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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Tuesday, April 26, 2016 OTHER VIEWS Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW Another scary leak at Hanford “It’s an example of a culture at told KING 5. “This is probably Hanford of ‘We don’t have problems the biggest event to ever happen KHUH:H¶UHGRLQJMXVW¿QH¶:KLFK in tank farm history. The double LVDWRWDOOLH´IRUPHU+DQIRUG shell tanks were supposed to be Nuclear Reservation worker Mike WKHVDYLRUVRIDOOVDYLRUV´DVIDUDV Geffre told KING 5 this week. keeping waste away from people Geffre was and the environment. reacting to news that A current Hanford “This is a supposedly super worker said, “The safe double-walled primary tanks weren’t catastrophic designed to stage underground storage tank for highly like this for so ... the double waste radioactive waste many years. There’s has a major leak in the question, shell tanks were always the space between ‘Are the outer shells its inner and outer supposed to be FRPSURPLVHG"¶´ walls. Geffre warned Three of Hanford’s RI¿FLDOVLQ other he saviors of all tanks double-shell about the potential have the same for such an event, design as the one now saviors.” but a response was in the news. — Mike Geffre, ridiculously slow in Millions live Former Hanford Nuclear coming. downriver from Reservation worker Washington Hanford, starting state’s Department with us in Umatilla of Ecology sought to allay public and Morrow counties. As massively worries, saying there is no sign that expensive as the cleanup has sludge created during plutonium been — around $40 billion so far, production made it past the tank’s with maybe $75 billion more in the RI¿QJ²LWZLOOSDOHLQFRPSDULVRQ outer shell into the environment. To its credit, the state has been a more to damages from a major toxin spill zealous watchdog than other parties into the air and groundwater. Citizens must use every political involved in Hanford oversight. But and legal tool to impose competent its reassurances are starting to ring and responsive management on this hollow. GUHDGIXO¿DVFR ³7KLVLVFDWDVWURSKLF´*HIIUH Culture corner For the past four decades, The Village Voice alternative New York City newspaper has compiled an annual ³3D]]-RS´PXVLFSROOPHDVXULQJ hundreds of critics’ critiques of the year’s albums. Instead of an academy picking IURPDVPDOO¿HOGRI¿QDOLVWVOLNHWKH Grammys, each critic is given 100 points to assign to what they consider the year’s top 10 releases. More than 1,000 albums HQGXSZLWKDWOHDVWWKHPLQLPXP¿YH points, while the top few on the list garner thousands of points and wide consesus from the critics. It’s an interesting metric for measuring popular art while it’s still fresh. Big names like Bob Dylan, Kanye West, Talking Heads and Michael Jackson have all taken the top VSRWEXWVRKDYHW8Q(\$U'V/&' Soundsystem and Animal Collective. As a fan of both music and critical analysis, I am on a quest to listen to all 440 albums on the 44 years of top 10 lists. Thanks to the advent of digital music I won’t have to spend long weekends or thousands of dollars searching record stores or Ebay for the more mainstream offerings. There are some lost gems that I’ve already started scouting for. If you’d like to join the quest, check out the full Pazz & Jop lists at villagevoice.com/pazznjop. I have a handy spreadsheet of all 440 albums for tracking which ones you own or have listened to, and I have a few dozen CDs DQG/3VIURPWKHOLVW,ZRXOGEHZLOOLQJ to swap for a short time with a fellow traveler. — Daniel Wattenburger 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. 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 Man- aging Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. Clash of the injured titans I f trends hold and the parties’ to suggest that his guy, the ultimate front-runners become the parties’ branding machine, simply needs one nominees, November is going more rebranding, that his problems to be an epic election: a hobbled pale in comparison to those of Clinton, titan (Hillary Clinton) versus a his likely opponent. mortally wounded one (the real estate Maybe. Maybe not. developer). As The Wall Street Journal noted The upcoming contests only in a recent poll, Clinton’s unpopularity buttress the possibility that those Charles — as measured by poll respondents two will be the last man and woman saying that they either have somewhat Blow standing. or very negative feelings toward Comment As of Sunday, 7KH+XI¿QJWRQ her — hit a “dubious new record of 56 Post’s Pollster average of polls had SHUFHQW´ the real estate developer leading Ted Cruz by The only problem for Republicans, almost 30 