Page 4A
East Oregonian
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Perdue offers help for farmers caught up in trade wars
F
armers who are anxious over
growing trade disputes between
the United States and some of
its major trading partners got some
encouraging words recently from Ag
Secretary Sonny Perdue.
Last month the Trump administration
applied tariffs on Chinese goods in
an attempt to reduce the number of
finished goods coming into the country.
China promptly made good on its threat
to retaliate, placing tariffs on pork,
poultry, beef, fruits and vegetables,
dairy products, soybeans and grains.
The administration placed tariffs on
Mexican aluminum and steel. Mexico
is retaliating with duties on apples,
cranberries and other farm products.
Separately, the U.S. is in the process
of renegotiating the North American
Free Trade Agreement with Canada and
Mexico — our second- and third-largest
trading partners. NAFTA is vital to U.S.
agriculture.
Making good on his promise to drop
out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership,
President Trump has not yet negotiated
a bilateral deal with Japan, an important
market for farmers in the Pacific
Northwest.
Agriculture has been generally
supportive of Trump. He’s earned
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue talks last month with Alan Von Borstel, vice
president of the Oregon Wheat Growers League, and Clint Carlson, secretary-trea-
surer of the League. Perdue promised to offset farmers’ losses caused by trade wars.
praise for rolling back regulations —
particularly Waters of the U.S. — and
for generally more ag-friendly forest
policies.
But, farmers and ranchers export
$135 billion in products each year.
They have a lot riding on trade and are
feeling more than a little nervous.
So Perdue got an earful when he
toured farms in Washington and Oregon
recently.
Perdue says he’s pushing for
government help for farmers hurt by the
spreading trade wars.
“The president says he won’t allow
ag producers to bear the brunt of trade
disputes,” he said last week on a tour
in Washington state. “I’m laying down
a marker that we need to resolve it by
Labor Day or we need some sort of
mitigation.”
That’s all encouraging, even though
it’s short on specifics.
While they’ll take the help, farmers
would rather sell to trading partners
than receive cash assistance checks.
And we would be remiss if we did not
again remind the administration that
this is not what was promised during
the campaign.
But, unfolding events can be
complicated and rarely conspire with
sitting presidents. The plans that come
together so well in a stump speech don’t
always survive their first contact with
real world politics, foreign or domestic.
As the president works to fulfill
his promise to negotiate better trade
deals with our partners, we are at least
encouraged that the administration
says it’s not going to hang farmers and
ranchers out to dry. We look forward
to seeing the details of the “mitigation”
Perdue alluded to during his tour.
We hope it doesn’t become
necessary. It certainly isn’t a long-term
solution for producers in the Northwest.
Without trade and the money it
generates, many of them will quickly be
doing something else for a living.
OTHER VIEWS
Why Trump doesn’t admit
Russian election interference
W
YOUR VIEWS
Independent Party should be U.S. House must pass
included in governor debates palliative health care bill
A few months back I wrote how non-
affiliated voters were on track to become
the major voting block in Columbia
County before the general election. Well,
the latest Secretary of State report for
June shows 9,998 Republicans, 12,300
Democrats and 12,403 non-affiliated
voters. It’s rather ironic that only 13
percent of us non-affiliated voters accepted
the Independent Party of Oregon’s offer to
vote in their primary election, but I would
like to publicly thank them for allowing us
the opportunity.
The problem now is that Oregon has
three viable candidates on the ballot, but
the Republicans and Democrats are not
allowing the Independent Party of Oregon,
Oregon’s third major political party, to
participate in the governors’ debates. What
gives them the constitutional right to limit
anyone’s political participation? If any
legally recognized party candidate is not
allowed to participate in any statewide
debate for any office, then the entire
election process should be considered
corrupt, illegitimate and thereby be invalid.
In today’s extremely toxic partisan
political climate, I feel it is irreprehensible
to maintain and/or restore trust in our local,
state and national election processes.
As a caretaker who watched a loved one
battle cancer, I know how devastating cancer
can be on physical and emotional well being.
Congressman Greg Walden recently helped
advance legislation in Congress to improve
patient quality of life by expanding access to
palliative care.
Palliative care is given alongside curative
treatment to help people with serious illnesses
get better faster and easier. A team of doctors
and specialists provide an extra layer of
support for patients and their families to help
manage difficult symptoms, lessen negative
side effects and improve overall outcomes.
The federal legislation is widely supported
by lawmakers in both political parties. It
would increase the number of health care
providers trained in palliative care and pain
management, expand federal pain research
and educate the public. It would also help
combat opioid misuse in a balanced way
so cancer patients and survivors can access
necessary and appropriate pain care.
