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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 2016)
VIEWPOINTS Saturday, March 12, 2016 East Oregonian Page 5A Oregon’s one-party rule is harming the state Quick takes Naked leap lands in tree Let that be a lesson to all tweakers: if you do the drugs you could end up on the front page of the EO naked! And the Oregonlive/ The Oregonian! I’m glad the lady at home didn’t get hurt (physically) — I know for a fact this will take her a lot of time to mentally get through this ordeal. — concernedforgrowth Reminds me of Round-Up of 1980... — Steven E. Anderson I would say he got caught with his pants down! What a hoot! — Nella Fackrell Britt This photo actually made me laugh a lot. And every time I see it in my news feed I giggle again. — Kasi Quaempts-McIntyre Mental illness and addiction are not a MRNH,KRSHKH¿QDOO\FDQJHWKHOS — Rob Burton Finicum killing ruled justified The key question is: When did the FBI shoot? Before Finicum reached for his weapon? — David Petersen He wasn’t reaching for a weapon he was grabbing his side when he was shot. — Jolene Buckner The investigation and report were released today in Bend. Go read it. — Virgene Thomas Cox Why read a factual report when conspiracy theories are so much more fun? — Paula Heinrich Tweet your quick takes to @Tim_Trainor or email editor@eastoregonian.com, and keep them to 140 characters. S pay more — they simply don’t have everal years ago, Oregon’s enough business to make it work. Legislature created what they Jack up the wages and the citizens entitled the “grand bargain.” of those communities, who already Whether or not it turned out to be have some of the lowest per capita as grand as the politicians touted it incomes in Oregon, will be spending to be, the title stuck. a fortune on gasoline because local Now, as the Democrats continue shopping options are closed. their stranglehold on the shape of And, speaking Oregon, and in the process reshape George the purpose and intent of the short Murdock of fuel, which is a burden on those session, they’ve come up with a Comment with lower incomes, new plan — the grand deception. the plethora of Somehow, the Democratic leadership has adopted the middle class and clean fuel initiatives are destined to drive up the WKRVHVWUXJJOLQJWRVXUYLYHDVEHQH¿FLDULHV cost of gasoline — along of their ambitious plans for the minimum with other similar products wage and a host of other social engineering — and the group hit the LQLWLDWLYHVGHVLJQHGWRFUHDWHDQDUWL¿FLDO hardest will be those the level of security. Oregon is locked in the Democrats purport to grip of misguided legislation driven by a represent. group of Portland liberals who have never The same will happen PHWDSD\UROO²OLWHUDOO\RU¿JXUDWLYHO\ Polls show raising the minimum wage is with utility bills as strict environmental demands supported by 80 percent of Democrats and create new costs for those just 16 percent of Republicans. supplying power. In Eastern Oregon, the minimum wage With both federal and state lawmakers proposals will certainly have an impact continuing to assault the natural resource on helping some workers add to their industries, the current housing shortage paychecks. For a number of others, there cannot help but be impacted by a shortage will be no paycheck at all as hundreds of building materials, let alone taking away of small businesses shutter their doors yet more family wage jobs. — unable to survive. A recent estimate With minimum wage legislation, provided at the economic outlook luncheon not only will the cost of food go up, the in Pendleton revealed the new minimum opportunity for young people to earn wage proposal will cost Oregon 32,000 summer wages will diminish. Economics jobs. Many observers feel that estimate is will force farmers to move away from extremely conservative. labor intensive crops in favor of those I visited a grocery store in a remote which can be mechanized and reduce community of Eastern Oregon that is the need for labor. Students who rely on popular with the locals because otherwise SDUWWLPHHPSOR\PHQWZLOO¿QGWKHMREV they would have to drive 50-60 miles have vanished and they will get neither the for groceries. Unlike stores in larger FRPPXQLWLHVWUDI¿FLVQ¶WKHDY\EXWZRUNHUV experience nor the income. Organizations have to be on hand throughout the day to be which seek to offer internship opportunities for students will likely trash the idea. available when customers do come in. Oregon farmers will be unable to That’s something that happens in many compete on a national scale because their small, rural areas where the access to VHUYLFHVLVDEOHVVLQJEXWFXVWRPHUWUDI¿FLV cost of production will eliminate their sparse. It isn’t that the owners don’t want to ability to compete with states where labor costs are much, much less. Large chains don’t care where their products come from but rather demand the lowest price. Oregon is rapidly becoming the least business-friendly state in the nation thanks to the work of the Legislature. In fact, Oregon isn’t even on the radar screen of most major businesses seeking to expand. The agenda of Democratic legislative leaders cannot help but drive up the cost of fundamental goods and services — something which has the