OPINION
East Oregonian
Page 4A
Saturday, July 15, 2017
OTHER VIEWS
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
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OUR VIEW
Legislators left
Salem with lots of
unfinished business
The Legislature closed its
standards in the future.
Oregon will now also be joining
2017 session a few days ahead of
schedule, and there has already been a handful of other states that give
judges the power to take guns away
plenty of political posturing about
the successes, missed opportunities
from suicidal or dangerous people.
and issues that need to be revisited.
The state also became the third
Many veteran lawmakers say
in the nation to raise the tobacco
the session was one of the toughest
sales age to 21, although tobacco
they’ve participated in and they
possession isn’t affected.
closed it with a feeling
With successes,
of unfinished business.
though, there were
As state Senate President
certainly failures.
With
Peter Courtney, D-Salem,
Lawmakers couldn’t
successes, agree on revenue reforms
said in a statement
afterward, “We had
included a corporate
though, that
income taxing structure
some satisfying wins.
there were that would stabilize
At best, our successes
provide long-term
are tempered by
certainly and
school funding, and they
disappointment.”
On the plus side,
failures. declined to tackle the
elephant of the session,
lawmakers were able
the spiraling costs of
to balance a $21 billion
the Public Employees Retirement
operating budget that began with a
System and instead kicked that $22
$1.4 billion shortfall even though
the state experienced record revenue billion problem down the road.
Gov. Kate Brown has vowed to
leading up to the session. Along the
get all parties to the table to work
way, they managed to approve:
out solutions to both of the major
• A long-term, $5.3
issues, but her lack of leadership was
billion transportation improvement
evident throughout the session, so
package.
the jury is out on whether she can
• A $600 million tax on insurers
follow through.
and providers that preserves health
It also remains to be seen what
care for about 350,000 Oregonians
the session’s impact will have in
who gained Medicaid coverage
our region. Lawmakers drastically
under the expanded federal
cut funding from Measure 98,
Affordable Care Act.
• Record funding for K-12 public which voters had approved, that
would have provided money to
schools, up 11 percent from the
help schools raise graduation rates
current biennium. For most of the
and provide more vocational and
state’s 200 or so school districts,
lawmakers say it’s enough money to technical education, something that
would be very helpful in rural areas
keep current services going.
of Eastern Oregon. Community
• A controversial $10 million
colleges also didn’t get as much
reproductive health bill expanding
funding for no-cost abortions, family funding that they need, which can
hurt BMCC.
planning services and postpartum
It’s also uncertain what the taxing
care. Oregon’s bill is unique to
impacts will be on our region,
other states in that patients would
especially combined with local city,
have access to the procedure for
county and school taxes, and what
virtually any reason, at any time,
including sex-selective and late-term benefits the transportation package
will provide our area.
abortions.
What is certain, though, is
• A plan to reduce state spending
that there is unfinished business.
over the next two years by $200
Democrats and Republicans alike
million.
should start thinking about how
Lawmakers also approved the
state becoming REAL ID compliant, to address those issues, and about
who among them is up to providing
which will allow residents to
bipartisan leadership that all
upgrade their driver’s licenses
Oregonians can look up to.
or identification cards to federal
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
State justice system needs balancing
The Bend Bulletin
W
hen somebody has a day in
court, it should be a fair fight.
But in Oregon, if the accused
can’t afford a lawyer, there’s reason to
worry.
The pay disparity between court-
appointed indigent defense lawyers and
the people who prosecute is substantial
and problematic. The Legislature took
up this issue again this year in House
Bill 2561, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer
Williamson, D-Portland. But again, this
year the bill did not pass.
The reason is simple: It would cost
the state millions to fix.
The bill directs Oregon’s Public
Defense Services Commission to adopt
policies that make appointed-counsel
pay commensurate with the equivalent
position within the office of district
attorneys. That change would cost
Oregon nearly $20 million for the
2017-2019 biennium and $26 million in
the following biennium.
