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
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for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold
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211 S.E. Byers Ave.
Pendleton, OR 97801