Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Thursday, January 19, 2017
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 Office Manager
MIKE JENSEN
Production Manager
OUR VIEW
Got permits?
A lot of big changes are coming
getting its ducks in a row, working
in advance of an interminably long
to a small piece of the Columbia
process and trying to be ready to
Basin.
The tree farm alongside Interstate operate as soon as they get the go
ahead.
84 that long hypnotized travelers is
In our mind, the company is
in the process of being removed and
taking a risk by doing permitted
roughly one-third of it renovated
into what could become Oregon’s
building before they have an
second-largest dairy. Hale Farms,
operations permit. To some of us,
that might seem like an unnecessary
one of the biggest employers in the
risk. To others, it might be perfectly
region, has sold to a conglomerate
reasonable when
out of the Tri-Cities.
considering the
The region, poised
The company is amount of money
to pounce on new
As long as
water from the
taking the risk, at the stake.
company stays
Columbia River, is
within the law, we
getting an infusion
inordinate to
no problem with
of new investment.
some but what see
building in advance
That brings out
an operations
the deep pockets,
others might see of
permit.
venture capitalists
as reasonable.
Yet the
and the construction
environmental
crews.
One such
groups, and
individuals from the area, are right
investment project is the proposed
to keep an eye on the company and
mega-dairy, currently being
the state. It may seem like it is tied
developed by Lost Valley Ranch.
up in a bureaucratic purgatory, with
We’ve reported often on the plan to
drawn out public comment periods
build a 30,000-cow facility near a
and state offices conferring with
70,000-cow dairy that is already in
other state offices. But actions taken
operation. And we will continue to
at this time matter.
report in the future. Thousands of
And one thing we are sure of:
public comments have flooded into
Any pre-manufacturing work by
the state organizations (Department
Lost Valley must have no impact in
of Environmental Quality and
the state process. That work is done
Department of Agriculture) that are
at the company’s risk, it cannot be
handling the siting and permitting
used as leverage to allow them to
process. The dairy’s future is
jump through future hoops.
certainly not a certainty.
And hoops there will be.
But even without all the required
The dairy has the ability to
operation permits in hand, the
dramatically benefit the area —
company has decided to start
building. It has likely spent millions provide millions in tax dollars, lots
of jobs and yes, milk and cheese.
of dollars already on construction,
But it has the ability to negatively
design and dirt work. California
impact it as well. Cows produce
developer Greg Te Velde told this
newspaper they have already erected more than milk, and the effect that
30,000 more of them will have on
milk barns and stalls.
local water and air is something the
A number of environmental
state must consider.
groups have cried foul, saying
Everything must be up for
the company is getting ahead
discussion, and a company that gets
of regulators and attempting to
too far ahead of the process does so
circumvent the permitting process.
at its own risk.
The company contends it is just
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
Inauguration boycott
is misguided
Minneapolis Star Tribune
M
ore than 50 Democratic
members of Congress have
decided to follow the lead of
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and boycott the
Friday inauguration of President-elect
Donald Trump. Some are doing so out of
respect for longtime
congressman and civil
rights icon Lewis.
Others are protesting
Trump’s policies and
divisiveness, and still
others believe that his
campaign’s possible
ties to Russian
election tampering
make his presidency
illegitimate.
This newspaper
has criticized Trump
for some of the same
things. Still, members
of Congress —
regardless of political
affiliation — should
be full participants
in the peaceful transfer of power that is
critical for a functioning democracy.
This isn’t the first time individual
members of Congress whose party has
lost the White House have skipped an
inauguration. In the past, Republicans
also have opted to take vacations or
return to their districts rather than attend.
But the anti-Trump boycott is believed
to be the largest, and it is growing.
As elected officials, members
of Congress should represent their
constituents in the same spirit in which
they attend the State of the Union or
other presidential speeches. There
are more productive ways to express
displeasure or opposing views than
boycotting. Republicans and Democrats
make that clear with their reactions
during the State of the Union.
During his recent farewell address,
President Obama tried to quiet the boos
that came from the audience when he
mentioned Trump. He
also acknowledged
the value of a peaceful
transfer of power.
In announcing that
she will attend the
inauguration, Rep.
Betty McCollum,
D-Minn., was critical
of Trump’s behavior
and policies. But, she
added, “I have faith
in our constitutional
democracy and in
the power of citizen
action to stop Mr.
Trump’s dangerous
agenda in the coming
months and years.
On Friday, I will join President Obama
and Secretary (Hillary) Clinton for the
inauguration of our 45th president,
a ritual that is a hallmark of our
democratic government. I will also be
present so Mr. Trump fully understands
that ... Americans are already working
to stop him from further hurting our
country.”
It’s regrettable that Democratic Rep.
Keith Ellison, expected to be the only
member of the Minnesota delegation
to skip the event, didn’t take a similar
approach.
Members of
Congress
should be full
participants in
the peaceful
transfer of power
that is critical
for a functioning
democracy.
OTHER VIEWS
Dem dilemma:
Stand with Lewis?
