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OPINION
East Oregonian
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
MARISSA WILLIAMS
Regional Advertising Director
MARCY ROSENBERG
Circulation Manager
JANNA HEIMGARTNER
Business Ofice Manager
MIKE JENSEN
Production Manager
OUR VIEW
Marijuana
means money for
local government
Oregon’s experiment in legalizing
The fact is that $160 million of
marijuana that would have been sold
marijuana has been an unmitigated
in Oregon by cartels and local drug
success, and local voters should
dealers was sold over the counter,
allow their municipality to
the state taking its cut with each and
participate in a growing industry.
According to the Department of
every purchase. In addition, those
Revenue release from earlier this
businesses are paying employees,
week, the state has already overseen who are in turn paying income
more than $160 million is marijuana taxes, which in turn is fueling the
sales that have brought in $40.2
economic engine.
million in tax money.
City councils in Pendleton,
Yet many of those dollars won’t
Hermiston and Milton-Freewater
reach us here in northeast Oregon,
each have the ability to right their
because every
council’s wrong by
municipality opted
overturning their local
out instead of cashing
ban. Representatives
Umatilla
in when they banned
of other cities and both
County could Morrow and Umatilla
both marijuana retail
sale and commercial
didn’t think
have collected counties
growth. Governments
enough of their
that did so include
constituents to even
$120,000
Umatilla and Morrow
give them the option.
for law
counties and each and
Rural Oregon
every city in those
enforcement. cannot continue to
counties.
complain about the
It has been a costly
lack of economic
error.
advantages when we don’t to pick
Just using the nine month
up a successful business opportunity
numbers, the decision by Umatilla
when it is laid at our feet. Marijuana
County commissioners has already
might not be your cup of tea, but
kept about $120,000 from going
allowing and regulating its sale is
to its law enforcement department.
the best way to have more control
That doesn’t even take into
over it and fund support services
consideration an additional 3 percent at the same time. Also, it allows
local tax that could be instituted,
medical users easier access to what
were a dispensary to open with
makes them feel better.
county limits.
Still, no matter what voters decide
Even a small town like Pendleton in November, we should remind
would be staring at a roughly
readers that possessing and using
$26,000 check — not enough to
marijuana remains legal for adults
pave the streets in gold, but if it
everywhere in Oregon, as is growing
instituted its own local tax it could at it for personal use. The only thing a
least pave a few potholes.
ban does is keep local governments
These municipalities better have a from seeing any beneits.
darn good reason to turn down good
Voters have a choice: If they want
money — but we can’t ind one.
Eastern Oregon to have a business
The dire warnings about the
friendly atmosphere, to increase
effects of marijuana legalization
its tax base and bring in jobs, then
have not come true. There have been marijuana businesses — both
zero deaths, few serious injuries
recreational and medical — can be
(those to people making hash oil, not a solution. A ban just continues an
users) no rise in crime, no cultural
age-old problem that will never get
degradation — no nothing.
better.
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
Clinton promises major
wealth redistribution
E
ven by the standards of liberal
igure, $250,000, is one that has given
Democrats, Hillary Clinton
Democrats its in their previous efforts
is running the most frankly
to raise taxes.
redistributionist presidential campaign
In 2008, candidate Barack Obama
in years. She promises massive new
pledged to raise taxes on couples
spending initiatives and balanced
making more than $250,000 a year
budgets, achieved by raising taxes on
and individuals making more than
higher-income Americans in ways that
$200,000. The idea was that in 2010,
other Democrats have rejected in the
when the Bush tax cuts on all U.S.
Byron
recent past.
earners were set to expire, taxes on the
York
At a fundraiser in Seattle Friday
wealthiest would go up.
Comment
night — with her growing lead over
It didn’t happen. By the time
Donald Trump, Clinton holds few
the Bush cuts expired, Obama had
actual campaign rallies — Clinton described
already raised taxes on higher earners through
her spending agenda: the “biggest investment
Obamacare, and some key Democrats joined
in jobs since World War II,” higher spending
Republicans in opposing another hike.
on prescription drugs, billions more for
Clinton’s old New York colleague in the
Obamacare, pre-school, family leave, college
Senate, Charles Schumer, and the Democratic
affordability, roads, bridges, tunnels, ports,
leader in the House, Nancy Pelosi, proposed
airports, a new electric grid to “distribute all
to raise taxes only on households above $1
the clean, renewable energy we’re going to be
million. With the economy still in a terrible
producing,” half a billion new solar panels,
trough in late 2010, Congress declined to raise
advanced manufacturing, climate change, and
taxes on anybody.
In 2012, Obama came back, with a proposal
more.
to further extend the great majority of the Bush
Clinton conceded that was a lot to pay for,
cuts but again to raise taxes on families with
but argued America’s wealthy have more than
enough cash to hand over to the government.
income above $250,000. Schumer and a bunch
of other Democrats facing re-election balked.
Chief among them, Clinton said, is her
Obama compromised, and the inal deal raised
billionaire opponent, Donald Trump, whom
taxes on families making more than $450,000.
she promises to target after the election.
Now Clinton, with an eye on her left lank
“When people ask me, so how are you
after a primary ight with Bernie Sanders,
going to pay for infrastructure jobs and paid
proposes to go back to the old $250,000
family leave, I say well, I’m telling you I’m
threshold for tax increases. Whether that will
going to pay for everything,” Clinton told the
succeed is anybody’s guess; on the other
fundraiser audience. “I’m not going to add a
side of the Democratic divide will again be
penny to the national debt. We’re going to go
Schumer, this time leading the party in the
where the money is. We’re going to make the
Senate, either as minority or majority leader.
wealthy pay their fair share. And we’re going
Even if all Democrats agree to “go where
to inally close those corporate loopholes.
the money is,” it seems unlikely they’ll be able
And it would be a good idea to start with my
to agree on precisely how to do it.
opponent.”
