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OPINION
East Oregonian
Wednesday, June 7, 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
Hermiston,
Washington
School district smart to join
out-of-state sports league
Hermiston athletics is heading
north, across the state line to become
the only Oregon school in the
Washington Interscholastic Activities
Association.
Local prep sports fans and
athletes do lose something with the
decision — nostalgia, old rivalries,
Hermiston’s ability to play for an
Oregon state championship. But we
gain much more — fair competition
for a school that has outgrown its
neighbors, less travel time and fewer
missed classes for student athletes
and their coaches, more money
in the school’s athletics budget
and more high profile events in
Hermiston against big institutions
from across the river.
In the past, we’ve encouraged the
thought of Hermiston joining the
Mid-Columbia Conference, which
consists of schools in the Tri-Cities
and Walla Walla, but it always felt
like a longshot. Getting both the
OSSA and WIAA to agree to a plan
— however reasonable — was never
a sure thing for two organizations
hyper-aware of tradition and not
looking to upset the applecart.
But as the OSAA continues to
fine-tune its classification system, it
became clear that Hermiston didn’t
fit in well in whatever system they
settled on. Both the OSAA and
WIAA deserve credit for seeing the
better choice, albeit one outside-
the-box of state borders.
The arrangement sets up
Hermiston for big games in every
sport with nearby, right-sized
competition. It’s good for the city
to have some regional promotion
and welcome out-of-state visitors,
who should be aware of the growing
city that may soon be their equal.
Hermiston’s excellent athletic
facilities are sure to impress, and the
extra attention afforded them may
help bring in even more regional
events to a community known for
accommodating such events.
And at the same time, we do
hope that rivalry games with local
schools — most notably Pendleton
— continue in the future. Umatilla
County wouldn’t be the same
without the War on 84.
So no, the city of the Bulldogs
is not going to become Hermiston,
Washington, any time soon.
Keep your grubby Starbucks-
and-plutonium hands off our
watermelons, Washingtonians.
Sports fans there will soon learn
that in Eastern Oregon we spend a
lot of time, energy and enthusiasm
on high school sports. Giving each
student athlete the best opportunity
to work on their talents — while
keeping the “student” in front of the
“athlete” — should remain the goal.
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.
OTHER VIEWS
Is this education budget for real?
The Oregonian/OregonLive
T
he K-12 education budget
approved by the Legislature’s
Joint Ways and Means education
subcommittee Thursday would — in
functional states, at least — seem
like great news. The committee is
recommending allocating at least $8.2
billion in general fund and lottery dollars
for the coming biennium to Oregon’s
school districts — an 11 percent increase
over the current biennium’s allocation.
Not in Oregon, however. That
enviable increase, fueled by a booming
economy that’s pouring record amounts
of money into state coffers, still won’t
be big enough to stave off teacher
layoffs and cuts across school districts
due to rising employee health-care
costs and pension obligations. And
while Democrats on the subcommittee
bemoaned large class sizes and short
school years, they promptly approved
the budget, arguably taking away some
of the momentum for breaking Oregon’s
cycle of shortchanging students.
This is the price of legislators’
inaction in dealing with Oregon’s
runaway spending problem. Despite
facing a $1.4 billion budget deficit,
lawmakers have yet to show the public a
plan for restructuring how much public
employers pay for benefits that threaten
to gobble up bigger and bigger chunks
of taxpayer dollars. While there’s talk
of cost-containment proposals coming
next week, time is getting short for the
thorough analysis and evaluation that
must take place. With just over a month
left in the session, Democrats — who
control the House, the Senate and the
governor’s office — have a narrowing
window to show just how genuine
their commitment is to students and
Oregonians as a whole.
“Kicking the can down the road is no
longer an option,” Jim Green, executive
director of the Oregon School Boards
Association, told The Oregonian/
OregonLive Editorial Board. Health
care and pension contributions are only
slated to soar in future biennia. “We need
leadership.”
Unfortunately, the leadership we’re
seeing is in the form of how to deflect
criticism or shift the blame. Consider
Thursday’s subcommittee meeting.
