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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Thursday, June 2, 2016 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor The system is stacked OUR VIEW It’s no wonder people are lining cash — and the lobbyists that launt up to vote for Donald Trump. it — have far too much power right After reading the East Oregonian now in Oregon. story “Lobbying, contributions dual There are ways to make the paths to political clout” by Capital system better, though it won’t be Bureau reporter Hillary Borrud, you easy. It is dificult because lobbyists too may be inclined and the majority of to send a big broom legislators — who to the White House the power Cold hard cash have and State Capitol now — like the — and the and sweep out current system as it every vestige of They are shielded lobbyists who is. the current political by state laws, have launt it —have few limits on what class. The article they can do with far too much detailed in numbers their dollars, and can and personal operate in a battered power examples the ease media landscape in Oregon. and mystery through with little risk that which corporations any misdeeds will and special interest be uncovered. groups are lobbying the state. To chip away at the status It’s a closed circle of back- quo, voters should support term scratching in the halls of power, limits and lobbyist transparency. and it takes signiicant monetary They should support clear public investment in order to slip through. records laws that allow the media Borrud reported one such case. and concerned citizens to hold our In the last two years, a California leaders responsible. They should company called Vitu spent more support strong campaign inance than $200,000 on lobbying and laws and hard caps on political campaign contributions in Oregon. donations. And they should hold That included $20,000 to governor politicians like Kate Brown to their Kate Brown’s campaign. And where word when they make promises of was Kate Brown earlier this month? transparency and openness yet fail to Touting Vitu at the company’s follow through. headquarters right after it landed a Trump is wrong. A lot. But he state contract to provide electronic is right when he points out that the registration and titling services for political system, as it exists now, is Oregon car dealerships. Go igure. not interested in being helpful to the We understand that every majority of middle-class Americans. system needs “grease.” That’s It’s much more interested in keeping one way things get done — the campaign dollars lowing, and partnerships, support, favors and having easy and unseen access to the recommendations. But cold hard lobbyists who hold the moneybags. 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 Partisanship torpedoes Cover Oregon investigation The (Eugene) Register-Guard A congressional committee wants to launch a criminal investigation into Cover Oregon, the state’s ill-fated attempt to set up an online health insurance exchange. More than $300 million in federal money vaporized during this debacle, so Congress has a legitimate stake in inding out what went wrong. But the proposal by the Republi- can-dominated House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is a thinly veiled attempt to target the state’s Democratic leadership in an election year. It makes no pretense of attempting to ind out how Cover Oregon operated or what went wrong. Committee chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said a committee report — titled “How Mismanagement and Political Interference Squandered $305 Million Federal Taxpayer Dollars” — was the result of a year-long investigation. Cover Oregon, which was approved by a bipartisan vote of the state Legisla- ture in 2011, was envisioned as a one-stop social service hub, allowing people to shop for health insurance and other public services. It was a grand idea. But it failed. State oficials have blamed the company they contracted with, Oracle Corp., and sued the software giant. Chaffetz has now waded into the fray, with letters to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum demanding a criminal investigation — and prosecution — of state oficials. Chaffetz also asked Rosenblum to recuse herself from any investigation because of her “closeness to several of the prospective defendants.” Chaffetz alleges state oficials misused federal funds and commingled political and oficial funds to boost the political prospects of then-Gov. John Kitzhaber. This isn’t the irst time congressional Republicans have targeted Cover Oregon in an election year. In 2014, Oregon Rep. Greg Walden sought an investigation by the Government Accounting Ofice. Chaffetz’s demand for criminal prosecution comes during another hotly contested election year. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee issued a minority report this week, latly contradicting the GOP report on Cover Oregon. Democratic committee members laid the blame for Cover Oregon’s failure at the feet of Oracle and said GOP committee members ignored the company’s admissions that it massively “screwed up.” Oracle failed to deliver a functioning website by the deadline, admitted its work was deicient — as borne out by independent analysts — and misled state oficials by claiming everything was on track when it wasn’t, the minority report said. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the ranking minority member on the committee, stopped short of calling the GOP-led investigation a witch hunt. But he noted it focused on state oficials, rather than the company responsible for the website. More than 170,000 pages of documents were obtained from the state government, including the governor’s ofice, and only 3,200 pages from Oracle, Cummings said. There were no depositions or transcribed interviews with Oracle employees, he said. Chaffetz released the report as an “unoficial staff report” rather than an oficial committee report, thereby avoiding requirements that it be consid- ered, debated, voted on and approved by the entire committee. This also meant the report was not subject to amendment or required to include minority views. Cover Oregon was a failure that was costly both to the state and the federal government. An investigation into what went wrong and what, if anything, can be learned from it is warranted — as is a review of any oficial wrongdoing. Looking at how other state exchanges are faring also would be valuable. But this report, timed for release in an election year and designed to avoid scrutiny or debate, is at best a distraction. Affordable health care for everyone is a critically important issue for the United States and deserves careful consideration and sincere efforts to achieve this goal. The attempt by the GOP majority in the House Oversight Committee, led by Chaffetz, to turn it into a political “gotcha” is disheartening. The country deserves better. OTHER VIEWS Why Trump attacked Martinez any observers were mystiied spoke to a GOP fundraiser at the when Donald Trump attacked home of David Koch in