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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Friday, June 23, 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 Tip of the hat; kick in the pants A tip of the hat to the prison superintendents who are passing the keys of the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution from one woman to another. Jeri Taylor is currently the director of the Pendleton prison, a place where she worked since it was a state hospital. Taylor is set to retire after a long career in which she worked her way up the corporate ladder in a male-dominated field. Brigitte Amsberry — who has also worked her way up the ranks at EOCI and nearby Two Rivers Correctional Institution — will take her place. A prison is a working environment where strong leadership is critical. The work is difficult and dangerous, and culture and morale are important so that staff stick out the tough parts and find ways to succeed. And in more than most jobs, ethics must remain the highest priority. Creating an organizational culture and holding employees to the ideals of the job are where CEOs and superintendents can make the biggest impact. Taylor made a positive one and all signs are that Amsberry learned from her mentor and can continue to keep EOCI headed in a positive direction — hard to do in a place that has its fair share of negativity. A kick in the pants to Republican Senators who have secretly created their health care bill, which was dropped on the world Thursday and may be pressed into law as early as next week. Health care is a life-and-death issue for many Americans. It makes up one-sixth of our country’s economy. It is as complicated as can be, with tentacles spreading out into not just public health and mental health, but into Medicare and Medicaid, the budget deficit and into the country’s tax structure, hospitals and hospice, and into the wallet of every man, woman and child in the country. Donald Trump oversimplified the problems with Obamacare during his campaign, touting his ability to painlessly fix the system. He had an about-face after being sworn in — “Nobody knew health care could be so complicated!” the president said to a slack-jawed audience in February — but most of us have known it forever. Anyone who has tried to read through their employer’s health plan — or tried to buy a plan on the open market — knows how mind-numbingly complex it can be. Since that’s the case, a total remake of how it works should undergo a long, public process that allows a lot of time for our representatives to debate the myriad issues. We should have enough time so that groups we trust — whether that be The Washington Post, the American Medical Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Planned Parenthood or the Catholic Church — have enough time to read the legislation and weigh in and help us to better understand the complexities It’s disappointing that Republicans used their power to abuse the system when crafting this important law. It’s our hope that the necessary three (or more) Republican senators show the backbone to insist on deeper debate. 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 How lame to blame sports loss on the cheerleaders How can cheerleaders cause a sports team to lose a game? (Coach resigns after parents blame cheerleaders for loss, page A3 in June 21 EO) Maybe get a technical or two and then your team loses. In football, (Stanfield) lost 57-14 in the finals. The coach of the winning team commented that when Stanfield beat them by a touchdown early in the season, and when they played them in the finals, Stanfield did not get any better. Parents make excuses to not blame the coaches and players. What’s wrong with saying we got beat by a better team and not make up any excuses? The basketball finals score was 57-54, the Downey brothers from Santiam scored 54 of their 57 points. We have gloated on (our team) all season and when they lost we make up a reason why: Cheerleaders made them lose. Did the cheerleaders play varsity football or basketball on the boy’s team? No. What’s wrong with saying we got beat by a better team and not make up any excuses? How many of us have played basketball and football and while playing ever knew what the cheerleaders were doing? Zip, nothing, notta, no clue. As a player, when do you have time to watch the cheerleaders while playing? If I was the mother of the cheerleading coach and also working for the same school district that your daughter works for I would support my daughter as a parent wholeheartedly. Administrators are supposed to be professional and handle complaints with an open mind and not my way or the highway. What’s wrong with letting Aleta Lemmon work until her retirement date and be gone? I feel the administrators could have handled this more professionally and with less drama and more thoughtfulness. Twenty two years of employment is respectable and needs to be handled with humility and compassion for all those involved. Some individuals have too much power and ultimately affect all those who work under them. Art Derbyshire Hermiston Pendleton city isn’t involved in corruption The mayor has been offended by my recent letters to the editor that in his opinion include charges of corruption — his words, not mine. Charges were leveled by me in regards to the Pendleton Development Commission awarding grants that benefit his circle of friends. And I have to apologize for that or be publicly accused of not being an honorable man at each meeting I attend in the future. So (in my own opinion) the Rivoli Coalition and the Pendleton Downtown Association administration are evidently not, I repeat, not friends of the mayor. My mistake and I apologize for that. I would remind the colonel, with all due respect, that the title of the section in the East Oregonian that contained the letters is “opinion” and no charge of corruption was intended, just maybe bad judgment. Again, those letters in question were my opinions and of course, (the opinions) of my circle of friends. Kudos to the Umatilla Fire District #1 in Hermiston as they continue to lead the way with a new community paramedic program and construction of a training facility partially funded by a grant of $438,000 from our own BMCC. Perhaps one