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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Thursday, August 17, 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 A graduation on the move Hermiston’s senior class is for several years now and has fared well. But the comfort of the busting at the seams with no relief in sight, and for every record-setting graduates and their guests is a concern. class that graduates, an even larger The other option being considered group of freshmen comes in behind. solves some of those problems, This year 332 graduating seniors but adds others. The Toyota Center received diplomas, and each in Kennewick has more than was allowed to invite five family enough space for every graduate’s members and friends to witness the third-cousin, great-aunt and former occasion in the high school gym. T-ball coach. The weather inside In 2018, even more students are is always perfect, expected to walk. and the cost will And if the event likely be comparable is held at the same Graduation to the others once venue, each can should be a transportation is expect to distribute finalized. four tickets. joyous day, But the distance For one of the and we hope and timing are biggest days in the these young lives, that fact is kept problems school district must that’s a problem. front of mind. address. Driving We don’t like the to the Tri-Cities idea of forcing them is no big deal for to choose between Hermistonians, and with some grandparents, siblings and mentors well-planned shuttles everyone who when deciding who most deserves wants to go could easily make it. to witness the ceremony. And we The fact that event may have to take certainly don’t like the idea of place on a weeknight instead of a uncomfortably stacking these loved Saturday morning would also hinder ones on top of each other. some travel plans. Graduation should be a joyous Maybe most importantly, the day, and as the school board connection of a graduating class considers the best place to hold the ceremony we hope they are keeping to a city should not be overlooked. It’s one thing to hold the graduation that front of mind. of one of Portland’s suburban high The two outdoor locations in schools at a downtown venue 20 Hermiston are tempting for obvious miles away. It’s another to ask a reasons. Both Kennison Field and community like Hermiston to leave the EOTEC rodeo arena have been the state to celebrate an implicitly advertised as multi-use venues and local event. That connection is would allow a little extra elbow important, and we understand those room. Kennison Field, just a few wary about such a move. Plus, the steps from the high school gym, community has invested heavily in would make sense as a transitional the aforementioned Kennison Field location while the EOTEC arena and EOTEC arena, and would surely might be the long-term answer with get an additional boost of pride to even more seats. see them put to such a uniquely local Because they are both outdoors, use. and that’s a clear drawback. Rain is We hope the school board listens rarely in our forecast in early June, to the feedback on this potential though wind or high heat often are. move and weighs even the intangible The odds of a perfect day are not certain, and the possibility of rushing community spirit and morale in the decision. indoors at the last moment is on the To submit your thoughts on the table. graduation venue, visit the district That’s no reason not to consider website or www.surveymonkey. it — Pendleton has been handing com/r/SRW5VFV . out diplomas at Round-Up Stadium 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. 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 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. OTHER VIEWS Trump-backed immigration bill has many critics, but voters like it S ome Democrats and their percent said no and 11 percent did not advocates in the press have been know. quick to denounce the RAISE Finally, when asked if they support Act, the new immigration reform bill “reducing the number of legal proposed by Republican Sens. Tom immigrants by one-half over the next Cotton and David Perdue and endorsed decade,” 48 percent said yes, while 39 by President Trump. percent said no and 14 percent did not “The Trump, Cotton, Perdue bill know. is rooted in the same anti-immigrant, “Large majorities of Americans Byron xenophobic, and isolationist rhetoric have long wanted to re-orient our York that was a cornerstone of the Trump immigration system toward high- Comment campaign,” said senior House skilled workers, while reducing or Democrats John Conyers and Zoe holding steady the total number of Lofgren. immigrants,” Cotton said in a text exchange “A xenophobic half-measure,” added Rep. recently. “The RAISE Act respects this Ed Markey. popular consensus, unlike past efforts at “A play to the xenophobic sentiments immigration reform that failed in part because that lifted Trump to the they massively expanded presidency,” wrote the unskilled immigration.” Washington Post’s Jennifer Cotton appeared to Rubin. choose his words carefully Now, though, a new when he wrote “reducing poll shows broad public or holding steady the total support for some of the bill’s number of immigrants.” The key provisions — support part of the bill that would that goes far beyond those cut the number of legal Americans who voted for permanent residents from Donald Trump. one million to 500,000 per year is the one The poll, from Morning Consult-Politico, major component that doesn’t have majority asked 1,992 registered voters about the bill’s support in the poll, although it has more provisions to 1) allow more high-skilled, support than any other option. In the weeks and fewer low-skilled, immigrants into the and months ahead, the bill’s sponsors could country; 2) install a points-based system either try to build support for that provision or by which prospective immigrants would be compromise on the total reduction. evaluated on the basis of English proficiency, The Cotton-Perdue bill has of course been level of education, and other factors; 3) cap slammed by Democrats, but it has also been the number of refugees allowed in the U.S. criticized by the Republicans who wrote the each year; and 4) reduce the total number of Senate Gang of Eight bill in 2013, the last immigrants given legal permanent residence (unsuccessful) effort to pass comprehensive in the country to 500,000 from the current one immigration reform. million. “I don’t want to limit legal immigration,” The pollsters found strong majority support Gang of Eight member Marco Rubio said for the first three, and a plurality of support for recently, predicting the new bill will not the fourth.’ pass the Senate. Fellow Gang member When asked if they support “placing Lindsey Graham, from South Carolina, said greater emphasis on an applicant’s job skills the bill would be “devastating to our state’s over their ties to family members in the U.S.,” economy.” John McCain, another Gang 56 percent of respondents said yes, while 31 member, opposes shifting to a high-skilled percent said no and 13 percent did not know. immigrant force. “I think you have to consider When asked if they support “establishing that we do want high-tech people, but we also a ‘points system’ that would award points need low-skilled people who will do what based on criteria such as education, English- Americans won’t do,” McCain said. And the language ability, and prospective salary,” 61 final GOP Gang member, Jeff Flake, who percent said yes, while 27 percent said no describes elements of the Republican Party as and 12 percent did not know. (Respondents xenophobic and anti-immigrant, said the new particularly approved an emphasis on bill represents “the wrong direction.” speaking English; when asked if they believe Such opinions track those of many an ability to speak English “should be a factor Democrats, which will make any path forward in determining who is allowed to legally in the Senate an uphill climb. But if the new immigrate to the United States,” 62 percent poll is correct — and it is in line with similar said yes, while 29 percent said no and 10 surveys going back years — the bill’s authors percent did not know.) have the voters on their side. When asked if they support “limiting ■ the number of refugees offered permanent Byron York is chief political correspondent residency,” 59 percent said yes, while 31 for The Washington Examiner. Support goes far beyond those who voted for Donald Trump. OTHER VIEWS Suggestion box needed for 2018 county fair By TOM MARKS I nitially this op-ed was intended to be titled “What do we need to do to get our county fair back?” Upon delivering entries to the event center, this writer was astonished and appalled. After spending four days at the fair this opinion may have been changed ... a bit. Regardless of the spin that officials selling the EOTEC project tried to throw at the public when the site and buildings were conceived, reality has been a shock. We were told that the amount of square feet lost (at the old site) and the amount that would be available at EOTEC would balance out or be better at EOTEC. On arriving at the event center, one finds that while the floral and land produce departments previously enjoyed a full building, they were now consigned to a long narrow hall, poorly lit at best. Formerly occupying half a large building, children’s open class exhibits were crammed in a small corner of the EOTEC lobby. Preserved foods were similarly treated, cramped into a poorly lit hallway instead of the roomy display area previously enjoyed. Open class photography and fine arts have separate rooms, yet the square feet available felt greatly reduced. Fabric arts and general open class entries share a room, but again the space available was cramped. Quilts, in particular, overflowed the allotted room and some entries ended up on racks along the same hallway as the preserved foods. This, even though caretakers at the rooms and halls freely admitted that entries were down from previous years. FFA and 4-H, previously enjoying the entirety of Thompson Hall and all its facilities, were pushed to the back of the event center in, at best, cramped quarters. At least with regard to all these departments, the promise of EOTEC of “bigger, better, more up-to-date” has proven hollow. About the best that could be said in comparison to the previous downtown site is that the new one is adequately air conditioned. That is not to say that the many, many people involved in putting on the event didn’t do the best with what they had to work with. They did. The effort needed to put on this year’s fair has to be applauded. The department chairs, the people sitting long hours tending exhibits, the countless volunteers doing multiple jobs without complaint and for the most part without overt recognition must be recognized and thanked. Outside the event center, things were more in line with what we had been promised at the EOTEC site. Commercial displays were well plotted, accessible, if spread to the point that good walking shoes were a must. The lack of shade to relax in was a challenge for many, but the Hermiston Rotary Club has committed to planting trees before next year’s fair. The rodeo grounds were a pleasant surprise, with much of the facilities from the downtown site being moved wholesale to EOTEC. To sit in the reserved seating or box seats, it felt very much like the old venue. The Rotary Club has been tapped with selling admission tickets for many years. They might wish to invest in insulation for the ticket booths before the tree project. Ticket booths, uninsulated and out in the sun, were unaffectionately thought of as “Sweatbox 1 and 2” by those who worked within them. Lastly, in a column some years ago, this writer wondered about parking at the EOTEC site. To lament the nightmare of the parking situation would be to beat a dead horse. It was and probably will continue to be a challenge. To require fairgoers to pay to tramp through dust and grit to even access the shuttles is unacceptable. Many of the issues with the fair this year can be put off to “first year blues.” Some cannot. As anticipated, access and egress were horrid. The exit road at places felt as if it should have had a “4-wheel drive recommended” sign. To their credit, the fair board “tweaked” the access and egress beginning at Day 3 and it helped some. In talking to the county commissioners and fair board, one was met with slightly defensive attitudes and their watchwords for the event: “Add it to the list for improvements next year!” Yes, many of the needs and issues with the fair this year can be put off to “first year blues.” Some cannot. The fair has not hired a manager at this writing. The membership of the EOTEC board is not independent of the city and county, causing inevitable conflicts of interest. As I confessed at the beginning of this commentary, originally the title was to be: “What can we do to get our old fair back?” In future years that title might soften; time will tell. ■ Tom Marks is a resident of Hermiston.