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OPINION
East Oregonian
Saturday, December 2, 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
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OUR VIEW
Port of progress
If you want a picture of progress,
Speaker Tina Kotek to tour the port
there’s a snapshot in our own
and see where that money has been
backyard.
going.
The Port of Morrow has been an
As the leader of the Democrat-
engine for jobs and development
controlled House, all that funding
for years, through
had to cross Kotek’s
aggressive leadership
desk for approval
in the front office and
before becoming real
industry of all kinds
dollars that can be
seeing potential in
spent on the ground.
the well-connected
Smith and Port
and wide open plots.
General Manager
The state
Gary Neal felt it
legislature has fueled
only fair to show
that machine too,
her what’s been
adding $27 million
happening.
since 2009 for
Spending capital
projects extending
improvement dollars
rail and roads,
should not be
building education
affected by politics,
centers and funding
and that seems to
Staff photo
water projects. Those Oregon House Speaker Tina be true at the Port
projects simply
Kotek and Umatilla-Morrow of Morrow. It’s a
Head Start associate direc- dark red district
would not have
tor Dan Daltoso talk in the represented by the
happened, at least
new Head Start early learn-
at the pace we’ve
Republican Party’s
ing building in Boardman.
seen, without money
longest serving
being set aside by the
House member, who
legislature time and again.
has earned a favorable view from
Kotek (who, by the way, represents
It doesn’t come out of thin air.
the Port of Portland).
Every district in the state could find
We’re not so naive as to be
a use for those taxpayer dollars, but
the legislature and those who pull its unaware of the undercurrent
of political favor guiding such
purse strings are looking for return
decisions, but we’re pleased to see
on investment and good faith.
On Thursday, the Port of Morrow practical concerns hold more sway
than ideological differences.
and Rep. Greg Smith invited House
Healthcare 101
In 2017, it seems like we never
get a break from politics. And there
will be no rest for the weary once we
turn the calendar to 2018.
The political season will get
off to a fast start next year, with
Oregon voters having an important
referendum in January, followed by
important primaries in May and a
critical election awaiting again in
November.
So what’s this January thing
again?
It’s Measure 101, a referendum
on health insurance premium taxes
that were approved by the state
Legislature during the previous
session. Opponents of the taxes
gathered signatures to put pieces of
that package before voters.
The whole process has been
controversial since the beginning.
Some argue the referendum process
is a bad way to set complicated
tax policy. Others say the ballot
language itself is biased, arguing
the semantics of “tax” against
“assessment.” And they argued some
more over the date that the actual
vote will tax place (It’s January 23).
All this ... and we haven’t
even gotten to the meat of the
issue, which has both sides taking
principled and impassioned stands
on how critical their victory is.
Opponents say the tax allows
legislators a “back door” to suck
health care into the general fund,
which will eventually lead to worse
health budgets and outcomes.
Proponents of the tax say this is
the least-harmful way to take a step
toward guaranteeing health care for
more Oregonians, perhaps as many
as 300,000.
We’re digging deep into the
issue over the next month, so look
for editorials on the subject before
ballots go out.
But we want to make voters
aware of this issue right now, so
they can look critically at their ballot
guide when it arrives.
Take this seriously. You are likely
to hear exaggerations from both
sides, but there is no debating the
fact that this is an important issue
that will be decided by relatively
few informed voters. Do your best to
make sure you are one.
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
In the end, reality will win
W
hoo, boy. The truth just keeps
One of them just set a spectacular
getting whacked by this
Dumpster fire. That would be James
gangster White House. The
O’Keefe. He runs something with the
how-low-can-he-go bar keeps falling.
perfectly Orwellian name of Project
Is there no bottom? Not for some time,
Veritas. O’Keefe is a criminal, having
friends, so hold on.
pleaded guilty to his part in an attempt
We learned this week that President
to enter a U.S. senator’s office under
Donald Trump does not believe his
false pretenses.
own words on videotape — words
You’d think this would ruin him.
