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OPINION
East Oregonian
Thursday, July 13, 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
When principle
hurts a politician
Greg Smith and Greg Barreto are
infrastructure, but Smith’s District 57
both representatives in the Oregon
will see much more an impact of that
House. They occupy neighboring
than Barreto’s District 58.
districts and are both Republicans.
Transportation should be a major,
They even share a first name.
bipartisan issue for Oregonians‚ and
But the similarities end there when it makes sense that both parties would
it comes to their work on the massive be involved in crafting it. No matter
their political affiliations, everyone
Oregon transportation plan that
from Portland to Paisley depends on
passed the Legislature this session
it and municipalities across the state
— the major piece of legislation
have fallen behind on funding as the
to wind its way through the House
gas tax earnings
and Senate to the
have slowed.
governor’s desk for
That’s even more
her signature.
Smith and
Rep. Greg Smith
in places
Barreto exemplify noticeable
like Pendleton and
worked to pass
La Grande and
the transportation
the different
Enterprise — cities
bill, and his district
philosophies
represented by
received $32
that have
million earmarked
on serving your Barreto
dealt with longterm
for local projects —
constituents when stagnation and
including millions
fallen behind on
for pedestrian
you’re in the
their infrastructure
improvements
upkeep.
in Arlington and
minority party.
Ask anyone in
Milton-Freewater,
those city or county
as well as multiple
offices if they could have found
million-dollar projects in Hermiston
reasonable projects for millions in
and at the ports of Morrow and
transportation dollars, and not one
Umatilla.
will tell you no. The need is great
Rep. Greg Barreto didn’t work
and the dollars locals are able to
to pass the transportation bill — he
raise to address the problems are not
opposed it from the beginning,
sufficient. Leaders in Pendleton and
wasn’t involved in negotiating its
La Grande are toying with the idea
terms and ultimately voted against
of another gas tax — something that
it — and his district didn’t receive
any consideration for special projects, will focus the tax burden on local
despite significant and specific needs. businesses and customers, rather than
bringing in dollars from across the
Both men have reasons for their
state.
vote and exemplify the two different
The tax burden of the
philosophies of how to best serve
transportation package will be
your constituents when you’re in the
spread relatively evenly across the
minority party.
state. Unfortunately, the benefits of
You can be a hard, principled
the package will not. Residents of
“no” on legislation backed by the
District 58 got the short end of the
majority party, hoping to obstruct its
stick — and will likely be asked to
progress but giving up all bargaining
fork over additional local taxes to
chips as the bills move their way
through the legislative process. That’s make up the difference that is not
coming from the state.
Barreto’s style. Perhaps that helped
Political principles are well and
in keeping what he felt were bad bills
good when it comes to abortion or
from moving past committees or out
the Second Amendment — no one
of the House. But when those bills
should bend when the core of who
overcome Republican objections,
they are is at stake.
he finds himself too far outside the
But when we’re talking about
discussion to have any impact on
a transportation package that
their crafting.
will benefit and burden every
Smith has the opposite take.
Oregonian, politicians owe it to their
He injects himself into the debate,
constituents to work hard to make
and sometimes works with the
massive legislation as good as it can
opposition party to craft legislation.
be. That includes cutting costs and
Often that effort brings projects or
trimming excess where possible, but
carves out exceptions for his district,
also securing money for necessary
as evidenced by the transportation
projects that will improve the lives
package. Taxes are going up in
of the people who got them elected.
Oregon to fund transportation
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
Popularity taking toll on
state’s wilderness areas
The Medford Mail Tribune
O
regonians are rightfully proud
of the stunning scenic beauty of
their state and are accustomed to
striking out to experience it whenever
they wish, backpacking into pristine
wilderness areas at a moment’s notice.
But some of the more popular areas
are not so pristine any longer, largely
the result of overuse and too many
people behaving thoughtlessly while
they are there. The U.S. Forest Service
has responded by proposing to start
requiring paid permits to hike and
backpack in specific wilderness areas.
For now, the program would
apply to the Mount Jefferson, Mount
Washington, Three Sisters, Diamond
Peak and Waldo Lake wilderness areas.
The Forest Service is compiling
comments on the plan and will issue more
details in time for a new comment period
in February 2018. If adopted, the permit
system likely would take effect in 2019.
The reaction from outdoor enthusiasts
understandably has been negative. But
look at things from the Forest Service’s
point of view.
The number of visitors to the
wilderness areas in question has
soared. The Bend Bulletin reports that
46,999 people visited the Three Sisters
Wilderness in 2011. Last year, 132,118
people did. And they left more than
footprints.
Forest Service rangers hauled 1,200
pounds of garbage out of Three Sisters
in 2015-16, and buried human waste
850 times — something the visitors who
produced it couldn’t be bothered to do.
Better wilderness etiquette on
the part of visitors would go a long
way toward solving the problem, but
people being people, we’re not holding
our breath. And the Forest Service
is proposing the paid permit system
because it’s been proven to work.
Permit systems already are in place
for specific locations that draw large
numbers of visitors. Officials say the
permit requirements successfully limited
crowds and damage there.
Permits reportedly would range from
$6 to $12. Recovering some modest
administrative cost is acceptable, but
fees should not be a money-maker for
the Forest Service. If a permit is required
for every person in a hiking party, the
cost could become prohibitive.
If all visitors treated the wilderness as
their own backyard, permit fees wouldn’t
be necessary. Since they don’t, measures
like this are an unfortunate necessity.