Sen. Rod Monroe, D-Portland, who
co-chairs the Ways and Means education
subcommittee with Rep. Barbara Smith
Warner, reminded those at the meeting
that each school district is governed by
an elected school board that decides
how money is spent. People, he advised,
should go to their school boards to
chime in on what they choose to fund.
Except, as Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West
Linn, pointed out, the state interferes
with districts’ authority when it comes to
employee compensation, even preventing
them from seeking alternatives to the
generous and expensive state-run health
plan for Oregon educators. She, as well
as other Republicans on the committee,
voted against the budget for failing to
include cost-containment provisions.
Then, Smith Warner provided her
own spin. The Portland Democrat
decried that her own children will receive
a year’s less instruction than students in
Washington by the time they graduate.
She shared her frustration of “having to
patch together budgets year after year.”
And giving a nod to the strong economy
that is expected to deliver $1.3 billion
more revenue in the 2017-2019 than in
the current biennium, she then leaps to
this conclusion: “Here, in a year where
our economy continues to go great guns,
I think what this all demonstrates is we
have a broken revenue structure.”
How about broken logic? The
National Education Association says
Oregon’s education spending per student
exceeds the national average, yet our
graduation rates are third worst. The state
spends about $2,000 more per student
than Washington does on its students. So
the question should be: How do we use
that money differently so that students
get the education Oregonians are paying
for?
Such denial of Oregon’s unsustainable
spending only turns Oregonians against
all taxation proposals, including ideas
that deserve consideration. That’s
regrettable especially because Smith
Warner and other Democrats have a
legitimate point: Oregonians do need
new tax measures that ease the burden
on individuals, increase revenue from
businesses and provide more stability
than the volatile ups and downs driven
by Oregon’s overreliance on personal
income taxes.
OTHER VIEWS
Time to govern, Republicans
O
n Nov. 9, 2016, in the stunned
of governing. Most of Washington
afterglow of Republicans taking
blamed that failure on intransigent
the White House and holding
conservatives in the Freedom Caucus.
both chambers of Congress, former
That charge stuck because in the
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor
Obama days, the Freedom Caucus
put it plainly:
felt free to be the loyal opposition to
“It is now time for Republicans to
the loyal opposition, the out-of-power
govern,” he said on CNBC. “There’ll
caucus within the out-of-power party.
be no excuses now. And I think the
But then in May, the Freedom
Byron
number one focus will be repeal and
Caucus negotiated, cut deals,
York
replacement of Obamacare. I think
compromised and, in the end, voted
Comment
that’s where they’ll go first.”
“yes.” It started to try to govern rather
Cantor was right, and it’s a
than simply oppose. Conservatives
reminder Republicans need to hear today,
weren’t the only ones to adapt. The Tuesday
as they return from recess with the first six
Group of centrists splintered, and enough of
months of the Trump presidency almost over.
them got behind the bill. House Speaker Paul
Members of the GOP majorities need to
Ryan also changed his ways and fostered a
realize that they have a job to do right now.
more collaborative, not merely consultative,
Contrary to what many politicians seem to
legislating process.
believe, that job is not, first and foremost,
There’s still a long distance to cover before
to get re-elected. Under President Barack
Republicans can be said to be governing. The
Obama, Republican
healthcare bill needs to
leaders had an effective
pass the Senate, pass the
formula for that. They
House again and become
would hold message
law.
votes, pass bills such as
Republicans need to
the repeal of Obamacare
do tax reform, and as
that had no chance of
a practical matter, they
becoming law, avoid
need to get it down before
forcing members to
election season heats up
take difficult votes, and
next year.
suppress dissent and
On both of these efforts
display unity by curtailing
there will be dozens of
the committee process
competing interests.
and the tradition of floor
First, there’s K
amendments.