Timothy
that he had earlier acknowledged, in
Nope. Rich people give him money so
Egan
explaining how a star can get away
that he can use fraud to prove that real
Comment
with the type of predatory behavior
reporters are just as awful as him.
that has caused everyone but him to
A woman last seen scurrying into
get fired.
the offices of Project Veritas tried to set up
We learned that he endorsed a website that
The Washington Post with a phony story. The
says the pope uses magic to mastermind world intent was to protect Roy Moore, accused of
events. This, after he gave a thumbs up to a
being a child molester and running for Senate
media outlet that claims NASA runs a child
in Alabama.
labor colony on Mars.
O’Keefe and his people use false identities
We learned that he still
and lies to bring down people
believes 3 million fraudulent
who work their butts off to
voters caused him to lose the
get at the truth. His operation
popular vote, that no president
is tax-exempt, under a clause
has accomplished so much in
designed to help religious and
10 months as he, that Barack
charitable groups.
Obama is not a citizen of the
“At Veritas, we believe that
United States.
we’re all journalists now,”
We may soon learn that
he said this week. Sure. Your
Trump won a gold medal in
average journalist, laboring
synchronized swimming. This
in the trenches of tedium at
is likely to come from a public
school board meetings, makes
servant being paid tax dollars
less than $50,000 a year.
to defend a dog’s breakfast of
O’Keefe takes a salary from
fantasy. That would be Sarah
his nonprofit of more than five
Huckabee Sanders, the White
times that amount, according
House spokeswoman, who
to a 2016 tax filing.
crossed a big Rubicon this
As with Trump’s tweets,
week.
the design is to bring everyone into the
After Trump tweeted out discredited hate
sewer. If O’Keefe were a lawyer, he’d be
videos from a fringe group, he was praised by
disbarred. Instead, he’s protected by the First
the former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke,
Amendment that he and Trump are trying to
but condemned throughout Britain. Even
subvert.
the reliably compliant Piers Morgan wrote,
Trump attacked CNN International this
“Please STOP this madness and undo your
week, joining autocrats, drug cartels and
tweets.”
Islamic militants who also hate independent
When pressed on this, Sanders said,
fact-finders. Already this year, 34 journalists
“Whether it’s a real video, the threat is real.”
have been killed. Last year, 259 of them were
Well, I’ll be cow-kicked. There it is, from the
imprisoned.
podium that represents the most powerful
This president calls journalists “the lowest
person on earth: a declarative affirmation that
form of humanity.” You know who was a
truth does not matter.
journalist? Winston Churchill. Mark Twain.
By that logic, it does not matter if Trump
Frederick Douglass. Teddy Roosevelt. Rachel
implies that someone he dislikes may have
Carson.
committed murder, because the threat of
But here’s the thing. O’Keefe’s fake
murder in general is real. Wait — he did that
reporters proved that real reporters have
as well, in defaming Joe Scarborough on
standards. They make mistakes. They issue
Wednesday.
corrections. They have biases. They’re human.
It used to be that a press secretary would
But they take the business of news-gathering
say, “I have no information on that.” Now
seriously. And the Dutch Embassy corrected
it’s standard operating procedure to shrug a
the mighty president on his hate videos.
whatever and wait for Sean Hannity to clean
So in the end, reality will out. You can’t
it up on state-run television. That’s what
stop a hurricane by calling it a snowflake. You
happens when your boss shows signs of
can’t say you won the Masters when nobody
dementia.
has given you a green winner’s jacket on the
Do you see what they’re doing? If facts
18th hole of Augusta National. Well, you can
don’t matter, then a professional press that
try, and try, and eventually you’ll be led away
tries to deal scrupulously in facts is irrelevant.
under escort of people in white coats.
Everyone is a liar. Welcome to the club.
■
Trump is a hooligan to the Constitution.
Timothy Egan worked for 18 years as a
But he has a gaggle of people being paid very
writer for The New York Times, first as the
well to help him subvert truth, justice and the
Pacific Northwest correspondent, then as a
American way.
national enterprise reporter.
