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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 29, 2018)
Page 4A East Oregonian Tuesday, May 29, 2018 CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Oregon’s leaders need long-term strategies I n the words of State Economist Mark McMullen, Oregon’s economy “is still pretty hunky-dory.” The current period of economic growth is on its way to becoming the longest on record, with little chance of a recession within the next year. As a result, the state is collecting far more in taxes than previously projected. But if any legislators and other state officials are making plans for spending that extra dough, forget about it. Here are three reasons: First, the most obvious is Oregon’s unique kicker law. It could result in more than $550 million being returned to taxpayers as rebates on their 2019 personal income taxes. The kicker remains popular with taxpayers, although a strong argument can be made that voters eventually should funnel that money into government rainy-day reserves instead. Historically, some Oregon recessions came on the heels of big kicker payouts. Second, we know good economic times cannot last forever, which is why economist McMullen referred to Oregon being in a “pre-crisis” mode. It appears the state will enter the 2019-21 budget period with $1.2 billion to $1.8 billion in reserves, which might be unprecedented. “However,” says the Oregon Economic and Revenue Forecast issued last week, “such reserves would barely be sufficient to withstand a typical recession’s impact on state revenues, let alone account for the increase in public services and programs during downturns.” Third, our state government still has no overall strategy of economic, educational, environmental, social and related goals; or, how financial decisions — taxing and spending — AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File Dark clouds hover over the Capitol in Salem in January. can most effectively achieve those priorities. Instead, the state budgets incrementally — department by department, program by program, crisis by crisis. What is urgent overwhelms what is most important. Meanwhile, the global pace of change intensifies each day. Oregon lags in affordable housing; an adequate, timely transportation network; worker retraining in the face of inevitable automation; and other areas. Each of those will have an economic impact, pro or con. It’s long past time for the Legislature, state leadership and the public to set long-term strategies to ensure prosperity for the state and its residents. OTHER VIEWS The Donald Trump of Silicon Valley H YOUR VIEWS Better options for country’s wild horses The final statement in your editorial on the wild horse problem hit the nail on the head. “Clearly, something needs to be done, because what’s already been done hasn’t worked.” I have long advocated that these surplus animals be slaughtered and the meat be given to the poor. The Oregon Food Bank and Farmers Ending Hunger have told me the meat would be beneficial, but it was too emotional an issue for them to pursue. Apparently providing the poor a lean, high protein food source lacks appeal. Maybe I should have proposed these animals be slaughtered and the meat offered to those who value organic foods. I know there was a study that found 65 percent of the U.S. population would not eat horse meat. That implies 35 percent might. This number is probably greater than the percentage of the population who regularly buy organic. Inasmuch as these animals have received no medications, additives, etc., they should qualify as organic. It is a well established fact that horse meat is nutritionally superior to beef. In Iceland it is the cheapest meal on restaurant menus. Also quite tasty. In the 1940s and 1950s horse meat, according to Time Magazine, was the number one meat consumed in Portland, Oregon. At a Fish and Wildlife meeting in Pendleton in the early 1970s someone in the audience asked an official what kind of management plan did they have for the inevitable overpopulation of horses that would occur with the passage of the free roaming horse law. The official said “they were concerned.” I naively suggested they issue tags and have a drawing like they did for other big game. The F&W official immediately asked the news reporter not 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. to print that. They didn’t. Maybe the time has come. At the end of the day, we need to set aside our emotions if we want to provide a thriving environment for sage grouse, antelope, deer, elk, big horn sheep, native fish and a healthy horse population. Yes, I do enjoy seeing these horses, but I don’t want there to be more than 26,715 horses, a number range scientists have determined to provide an appropriate balance. Carlisle Harrison Hermiston McLeod-Skinner ready to take on Walden The midterm primary election is over and we now know who we can support that will help bring sense to Congress. And her name is Jamie McLeod-Skinner. Jamie is a native of the eastern and southern Oregon region and will bring a real knowledge of our issues and values to Congress. She has the experience, knowledge and common sense to solve the grave issues currently facing our district, state and country. She also exhibits the absolute integrity that Washington is so lacking in at the present time. In conversations with Jamie and hearing her speak, it is apparent that in addition to her extensive