The pay disparity that would
be corrected can be substantial. In
Deschutes County, a public defender
starts out at $63,000 a year. A deputy
district attorney starts at about $84,000.
And that disparity grows.
Thomas Crabtree, executive director
of the public defender’s office for
Deschutes County, provided a specific
example. A decade ago, an attorney left
his office and went to become a deputy
district attorney in Deschutes County.
For just switching jobs, the attorney
immediately made $21,000 more a year
in salary. That’s enough of a difference
to make anyone think about leaving.
Crabtree says his office typically has
not had the funding from the state to be
able to offer cost of living increases or
automatic salary increases every year.
Deputy DAs frequently get both. So that
deputy DA had his salary grow from
about $70,000 to $113,000. An attorney
hired to replace the deputy DA had his
salary grow from $43,000 to $76,000
over the same time period.
Money isn’t everything. What matters
is the quality of the legal representation.
But the problem for Oregon’s justice
system is that experienced public
defense lawyers tend to leave. Many
follow the money that can be made as
a deputy district attorney or in private
practice. That undermines the experience
and quality of the defense.
Trials need to be conducted in a way
that protects the rights of the accused.
It’s essential to a fair trial that the
accused have legal counsel. And it’s only
fair that the state pays enough to make
it a fair fight. The Legislature needs to
look for a way to make that happen.
Moral vacuum in
the House of Trump
D
normal human instinct for kindness
onald Trump’s grandfather
and replace it with a law-of-the-jungle
Friedrich emigrated to the
mentality.
United States when he was 16,
It took a few generations of the
in 1885. He ventured west to seek his
House of Trump, in other words, to
riches and finally settled in Seattle,
produce Donald Jr.
where he opened a restaurant that,
The Donald Trump Jr. we see
according to family historian Gwenda
Blair, likely included a section for a
through the Russia scandal story is not
bordello.
malevolent: He seems to be simply
David
Gold fever hit the Pacific
Brooks oblivious to the idea that ethical
Northwest, and Grandfather Trump
concerns could possibly play a role
Comment
moved up to Bennett, British
in everyday life. When the Russian
Columbia. It was a fast, raucous,
government offer came across his
money-grabbing atmosphere, and Trump
email, there doesn’t seem to have been a
opened the Arctic Hotel, which had a bar, a
flicker of concern. Instead, he replied with
restaurant and, according to an advertisement
that tone of simple bro glee that we remember
in the Dec. 9, 1899, edition of The Bennett
from other scandals.
Sun newspaper, “private boxes for ladies and
“Can you smell money?!?!?!?!” Jack
parties.” Each box apparently came equipped
Abramoff emailed a co-conspirator during his
with a bed and a scale to
lobbying and casino fraud
weigh the gold dust that was
shenanigans. That’s the same
used to pay for the services
tone as Don Jr.’s “I love it”
offered in it.
when offered a chance to
Friedrich returned to
conspire with a hostile power.
Germany, married and was
A person capable of this
sent back to the United States
instant joy and enthusiasm
by German authorities (he
isn’t overcoming any internal
hadn’t fulfilled his military
ethical hurdles. It’s just a
service requirement) and
greedy boy grabbing sweets.
amassed a modest fortune.
Once the scandal broke
Frederick, Donald’s father,
you would think Don Jr.
began building middle-class
would have some awareness
housing. Profiles describe
that there were ethical stakes
an intense, success-obsessed
involved. You’d think there
man who worked seven
would be some sense of
days a week and encouraged those around
embarrassment at having been caught lying so
him to be killers in their field. “He didn’t like
blatantly.
wimps,” his nephew told Philip Weiss of The
But in his interview with Sean Hannity
Times. “He thought competition made you
he appeared incapable of even entertaining
sharper.”
any moral consideration. “That’s what we
He cared deeply about appearances.
do in business,” the younger Trump said. “If
“Freddy was always very neat, a Beau
there’s information out there, you want it.” As
Brummell,” Sam LeFrak told Weiss. “He had
William Saletan pointed out in Slate, Don Jr.
a mustache, and that mustache was always
doesn’t seem to possess the internal qualities
right, perfect.” He was also remorseless. In an necessary to consider the possibility that he
interview with Michael D’Antonio, Donald
could have done anything wrong.
