Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Friday, September 29, 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 OUR VIEW Tip of the hat; kick in the pants A tip of the hat to drills on the Columbia River this week, in preparation for a potential — but as of now theoretical — oil spill in our region’s most important waterway. The Columbia has plenty of environmental dangers in and around it — the dams, the oil trains, the barges, the coming Cascadia quake. Heck, we now have to add fire to the list after the Eagle Creek blaze jumped the river last month, burning both sides of the Gorge. But an oil trail spill would be among the most catastrophic, especially if both Oregon and Washington emergency crews are unprepared. As was saw in Mosier, a crash can quickly start a fire and begin damaging local waterways. It doesn’t require much of a leap to trace the potential impact to the Columbia at large and its outlet into the Pacific. And as we learned with Eagle Creek, the Columbia Gorge communities are vulnerable — both economically and culturally — when Gorge’s ecology is damaged. Protecting the river is both good for nature and good for our wallets. A kick in the pants to continuous vitriol that is heaped upon Oregon wolves. To this day, nothing we write about brings out the knives more than these canines. Our Saturday story about their increasing numbers in the Blue Mountains and Umatilla County, and the problems they have caused to sheep and cattle producers, continued that ignoble tradition. Wolves are predators that eat other animals. That does not make them evil or bad, but it does mean that the lives of Blue Mountain ranchers have been made more difficult. We have empathy for those folks, and want to find solutions to the newly-raised problems. That can include financial help, and the ability to kill habituated animals and packs (just as we do with bears, mind you.) But wolves are part of Oregon’s woods. That’s not changing, no matter how catchy a phrase or vicious a threat. Forget “smoking a pack a day” and “shooting, shoveling and shutting up.” While worth a chuckle the first time we heard them, they’re not suitable first and last words in a debate. The sooner we can leave the nasty sarcasm behind, the faster we can get on with understanding what the wolves’ reintroduction means and how we can manage them. A tip of the hat to two important education initiatives that we’ve spotlighted in the newspaper this week. On Wednesday, we ran a story by Jayati Ramakrishnan and Antonio Sierra about initiatives in Hermiston and Pendleton to diversify their workforce, and attempts to convince students of all backgrounds to consider returning to their schools as educators. It’s an important way to build community and help improve outcomes — studies show that young people who have teachers who look and talk like them do better in school. On Thursday, Jayati kept the hits coming with a story on RISE, a mental health initiative in Hermiston schools. It’s a critical program that tries to teach people who come from difficult backgrounds or have difficulty processing emotions how to get better at it. If it shows promise, RISE will be helpful not just for those who participate, but for every student who shares a classroom with them going forward. We applaud the efforts and look forward to seeing results down the line. 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 If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it The Dalles Chronicle E arly this week, Susan Buce, marketing manager of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, was watching news reports pertaining to the Eagle Creek Fire and the devastation it had caused businesses in Troutdale and the western end of the Gorge. Her Facebook post that the Gorge didn’t stop at Hood River caught the attention of Lisa Farquharson, president/ CEO of The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce. Farquharson was moved to contact the KGW television station to make them aware of the plight of businesses in The Dalles that were also affected by the freeway closure. For the first half of this month, both lanes of Interstate 84 were shut down while firefighting activities were underway. The westbound lanes are now open, but the eastbound lanes that carry traffic from the Portland-metro area will remain closed until hazardous dead trees and rolling boulders have been removed. The fire stripped away the ground cover that kept soil stable in many areas. “Having 84 cut off was like an artery being severed off,” said Steve Light, owner of Freebridge Brewery. He and other business owners urged people to make the trip east, even via detour. “We still have the doors open,” said Light. “We’re serving beer, producing food. Please come to The Dalles.” That appeal went out to thousands of viewers, thanks to Farquharson’s efforts. We believe it is safe to say that our local chamber is one of the most dynamic in the region. Farquharson and staff have gotten The Dalles mentioned, or garnered stories, in the Smithsonian magazine and many other publications. Between January 2015 and March 2017 alone, The Dalles has been commented upon or covered in 129 stories in varied publications. An article in Road Runner Magazine alone would have cost $40,700 in advertising dollars, said Farquharson, who hosted the riders and photographers a couple years ago. This exposure for the community has been circulated to 11 million in printed form and online to 81 million during 2016-17. Perhaps the biggest proof that the chamber’s marketing and promotional campaigns are effective — including staging the Northwest Cherry Festival and promoting the Fort Dalles Fourth, Cruise