Street and the donor
That won’t work
base. Industry lobbyists
anymore. There is now
generally oppose
no easy formula for Republicans to win
Republicans’ repeal and replacement of
elections. The job of Republicans, now that
Obamacare. Special interests trying to protect
voters have handed them control of the federal their credits and loopholes have successfully
government, is to govern.
fought off tax reform for years. Passing the
Specifically, they must repeal Obamacare
bills they need to pass will require, at some
and make sure that its replacement is
point, telling lobbyists to buzz off and telling
reasonable, responsible and workable. Then
the donors they don’t call the shots.
voters will support it. Second, Republicans
Second, there’s political pressure on
need to reform the complex, distorting
vulnerable incumbents. Liberal activists are
federal tax code, for both individuals and
dialing up the heat, and many Republicans are
corporations, rekindling economic growth
terrified of losing if they vote for something
and, again, winning voter support.
unpopular.
Neither of these tasks will be easy. Both
But Obamacare is crumbling and needs to
will, indeed, be very difficult, and will meet
be replaced. Likewise, our tax system needs
fierce opposition. But important jobs are often to be reformed. Statesmanship requires taking
hard, and the nation sent the current crop of
unpopular stances. So, lawmakers, screw up
lawmakers to Capitol Hill to do this one.
your courage and get it done.
The promise to repeal Obamacare is
In any event, Republicans worried that an
the central pillar of Republican control of
unpopular vote will cost them their seats need
government. Its passage in 2010 guaranteed
to realize that there is no safe harbor anymore.
the GOP takeover of the House. Republicans
Failure to govern will also cost Republicans
lost in 2012 when they nominated Mitt
their majority. Their choice is between being
Romney, who had created Obamacare’s
thrown out of power for incompetence, and
predecessor in Massachusetts. Running
heading into the 2018 midterm elections
on Obamacare repeal won the Senate in
having demonstrated ability and resolve.
2014. Trump won the White House in 2016
Coming up with a tax bill and a healthcare
promising grandiosely to repeal the bill on his bill that can pass both chambers will be
first day on the job.
very difficult. Passing them will be risky.
Rushing repeal and replacement was
Governing isn’t easy, but for Republicans
never a good idea, and the American Health
today, it’s their job.
Care Act’s failure in March highlighted
■
that. It raised doubts around the country
Byron York is chief political correspondent
about whether Republicans were capable
for The Washington Examiner.
Republicans
must repeal
Obamacare
and make sure
its replacement
is reasonable,
responsible and
workable.
YOUR VIEWS
New faces, same story
in Pendleton city government
I’ve talked to a few people and asked,
“Why didn’t you vote?” The usual answer
was: “It makes no difference, they’ll do
what they want anyway,” lost confidence in
leadership being a common thread.
Though we have several new faces in city
hall, I can’t help but wonder whether anything
has really changed.
Goals were set and ignored by the city
manager because of distractions and city
officials continued to spend hundreds of
thousands of dollars on projects that benefit
a few friends and very little that benefit
everyone.
City officials continue to ignore the
obvious, extension cords hanging from trees
and light poles on Main Street, weeds popping
up in street and sidewalk cracks, a dead tree
still standing in front of city hall after two
years, light poles still missing from the new
overpass and viaduct, and deteriorating streets,
to name a few. These and many others are all
too visible to residents and visitors alike.
I overheard a comment from a group of
visitors at a recent ASA softball tournament.
Overlooking Steve Cary Field, the group was
in agreement when one of the parents uttered,
“You can sure tell where the city spends its
resources,” as they admired the condition
of the softball field, not knowing that it was
volunteers that made this facility possible. I
fear a new plaque somewhere in town is the
driving force at city hall.
EOTEC update: Remember when the
county commissioners committed the county
to $45,000 a year for EOTEC operations?
Well, it just went up to $75,000. The money
pit just keeps getting deeper, much like our
own Rivoli Theater, and that shortfall in the
county budget, evidently, wasn’t so real after
all.
Congratulations to Pat Beard on his
selection as the Convention Center manager.
I look for a time when the center will, though
perhaps wishful thinking, be able to support
itself without tax dollars as a subsidy. If
anyone can do it, I think Pat’s the man.
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.