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OPINION
East Oregonian
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
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MIKE FORRESTER
STEVE FORRESTER
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Pendleton
Chairman of the Board
Astoria
President
Pendleton
Secretary/Treasurer
CORY BOLLINGER
JEFF ROGERS
Aberdeen, S.D.
Director
Indianapolis, Ind.
Director
OUR VIEW
Gov. Brown tells
rural Oregon to
show up, speak up
When Governor Kate Brown
travels outside Salem, she seems to
stop in Pendleton more often than
not.
This trip, her ¿rst of¿cial Maunt
outside the Willamette Valley since
the short session, was no different.
Brown visited the Pendleton Early
Learning Center, Blue Mountain
Community College, a boot shop on
Main Street and this newspaper’s
editorial board — the whole
Pendleton experience.
With our board, she discussed
the feeling of rural Oregonians who
are represented in Salem almost
exclusively by Republicans. Those
Republicans are the minority party
in both chambers. A minority
representing a minority can ¿nd
themselves far from the levers
of power. And that feeling of
voicelessness can manifest itself in
dangerous ways, as we saw earlier
this year in rural Harney County.
In an act of de¿ance during the
last short session, Republicans
didn’t show up for an evening work
session. The message from the
GOP was that you don’t listen to
us anyway — you don’t need us to
get a partisan bill to the governor’s
desk — so why even take part?
At the same time, you can’t blame
the Democrats for plowing ahead.
They have their policy goals and
they have the votes to achieve them.
Brown knows what it’s like to
be in the minority party. She spent
14 years in the House and Senate
during a time when Democrats were
outnumbered both places.
Brown said she didn’t think the
2016 short session was terribly
partisan, although she admitted
“there were certainly times when
there was a lot of tension.”
But through that tension, she
said good legislation made its way
into law. And more often than not, a
Republican signature was included
on each one.
“When we closed the session
down, 75 bills had come through our
desk,” said Brown. “All but one of
them had some level of Republican
support.” The one bill that didn’t
was the minimum wage increase.
She said that local Republicans
Bill Hansell and Greg Barreto were
pleased with the wolf bill, biomass
tax credit and a bill to incentivize
investment in solar energy. And
we’ve heard the same from them.
Of the wolf bill, clearly a priority
for Eastern Oregon, Brown said:
“Dor me, what was most important
was sending a very strong signal
that this type of collaboration and
cooperation is how we want to solve
problems in Oregon … and so that’s
why I signed the bill. Bottom line.
From a legal perspective it was
certainly, no question, disconcerting
for me.”
The minimum wage bill is clearly
the piece of legislation that will
have the biggest impact on the state.
And on that piece of Democratic
legislation, Brown says the GOP
made sizable contributions to how it
will look once it’s brought to life this
summer.
“I believe that one of the reasons
that the third tier was created
was because of concerns that
representatives like Cliff Bentz
(R-Ontario) brought to the table,”
said Brown. “Obviously we were
aware of the dynamic — in terms
of other states. When negotiating
with the business community and
the labor groups, frankly it was
the business community that was
not interested in having more than
two tiers, because it can get very
complicated.”
But Brown said rural Oregon
legislators persisted, pointing
out the differences between their
districts and the urban and suburban
Willamette Valley.
“Frankly I was pleased to see
three tiers,” said Brown. “I think
it was a better ¿t for Oregon. And
so that’s why it’s really important
that rural Oregonians not only
step up, but have their voices be
heard. Because I truly believe they
can impact legislation. And while
Rep. Bentz would probably say he
was not particularly pleased with
the ¿nal product, I think he would
probably say it was better (when it
became law) than when it started.”
Brown’s three-day trip included
stops in Bend and Eugene. Her time
in Pendleton, speaking with local
representatives and business owners
and kindergartners, allow eastern
Oregonians to have the governor’s
ear, if only for a few hours.
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
Take the Trump quiz
D
onald Trump is very likely
triumph at the end of 2015 when the
going to be the Republican
House passed a compromise spending
nominee for president of the
bill that keeps the government running
United States.
through the fall. Trump has been loudly
Take three deep breaths.
critical, and at a recent rally in North
I know we’ve been on this path for
Carolina, he said the bill was bad
a long time, but it’s still hard getting
because:
your head around the idea, isn’t it?
A. The appropriation for infrastruc-
Just to ease the transition, our ¿rst-ever
ture repair is inadequate.
Gail
exclusively Donald Trump quiz:
B. It fails to address the really crit-
Collins
1. After his big string of victories this
ical Puerto Rican oil export issue.
Comment
week, Trump appeared on MSNBC’s
C. It funds ISIS.
Morning Joe, where he was asked who
8. Sarah Palin had to leave the
his foreign policy advisers were. He said:
Trump campaign to be with her husband, who
A. “I’m speaking with a lot of generals. had a serious snowmobile accident. Before
Very impressive people. All winners.”
her departure she said Todd’s multiple inMuries
B. “I’m speaking with myself.”
made her appreciate:
C. “I have a long list. It’s a good list. Vlad-
A. The skill of Alaskan emergency treat-
imir Putin said it was the best list he’d ever ment centers.
B. The time that we have to spend in doing
seen.”
something so worthy, and
2. After making his surprise
endorsement, Ben Carson said
that’s to get Donald J. Trump
that there were “two different
elected president.
