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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.