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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, October 4, 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 EO MEDIA GROUP East Oregonian • The Daily Astorian • Capital Press • Hermiston Herald Blue Mountain Eagle • Wallowa County Chieftain • Chinook Observer • Coast River Business Journal Oregon Coast Today • Coast Weekend • Seaside Signal • Cannon Beach Gazette Eastern Oregon Real Estate Guide • Eastern Oregon Marketplace • Coast Marketplace OnlyAg.com • FarmSeller.com • Seaside-Sun.com • NorthwestOpinions.com • DiscoverOurCoast.com OUR VIEW State must clarify tax rules on recreational pot Oregon’s rules on disclosure approaches. Pendleton included a $25,000 revenue projection for of tax collections on recreational marijuana dollars this fiscal year, but marijuana sales are blurry and need many municipalities chose not to. refining. City finance director Linda Carter As they are now, the disclosure said that so far tax revenue has been rules put cities, including those “minimal.” But as a matter of public in Eastern Oregon and others in record, she said the revenue figures rural areas, in an awkward position because the state’s rules on what can will eventually be transparent and included in the and can’t be city’s upcoming disclosed create audit for the a conflict with 2016-2017 fiscal local budget year. She also requirements to said the finance publicly account department for all incoming plans to money. eventually Most cities release quarterly that passed finance reports marijuana to the city taxes signed EO file photo council, which agreements will include with the Taxpayers marijuana tax state Department revenue information. of Revenue for deserve Is that in line with collection. Pendleton, the only municipality transparency the nondisclosure as well as in Umatilla and on marijuana agreement, transparent operation Morrow counties the public that allows marijuana tax revenue — of budgeting process? Is businesses, signed even in rural it legal? that agreement. clear Usually when the municipalities. rules Developing for the budding state reports on tax growth of marijuana collections and other economic data there are regional and sales has been a work in progress since city-by-city breakdowns. As a result, voters approved recreational sales. The state Department of Justice is expected the state required confidentiality to issue a legal opinion on the tax agreements with the cities to ensure collections and disclosure rules, and it information about tax returns from individual businesses is protected so must clear up the conflicts. The type of secrecy and the data couldn’t be used by anyone nondisclosure caused by the to gain a competitive edge. confidentiality agreements and their In regions where there are interpretation isn’t in the public only a few pot shops, individual interest. Taxpayers should know business information could be when viewing a city’s financial discerned from public documents if statement or budget that all the a city accurately accounts for that money is accounted for, and right money in its financial statements now the rules prevent that. or annual budget. To stay within Those rules must change. the rules, cities have taken different 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 Debate over protesting and EOCI prisoner was the American flag is foolish more than his rap sheet The big flag debate is stupid. Far-right imbeciles that fly Confederate flags and have the gall to use the Stars and Stripes as a curtain, display it at night without properly lighting it, display it with the field of blue facing the wrong direction, fly it after it has become tattered (if there isn’t a battle going on in front of your house then you have no excuse for your flag being tattered) and then to top it all off, when they finally do spend their money on a new banner they throw the old flag in a common trash receptacle instead of burning it with the dignity that it deserves. These are the people who are complaining about entertainers kneeling. If the resident at the White House can hug our sacred symbol instead of treating it with the utmost dignity and respect then I think entertainers taking a knee should be the least of everyone’s worries. Leaders set an example, and if Donald J. Trump is permitted to treat Old Glory like a contestant in the Miss Universe pageant by the same people that are whining about some entertainers who knelt then I think that any reasonable person can see that the real reason for this debate is hypocrisy: “You may disrespect my flag, but only in the manner that I permit.” Everyone needs to work on their flag etiquette. Refer to the Flag Code to learn more. Spoiler Alert: You’re not being a patriot when you wear U.S. flag T-shirts, you’re turning Old Glory into a common adornment. James Tibbets Pendleton I’d just like to say a few kind words about the gentleman that passed away on Sept. 24 at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution here in Pendleton. I didn’t know David Kirby well but our time spent here at EOCI was unlike time spent on the “outs.” In here you get to know someone without all the distractions of a busy life. The David I knew was unselfish and considerate. He had a couple of children that he loved very much. So much that, though he had no artistic talent, he had taken up drawing as a way to share a part of himself with those kids. In a place where bravado is the basis for self-esteem, “Kirby,” as his friends here on the unit referred to him, was humble. As for the crimes he had committed in his past, I felt it was wrong to let that be the way he was remembered. Yes, he was here serving an appropriate sentence as punishment for those crimes and as far as I’m concerned that should have been the end of that chapter of his life. Too often people are labeled after a bad episode in their