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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Thursday, April 20, 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 Conferring on the conference center For years, the plan for what to own. That doesn’t mean there will do with the Hermiston Conference no longer be any use for it. Many Center has been left simmering on private events will still seek out the back burner. Now it’s boiling the smaller downtown venue, over. and the city will add recreational As the new Eastern Oregon programming to the calendar. But Trade and Event Center was built operated solely as an event center, south of town, the fate of the its financial future is conference center bleak. and its contracted We can manager/tenant, the There aren’t understand Hermiston Chamber many Hermiston the chamber is of Commerce, has been in question. disappointed to be issues that Rather than find an forced to leave. But answer together, the we don’t believe require a city and chamber wise for them special meeting, it’s avoided the to stay tethered to discussion until a something that will this clash of decision had to be now turn from a interests drew a moneymaker to a made. That’s what full house and money-loser. So the city’s plan happened Tuesday, plenty of public has its merits. It’s as the Hermiston well within its rights City Council comments. to change how the unanimously passed conference center is a plan developed by used, and perhaps the city to take over reshuffling the deck now that operation of the conference center EOTEC has arrived is the right bet. next year. As a parting gift, the But the unified community council offered the chamber a spot voice that supports the chamber in the basement of the soon-to-be must be recognized and respected. remodeled historic Carnegie library These partners are valuable allies across the street from city hall, plus in creating a better Hermiston, and a paid manager for the last seven months of the chamber’s occupancy drawing battle lines and dividing into competing teams will not help of the center. that goal. Ignoring the wishes of an There aren’t many Hermiston issues that require a special meeting overflow crowd is not a good look for any city council. and pack the council chambers, but A compromise is clearly needed. this clash of interests drew a full house and plenty of public comment. Once the dust settles and fresh A wide majority of it was against the wounds are healed, both sides should plan, though the discourse was civil. meet to discuss a new permanent home for the chamber. A high profile The city and chamber have been reliable partners for many years, and building on Main Street, in easy sight of travelers and prospective the relationship at the conference developers, should be the goal if center has been mutually beneficial. the chamber isn’t interested in the But it has become clear that the old library. Perhaps a financial mutual benefit will disappear. assist from the city, combined with Hermiston is not large enough to a needed reorganization by the support two event centers, and as chamber, can leave both entities big events move up to EOTEC, the stronger than they entered this Hermiston Conference Center will unfortunate situation. soon become unprofitable on its 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. 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. Send letters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. OTHER VIEWS You’re too busy. You need a ‘Shultz Hour’ W hen George Shultz was I’ve just begun to do so. I have secretary of state in the committed to carving out an hour 1980s, he liked to carve each week with no meetings, no out one hour each week for quiet phone calls, no email, no Twitter, no reflection. He sat down in his office Facebook, no mobile alerts and no with a pad of paper and pen, closed the podcasts. Sometimes, I plan to spend door and told his secretary to interrupt the hour sitting down, as Shultz did, him only if one of two people called: and other times taking a stroll. I keep “My wife or the president,” Shultz David a pen and paper with me and have set recalled. Leonhardt my phone to ring only if my wife calls. Shultz, who’s now 96, told me that (My boss can’t start a war, so I’m Comment his hour of solitude was the only way willing to ignore him for an hour.) he could find time to think about the The fact it felt hard to commit to a strategic aspects of his job. Otherwise, he full hour was a sign of my need to do so. Like would be constantly pulled into moment-to- many people, I’m overly connected. I have moment tactical issues, never able to focus on confused the availability of new information larger questions of the national interest. And with the importance of it. If you spend all your the only way to do great work, in any field, is time collecting new information, you won’t to find time to consider the larger questions. leave enough time to make sense of it. The psychologist Amos The science of the mind Tversky had his own version is clear about this point. Our of this point. “The secret to brains can be in either “task- doing good research is always positive” or “task-negative” to be a little underemployed,” mode, but not both at once. Tversky said (as Michael Our brain benefits from Lewis describes in his latest spending time in each state. book). “You waste years by Task-positive mode allows not being able to waste hours.” us to accomplish something Likewise, Richard Thaler, in the moment. Task-negative the great behavioral economist mode is more colloquially and a Tversky protégé, known as daydreaming, and, self-deprecatingly describes as Daniel J. Levitin of McGill himself as lazy. But Thaler is not lazy, no University has written, it “is responsible for matter how much he may insist otherwise. He our moments of greatest creativity and insight, is instead wise enough to know that constant when we’re able to solve problems that activity isn’t an enjoyable or productive way previously seemed unsolvable.” to live. Whether you decide a Shultz Hour makes These days, however, it is a very tempting sense for you, I’d encourage you not to fool way to live. It can be hard to live any other yourself into thinking that you can easily way, in fact. We carry supercomputers in change your habits in little ways here and our pockets and place them next to us as we there. The ubiquity of smartphones, together sleep. They’re always there, with a new status with our culture of celebrating busyness, update to be read, a new photograph to be makes ad hoc approaches difficult. You taken, a new sports score or Trump outrage to are much more likely to carve out time for be checked. strategic thinking by making concrete changes Even before smartphones, this country’s to your habits. professional culture had come to venerate Wake up to an alarm clock rather than a freneticism. How often do you hear somebody phone, to