A4
East Oregonian
Wednesday, November 27, 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
Helping those who are in need
I
t is that time of year when many
of us gather with friends and fam-
ily to celebrate and reflect on all
of the things we are grateful for.
But for a portion of our community,
the holidays offer up only another set
of days on the calendar as they strug-
gle to make ends meet. Other fami-
lies must face the unpleasant fact they
may not be able to adequately clothe
their children. Others don’t know how
they’re going to eat their next meal.
In this day and age, that simply is
unacceptable. These issues won’t be
solved by one organization because to
adequately care for our downtrodden
it takes a full community effort.
Area food banks need all our assis-
tance. Hunger for many and tight
times for the working poor isn’t an
issue that is just going to go away.
Unfortunately, it is a chronic issue in
our community — and throughout the
nation — and needs to be addressed
by organizations and by community
members.
One good way to help is easy:
EO file photo
A Hermiston student packs a box for local food banks with protein fortified macaroni and
cheese in 2017 as part of a service project called Meals of Hope.
Donate food items to your local food
bank. It is that easy. And if you don’t
think one or two or three food items
will make a difference and therefore
brush the notion away, don’t. Your
contribution, no matter how small,
will make a difference. Every effort,
no matter how modest it may seem, is
a critical donation.
In a perfect world, of course, every-
one during the holidays would have
enough to eat and enough clothes and
a bright future. That isn’t the real-
ity, though, and so by making a dona-
tion to a food bank, each one of us can
help at a crucial time.
While the plight of the hungry and
the working poor secure the limelight
during the holiday season, the sub-
ject often fades as the holidays recede.
That is another challenge the commu-
nity must address. The hungry don’t
just exist during the holidays. The
challenge exists 12 months a year. We
must not let this important issue fade
away only to be resurrected during the
holidays.
The hungry, those who are barely
subsisting, don’t usually make head-
lines. Yet they are out there, and they
need our help. There is nothing wrong
with reaching out occasionally and
helping someone who needs a hand
up. Our nation was built on the lofty
ideals of helping those who need assis-
tance — “Give me your tired, your
poor, Your huddled masses yearning
to breathe free.” We are a generous,
forgiving country.
So, this holiday season, don’t forget
those who need help.
OTHER VIEWS
City waging war on landlords
D
YOUR VIEWS
There is no global climate crisis
As a lifelong environmentalist, I am
now embarrassed to admit I allowed
myself to be drawn into the bogus “global
warming” threats and warnings of non-sci-
ence folks like Rep. Alexandria Oca-
sio-Cortez. It takes facts and evidence to
make me change my mind on as issue. A
guest on the Mark Levin program did that
recently.
Dr. Patrick Micheals, holder of a doc-
torate degree in ecological climatology, a
past president of the American Association
of State Climatologists, holder of another
degree in plant biology, a member of a UN
panel on climate which won a Nobel Peace
Prize in 2007 — and the list goes on. He
is without a doubt one of the few genuine
experts in the world on climate.
He stated there are 31 computer mod-
els used to predict climate and weather
change. However, he also said they are all
“fudged” or “parameterized” and mislead-
ing. Ironically, the only accurate model
is the Russian one. It most closely shows
what has happened with climate. The truth
is planet temperature has risen only nine-
tenths of 1 degree in the past 100 years.
The earth is nowhere near as warm as
some scientists and too many non-science
experts would have us believe.
“It is the scientists — not the science —
that is influencing weather,” Dr. Micheals
said.
He adds that terrible storms are not get-
ting worse, there is just a lot more stuff and
people in the path of these storms. He was
one of 500 climate scientists who signed
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.
a letter and delivered to the UN that said,
“there is no climate emergency.”
Dr. Michaels says if you really want
death and devastation — go through a
cooling trend. Cooling times in history
have caused seven times more deaths than
warming trends.
Another famous climate scientist, Dr.
Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace,
pleads with people to reject AOC’s dire
warning that we will all die within 10 years
if we don’t accept her crazy and unbe-
lievably expensive New Green Deal. He
reminds us fossil fuels account for about
85% of global energy while solar and wind
amount to only about 5%. He encour-
ages governments to increase production
of hydro, natural gas and nuclear energy.
As a long-time opponent of nuclear, I now
understand it to be the cleanest, cheap-
est and probably safest form of energy we
have available. I am sad now that so much
of Eastern Oregon is littered with wind
turbines that have not produced the level
of energy promised, kill lots of eagles and
geese, and only work when wind blows.