Donald Trumps” and that
C. The stress my family has
the private one was “very
undergone due to my unÀag-
cerebral.” Asked about that
ging pursuit of celebrity.
comment, Trump replied:
9. After Trump defended
A. “I think there are two
the use of torture against
Donald Trumps.”
suspected terrorists, his son
B. “I don?t think there are
Eric, who was campaigning
two Donald Trumps.”
for him, pointed out that
C. “I think there are two Donald Trumps ? I waterboarding:
don’t think there are two Donald Trumps.”
A. Is no different than what happens on
3. Trump claimed on Good Morning college campuses in frat houses every day.
America that there was “nobody that’s done so
B. Has real ef¿cacy when employed as a last
much for equality as I have.” As an example he resort in isolated incidences.
pointed to:
C. Is no worse than what China’s doing to
A. His endorsements by Mike Tyson and our manufacturing base.
Dennis Rodman.
10. Since he threw his support behind
B. The black guy who won ?The Appren- Trump, Gov. Chris Christie has been humiliated
tice? in 2005.
on a daily basis for everything; from his slavish
C. His $100,000-membership club, Mar-a- stare at the candidate’s news conferences to
Lago “totally open to everybody.”
widespread criticism of his absence from New
4. After a protester rushed the stage at one of Jersey while he toils on the campaign trail. To
his rallies, Trump claimed the man was associ- pay him back, at a pre-primary event this week,
ated with ISIS, and retweeted a video of him Trump:
holding a gun in front of the ISIS Àag. When
A. Made fun of Christie for the absentee
NBC?s Chuck Todd pointed out that it was a thing.
hoax, Trump said:
B. Announced he was indeed planning to
A. “Whoops.”
make Christie secretary of transportation.
B. “All I know is what’s on the Internet.”
C. Invited Christie to tell the audience all the
C. “As Kierkegaard said, ‘The truth is a things he went through on 9/11.
trap.’”
11. Trump has endlessly complained about
5. One of the groups that’s been opening the way immigrants steal Mobs from U.S.
Trump rallies is USA Freedom Kids, little workers, but he’s used loopholes in federal law
girls who sang about “President Trump” who to hire foreign workers himself. At a recent
“knows how to make America great:”
debate he argued that voters wouldn’t care
A. “And give us schools that really rate.”
about that seeming contradiction because:
B. “Teach us to love and not to hate.”
A. Everybody would like a Romanian
C. “Deal from strength or get crushed every helper.
time.”
B. Nobody knows the system better than
6. Trump defended the supporter who me.
sucker-punched a protester being led away by
C. What happens in Mar-a-Lago stays in
security forces. He said the attack was Musti¿ed Mar-a-Lago.
because the protester:
ANSWERS: 1-B, 2-C, 3-C, 4-B, 5-C, 6-C,
A. Had violently attacked an elderly woman. 7-C, 8-B, 9-A, 10-A, 11-B
B. Had tried to grab one of the of¿cer’s
Ŷ
guns.
Gail Collins joined The New York Times in
C. Was sticking a certain ¿nger up in the air. 1995 as a member of the editorial board and
7. House Speaker Paul Ryan scored a great later as an Op-Ed columnist.
Take three
deep breaths
before
answering.
YOUR VIEWS
EOTEC will be ready for
2017 fair and rodeo
The sky is falling.
Just like Chicken Little, the sky is
always falling in on EOTEC if you
believe the East Oregonian. It does not
like the acronym “EOTEC.” (And what
is the “EO Media Group” name?) It
screeches that EOTEC is over budget!
(When started, EOTEC didn’t have
two nickels to rub together, much less a
budget.) It roars that EOTEC is behind
schedule! (The lease on the fairgrounds
does not run out until Dec. 31.) It
anguishes that EOTEC will be a burden
on local government! (It will have zero
debt when completed.)
On Dec. 19 of last year, the East
Oregonian editorial board whined about
EOTEC being a “charity case” after
attending an EOTEC public meeting
beginning fundraising for $2 million of
private funds to ¿nish the proMect. (In
four months $1.8 million in donations
and pledges have been received with a
total of $2.3 million anticipated.) And
in this Thursday’s editorial the editors
darkly warned of an impending “maMor
catastrophe” because a brand new
proMect manager got crossed up on the
deadline for completion.
I have been involved in this proMect
since March 2, 1983, with Joe Bums
and Tom Harper, and in 1984 personally
negotiated the option to purchase the
new EOTEC site.
Most recently I wrote the
memorandum of understanding between
the city, county, school district, fair and
rodeo outlining how the fair could be
moved and EOTEC created. Then, at
the request of the city and the county, I
wrote the intergovernmental agreement
that created EOTEC. All for free. And
while I have worked on this proMect
for 33 years, there are others who have
invested far more time. The EOTEC
success will have a thousand fathers.
To the EO Media Group and its sadly
out of touch editors I say this: EOTEC
will be built in time for the 2017 fair and
rodeo, and at the end of this year, the
Hermiston School District will take over
the decrepit 24-acre old fairgrounds in
time convert it into an unequaled high
school campus in the center of town.
The move of the fair, the expanded
high school campus, and EOTEC will
change the face of Hermiston forever.
And what part will the East Oregonian
and EO Media Group have played in
this incredible undertaking? Absolutely
nothing. In 16 months they are going to
look very, very foolish.
George Anderson, 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 Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
or email editor@eastoregonian.com.