Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Friday, December 15, 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 Helix students — members of the Griswold High
School Euro Club, to be exact — who
have continued the tradition of Wreaths
for Remembrance for another year.
Earlier this week, the club laid 200
wreaths on military veterans’ graves at
Olney Cemetery in Pendleton. The club has
been doing that for eight years, and they
hope to grow and soon be able to adorn
the more than 1,000 veterans’ graves at the
cemetery each year.
Community members make a $20
donation for each wreath.
Veterans or not, it’s wonderful to
celebrate and remember a person who has passed away. And we think for
school-age students in particular, a trip to a cemetery can be a rewarding,
impactful experience.
A kick in the pants to the repeal of net neutrality on Thursday by the
Federal Communications Commission.
The decision was opposed by much of the population, and even many
corporate interests — except for the interests who own the internet pipes and
now stand to make a lot more money.
That money will come out of the
wallets of consumers, and out of
the budgets of startups and small
companies both online and off.
The FCC decision was hailed by the
likes of AT&T and Comcast, who had
been found to be slowing the speed of
competing traffic before the current
neutrality rules were hammered into
law.
There’s no way around it: new rules
will make the internet more expensive, less open and less free.
We’re not naive about this issue. It’s clear that the days of the wide open
internet have already disappeared. And it’s us consumers who chose to cede
control of the content we see to Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Netflix
and others.
When was the last time you accessed a website, shopped online or
searched for information without those corporations guiding you?
They — and a few others like them — control almost all of the traffic that
had once traveled down the wide-open internet superhighway. Now we have
just ceded just a little bit more of that control, this time to internet service
providers.
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
Interference in OHA audit stains
all of Oregon government
The Coos Bay World
tate officials went to great lengths
to stymie an audit of the Oregon
Health Authority.
That is the most troubling aspect
of the audit, which state auditors
were able to complete after Gov. Kate
Brown appointed a new director for the
beleaguered agency.
The audit report, which Secretary
of State Dennis
Richardson delivered
Nov. 29 in a
highly politicized
announcement,
found that the agency
inadvertently misspent
millions of state and
federal dollars. That
is not a big surprise,
as news about the agency’s missteps
has dribbled out for months. However,
the audit also showed that the health
authority is above average nationally for
its handling of federal Medicaid money.
In that sense, the audit report
contained both bad and good news
regarding Oregon’s $9.3 billion-a-year
Medicaid program. New Oregon Health
Authority Director Patrick Allen,
who on Friday marked his 90th day
on the job, agreed with the auditors’
recommendations and said the agency
already was implementing some of
them.
The report states that the health
authority previously had impeded
the auditors’ work but goes on to say,
“OHA’s new management has been
more proactive and transparent in
addressing these issues.”
Audits are an integral part of
cost-effective governance. Brown
ousted former health authority Director
Lynne Saxton this summer; but it’s
disconcerting that until then, the agency
S
aggressively interfered with what could
be considered a routine audit.
That interference included hiring an
outside auditing firm as an intermediary
between the health authority and the
state Audits Division. That seems
unprecedented in state government.
Allen said he canceled the outside firm’s
$200,000 contract as soon as he learned
about it.
According to the audit report, the
health authority also
had monitored what
its staff was telling
auditors, potentially
creating a chilling
effect, and ordered
front-line workers
to go through
management instead
of communicating
with auditors.
“Preventing direct follow-up slowed
our work, potentially limited our
access, and created a bottleneck for
both us and OHA. We had questions
that staff could answer in minutes, but
were instead required to ask managers,
who sometimes provided incorrect
information because they lacked the
same level of familiarity as staff,”
the report says. In addition, “OHA
delayed answering requests and at
times provided incomplete or erroneous
information.”
Such interference, regardless of
where it occurs in government, is
outrageous. Republican Richardson,
who oversees the Audits Division, and
Democrat Brown, who oversees the
Oregon Health Authority and other
agencies in the executive branch, should
have known about the problems and
promptly worked together to ensure a
thorough, forthright audit.
Their failure to do so creates a stain
on state government.
Audits are an
integral part of
cost-effective
governance.
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.
Donald Trump’s gift to women
O
have missed the fact that when the
n the day before the Alabama
president tweeted, Gillibrand was at a
election, I found myself
congressional Bible study meeting.
explaining that I needed to
It’s for sure that when Donald
get to work despite the bombing at
my subway station because there
Trump beat Hillary Clinton it triggered
were women coming in to talk about
a visceral response in masses of
having been sexually assaulted by the
U.S. women, and that trauma may
president.
be turning into a political uprising
Really, we live in interesting times.
more powerful than the Tea Party.
Gail
The bombing — in which no
Collins Female voters delivered Alabama for
one was seriously hurt but the
Democrat Doug Jones — 57 percent
Comment
bomber — has already faded from
came down on his side. The critical
the memory of New York’s hardened
mass actually came from the African-
mass transit riders. But the rest of the story
American community, where women vote
is reverberating. We’re in the middle of a
more faithfully than men, and virtually all of
women’s uprising that really
them went for Jones. (Hard
does feel like a new wave,
to know what triggered their
maybe the one that could
outpouring — Roy Moore’s
actually get the country
creepy sexual history or his
within shouting distance of
enthusiasm for the good old
power equality.
days of strong families and
Think about it. This week
slavery.)