percentage points in Connecticut, KRZHYHULVWKDW³DQDVWRXQGLQJSHUFHQW´ 19 points in Pennsylvania and 20 points in feel that way about the real estate developer, Maryland. All three states vote on Tuesday. leading the paper to conclude that he and Cruz The real estate developer is leading in Rhode “may be the only two Republicans who could Island and Delaware as well — states that also ORVHWR+LOODU\&OLQWRQ´ vote on Tuesday — but those states don’t have Exit polls in New York, where the real the same volume of polling to make the results estate developer won by massive margins, as reliable. revealed that even among Republican voters, That same site had Clinton leading Sen. 22 percent said that they would be scared of Bernie Sanders by 26 points in Maryland, his presidency and another 14 percent said 15 points in Pennsylvania and six points in they’d be concerned about it. Connecticut. She, too, was leading in Rhode 2QO\SHUFHQWRI'HPRFUDWVVDLGWKH\¶G Island and Delaware. be scared of a Clinton presidency, with 25 We seem to be watching the prequel to a percent saying they would be concerned about foregone conclusion. it. Now the question is: How would these two In fact, naturalization applications are candidates square off in a general election? RQWKHULVHVSHFL¿FDOO\EHFDXVH/DWLQR As The New York Times reported last week, immigrants are nervous about the potential Paul Manafort, the real estate developer’s new presidency of the real estate developer. As The campaign chief, seemed to suggest on a tape New York Times reported last month: obtained by the paper that up until now, the “Overall, naturalization applications real estate developer’s incendiary style was LQFUHDVHGE\SHUFHQWLQWKH¿VFDO\HDU just an act. over the year before, and jumped 14 percent This is how the paper reported the contents during the six months ending in January, of the tape: DFFRUGLQJWRIHGHUDO¿JXUHV7KHSDFHLV “Mr. Manafort acknowledged Mr. Trump’s picking up by the week, advocates say, and deep unpopularity — his ‘negatives,’ he called they estimate applications could approach one them — but invoked Ronald Reagan’s initial million in 2016, about 200,000 more than the SROOLQJGH¿FLWLQWRFODLP0U7UXPS¶V DYHUDJHLQUHFHQW\HDUV´ GH¿FLHQFLHVZHUHQRWSHUPDQHQW0U5HDJDQ¶V The article continues: “While XQIDYRUDELOLW\LQKRZHYHUZDVQHYHUDV naturalizations generally rise during high as that of Mr. Trump now. presidential election years, Mr. Trump “‘Fixing personality negatives is a lot easier SURYLGHGDQH[WUDERRVWWKLV\HDU´ WKDQ¿[LQJFKDUDFWHUQHJDWLYHV¶VDLG0U If Clinton lacks enthusiasm among her Manafort … ‘You can’t change somebody’s fans, that lack is likely to be more than made character. But you can change the way up for by voters’ enthusiasm for anyone but somebody presents themselves.’ the real estate developer. “And that, Mr. Manafort said, was in the It’s too far from November to make ZRUNV´ predictions about the outcome of a race. We Will the real demagogue please stand up! VWLOOKDYHWROHDUQWKHGH¿QLWLYHRXWFRPHRI How must all of his supporters feel — the each party’s nominating process. ones following him like wounded puppies There could be a surprise in Clinton’s because he is their rapid rabble-rouser who emails or in the real estate developer’s taxes ³WHOOVLWOLNHLWLV´"0D\EHKH¶VMXVWEHHQ — should he ever release them. There also is a telling you what he knew you wanted to hear. tremendous war chest of super PAC money on Maybe he’s been playing on your anxieties, the sidelines waiting to get into the race, and insecurities and anger to further his own there’s no way to know how that will shape ambitions. Maybe this has all been an act, the election. D³SDUWKH¶VEHHQSOD\LQJ´DQG\RXDUHWKH Nothing is settled and inevitable, but at this gullible audience who got played. point one must say: Advantage Clinton. Maybe you are simply backing a man who Ŷ has hijacked your passions and your party. Charles M. Blow is The New York Times’s But on the substance, Manafort seems visual Op-Ed columist. YOUR VIEWS Pendleton council’s questionable calls I listened to the city council object to the terms of the proposed lease agreement with Blue Mountain Community College, which gave the college the right to terminate the lease with little notice while the city had no such right. The college vice president explained that when students sign a letter of intent, a two-year program is expected, and Councilperson McDonald personally felt the effect of the cancellation of a program the she was enrolled in with very little notice. Since the city of Pendleton paid nothing for the property, wouldn’t it be more prudent to deed the property directly to the college with the same stipulation