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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Friday, October 20, 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 Tip of the hat, kick in the pants A tip of the hat to Umatilla and Morrow county commissioners for making the time last week to sit down together in Heppner and discuss the current state of Eastern Oregon. The agenda was informal and the goal undefined, but just like in a neighborhood, it’s important to have open lines of dialogue. Breaking some bread — or grilled chicken, as the case may be — is a good way of checking in. The discussion predictably covered a lot of ground, from jobs to housing to agriculture to clean energy to health care and all areas in between. Umatilla County is the big brother in many respects, with about seven times as many residents, but Morrow County has become an economic power in recent years. If the two can coordinate, it only makes our corner of the state a better place. A kick in the pants to the Department of Homeland Security for ignoring requests by nine states — including Oregon and Washington — for data about immigration arrests. If you’re worried about unaccountable government, this is what it looks like. The states would like to know about immigration arrests made near courthouses, churches, hospitals and schools. No matter where you stand on the issue of illegal immigration enforcement, it’s hard to account for the lack of accountability by a federal agency. Ignoring requests for simple information like the number of people arrested is not the way any government should function, and certainly not one that pledges to answer to the people. A tip of the hat to local firefighters who are down in California helping quell the blazes that have ravaged the state this month. Our own fire season has ended, though we’re seeing that flames don’t really take a vacation as local agencies have stayed busy even as the weather has cooled. We know it’s their job, and those Umatilla and Union county firefighters will be compensated by other agencies for their effort, but we’re glad to share some of our brave and talented personnel for the cause. The fires have been horrific, taking not just wildlands and homes but scores of human lives. It’s comforting to know there’s a network in place to bring in resources for that inevitable day when Oregon will need the back up. In the meantime, we’re thankful for the rain in the forecast and hope to see our firefighters back home soon. 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 Time to close the digital divide E very year, I hold town halls small businesses. in each of our state’s 36 Third, U.S. farmers and ranchers are increasingly counties to hear directly relying on precision agriculture from Oregonians on the key technologies. High-speed wireless issues facing rural and urban support is a must to keep pace communities. During these with the ongoing deployment of meetings, and traveling between technology in the field. Today, them, I have heard and seen farmers can control water to their firsthand the importance of Ron irrigation systems through their getting affordable broadband Wyden smartphones, allowing them to internet access, high-speed Comment reduce costs, while also practicing wireless broadband and strong, responsible agriculture. consistent cell service throughout Fourth, schools depend increasingly Oregon. on the internet to improve education with This past August, Donald Trump’s innovative coursework. Yet substandard Federal Communications Commission internet access currently leaves many (FCC) chairman, Ajit Pai, proposed to students at a great disadvantage. Students lower the standard speed of internet lacking 24-7 internet access at home must access in rural America. This is just depend on limited hours at local libraries, wrong. The Congress mandated the FCC friends’ houses or community centers to work to expand access to high-speed do research online. internet to every American. Pai believes Fifth, tele-health promises to transform slower internet speeds are good enough how rural and remote communities access for rural areas. I completely disagree. health care. For example, a health care In my 850-plus town meetings, Oregonians have told me how frustrated provider can now examine a patient they are by slow internet access. Rural via an in-home video consultation, and residents make it clear that lack of diabetes patients can remotely monitor high-speed internet isn’t a trivial matter. their blood glucose levels. These options High-speed internet access and cell rely on reliable, fast and low-cost internet coverage are critical for everything from coverage. reaching 911 and accessing health care to What’s the solution? selling Made in Oregon products around The first step is finding out who has the world. coverage now. I’m co-sponsoring a bill to But private sector investment has require the FCC to create more accurate failed to bring wireless service to mobile service maps, especially in rural large parts of rural America. When areas. That will ensure the government power companies didn’t reach rural more accurately directs resources to the communities in the 1930s, Congress communities that need access the most. passed the Rural Electrification Act and Next, if Big Cable won’t serve rural transformed rural lives. Now Congress, areas, communities should have the right the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build their own high-speed networks. and the FCC have a responsibility to I introduced The Community Broadband offer more consistent internet and voice Act this year with Sen. Cory Booker to do infrastructure for rural Americans who just that. Big Cable won’t serve. And finally, our country needs robust Closing the digital divide is urgent investment for broadband internet business for five reasons. buildout, which I’ve called for as part of First, there should never be an accident an upgrade to America’s infrastructure. victim who cannot reach 911 because Trump’s FCC wants to tell rural there’s no cell