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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, September 28, 2016 OTHER VIEWS Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JANNA HEIMGARTNER TIM TRAINOR Business Offi ce Manager Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW Vote yes on Measure There are plenty of controversial encounter endangered animal parts on sale within state lines, instead decisions to be made in November, but Measure 100 is not one of them. of on the docks. Under current law, once those products are through the The Wildlife Traffi cking port of entry, the Prevention Act would state has no ability to prohibit the sale of Oregon ban their sale. products and parts That will no from 12 endangered could join its longer be the case animals in Oregon. neighbors and if Measure 100 is Those animals are rhinos, cheetahs, present a united passed. Additionally, the tigers, sea turtles, West Coast law was written lions, elephants, grandma’s whales, sharks, front against so ivory-keyed piano pangolins, jaguars, importers. is not made illegal, rays and leopards. nor her antique A similar ivory-handled gun or effort passed jewelry box. It may be illegal to sell overwhelmingly in Washington in those items from here on out, but 2015, and California has a similar they can legally be possessed and law on the books. That means passed to a family member. Oregon could join its neighbors and African elephants and rhinos present a united West Coast front may seem far away, but Measure against importers, making it more 100 is a small way to protect them. diffi cult for them to fi nd buyers International animal welfare groups throughout the United States. have bigger fi ghts underway in And, yes it’s true that in most Thailand and China, for example, cases there are already federal bans but Oregon can be part of the on many of these items. But it’s solution in November. also true that in Oregon it’s much Measure 100 is a clear yes. more likely for law enforcement to 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 Looking for answers on PERS The Bend Bulletin O regon’s public employee pension fund is in such sorry straits it reduced a member of the Oregon Investment Council to tears recently. Literally. The Oregon Investment Council oversees the state’s Public Employees Retirement System investments, and the PERS account is some $22 billion in the red, a number that grows with each passing day. Those who are expected to pay that bill will fi nd out at the end of the month just how much more they’ll have to send to PERS next year, and the amount is expected to be substantial. Those who must pay up include nearly every city, county, school district and state agency, plus a host of small districts such as irrigation, housing, cemetery and fi re districts. Even at that, it won’t right the system and, investment council members say, they’ve understated the problem in part by overstating what PERS investments are likely to earn over time. Faced with that reality, Oregon needs leadership from the men and women it elects to run the state. It needs Gov. Kate Brown to be a leader. Brown has basically thrown up her hands where PERS is concerned and is apparently unwilling to talk solutions with those who are working on the problem, including Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose. So, too, have leaders of the Legislature refused to look for answers. House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, agrees with Brown. Both say there is no solution beyond Ballot Measure 97, which would tax some corporations in Oregon 2.5 percent on gross receipts above $25 million, whether the companies make money or not. Yet Knopp and Johnson keep trying. They have a list of reforms that the Legislative Counsel’s offi ce says would pass constitutional muster. Brown essentially dismisses their effort as a waste of time. That’s not leadership. Leadership is fi nding answers, even ones that don’t solve the whole problem. Leadership is urging Oregonians, who ultimately will foot the bill when they shop, to reject Measure 97. Leadership is encouraging, urging, pushing the Legislature to do its job, to continue to look for PERS reforms and to revamp the state’s tax code to raise more money if necessary. Leadership is then going out and selling both the reforms and the tax plans thus created so that voters can support them. Unfortunately, we’ve seen none of that. YOUR VIEWS Some reasons to vote for Donald Trump If you plan to vote for Donald Trump because President Obama is a black man, there are better reasons. Vote for Mr. Trump because he used to be a Democrat but isn’t now. Vote for him because he used to be pro-choice but isn’t now. Vote for him because he used to be godless but has now found religion. Vote for him because he used to be a “birther” but isn’t now. Vote for him because he likes women, lots of them. Vote for him because he believes in the sanctity of marriage, three times. Vote for him because he has used thousands of dollars of other people’s money from a charity to pay his personal debts. Vote for him because he has swindled thousands more from folks who had signed up for his fake Trump University. Vote for him because he has bilked building contractors out of millions for his bankrupt Trump Casino. Vote for him if you want a reactionary, vindictive, me-fi rst, sociopath, with the personality of a child, with his hand on the big red nuclear war button. Vote for him if you want to see NATO gutted and Russia invading Estonia and Latvia with impunity. Vote for him so he can become the world’s second wealthiest man, after his buddy Vladimir Putin. Vote for him because Russia has endorsed him. Vote for him because he refuses to release his tax returns because they will show his cheating on charity contributions and his fi nancial ties to Russia. Vote for this billionaire, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, who has never worked a day for wages in his life, because he is just one of the guys. Vote for him because he says he will cancel trade agreements and somehow, miraculously, bring back jobs that were actually mostly lost to technology advances rather than trade. Vote for him because, when asked why he had outsourced his trademark Trump apparel line to China, he said “You can’t get anything made in this country.” And, most of all, vote for him because he is not a woman. Rod Dawson Seaside 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. Send letters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. Trump’s missed opportunities H EMPSTEAD, New York. — As charge — reminiscent of Harry