A4
East Oregonian
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
‘Green New Deal’ undercuts agriculture
N
ew York Congresswoman
and socialist Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez, along with
a group of other Democrats in Con-
gress, earlier this month released the
framework for a 10-year plan to fight
climate change.
Agriculture figures prominently in
the scheme.
If enacted, the “Green New Deal”
would reorder all aspects of life in the
United States in ways that would have
made even the most ambitious Soviet
central planners blanch.
The stated purpose of the Green
New Deal is to mobilize the country’s
resources to fight climate change in
much the same way the country mobi-
lized to fight World War II. It seeks to
achieve “net-zero” greenhouse emis-
sions in 10 years and eventually elimi-
nate all fossil fuels and nuclear power.
It requires the upgrading of all
existing buildings to achieve maxi-
mum efficiency and a complete over-
haul of the transportation system that
includes the conversion to all-elec-
tric vehicles, the expansion of pub-
lic transportation, the development of
high-speed rail and the elimination of
air travel.
For good measure it also guaran-
tees universal single-payer health care
EO file photo
A team of volunteers processes a shipment of donated potatoes for the Oregon Food Bank at
the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Hermiston in October 2015.
and a living-wage union job for every-
one — or at least for those “willing”
to work.
Farming, which is blamed for 9 per-
cent of greenhouse gas emissions,
would also be transformed.
The resolution establishing the
framework says one of the ways the
plan’s goals will be reached is by
working “collaboratively with farm-
ers and ranchers in the United States
to eliminate pollution and greenhouse
gas emissions from the agricultural
sector as much as is technologically
feasible, including — by supporting
family farming; by investing in sus-
tainable farming and land use prac-
tices that increase soil health; and by
building a more sustainable food sys-
tem that ensures universal access to
healthy food.”
The 14-page resolution is short on
specifics, though a fact sheet released
(and later withdrawn) with the doc-
ument says that agriculture must be
overhauled and alludes to the need to
“get rid of farting cattle.”
Fellow travelers who support the
resolution are filling in the blanks.
Think tanks are proposing New Deal-
era supply management systems and
parity pricing to provide a farming
“minimum wage.” Others rail against,
but do not define, “industrial agricul-
ture.” Large dairies, also undefined,
and “factory” meat farms would be
taboo.
Others envision that the owners of
large farms could get by on smaller
plots given parity pricing, and would
sell, rent or otherwise transfer the rest
of their holdings to hired hands or to
others who want to farm — a modern
“40 acres and a mule” proposal, per-
haps literally because it’s unclear how
a farm would be worked except with
draft animals.
It appears the Democratic leader-
ship of the House does not intend to
put the resolution up to a vote. But that
doesn’t mean it is dead.
Farmers, whose livelihoods and
property are on the line, are right to
be wary of the possibilities. And the
American people, who are the bene-
ficiary of bountiful and inexpensive
food, should be careful to embrace the
massive overhaul of the industry that
provides that bounty without knowing
the details.
OTHER VIEWS
YOUR VIEWS
Much talk that something’s up with
Mueller — too bad nobody knows
T
here are two diametrically
opposed lines of thinking about
Trump-Russia special counsel
Robert Mueller’s investigation.
The first is that he is winding down
his probe and is unlikely to allege that
the Trump campaign and Russia con-
spired to fix the 2016 presidential
election.
The second is that he is still going
strong, with the biggest charges, perhaps
including the fabled collusion allegation,
yet to come.
Which is correct?
No one outside the
Mueller office knows.
There are data points,
or at least tea leaves,
pointing in all direc-
tions. But whatever
the reality is, there is
at this moment a sense
B yron
that something is
y ork
COMMENT
imminent from Muel-
ler, and that sense is
shaping Trump-Rus-
sia politics.
House Democrats are revving up
Trump investigations, and one of the
questions they face is whether to try to
replicate the Mueller probe or rely on
the special counsel’s findings when it
comes time to consider impeaching the
president.
If the House carries out a full-scale,
retracing-Mueller’s-steps investigation,
it will be led by Intelligence Commit-
tee Chairman Adam Schiff. In recent
days, Schiff has vowed that his new
Trump-Russia probe will cover mate-
rial he says Mueller — who has far more
investigative power than the House —
might not have been able to examine.
Now, Schiff is taking an extra step.
He is refusing to say if he will accept
Mueller’s judgment, should Muel-
ler issue a report that does not allege
collusion.
“If (Mueller) finds that there was no
direct collusion between the Trump cam-
paign and Russia, will you accept that?”
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Schiff recently.