greatest impact on those H[SHULHQFLQJ¿QDQFLDO challenges. Their actions will have a far more devastating impact on low income Oregonians than any gains that might be experienced from a higher minimum wage. The 2016 Legislative session was a farce that completely disregarded the very intent of short sessions. Short sessions were sold on the basis of tweaking measures passed in the long session — not creating major policy initiatives. But short sessions also provide cover for passing measures with limited public awareness and participation. And the misuse of power, as demonstrated by the 2016 Legislature, can limit discussion by those who are not proponents of the Democratic agenda. And yet, despite the grand deception, our most economically vulnerable citizens provide the strongest base of support for the very lawmakers whose actions are making their lives miserable. When decisions are being guided by those organizations with big checkbooks, Oregonians can expect a future based upon entitlement, not empowerment. Ŷ George Murdock, of Pendleton, is a Umatilla County Commissioner. The agenda of the Democratic leaders cannot help but drive up the cost of fundamental goods and services. Ten Commandments for open meetings Graze it or blaze it By BRIAN J. HUNHOFF Yankton County (S.D.) Observer By KEITH BALTZOR T “I think heroic deeds were all conceived in the open air.” -Walt Whitman T he quote atop this editorial is from Song of the Open Road — a cheerful 1856 tribute to freedom and the great outdoors. Hopefully, Mr. Whitman would have approved use of his prose to promote open, well-aired government. It’s unlikely the great poet favored government secrecy and closed-door meetings. He also wrote, “Out of the GDUNFRQ¿QHPHQWRXWIURPEHKLQGWKH screen!” For today’s purposes, Whitman’s “screen” represents the executive session — a self-important term for a classic oxymoron: closed public meeting. Too many elected boards seek every opportunity to meet out of sight of the public they serve. Some schedule executive sessions as a regular agenda item. Some hold up to three executive sessions in a single meeting. Some have executive sessions that last longer than the open portion of their meeting. In most cases, executive sessions do not violate open meeting laws. The closed-door discussions are often suggested or encouraged by an elected board’s legal counsel. But legality and necessity are two different things. Consider the following list our Fourth Estate counsel to county commissions, city councils, and school boards everywhere on executive sessions and general government openness. Citizens should hold their HOHFWHGRI¿FLDOVWRWKHVWDQGDUGVEHORZ These are Ten Commandments for open meetings: ONE: Do not gather as a quorum outside of regular meetings, and do not hold special meetings without giving at least 24 hours public notice. TWO: Do not habitually add last-minute items to the agenda, and do not act on anything not listed on the posted agenda. THREE: Do not abuse the litigation excuse for executive sessions to speculate about possible or imagined lawsuits. FOUR: Do not stretch the personnel excuse for executive sessions to discuss policy issues. Example: Creating a new position or changing a department’s job descriptions are policy decisions and not appropriate topics for a closed meeting. FIVE: Do not dial up the “negotiations” excuse to suddenly exclude the public from discussion of controversial issues that were previously aired thoroughly in open session. SIX: Do not allow executive session conversations to stray to other topics. SEVEN: Do not violate the spirit of the open meeting law with frequent phone, email or text dialogue with other members. Reach consensus at the meeting. EIGHT: Do not make a habit of whispering or passing notes at meetings. You were elected to speak for us. Tell what you have to say out loud and proud! NINE: Allow public input at every meeting. Include it on every agenda. TEN: Be as transparent as possible. Do not hold executive sessions simply because counsel advised it is “legal” to do so. Ask yourself: “Is it absolutely critical we discuss this privately?” That should be the standard because legality and necessity are two different things. We appreciate our commissioners and board members. They serve for minimal compensation. They make tough decisions. They sometimes lose friends and make enemies. Their dedication to community is admirable. :HVLPSO\DVNHOHFWHGRI¿FLDOVWR think twice before kicking the public out of public meetings. Strive for fewer. Less is more. A closed meeting should be a rare occasion, not a habit. Ŷ Brian Hunhoff writes for the Yankton County Observer in Yankton, South Dakota. His editorials about open government won the 2015 Freedom of Information award, which was given by the National Newspaper Association. Transmission needs remain strong UHDI¿UPHGWKDW%+LV daho Power essential to serving future looks forward to growth in customer demand. reaching some Previous IRPs also have major milestones LGHQWL¿HGWKHQHHGIRUWKLV for the Boardman transmission project, going to Hemingway back to the 2006 IRP. transmission line project in 2016. The The need for B2H is still federal permitting VWURQJ:KHQ¿QLVKHGWKH Mitch process is in the Colburn project will help