OTHER VIEWS
For Trump critics,
to follow is to lead
P
resident Trump’s performance
Trump’s move. The question in
at the G-20 summit in Germany
Hamburg was what they would say
produced a wave of commentary
about it in a formal statement. The
claiming the United States has
Guardian reported that “tensions ran
abdicated its role as world leader.
particularly high between French
ABC News contemplated “A
and U.S. officials,” who fought over
World Without U.S. Leadership.”
whether the final G-20 statement
CNN reported that Trump exchanged
would include a mention of the U.S.
“an aggressive, traditional American
helping other countries “to access
Byron
leadership role for isolation in a club
and use fossil fuels more cleanly and
York
of one.” The liberal activist Neera
efficiently.” (It did.)
Comment
Tanden tweeted, “Can we just admit
At the same time, Trump’s decision
that the era of American global
made the other countries want to
leadership is over under Trump?”
showcase the depth of their commitment to
The talking point quickly became
the Paris deal. “We take note of the decision
conventional wisdom in Europe. In the UK,
of the United States of America to withdraw
the Independent wrote, “The G-20 proves it.
from the Paris Agreement,” the G-20 leaders’
Because of Trump, the world no longer looks
final declaration said. Then: “The leaders of
to America for leadership.”
the other G-20 members state
While there were
that the Paris Agreement is
disagreements in Hamburg
irreversible.”
between Trump and the
To American ears, the
other 19 nations on lots of
“irreversible” part sounded
things, including trade, the
a little strange. In the
main factor in all the end-of-
context of government,
American-leadership talk was
what does “irreversible”
the president’s decision to
mean? Americans, like
pull out of the Paris Climate
all other humans, reverse
Accord.
things all the time. Even the
The idea is that, by not
Constitution can be amended.
going along with the other 19 nations —
But the Paris Agreement — which former
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
President Obama imposed by executive
France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy,
authority without seeking the approval of the
Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South
Senate in the normal treaty process — that is
Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United
“irreversible”?
Kingdom, and the European Union — the
And even for the G-20, what does
United States is no longer leading.
“irreversible” mean? It certainly does not
In other words: One can only lead by
mean “inflexible.” The 19 leaders noted
following the group.
that they are “moving swiftly towards its
It’s an odd formulation, reminiscent of the
full implementation in accordance with
old Barack Obama “leading from behind”
the principle of common but differentiated
jokes, but it’s the principle underlying the
responsibilities and respective capabilities, in
end-of-American-leadership talk. And it’s
the light of different national circumstances.”
not working with some of the president’s key
In other words, in a non-binding agreement
supporters on Capitol Hill.
like Paris, individual countries can do what
“I’m glad that President Trump cares more they gotta do.
about electricity rates in Paris, Arkansas than
That, according to the commentators, is the
he does the Paris Climate Accord,” Arkansas
definition of leadership. Donald Trump chose
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton said in a text
to take the United States on a different course,
exchange Sunday. “Hollow agreements aside, which according to the same commentators is
the United States will continue to lead the
the abdication of leadership.
world in environmental protection, while also
In an alternate universe, one could
exporting oil and gas abroad. In particular,
imagine analysis of Trump’s European
American global energy dominance will
trip noting that the president is in fact
help break Europe’s dependence on Russian
leading — leading, for example, in the
oil and gas, if only Germany would stop
defense of Western values. Bob Dole, the
posturing at one moment, while cozying up to former Republican presidential candidate
Putin in the next.”
and senator, said just that, praising Trump
Indeed, it seems safe to say that as the U.S. for restoring “proud and strong American
further develops its energy output, it will also
leadership” and helping “restore our
achieve its own voluntary emissions goals
position as leader of the free world.”
for 2020 and beyond. (Each country in the
But Dole, and Cotton, and other Trump
non-binding Paris deal got to set its own.) But supporters don’t see leadership in the same
if Trump sticks with his decision, the U.S.
way as the critics. For Trump’s opponents, at
will not take part in the vast, billions-and-
least as far as the G-20 is concerned, leading
billions-of-dollars global wealth-redistribution is following, and following is leading.
system that is part of the Paris Agreement.
■
It was of course well known ahead of
Byron York is chief political correspondent
time that the other G-20 leaders opposed
for The Washington Examiner.
Detractors
say one can
only lead by
following the
group.
YOUR VIEWS
PDC should develop idle land
to reduce local tax burden
Although we have a new city council/
Pendleton Development Commission, there
are some carryover members. Mistakes of the
past hopefully won’t be repeated.
Currently, the PDC owns property north of
the Umatilla River, property outside the Urban
Renewal District, their area of responsibility.
A trip to the Umatilla County Courthouse
revealed that this property has belonged to
the PDC since 2008. After sitting idle and off
the tax rolls now for more than nine years, the
PDC has finally declared the property excess
and decided to put it up for sale. With the
shortage of available housing, a small portion
was deemed buildable and development
seemed a way to recoup something on
the city’s original investment, especially
considering the length of time the property has
sat idle and off the tax rolls.
Now, those residents near the property
want development stopped and instead want to
create a nature preserve, adding to the one we
basically already have running through town
along the river.
I would question how the PDC has the
authority to make decisions on property
use outside the Urban Renewal District.
As stewards of publicly owned property,
the council/PDC has the responsibility to
return this property to the private sector
for development and recoup some of those
lost tax revenues. It’s surprising how much
property they own that sits idle, off the tax
rolls.
When questioned, a common answer is
“it’s only” — add up those “it’s onlys” and
it soon mounts up. City, county, and school
district budgets are impacted, resulting in
increases in taxes and fees.
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.