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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2019)
A4 East Oregonian Saturday, April 13, 2019 CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner WYATT HAUPT JR. News Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Reconnecting with rural America T here has been a spate of recent articles and anal- ysis about the chal- lenges facing today’s rural America. Building up to the 2020 election cycle, East Coast pundits C hristopher are busy attempting to r ush get their heads wrapped COMMENT around “fly over coun- try” in order to craft political platforms and messaging that will gain traction in places like rural Nebraska, Kentucky, or Eastern Oregon. Our newspaper recently published a pair of such opinions — from two differ- ent New York Times columnists, Paul Krug- man and David Brooks — side by side in an attempt to convey the emerging conventional wisdom. Krugman’s column, while sin- cere, seemingly smacks of an eastern elitist attempting to instruct his fellow urbanites on the foreign ways and customs of the people who inhabit the continent’s interior and why their culture is not thriving. In contrast, Brooks actually landed in Nebraska and spent time with his subjects, got to know them, their motivations, their aspirations, and portrayed a far more opti- mistic view of rural America’s strengths and its “way of life.” The social ills and economic challenges facing rural America have been well docu- mented: declining populations in rural coun- ties, shrinking tax base to improve or main- tain vital infrastructure, and where industries are on the wane (think West Virginia coal country) some parts of rural America can appear like forlorn ghost towns filled with higher than normal chemical dependency, Staff photo by E.J. Harris An old bicycle adorns a planter on a street corner on Main Street in Echo. bad diets, economic despair, and hopeless- ness. But such problems equally infect many of our largest inner cities as well. The point is there is both good and bad in rural America. It’s a vast, diverse area — from the Appalachians to beyond the Rocky Mountains and all points in between. It is not easily defined and quantified, nor should it be. The difficulty for many of those who inhabit large population centers on either coast, is that they may rarely experience the real rural America. Yes, our popular national parks like Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and others are part of rural America. But these federally operated lands set aside for their majestic beauty can often more closely resemble glorified amusement parks during the height of summer vacation season. The real rural America is found off the interstate, typically along lonely two-lane highways in which few Americans travel in this day and age. Before air travel and the advent of the Interstate highway system, motorists once had a connection to these remote places. They traveled through them on roads like historic Route 66 and stopped in small towns along the way for a gasoline fill-up, a meal, or an overnight stay. Now, we merely fly over them or speed around them. We can miss towns like Grand Island, Nebraska, or John Day. They disappear from our collective view. Out of sight, out of mind. But they’re still out there and the peo- ple who inhabit these out-of-the-way places choose to live there for a strong sense of community or a feeling of independence, or in the case of America’s farmers and ranch- ers, an attachment to the land itself. These small rural towns often represent gathering spots in which rural families carve out a life and endure for generations. Think of the cen- tennial farms and ranches right here in East- ern Oregon. For city dwellers on each coast, it may be difficult to truly understand and appreciate rural America and the people who live here without engaging in purposeful travel. Plenty of time and an open mind is required. Dis- covering the heartland should not be viewed as a safari in which the traveler sees some sights, briefly observes the natives and their customs, buys a few trinkets, then returns to their self-satisfied urban existence. Another recent column on this topic by economist Lawrence Summers, writing for the Financial Times, is instructive. He and his wife took a two-week drive from Chi- cago to Portland across the the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains on exclusively sec- ondary highways. He sees rural America dif- ferently now, through a different lens. Summers’s experience shows that rural America can still be found and understood by urbanites if they will but seek it. We’re still here and we’re not going anywhere. ——— Chris Rush is the regional publisher for the East Oregonian, Hermiston Herald, Wal- lowa County Chieftain and Blue Mountain Eagle. OTHER VIEWS It’s time for a time change Senate Bill 320, which now moves to the House. If the bill becomes law, all but one he Oregon Senate last week took a of Oregon’s 36 counties would move to step toward ending our generally year-round daylight saving time — in other pointless (and potentially harmful) words, we’d spring forward and never fall twice-annual ritual of changing our clocks, back. (Malheur County is the exception; joining a resistance that seems to be gaining that county actually is on Mountain time so momentum across the nation. that it syncs with nearby Boise, Idaho. That By a 23-4 margin, county would continue senators approved Sen- to switch between day- EVIDENCE ate Bill 320, which light time and standard would move Oregon to time, to stay in sync CONTINUES TO year-round daylight sav- with Idaho.) ing time. The bill isn’t The bill that passed MOUNT THAT THESE perfect (we have some the Senate isn’t exactly TIME SWITCHES quibbles with it), but it a stirring denuncia- tion of the changing still is worth noting as COME WITH RISKS of the clocks: