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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 14, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Saturday, May 14, 2016 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor EO MEDIA GROUP East Oregonian • The Daily Astorian • Capital Press • Hermiston Herald Blue Mountain Eagle • Wallowa County Chieftain • Chinook Observer • Coast River Business Journal Oregon Coast Today • Coast Weekend • Seaside Signal • Cannon Beach Gazette Eastern Oregon Real Estate Guide • Eastern Oregon Marketplace • Coast Marketplace OnlyAg.com • FarmSeller.com • Seaside-Sun.com • NorthwestOpinions.com • DiscoverOurCoast.com 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 Allow EOCI prisoners to work Hillary and Bernie together in Pendleton B OTHER VIEWS In the 1980s, when Oregon goodwill for the civilization they will soon rejoin. changed a state facility in the heart And yes, there is some danger. of Pendleton from a hospital to a But the responsibility for safety prison, it came with stipulations. One was that prisoners would not and security rests solely with the prison and its administration — a leave the grounds. Pendletonians mantle they are willing to assume. It were rightfully nervous about is up to them to chose inmates who thousands of felons taking up do not have a history of violence and residence in city limits, and they attempted escape, who are respectful wanted to be sure the prison’s walls and hard workers. People who can were high and its barbed wire was be counted on to treat time outside sharp. of prison walls as a grateful break Residents were also nervous — and be on their best behavior in about becoming a “prison town,” order to earn future where the high walls and barbed wire and “We have a breaks. Anyone who has shackled work crews stepped EOCI could make Pendleton lot to offer the for a day inside is shocked look less safe, lively and free. city and the by the demographics of the people they see. And that’s the way it has been for decades. surrounding This is not prison as it appears in television In 1987, the city of area.” and movies, with Pendleton put what had been a verbal — Jeri Taylor, yards and cells illed understanding into EOCI superintendent, with the tattooed and writing. The council on inmates working over-muscled and and EOCI agreed that in the city of Pendleton angry. Those kinds no inmates from the of prisoners exist prison would work at EOCI, of course. But a large within city limits, and that ban has percentage of those incarcerated remained for almost 30 years. But desire for change has arrived. there have gray hair, shufle slowly in sweats, and work small jobs to EOCI superintendent Jeri Taylor keep the place clean and pass the told city council that allowing their time. Those are people we can use prisoners to work in the city — like to pick up litter, keep Pendleton Two Rivers Correctional Institution and Umatilla County already can — parks and streets clean, ill potholes, reduce government budgets, provide will be good for both the prison and skilled labor, etc. The possibilities for Pendleton. are numerous. “We have a lot to offer the city Rules and regulations must and the surrounding area,” Taylor be clear. The work must have told the council last month. “We think that our inmates are pretty well community beneit, and it cannot harm existing and operating received around the state.” businesses. It has to be done We agree, and are supportive of aboveboard and with transparency. lifting the ban. There can be little tolerance for The city and its residents, businesses and nonproits have much prisoners who don’t obey the rules. But if the city and the prison work to beneit from EOCI prison crews. Especially in a town like Pendleton, to set those rules, there is no reason to think that 30 years is enough time the heart of which pumps with the for people to change their minds. power of volunteers, an infusion of Clearly, city council will get some labor could reinvigorate the city. pushback from this decision — and It’s also important for the prisoners they take on a risk if something does themselves — the vast majority of go wrong — but oversight and high whom will some day be released expectations can make it a success back onto the streets. They need and net beneit. to feel a sense of ownership and 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. ernie Sanders is not going Feel free to remind her. away. And why should he? The They both believe in universal weather is nice, the crowds health care coverage. Sanders are enormous and he keeps winning wants “Medicare for all.” Clinton’s campaign says she does, too, in theory, primaries. Hillary Clinton has what but just doesn’t believe anything like appears to be an insurmountable lead that could get through Congress. This in delegates, but hope springs eternal. week she proposed a new option for “It is a steep hill to climb,” he Gail 50-somethings that The Times’ Alan admits. Collins Rappeport and Margot Sanger-Katz Actually, probably harder to Comment called “Medicare for more.” surmount than Gangkhar Puensum. And you know, if Clinton could (Which is the world’s highest actually deliver on those two unclimbed mountain. I am telling promises, it would be stupendous. This is an you this to distract you from the subject of excellent example of the Democratic bottom delegate counts.) line: On many, many issues, her platform is But about Sanders: Democrats, what do what the Sanders platform would look like if you think he should do? it actually got through the A) Convention loor congressional wringer. ight. “Game of Thrones”! On other matters, Jon Snow is alive! the Democrats’ current B) Go away. When policy divisions are just Clinton lost, did she torture about doubting Clinton’s Barack Obama over who intentions. Sanders wants was going to be on the to bring back the