Palm Beach, New Mexico Republican Florida. Martinez, according to the Gov. Susana Martinez. But the story Post, “did not mince words. She told was really very simple: Martinez hit the crowd of about 60 wealthy GOP Trump, so Trump hit back. Especially backers that, as a Latina, she was now that Trump is the GOP’s offended by Trump’s language about presumptive nominee, he attempted immigrants. Noting her years working to make an example of a Republican as a prosecutor on the Mexican border Byron who won’t get with the program. It and now as a border-state governor, York might work, or it might not, but from Martinez said Trump’s plan to build Comment Trump’s perspective it’s the tactic he a wall and force Mexico to pay for used to beat 15 rivals for the GOP it was unrealistic and irresponsible, nomination. according to multiple people in attendance.” The Trump-Martinez bewilderment Team Trump believes Martinez has focused on four factors: Martinez is Hispanic, continued to criticize him in private since she’s a woman, she’s a Republican (head those remarks. And when Trump traveled of the Republican Governors Association), to Albuquerque, after having clinched the and she’s popular. “I think it sent all the Republican nomination, Martinez told wrong signals,” said Newt Gingrich, who has reporters she was “really busy” and did not generally been pro-Trump. have time to attend. “You particularly don’t So Trump slammed want to see your candidate Martinez for, among other who needs to ... get stronger things, the state of the with Latinos, and stronger economy and a rise in with women, attack a food stamp usage in New Mexico. “We have got to get Latina woman Republican your governor to get going,” governor.” he said. “She’s got to do a “(Trump) has a problem better job.” with women, Hispanics, and “There was no attack Republicans,” said George on a Latino or a woman Will on Fox News Sunday, governor,” Lewandowski “so he attacks a Republican said on Fox. “What this was, Hispanic woman governor.” was laying out the economic Trump ignored all those perspective of what the state concerns. Also on Fox, of New Mexico was doing, campaign manager Corey and he’s saying we need to Lewandowski explained do a better job.” that Trump’s remarks about It was that — plus a Martinez at a May 24 rally in Albuquerque — Trump said, “The governor threat to Martinez to get in line. Trump conirmed as much at his news has to do a better job. She’s not doing the job” — was simply a continuation of Trump’s habit conference Tuesday. Asked why he went after of discussing economic problems wherever he Martinez, Trump said, “She was not nice. And I was ine — just a little bit of a jab. But travels. “Outlining the economy of a speciic she wasn’t nice, and you think I’m going to location is something that he has done across change? I’m not changing, including with the country, everywhere we’ve gone, because her.” we need to highlight the problems that we Perhaps Martinez will change her tone after have and what we’re going to do to ix those Trump wins New Mexico’s primary on June problems,” Lewandowski said. 7. Perhaps not. As far as Trump is concerned, It’s true. Trump has pointed to economic attacking Martinez, to the (unknown) degree problems in state after state. But he has no that it angers Hispanic voters in general, could more Republican rivals to defeat now, and affect his fortunes far outside the boundaries he is trying to consolidate GOP support. And of New Mexico. But Trump apparently felt there are those problems with Hispanic and it was more important now to crack down women voters. So why go on the offensive? on Republican resistance, at least on GOP To Trump, there was something more politicos who openly attack him, than it was to important at work. “(Martinez) continues to attack him publicly and privately,” one person ignore Martinez’s opposition. It’s not the way things are done these days. in TrumpWorld told me recently. Trump has made a principle of hitting back harder than he But the person in TrumpWorld looked back to a time when powerful party bosses would is hit. And he has been so effective that many Republicans, elected and not, have decided the occasionally make an example of an off-the- smart thing is to refrain from taking on Trump, reservation oficial just to inspire others to stay in line. That’s still necessary, the person said, even if they oppose him. and that’s what Donald Trump is doing. Not Martinez. In mid-April, the New ■ Mexico governor issued a “remarkably Byron York is chief political correspondent strong rebuke” to Trump, in the words of for The Washington Examiner. a Washington Post report, when Martinez M Trump apparently felt it was more important to crack down on Republican resistance than ignore Martinez’s opposition. YOUR VIEWS New ire station needed, along with city manager leadership In a May 11 column on this editorial page, I asked whether Pendleton’s main ire station really needed to be replaced and urged a more businesslike approach in the way city oficials deal with this subject. Since then, I was fortunate to get a tour of the ire station and I have read a consultant’s report on it. Those two things have changed part of my earlier opinion. In the tour offered by Fire Chief Mike Ciraulo, it was clear to me that the 57-year-old ire station is cramped in all respects. I think it needs to be replaced at a bigger site. The training tower on the current site cannot be used because it is full of ire department property forced out of the main building for lack of space. Fire trucks and other emergency equipment are backed into bays because the site is too small to allow access from two sides. Diesel exhaust is a constant air pollution problem in the tightly packed bays. Fireighters of both genders are sandwiched into space for sleeping, food preparation and bathroom facilities. Space for communications and record keeping is over capacity. But the diesel exhaust might stand for the No. 1 reason for a new ire station — worker safety. Doors and windows are not weatherized, ceilings leak, the building violates construction codes. When a big ire happens in town in the middle of the night, commotion inside that ire station must be something to behold. A study report from a irm named Mackenzie Engineering provides information and detail on Pendleton’s main ire station. It is available online. As far as the way city hall is approaching ire station replacement, I still think it’s better to follow the chain of command: Department heads report to the city manager, and the city manager advises the city council on the way to a inal decision by the public. Fire Chief Ciraulo is scheduling information meetings on the ire station and entertaining comments on prospective sites for a new irehouse. It’s as if city manager Robb Corbett has designated Ciraulo to be the point man for the city on a new ire station. What is Corbett’s role? If the city manager is not being the trafic cop or mediator in this issue, he should be. Mike Forrester Pendleton 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.
