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-
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