A4 East Oregonian Thursday, October 17, 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 Plenty to like in records fee suggestion G inger McCall, Oregon’s first public records advo- cate, left office Friday with some suggestions for her successor, the Public Records Advisory Coun- cil she headed, and lawmakers and other officials in Oregon. Public records, she says, should be obtain- able at prices the public can afford. She’s right, and while we dis- agree with one suggestion she makes, most of her proposals are right on the money. As she makes clear, the high cost of records requests can keep the public and the press from information they’re enti- tled to have. That said, McCall would cre- ate two classes of records request- ers. The first, including news orga- nizations, nonprofit organizations and educational requesters, would pay only for the cost of duplicating requested records. All others would pay that charge, plus the cost of searching for requested records. Oregonians would be better served by a system that charges at AP Photo/Andrew Selsky Oregon Public Records Advocate Ginger McCall, at head of table, left office Friday with some suggestions for her successor, the Public Records Advisory Council she headed, and lawmakers and other officials in Oregon. Public records, she says, should be obtain- able at prices the public can afford. a single rate, either asking every- one to pay the cost of searching for records or charging no one for that service. But, as McCall points out, state law allows public bodies to set their own charges, which vary wildly from agency to agency. Worse, she says, they also can charge attor- ney fees, sometimes $180 per hour or more, to have those records reviewed. The result is a price tag that is beyond the reach not only of the public and media — it may well be beyond the grasp of many of the lawmakers who write public records bills in the state. She’s right to suggest that the state scrap the allowance for attor- ney’s fees, then set specific, low fees, perhaps $15 per hour or 5 cents per page, to fulfill all requests. In addition, McCall writes, Ore- gon should emulate the federal gov- ernment when it comes to first-party requests for records related to them- selves or a deceased family member, and charge lower fees to that group, particularly if they’ve been victims of crimes. She says charging those people exorbitant fees for records “is a clear and uncompassionate miscarriage of justice.” McCall’s suggestions would bring order and uniformity to a sys- tem that lacks both. Lawmakers should take them to heart, prefera- bly during the 2020 short legislative session. OTHER VIEWS Do the Democrats need Hillary or Michelle to enter the race? t began with 25 candidates. It’s figure who many find untrustworthy been reduced by half, yet concern and unlikeable, blaming her for booting persists among Democrats that away certain victory in 2016. the party should look beyond the still Clinton entering the race would not standing contenders and seek an indi- clear the field but tear the party apart, vidual capable of party unification and reopen wounds from 2016 and deliver persuade him or her to enter the race. to Trump the opportunity to raise her It is an acknowledgement that each questionable — if not unethical — con- duct as Secretary of State. The Dem- of the current candidates is burdened by ocrats would be robbed of their most baggage — ideological or personal — potent weapon — Trump’s behavior and but seem determined to take the contest possible impeachable conduct through a string of expensive, — by repeating the litany of exhausting and bitter primaries. accusations against Clinton. Former Vice President Joe While Michelle Obama car- Biden, whose lead has shrunk ries none of Clinton’s baggage to single digits or vanished and could clear the field, her altogether, has been hurt by candidacy is wishful think- periodic mental lapses and ing. She is the country’s most scrambled syntax. His and his admired woman, a bestselling son’s involvement in govern- C arl mental and business affairs in author, and an eloquent advo- G olden cate for the causes in which she Ukraine hangs darkly over his COMMENT believes. She and her husband head. are financially secure (the pur- Voters will hesitate to chase of a $15 million beachfront man- deliver the presidency to a 78-year-old sion in Martha’s Vineyard, for instance) heart attack survivor — Vermont Sen. and both are loathe to surrender their Bernie Sanders — despite his fervent comfortable blend of private and pub- and committed base. lic life. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth War- ren, the leader, co-leader or strong sec- There is absolutely no reason why ond-place finisher in polling averages, Obama would willingly take on what has moved steadily leftward, embracing will surely establish a new low for the policies with which huge swaths of the most brutal and brutalizing campaign nation disagree. in American history. Despite the party’s commitment to If unhappy Democrats intend to electability as the criteria for choos- make a move, time is running out. The ing a candidate, there remains concern Iowa caucuses and the New Hamp- shire primary are little more than three that none of the three leaders measures months off. The window of opportunity up. The dilemma is in which direction to persuade an outsider to step in will should the party look for an alternative, slam shut at that point. someone it can rally around and con- vince the current field to abandon their Three years ago, voters confronted quest. two flawed candidates and were left to To whom, might the party turn? Two determine whose flaws were less egre- gious than whose. If 2020 is Trump names surface with some regularity: versus Biden, Warren or Sanders, vot- former Secretary of State and failed ers face much the same choice. 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton, and By the time the presidential elec- former First Lady Michelle Obama. tion arrives, it is likely that Trump will In typical self-aggrandizing fash- ion, Clinton has ginned up speculation have been impeached by the House but about her availability with a series of acquitted by the Senate. His campaign public appearances, media interviews will be a relentless and savage effort and a ubiquitous social media presence, toward vindication as much as his criticizing Trump and basking in the re-election. attention. But convincing the current ——— candidates to stand down for her would Carl Golden is a nationally syndicated be a herculean task. She is a polarizing columnist. I YOUR VIEWS Camp will be a draw for more homeless Well, the city council wants to have a homeless area. I wonder if they have fig- ured out just who is to be responsible for any illegal activity that may go on. Will the city be responsible for any illegal drug or alcohol use, or vicarious liability? Is the city going to pay for the toilets, the garbage and electricity for cellphones? Will the homeless be responsible for the cleaning of the property, or just the taxpayers? Of course, the unintended conse- quences are when other cities or homeless find out about the paradise the city has cre- ated for the homeless, there will be more homeless. There are cities already giving the homeless “X” amount of dollars and a bus ticket to other cities. So, I suggest that if one cares so much about them, let them camp on your property. I have had to remove some from sleeping on my prop- erty or storing their possessions. Fortu- nately, they took the hint and have not been back. Let’s assume that one gets an elec- tric heater and it starts a fire. Someone is injured or killed, or dies of a drug overdose — who is responsible? I, for one, would like to know. Roesch Kishpaugh Pendleton America was great before Trump In answer to Patricia Maier: I though Regina Baker’s letter said a lot of truths 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. about our wanna-be dictator Donald Trump. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., doesn’t say much, like a lot of his colleagues. They just bury their heads in the sand, hoping things get better. Trump just does what he wants, and doesn’t want to hear any advice from other politicians who might know more than he does. He wants to impose higher tariffs and close borders. He puts children in cages. No deals if they don’t go his way. He takes money from other agencies to finish his southern border wall. Trump admires the leaders of Russia, North Korea and Saudi Arabia because he wishes he was a dicta- tor like they are. The only reason he won the election is because the Russians manip- ulated social media with ads for Trump and against Hillary Clinton. He still didn’t win the popular vote. He wanted to drain the swamp. He brought his own swamp with all kinds of corrupt people like himself. If they are decent and don’t stand by him, he fires them. He’s making all kinds of money in his foreign trips. He makes his staff stay in his hotels. All the criminals that have been arrested for illegal crimes, he says, “I don’t know them.” How convenient. I admire all past presidents, Republican and Democrat. I have respect for all of them because compared to Trump’s morals, lies and corruption, they are saints. When it’s fake news it’s because they tell the truth about him. He says he wants to make America great again. It was great before he came along. Aren’t we glad Oregon is a blue state? Minerva Bethel Hermiston 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