Trump described his father as “very tough”
That to me is the central takeaway of this
and “very difficult” and someone who “would week’s revelations. It’s not that the Russia
never let anything go.”
scandal may bring down the administration.
Biographies describe a man intent on
It’s that over the past few generations the
making his fortune and not afraid of skating
Trump family has built an enveloping culture
near the edge to do so. At one point, according that is beyond good and evil.
to Politico, federal investigators found that
The Trumps have an ethic of loyalty to
Frederick used various accounting measures
one another. “They can’t stand that we are
to collect an extra $15 million in rent (in
extremely close and will ALWAYS support
today’s dollars) from a government housing
each other,” Eric Trump tweeted this week.
program, on top of paying himself a large
But beyond that there is no attachment to any
“architect’s fee.” He was hauled before
external moral truth or ethical code. There is
investigating committees on at least two
just naked capitalism.
occasions, apparently was arrested at a KKK
Successful business people, like successful
rally in Queens (though it’s not clear he was a
politicians, are very ambitious, but they
member), got involved in a slush fund scandal generally have some complementary moral
with Robert Wagner and faced discrimination
code that checks their greed and channels their
allegations.
drive. The House of Trump has sprayed an
I repeat this history because I don’t think
insecticide on any possible complementary
moral obliviousness is built in a day. It takes
code, and so they are continually trampling
generations to hammer ethical considerations
basic decency. Their scandals may not build
out of a person’s mind and to replace them
to anything impeachable, but the scandals will
entirely with the ruthless logic of winning and never end.
losing; to take the normal human yearning to
■
be good and replace it with a single-minded
David Brooks became a New York Times
desire for material conquest; to take the
Op-Ed columnist in September 2003.
Don Jr.
appeared
incapable
of even
entertaining
any moral
consideration.
YOUR VIEWS
Barreto’s impact minimal in
Salem, negative in District 58
In response to Rep. Greg Barreto’s letter of
July 12, in my opinion Mr. Barreto showed a
lack of political savvy in his decision to vote
“no” on the transportation bill.
It was a very well known fact, prior
to this legislative session, that passing a
transportation bill was a very high priority for
the Democratic majority in both houses of the
legislature.
With that knowledge it appears as though
Representative Greg Smith and Senator Bill
Hansell knew that a transportation bill was
going to pass, so they got on board. Their
constituents were rewarded with $32,000,000
to be used for transportation projects in
District 57.
Mr. Barreto chose not to get on board
and his constituents in District 58 were
punished for that decision. In politics, as in
life, sometimes you have to just hold your
nose and do something for the people who
are counting on you, even when is something
you don’t agree with. It appears as though he
couldn’t get past his ideological views in this
instance.
I did do some investigation into his letter
and it is true that the East Oregonian was in
error when they reported that he had been
lobbied by the mayor of Pendleton. (Editor’s
note: Mayor John Turner clarified to an
East Oregonian reporter that he lobbied
legislators, but did not directly lobby Barreto.)
He was, however, incorrect in his statement
concerning Nancy Pelosi’s statement about the
Affordable Care Act. He quoted her as saying,
“We have to vote for the bill to see what’s in
it.” He is wrong about what she actually said.
Although I am not a Pelosi fan, I am a fan of
the truth.
Her statement was actually, “But we have
to pass the bill so YOU can find out what is in
it — away from the fog of controversy.” Mr.
Barreto’s version is one that has been used by
the “far right” folks for about seven years now.
For those of you that want to check it out for
yourself, you can find it on YouTube.
If I remember correctly, Mr. Barreto stated
several years ago that if he couldn’t make a
difference or have an impact in Salem that
he would get out. I sincerely hope that he
will carefully consider his statement since
his impact has been minimal in Salem and
somewhat negative to District 58.
Ed Taber
Pendleton