As an American Cancer Society Cancer
Action Network advocate in Oregon’s
2nd Congressional District, I thank Rep.
Walden for marking up this legislation and
I’m grateful to his Energy and Commerce
Committee for passing it. Now the House of
Representatives needs to pass it, too.
Joe Turner
Columbia City, Ore.
Karen Malcolm
Pendleton
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
Greg Barreto, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
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.
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
as Russia’s effort to
until the next controversy. And
interfere in the 2016
Trump could have avoided it all.
election the most
So why did he do what he
important issue on the table at
did? The answer has to do with
President Trump’s Helsinki summit
the peculiar nature of the Russia
with Vladimir Putin? No. But it’s
investigation, and the peculiar
not an unimportant issue, either,
nature of Donald Trump.
and Trump knew the American
There have always been two
Byron
press is obsessed with it. So he
parts to the Trump-Russia probe:
York
knew it would play a big role in
the what-Russia-did part, which
Comment
the Trump-Putin post-summit news
is the investigation into Russia’s
conference.
actions during the campaign, and
There are all sorts of aspects to the
the get-Trump part, which is the effort to
Trump-Russia affair, but in light of special remove him from office.
counsel Robert Mueller’s decision to
Trump’s problem is that he has always
indict 12 Russian intelligence agents on
refused, or been unable, to separate the
the Friday before the Monday summit, the
two. One is about national security and
president also knew reporters would want
international relations, while the other is
to hear him specifically affirm Mueller’s
about Donald Trump.
allegation that the Russian agents hacked
The president clearly believes if he
the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton.
gives an inch on the what-Russia-did
It wouldn’t be hard for the president
part — if he concedes that Russia made
to do. After all, the House Intelligence
an effort to disrupt the election — his
Committee, chaired by Trump supporter
adversaries, who want to discredit his
Rep. Devin Nunes, along with the
election, undermine him and force him
Senate Intelligence Committee, the
from office, will take a mile on the get-
Trump part. But Trump’s approach doesn’t
intelligence community and Mueller have
work for the Trump-Russia probe. There’s
all concluded that Russia attempted to
no reason he could not accept that Russia
disrupt the election. None of them has
tried to interfere in the election.
proved, or even alleged, that the Russian
At the same time, there is nothing
effort affected a single vote. But there is a
wrong with Trump fighting back hard
consensus that there was a Russian effort.
So to put it in crass terms, Trump could against the get-Trump part of the
easily have given the press what it wanted, investigation. Voters know that Democrats,
Resistance and NeverTrump activists
which would probably have given him
have accused Trump of collusion for two
room to pay attention to issues like arms
years and never proven their case. Mueller
control, Syria, trade and Crimea.
has charged lots of people with crimes,
But no. That’s not how Trump handles
but none has involved collusion. That
the Trump-Russia affair. And so, when
could still change, but Trump is currently
he was asked a simple, straightforward
justified in repeating the “no collusion”
question — U.S. intelligence agencies say
and “witch hunt” mantras.
Russia interfered. Putin denies it. Who do
So in response to the “Who do you
you believe? — Trump would not give a
believe?” question, Trump could simply
simple, straightforward answer.
have said: “I believe the verdict of U.S.
Then Trump said his top intelligence
agencies. Russia did it. We’ve retaliated,
officials came to him and “said they think
and we’ll do more. But my adversaries at
it’s Russia,” meaning they believe Russia
home have turned this into a politically
was behind the hacks. On the other hand,
motivated crusade to cripple the president
Trump said, “I have President Putin; he
of the United States, and it’s time to stop
just said it’s not Russia.” Trump then cast
it. Now, let’s talk about issues that are vital
doubt on the U.S. agencies’ conclusion.
for the future of America and the world.”
The bottom line was that Trump, the
Trump has gotten himself into similar
president of the United States, would not
messes before. In the past, he escaped
accept the U.S. government’s assessment
of the Russian effort and hinted that he had by expressing (belated) faith in the intel
agencies’ Russia verdict. And on the
at least as much or more faith in Putin’s
Tuesday he did it again, telling the press
version of events.
Predictably, all hell broke out, with anti- that “I accept” the Russia conclusion.
Will it work? We’ll see. But how many
Trump commentators talking treason and
more times will Trump do this?
Trump supporters in Congress declining
■
to defend the president. The controversy
Byron York, The Washington Examiner
consumed America and was sure to last
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
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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.