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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2020)
East Oregonian A4 Wednesday, January 15, 2020 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 New climate bill basically the same T he Oregon Senate’s Interim Committee on Environment and Natural Resources has unveiled the Legislature’s latest ver- sion of climate change legislation. Unfortunately, it’s not much dif- ferent than the bill that tied the Sen- ate in knots at the end of the 2019 session. Last year’s attempt to cap car- bon dioxide emissions and force many businesses to purchase “allow- ances” to cover existing emissions was the measure that spurred a nine- day walkout by Senate Republicans in late June. They returned two days before the session ended. Democrats say the proposed mea- sure contains a variety of concessions aimed at easing its impact on rural Oregon. At least one Republican who took part in some discussions of the new proposal, Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, disagrees. Some climate change activists, meanwhile, believe the bill has been so weakened it may do more harm than good. Some of the changes come in the manufacturing and utility sectors, Contributed photo Hundreds of people protest in February 2019 in favor of cap-and-trade legislation at the Oregon Capitol in Salem. For the third year running, Oregon leaders say they’ll take a crack at regulating the state’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. and are designed to create fewer impacts for rural Oregon. Those tweaks are largely centered on how automotive fuel suppliers and big industrial players are treated. Rather than uniform statewide regulation of automotive fuels, the new proposal splits the state into three geographic zones that would be phased in separately. That approach, which Democrats have been telegraphing for months, is designed to address concerns that cap and trade would hike gas prices statewide, disproportionately affect- ing rural communities that have little option but to drive. Among other things, the proposal, LC19, would phase in taxes on trans- portation fuel providers, with those in the Portland area being hit first, and those in rural Oregon being required to pay at some future date. Instead, Girod argues, fuel importers will end up paying the tax, and pass it on to distributors who would, in turn, pass it on to retailers across the state. That’s one scenario that both rural lawmakers and some climate activists can agree on. In the end, it appears that what’s being proposed in LC19 is largely what was defeated in 2019’s House Bill 2020. This new version, however, may face criticism not only from Republicans and rural Oregonians but from environmentalists, as well. Lawmakers are, apparently, unable to find a shade of lipstick that makes the old cap-and-trade pig beautiful. OTHER VIEWS Oregon should adopt a universal basic income willing to wait and see if their invest- ment in a new affordable housing com- plex, mental health center, or transit line would be worth it. A UBI is not a capital investment but regon is not a wait-and-see kind a human investment. It directly sup- ports people on the edge of problems of state. So it’s time to stop wait- ing for more research about pro- with dire consequences. Consider the viding a Universal Basic Income (UBI). tenant on the edge of eviction because Instead, it’s time we adopt a UBI and of being a few hundred dollars short; a fine tune it as we go. A UBI would pro- UBI could help them make it to the next vide every Oregonian with a monthly month and stay off the streets. Accord- ing to the Eviction Lab, many stipend; current UBI programs tenants are evicted for sums that range from $500 to $1,500 a a UBI could cover. This is the month. Year after year, the pro- gram can be refined to make it autonomous promise of a UBI, a means of empowerment and freeing people to remain in con- trol of their own affairs. Next, self-sufficiency. From help- ing people attain housing secu- think about the unemployed rity to getting people through an worker whose job prospects are expected illness, a UBI offers confined to where they can go K evin every recipient a chance to be within an hour on public tran- F razier sit. Now imagine they have the more autonomous and less anx- COMMENT ious, more aspirational and less funds to lease a car and reach a risk-averse. job with higher pay and better When Oregonians have identified a benefits. This is the aspirational promise solution for a need, they tend not to test of a UBI, allowing more people to pur- sue more opportunities. the political winds for whether it should The benefits generated by greater move forward. Instead, they stake out a autonomy and aspirational activity position on the vanguard of making the would immediately be felt throughout state more inclusive and welcoming. It’s the state. So long as people are teetering this sort of thinking that led the state to on the edge of uncertainty, a UBI will pass paid family leave. It’s this sort of reduce the frequency with which people thinking that created sustainable land come to rely on the state for expensive, use policies. And, it’s this sort of think- ing that resulted in mail-in voting and, more extensive support. And as long as later, automatic voter registration. people are prevented from pursuing the However, when Oregon has hesitated jobs suited to their skills, the state will on making a big move on a big issue, it’s fall short of its economic potential. usually because of costs. We act quickly Funding the program could come when we can save money, but have trou- from a variety of sources. For one, a ble making sizable investments. Every- UBI should almost immediately lead to one knows that solving the housing cri- a decreased need for state support ser- vices — the corresponding