It would an important first step TO OUR HEALTH only become effective forward. if Congress approves Evidence continues AND WREAK the time change and if to mount that these time Washington and Cali- switches (spring ahead HAVOC WITH fornia also adopt day- an hour every spring; SLEEP-DEPRIVED light time on a perma- fall back an hour every nent basis (the good fall) come with risks to AMERICANS news there is that pro- our health and wreak posals to do exactly that havoc with sleep-de- prived Americans (which include quite a are making progress in both those states). large number of us). And a provision originally in the bill, call- ing for a public vote on the issue, was elim- And the reasons we’ve been given to jus- tify the time switches simply don’t pan out. inated. While we appreciate the Senate’s For starters, daylight saving time never willingness to take this matter into its own was intended as a boon to farmers: In the hands, we have to admit that we thought a words of a memorable report on “Last Week vote on this would have been fun. Tonight with John Oliver”: “Cows don’t care In such a vote, we could have gauged pop- ular sentiment on the main dispute that faced what time it is.” And crops get exactly the same amount of light every day, regardless of senators in last week’s deliberations: whether whether it’s daylight saving or standard time. the state should shift permanently to daylight Daylight saving time wasn’t implemented or standard time. While most senators favored daylight time on a large scale until 1916, when Germany (which is our preference as well), the argu- and its World War I ally Austria-Hungary ments raised by others supporting standard set clocks ahead an hour to save on energy time have some merit. For one thing, stay- costs. Other nations, including the United ing on daylight time year-round could have States, followed suit. After World War I, an effect on some religious observances. In other nations abandoned the idea, but not Judaism, for example, the daily morning the United States. The idea of daylight sav- ing time really picked up steam during the prayer is held shortly after sunrise. In Janu- ary, the sun wouldn’t rise until nearly 9 a.m. energy crisis of the 1970s. But here’s the deal: Evidence suggests that in western Oregon, making it difficult for some worshipers to make it to work on time. daylight saving time hasn’t saved on energy But, really, on some level, the question of costs. It may reduce lighting use, but that’s daylight vs. standard time doesn’t matter that offset by increased costs for air conditioning much: The point here is to do away with the and heating, and increased consumption of time switch. Senate Bill 320 helps loosen the gasoline. bonds of this time tyranny. So the time was right, so to speak, for (Corvallis) Gazette-Times T YOUR VIEWS SB 978 and its ramifications I have had it with the antics of the loo- nies that are pushing anti-gun legislation that, taken in toto, are directed to restrict usage of firearms to the point of law-abid- ing citizens not being able to possess and use firearms as protected by the Second Amendment to the Bill Of Rights. I have lived in the state of Oregon 77 years. SB978, if passed, is the “straw that broke the camel’s back.” I will join many others in Eastern Oregon and will advocate for the secession of that part of the present state of Oregon east of the crestline of the Cascade Mountains and whatever coun- ties laying west of the Cascade Mountains that wish to join us and form a state that will be noted as a “common sense” politi- cal division. Hopefully, the residents of Eastern Washington will join us and a new state can be born, perhaps named the “State of Columbia” for the great river that flows through the area. The possibility exists that Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington could unite with the state of Idaho to form a formidable political entity. Bill Timmermann Helix Let residents decide on streets vs. airport The mayor stated that the number one concern of the residents was street repair. Why, then, is the city borrowing millions of dollars for the airport again? So far the 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. return on the investment has been poor at best, and now they want another $11 mil- lion. They will want more money for new fire trucks and building upgrades for the station at the airport also, wait and see. Did the people of Pendleton get a say in borrowing that money? No, the city decided to put all its eggs in one basket. Their words, not mine. When will the money flow to the airport stop and a good return start to flow back into city coffers? The road to nowhere has almost zero traffic; it was supposed to bring in new customers to the airport and that never panned out. That money could have fixed streets for 10 years or more. Sooner or later all these loans will have to be paid. How much per year will be spent repaying these loans? Will the rents at the airport cover the payments? There is a point where the city will go broke — how much longer? All the extra fees that the city can levy without a vote will also reach the point that even the silent majority will start to speak, or quit paying taxes. “Taxa- tion without representation” ring a bell? Pendleton must start living within its financial means, just like all its residents, or it too will fall into bankruptcy — and if the people want streets fixed as a priority the city must put its efforts to the task. And maybe the city should borrow $11 million for street repairs instead of for the airport. Tell the people what the loan would cost per year on their taxes and let them choose between the airport or city streets. Randy Holman Pendleton 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 Editor 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801, or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
