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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Thursday, March 10, 2016 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW Vote yes on Hermiston, 6WDQ¿HOG¿UHGLVWULFW reformation plan Back in 2014, we supported makes up for joining the local a plan to merge the Hermiston district with neighboring Hermiston. DQG6WDQ¿HOG¿UHGHSDUWPHQWV In Hermiston, the tax rate for which would have provided better WKH¿UHGLVWULFWZRXOGLQFUHDVH emergency services in the county’s from $1.20 to $1.75 per $1,000 in west end. assessed value. However, because The ballot measure failed. But of compression — which sets hard now that the reformation plan is tax limits on municipalities — most back in front of voters two years property owners in the city would later — at a reduced cost and with not see an initial increase in their FOHDUHUH[SODQDWLRQRIEHQH¿WV²ZH taxes. ¿QGLWZRUWKVXSSRUWLQJDJDLQ Those outside the city will see Here’s why: the biggest tax hike. The maximum The reformation increase would be will add personnel. cents per $1,000 The issue looks 55 )RUWKH¿UVWWLPH in assessed value, the Diagonal Road means the confusing on which station in Hermiston owner of a $100,000 the ballot, but home could pay up would be staffed full- time. Administration an additional $55 its a simple way to annually duties will be in taxes. to decrease VLPSOL¿HGDQG Still, in our view, centralized. A that’s a low price to delayed ¿UH¿JKWHUPHGLF pay for better service will work 40 and faster response responses to hours per week in while still emergencies. times, 6WDQ¿HOGDQGDOO coming in below the ¿UHVLQWKDWFLW\ZLOO VWDWHDYHUDJHIRU¿UH receive response district tax rates. from Hermiston crews. And those The issue does look confusing crews will have more equipment on the ballot, possibly one of the at their disposal because there reasons why it failed in 2014. Voters will be enough employees on who are in favor of the reformation hand to operate it. If two or three will have to vote to dissolve their emergencies are happening at once FXUUHQW¿UHGLVWULFWDQGWKHQYRWHWR — a growing concern in the growing create the new one. If any of the votes fail, the whole +HUPLVWRQDUHD²¿UH¿JKWHUVDQG paramedics will be able to deal with plan collapses. If none of the votes fail, voters it without delay. have the ability on the May ballot And those delays are happening, WRHOHFW¿YHERDUGPHPEHUVIRUWKH Hermiston Fire District Chief Scott new district. Stanton told the editorial board. And even though the new district Although he is working hard to will be called Umatilla County Fire make sure it doesn’t, Stanton said District #1, it isn’t a county service. there are increasing odds that a Stanton said the name was just the delay will result in a death, or a simplest one they could come up devastating loss of property. with that didn’t include Hermiston 7KHFRVWIRULQFUHDVHG¿UHDQG emergency service coverage is lower RU6WDQ¿HOG And that’s what the new district than it was in 2014. will be — the simplest way to )RUWKRVHLQWKH6WDQ¿HOG)LUH provide timely emergency response District, property taxes would be LQERWK+HUPLVWRQDQG6WDQ¿HOG lowered by 31 cents per $1,000 We recommend a yes vote. in assessed value. That more than 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 A need in Pendleton for an off-leash dog park Pendleton Parks is a collective in our community, involving and fostering a healthy and vibrant open area. Included in that community are our canine companions. They are considered beloved family members to many and are an integral part of their owners’ daily lives. The city of Pendleton is on track and in line with supporting a healthy outlet for our furry friends. Offering a dog park will be a valuable addition to Pendleton’s already impressive array of neighborhood parks. A location on the Umatilla River, already owned by the city, is the perfect area for dogs to run free and get the needed exercise they desire. A recent letter to the editor suggests a lack of value in offering a place in our town for owners to exercise and enjoy the day outside with their DQLPDOV,DPFRQ¿GHQWWKLVGHGLFDWHG area will foster a healthy community though the enjoyment of our beautiful outdoor areas. We have all heard that exercise is good for us. In fact, the more exercise dogs receive the better behaved they will be (it likely works for humans as well). I agree 100 percent with the editorial comment made: “If you want a dog, take care of it.” Excellent point. Take them outside! Take care of them and yourself. Do a favor for your pet by introducing them to other dogs (socializing). How do you do this? Get outdoors and enjoy a run, throw a ball or jump in the river. We need a designated place to make this happen. There is now no legal, off-leash property to socialize your dog with other dogs or even to let them run untethered. Now is the time to move forward with a location for dog owners to converge to enjoy the outdoors. Pendleton Parks is working for you with this new offering. I hope animal lovers and outdoor enthusiast will see the value in a dog park as I have. Other communities throughout Oregon KDYHVHHQWKHYDOXHDQGEHQH¿WVWR safe, off-leash areas. We have a great opportunity to provide such a space that will allow our animals access to the river and land to play, explore and socialize. Pendleton is a healthy vibrate community, a place where bike trails, dog parks, river walks and community programs bring us together. Dawn DiFuria McClendon, commissioner Parks, Recreation & Cemetery Pendleton Wolves staying busy, even when in the limelight Wow, we have received a lot of press lately. Someone even started an ugly rumor about us being poached — the correct term is hunted. We hunt game and livestock and humans hunt us. I’d like to correct a misconception DERXWFRQ¿UPHGNLOOV7KH¿VKDQG wildlife people go to great lengths WRFRQ¿UPRXUNLOOVEXWWKH\PLVV about half of them because we eat the evidence. Comments about our kills being down this past year are direct insults to our pack skills and my training. We