the Gorge and Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival — is the boost in lodging tax revenue since Farquharson took the helm in 2012. Folks, we’re home alone F ormer Secretary of State Dean every job and industry. Acheson wrote a famous memoir, What do you need when the “Present at the Creation,” about climate changes? Adaptation — so the birth of the post-World War II your citizens can get the most out of order — an order whose institutions these climate changes and cushion the produced six decades of security and worst. Adaptation has to happen at the growth for a lot of people. We’re now individual, community and national at a similar moment of rapid change — levels. abroad and at home. Many institutions At the individual level, the single Thomas have to be rethought. But any book Friedman most important adaptation is to about Washington today would have to become a lifelong learner, so you can Comment be called “Absent at the Creation.” constantly add value beyond what Surely one of the most cynical, machines and algorithms can do. reckless acts of governing in my lifetime has “When work was predictable and been President Donald Trump and the GOP’s the change rate was relatively constant, attempt to ram through a preparation for work merely transformation of America’s required the codification health care system — without and transfer of existing holding hearings with experts, knowledge and predetermined conducting an independent skills to create a stable and cost-benefit analysis or deployable workforce,” preparing the public — all to explains education consultant erase Barack Obama’s legacy Heather McGowan. “Now to satisfy a few billionaire that the velocity of change ideologue donors and a “base” has accelerated, due to a so drunk on Fox News that combination of exponential its members don’t understand growth in technology and they’ll be the ones most hurt globalization, learning can by it all. no longer be a set dose of — Heather McGowan, education consumed in the Democrats aren’t exactly Education consultant first third of one’s life.” In a fire hose of fresh ideas, but they do respect science and this age of accelerations, “the have a sense of responsibility new killer skill set is an agile to not play around with big systems without mindset that values learning over knowing.” an ounce of study. Not so Trump. He scrapped At the community level, the U.S. the Paris climate treaty without consulting communities that are thriving are the ones one climate scientist — and no GOP leader building what I call complex adaptive protested. Think about that. coalitions. These comprise local businesses That failure is particularly relevant because, that get deeply involved in shaping the as this column has been arguing, “climate skills being taught in the public schools and change” is the right analytical framework for community colleges, buttressed by civic and thinking about how we shape policy today. philanthropic groups providing supplemental Why? Because we’re going through three learning opportunities and internships. Then climate changes at once: local government catalyzes these coalitions We’re going through a change in the actual and hires recruiters to go into the world to find climate — disruptive, destructive weather investors for their local communal assets. events are steadily on the rise. These individual and communal adaptation We’re going through a change in the strategies dictate the national programs you “climate” of globalization — going from an want: health care that is as portable as possible interconnected world to an interdependent so people can easily move from job to job; one, from a world of walls where you build as much free or tax-deductible education as your wealth by hoarding the most resources to possible, so people can afford to be lifelong a world of webs where you build your wealth learners; reducing taxes on corporations and by having the most connections to the flow of labor to stimulate job creation and relying ideas, networks, innovators and entrepreneurs. instead on a carbon tax that raises revenues In this interdependent world, connectivity and mitigates costly climate change; and leads to prosperity and isolation leads to immigration and trade policies that are as open poverty. We got rich by being “America as possible, because in an age of acceleration Connected” not “America First.” the most open country will get the change Finally, we’re going through a change in signals first and attract the most high-IQ risk the “climate” of technology and work. We’re takers who start new companies. moving into a world where computers and There was no good time for Trump to be algorithms can analyze (reveal previously president. But this is a uniquely bad time for hidden patterns); optimize (tell a plane which us to have a race-baiting, science-denying altitude to fly each mile to get the best fuel divider in chief. He is impossible to ignore, efficiency); prophesize (tell you when your and yet reacting to his daily antics only makes elevator will break or what your customer is us stupid — only makes our society less likely to buy); customize (tailor any product focused on the huge adaptation challenges at or service for you alone); and digitize and hand. automatize more and more products and ■ services. Any company that doesn’t deploy all Thomas Friedman, a New York Times six elements will struggle, and this is changing columnist, won two Pulitzer Prizes. “The new killer skill set is an agile mindset that values learning over knowing.” 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 phone number. Send let- ters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
