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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Thursday, February 2, 2017 OTHER VIEWS 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 Conservative questions for the new president F orgive those of us still with little vetting itself and reeling in the aftermath with no better articulation of inauguration day, from the president. Even unsure what to make of high-ranking Republicans like the beginning of Donald J. Paul Ryan were not apprised Trump’s presidency. of the order before Trump put I don’t mean Democrats, his pen to paper. understandably shaken by Taken alone, the ban could the turn of events in which be held up for scrutiny, giving Daniel an ideological hero was Wattenburger those of us not predisposed replaced by his near exact to take any president at his Comment opposite in the White House. word a chance to consider the What I mean is those of us implications. But the fast and who generally find common ground furious first dozen days in office have between our values and the Republican given no chance for luxuries like careful Party platform, but who feel the party consideration. And forget talking about has been duped and co-opted to a point the order to build a border wall at a cost where a candidate like Trump can go of $12-$15 billion and possibly kick from dismissed to tolerated to celebrated off a trade war with Mexico, because to staunchly defended in less than eight that was so last week. Or Cabinet picks, months. many of whom should raise red flags If you squint, 2017 is a banner year for all Americans, regardless of political for conservative-minded people — the affiliation. Or the claims of massive, voting base that Trump courted democracy-shattering voter fraud he has effectively enough to add to his more yet to factually support in any real way. extreme backers and win the election. It’s felt like a shock and awe The Oval Office and both chambers of campaign, much like Trump’s bid for Congress are controlled by Republicans, the White House, designed to keep and Tuesday’s announcement of Neil opponents guessing, critics preoccupied Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme and everyone else unsure what to believe. Court is evidence that the new president It has invigorated the fan base but is willing to follow through with his hasn’t grown the support of people who promise to keep a conservative majority reluctantly voted for him, and especially on America’s highest court. those who lean conservative but couldn’t find the stomach to support him on the But if you stop squinting, the clearer ballot. picture is a deeply troubling — a selling Those in the latter categories are out of real conservative values in exchange for a few scraps of policy. And desperately hanging on, wondering why a president with an amenable the cost is handing over our country’s Congress would force such chaotic leadership to a man unfit for the task. policy instead of letting the government There has been ample opportunity work the way it’s supposed to when since Election Day for Trump to prove otherwise to those of us uneasy about his one party is ruling — with debated and proactive lawmaking. We’re certainly administration. The only honest defense embarrassed by the Twitter tirades and of his tactics is to admit we like to see petty misinformation coming out of the eye-poking and grandstanding, and to defend his policy is to embrace the chaos White House. And we’re concerned about the ability of a man who has no patience for sifting of this administration to effectively through his own thoughts, much less the handle an actual crisis, which certainly advice of experts and certainly not the will arise one way or another in the next views of dissenters. four years. Some applaud his unwillingness Trump’s assertion that he alone to temper his approach — and it is, admittedly, a break from politics as usual can fix this country seems be the only — but his impulsive and ego-driven style steadfast pillar of his belief system. And of all the principles that draw me toward of leadership is creating a disconcerting amount of disarray that should give us all conservative ideology, it is the belief that government is responsible to the people pause. instead of the people being reliant on the As a quick example, take the travel government. Trump may present himself ban issued at the end of last week. as the restorer of conservative American White House spokesman Sean Spicer values, but has yet to exhibit he grasps did his best to pitch the executive order that basic principle. as simply a measure to better evaluate All conservatives should have trouble the potential threat of people coming swallowing that pill, even if it cures a into our country. But Trump himself has continued to call it a ban, and specifically few of the ailments that have bothered them over the past eight years. a Muslim ban, which would make it ■ clearly unconstitutional. Meanwhile, the Daniel Wattenburger is the managing implementation of the order created mass confusion as it was (ironically) rolled out editor of the East Oregonian. 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 State is $1.8 billion short The (Salem) Statesman Journal B aseball, football and basketball fans should be familiar with the game “You Make the Call.” It’s where armchair athletes second- guess rulings made by umpires, officials and referees. In February, Oregon’s Democratic lawmakers will offer residents their own version of the game as they host six or seven town halls around the state. The Legislative Assembly members plan to crisscross the state, informing the public about a $1.8 billion budget shortfall, and getting public opinion on ways to cut spending and increase revenue. Required by the state constitution to balance a 2-year budget by the time the session adjourns, Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney and Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek hope the public sessions will give them ideas for spreading the pain. Courtney warned the Statesman Journal editorial board that special sessions will be required because painful cuts are inevitable and no one wants to talk about them. “This is going to be a very tough job,” Courtney said. “We try to get it done early so the more than 190 school districts across the state know how much they have to spend, but there’s no avoiding this starting point.” Passing out copies of a summary of the Joint Ways & Means Committee co-chairs’ “Existing Resources Budget Framework” for the 2017-2019 biennium, Kotek and Courtney used it to illustrate how the budget currently shapes up using general and lottery funds. It also shows proposed cuts. They emphasized that in some cases, cutting state support for critical programs triggers a reduction in federal funding. The end result is that losses to Oregonians could add up. On the chopping block are education at all levels, health care, Department of Human Services and public safety. Also subject to the swing of the state knife are the judicial, natural resources and transportation departments, to name a few. Deficits ranged from 1.4 percent to 27.5 percent. No department was spared. Sen. Ted Ferrioli, the Senate’s minority leader, agreed there would need to be a reduction in spending and an increase in revenue, but he said Gov. Kate Brown’s budget was flawed. “I found the governor’s budget exceptionally cynical when it calls for cuts in services to veterans and seniors and yet comes up with a $145 million pay raise for state employees,” Ferrioli said. He also said Republicans