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OPINION
East Oregonian
Tuesday, May 16, 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
OTHER VIEWS
Is Trump obstructing justice?
Submitted Photo
Gov. Tom Mcall in front of Surfsand Motel at Cannon Beach in 1967.
Beach Bill a
reminder for
stewardship
Saturday marked a momentous
between high and low tides of the
day in state history. It was on that
beach as being publicly owned.
day 50 years ago in 1967 — in a
Controversy arose in 1966 when
publicity stunt — that then-Gov.
Bill Hay, the owner of the Surfside
Tom McCall landed in a helicopter
Motel in Cannon Beach, roped off
in Cannon Beach to declare simply
a section of the beach on dry sand
that Oregon needed to keep its
exclusively for motel guests. Since
beaches open.
the 1913 legislation
McCall’s stunt
only protected wet
In many other
led to passage of
sands, the Beach Bill
coastal states,
the Beach Bill, the
was introduced to
landmark legislation
guarantee dry-sand
portions of
that established public
areas would always be
beautiful beaches publicly accessible as
ownership of the
Oregon Coast.
well.
are privately
The Beach Bill
We should all be
glad he did, and for the owned with “No nearly died in
foresight of those who
legislative committee,
Trespassing”
passed it. We should
but passed in June
signs and no
remember that in many
1967. McCall signed
other coastal states,
it into law a month
public access.
portions of beautiful
later, ensuring “free
beaches are privately
and uninterrupted
owned with “No Trespassing” signs
use of the beaches” between the
and no public access.
low-water mark and the vegetation
McCall’s actions fueled public
line.
Our beaches, forests, plains and
support for the bill, which closed a
loophole in well-intentioned 1913
mountains are what makes Oregon
unique. The state has a history of
legislation that declared Oregon
putting a high priority on protecting
beaches were public highways
them for public use, and as summer
and guaranteed public access to
arrives we’re glad to have so much
nearly all of the state’s 363 miles
of coastline. The 1913 law, though, unfettered access to the natural
beauty.
only protected the “wet sands”
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
Future looks bright
The county commissioners’ office
forecasts a bright future for Umatilla
County. Four new data centers at an
estimated $500 million apiece add
significant growth potential to the
Hermiston area while the driving force
for economic development in Pendleton
appears to be tied to the restoration of
the Rivoli Theater.
With the closing of JC Penney, the
city of Pendleton spearheaded by the
Pendleton Development Commission
and the Pendleton Downtown Associ-
ation, now flush with city cash, have
the golden opportunity to revise their
food hub plan. Rather than use valuable
shovel-ready industrial property,
establishing a new professional soup
kitchen on downtown Main Street
would attract some much-needed
diversity in the overall customer base
that the city is desperately seeking.
Meanwhile the contractor for
Pendleton Heights continues to pres-
sure the city council into a questionable
deal to permit the transfer of money
from his left pocket to his right so he
can get a loan to refill that left pocket.
He mentioned something about the city
living up to its half of the partnership.
Is he really part owner of City Hall
now? It sounds to me like he just needs
bigger pants with more pockets.
It’s budget time again at City Hall
and a quick read, if that’s even possible,
revealed an interesting fact. Though
PP&L pays the city $1.1 million, yes
that’s million, a year for the privilege
of providing our electrical and street
light service and maintenance, the
city is budgeting $190,000 to pay the
electric bill to operate those street
lights. Rather than use the franchise fee
money, the bill is paid from the street
repair fund. Didn’t Public Works just
ask for an additional $100,000 or so
because of the poor condition of the
streets because of the rough winter? It’s
no wonder our streets are in such sad
shape.
Just a bit of free advice, if you ever
get a chance to take a ride on a B-25,
it’s well worth it. Well, that’s the latest
news in a nutshell, happy trails.
Rick Rohde
Pendleton
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.
W
hen George Washington
Patterns emerge. Trump also ousted
was preparing to take office,
Preet Bharara, a U.S. attorney who
everybody wondered what
infuriated Moscow and investigated
to call him. Senators proposed lofty
Tom Price, Trump’s secretary of health
titles like “Illustrious Highness” and
and human services. Likewise, Trump
“Sacred Majesty.”
fired Sally Yates, the acting attorney
But Washington expressed irritation
general, after she warned the White
at such fawning, so today we are
House that Michael Flynn could
led by a modest “Mr. President.”
Nicholas be blackmailed over his lies about
Later, Washington surrendered office
Kristof Russian contacts.
after two terms, underscoring that
In short, Trump challenges
Comment
institutions prevail over personalities
the legitimacy of checks on his
and that, in the words of biographer
governance, bullies critics and
Ron Chernow, “the president was merely the
obfuscates everything. Trump reminds me less
servant of the people.”
of past American presidents than of the “big
That primacy of our country’s institutions
men” rulers I covered in Asia and Africa, who
over even the greatest of leaders has been a
saw laws simply as instruments with which to
decisive thread in American history, and it’s
punish rivals.
one reason President Donald Trump is so
It’s reported that Trump sought a pledge of
unnerving. His firing of James Comey can be
loyalty from Comey. That is what kings seek;
seen as simply one element
the failure to provide one got
of a systematic campaign to
Thomas More beheaded. But
undermine the rule of law and In a nation of laws, in a nation of laws, we must
democratic norms.
loyal to laws, norms and
we must be loyal be
The paradox is that Trump
institutions, not to a passing
purports to be (like Richard
to laws, norms and autocrat.