will hunt harder this year. Alpha Wolf, Grand Packmaster (as told to Mike Mehren, the wolf listener) Hermiston 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 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. OTHER VIEWS 7UXPSÀLSÀRSVRQ key immigration issue D Immigration Studies, which favors ETROIT — Donald Trump reducing levels of immigration into won the South Carolina primary the U.S., was not impressed. “(Trump) across the board, but he did made clear in October he didn’t particularly well with the 10 percent of believe what’s in his immigration voters who named immigration as the paper about skilled immigration,” nation’s top issue. Krikorian told me by email after the In addition, some who named Byron debate, “and at the last debate he other issues — the economy, national York showed he buys the ‘jobs Americans security — were undoubtedly also Comment won’t do’ line on unskilled workers concerned about immigration, and too.” Trump’s hard line likely helped him “So will he ‘clarify’ his ‘I’m softening’ with them, too. comment tomorrow, like he did after the Which is why people who follow October debate?” Krikorian continued. “His immigration closely were stunned Thursday embrace of foreign tech workers is particularly night when Trump, at the Fox News debate here in Detroit, announced that he has shocking given that just days ago he featured changed his position on one key element of American workers replaced by Disney at one the immigration debate — the use of H-1B of his rallies.” visas to bring skilled foreign workers into the Even as Krikorian was typing his email United States. to me, Trump was at work doing just what In the distant past — say, yesterday — Krikorian predicted. “Megyn Kelly asked Trump focused on abuses in the system, in about highly skilled immigration,” Trump said which some big companies have been caught LQDFODUL¿FDWLRQVWDWHPHQWVHQWWRUHSRUWHUV using H-1Bs to bring in foreign workers, about an hour after the debate ended. “The force American employees to train their own H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor replacements, and then pay the foreign worker immigration: these are temporary foreign less than the American had made — all to do workers, imported from abroad, for the mostly routine jobs in the tech industry. explicit purpose of substituting for American At his recent rally in Alabama — the one workers at lower pay. I remain totally in which Trump received the endorsement of committed to eliminating rampant, widespread Sen. Jeff Sessions, Congress’ strongest voice H-1B abuse and ending outrageous practices against expanding the troubled H-1B program such as those that occurred at Disney in — Trump also won the endorsement of some Florida when Americans were forced to train American workers who were victims of H-1B their foreign replacements. I will end forever abuse at Disney. the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, “The fact is that Americans are losing their and institute an absolute requirement to hire jobs to foreigners,” one of the laid-off workers $PHULFDQZRUNHUV¿UVWIRUHYHU\YLVDDQG told the crowd. “I believe Mr. Trump is for immigration program. No exceptions.” $PHULFDQV¿UVW´ It would be hard to imagine a quicker or In Detroit, Fox News’ Megyn Kelly PRUHFRPSOHWHÀLSÀRS pointed out that Trump’s campaign website Sen. Marco Rubio, co-author of the Gang has a strong statement against increasing the of Eight bill, wants to increase the number of number of H-1Bs, saying it would “decimate H-1Bs; he’s a co-sponsor of another bill to do American workers,” and yet in one debate just that. After the debate, top Rubio campaign Trump spoke favorably of the program. “So, aide Todd Harris was happy to entertain which is it?” Kelly asked. questions about Trump’s changing positions. “I’m changing,” Trump said. “I’m “First of all, I’m not surprised that he so changing. We need highly skilled people easily took what yesterday was something that in this country, and if we can’t do it, we’ll he had said was a core principle and threw get them in. But, and we do need in Silicon it out the window, because the fact is that Valley, we absolutely have to have.” Donald Trump has no core principles,” Harris “So, we do need highly skilled,” Trump told me. “One of the hallmarks of a con man continued, “and one of the biggest problems is to say whatever it is that you need to say in we have is people go to the best colleges. order to fool somebody, and he obviously feels They’ll go to Harvard, they’ll go to Stanford, that what he needs to say to fool the people they’ll go to Wharton, as soon as they’re now is different than what it was yesterday.” ¿QLVKHGWKH\¶OOJHWVKRYHGRXW7KH\ZDQWWR I asked whether Sen. Rubio is happy to stay in this country. They want to stay here have Trump join him in advocating for H-1Bs. desperately, they’re not able to stay here. For “Sen. Rubio supports the H-1B program,” that purpose, we absolutely have to be able to Harris said. “The problem is we have no idea keep the brain power in this country.” where Donald Trump is going to be tomorrow “So you are abandoning the position on on this issue or frankly, any other issue.” your website?” asked Kelly. A short time later, Rubio himself issued “I’m changing it,” Trump said, “and I’m a statement noting that in the debate Trump softening the position because we have to ³¿QDOO\WRRNDQDFWXDOSRVLWLRQEXWDVVRRQDV have talented people in this country.” the debate was over, his handlers made him Trump’s turnaround sent a jolt through the reverse himself.” group of policy wonks and activists who have “The Republican nominee,” Rubio said, opposed Gang of Eight-style comprehensive “cannot be somebody who is totally clueless immigration reform. “I’ve heard from enough on so many issues, including his signature tech workers displaced by H-1Bs that Trump’s issue.” apparent answer very dispiriting,” tweeted the Ŷ ZULWHU0LFNH\.DXV³&ODUL¿FDWLRQ"´ Byron York is chief political correspondent Mark Krikorian, head of the Center for for The Washington Examiner.
