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OPINION
East Oregonian
Wednesday, March 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
Hurdles remain
for Trumpcare
Donald Trump and Republicans,
consumers.
▪ Reduce the tax credits given to
with a major assist from Greg
middle-income Americans to help
Walden, unveiled their first serious
offset insurance costs.
attempt to re-imagine the American
▪ Change the way those subsidies
health care system after Obamacare.
will be distributed.
It has not received a favorable
▪ Scale back Medicaid
response from some, both
▪ Remove limits on tax-free
conservative and liberal, and its
future is in doubt. Obviously, putting Health Savings Accounts
▪ Change the restrictions on how
forward comprehensive health care
much insurance companies can
reform is difficult work, and it’s no
charge older Americans.
wonder that the first iteration of the
It would keep portions of the law,
Republican plan will need major
too, including the ability for children
tweaking.
to stay on their parents’ insurance
President Donald Trump said
last month: “Nobody knew health
until age 26.
care could be so
▪ Keep the
complicated.”
requirement of
No Republicans insurers to cover
But that’s not
with
true. Anyone who
voted in favor people
pre-existing medical
has spent hours
of the ACA,
conditions and bars
on the phone with
companies from
their insurance
and many
charging those
company, trying to
people more.
decipher whether a
have come
certain physician or
▪ Keep
out against
procedure is covered
government-
essential
by their plan,
the initial plan provided
knows that health
health benefits,
backed by
care is immensely
including maternity
complicated on
and preventive
President Trump care
an individual and
services.
family basis. Now
▪ Keep
imagine trying to figure it out for
prohibitions on annual and lifetime
more than 300 million people.
limits for how much insurance
Complex is an understatement,
companies have to pay to cover a
and perhaps we short-changed the
customer.
So that’s Trumpcare in a nutshell.
imperfect Affordable Care Act, aka
At least version 1.0.
Obamacare, for at least getting a
The president tweeted this week,
few of the many problems under
using for the first time using the
temporary control.
words “my bill.” It would be the first
But no Republicans voted in
policy directly tied to him that went
favor of the ACA, and many in the
through the normal channels of how
last eight years made its repeal their
signature campaign promise. So it is this country was crafted to make
no surprise that the bill released this legislation — if it can survive that
process.
week — supported by Trump and
Executive orders are much easier
keeping some major tenants of the
and can be done with the stroke of a
ACA — has come in from virulent
pen. Trump will soon learn how hard
conservative opposition
Very briefly, here’s what the GOP it is to push a massive bill through
Congress, even when his party is in
bill would do, were it to become
control of both houses. Obama was
law:
able to do it, but he used up a ton
▪ Repeal both the individual
of political capital in the process.
and employer mandates (which
Whether Trump has that capital,
allows the government to penalize
and the political skill to maneuver
individuals who go without
his idea through a complex process,
insurance and businesses who don’t
remains to be seen.
offer insurance to their employees).
Whether it’s good for America is
▪ Repeal government subsidies
another question altogether.
that reduce insurance costs for
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.
YOUR VIEWS
Morrow Co. school admins Don’t repeal ACA until
failed to act on misconduct a better system in place
Morrow County Supt. Dirk Dirksen
contends his administration “stays alert
and asks people to report it” (behavior
that constitutes sexual misconduct). In
the case of Jake McElligott, the Irrigon
High School administration and Supt.
Dirksen had the mandatory report of
sexual grooming two years before Mr.
McElligott left Irrigon High School.
Instead of honestly investigating the
report of sexual grooming and taking
appropriate action, the Irrigon and
district administration chose to cover for
Coach McElligott.
Had the Irrigon principal, Craig
Bensen, athletic director Blaine Ganvoa
and Supt. Dirk Dirksen responded
with integrity and the professionalism
expected from the authority entrusted
in them, this tragedy would never have
happened. Our youth must be protected.
I am not making excuses for Jake
McElligott, but had the administration
done their job this heartache would
never have happened, the girls would
not have been taken advantage of and a
large portion of the high student body
would not have had their moral values
compromised.
For Congress to get rid of the
Affordable Care Act— also known as
Obamacare — before coming up with
another comprehensive plan would hurt
thousands of central and eastern Orego-
nians. It would also cause the layoffs
of many medical staff, and possibly the
closure of clinics.
The ACA/Obamacare has been
valuable for central and eastern Oregon.
In 2013, before the Act took effect,
19.2 percent of central Oregonians
were uninsured. In 2015, that number
dropped sharply to 5.3 percent. In 2013.
16.4 percent of eastern Oregonians were
uninsured. That number dropped to 5.3
percent in 2015. Many of these newly
insured people are on Medicaid.
These numbers come from the
Oregon Health Insurance Survey, which
is done by the state every other year.
We need to make sure our represen-
tative in Congress, Greg Walden, knows
how we feel about this issue before
drastic changes are made.
Paula Surmann
Sisters
Stuart Dick
Irrigon
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.
OTHER VIEWS
The information vacuum inside
the Trump Russia controversy
P
ut aside, for a moment, the
on the collusion angle.
raging controversies over this
What all that suggests is that there
or that aspect of Donald Trump,
is an information vacuum at the core
the Russians, and the election. And
of the Russia election controversy.
then ask: What do we know about the
Everybody is talking about things they
allegation at the heart of the matter:
don’t know even happened.