collect your thoughts at the start humble-brag about how busy they are? The of each day. While you’re driving, put your saddest version, and I’ve heard it more than phone out of reach, mostly for safety, but also once, is the story of people who send work to let your mind wander at red lights. emails on their wedding day or from the Around the house, hide your phone — in hospital room where their child is born — and a backpack, a drawer or another room — for are proud of it. set periods of time, as Sherry Turkle of MIT Our society, or at least the white-collar recommends. Or carve out a few hours each portions of it, needs some more of Thaler’s week when no one in your house can check laziness and Shultz’s reflection time. They a phone. The filmmaker Tiffany Shlain are the route to meaningful ideas in any and her family do so for an entire day — a almost any realm: personal relationships, “technology shabbat.” academic papers, policy solutions, diplomatic If you remember my recent column on strategies, new businesses. I find it striking sugar, this advice may sound familiar. Like that new-business formation has declined over sugar, technology makes life more enjoyable. the last 15 years, despite (or perhaps partly But it’s better in moderation, and modern life because of) the digital revolution. pushes us toward excess. My goal with this column is to persuade ■ you to add a Shultz Hour, or something like it, David Leonhardt is an op-ed columnist for to your week. The New York Times. Constant activity isn’t an enjoyable or productive way to live. YOUR VIEWS Pendleton emergency crews need new facility This is support of the new fire station for the city of Pendleton. I have been a resident of the fantastic city of Pendleton for over three decades. There were three instances that I had to call on the fire department: a fire in the alley of our business and two ambulance calls for family members. When you are on the other end of the telephone for an emergency, you appreciate the quick response time that literally saves lives and buildings. Let’s support our firefighters and emergency personnel to have the proper facilities and updated equipment. They deserve it and we as citizens deserve it. The location is the one that fits them best and I have confidence in the employees and their leadership, city council and mayor of Pendleton. Margaret A. Gianotti Pendleton How about saving the Vert first? It seems like the city of Pendleton and the city council is willing to let the Vert Auditorium rot away while giving away thousands of dollars to save the Rivoli Theater. The owners are asking the city for another $95,000, this after the city bought the building and then gave it to the current owners in the first place. The county, after promising the city $20,000 to move the Eighth Street Bridge to Main, is proudly offering another $20,000 for the Rivoli as economic development funds. I vaguely remember they vowed to quit “frittering.” I guess they feel guilty over that $3.3 million and blank check they gave to the city of Hermiston for that EOTEC project. The building owner claimed at his presentation to the city that this whole project is classified as a nonprofit endeavor, a historic building restoration. Where the county sees economic development remains to be seen. It actually appears that by the time this money pit is finished, very little of the original theater will be left. I wouldn’t call that very historic. Now it’s always nice to have a facility such as the Vert to hold events such as Dancing with the Stars to raise money for different organizations, and though the city gives away money left and right, they cry poverty when it comes to their own buildings like the Vert. Perhaps it’s because they don’t charge fair market value for its use except when it suits them. Are free movies the way to go when the building is falling into disrepair? As I recall, the number one goal set by the mayor and city council was sustainable funding for city buildings, roads and utilities. We are borrowing $14.8 million to fund utilities. The city council has established a $5 utility fee, that’s already going up, to fund street maintenance. I have yet to hear of any program to address the backlog of building maintenance, yet the city council continues to fund private projects that benefit a few people within their circle of friends. Main Street update: I guess City Hall has decided to celebrate Christmas year around with those tree lights. The crab apples are already starting to decorate the sidewalks and I especially like those hanging extension cords. They must be going for that heartwarming “ghetto” look that’s so “chic” these days, and those sale signs really set off the Chief Burke statue. Rick Rohde Pendleton Sanctuaries should lose funding, court cases It is amazing to me that states, governors and mayors of our country would openly defy U.S. laws regarding sanctuary cities. Major cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles have declared themselves sanctuary cities, but so have Seattle and our own Portland. In fact, Governor Brown of California is heading efforts to make the entire state of California a sanctuary state. (Editor’s note: Oregon is a sanctuary state.) Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recently warned these cities he will crack down on them and withhold federal money and grants if they don’t comply. Declaring there is “a new sheriff in town,” he has federal law on his side as the sanctuary jurisdictions executive order states that the attorney general may take “appropriate enforcement action” against any entity that has in effect a “stated policy or practice that prevents or hinders the enforcement of federal law.” When an illegal alien is arrested ICE receives fingerprints and may request, through an ICE detainer, that a local government hold the prisoner so ICE can pick them up and deport them. Sanctuary cities are not doing this in open defiance of federal law. The government states “failure to deport aliens who are convicted of criminal offenses makes our nation less safe by putting dangerous criminals back on our streets.” Seattle states, however, “federal authorities can not force local police officials to be involved in federal immigration activities.” I am hoping these cities lose their court battles over this situation. I determined years ago, here in Oregon, the Cascade Mountains have provided a natural barrier to genetics and have created a different species on the west side of our state. The vastly over-liberal officials who live there often have clouded judgment now. We can not allow sanctuary cities to cry about loss of federal funds and grants when they openly defy U.S. laws. This illegal sanctuary status must be reversed immediately and lawful order restored to our cities — especially our very own Portland. Cities can not be allowed to pick and choose the laws they should enforce. David Burns Pendleton