At about this time in the 2008 campaign,
It’s not clear whether Clinton meant there
Barack Obama had a brief encounter with an
might be some speciic retaliation against
Ohio man named Joseph Wurzelbacher, who
Trump under her administration or whether
later became known as Joe the Plumber. “Your
Trump would simply pay more taxes along
new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?”
with other wealthy Americans.
Joe asked the Democratic candidate at a stop in
Clinton often uses the phrase “go where
Holland, Ohio.
the money is” to describe her tax-raising
“It’s not that I want to punish your success,
proposals. (The phrase comes from a legendary
20th Century criminal, Willie Sutton, who was I just want to make sure that everybody who
is behind you, that they’ve got a chance for
asked why he robbed banks and supposedly
success, too,” Obama answered. “I think when
replied, “Because that’s where the money is.”)
you spread the wealth around, it’s good for
Clinton used the phrase at three separate
everybody.”
rallies last month, as well as over the summer
For Republicans, Joe the Plumber became
when she was asked on CBS’s “60 Minutes”
the embodiment of opposition to Obama’s
what the term “middle class” means to her.
redistributionist plans. But Obama back then
“Well, we say below $250,000 because here’s
was vastly more subtle than Clinton is today;
what we want to do,” Clinton said. “We want
rhetorically, “We’re going to go where the
to go where the money is. Most of the wealth
money is” is a hard-edged threat compared to
increase, the increase in income, both active
“spread the wealth around.”
and passive, has gone to the very top of the
Clinton doesn’t need subtlety. With the
income scale.”
political world ixated on all things Trump,
Of course, $250,000 per year, while more
than the vast majority of American households she could resurrect Willie Sutton himself, and
threaten to sic him on everyday Americans,
make, is also not the “very top of the income
and it’s possible nobody would notice. Clinton
scale.” A household bringing in that amount
is being blunt about her intentions because she
would be in the top 3 percent of American
can.
earners nationwide. In some areas of the
■
country, like Secretary Clinton’s home, the
Byron York is chief political correspondent
New York metropolitan area, it would be in the
for The Washington Examiner.
top 5 percent. In any event, Clinton’s precise
YOUR VIEWS
Sheriff Rowan makes
the tough decisions
For 15 years I managed
an Oregon State Emergency
Management Program out of
Pendleton and worked directly
with local law enforcement leaders
in both Umatilla and Morrow
counties.
In my opinion, Sheriff Terry
Rowan has always been honest and
transparent in communicating with
the citizens of Umatilla County.
He will tell the truth about what
happened, even though the truth
is not always popular. He is not
afraid of conlict and doesn’t avoid
meeting with members of the
community, even when they have
issues with local law enforcement.
His ability to communicate and
address those controversial issues
publicly is why you elected him
and why we need to keep him in
ofice. He does not (and will not)
avoid making tough decisions when
necessary. I also believe that he
is not willing to compromise his
principles just to get re-elected!
Finally, Sheriff Rowan is the
type of sheriff we need at a time in
our country when domestic policing
is being challenged by controversy
and civil unrest.
As an elected oficial, he knows
that public support is what got him
elected and public support is needed
to keep him in ofice. Therefore,
I urge the citizens of Umatilla
County to vote once again for your
current sheriff, Terry Rowan.
Chris Brown
Heppner
Lehnert will answer
the call as sheriff
As the wife of a career law
enforcement oficer, a mother
of three children, an educated
working professional and resident
of Umatilla County, I have various
lenses through which to see
the world. I have the privilege
(and sometimes the burden) of
supporting my husband as he works
some of the most heartbreaking and
violent crimes in our county. It is
tense and there is stress and fear:
stress on law enforcement to make
the ‘’perfect” choice every time,
even at the risk of their own safety;
fear that our children are safe; and
fear in OUR county that when you
call for help in your most desperate
hour, help will not come.
Ryan Lehnert and my husband,
Robert Guerrero, entered this race
because they see a growing lack of
conidence in leadership at UCSO.
They observe irst-hand the erosion
of relationships affecting the
service we receive through simple
things such as the sheriff’s failure
to attend interagency meetings,
workshops and local advisory
committees.
He boasts that having a seat at
the table is important. That seat is
only important when it is illed.
Through this process, we cannot
lose sight of neighbors like Jim
Williams, whose daughter has left
our community because she was
scared. She was scared for her life
on a desolate county road near a
place she used to call home. Mr.
Williams shared his powerful
testimony at the candidate forum
Oct. 14, where he explained he had
lost conidence in the UCSO, as he
made multiple attempts to contact
them, including Sheriff Rowan,
and received no response. Sheriff
Rowan dutifully apologized,
saying, “I would just have to
sincerely apologize and look at the
more global things that we have
been able to accomplish in just
a short amount of time.” What
is more “global” than safety and
security?
This theme is not new. Sheriff
Rowan has been working on what
he generally referred to as “lack of
response” since his 2012 campaign.
He has been in leadership at the
UCSO since 2005. If he has not
successfully remedied this in his 11
years, he cannot and will not.
I support a candidate that will
address the more “global” things:
ensuring a system that never allows
for a call for help to go unanswered
so that no one in our community
— neighbor, friend or family
member — is left helpless in their
most desperate hour.
Christa Guerrero, Hermiston
Benghazi deaths
preclude Clinton
“What difference, at this point,
does it make?” — Hillary Clinton,
Jan. 23, 2013.
Here are four reasons why
Hillary Clinton shouldn’t be
elected president: Ambassador
Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen
Doherty and Tyrone Woods.
Hillary lied after these four
Americans died.
Renee Dick, Salem