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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 2018)
Page 4A East Oregonian Thursday, January 11, 2018 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Offshore drilling here? Absolutely not In view of all the other environmental rollbacks of the past year, it is unsurprising and yet still somehow shocking that the Trump Administration would move toward opening the West Coast to petroleum exploration. Perhaps best viewed as a middle-finger salute by the president to the three mainland Pacific states that voted for his opponent, the immediate consequences of the oil-leasing plan are likely to be few — at least off Washington and Oregon. Not only will the administration’s action be tied up in political wrangling and lawsuits for years, there is substantial room to doubt whether there actually is an economic quantity of fossil fuel to be found here. Past onshore drilling on the Pacific Northwest coast hasn’t proven successful and there is reason to suspect that eons of subduction zone earthquakes have rendered our geology unconducive to the formation of hydrocarbon deposits. No matter what the prospects for future exploration and exploitation of oil may be in our waters, the governors of Washington, Oregon and California are absolutely right to mount a unified front of opposition to the very notion of drilling. They deserve our ongoing encouragement and support in blocking this blockheaded proposal. Time after time we have seen horrific environmental costs from oil development and transportation. From the Exxon Valdez disaster to the BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, the giant corporations that run this industry and the undermanned agencies that police it have shown themselves incapable of guaranteeing there will not be horrific, negligent incidents for which they are loath to take responsibility. Any such “accident” off of the Oregon Coast would have the distinct potential of killing several crucial industries — tourism, oystering, crabbing and fishing. As the governors asserted last week in a joint statement, the administration has “chosen to forget the utter devastation of past offshore oil spills to wildlife and to the fishing, recreation and tourism industries in our states. They’ve chosen to ignore the science that tells us our climate is changing and we must reduce our dependence on Associated Press The oil drilling rig Polar Pioneer is towed in Elliott Bay in Seattle in 2015. fossil fuels. But we won’t forget history or ignore science ... For more than 30 years, our shared coastline has been protected from further federal drilling and we’ll do whatever it takes to stop this reckless, short-sighted action.” Even the somewhat more modest exploratory activities associated with identifying oil deposits in the first place have the potential of harming rockfish habitat, interfering with whale migrations and feeding, and increasing vessel traffic and noise in areas essential to endangered species from salmon to orcas. Those who oppose offshore oil and gas exploration in Pacific Northwest and Alaskan waters have been painted as obstructionist worrywarts, more concerned with sea otters and kelp than energy independence. In fact, few Americans of any political persuasion dispute that, for now, we continue to need fossil fuels to power our vehicles and help warm our homes. But there currently is no shortage of oil that could possibly justify placing the West Coast at risk. Gasoline prices remain stable. Adjusted for inflation, they are about what they were 90 years ago — and down from a decade ago. Opening the West Coast to drilling is about greed and politics, not about need for energy. It should be stopped dead in its tracks. OTHER VIEWS The decline of anti-Trumpism L YOUR VIEWS Attorney General Sessions sullies his Southern heritage I do declare, Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III has brought considerable shame upon the honor of his southern heritage. Why, if he stands by and allows the federal government to infringe on the rights of states to make a little ol’ weed a legal and taxable commodity then he may as well take up with the damn Yankees! His dignity, I say, his very dignity is called into question by directing the U.S. Justice Department to flout the sovereign wishes of 29 members of this so-called Union and attempt to prosecute those in the humble business of cannabis harvestin’. Why, I’d venture to guess that if President Jefferson Davis — a simple cotton farmer and the man Mr. Sessions, his daddy before him and his granddaddy before him were named after — was to hear that his namesake was defendin’ the federal government’s prohibition of a lucrative cash crop, why, he’d a be rollin’ in his ol’ Virginia grave! Does the Attorney General not remember that his kinfolk fought and died defendin’ states’ rights under the proud banner of Dixie? Or does he think that the Civil War was fought over somethin’ silly like slavery? Frankly, I do suppose that if you were to ask him, he’d say somethin’ like: “I do not recall ...” Peter Walters, Pendleton Vote no on Measure 101 My comments are made based on reviewing the Oregon Voters Pamphlet and “yes” vote advertisements and comments from folks I trust. First of all, this Measure 101 is not just a simple “temporary” assessment (sales tax). If we vote against it, do you honestly think that this legislature will not pass another law with different language to reinstate the tax? Since when have you seen this Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. legislature respect the will of the voter? Remember? The Federal Income Tax was put in as a “temporary” tax. Second, this is a tax on existing health insurance premium payers, and some hospitals. Third, this is a Medicaid tax, and insurance premium “stabilizer” (they don’t explain what that is.) Medicaid is for the officially financially poor. Most of us are glad that Medicaid is there. We are not appreciating the lack of accountability and competence of the Oregon Health Authority in general (note the Secretary of State’s recent audit) and, specifically, in handling the Medicaid program. This tax will be an act of throwing good money after bad. Fourth, in the Voters Pamphlet, under “Estimate of Financial Impact,” it says: “there may be an indeterminate effect on local government expenditures