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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2019)
A4 East Oregonian Wednesday, June 19, 2019 CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner ANDREW CUTLER Editor WYATT HAUPT JR. News Editor JADE McDOWELL Hermiston Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Businesses can’t wait to locate where taxes and fees are high B usinesses in Oregon face $1 bil- lion in newly passed taxes ear- marked for education reform. Climate change legislation pending in the Legislature promises to increase fuel and energy costs for all busi- nesses, and those businesses that will be required to buy carbon emissions per- mits will see huge increases in costs. As you might expect, business inter- ests have testified that these increased costs could push some businesses to leave the Beaver State. “So what,” says Oregon state Sen. James Manning, a Democrat from Springfield. “I say leave the state,” he said from the Senate floor. “Somebody else will come in. I get so sick and tired of hear- ing that.” And to make sure he was not misun- derstood, he double down. “We can’t tax corporations because they will leave,” he said. “Let ’em leave. Somebody else will come in.” It’s probably a common sentiment among supporters of increased taxes and fees. It’s just rare that anyone says it out loud. EOMG File Photo Businesses in Oregon face $1 billion in newly passed taxes earmarked for education reform. Climate change legislation pending in the Legislature promises to increase fuel and energy costs for all businesses, and those businesses that will be required to buy carbon emissions permits will see huge increases in costs. Manning had an honorable and dis- tinguished military career. Since leav- ing the Army he has served on the Eugene Police Commission and has been involved with a number of non- profit organizations. He has served on the Eugene Water and Electric Board and as a small claims mediator for the Lane County Circuit Court. Prior to joining the Army, Man- ning worked as a state corrections offi- cer and as a police officer. All noble undertakings. But like many in the Legislature, Manning has never owned or operated a private business, never met a payroll and never paid the taxes businesses are required to pay. He has had scant expe- rience receiving a wage from a private business thus charged. Let ’em leave. The employees left without jobs will be happy to know that other companies looking to locate where costs are high will swoop in and offer them another situation. The com- munities where a mill or factory is shut- tered have nothing to worry about. Nei- ther do local vendors and contractors who depend on the exiled companies for their livelihoods. Somebody else will come in. Won’t they? Tax the gross receipts of existing businesses, raise their energy costs and hike their fees to the extent that leaving Oregon becomes an attractive option and we’ll find out. That could be an expensive lesson in economics for the Legislature, but it will be Oregonians who pay the tab. OTHER VIEWS Why isn’t Trump a real populist? “I YOUR VIEWS Whisky Fest headliner one to skip Get ready Southwest Pendleton — Whisky Fest is coming again. In fact, get ready Pilot Rock because you will be able to hear it too. I am so excited now — Whisky Fest has chosen someone named Post Malone to perform this year. Since I had never heard of this guy, I did some reading on him. Supposedly he is a “melting pot of country, grunge (my personal favor- ite), hip hop and R&B.” He has teamed up with some of the best, including Jus- tin Bieber and Young Thug (right up there with Frank Sinatra). Some of his big hits include Psycho, Go Flex, Fade and White Iversion. Somehow none of these made my favorites list? I encourage you to go to one of the lyr- ics computer sites and read some of the words of these songs. The EO won’t allow me to print any of these lyrics because they are chock full of obsenities, sex, vio- lence and prostitution. Every tune I read was completely disgusting and obscene. Of course there is very little actual singing 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. involved here. Yes folks, this is what a lot of your kids are listening to under those headphones many wear now constantly. Old Post is also a walking billboard as he has about 35 tattoos — many on his face. He admits they were “a spur of the moment decision.” There is the Playboy logo under the right eye, a “stay away” warning above the right eye (don’t worry Post I will), images of Elvis, John Len- non and Kurt Cobain on the fingers. You remember Cobain as frontman for the band Nirvana based in Seattle. He was very talented but also a drug addict who took his own life. There is also a barbed wire across Post’s forehead, a gun wrapped by a snake on the left arm, pray- ing hands with a gun on the right arm and a bison skull on the throat — just to name a few. What a handsome fellow this guy really is. OK then southwest Pendleton, plan to be out of town that night or go buy a high-quality set of hearing protection. I’m sure Whisky Fest will be another big success. David Burns Pendleton fer, best known for insisting that tax cuts for love the poorly educated.” So the wealthy pay for