Nixon) a law-and-order
acknowledges
institutions, not to a that Trump
president. His administration
he was frustrated by the
has ordered a harsh
passing autocrat. Russia investigation and that it
crackdown on drug offenders,
was a factor in firing Comey.
when we should be scaling up
This may not meet the legal
addiction treatment instead. Trump is focusing test for obstruction of justice, but step back
on chimerical fraud by noncitizen voters, even and you see that Trump’s entire pattern of
as he impinges on an investigation into what
behavior is obstruction of the rule of law and
could be a monumental electoral fraud by
democratic norms.
Vladimir Putin. He favors tough law and order
Earlier this year I quoted a presidential
for the little guy.
historian as saying that “there’s a smell of
Comey took the investigation into possible
treason in the air,” and it’s essential that we
collusion between the Kremlin and the
have a thorough investigation to find out what
Trump campaign seriously enough that for
happened. With Senate Republicans blocking
his last three weeks leading the FBI he was
an independent commission, that means that
getting daily updates, according to The Wall
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein
Street Journal. The new acting director of
must choose an independent special counsel to
the FBI confirms that the inquiry is “highly
probe Russian interference in our election.
significant.”
George Washington warned that we need
For months, as I’ve reported on the
checks on leaders because of the “love of
multiple investigations into Trump-Russia
power and the proneness to abuse it.” This
connections, I’ve heard that the FBI
prophecy was tested during Watergate, and
investigation is by far the most important
as a teenager then I watched Republicans
one, incomparably ahead of the congressional
like Howard Baker, Lowell Weicker, Elliot
inquiries. I then usually asked: So will Trump
Richardson and William Ruckelshaus
fire Comey? And the response would be: Hard heroically stand up for their country rather
to imagine. The uproar would be staggering.
than for a corrupt president of their own
Even Republicans would never stand for that.
party. Partly because of them, our institutions
Alas, my contacts underestimated the
triumphed.
myopic partisanship of too many Republicans.
The passion for truth over politics was
Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican,
then periodically expressed in a Latin phrase:
spoke for many of his colleagues when he
fiat justitia, ruat caelum. Let justice be done,
scoffed at the furor by saying, “Suck it up and though the heavens fall.
move on.”
Now that principle is tested again, and so
This goes way beyond Comey. When
are we, all of us — politicians, journalists,
judges block presidential orders, Trump
judges and citizens.
denounces the courts. When the opposition
In particular, this is the moment of truth
criticizes him, Trump savages individual
for GOP moderates like Sens. Susan Collins,
Democrats. When journalists embarrass
Jeff Flake and Bob Corker, who may hold
him, Trump threatens to tighten libel laws
decisive power. Will they align with George
and describes the press as “the enemy of the
Washington’s vision of presidents as servants
people.”
of the people or with Trump’s specter of His
Trump has also challenged and evaded
Sacred Majesty, the Big Man of America?
the ethics rules that traditionally constrain
Will they stand for justice, or for obstruction
administration officials. He has breached the
of it?
four-decade norm that presidential candidates
■
release their taxes. And — how else to put
Nicholas Kristof grew up on a sheep and
this? — he has waged war on truth. These
cherry farm in Yamhill. Kristof, a columnist
days, any relationship between White House
for The New York Times since 2001, won the
statements and accuracy seems coincidental.
Pulitzer Prize in 1990 and 2006.
OTHER VIEWS
Too much at stake to pass drug bill
The Bend Bulletin, May 13
I
t’s easy to bash drug companies. When
the consumer list price of something like
Mylan’s EpiPen rises to $609 from $94 in
just seven years, bashing comes easily.
But one solution proposed to the Oregon
House of Representatives seems almost
guaranteed to make the problem worse, the
sponsors’ good intentions notwithstanding.
While having government decide what’s a
reasonable price for a drug might sound like
a good idea, it’s one more likely to go wrong
than not.
Prescription drugs make up about 9.8
percent of what the nation spent on drugs as
of 2014, just as they did in 1960, according to
figures from the Centers for Disease Control.
If House Bill 2387 is approved, the state
will set up something called the Oregon
Premium Protection Program, which would
require manufacturers of expensive drugs
or those with rapidly rising prices to justify
their prices. Then, the state would demand
rebates based on what prices were paid in a
select group of other countries. Rebates would
go to the insurers, and the bill would bar the
benefits boards of public employee unions
from collecting any out-of-pocket costs from
workers for drugs deemed to be too expensive.
Oregon makes up only about 1.2 percent
of the U.S. population, making it easy for a
manufacturer to refuse to sell here. The group
of nations against which Oregon prices would
be measured do pay less for drugs than we
do. But each one bargains for the country
as a whole, and no one in the U.S., much
less Oregon, does that. Locally, there’s this:
Central Oregon has a growing bioscience
sector that could be hurt by the punitive nature
of the measure.
Testimony at a public hearing on the
bill made all those points, and while unions
and insurance companies favored it, family
doctors, ordinary citizens, AIDS activists
and representatives of an ovarian cancer
foundation, among others, all said the bill
would do more harm than good. There’s too
much at stake not to take opponents’ fears
seriously. HB 2387 should be defeated.