Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Thursday, April 27, 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 Trump, timber and trade Many Americans in extractive opportunity to take advantage of the new tariffs on imported products. industries, and in the regions For American consumers and dependent on them, voted for homebuilders, prepare to see higher Donald Trump. These regions — whether in Appalachia or Southern prices at your local lumber store. Oregon — are among the poorest But this is the perfect opportunity for Trump to try out his overall in the country, and have the worst government services. Call the county policies. A federal investigation sheriff’s office in Douglas County, found that Canada was unfairly for instance, and subsidizing its you’re likely to timber business, get an answering Oregon’s many trees allowing its machine. companies to just became more undercut U.S. These regions competitors. and people have marketable, but been left behind Trump has long by the American consumers will likely argued that the political class. has been see higher prices. U.S. They’ve also on the wrong been actively end of bad deals, targeted by a allowing other more environmentally conscious countries to get one over on us. world, automation and new Trump’s predecessor agreed that technology, and cheaper, less- in this case that Canada was being regulated competition from abroad. unfair, but the two countries had So they elected Trump. And been unable to reach an agreement earlier this week, the new president on the matter. said he would impose a 20 percent If timber bounces back in the U.S., you can imagine Trump and tariff on imported Canadian his administration promoting similar softwood lumber. Surprisingly, it makes our northern neighbor — not protectionist policies on an array of imported goods. For a Republican Mexico or China — the expected Party that has long been cemented first target of Trump’s protectionist behind free trade, that is a quick policies. The U.S. purchases about 80 about-face. But with Trump in percent of such lumber produced control, the Trans-Pacific Partnership in Canada at a cost of about $6 is already dead. Perhaps NAFTA is billion a year, according to Canadian next in his sights. government data. For those of us in Right now, Oregon’s many trees timber-rich Oregon, there is a real have become more marketable. 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 Fire bond a great bargain for Pendleton residents I write to encourage Pendleton residents to approve the upcoming bond enabling the city to build a new fire station. Every time we hear a Pendleton fire, ambulance, or police siren, we are witness to the dedication and professionalism of our first responders rushing to help someone in a potentially life-threatening or dangerous situation. They never know when the next call might come in, they do their work at great risk to themselves, and we never know when such misfortune might befall one of us. We hope to never use their services, but we rely on them and can accept no substitutes when danger is at hand. We owe our firefighters and first responders the same degree of commitment that they give us. The bond is our turn to demonstrate how much we appreciate their work by giving our financial support. I believe that if you want good public services, you need to pay for them. But the bond is a great bargain! For the average Pendleton homeowner, the bond will cost less than 50c per week, and less than $100 per year. The bond will pay for construction of a new station that has enough room for modern equipment and — most importantly — will decrease response times throughout the city. This is a small amount for each of us to pay for such improvement to our lifesaving services. Imagine that your home catches fire while you family is asleep, and try to imagine the fear and helplessness you would feel as seconds pass by while you wait for the firefighters to arrive. Now imagine that you voted for the bond, the new fire station was built, and response times throughout the city were lowered. I suspect you would view the bond as money well spent as the fire trucks arrived and your firefighters begin their critical work. Will Perkinson Pendleton Oregon should lift its santuary status In reference to my recent article on sanctuary cities, yes, I should have stated more clearly that Oregon is — sadly — a sanctuary state. I appreciate the editor pointing out that fact. Stating that, however, now gives me the opportunity to inform readers that there is a strong effort currently to reverse this status for our state. Oregon legislators Reps. Sal Esquivel and Mike Nearman introduced HB 2921 that would require Oregon’s cities and counties to comply with federal immigration detainer requests and repeal the 1987 state law that prevents law enforcement from using resources to find or arrest illegal aliens in Oregon. This bill would also prevent cities and counties from adopting ordinances that prevent cooperation with federal immigration officials. In essence, passage of this bill would eliminate Oregon as a sanctuary state. These two legislators tried unsuccessfully to put this bill on the last ballot but hope it will be successful for the ballot in 2018. The Pendleton City Council should also be congratulated for soundly defeating a recent effort to make Pendleton a sanctuary city as well. Two other bills readers may want to support include HB 2923, which would make English the official language of Oregon. If passed state agencies would only be allowed to provide services and information in English, thus saving the state a lot of money from having to print everything in Spanish. Isn’t it sad that through all these years, since the birth of the United States, the U.S. Congress has never been able to pass legislation making English our official language? The second is HB2917, which would require state agencies and the contractors they hire to be allowed to check the status of immigrant workers to make sure they are legal U.S. citizens. As a former board member of The League of Oregon Cities, I tried to get that body to pass a similar motion that would require the league to hire only firms and businesses owned by U.S. citizens. My