day we’ll get there, too. In other news, a “Tip of the Hat” is in order for the Pendleton School Board approving the renewal of the ASPIRE scholarship program administered by Jill Gregg. I have had the good fortune of her assistance in selecting recipients for my own scholarships I’ve awarded in the past few years. Rick Rohde Pendleton OTHER VIEWS Where did ‘we the people’ go? A few days ago I was at a in virtually every institution, and the conference in Montreal, and a authority of many leaders, because Canadian gentleman, trying to grasp people don’t like what they see.” what’s happening to America, asked With shared truth debased and trust me a simple question: “What do you in leaders diminished, we now face a fear most these days?” full-blown “crisis of authority itself,” I paused for a second, like a argued Seidman, who distinguishes spectator waiting to see what would between “formal authority” and “moral come out of my own mouth. Two Thomas authority.” things came out: “I fear we’re seeing While our system can’t function Friedman without leaders with formal authority, the end of ‘truth’ — that we simply Comment what makes it really work, he added, can’t agree any more on basic facts. is “when leaders occupying those And I fear that we’re becoming Sunnis formal positions — from business to politics and Shiites — we call them ‘Democrats’ and to schools to sports — have moral authority. ‘Republicans,’ but the sectarianism that has destroyed nation-states in the Middle East is Leaders with moral authority understand what now infecting us.” they can demand of others and what they must It used to be that people didn’t want their inspire in them. They also understand that kids to marry one of “them,” formal authority can be won referring to someone of a or seized, but moral authority different religion or race (bad has to be earned every day enough). Now the “them” is by how they lead. And we someone of a different party. don’t have enough of these When a liberal comedian leaders.” poses with a mock severed In fact, we have so few head of Donald Trump, when we’ve forgotten what they the president’s own son, Eric look like. Leaders with moral Trump, says of his father’s authority have several things Democratic opponents, “To in common, said Seidman: me, they’re not even people,” “They trust people with the you know that you are truth — however bright or heading to a dark place. dark. They’re animated by So when I got home, I values — especially humility called my teacher and friend Dov Seidman, — and principles of probity, so they do the author of the book “How” and CEO of LRN, right things, especially when they’re difficult which helps companies and leaders build or unpopular. And they enlist people in noble ethical cultures, and asked him what he purposes and onto journeys worthy of their thought was happening to us. dedication.” “What we’re experiencing is an assault Think how far away Trump is from on the very foundations of our society and that definition. In Trump we not only have democracy — the twin pillars of truth and a president who can’t lead us out of this trust,” Seidman responded. “What makes crisis — because he has formal authority us Americans is that we signed up to have a but no moral authority — but a president relationship with ideals that are greater than who is every day through Twitter a one-man us and with truths that we agreed were so accelerator of the erosion of truth and trust self-evident they would be the foundation eating away at our society. of our shared journey toward a more perfect We saw that play out between Trump and union — and of respectful disagreement along James Comey, the FBI director. the way. We also agreed that the source of There’s an adage, explained Seidman, legitimate authority to govern would come that says: “Ask for my honesty and I’ll give from ‘We the people.’” you my loyalty. Ask for my loyalty and I’ll But when there is no “we” anymore, give you my honesty.” But Trump was not because “we” no longer share basic truths, interested in Comey’s honesty. He only Seidman argued, “then there is no legitimate wanted Comey’s blind loyalty — delivered authority and no unifying basis for our free because Trump thought he had the formal continued association.” authority to demand it. “But true loyalty can’t We’ve had breakdowns in truth and trust be commanded; it can only be inspired,” said before in our history, but this feels particularly Seidman. dangerous because it is being exacerbated by Alas, Trump is not going to get any better technology and Trump. and the technology is not going to get any Social networks and cyberhacking are slower. It is imperative, in the short run, that helping extremists to spread vitriol and fake some moral leaders emerge in the GOP and news at a speed and breadth we have never actually restrain Trump. But that’s doubtful. seen before. “Today, we’re not just deeply But the upside of today’s political- divided, as we’ve been before, we’re being technology platform is that leaders can come actively divided — by cheap tools that make it out of anywhere — fast. Look at the new so easy to broadcast one’s own ‘truths’ and to president of France. In the long run, the only undermine real ones,” Seidman argued. thing that will save us is if more people — no This anger industry is now “either sending matter what age, color, gender or faith — us into comfortable echo chambers where we build moral authority in their respective don’t see the other or arousing such moral realms and then use it to do big, meaningful outrage in us toward the other that we can no things. longer see their humanity, let alone embrace Use it to run for office, start a company, them as fellow Americans with whom we operate a school, lead a movement or build share values.” a community organization. And in so doing Social networks and hacking also “have you can help put the “We” back in “We the enabled us to see, in full color, into the people.” innermost workings of every institution and ■ into the attitudes of those who run them,” Thomas Friedman, a New York Times noted Seidman, “and that has eroded trust columnist, was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes. Social networks and cyberhacking are helping extremists spread vitriol and fake news.