If you want the truth — it’s out there. I
discovered dozens of online sites featuring
scientists who agree we have been lied to
by the media and those who want to con-
trol every feature of our lives. Another
great book on climate is “Inconvenient
Facts” written by well-known geologist
Greg Wrightstone. Too many people have
been needlessly frightened into believing
they might die in 10 years. Don’t believe it.
There is no global warming crisis.
David Burns
Pendleton
espite Mayor John Turner’s recent
including mine. They’re needlessly destroy-
ing the value of our properties.
comments that I don’t like competi-
tion, I do like competition. I grew up
The mayor’s standard answer to ques-
tions about housing seems to be “we need
with four competitive brothers and went to
college on an athletic scholarship. I thrive on all types of housing.” Great, but why have
you ignored the needs of all other housing
competition. I might be the most competi-
tive person he’s ever met.
categories? There is dire need for low-in-
come subsidized housing that will rent for
What I don’t like is unfair competition,
under $500, more mobile homes, more
which is exactly the anti-competitive incen-
tive system he has created and overseen in
farm worker housing, short-term shelters,
Pendleton.
town homes and mostly more single family
I did not come to the council a few weeks homes. Why take taxpayer assets and only
ago to ask for money. I asked why there
encourage one narrow segment of the hous-
ing market?
isn’t a clear, concise, fair system for pass-
ing out incentives. Why is having
It’s no wonder there is so much
money on the sidelines; it’s hard
a fair equitable system too much
to predict what the city will incen-
to ask for? Why is there so much
tivize next. Each time you roll out
push back for having equality? If
another incentive package it’s dif-
you’re not in favor of a free market
ferent. There is not even equality
and letting developers build what
among the people getting incen-
the market needs, then just say that.
tives. Go wage war on one of these
Just admit you want to pick and
other categories, you have done
choose who wins and what gets
N ate
enough damage to the market rate
built where, for example the fire
B russelBack
apartment segment.
station. Just say you don’t believe
COMMENT
While this giant socialist civics
in the free market. I would imag-
ine the majority of your conserva-
experiment unfolds, why would I
tive Republican constituents in town would
or others want to build 50 to 100 single fam-
ily homes when there is no system or way
be in support of the free market solving our
of knowing what is being cooked up behind
housing problems. I came to this town and
infused the local economy with over $4 mil- closed doors? The uncertainty and lack of
lion and I built a quality complex as fast as
transparency starting from the very top is
possible because that’s what the housing
a key reason I and others don’t want to do
more business in Pendleton. The entire state
study showed the market needed. That is
is watching the redistribution of wealth in
clearly not what the mayor or the city coun-
cil support because that is not what they
Pendleton. The problem with slow growth in
incentivize. Should I have come to the coun- Pendleton is not from topography, it’s from
cil over and over for five-plus years asking
lack of jobs and lack of leadership.
for stuff? Is that their idea of what is best for
Lashing out at me and calling me stu-
pid is probably a result of your frustration.
the community?
The numbers don’t lie. You must be incred-
The mayor said I’m concerned with my
ibly frustrated that you have overseen a city
individual business. That’s right, I am. And
that only can manage 0.3% annual growth.
so are other property managers and land-
lords concerned with their businesses. I’m
Meanwhile, the rest of the county grows
frankly astonished that they aren’t con-
at more than three times that pace, 1.1%. It
cerned with how our business is doing.
was probably hard to hear that we have more
than enough land inside the urban growth
Why aren’t they concerned with why none
boundary for the next 20 years. It’s obvi-
of the thousands of daily commuters want
ous that your “flexible” system is a failure.
to live in town? Or with all the vacancies
Hermiston has grown three times as fast
that other landlords and property managers
without giving away land, cash or reducing
are already having in the $1,200 range? Or
permit fees.
with the shear number of jobs — more than
If waging war on landlords is your
900 — needed to fill the pipeline of coming
answer to solving housing needs in Pend-
units?
leton, then you might know even less about
We only need 100 to 112 market rate
housing than everyone is saying. You can
apartments over the next 20 years, accord-
ing to two housing studies by career pro-
call me stupid if that makes you feel better,
fessionals. The mayor and city council have
but don’t tip the scales far to one side and
then accuse me of being the one that doesn’t
ignored those findings and overseen sub-
sidies and land giveaways for 305 market
like competition.
rate units and counting. Flooding the city
———
with $1,200 apartments will have a nega-
Nate Brusselback is the owner of the Tri-
tive affect on all landlord business in town,
angle Apartments in Pendleton.
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