From the most
powerful
person on
earth: a
declarative
affirmation
that truth does
not matter.
YOUR VIEWS
Bipartisan action is possible,
even in these divided times
Even with the partisan divisions in
Congress today, it is good to know our
delegation can find ways to work together on
issues that matter to Oregon.
I am writing to thank U.S. Sen. Ron
Wyden and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden for their
work this year to secure a reauthorization of
the Special Diabetes Program. This program
pays for critical research into treatments for
diabetes-related illness and a potential cure
for Type 1 diabetes.
Earlier this year, both the House and
Senate took initial action to reauthorize the
program. But there is still work to do before
the Congress adjourns for the year.
Reauthorizing the program for at least
two years at $150 million a year will create
certainty for medical researchers to help
them go forward in their search for new
treatments and cures.
As I understand it, U.S. Rep Walden
already played a leadership role in getting
this issue through the House. It is now before
the Senate and I anticipate Sen Wyden will
provide leadership there.
Diabetes has a big impact here in Umatilla
County, with nearly 1 in 10 residents
impacted by the disease. Diabetes can
have a major impact on health, leading to
amputations, kidney failure, heart disease,
stroke, and even premature death.
Thanks to Senator Wyden and Rep.
Walden for both being engaged in this issue.
George Murdock
Umatilla County Commissioner, Pendleton
Thanksgiving is a feast to
thank God for his blessings
According to the Indian Country Today
editorial that appeared in the Nov. 22 East
Oregonian, Thanksgiving 1) “is a myth,”
2) the 1621 feast “was not repeated in the
years to follow,” 3) the Pilgrims “didn’t exist
until 1870s” and weren’t included in the
celebration “until the 1890s,” 4) “no proof of
turkeys,” 5) the Indians (Wampanoag) were
not invited nor friendly. According to the
editorial President Abraham Lincoln made
up the myth of Thanksgiving to “calm things
down” because the theme of Pilgrims and
Indians eating happily together was “a nice
unity story.”
Most egregiously the editorial quotes
“from the mouth of a 5th grader,” praising
the Pilgrims (that didn’t exist yet) for their
slaughter of the Pequots. “For the next 100
years, every thanksgiving day ordained
by a Governor was in honor of the bloody
victory.”
The EO did not fact check the veracity of
the editorial, which cast doubt on a cherished
tradition in America. Here is the documented
record written by the Pilgrims that started the
Thanksgiving celebration:
“Our governor sent four men on fowling,
so that we might after a special manner
rejoice together … many of the Indians
coming in amongst us, (including) their
greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninety
men, whom for three days we entertained
and feasted … and they went out and
killed five deer which they brought to the
plantation.” (Edward Winslow, Mount
Relations, Pilgrim Hall Museum).
Governor William Bradford also
documented the first Thanksgiving in 1621
because the pilgrims were “all well recovered
in health & strength and had all things in
good plenty… and besides water fowl, there
was great store of wild turkeys.” (Diary of
Plymouth Plantation, Pilgrim Hall Museum).
In 1623 Gov. William Bradford issued the
first Thanksgiving proclamation to “render
thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all his
blessings.” In 1668 the Plymouth Colony
Court decreed the “25th day of November …
to be kept as a solemn day of thanksgiving.”
(Pilgrim Hall Museum) The first national
day of Thanksgiving was decreed by the
Continental Congress on Dec. 18, 1777,
in gratitude for the American victory at
Saratoga.
President Lincoln had it right when he
proclaimed a “National day of Thanksgiving
to our benevolent Father who dwellest in
Heaven.”
Enjoy your turkey and do not allow
fake news editorials to undermine
your appreciation for the Pilgrims and
Thanksgiving.
Stuart Dick
Irrigon
Rep. Walden’s votes against
Medicare will cost him seat
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden: I hope you enjoy
your last term.
You have voted without discussion on a
bill that will harm Medicare, and those who
rely on it and have paid into it for most of
there lives.
You are no longer a representative of the
people, only the rich.
Randy Holman
Pendleton