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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, February 8, 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 Before any tax increase, ODOT must restore trust Those who proclaim government management team is supposed to be accountable to the five-member agencies should be run like businesses are, in some ways, wrong. governor-appointed Oregon A case in point: If government Transportation Commission. However, this effort at citizen services and infrastructure were oversight is not functioning as it awarded to low-population areas should. On Jan. 10, Tammy Baney, in proportion to the income they the commission’s chairwoman, sent produce, large swaths of America wouldn’t have paved roads, bridges Gov. Kate Brown a letter asking or anything but one-room schools. for quarterly meetings with Brown, Basic politic principles and simple along with an independent staff fairness would never allow such person to carry out commissioners’ overt neglect in the U.S. requests for information and When it comes to the Oregon research. Baney also wants an “active” role in ODOT Director Matt Department of Transportation, however, a valid argument definitely Garrett’s performance review. Most Oregon citizens will be surprised that can be made for a somewhat more such basic elements of businesslike approach independent oversight to such fundamental ODOT is are not already procedures as setting in place. Without priorities, seeking out one of the routine contact with differing opinions state’s largest the governor or a and measuring how in reviewing the well goals are being organizations. role ODOT director, the achieved. commission becomes With a budget little but a symbolic shell. of roughly $2 billion a year and Former commission Chairwoman thousands of employees, ODOT Catherine Mater said the request is one of the state’s largest for an independent staffer indicates organizations. It’s no Nike or “a complete disintegration of trust” Intel, but it’s big enough — and between ODOT and the commission so crucial to the state’s safety and tasked with overseeing it. success — that it must adopt at ODOT’s front-line workers least some lessons from the private clearly understand what is going corporate world in order to achieve on. They told the consultants: “We all it needs to do with the resources need to ensure accountability for it has available. It wants even performance and behavior problems. more. ODOT, along with Oregon’s High-level managers can talk the counties and cities, suggests they talk, but poor performers and poor might need up to an extra $5 billion a year to preserve roads and bridges, behavior is still tolerated. Good employees currently work hard ease congestion and bolster public through internal motivation and transportation. personal dedication to high quality A nearly $1 million performance service, not because the agency audit from New York-based rewards them.” McKinsey & Co. — which the There is no doubt that Oregon EO Media Group/Pamplin Media needs substantial transportation Group Capital Bureau successfully upgrades and maintenance. In our pressed ODOT to release last part of the state, the weather has month — found the department acts like a complacent family. Nobody in outfoxed the transportation system more often than not this winter. top management rocks the boat by And while we may never be able questioning the agency’s decisions. to win the war against Mother Though the audit is couched in Nature, we must invest more heavily the diplomatic code phrases of in highways, bridges and other managerial consultants, the overall picture of top ODOT management is essential infrastructure. And better uncomfortably close to the old cliché planning in the Portland area, the of a clubby circle of friends standing economic engine of Oregon, will help keep its steady expansion from around leaning on their shovels bottlenecking future growth. kibitzing. Ultimately, even if Congress Consultant interviews with senior grants President Donald management found “no example Trump’s wish for major national of individuals who considered infrastructure spending, Oregon themselves a ‘dissenting voice.”’ taxpayers will have to pay much Government agencies, boards and of the tab for the things we commissions often go to great need. Deficiencies in ODOT’s effort to ensure such a lack of management system, along with disagreement within their ranks. However, from a public perspective, the debacle of the failed Columbia Crossing project on Interstate too many unanimous decisions 5, necessitate a convincing and within an entity like ODOT are thorough rebooting of this critical nearly always a sign of trouble. It agency’s managerial and oversight means no one is really speaking up procedures. to question old assumptions or fight It will be a fool’s errand to ask for significant changes in budgeting, personnel, project planning and other Oregon voters for a major hike in transportation-related taxes until important matters. this basic work is done and trust is In the case of Oregon’s restored. transportation system, ODOT’s 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 Tom Price, Dr. Personal Enrichment E ach year, a publication called pharmaceutical companies that Medscape creates a portrait of would benefit from its defeat, as the medical profession. It surveys Time magazine reported. At the time, thousands of doctors about their job those same companies were lobbying satisfaction, salaries and the like and Congress to block the change. They breaks down the results by specialty, succeeded. allowing for comparisons between, say, It’s a pattern, too. Price has put the dermatologists and oncologists. interests of drug companies above As I read the most recent survey, those of taxpayers and patients — and David invested in those drug companies on I was struck by the answers from Leonhardt the side. orthopedic surgeons. They are the Comment highest-paid doctors, with an average Last year, he also bought shares in salary of $443,000 in 2015 — which, Zimmer Biomet, a maker of hip and coincidentally, was almost the exact cutoff knee implants. Six days later, according to for the famed top 1 percent of the income CNN, he introduced a bill that would that have distribution. directly helped Zimmer. Yet many orthopedists are not happy In his