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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 17, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Tuesday, May 17, 2016 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW Republicrats and Demicans What lies ahead for two-party rule in U.S. politics is anyone’s guess, and speculation about its unraveling has become a popular conversation point in the tumultuous past nine months. Bernie Sanders, and Independent, has invigorated and swayed a large section of the Democratic party to vote for him in the primary. Donald Trump, who has switched his own affi liation between red and blue based on the direction of the wind for the past 20 years, has (probably) taken the Republican nomination outright. The major parties still hold major power in fundraising and candidate building, but the donkey and elephant brands have come to mean less and less to the average voter. A 2014 study by Pew Research shows 39 percent of voters identify as “independent,” compared to Democrats (32 percent) and Republicans (23 percent). That’s the highest percentage of voters claiming independence from a party in the 75 years of public opinion polling. What that will mean in the national picture is uncertain. But locally, in the unquestionably red counties of Eastern Oregon, there is one path to the state Capitol — the Republican ticket. The Democratic Party is so neglected here that no contender even stepped up to make a bid for the Oregon House or Senate in northeastern Oregon’s three seats. In that blank space on the ballot, Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, and Rep. Greg Barreto, R-Cove, have publicly asked Democrats in their respective districts to write in their names. If they’re able to rally enough support, their names will appear on the November ballot with both an “R” and “D” behind them. Conveniently, it would also keep a write-in Democrat from mounting a late campaign and getting on that ballot. While we like the idea of our representatives reaching out to all constituents for a show of support, it does feel strange to see them pursuing an electoral monopoly. The point of a system with more than one party, and therefore primaries before an election, is accountability. Having one candidate stand in for both parties is disingenuous and confusing. Just because they can each get a few dozen Democrat voters to write their name on the ballot doesn’t mean they represent that party’s ideals. But it is diffi cult to blame the opportunism. With no challengers willing to step up and take the Democrat mantle this time around, being able to show some level of bipartisan support when they return to the Capitol should be a badge of honor if nothing else. Brown shows contradiction on transparency Few state functions generate as much interest, or cost so much money, as transportation. Keeping deliberations about transportation policies and priorities open to public scrutiny ought to be a top priority for all who truly care about government transparency. Taking a page from the Obama administration, which talks a good game on openness but actually suppresses the free fl ow of information, Gov. Kate Brown takes the position that a majority of the Oregon Transportation Commission can meet privately as part of a planning committee without any notice. As Hillary Borrud of our Capital Bureau reported, the planning group — appointed by Oregon Transportation Commission Chairwoman Tammy Baney — is discussing what issues a contractor should examine as part of a review of the Department of Transportation. There may very well be politically awkward aspects of the review. How this examination is framed will help determine the agency’s future directions and look at how state highways and other transportation infrastructure currently function. On the line are hundreds of millions of dollars in project spending the Legislature could approve next year. In light of cities vying with rural areas, gas taxes, perennial suspicions about waste and favoritism, debates over motor vehicles versus public transit, and a host of other issues, these discussions obviously should be conducted in public. Our open meetings law states: “The Oregon form of government requires an informed public aware of the deliberations and decisions of governing bodies and the information upon which such decisions were made.” It does not bode well for Gov. Brown’s views of transparency that she sees no contradiction in her rhetoric and actions on this matter. 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 It takes a policy U .S. politicians love to pose as to help young children and their defenders of family values. parents. All of this would still leave Unfortunately, this pose America less generous than many is often, perhaps usually, one of other countries, but it would be a big remarkable hypocrisy. step toward international norms. Is this doable? Yes. Is it desirable? And no, I’m not talking about the Very much so. contrast between public posturing When we talk about doing more and personal behavior, although this for children, it’s important to realize contrast can be extreme. Which is Paul more amazing: the fact that a long- Krugman that it costs money, but not all that much money. Why? Because there serving Republican speaker of the Comment aren’t that many young children at House sexually abused teenage boys, any given time, and it doesn’t take or how little attention this revelation a lot of spending to make a huge difference has received? to their lives. Our threadbare system of Instead, I’m talking about policy. Judged public support for child care by what we actually and early education costs do — or, more accurately, 0.4 percent of the GDP; don’t do — to help small France’s