life instead of for the majority of their life spent trying to improve themselves. So instead of allowing your previous article to serve as Kirby’s final chapter here in Pendleton, I pray that you’ll use this letter as a sort of obituary. To serve as a reminder that even inside these fences, entire lives matter. He might not be remembered by most but he will be remembered by the ones that mattered. God take care of you, Kirby. William Sellers Pendleton What Americans think about NFL protests — and Trump henever President Trump sets and 27 percent said they shouldn’t do off a new controversy, there’s it at all. Just 32 percent said athletes always a period of hair-on- could get political whenever they want fire commentary, usually conducted in to.) the absence of polls or other evidence Given the racial dimension of the of public opinion. It’s happened again controversy, the poll broke things down further by race. Forty-six and again, the latest example being the percent of blacks said athletes should president, the NFL and the national get political on their own time or not anthem. Byron at all; 64 percent of Hispanics said Trump set things off Sept. 22 during York the same; 58 percent of other races/ a speech in Alabama. Now, after some Comment ethnicities agreed; and 75 percent of time has passed, there are new polls whites agreed. Blacks were the only with information on the underlying group that said, by a 54 percent majority, that issue — NFL players protesting during the national anthem -- and Trump’s treatment of it. athletes should get political whenever they want. On the protests, the short version is, The bottom line is that in most polls, the public, which disapproved when Colin other than the USA Today/Suffolk survey, Kaepernick first refused to stand for the small majorities oppose the national anthem last year, still disapproves. anthem protests. But in A new CBS poll a broader sense, a much asked, “Do you approve larger majority opposes or disapprove of football athletes using the field of players protesting by competition to play politics. kneeling during the national Why is the majority anthem?” Fifty-two percent generally opposing political said they strongly or activity on the field somewhat disapprove, while larger than the majority 38 percent said they strongly specifically opposing the or somewhat approve, anthem protests? Just a and nine percent said they theory here — it could be haven’t heard enough to say. that the former is a true The disapprove-approve measure of opinion on numbers were 51-39 in a sports protests, while the new ESPN poll. latter is associated with Trump, which means Fox News asked, “In general, do you think kneeling during the national anthem is an measures of opinion about the anthem protests appropriate — or inappropriate — form of are commingled with respondents’ opinions protest?” Fifty-five percent said inappropriate, about the president. while 41 percent said appropriate, and five Which leads to the polls’ findings about percent didn’t know. Trump. CBS asked, “Do you approve CNN asked the question in a slightly or disapprove of Donald Trump’s recent roundabout way, asking, “Do you think comments about football players who protest athletes who protest by kneeling during the during the national anthem?” Forty-eight national anthem are doing the right thing percent strongly or somewhat disapproved, or the wrong thing to express their political while 38 percent strongly or somewhat opinion? Forty-nine percent said the wrong approved, and 14 percent did not know. thing, 43 percent said the right thing, and eight CNN asked, “Do you think Donald Trump percent didn’t know. did the right thing or the wrong thing by A USA Today/Suffolk poll got a different criticizing athletes from the National Football result — 51 percent said the protests are League who have protested by kneeling appropriate, while 42 percent said they during the national anthem?” Sixty percent aren’t — but did so by writing a question said Trump did the wrong thing, while 34 that specifically framed the protest as a stand percent said he did the right thing and six against racial injustice. The question: “Some percent didn’t know. Other polls showed NFL players have dropped to one knee during similarly strong disapproval of the president’s the playing of the national anthem, as a protest action. bringing attention to police brutality and racial What does it all mean? First, most injustice. In your opinion, is it appropriate for Americans disapprove of the protests. But at players to engage in this sort of protest before the same time, most don’t want the president an NFL game — yes or no?” inserting himself into the issue. Even those In a more general sense, the CBS poll shed Americans who support the president would additional light on the public’s attitude toward still like to see him concentrate his public the demonstrations when it asked, “Do you statements on issues like taxes, economic think professional athletes should or should growth, healthcare, immigration, North Korea, not use their position and fame to talk politics and other critical matters. or raise issues, if they want to?” The poll gave But Trump does what he does. And on respondents three choices: “Yes, whenever the NFL protest question, if the new polls they want to,” “Yes, but only on their own are correct, he’s on the same side as most time,” and “No, they should not.” Americans — even if most also wish he would A decisive 68 percent said athletes either stay out of it. should get political on their own time or not ■ at all. (The breakdown of that was 41 percent Byron York is chief political correspondent said athletes should do it on their own time, for The Washington Examiner. W Most Americans disapprove of the protests, but don’t want the president inserting himself in the issue. 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.