Glass- platform committee? No, Steagall Act, which bars she sucked it up and gave an commercial banks from extremely nice endorsement going into the investment speech. banking business. Clinton C) Why can’t we all just says she can crack down on get along? Wall Street better with more Personally, I think recent legislation. Sanders that last one is possible. followers don’t believe she Although it would probably means it. be a good idea to avoid I say, be impressed saying a Clinton nomination that there’s a party full of could be a “disaster simply young voters for whom to protect the status quo,” as “Glass-Steagall” is a big Sanders’ campaign manager applause line. You can’t did in an email Wednesday. not want to encourage that. In an ideal world the Put Glass-Steagall in the Democrats would nominate a presidential candidate who’s got an inspiring platform. Even if Clinton is right, all you’d have is duplication of effort, and it would be vision of change and the competence to run an excellent gesture of solidarity. the country from Day 1. This person is not Finally, there’s the inluence of big-money going to be on the ballot this year. So let donors on American politics. In theory, Hillary Clinton have the nomination and give Sanders and Clinton are pretty much in Bernie Sanders the party platform. the same place. But in practice, he’s built He deserves a role. Sanders has spent the his entire campaign around the concept of past year speaking about narrowing the gulf throwing out special interest money, while between the rich and the bottom 99 percent, Clinton’s barely provided lip service. ighting climate change and keeping special “One of the four pillars of her campaign interests out of government. He’s inspired was going to be democracy issues,” said Fred millions. It’s pretty much always the same Wertheimer, president of the reform group speech, but he’s the one who can bring the Democracy 21. “Well, the pillars haven’t been music. around too much.” (Question: Will the Republicans have a Wertheimer had his heart broken by ight about their platform? Nah — Donald Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, who both Trump will let his opponents put in anything promised to make campaign inance a top they want. Look, the man has convention priority, then didn’t. Hillary Clinton, he thinks, entertainment to plan. Given the option of ought to promise something more speciic that choosing the party position on health care or the dance numbers, you know which way he’s she could implement right away. “Set up a task force in the White House going to go.) whose job it is to pursue this reform. Of top The Democrats could just make the staff people,” he suggested. Sanders speech into a platform, then join Or a blue-ribbon committee featuring hands and march into the future. There Bernie Sanders. Who would certainly never actually aren’t a lot of areas of disagreement. let her hear the end of it if she failed to deliver. Clinton thinks his call for free public college Put that in the platform and smoke it. tuition is … well, let’s not say dumb. ■ Dumb is not going to get you a united Gail Collins joined The New York Times convention. Let’s just say too much of a good in 1995 as a member of the editorial board thing. But she does want free community and later as an Op-Ed columnist. In 2001 she college tuition. Did you know that? She became the irst woman ever appointed editor announced it on the very irst oficial stop of of the Times’s editorial page. her campaign. Since then not, um, frequently. In an ideal world, Democrats would nominate a presidential candidate who’s got an inspiring vision of change, and the competence to run the country from Day 1. YOUR VIEWS Transportation meeting not subject to open meetings law 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. I am writing to correct misconceptions created by reporting in your paper on a management review of the Oregon Department of Transportation. As chair of the ODOT management review committee, we are a small working group that was selected to help engage an independent third party to examine the management practices at the Oregon Department of Transportation. While this group is serving in an advisory capacity to the governor, it is not a decision- making body. Our meetings are, therefore, not subject to the notice and access requirements under the Oregon Public Meetings Law nor has the governor told this group, publicly or privately, to close or conduct our meetings in secret. Nevertheless, we have worked diligently in the spirit of openness to share this group’s work publicly and will continue to do so. Our primary task has been to develop a proposed scope of work that will be used to hire an independent contractor to review ODOT. This proposed scope of work has been developed with input from legislators and key stakeholders. This input, along with minutes from our meeting, is publicly available Additionally, we will offer a recommendation to the Department of Administrative Services on a contractor, but it is DAS and not this working group that will decide who will be hired. It should also be noted that the inal report developed by this contractor for the governor will also be made publicly available. It is unfortunate that your news story created an illusion of secrecy where it does not exist. This work group has endeavored to exceed disclosure requirements because we believe both in sharing our work product with policymakers and Oregonians, and because we believe this review will ultimately be a tool the governor can use to further strengthen the work and conidence in our state’s transportation agency. Susan Morgan chair, ODOT Management Review Committee Roseburg Editor’s Note: The East Oregonian stands by our reporting. We are unaware of any instance in which the review committee has exceeded the minimum disclosure requirements required by state law.