savings sis could be ameliorated, in part, by could be distributed to the UBI. Another spending more on affordable, dense proposal would mirror the Alaska Per- housing. We’ve yet to see sufficient manent Fund after creating a collective investment. Everyone agrees that people wealth fee. The state could also source experiencing homelessness would bene- fit from greater access to mental health funds from congestion pricing systems care. But, creating and operating such or a sales tax. mental health facilities would require Regardless of the source, the state substantial financial support. Every- needs to recognize a UBI as a solu- one would appreciate transit upgrades tion suited to the scope and scale of the that cost nearly a billion dollars. How- state’s needs. ever, commuters continue to sit in traffic ——— as the state sits on bold transit projects, Kevin Frazier was raised in Washing- ton County. He is pursuing a law degree such as high-speed rail. One explanation at the University of California, Berkeley for the state’s hesitancy to invest in these School of Law. capital projects is that too few people are Editor’s Note: Do you have a point you’d like to make or an issue you feel strongly about? Submit a letter to the edi- tor or a guest column. O 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. Finally some justice for maligned Covington Catholic student L ington Catholic students, some of whom ess than two weeks from now, thou- wore MAGA hats, chanted “build that wall” sands of pro-life teenagers will con- verge on the nation’s capital to rally without any audio or video corroboration. in support of the unborn at the 47th annual Some of the worst offenders were affil- iated with CNN. Bakari Sellers, a regu- March for Life. lar contributor, tweeted, “[Sandmann] is a Unfortunately, many people are uncom- fortable with the idea that millennials would deplorable. Some ppl can also be punched raise their voices to oppose abortion. The in the face.” Reza Aslan, another person- ality who also appeared on CNN, picked image of young kids standing together with up the assault theme by tweeting, “Honest signs that read “Choose Life” and “Abortion question. Have you ever seen a more punch- Stops a Beating Heart” can be disconcert- ing when you are used to hearing it’s only able face than this kid’s?” (He reportedly old white men who want to strip only deleted that tweet this past women of the “right to choose.” week.) Conservative commenta- tor S.E. Cupp, who hosts a CNN That’s the only explanation I show called “Unfiltered,” tweeted, have for what some people did to a “Teens in MAGA gear mock a young Catholic student from Ken- tucky last year, when he and his Native American Vietnam vet.” classmates from Covington Catholic She later walked that back and High attended the March for Life. apologized, but the damage was As a bunch of them waited for their done. C hristine bus to pick them up, a Native Amer- Because of the overwrought, F lowers ican activist named Nathan Phil- under-researched comments from COMMENT lips approached banging his drum. many in the public eye, Sandmann and his family were subjected to Some of the boys reacted by chant- ing their school song while one of them, months of harassment. His family had to Nicholas Sandmann, stood face to face with leave their house for a time, they received Phillips. The boy was smiling, although death threats, and he was told not to come back to school in the days immediately after many characterized his expression as a the incident. Even a Kentucky Catholic dio- “smirk.” The screen shot of that encounter cese initially condemned Sandmann. went viral, and was used to attack Sand- mann as a bigoted, privileged white boy In response, his family filed a defama- tion lawsuit against numerous media out- who was mocking both ethnic minorities lets, including CNN and The Washing- and a woman’s “right to choose.” ton Post. CNN settled for an undisclosed Now Sandmann has finally gotten some amount, and the Post case is ongoing. vindication via a settlement announced this As an attorney, I know settlements are week with CNN, whom Sandmann sued not a legal admission of guilt. But as a for defamation — and was just one of many human being who understands it is natural outlets and public figures who took shots at to defend yourself when you think you are the teen. right, I’m convinced CNN believed it would One of the most offensive comments was lose where it counts the most: the court of from Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who public opinion. incorrectly tweeted, “The boys were pro- testing a woman’s right to choose & yelled Journalists can be heard wailing these days about assaults on the press. I think it is ‘it’s not rape if you enjoy it.’” She later important, though, to examine those cases deleted the tweet. where they themselves are the assailants. Maggie Haberman of The New York This is one. Times observed that “there are dozens of Based on incomplete facts and in a desire students laughing and egging on the behav- ior. Will be interesting to see if anyone is to get the story out as quickly as possible, some very powerful media outlets defamed actually expelled, as officials suggest is pos- sible,” creating the false impression that a young boy, and created an environment the Catholic high school students were the where he was threatened. I am convinced aggressors. this was, in large part, because he was a HBO host Bill Maher called Sandmann young white man with pro-life beliefs. a word normally used to describe a man’s Sandmann: 1, CNN: (lots of) 0s. sexual organ. ——— The Washington Post came out with an Christine Flowers is a syndicated free- lance columnist. initial story that falsely claimed the Cov- 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. 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