLRQ7KHIXQGV that this number will were raised from local private corporations, LQFUHDVHWRSHU foundations, community and state funds. year after upgrading with The lease provides for maintenance to the need for income to EHSURYLGHGE\WKH$UWV&HQWHU7KHFLW\ rise. Ultimately you will have to make the maintenance department provides minor decision. +9$&VHUYLFH7KHFRVWWRWKHFLW\LV The library is another building the city negligible. owns and the library commission operates. The Vert is our community performing The utilities, maintenance and custodial arts center. The income for the Vert this year costs for this building are provided by the LVHVWLPDWHGWREHDSSUR[LPDWHO\ city. I cannot give you an accurate account The cost for utilities and maintenance are RIWKHVHH[SHQVHVEHFDXVHWKH\DUHOXPSHG DSSUR[LPDWHO\SHU\HDU7KHUHLVQR together with City Hall. However, I can replacement fund for the Vert. This means tell you that all these costs are subsidized that when the roof needs to be replaced our E\WKHJHQHUDOEXGJHW$JDLQWKHUHLVQR maintenance fund takes a huge hit. This replacement fund for this building and the last year the roof was replaced at a cost of roof was replaced last year at the cost of RYHU7KHKHDWLQJDQGFRROLQJ $JDLQWKLVZDVDKXJHKLWWRWKH system, stage structural work to improve budget. VDIHW\$'$OLIWIURQWGRRUUHSODFHPHQW¿UH City Hall had heating, cooling and V\VWHPXSJUDGHHOHYDWRUXSGDWHDQGRI¿FH telephone upgrades last year that cost work that needs to be done is estimated to ZKLFKZDVDQRWKHUXQSODQQHG FRVWPLOOLRQ hit to the budget because of no replacement This means we subsidize the Vert in the funds listed in the budget. City Hall had a DPRXQWRIDSSUR[LPDWHO\SHU\HDU FRVWRIIRUXWLOLWLHVDQGIRU for operation from the general budget just janitorial costs split with the library. City to keep the doors open. If we are to keep Hall is a center of service to the community the structure safe, heated and cooled we and it is hard to determine, at least at this QHHGWRFRPHXSZLWKPLOOLRQ7KH time, the accumulation of the income improvements will probably have a lifespan derived by all the services that it provides. RI\HDUV&DSLWDOL]HWKDWRYHU 7KH0F&XQHJ\PEXLOGLQJKDVDQ \HDUVDQG\RXDUHORRNLQJDWDSSUR[LPDWHO\ LQFRPHRIDSSUR[LPDWHO\SHU\HDU SHU\HDUDGGLWLRQDOH[SHQVH 8WLOLW\IHHVDUHDSSUR[LPDWHO\SHU The real cost for the Vert on a yearly \HDUFXVWRGLDOIHHVDUHSHU\HDU W DQGPDLQWHQDQFHLVSHU\HDU7RWDO H[SHQVHVDUH7KHFLW\EXGJHW VXEVLG\IRUWKHJ\PLVSHU\HDU The roof was replaced last year for the cost RI$JDLQWKHUHZHUHQRUHVHUYH funds in the budget for replacement. $IDPLOLDUWKHPH throughout this article is that we have no line item in the budget for replacement. Every time we have something large to replace we take money from our maintenance budget to give it to capital improvements. We save in the short run and lose in the long term. :HPXVW¿QGWKHWUXHFRVWRIDGHTXDWHO\ maintaining our facilities. Then we must have a line item in the budget for replacement. This will help us to do proper maintenance and save costs in the future. I am happy to report that our new ¿QDQFLDOVRIWZDUHSDFNDJHIRUWKHFLW\LV installed and operational now and will help WRDVFHUWDLQRXUWUXH¿QDQFLDOSLFWXUHIRUWKH city. Our council looks forward to having more information for the upcoming budget to make better-informed decisions for the future. With the new software package we will be able to separate out all the departments, buildings, etc., in much more detail and help to arrive at our true costs for each entity. This will help us truly understand the ¿QDQFLDOKHDOWKRIRXUFLW\ I will write about more buildings in the QH[WDUWLFOH$V\RXFDQVHHDOPRVWHYHU\ building so far is costing us more than what is revealed in our budget at this time. Perhaps you can see why the city has a deeper problem than just moving money around in the budget. The streets are not our only challenge. Ŷ Al Plute is a Pendleton city councilor. We must ind the true cost of adequately maintaining our facilities. Imperfect solutions can make elections more fair I to levels that ordinary people can ’m grateful to the East afford. That’s not for lack of public Oregonian for spotlighting support; Oregonians have twice voted WKHYH[LQJDQGSURIRXQG to limit campaign contributions to low problem of big money in our levels, only to see them stymied by political system (“Our view: Long the courts. shadow of Citizens United hangs There are over elections,” Jan. 26). In my efforts underway opinion, the editorial correctly in Oregon to highlights just how serious of a David thread the needle problem it is for our democracy Rosenfeld on this matter by when a small number of large Comment