themselves. This is a clas- declared Donald Trump back in Feb- sic zombie idea, one that has been repeatedly ruary 2016, after a decisive win in killed by evidence, but keeps shambling along, the Nevada primary. And the poorly edu- cated love him back: Whites without a college eating our brains, basically because it’s in plu- tocrats’ interest to keep the idea in circulation. degree are pretty much the only group among And here’s the thing: White working-class whom Trump has more than 50% approval. voters seem to have noticed that Trump isn’t But in that case, why has Trump been working for them. A new Fox News poll unwilling to do anything, and I mean any- thing, to help the people who installed him in finds that only 5% of whites without a college degree believe that Trump’s economic poli- the White House? cies benefit “people like me,” compared with News media often describe Trump as a “populist” and lump him in with politicians in 45% who believe that the benefits go to “peo- ple with more money.” other countries, like Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Trump may believe that he can make up who have also gained power by exploiting for his pro-plutocrat tax and health white resentment against immi- grants and global elites. And there policies with tariffs, his one signif- icant deviation from GOP ortho- are indeed strong and scary paral- lels: Orban has effectively turned doxy. But despite Trump’s insis- tence that foreigners will pay the Hungary into an authoritarian state, tariffs, an overwhelming majority retaining the forms of democracy of noncollege whites believe that but rigging the system in such a way they will end up paying more for that his party has a permanent lock the things they buy. on power. P aul Oh, and remember Trump’s It’s alarmingly easy to envision K rugman promises to bring back coal? His the U.S. going the same way, and COMMENT own Energy Department projects very soon: If Trump is reelected that coal production next year will next year, that could mark the end of be 17% lower than in 2017. America’s democratic experiment. Now, this doesn’t mean that there will But Orban’s success has depended in part necessarily be large-scale defections on the on throwing his base at least a few bones. part of Trump’s beloved “poorly educated.” Hungary has instituted a public jobs program On the other hand, health care — where his for rural areas; offered debt relief, free school- books and lunches; and so on, paid for in part betrayal of past promises was especially obvious — seems to have played a big role in by a significant rise in taxes. True, those public jobs pay very low wages, Democrats’ midterm victory. And he is cer- and Orban has also practiced crony capitalism tainly more vulnerable than he would be if he engaged in even a smidgen of actual popu- on a grand scale, enriching a new class of oli- garchs. But there’s at least a bit of actual pop- lism. Why won’t he? ulism — that is, policies that actually do offer Part of the answer may be personal: some benefits to the little guy — in the mix. Trump’s whole career shows him to be the kind of man who, if anything, takes pleasure In 2016, on the campaign trail, Trump in taking advantage of people who trusted sounded as if he might be a European-style him. populist, blending racism with support for Beyond that, however, for all the talk social programs that benefit white people. He about how “it’s Trump’s party now,” he still even promised to raise taxes on the rich, him- self included. needs the support of the GOP’s big-money Since taking office, however, he has relent- interests. For now, the party establishment is lessly favored the wealthy over members of happy to provide cover for the administra- tion’s corruption, closeness to Russian Presi- the working class, whatever their skin color. dent Vladimir Putin, and all that. His only major legislative success, the 2017 But that could change. If Trump ever did tax cut, was a huge break for corporations anything that might hurt the rich or help the and business owners; the handful of crumbs poor, many Republicans might suddenly dis- thrown at ordinary families was so small that cover that self-dealing and accepting help most people believe they got nothing at all. from hostile foreign powers are actually bad. At the same time, he keeps trying to Whatever the reasons, the simple fact is destroy key provisions of Obamacare — pro- tection for preexisting conditions, premium that Trump isn’t a populist, unless we rede- fine populism as nothing but a synonym for subsidies and the expansion of Medicaid — even though these provisions are highly popu- racism. At least some in the white working lar and have been of enormous benefit to states class seem to have realized that he’s not on like Kentucky and West Virginia that favored their side. And Democrats would be foolish him by huge margins. not to make the most of this opening. As if to symbolize who he’s really work- ——— ing for, Trump on Wednesday will give a Paul Krugman is a columnist for the New York Times Presidential Medal of Freedom to Art Laf- 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 the editor to editor@eastoregonian.com, or via mail to Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801