Did Trump, his campaign aides, or his
The vacuum has not stopped
associates collude with Russians to
President Trump’s accusers, who
influence the 2016 campaign?
are suggesting there is incriminating
Byron
The answer is, we know nothing.
evidence of collusion the public has
York
After all the investigating, after all the
not seen. “There are transcripts that
Comment
talk, after all the yelling — the public
provide very helpful, very critical
knows nothing. There may be people at
insights into whether or not Russian
the highest levels of U.S. government secrecy
intelligence or senior Russian political
who know the answer, but even that is not
leaders — including Vladimir Putin — were
clear at the moment.
cooperating, were colluding, with the Trump
The most definitive statement of the current campaign at the highest levels to influence the
outcome of our election,” Democratic Sen.
situation came Sunday on NBCs “Meet the
Chris Coons told MSNBC Friday. “I believe
Press.” James Clapper, the former director of
national intelligence, admitted that he does not they exist.”
The problem, for Coons, and other
know of any evidence that proves collusion, or
Democrats, is that his belief might not be
even points toward collusion.
based in fact. On Saturday, Coons’ office
“Does intelligence exist that can
released a statement saying he did not mean
definitively answer the following question,
whether there were improper contacts between to suggest “that he is aware of transcripts
indicating collusion between the Trump
the Trump campaign and Russian officials?”
campaign and the Russians.” And on Sunday,
NBC’s Chuck Todd asked Clapper.
facing questions from Fox News’ Chris
“We did not include any evidence in our
Wallace, Coons went into full retreat.
report ... that had anything, that had any
Wallace asked this: “Do you have any
reflection of collusion between members
evidence, at this point, and this investigation
of the Trump campaign and the Russians,”
Clapper answered. “There was no evidence of has been going on for a long period of time
... do you know of any hard evidence of
that included in our report.”
“I understand that, but does it exist?” asked collusion between what I call TrumpWorld
and the Russians to interfere in this
Todd.
presidential campaign? Not suspicions, not
“Not to my knowledge,” said Clapper.
contacts — but evidence of collusion?”
“If it existed, it would have been in the
“Chris, I have no hard evidence of
report?” asked Todd.
collusion,” Coons answered. “I think what
“This could have unfolded or become
hard evidence there may be will be discovered
available in the time since I left the
either through a full release of President
government,” Clapper responded. “But at the
Trump’s financial interests and concerns
time, we had no evidence of such collusion.”
and taxes, or the intercepts that I believe our
Remember that Clapper was head of
intelligence community and FBI have of
national intelligence until Jan. 20. There
conversations between and among Russian
have been reports the Trump Russia hacking
officials.”
investigation was going on last summer, that
The Coons “Fox News Sunday” interview
it accelerated in the fall, and that it has been
could prove a revealing moment in the Trump
moving along ever since. So Clapper was
Russia election affair. When Coons admitted
there for most of the investigation. And he
that he had seen no evidence of collusion,
says he knows of no evidence of collusion.
where did he suggest it might be? In the
Other government officials who know
president’s tax returns.
less than Clapper — but who should still
Just how that might be possible is not
know something — are in the dark. On Feb.
clear. But there is no doubt Democrats work
27, Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, who
every day to pressure Trump to release his
is the chairman of the House Intelligence
taxes (something candidate Trump broke with
Committee, said, “We still have not seen any
tradition by refusing to do). If Democrats
evidence of anyone that’s — from the Trump
come up with a dry hole on the Russia election
campaign or any other campaign, for that
matter, they might, like Coons, just seamlessly
matter, that’s communicated with the Russian
segue to Trump’s taxes.
government.”
In the meantime, there are mounting
Pressed about alleged contacts, Nunes said,
demands for a special prosecutor, or a “9/11-
“That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, but I
don’t have that. And what I’ve been told is, by style commission” to investigate an alleged
many — by many folks, is that there’s nothing event — TrumpWorld-Russia collusion —
that even the nation’s top investigators, after
there.”
months of investigation, don’t know actually
A few days later, Rep. Adam Schiff,
happened.
Nunes’ colleague and the top Democrat on
To be clear, it’s possible that
the Intel Committee, expressed frustration
incontrovertible evidence of collusion exists
with the FBI for not sharing information on
somewhere in the government’s classified
the investigation. “I would say at this point
investigation machine. It might be that the
we know less than a fraction of what the FBI
FBI director, or some other official, will soon
knows.”
release information to settle the question once
Nunes and Schiff — who both have
and for all. But right now, even as there are
security clearances and, as the prime House
calls to escalate the investigation, some very
overseers of the intelligence community
knowledgeable people are beginning to admit
should know what they are talking about —
both agree: they know nothing about evidence they know of nothing there.
Recently an anonymous Washington
of collusion. Nunes appears to believe that is
politico told Axios’ Mike Allen of the Russia
because there isn’t any such evidence. Schiff
election case, “This is the rare case where the
appears to believe that is because the FBI has
smoke IS the fire.” That’s clever, but no, the
been hiding the evidence. But both say they
smoke is not the fire. The fire is the fire. And
don’t know much.
The situation seems no better in the Senate, right now, no one seems to know if there is
any fire at all.
where the biggest recent controversy has
■
been over Intelligence Committee chairman
Byron York is chief political correspondent
Richard Burr acting at the behest of the White
for The Washington Examiner.
House to tell reporters there’s no there there