provide home stretch, with a low-cost energy to Idaho Comment ¿QDO(QYLURQPHQWDO Power’s customers in Impact Statement southern Idaho and eastern expected from the Bureau of Oregon. The project also will Land Management this year, and interconnect with existing potentially a record of decision, transmission facilities owned by WRR,GDKR3RZHUZLOO¿QDOL]H RXUSURMHFWSDUWQHUV3DFL¿&RUS its application for Oregon’s and the Bonneville Power facility siting process after the Administration, allowing greater momentous BLM events. amounts of electricity to move It has been a long, productive WKURXJKRXWWKH3DFL¿F1RUWKZHVW road to get to this point. Idaho This helps meets a regional need Power’s 2015 integrated DQGSURYLGHVEHQH¿WVWRWKHHQWLUH resource plan, a long-term area, much of which is served, resource planning study, recently directly or indirectly, by those two I providers. In addition, the project allows Idaho Power to serve its growing load without building a carbon-emitting resource. We thank all of the communities along the B2H route for their past input and continued engagement with the project. That public involvement began in 2010 with the year-long Community Advisory Process and continues today. The hundreds of hours spent by numerous folks, from ODQGRZQHUVWRSXEOLFRI¿FLDOV WRKHOS¿QGWKHEHVWURXWHIRUWKH project have been invaluable. We look forward to continuing to work with you as permitting of B2H continues, and through the construction of this project that EHQH¿WVWKHHQWLUHUHJLRQ Ŷ About the Author: Mitch Colburn is the leader of Idaho Power’s 500-kV projects group. he proposed wilderness area in Oregon’s Malheur County, if designated, will lead to the destruction of the very landscape some wish to protect. Oregon Natural Desert Association and Keen Footwear, a multi-million dollar Portland company, and others seek such designation. Wilderness designation will mean very large blocks of land will be denied access to motorized travel, making it nearly impossible for local ranchers to remain viable. Diminished cattle numbers could lead to the undoing of the Owyhee landscape Whether you agree or disagree with grazing on public lands, the fact is, grazing done correctly reduces intensity and helps SUHYHQW¿UH5HGXFWLRQRU elimination of grazing in a short number of years will lead to an overabundance of ¿QHIXHOV Research conducted by rangeland scientists, Davies, Bates, Svejcar and Boyd, “Effects of Long Term Livestock Grazing on Fuel Characteristics in Rangelands: An Example from the Sage Brush Steppe” suggested that “moderate livestock grazing reduces the risk RIZLOG¿UHVRQVDJHEUXVK rangelands by decreasing WKHDPRXQWRI¿QHIXHO available for ignition and OLPLWLQJSRWHQWLDO¿UHVSUHDG E\UHGXFLQJ¿QHIXHO continuity, accumulation, and height.” The accumulation and continuity of these unused grasses create a perfect opportunity for what are commonly UHIHUUHGWRDVPHJD¿UHV 0HJD¿UHVEXUQZLWK such intensity they often NLOOPDQ\RIWKHEHQH¿FLDO perennial grasses, such as Bluebunch Wheat Grass and Idaho Fescue. These perennials are the last line of defense against undesirable, invasive species, such as cheat grass and Medusa +HDGWKDWÀRXULVKDIWHU ¿UHV7KHVHLQYDVLYHVOHDG to a less diverse plant community, erosion, and HYHQPRUH¿UH Jordan Valley’s Rural Fire Protection Association is currently trained, equipped, and motivated to respond to ¿UHVDWDPRPHQW¶VQRWLFH 0DQ\¿UHVDUHVWRSSHGZKLOH small, saving countless acres of resource. If these ranchers are put out of business by wilderness designation, I doubt they will spend their time, money, or put their lives on the line to protect a resource that no longer GLUHFWO\EHQH¿WVWKHP, highly doubt ONDA, Keen, and their cohorts will have DSHUVRQ¿UHSURWHFWLRQ association on the ground to replace the Jordan Valley association. Even though ONDA claims grazing will continue, it would be wise to look at what they have done in the past rather than listen to what they say they will do in the future. I believe through litigation and denied access, cattle will be pushed from the land. If so, it will ultimately lead to incinerating the area they purport to protect. This proposal must be stopped to truly save the Owyhees. Ŷ Keith Baltzor lives in Burns. CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES U.S. Senators Governor Ron Wyden Washington office: 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 La Grande office: 541-962-7691 Jeff Merkley Washington office: 313 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753 Pendleton office: 541-278-1129 U.S. Representative Greg Walden Washington office: 185 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6730 La Grande office: 541-624-2400 Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court Street Salem, OR 97301-4047 Senator Bill Hansell, District 29 900 Court St. NE, S-423 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1729 Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us Representatives Greg Barreto, District 58 900 Court St. NE, H-38 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1458 Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us Greg Smith, District 57 900 Court St. NE, H-482 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1457 Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
