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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2019)
A4 East Oregonian Friday, November 29, 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 Don’t forget to shop local ith the official start of the holiday shopping season upon us, we would like to urge residents to shop local, and here’s why. When you spend money at a local store in, say, downtown Pendleton, Milton-Freewater or Hermiston, you are doing more than simply purchas- ing a gift. When you shop at a locally owned small business, those dol- lars stay in the community. That’s because local merchants often pur- chase items from other locally owned stores. Spending money at a small business in our downtowns helps the overall business health of the community. Another element that makes shop- ping local appealing is that small businesses offer unique gifts. But more than that, small business is a distinctive piece of our small-town character. Small businesses across Umatilla and Morrow counties exude a sense of place, of the communi- ties they set up shop in, and of East- ern Oregon. Another key to the ben- efits of shopping locally is that small businesses generally are the biggest W Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Cars pass under the holiday lights on Main Street in Pendleton on Wednesday evening in this long exposure image. employers at home. Small merchants also typically invest in the community. That means your dollars don’t fly out of town and end up at a corporate office far away. No, your dollars recirculate in the community and are reinvested in many ways. Think about businesses who donate so the local soccer team can buy new jerseys or the dance team can travel to competition. That reinvestment is often unnoticed, but it is important for a host of reasons, not the least of which is it helps the community in the long run. And shopping at a locally owned business can be an intimate, posi- tive experience. A patron often par- ticipates in a one-on-one interaction with the person who owns the busi- ness. The customer service is special- ized and specific, and that counts for something in our fast-paced world. We are not immune to nor dis- missive of the attractions of big-box stores, such as Walmart or Home Depot. The Walmarts of the world provide a large array of choices. The convenience of one-stop shop- ping offered by big-box stores has its benefits, and most of us this year will journey through the doors of Walmart or travel down the inter- states to larger metro centers like Portland or the Tri-Cities to do some Christmas shopping. We’re not advocating abandon- ing shopping at a big-box store, but only suggesting that when you are out looking for those gifts, don’t for- get about the unique offerings of your local merchants. The business strength of a small town isn’t exclusive to just one type of merchant. We need Walmart and we need small businesses. For those businesses to survive — and if they prosper, we all prosper — they need patrons. Saturday is “Small Business Satur- day” across the country. We encour- age you to shop local this year. You won’t regret it. OTHER VIEWS Trump continues to manufacture lies ou could be forgiven for missing it reported. in the build-up to Thanksgiving and In addition to the job losses in Penn- sylvania, Ohio has lost 2,400 factory jobs, the blizzard of impeachment news, while employers in West Virginia cut 400 but America’s fact-challenged chief execu- tive was up to some old tricks this week. mining jobs — despite Trump’s claims that he’s saved the shrinking industry. At a rally in Florida, Trump continued “I don’t think that Ohio is just a lock in to peddle a false narrative that he opened the Republican’s column, nor do I think an Apple plant in Texas. As the Associ- ated Press and other outlets have reported, that blue-collar voters are settled on who they’re likely to select,” Robert Alexander, Trump actually visited a factory in Austin on Nov. 20 that’s been making the Mac Pro a political scientist at Ohio Northern Uni- versity, told the AP in October. “There is a for Apple since 2013. lot of economic angst still in the state.” Nonetheless, Trump has continued to An October poll by Franklin & Mar- perpetuate the story, tweeting on the day shall College in Lancaster, Pa., uncovered of his visit that “Today, I opened a major a similar sentiment. While vot- Apple Manufacturing plant in ers felt optimistic about their per- Texas that will bring high-paying sonal finances, only one in three jobs back to America.” respondents said the country was Trump’s tall tale masks some- thing — and you’ll pardon the headed in the right direction. And only a third of respondents said pun — rotten at the core about his Trump was doing a “good” or ongoing claims that he’s rejuve- nated American manufacturing. “excellent” job as president. And no amount of shine he tries to An earlier Franklin & Mar- J ohn shall poll found that same num- put on the Apple can change that. L.M icek ber (36%) said Trump deserved “Last year was the best year COMMENT re-election, compared to 61% for American Manufacturing job who believed it was time to growth since 1997, or 21 years,” change horse. Trump tweeted back in January. “The pre- vious administration said manufactur- Nonetheless, Trump’s loyalists have par- roted the White House’s line. ing will not come back to the U.S. ‘You “Our economy is in far better shape would need a magic wand.’ I guess I found than it was four years ago,” Pennsylva- the magic wand — and it is only getting nia Republican Party Chairman Law- better!” rence Tabas said during a recent lunchtime Yes, it’s true that manufacturing did appearance before a mixed crowd of poli- enjoy a growth spurt during the open- cymakers and business leaders. “6.5 mil- ing months of Trump’s presidency. But, as lion jobs have been created under Presi- CNBC reports, thanks to the administra- dent Trump, 500,000 in the manufacturing tion’s ongoing trade war, that advantage industry, which was an industry that most has pretty much evaporated. people thought was done and dead in this And states, such as Pennsylvania, Wis- consin, and Michigan, which were key to country and never to be revived.” Trump’s 2016 victory, have borne the brunt Trump repeated the same claim about of it. manufacturing during a speech to the Eco- nomic Club of New York, this time inflat- Manufacturing jobs in Pennsylvania ing the number of new manufacturing jobs have shrunk steadily, according to NPR to 600,000 positions — which is 25% more affiliate WITF-FM. In January, a total of than the actual figure, according to a New 569,800 people worked in manufacturing York Times fact-check. jobs in Pennsylvania. That tally shrunk Given the White House’s current trou- by 8,400 jobs by July, and continued to bles, it’s no wonder that Trump’s followers decrease into September, the data showed, are trying to put the best face they can on to about 561,700 jobs. the manufacturing picture. The picture is much the same in Ohio And in the key states where workers and Michigan, two Obama states that have felt the pinch the most, you might not flipped to Trump in 2016. The Rust Belt blame voters for once again changing their States are now more than “six months into minds. a steady manufacturing job decline. Indi- ana also has fewer factory jobs than it did ——— John L. Micek is a syndicated columnist. in the same period of 2018,” Newsweek Y YOUR VIEWS ‘Silent majority’ skewing road repair survey results The public, the gasoline dealers, the hotels, the restaurants, and the large event organizers all oppose increased fees or additional taxes to raise revenue for a city street repair program that’s promised to be completed in 10 years, and city officials don’t understand why. With very little busi- ness experience, they really can’t compre- hend how thin retail profit margins really are all, too eager to raise fees and taxes as the sole solution to increase revenue. Rather than make any significant budget cuts, they continue to increase budgets by planting more trees and managing a bicycle trail program, while adding additional dog and nature parks rather than addressing the city’s real problem, crumbling infrastruc- ture. They assume residents would rather drive on pothole-riddled streets than cut any “quality of life” programs. As with all past city sponsored surveys, their conclu- sions are based on a very small sample of the city’s population. Yet, they claim overwhelming com- munity support for more gas taxes and an event fee. They’ll be basing their decisions on just over 400 returns, while the silent majority remains just that, silent. The fact 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. that so few surveys were completed should be a signal the public has very little sup- port for any of the city council’s proposals. Convinced, and rightly so, the council is going to unilaterally raise existing fees and institute more should any tax ballot mea- sure fail. The city council takes great pains to profess their openness and transparency with periodic reminders that meetings are open to the public. However, with the pub- lic barred from any discussion on top- ics included in the agenda, it’s really a waste of time to attend city council meet- ings, workshops, or those of the Pendleton Development Commission. There’s a rea- son those public town hall meetings were so poorly attended, and I doubt it’s because residents are bubbling over with joy at the city’s plans for raising more revenue. Not long ago in a discussion concern- ing the effects of a proposed gas tax on overall prices in the local area, a coun- cilor professed this: The price of gas to me is inconsequential, when I need it, I get it. Unfortunately, low and fixed income res- idents don’t have that luxury, must shop around, and in many cases, buy out of town where prices are often cheaper. Rick Rohde 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 the editor to editor@eastoregonian.com, or via mail to Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