signal. Limited cell Americans that they don’t need faster coverage leads to preventable tragedies. internet or increased internet access. I Second, small-town Oregon business believe that Congress, the Department of owners shouldn’t be at a disadvantage Agriculture and the FCC should expand in reaching customers beyond their city access to high-speed internet to everyone, limits. Entrepreneurs need 24-7 access not tell rural America its current marginal to their Facebook page or website to service is good enough. connect to the global economy. And in the ■ recreation economy, smartphone access Ron Wyden is the senior U.S. senator is crucial to connecting visitors with local for Oregon. OTHER VIEWS Trump, trade and tantrums M EXICO CITY — Everyone manufacturing are deeply enmeshed here wants to know what’s with one another. Many industrial going to happen to NAFTA plants were built precisely to take — the North American Free Trade advantage of our economic integration, Agreement, which has closely linked buying from or selling to other the economies of Mexico, Canada and industrial plants across the borders. the United States for more than two As a result, breaking up or decades. President Donald Trump has degrading NAFTA would have the described NAFTA as the “worst trade same disruptive effects that came from Paul deal ever made.” But will he actually Krugman NAFTA’s creation: Plants would close, destroy it? jobs would disappear, communities Comment Until just a few days ago I was would lose their livelihoods. And, yes, pretty sure that he wouldn’t. My guess many businesses, small, large and in was that he would negotiate some minor some cases huge, would lose many billions of changes to the agreement, declare victory dollars. and move on. Markets seemed to agree: Oh, and it’s not just manufacturing. What The Mexican peso plunged after Trump’s do you think would happen to the farmers of election but then rebounded, Iowa if they lost one of the effectively reaching the most important markets for verdict that nothing terrible their corn? would happen. So what I and others But I’ve been revising have been assuming is that that view in light of recent these realities would stay events — especially Trump’s Trump’s hand. No matter health care temper tantrum. how ignorant he may Breaking up NAFTA would be about the realities of be terrible for Mexico and North American trade, we bad for the U.S. It would assumed that he would in horrify major U.S. business the end balk at alienating interests, which have spent big businesses and big two decades building their money. competitive strategies But now I’m not so sure. around an integrated North American market. For one thing, NAFTA negotiations are But it might be good for Trump’s fragile ego. going very badly. America’s demands — And that’s a reason to fear the worst. requiring renewal every five years, taking Let’s start by admitting that NAFTA, away the ability of businesses to appeal although it led to rapid growth in both government actions — would undermine the Mexican exports to the U.S. and U.S. exports predictability, the assurance of future market to Mexico, hasn’t lived up to the expectations access, that was the trade agreement’s main of some of its proponents. point. In 1994, when the agreement went into Meanwhile, documents leaked to The effect, many people hoped that it would jump- Washington Post show key administration start rapid growth in the Mexican economy; advisers attributing virtually every social ill, it didn’t. Some proponents also argued that from spousal abuse to divorce, to the loss of the United States would run large surpluses manufacturing jobs — and we know that the in its trade with Mexico; in fact, after its administration, wrongly, believes that trade 1995 financial crisis Mexico began running treaties are the cause of those job losses. surpluses instead. Most important, look at what Trump has Furthermore, growing trade definitely hurt been doing with his open, indeed gleeful some U.S. workers. Some U.S. companies laid sabotage of the U.S. health care system. off workers and moved production to Mexico Never mind the huge human costs he’s (although others added jobs to produce goods imposing; he isn’t even following any for Mexican markets, or gained a competitive plausible political strategy, since he and advantage from the ability to purchase his party are likely, with good reason, to be components from Mexican suppliers). blamed for the damage. Furthermore, his By any measure, the costs inflicted by actions will cost big businesses — insurers NAFTA were far smaller than those created by and health providers — billions; he’s even imports from China — and these in turn were boasting about how much he has hurt their far smaller than those created by changing stock prices. technology. For example, the decline in coal- So we’ve now seen Trump deliberately hurt mining employment — caused almost entirely millions of people and inflict billions of losses by technological change — or the collapse in on a major industry out of sheer spite. If he’s truckers’ wages — reflecting deregulation and willing to do that on health care, why assume the collapse of union power — had nothing to he won’t do the same thing on international do with NAFTA. Still, the trade deal caused trade policy? some real pain. NAFTA, then, is at real risk. And if it does But admitting this unpleasant reality has get destroyed, the only question is whether the almost no bearing on the question of what to consequences will be ugly, or extremely ugly. do now. NAFTA’s disruptions are mostly in ■ the rearview mirror. Paul Krugman joined The New York Times We now live in a North American economy in 1999 as a columnist on the Op-Ed Page built around the reality of free trade. In and continues as professor of Economics and particular, U.S., Canadian and Mexican International Affairs at Princeton University. Let’s start by admitting that NAFTA ... hasn’t lived up to the expectations of some of its proponents. 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.