related to increases in associated insurances assessments. There is likely to be an indirect and indeterminate effect on the state economy and local government revenues and expenditures.” Fifth, comments on the “no” vote arguments listed below: Don’t count on this medical “sales tax” only going to fund medical budget line items. Don’t count on this medical “sales tax” only going to fund medical budget line items for “in-state” legal residents only. Don’t count on this medical “sales tax” only going to fund medical budget line items to not increase your school district tax portion of your property tax (or, reduce educational services.) By reason of the “trickle down” or “pass through” or “domino effect,” it is easy to see how school costs will rise and how commercial business costs will rise. Who will pay? Answer: The property tax payer, the purchaser at the store, and the individual insurance premium payer. In most cases, that is you. No new taxes. Larry Nye, Athena et me start with three Trump don’t know anybody who inconvenient observations, works with him or supports him. based on dozens of And if they do have friends and conversations around Washington family members who admire Trump, over the past year: they’ve learned not to talk about this First, people who go into the subject. So they get most of their White House to have a meeting with information about Trumpism from President Donald Trump usually others who also detest Trumpism, leave pleasantly surprised. They which is always a recipe for David find that Trump is not the raving Brooks epistemic closure. madman they expected from his The movement also suffers from Comment lowbrowism. Fox News pioneered tweetstorms or the media coverage. modern lowbrowism. The modern They generally say that he is affable, if repetitive. He runs a normal, good lowbrow (think Sean Hannity or Dinesh D’Souza) ignores normal journalistic or meeting and seems well-informed enough intellectual standards. He creates a style to get by. of communication that doesn’t make you Second, people who work in the Trump think more; it makes you think and notice administration have wildly divergent less. He offers a steady diet of affirmation, views about their boss. Some think he is a focuses on simple topics that require deranged child, as Michael Wolff reported. little background information, and gets But some think he is merely a distraction they can work around. Some think he is viewers addicted to daily doses of righteous strange, but not impossible. Some genuinely contempt and delicious vindication. admire Trump. Many filter out his crazy We anti-Trumpers have our lowbrowism, stuff and pretend it doesn’t exist. too, mostly on late-night TV. But anti- My impression is that the Trump Trump lowbrowism burst into full bloom administration is an unhappy place to work, with the Wolff book. because there is a lot of infighting and often Wolff doesn’t pretend to adhere to no direction from the top. But this is not normal journalistic standards. He happily an administration full of people itching to admits that he’s just tossing out rumors that invoke the 25th Amendment. are too good to check. As Charlie Warzel Third, the White House is getting more wrote on BuzzFeed, “For Wolff’s book, the professional. Imagine if Trump didn’t tweet. truth seems almost a secondary concern to The craziness of the past weeks would what really matters: engagement.” be out of the way, and we’d see a White The ultimate test of the lowbrow is not House that is briskly pursuing its goals: the whether it challenges you, teaches you or shift in our Pakistan policy, the shift in our captures the contours of reality; it’s whether offshore drilling policy, the fruition of our you feel an urge to share it on social media. Islamic State policy, the nomination for In every war, nations come to resemble judgeships and the formation of policies their enemies, so I suppose it’s normal that on infrastructure, DACA, North Korea and the anti-Trump movement would come to trade. resemble the pro-Trump movement. It’s almost as if there are two White But it’s not good. I’ve noticed a lot of Houses. There’s the Potemkin White House, young people look at the monotonous daily which we tend to focus on: Trump berserk hysteria of we anti-Trumpers and they find in front of the TV, the lawyers working it silly. the Russian investigation and the press This isn’t just a struggle over a president. operation. Then there is the Invisible White It’s a struggle over what rules we’re going House that you never hear about, which is to play by after Trump. Are we all going getting more effective at managing around to descend permanently into the Trump the distracted boss. standard of acceptable behavior? I sometimes wonder if the Invisible Or, are we going to restore the distinction White House has learned to use the between excellence and mediocrity, truth Potemkin White House to deke us while it and a lie? Are we going to insist on the difference between a genuine expert and changes the country. an ill-informed blowhard? Are we going I mention these inconvenient to restore the distinction between those observations because the anti-Trump institutions like the Congressional Budget movement, of which I’m a proud member, Office that operate by professional standards seems to be getting dumber. It seems to and speak with legitimate authority, and the be settling into a smug, fairy tale version propaganda mills that don’t? of reality that filters out discordant There’s a hierarchy of excellence in information. More anti-Trumpers seem to every sphere. There’s a huge difference be telling themselves a “Madness of King between William F. Buckley and Sean George” narrative: Trump is a semiliterate madman surrounded by sycophants who are Hannity, between the reporters at The New York Times and a rumor-spreader. morally, intellectually and psychologically Part of this struggle is to maintain those inferior to people like us. distinctions, not to contribute to their I’d like to think it’s possible to be evisceration. fervently anti-Trump while also not ■ reducing everything to a fairy tale. David Brooks became a New York Times The anti-Trump movement suffers from Op-Ed columnist in 2003. insularity. Most of the people who detest 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. 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.