Reid’s he prepared for the crucial fi rst no-evidence attack on Mitt Romney presidential debate, Donald in 2012 — that Trump pays no federal Trump knew moderator Lester Holt income taxes. would bring up the birther issue. He “That makes me smart,” Trump knew Holt would raise Trump’s tax said, which sounded, if anything, like a returns. And his old position on the confi rmation of Clinton’s accusation. Iraq war. None are among the voters’ Then Trump took the bait on top concerns, but it was eminently birtherism. And then Iraq. On the Byron predictable that they would be part birther question, there wasn’t a lot York Trump could say, so a debater’s instinct of the debate — not least because if Comment would be to cover as little as possible Holt had not brought them up, Hillary and move on. On Iraq, Trump actually Clinton would have. had a case against Holt’s charge, but again went But Trump might not have predicted on and on, adding the relatively new wrinkle that Holt would leave some equally, if not that he told Sean Hannity about his opposition more, important topics untouched. There to invading Iraq before the fact. Trump said was Obamacare, currently veering towards Hannity’s name seven times. crisis. Immigration, including a proposed wall As the debate progressed, Trump got more along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Clinton and more bogged down, and less and less Foundation. Benghazi. Certainly a moderator disciplined. can’t cover everything, but those were some “Trump could be crushing Hillary right now pretty big omissions. if he wasn’t so thin-skinned,” Luntz tweeted Holt deserves blame for not bringing from the focus group in Pennsylvania. them up. But on the other hand, that is where Just a few hours earlier, before the debate a candidate’s preparation comes in. If the began, Trump’s team exuded confi dence. Well, moderator doesn’t raise a key issue, the confi dence with one caveat. Trump knew what candidate does. And Trump didn’t. to do to win, they said, and he was prepared to “The wall is a very important issue, and do it, and doing it was well I am surprised that it wasn’t within his capabilities. The brought up, frankly,” one of only question was whether Trump’s key supporters and Trump would actually do it. advisers, Sen. Jeff Sessions “How confi dent are you?” (R-Alabama), said after the I asked a member of the debate. “Also, they didn’t bring Trump circle about an hour up the Clinton Foundation. I and a half before the debate. mean, goodness gracious. So “On a scale of 1 to 10, with I thought there were a number 10 being he crushes it, and of issues that could have been 1 being the campaign ends brought up that would have tonight — a 7.5 or 8,” the been troubling for Secretary person said. Clinton that were not brought Others in TrumpWorld, up.” at least the extended circle around the Trump Later, I pressed Sessions a bit, asking why campaign, expressed an even higher level Trump didn’t raise them himself. “Look, whenever I’ve done a debate, I can’t of confi dence. Some close to the campaign suggested that Trump had pulled off a sleep at night thinking of things I shoulda, successful rope-a-dope operation, hinting to coulda said,” Sessions said with a laugh. “So the world that he hadn’t done much preparing if you think you’re so good at it, you try it. I when in fact he had prepared intensely, if mean, it’s no fun.” unconventionally. Trump began the debate well. He And besides, they said, Trump didn’t approached Clinton aggressively and made his case on the issue of lost American jobs. Clinton have to match Clinton fact-for-fact in an old-fashioned face-off. What he really had to countered with a tired-sounding critique of do was appear serious, sober, and — yes — what she called “Trumped-up trickle-down” presidential. He was ready, they said. economics, and an equally tired spiel on But he wasn’t, really. Yes, Trump had some policies like heavily-subsidized clean energy as good moments. He scored on the two highest a partial fi x for an ailing economy. voter-interest issues, jobs and national security, Things were moving in Trump’s direction. and that’s no small accomplishment. He also “Independents are closer to Trump than to hit Clinton hard when she pulled out her talking Hillary,” tweeted GOP strategist Frank Luntz, point that she had made “a mistake” by creating who was holding a focus group watching the a secret, unsecure email system as Secretary of debate in Philadelphia. “Trump is doing better with undecideds than even with Trump-leaners. State. “That was more than a mistake,” Trump said. “That was done purposefully, OK? That He is actually winning.” was not a mistake ... when you have your staff But not for long. Early on, Clinton included taking the Fifth Amendment, taking the Fifth so her fi rst personal jab at Trump, slipped into they’re not prosecuted ...” an answer on the economy. “Donald was Trump’s problem was that he didn’t have a very fortunate in his life, and that’s all to his lot of really good moments like that because benefi t,” Clinton said. “He started his business he spent so much time talking about taxes, with $14 million borrowed from his father ... “ birtherism and Iraq. The Clinton team wanted Now, Trump’s team knew going in that to distract him, to keep him on topics that Clinton would try to get under his skin. And hurt him‚ and away from topics that hurt her. the easiest way to get under Trump’s skin is to They succeeded. “We were very happy with cast some sort of aspersion on his business, his the debate,” campaign manager Robby Mook brand, or his career. The question was whether said shortly afterward. “I think he was totally Trump would have the discipline to ignore or unprepared.” brush off such attacks and stay focused on his Meanwhile, those topics that could have message. He didn’t. done Trump a lot of good if handled well — Trump took the bait, saying his father in Obamacare, immigration and the wall, the fact gave him “a very small loan” in 1975. And after that Trump took virtually every other Clinton Foundation, Benghazi — were left morsel of bait that Clinton, or Holt, offered him untouched. Yes, blame Lester Holt for not bringing them up. But blame Donald Trump the rest of the night. more for not taking matters into his own hands. Trump went on and on about his taxes, ■ revealing that “I’m extremely underleveraged,” Byron York is chief political correspondent which surely cannot be an issue of great voter for The Washington Examiner. interest. Worse, Trump did not refute Clinton’s Trump did not refute Clinton’s charge that Trump pays no federal income taxes.