motion was soundly defeated, and I received a lot of criticism for even daring to offer it. However, I still believe it was the right thing to do. As a former Oregon contractor, I have seen first hand the illegal businesses that work here in Oregon without liability insurance and legal contractor status who are able to undercut legitimate business who play by the rules. David Burns Pendleton LETTERS POLICY The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication. Send letters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. OTHER VIEWS Executive successes, congressional failures O f course Donald Trump over- overbroad promise. promised for his first 100 days. Some promises Trump has openly What presidential candidate chosen to break. He promised to hasn’t? “direct the Secretary of the Treasury to During last year’s campaign, Trump label China a currency manipulator.” spoke frequently of all the things he Now, he says he will not do so if China would do almost immediately upon is helping the U.S. solve the so-far- entering the Oval Office. He’d repeal intractable North Korea problem. Obamacare, reform the tax code, The net result of Trump’s promises Byron destroy ISIS, build a wall at the U.S.- involving executive authority is that York Mexico border, fix the nation’s roads he has done well when it comes to Comment and bridges, take care of veterans, keeping the Contract. Indeed, the deport criminal illegal immigrants, and two biggest successes of Trump’s much, much more. first 100 days are on the front page of the contract: the Gorsuch nomination and Trump’s By the last weeks of the campaign, Trump immigration executive order tightening actually dialed back some of his promises. controls at the Mexico border. “We’ve seen a On October 22, he traveled to Gettysburg, dramatic reduction in illegal migration across Pennsylvania, to announce his “Contract with the southwest border,” Homeland Security the American Voter,” which formalized his Secretary John Kelly said Friday. “In fact, pledges for the first 100 days. March apprehensions were 30 percent lower The “contract” was a single piece of paper. than February apprehensions — and 64 The front listed 18 actions Trump would take percent lower than the same time last year.” under his executive authority as president, That is a solid success and the back listed ten by any measure. pieces of legislation But the back page of he would introduce in the contract is a different Congress. story. Unlike many of Now, three months his speeches, Trump was into the Trump careful not to promise administration, the front legislative success. and the back of the “I will work with Contract are two very Congress to introduce different stories. the following broader legislative measures and On the executive action front, Trump has fight for their passage with the first 100 days kept a significant number of his promises: of my administration,” he said in the contract. ▪ Candidate Trump promised to “begin the But Trump has not even introduced process” of selecting a Supreme Court Justice to replace Antonin Scalia. As president, Trump promised legislation like the American Energy and Infrastructure Act, or the School did just that, and Neil Gorsuch is now on the Choice and Education Opportunity Act, or the Court. Affordable Childcare and Eldercare Act, or ▪ Candidate Trump promised to withdraw others on the 10-point list. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. As The president, mostly following the lead president, he did it. ▪ Candidate Trump promised to require that of House Republicans, has taken a shot “for every new federal regulation, two existing — and failed — at repealing and replacing regulations must be eliminated.” As president, Obamacare. To the extent that that work continues — a vote in the House could be he did it. just a few weeks away — he can be said to ▪ Candidate Trump promised to “lift the be working on keeping that promise. And Obama-Clinton roadblocks” on the Keystone Trump has pledged to bring out some sort Pipeline and other infrastructure projects. As of tax proposal this week — not an actual president, he did it. tax reform bill, but movement closer to the ▪ Candidate Trump promised to “begin goal of reforming the tax code. So on the two removing the more than two million criminal biggest items on the back page of the contract, illegal immigrants” in the U.S. As president, by the time the actual 100-day mark arrives he did it. On other issues, Trump has kept front-page next Saturday, Trump will be able to say he’s making progress. promises, but with decidedly mixed results. But the fact is, on the whole, Trump failed The most significant of those is his pledge to keep the back page promises of the contract to “suspend immigration from terror-prone in his first 100 days. regions.” Trump has done it — twice — only On the other hand, the president has been a to see his executive orders tied up in the crucial part of a determined effort by Capitol courts. His first try was botched, while the second try will likely survive judicial scrutiny. Hill Republicans to use the Congressional Review Act to abolish rules put in place by Trump also promised to “cancel all federal funding” for so-called sanctuary cities. He has the Obama administration. Trump has signed 12 such bills into law voiding Obama rules on begun to do so — the Justice Department is energy, firearms, federal labor contracts, local beginning to threaten to withdraw some grant control of education, and other topics. money — but the promise was overbroad and The bottom line is that Trump has been a will likely never be fully kept. 100-day success when it comes to exercising In addition, Trump promised to impose the executive powers of the presidency. He has a “five-year ban on White House and done a great deal of what he said he would do, Congressional officials becoming lobbyists and promises to do more. after they leave government service.” He kept ■ the pledge for White House officials but does Byron York is chief political correspondent not have the authority to tell Congress what to for The Washington Examiner do — so again, a partially kept, but originally Trump has kept front-page promises, but with decidedly mixed results.