knowledge of Eastern Oregon issues, she will be a strong voice for insuring that affordable health care is available to all Oregonians and she will work hard to see that the rural and semi- rural residents of our district will have livable wage jobs. These are the issues and Jamie McLeod-Skinner is the person who will bring the intelligence, experience and integrity to congress to do just that job. Jack Lorts Fossil e is prone to unhinged out whether that can happen (some Twitter eruptions. He can’t actually think it can), though the solution will not come from finding handle criticism. He scolds the next John Sculley to discipline the news media for its purported Musk’s Steve Jobs. The Apple of dishonesty and threatens to create the 1980s was a brilliant idea with a Sovietlike apparatus to keep a terrible leader. tabs on it. He suckers people to Tesla, by contrast, today is a fork over cash in exchange for Bret terrible idea with a brilliant leader. promises he hasn’t kept. He’s a Stephens The terrible idea is that electric billionaire whose business flirts Comment cars are the wave of the future, at with bankruptcy. He’s sold himself least for the mass market. Gasoline as an establishment-crushing iconoclast when he’s really little more than has advantages in energy density, cost, infrastructure and transportability that an unusually accomplished BS artist. His electricity doesn’t and won’t for decades. legions of devotees are fanatics and, let’s The brilliance is Musk’s Trumplike ability face it, a bit stupid. to get people to believe in him and his I speak of Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, the Donald Trump of Silicon Valley. preposterous promises. Tesla without Musk would be Oz without the Wizard. Not long ago, a wise friend with an Much of the blame for the Tesla fiasco enviable Wall Street reputation wrote me goes to government, which, in the name to describe his astonishment with Tesla, of green virtue, decided to subsidize the calling it “a situation unlike anything I hobbies of millionaires to the tune of a have ever seen.” $7,500 federal tax credit per car sold, “The stock market valuation of a well- along with additional state-based rebates. known company is stratospheric,” he said, Would Tesla be a viable company without “while at the same its bonds are viewed as the subsidies? Doubtful. When Hong Kong junk.” got rid of subsidies last year, Tesla sales “Meanwhile,” he added, Musk “plays fell from 2,939 — to zero. It may be unfair to his audience with constant tweets of to describe Tesla as Solyndra on wheels, claims that go largely, repeatedly and but only slightly. visibly unfulfilled. And the SEC, which is But the Tesla story isn’t just about supposed to prevent companies like this the perils of misdirected government- that raise money from the public on false led development and clever rent-seeking pretenses, sits idly by.” entrepreneurs. And it isn’t about the Strong words — too strong, if you ask virtue signaling of those who like their the satisfied customers of Tesla’s Model environmentalist bona fides to come with S (base price, $74,500) and X ($79,500). vegan-friendly upholstery. It’s about hubris But Tesla is supposed to be the auto and credulity — the hubris of the few manufacturer of the future, not a bauble- to pretend they know the future and the maker for the rich. credulity of the many to follow them there. The company has rarely turned a profit Electric vehicles were supposed to in its nearly 15-year existence. Senior executives are fleeing like it’s an exploding be the car of the future because we were running out of oil — until we weren’t. Pinto, and the company is in an ugly fight And Musk was supposed to be a visionary with the National Transportation Safety because he spoke in visions, for which Board. It burns through cash at a rate of there will always be a large receptive $7,430 a minute, according to Bloomberg. audience. Casting about for a cause and It has failed to meet production targets for a savior to believe in is what too many its $35,000 Model 3, for which more than Americans do these days, perhaps as a 400,000 people have put down $1,000 result of casting off the causes and saviors deposits, and on which the company’s we used to believe in. fortunes largely rest. Trump long ago figured out that truth Also, the car is a lemon. Like the old Borscht Belt joke, the food is lousy and the is whatever he thinks he can get away with, a cynical kind of wisdom he rode all portions are so small. the way to the White House and whose So much, then, for Elon Musk solving consequences we live with every day. climate change or everything else he With Musk the consequences are hardly has promised to do, like building cities as serious, but the essential pattern is the on Mars or (much more preposterously) same. Maybe he’ll next try to sell us on a solving LA traffic. At this point, it would time machine and promise rides to anyone be enough for Musk to save his company and the jobs of its 37,000 or so employees. willing to make a $10,000 deposit. Tesla could surely use the cash. For them and their families, saving the ■ world first requires that Musk turn a profit Bret Stephens won a Pulitzer Prize for on his existing business, not spin tales commentary in 2013. He began working as about his future ones. a columnist at The New York Times in April. I’ll leave it to market analysts to figure 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.