Roy Moore got skunked in
“I see black women as
Alabama, thanks in great
the heart of the Democratic
part to female voters who
Party,” said Gillibrand.
went for the Democratic
Other women aren’t
candidate instead. Then the
exactly standing still. A new
U.S. Senate got ready for
Monmouth University poll
another female member —
has Trump’s job approval
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina
rating down to another new
Smith is going to replace Al
historic low, 32 percent.
Franken, who is resigning
The decline, Monmouth
in the sexual harassment
said, came mostly from
scandal.
Republican and independent
We have a revolt
women. All in all, women
against sexual harassment that’s running
gave the president thumbs-up only 24 percent
through the political, entertainment,
of the time. He’s their political equivalent of
restaurant and communications worlds. And
overcooked broccoli.
we’re finally trying to focus on the Donald
We truly could be seeing a new wave of
Trump sleaziness sagas that the nation
feminist reform. The United States has had
didn’t deal with in 2016. Trump is really
moments when it looked as if women were
behind everything — his election jarred and
finally taking their rightful place in the public
frightened women so much that there was
world. But things had a way of stalling. After
nothing to do but rebel and try to change the
suffrage wars, politicians were worried about
world.
pleasing their new female constituents. But
“I think it’s very much because of President they then concluded that women were going
Trump,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
to pretty much vote like their male relatives
“For me the Women’s March was still the
and lost interest. The “Year of the Woman” in
most extraordinary political moment of my
1992 added four more U.S. senators to the pair
lifetime.” Gillibrand is a leader of the anti-
of women who were already there. But now,
harassment campaign in Congress. This week, in the 21st century, the Senate still has only
as some of the women who had stories about
21.
Trump’s own hands-on history were talking
There could be a lot more if this revolution
to the media, she called on the president to
continues. And while we have no earthly idea
resign.
who the Democratic presidential candidate
Trump responded — as only he can —
will be in 2020, it’s likely that a bunch
with a Twitter attack, calling Gillibrand a
of women are going to be in the mix —
political “lightweight” who used to come to
Gillibrand probably among them.
him “begging” for campaign contributions
Think about it. The only Democratic
“and would do anything for them.”
woman who’s ever been a top-of-the-pack
“I think it was intended to be a sexist
presidential contender was Hillary Clinton, a
smear, and it was intended to silence me and
former first lady. And I can remember being
every woman who challenges him,” Gillibrand around when it was a big deal that Margaret
said in a phone interview.
Chase Smith got her name put into nomination
The White House retorted that only a
at the Republican convention after a campaign
person whose mind was “in the gutter” would
dominated by dissection of her muffin recipe.
think the president was talking about anything
It’s not necessarily bad when the times get
but the way political fundraising means
interesting.
“special interests control our government.”
■
What do you think, people? Perhaps we
Gail Collins joined The New York Times
could just do a calculation on how much time
in 1995 as a member of the editorial board
Trump has spent in his public life discussing
and later as an Op-Ed columnist. In 2001 she
girl-grabbing versus campaign finance reform. became the first woman ever appointed editor
Also, no one in Washington seems to
of the Times’s editorial page.
Trump’s election
jarred and
frightened
women so much
that there was
nothing to do
but rebel and try
to change the
world.
YOUR VIEWS
Hermiston shouldn’t have cut
and killed old cedar tree
A western red cedar was cut down in the
park and placed into the asphalt on Northeast
Second Street in Hermiston recently. This
western red cedar was one of only three of this
species, age and size in Hermiston. Now there
are only two.
This tree was located in Victory Square
Park and dates back to World War II, when
the land was originally owned by the
federal government for housing during the
construction of the munitions depot and was
commonly known as Tertle Town.
Trees provide historic value to the past.
Old trees, especially ones from WWII, are
regarded as important because they have lived
through eras with which we have few other
connections.
Almost everyone knows that trees are
valuable and contribute to the environment
— such as air, noise, wind, soil, storm
water and climate control. The benefits this
tree provided because of its size and age,
both environmentally and monetarily, are
irreplaceable.
Being a licensed arborist with the Pacific
Northwest Chapter and the International
Society of Arborists, it is my hope for the
future of trees in Hermiston that this appalling
act is never repeated.
Doug Bennett
Hermiston
Merkley should say yes
to presidential run in 2020
Social media is abuzz encouraging our U.S.
Senator Jeff Merkley to consider running for
President in 2020.
It may seem early, but to really be off and
running when the time comes, candidates
are getting prepared. And now is the time for
Democrats to consider their options.
Merkley would bring his progressive ideas
and his unquestioned integrity to a splintered
party and could help heal the party. The only
senator to support Bernie Sanders in 2016,
following the primary he became an ardent
advocate tor Hillary Clinton in the General
Election.
He’s the right man at the right time to bring
both the party and our country together. Get
out there and support Jeff Merkley.
Run, Jeff, run!
Jack Lorts
Fossil