famously generous children and their parents, system costs 1.2 percent of America is unique among the GDP. So we could move advanced countries in its a long way up the scale with utter indifference to the lives a fairly modest investment. of its youngest citizens. And it would indeed be For example, almost all an investment — every bit advanced countries provide as much of an investment paid leave from work for as spending money to new parents. We don’t. Our repair and improve our public expenditure on child transportation infrastructure. care and early education, as After all, today’s children a share of income, is near are tomorrow’s workers the bottom in international and taxpayers. So it’s an rankings (although if it incredible waste, not just makes you feel better, we do for families but for the slightly edge out Estonia.) nation as a whole, that so In other words, if you many children’s futures judge us by what we do, not are stunted because their what we say, we place very little value on the lives of our children, unless parents don’t have the resources to take care of them as well as they should. And they happen to come from affl uent families. affordable child care would also have the Did I mention that parents in the top fi fth of immediate benefi t of making it easier for U.S. households spend seven times as much parents to work productively. on their children as parents in the bottom Are there any reasons not to spend a fi fth? bit more on children? The usual suspects But can our neglect of children be ended? will, of course, go on about the evils of big In January, both Democratic candidates government, the sacred nature of individual declared their support for a program that would provide 12 weeks of paid leave to care choice, the wonders of free markets, and so on. But the market for child care, like the for newborns and other family members. market for health care, works very badly in And last week, while the news media was practice. focused on Donald Trump’s imaginary And when someone starts talking about friend, I mean imaginary spokesman, Hillary choice, bear in mind that we’re talking Clinton announced an ambitious plan to improve both the affordability and quality of about children, who are not in a position to choose whether they’re born into affl uent U.S. child care. households with plenty of resources or less This was an important announcement, wealthy families desperately trying to juggle even if it was drowned out by the ugliness work and child care. and nonsense of a campaign that is even So can we stop talking, just for a moment, uglier and more nonsensical than usual. For child-care reform is the kind of medium-size, about who won the news cycle or came up with the most effective insult, and talk about incremental, potentially politically doable policy substance here? — but nonetheless extremely important — The state of child care in America is cruel initiative that could well be the centerpiece and shameful — and even more shameful of a Clinton administration. So what’s the because we could make things much better plan? without radical change or huge spending. OK, we don’t have all the details yet, And one candidate has a reasonable, feasible but the outline seems pretty clear. On the plan to do something about this shame, while affordability front, Clinton would use the other couldn’t care less. subsidies and tax credits to limit family ■ spending on child care — which can be more Paul Krugman joined The New York Times than a third of income — to a maximum of 10 percent. Meanwhile, there would be aid to in 1999 as a columnist on the Op-Ed Page and continues as professor of Economics and states and communities that raise child-care workers’ pay, and a variety of other measures International Affairs at Princeton University. If you judge us by what we do, not what we say, we place very little value on the lives of our children, unless they happen to come from affl uent families. Culture corner 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. It’s been 20 years since Weezer released “Pinkerton,” considered the band’s gold standard among fans and critics. Since then, frontman Rivers Cuomo has eroded much of that goodwill with lazy songwriting (basically everything on “Make Believe”) and one laughably bad collaboration with Lil’ Wayne (“Can’t Stop Partying”). Enter “The White Album,” Weezer’s fourth in a series of color-coded, self-titled records, and 10th overall, which hit store shelves on April 1. From the opening track, it’s clear Cuomo is borrowing heavily from the Beach Boys — that intro on “California Kids” should remind you immediately of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” — but the sound overall blends well with Weezer’s power pop style, especially on “(Girl We Got A) Good Thing” and “Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori.” Lyrically, the 45-year-old Cuomo rediscovers the difference between youthful sincerity and merely sounding childish. In his pining for youth, Cuomo sings the opening lines of “California Kids” (“When you wake up; cobwebs on your eyelids; stuck in rigor mortis”) versus this line off 2009’s “Raditude” (“Your mom cooked meatloaf, even though I don’t eat meat; I dug you so much, I took some for the team”). This isn’t to say Weezer hasn’t had some very catchy songs since their mid-90s zenith, but “White” is undoubtedly their most enjoyable album, top to bottom, in nearly Atlantic Records two decades. It might not fully recapture “Pinkerton,” but it’s more than enough to remind you what they’re capable of. — Reporter George Plaven writes about agriculture for the East Oregonian, and is defi nitely no rock critic. Culture Corner is a Tuesday feature to recommend music, fi lm, literature and arts.