that they gave the Round-Up Association with respect to property use? There is already a city-owned lot available in the same area as well DVDQDEXQGDQFHRIÀDWLQGXVWULDO city-owned land that the city has failed to develop at and near the airport. I don’t think I would want to be near city hall when the headlines on the front page of the East Oregonian read “Pendleton City Council evicts Blue Mountain Community College IURPEDVHEDOO¿HOG´ Then again, I’m sure the city of Hermiston would gladly accept the program at the new EOTEC center grounds in the same manner as they continue to improve facilities for the college rodeo program and the campus expansion. Water Quality Report: The council approved a new three-year contract to prepare and print the new water quality report. What they failed to report in their post-meeting radio interview is that the contractor is a Bend company, and the cost has ballooned from roughly $3,500 a year to an open-ended estimate of $10,000 a year, not to exceed $30,000 for the length of the program. I believe they explained the increase was for marketing. The public works representative explained that this was a cost saving measure. Rick Rohde Pendleton Rohde’s military service important As a close friend, I noticed that the East Oregonian omitted an important part of Rick Rohde’s history: his military service. Rick was a veteran of Vietnam and both Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He proudly served his country for 24 years in both the active duty Air Force and the Air )RUFH5HVHUYH+H¿QLVKHGKLV career as an aircraft loadmaster À\LQJZRUOGZLGHDQGUHWLUHGDVD Master Sergeant. Bev Cary Pendleton Innovative Bailor would shake up politics This letter is in support of 7KRPDV³7RP´%DLORUIRU8PDWLOOD County Commissioner, Position 3. Tom Bailor has spent considerable time studying Umatilla County politics and the county charter. He is well-informed about issues currently facing the county and, in addition, has innovative ideas that will move the county forward in the future. Tom lives in Pendleton and teaches in both Pendleton and Hermiston. He has contacts all over the county and will represent all the people of Umatilla County. He works well with people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests. Not only does Tom have experience in management, having worked as both a program manager and project coordinator at CTUIR, but he also has the right educational background, with a masters degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University. I urge voters to learn more about Tom Bailor from the Voter’s Pamphlet, which he took the time to submit information to. You can also learn about Tom from his Facebook site. I believe Tom Bailor will shake up the county establishment at the local level, but in a positive, progressive way. I would also like to urge the East Oregonian to host a candidates’ forum so that all interested voters can learn more about the candidates for county and city elections. Karen King Pendleton Fairley a professional I support Scott Fairley for Pendleton City Council Ward 2. I have worked with Scott on the Oregon Solutions Housing Team and have served with him on the Pendleton Progress Board. Scott takes a mindful, researched approach to all he does. Scott listens more than he talks and has earned the respect of many, both locally and across the state. Scott is articulate and professional. As a planning commission chair, Scott has led productive, professional meetings and has genuinely encouraged public input and discussion. Scott is capable of having intelligent conversations with people about potentially contentious issues and can be trusted to be respectful both during and after the interaction. Scott is smart and has Pendleton at the heart of his work. I would be proud to have Scott represent our community. Scott can be trusted to be a positive, professional, smart voice. Vote for Scott Fairley, then let’s support him when he takes his seat. Susan Bower Pendleton Primmer a great choice We were so pleased when Dale Primmer decided to run for Pendleton City Council, Ward 3. And so disappointed that we won’t be able to vote for him because we live in another ward. So the next best thing for us is to urge all our friends in Ward 3 to cast a vote for Dale Primmer. We’ve both known Dale for many years, have worked with him, and have known him to be smart, a real listener, an excellent teacher, and we have appreciated his intellect, his moral compass, and his sense of humor. He’s a great choice for City Council, and we’re looking forward to his being a part of the ruling body of the City of Pendleton. Bob and MaryAlice Ridgway, Pendleton