seeking higher GRQRUVDUHDEOHWRH[HUWPRUH contribution limits LQÀXHQFHRYHURXUSROLWLFDO process than the vast majority of the public. that the courts might uphold. If successful, I also appreciate the editorial’s attention it may make somewhat WRVROXWLRQV,¶GOLNHWRH[SDQGDELWRQ of a difference in the one particular approach: Selectively using short run, but not likely public dollars to boost the power of small in a fundamental way GRQRUVWRKHOSOHYHOWKHSOD\LQJ¿HOG because those limits $VDVWDUWLQJSUHPLVHP\EHOLHILVWKDW will still allow wealthy the problem is not money in politics per donors to outgive small se, but rather big money in politics. Private donors by several orders of magnitude. political giving can be an important feature The courts may eventually correct of democratic elections. Donating funds is DQLPSRUWDQWIRUPRILQGLYLGXDOH[SUHVVLRQ themselves, paving the way for across- the-board limits on both contributions and a way for private citizens to engage and spending, but it might take a while. ZLWKWKHSROLWLFDOSURFHVV0RUHRYHULQD In the meantime, should we wait for that more balanced system, fundraising can be to happen, or should we consider other a critical measure of the strength of both options? I’m in the latter camp, and a candidate’s ideas and the effectiveness encouraged by what I see in New York City, of her campaign organization — which ZKHUHDVPDOOGRQRU¿QDQFLQJSURJUDPKDV give voters valuable clues to her potential been in place for some time now. effectiveness at governing. The nation’s biggest city, with more $VWKHHGLWRULDOERDUGFRUUHFWO\QRWHV people than our entire state and a political this also means that there are legitimate system swirling with wealthy developers )LUVW$PHQGPHQWFRQFHUQVZLWKWKHLGHD and Wall Street interests, had 61 percent of of limiting how much money a donor can give. But, as the East Oregonian also notes, all the money raised in the 2013 citywide election come from small donors giving our society carefully regulates speech RUOHVV7KHUHVPDOOFRQWULEXWLRQVXS when there is a compelling public interest WRIURPFLW\UHVLGHQWVDUHPDWFKHG to do so. Unfortunately, the courts have ZLWKSXEOLFIXQGVDWDVL[WRRQHUDWLRDW taken an overly narrow view of what that a total cost that is .06 percent of the city’s public interest is in this instance, giving us general fund. problematic rulings like Citizens United. Because small donations are given a $VDUHVXOWWKHFRXUWVKDYHPDGHLWYHU\ boost that allows them to compete with hard to enact the simplest, most intuitive deep-pocketed donors, we’re seeing more solution — limit the amount of money that people getting involved in New York City can be given and spent on elections down elections and more candidates of ordinary PHDQVUXQQLQJIRURI¿FHDQGZLQQLQJ Of course, one city’s success doesn’t QHFHVVDULO\WUDQVODWHWR2UHJRQ$QGWKH East Oregonian raised a hard question: On principle, is it a good idea to use public dollars to subsidize political donations, even if the donations are small? In an ideal world, I’d much rather just strictly limit contributions and spending and let the marketplace of ideas, small money and passion play out. But we can’t do that now, and maybe not ever. In this void, wealthy interests have a much bigger say than \RXDQG,RIWHQVHFXULQJVSHFLDOWD[GHDOV and wasteful government spending that cost far more than a well-designed small donor ¿QDQFLQJSURJUDPPLJKW,QDOHVVWKDQ ideal situation, would we rather have our elections driven by special interest money or public money? So please consider a small donor ¿QDQFLQJSURJUDPIRU2UHJRQHOHFWLRQV with an open mind. There are many questions that must get worked out, especially the cost and administration of the program. But New York City, with over twice Oregon’s population, provides a scaled-up, relatively low-cost, tested model IRUXVWRH[DPLQHDQGDGDSWIRU2UHJRQ There may still be downsides to such a program, both in principle and practice. But in our imperfect world, the upsides of such a program for our fragile democracy might outweigh the downsides. Ŷ David Rosenfeld is the executive director of the OSPIRG Foundation, a statewide public interest organization. He lives in Portland. In a balanced system, fundraising can be a critical measure of the strength of a candidate’s ideas. Rural Eastern Oregon must unshackle from ‘poverty promoters’ T rural west has been in he West and the motion for years with no industries that created jobs and no hope for a our communities productive future. Children have been under assault for must leave to make a living more than 30 years. The and cannot return home federal land that historically and raise a family. The