O
nce Donald Trump responded
“The president has made very
to John Lewis’s “illegitimate
clear that he believes that he is the
president” attack, the question
freely elected president,” McDonough
wasn’t whether Trump’s pushback
answered. “He will be inaugurated on
would cause a Twitter furor. It
Friday. And he will come into office
would. The question was how many
hopefully strengthened by the kind of
Democrats, beyond those who occupy
transition that we have tried to run in
the left-most wing of the House
this White House.”
Tapper tried one more angle: Does
Democratic caucus with Lewis, would
Byron
Obama
“think that Democrats should
go along with the Trump-is-not-
York
put this away, this whole idea of
legitimate charge.
Comment
legitimate, illegitimate?”
So far, Democrats have come up
“The president is not going to get
with a variety of responses. Some
in the middle of this right now,” McDonough
openly disagree with Lewis. Others disagree
said.
but don’t want to say so explicitly. Still others
agree but don’t want to say so explicitly. And
Several Democrats — a number nearing 60
some wholeheartedly support Lewis.
by the most recent count — have announced
West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe
they will not attend Trump’s inauguration.
Manchin is in the first category. Asked on
That doesn’t necessarily mean they would
CNN Friday if Trump is a legitimate president, explicitly say Trump is illegitimate. But some
Manchin replied, “Absolutely.” On CBS
certainly would. Democratic Rep. Barbara
Sunday morning, Manchin described Lewis’
Lee, for example, said early on that she
rhetoric as “uncalled for.”
is with Lewis. Another liberal, New York
“I’ve got the utmost respect for
Rep. Jerry Nadler, tweeted, “I stand with @
Congressman Lewis,” Manchin said. “He’s
repjohnlewis.”
an icon, if you will. And we all have the most
Others, like California Rep. Ted Lieu, said
respect for him. I just think that was uncalled
they stood with Lewis but were not entirely
for ... So for this type of rhetoric, it’s non-pro- clear on the question of Trump’s legitimacy.
ductive. And I would like it if that would tone
In an extensive statement Saturday, Lieu
down a little bit, we’d be much better off and
said Trump has insulted too many people,
move on.”
is too close to Vladimir Putin, and has
Longtime Obama adviser David Axelrod
unconstitutional business conflicts of interest.
was just as clear. “I disagree with what @
Nevertheless, Lieu said, “I do not dispute that
repjohnlewis said,” Axelrod tweeted Saturday. Trump won the Electoral College.”
“But I honor the man he is. Honesty; integrity;
So does that make Trump illegitimate, or
courage -— these are qualities you just can’t
not? Lieu did not say.
buy.”
Judging by the Democrats’ reaction, it’s
Sen. Bernie Sanders, who mounted a long
one thing to denounce Trump’s statements,
and bitter challenge to Hillary Clinton in the
to link him to Russia, and to suggest he will
Democratic primaries, refused Sunday to call
be a disastrous leader. It’s another to claim
Trump illegitimate, suggesting instead that the that Trump is not a legitimate president. For
argument is “just words.”
some Democrats, the illegitimacy charge
“Do you think Donald Trump will be a
would move them a bit too close to a kind of
legitimate president?” Sanders was asked on
birtherism that they spent years denouncing.
ABC.
(Remember that Republican leaders stayed
“Well, I think he’s going to be inaugurated
away from birtherism, although some GOP
this week,” Sanders said, going on to call for
members of Congress embraced, or at least
an investigation into Russian hacking.
flirted, with it.)
“Does that make him illegitimate?”
So it’s possible, perhaps likely, that the
“Those are just words,” Sanders responded. Trump illegitimacy charge will remain
Sanders described his job in the Senate now
confined to the leftmost reaches of the
as holding Trump to his campaign promise
Democratic party, just as birtherism was
not to cut social safety net programs. But
confined to the rightmost reaches of the GOP.
illegitimate? Sanders wouldn’t go there.
If anyone other than John Lewis were
Denis McDonough, the outgoing Obama
leading the legitimacy fight, even more
White House chief of staff, refused to commit
Democrats might distance themselves from it.
the president to Lewis’s position. “On Tuesday But Lewis is so widely revered for his actions
night in his speech, (Obama) called (Trump)
50 years ago — even those denouncing him
the freely elected president of the United
have to pay tribute to his past — that he has
States,” McDonough said on CNN Sunday.
given a sort of moral cover to a small number
McDonough added that Democratic
of Democrats who want to suggest that the
concerns about Russia and hacking are “by
2016 election results are not legitimate. Right
no means trivial.” And, like everyone else,
now, though, in the absence of some explosive
he paid tribute to Lewis’s history in the civil
new revelation or wholesale change in the
rights movement. But he wouldn’t buy into
political atmosphere, it appears that small
the legitimacy argument.
number won’t get much bigger.
Still, CNN’s Jake Tapper persisted: “Just to
■
be clear though, President Obama thinks that
Byron York is chief political correspondent
for The Washington Examiner.
president-elect Trump is legitimate?”
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