defense, a spokesman for Price has with their pay. Only 44 percent feel “fairly said that his broker bought the Zimmer stock compensated,” a smaller and Price didn’t find out share than in almost every until later. That’s possible, other specialty. A lot of but still not acceptable. orthopedists aren’t even Members of Congress bear happy being doctors. Just responsibility for their 49 percent say they would personal stock transactions, go into medicine if they had period. to make the decision again, A third episode may be compared with 64 percent of the worst. Price accepted all doctors. a special offer from an I know that many Australian drug company orthopedists have a very to buy discounted shares, different view: They take as The Wall Street Journal pride in helping patients and and Kaiser Health News feel fortunate to enjoy comfortable lives. But reported. despite those doctors, it’s clear that orthopedics He told the Senate that the offer was suffers from a professional culture that does open to all investors, although fewer than 20 not live up to medicine’s highest ideals. Too Americans actually received an invitation to many orthopedists are rich and think it’s an buy at the discounted price. The stock has injustice that they’re not richer. since jumped in value, and Price underreported This culture helped shape Dr. Tom the worth of his investment in his nomination Price, the orthopedic surgeon and Georgia filings. It was a “clerical error,” he says. congressman who is Donald Trump’s nominee Even without any larger context, his actions for secretary of health and human services. are disqualifying. He’s repeatedly placed Price had a thriving practice near Atlanta personal enrichment above the credibility of before being elected to Congress in 2004. His Congress. The behavior is substantially worse estimated net worth of more than $10 million than giving money to an illegal immigrant (and possibly a lot more) makes him one of the (which defeated a George W. Bush nominee) House’s wealthier members. or failing to pay nanny taxes (which scuttled a Yet he hasn’t been content to make money Bill Clinton nominee). in the standard ways. He has also pushed, and But of course there is a larger context. crossed, ethical boundaries. Again and again, Price has devoted much of his political career Price has mingled his power as a congressman opposing expansion of health insurance. His with his desire to make money. preferred replacement of Obamacare would So far, the nominee receiving the most reduce health care benefits for sicker, poorer attention is Betsy DeVos, Trump’s choice for and older Americans. education secretary, and she definitely deserves His views have a long history within the scrutiny. Still, I think Democrats have made a medical profession. For decades, doctors mistake focusing so much on her rather than used their political clout to help block on Price. He could do more damage — and his universal health insurance. They offered many transgressions are worse than those that have rationales, but money was the main reason. defeated prior nominees. Many doctors feared that a less laissez-faire Last March, Price announced his opposition health care system would reduce their pay. to a sensible Medicare proposal to limit the It’s to the great credit of today’s doctors money doctors could make from drugs they that they have moved their lobbying groups prescribe their patients. The proposal was away from that position and helped extend meant to reduce doctors’ financial incentives insurance to some 20 million people. They to prescribe expensive drugs. (And, yes, if understand that some principles matter more you’re bothered that your doctor has any stake than a paycheck. in choosing one drug over another, you should Or at least many of them do. be.) ■ One week after Price came out against David Leonhardt is an op-ed columnist for the proposal, he bought stocks in six The New York Times. For decades, doctors used their political clout to help block universal health coverage. YOUR VIEWS EOTEC a success, as long as donations continue to flood in The Umatilla County commissioners appear to be finally concerned that the EOTEC board has no concrete plan for long-term operations. With the shortfall in the county’s budget I would hope that they were aware that, since the center has turned a profit of $36,000 according to a recent article in the East Oregonian, they really have nothing to worry about. Besides, one of those commissioners is on that board to ensure the success of the center. Rumor has it that since it has been so successful, the city of Hermiston, after hearing this unexpected news, is considering buying out the county’s share and renaming it after those commissioners that have been so instrumental in its success. Additionally, though this could not be verified by any reliable source, the city may propose a gas tax to fund the center and pay for the reconstruction of the entrance road, forgoing a request to the state for funding and thoughtfully assisting Governor Brown in balancing the state budget. Perhaps this kind gesture will convince her not to close the crime lab in Pendleton and the new mental health facility in Junction City. The county, for its part, has instructed all departments not to ask for personnel increases in their budget requests, and the commissioners have promised to stop “frittering” away public funds. I wonder if this means no money for the desperately needed “food hub” in Pendleton. They also have recognized the need for increased staffing at EOTEC. I’m sure they will, as good stewards of the entire county, decide to continue funding the center since county residents are desperate for a tax increase to ensure Hermiston’s continued success. Meanwhile, the city has approved up to $300,000 in incentives for the Ranch and Home project rather than invest more in EOTEC because of the county’s expected generosity. Evidently, it seems the EOTEC board and the Hermiston city manager already have some sort of long- range concrete plan. News Flash: After generous funding from both the city of Hermiston, the county, and the flood of donations, EOTEC lost less than $5,000 last year instead of a profit recently reported in the EO. Those continued generous donations will make the difference. Rick Rohde Pendleton 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.