made them prosperous has rural counties and cities been managed under the struggle to maintain a LQÀXHQFHRIHQYLURQPHQWDO Andy basic level of services that and conservation “poverty Bentz make their communities promoters” for enough Comment livable. No way to invite years to make no mistake in new investment or job the results of their agenda: opportunities, but poverty. for the low paying Poor land service sector. health, reduced Their schools grazing, runaway struggle and numbers of feral downsize with horses and their decaying facilities. associated land Those that remain damage, invasive by choice or plant species, very lack of options little logging on sink further into poverty hoping federal lands, with all resulting in WKHJRYHUQPHQWZLOOEDFN¿OOWKHLU unhealthy rangelands and forests VKULQNLQJWD[EDVHDWWKHH[SHQVH OHDGLQJWRPDVVLYH¿UHVHYHU\ of their state’s more populated year. Not a very good report card, counties. Result: poverty. is it? In most western states, there Public lands are supposed to is little investment being made in PLQHUDOH[SORUDWLRQDORQJZLWKWKH be managed for multiple uses; that includes everyone, economic lost opportunities for mining and sustainability, local and federal WKHMREVDQGWD[LQFRPHWKDWDQ\ WD[SURGXFWLRQWULEDOQHHGVDQG productive uses produce. Result: wellbeing, recreation, wildlife poverty. and healthy lands. Environmental The human cleansing of the Rural America wants to be sustainable and produce value. groups want all uses off the land H[FHSWIRUOLPLWHGUHFUHDWLRQ because they say “it is only fair that each state has a certain percent of land mass in a special designation.” Wow, that is some logic. Even stranger is the activities they claim to want the special designations for can be done today, yesterday and forever just as the land is now. 7KHH[LVWLQJURDGV\VWHPV allow the land to be accessible to everyone in the United States, young and old, disabled or healthy, rich or poor, urban or rural — not just for their interest group members. These groups will always point to their funded economic reports and claim their studies show local towns being better off if the land surrounding it would has a wilderness or monument designation. Their studies are naive number manipulation at best and at worst economic malpractice. Special interest groups masquerading as environmental “fundraising organizations” have sued their way into control of the public’s lands. This cottage industry was made possible by their ability to recover legal FRVWVZLWK\RXUWD[GROODUVXVLQJ WKH(TXDO$FFHVVWR-XVWLFH$FW $QRWKHUZD\WRORRNDWWKLVLV\RX get to pay them for suing you. Nice system for their budgets. Result: poverty. They want no value coming from the land that is not directly related to their hobbies and like hiking, backpacking and the associated purchasing of wanted clothing and gear they PDQXIDFWXUH0RVWRIWHQLQIRUHLJQ IDFWRULHVWKDWFDUHQH[WWRQRWKLQJ about their employees or paying WD[HVLQWKH86$5HVXOWSRYHUW\ Environmental interest groups see federal managed lands as their SULYDWHSOD\JURXQG0RQXPHQWV and wilderness areas are a thinly veiled land grab for only those with money. This does not meet the multiple use mandate that the land is supposed to be managed for all uses and people. They have paralyzed land management agencies with their litigation to the point that no management is occurring. 7KHUHLVQRÀH[LELOLW\DOORZHGLQ management plans to promote land KHDOWKSUHYHQWZLOG¿UHVRUKHOS communities be self-sustaining. $GRSWHGUXOHVDQGSROLFLHVWR combat the litigation have made planning and permitting take too long and cost too much money to be economical. We see the frustration played out in rural communities with harsh words and misguided anger at the “federal government” when that energy should be focused toward the groups that cause the conditions they are frustrated with. It is time that the counties and cities of the rural West are allowed to pay for their own needed VHUYLFHVDQGEHFRPHQHWH[SRUWHUV RIWD[HVDJDLQ5XUDO$PHULFD wants to be sustainable and produce real value for all citizens. They can and are willing to do the hard work of helping feed our QDWLRQSURGXFHWKHZRRG¿EHUWR house our nation, locate and mine the needed mineral, gas, oil and geothermal resources so we can be safer from foreign nations that do not have our interests at heart. We can do this while protecting and improving the land and beautiful spaces we are all blessed to be stewards of. /HW¶VVWDUWEXLOGLQJ$PHULFD again and not be driven under by “poverty promoters.” Ŷ Andy Bentz is the managing member of a consulting group in Ontario. He retired as the sheriff of Malheur County in 2011.