can support a transportation package and PERS reform, but both come with caveats. He believes the new session offers the opportunity for decisive action. That’s where Oregonians come in. Instead of sitting in an armchair and carping about the lazy legislature, inefficient state leadership and overpaid lobbyists, attend a town hall and bring suggestions for reducing spending. Consider options you refused to entertain previously. Trump’s radical approach to immigration: Enforce the law T here’s one fundamental could be a lengthy removal process. difference between the new The Trump interior enforcement order White House and the old when allows removal paperwork to begin it comes to immigration: Barack at the time an illegal immigrant is Obama ordered his administration not charged, on the reasonable assumption to enforce a number of immigration that a person who is in the United laws. Donald Trump has ordered his States illegally to begin with, and administration to enforce them. is then charged with at least one Trump’s two immigration executive additional crime, does not have a right Byron orders, issued last Wednesday, are to stay in the country indefinitely. York long, far-reaching, and complicated. 4) Follow the law in deporting Comment But perhaps the most consequential “removable” illegal immigrants. passage in the two combined orders is “We cannot faithfully execute the a single sentence: “The purpose of this order is immigration laws of the United States if we to direct executive departments and agencies exempt classes or categories of removable to employ all lawful means to enforce the aliens from potential enforcement,” the order immigration laws of the on interior enforcement United States.” says, referring to illegal That is the heart of immigrants who have been Trump’s immigration convicted of crimes, and strategy. “We do not need in some cases deported new laws,” the president multiple times, only to said at the Department return to commit more of Homeland Security crimes and endanger local Wednesday. “We will work communities. “I hereby within the existing system direct agencies to employ and framework.” all lawful means to ensure Trump’s proposal the faithful execution of to build a wall on the the immigration laws of Mexican border dominated the United States against coverage of the two all removable aliens.” executive orders. But the 5) Stop automatically orders do much, much allowing asylum seekers more than that — or at to stay while their least they start the process cases are considered. of doing much, much Thousands of people come more. For those who to U.S. ports of entry along follow immigration closely, the Trump orders the Mexican border from places like Haiti, contain several critical provisions. Among India, China, and elsewhere — all claiming them: asylum. The Obama administration allowed 1) End “catch and release.” In the Obama them to stay in the country while their cases years, as thousands of people, mostly from were adjudicated. Many simply skipped out on Central America, crossed the Mexican border the process and stayed permanently. The new illegally — and made no effort to escape executive order would require those asylum apprehension, asking for a “permiso” to stay seekers to apply for asylum and then wait for — the border authorities would briefly detain a decision not in the U.S., but in Mexico or them, give them a date to show up in court, Canada. Then, if they are allowed in, they’re and let them go. The practice was known as in. But if asylum is not granted, they won’t “catch and release.” have been permitted to disappear into the It did not take a rocket scientist to predict United States. that most, now safely inside the U.S., would 6) Inform the public. In the Obama years not show up for court. With family units it was sometimes hard to find good statistics who arrived in that fashion, immigration about illegal immigrants who were accused court statistics gathered by the Center for of crimes. Trump seeks to change that. From Immigration Studies (a group which favors the interior enforcement order: “To promote tighter immigration restrictions), reveal that 84 the transparency and situational awareness percent do not show up in court. of criminal aliens in the United States, the Under Trump’s new directive, the Secretary (of DHS) and the Attorney General Department of Homeland Security will now are hereby directed to collect relevant detain those illegal crossers and handle their data and provide quarterly reports on the cases on the spot. “The Secretary (of DHS) following: (a) the immigration status of all shall immediately take all appropriate actions aliens incarcerated under the supervision to ensure the detention of aliens apprehended of the Federal Bureau of Prisons; (b) the for violations of immigration law,” the order immigration status of all aliens incarcerated as on border enforcement says, “pending the federal pretrial detainees under the supervision outcome of their removal proceedings or of the United States Marshals Service; and their removal from the country to the extent (c) the immigration status of all convicted permitted by law.” aliens incarcerated in state prisons and local 2) Put pressure on “sanctuary cities.” detention centers throughout the United “Sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States.” States willfully violate Federal law in an The new statistics could give researchers, attempt to shield aliens from removal from the and the general public, a much better idea of United States,” the Trump order on interior the extent of crimes involving suspects in the enforcement says. The order would give the country illegally. Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Trump’s orders stop short of measures Security the authority to determine “that that would require the approval of Congress, jurisdictions that willfully refuse to comply such as resetting the numbers of immigrants with (federal law) are not eligible to receive allowed to enter the country each year. federal grants, except as deemed necessary But they still go a long way. And the early for law enforcement purposes by the Attorney response among Republicans on Capitol Hill General or the (DHS) Secretary.” was encouraging for the new administration. Some leaders of sanctuary cities are already Trump will undoubtedly have proposals promising to fight the federal government. But for Congress on immigration. But his two some will likely yield to federal pressure — a executive orders go a long way toward remarkable change from the Obama years. undoing the practices that Barack Obama 3) Speed deportations. Both the Obama unilaterally set in place. If Trump makes sure administration and now Trump said they his orders are enforced, he will have kept a want to remove illegal immigrants who major promise to those who elected him. have committed serious crimes. But Obama ■ waited until the immigrant in question had Byron York is chief political correspondent been convicted before even beginning what for The Washington Examiner. President Obama ordered his administration not to enforce a number of immigration laws. President Trump has ordered his administration to enforce them. 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. Coming Saturday: The East Oregonian will roll out a new series of commu- nity columnists — talented writers from Athena, Echo, Helix and Pendleton. Get their view from atop the tractor, from the headwaters of Dry Creek, from the head of the classroom and from behind the lectern. Their work will appear in each and every weekend edition of the EO.
