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
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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
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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
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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
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&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
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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
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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
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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
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you on our city budget.
improvements.
I hope you kept some of the
With the income we have now,
previous articles so you can
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add up the shortfall of what the
that we can raise
city really needs to adequately
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sustain itself. I will deal with four
will mean the Vert
Al
buildings in this article.
will cost the city
Plute
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budget a minimum
Comment
is owned by the city. It was
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remodeled in the late 1990s with
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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
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rise. Ultimately you will have to make the
maintenance department provides minor
decision.
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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
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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
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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
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system, stage structural work to improve
budget.
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City Hall had heating, cooling and
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telephone upgrades last year that cost
work that needs to be done is estimated to
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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
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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
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time, the accumulation of the income
improvements will probably have a lifespan derived by all the services that it provides.
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The real cost for the Vert on a yearly
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The roof was replaced last year for the cost
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funds in the budget for
replacement.
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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
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installed and operational now and will help
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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
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I will write about more buildings in the
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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
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contribution limits
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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
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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
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because those limits
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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.
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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
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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
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when there is a compelling public interest
WRIURPFLW\UHVLGHQWVDUHPDWFKHG
to do so. Unfortunately, the courts have
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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
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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
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Of course, one city’s success doesn’t
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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
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and wasteful government spending that cost
far more than a well-designed small donor
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ideal situation, would we rather have our
elections driven by special interest money
or public money?
So please consider a small donor
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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
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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.