“Well, we’re going to have to do our
own investigation,” Schiff responded.
Schiff said he would be “very inter-
ested” to learn what Mueller has found.
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.
But he did not say he would accept Muel-
ler’s findings. So Bash asked again.
“Will you — given the fact (Muel-
ler) has had such an extensive investiga-
tion, will you accept the findings, sepa-
rate from the investigation that you are
doing?”
“You know, I will certainly accept
them in this way,” Schiff said. “I have
great confidence in the special counsel.
And if the special counsel represents
that he has investigated, and not been
interfered with, and not been able to
make a criminal case, then I will believe
that he is operating in good faith.”
The bottom line is that Schiff would
not answer whether he would accept a
Mueller no-collusion conclusion. But his
non-answer made abundantly clear that
the answer is no.
At the same time, Schiff still har-
bors hopes for Mueller. Asked about the
Roger Stone indictment for lying to Con-
gress — yet another Mueller process
crime charge that does not allege a crim-
inal conspiracy — Schiff expressed hope
that there will be more.
“It is very possible that the best evi-
dence is yet to come,” he said. “There
may be, for example, evidence of collu-
sion or conspiracy that is clear and con-
vincing, but not proof beyond a reason-
able doubt.”
One takeaway from all that is that
Schiff, who likely knows as much about
Trump-Russia evidence as anyone in the
House, has no idea what Mueller has.
That puts Schiff in the same place
as everyone else on Capitol Hill. “I am
in the dark,” one plugged-in lawmaker
said when asked where Mueller might
be headed. “Zero visibility about what is
next.”
All Congress really knows about
Mueller is the cases he has brought —
the charges of lying to the FBI or to Con-
gress, the charges, in the case of Paul
Manafort, of tax evasion and other finan-
cial crimes, and the charges against
Russians.
There are also the cases he has not
brought. He hasn’t alleged collusion.
He hasn’t outlined any scheme between
Trump and Russia, even though he has
thoroughly investigated some of the fig-
ures — Manafort, Rick Gates, Michael
Flynn — most likely to have been part
of such a scheme, had it existed.
So Mueller remains a black hole.
Maybe he really is finishing up his inves-
tigation. Maybe he’s not. House Dem-
ocrats, on the other hand, are far more
transparent. They’re going after Trump
full-tilt from now on, regardless of what
Mueller does.
———
Byron York is chief political corre-
spondent for The Washington Examiner.
It’s national FFA week
It’s National FFA week, and the Pendleton
FFA Alumni & Friends Association invites you
to celebrate with us by wearing blue on Friday,
Feb. 22!
What started as an effort in 1928 by a group
of Kansas farmers to educate local students
about farming has grown to a nationwide orga-
nization of more than 669,000 student mem-
bers in 8,630 local chapters. FFA’s founders
wanted to teach kids that agriculture is more
than planting and harvesting; it’s a science, it’s
a business, and it’s an art.
Over the years FFA has evolved and
changed, and today is stronger and more
vibrant than ever. One thing that hasn’t changed
is the important role that the local community
plays in helping to make FFA successful. This
past November the Pendleton FFA Alumni &
Friends Association presented the 8th Annual
Dinner & Auction.
Our event was very successful and we are
grateful to all who donated to the auction and
those who were able to attend. Many of our
FFA chapter members attended and helped.
Having talked to a number of them, I can tell
you that the future of agriculture in our com-
munity is bright.
The FFA program advisors at Pendle-
ton High School are Kylee Jenson and Marty
Campbell. Thanks to their leadership, member-
ship continues to grow, and students are excel-
ling in local, regional, and statewide career
development opportunities and competitions.
FFA still helps young people learn about
farming, but students also learn about leader-
ship, public speaking, goal setting, caring for
livestock, teamwork, and the importance of
assuming personal responsibility.
As the current president of the Pendleton
FFA Alumni & Friends Association, and on
behalf of our board, I am proud of the phenom-
enal changes and growth we see in the students
who participate.
Having great FFA advisors and a supportive
school administration is great, but we also need
the community involvement for students to be
as successful as possible. If you have been part
of an FFA program or would like to participate
as a friend of FFA please let us know.
You may contact us by email at pendle-
tonffaalumni@gmail.com; you can find us on
Facebook at Pendleton FFA Alumni Associa-
tion; or by mail at Pendleton FFA Alumni &
Friends Association, P.O. Box 865, Pendleton,
OR 97801.
Bob Rosselle, President of Pendleton FFA
Alumni & Friends
Adams
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 9780, or email
editor@eastoregonian.com.