Saturday, January 16, 2021
VIEWPOINTS
East Oregonian
A5
Stories we tell, and listen to, inform our culture
BETTE
HUSTED
FROM HERE TO ANY WHERE
B
arry Lopez once asked tribal elders in
the far north Indigenous cultures who
had taught him so much, “What do you
mean by a storyteller?”
“When the stories you tell help,” they told
him.
I thought of these words last week when
Americans invaded their own Capitol, some
texting about Q-Anon’s promised “Storm,”
others brandishing Confederate flags and
wearing T-shirts that read “Camp Auschwitz”
and “6MWE” (six million wasn’t enough) and
“Women belong in the kitchen.”
Clearly, the stories we choose to tell, and
the ones we choose to listen to, matter.
This week, I’ve been reading “The Bead-
workers,” by Nez Perce writer Beth Piatote. I
am not Indigenous. My ancestors were Euro-
pean; I’m as white as most of the faces in that
terrifying crowd. But it’s hard to describe
my relief and joy when I opened the book to
find that its first word is Kuus, Nez Perce for
water. The word that opens and closes each
ceremonial feast here on the Umatilla Reser-
vation, and begins and ends each day there,
too, for many.
“Water is life,” Piatote writes. “Water is
alive. All life begins and ends with water: our
mothers, the rivers, the rain. From the begin-
ning of time to the end of time, the word we
carry on our breath, the taste of this world on
our tongues and our tears, is alive, is life, is
Kuus.”
Now that’s a story worth listening to.
It was fun to find familiar names in her
stories: Cay-Uma-Wa, Phillip Cash Cash,
Pendleton Round-Up, Celilo, St. Anthony
Hospital. And names I knew, like Theresa
Eagle, the auntie who gave Piatote her first
words. But what really helped me were the
stories, especially the enduring, ancient ones
guiding the newer stories.
The book begins with Feast stories, rich in
Nez Perce language, and goes on to include
stories set during Wounded Knee and the
more recent Fish Wars. I loved the one about
creating, as an installation art exhibit, a satiri-
cal game called wIndin! played with Pendle-
ton Blanket and Stick Game cards.
And it was almost as if I was in the room
as a woman teaches her niece to make beaded
earrings for her mother, feeling some of the
same peace I’ve observed as I watch people
bead. “When I wrote these stories,” Piatote
told Sam Levin at the LA Review of Books,
“my audience were people I imagined with
me at the beadwork table, telling stories and
laughing. ... You come with all of your pain
and all of your suffering, you’re bearing it, but
it’s not happening in that space.”
The final section of the book is a play
inspired, she says, by the 1996 discovery
of Kennewick Man, the Ancient One. “I
wondered why it was that people could under-
stand things like Greek tragedy and Antigone
but couldn’t understand why Native people, or
anybody, cared about their ancestors. Doesn’t
this literature form the universal values that
we’re all supposed to know and understand?”
In her version, Antikoni “steals” bones
from a museum supervised by her uncle
Kreon; aunties are the chorus. “Everyone’s
on the same side. Everyone loves each other.
They’re not trying to destroy each other,
but they do ... they all say, ‘I love my people.
I’m doing this for my people. I’m sacrific-
ing myself for my people.’ But their vision of
sacrifice is different.”
Beth Piatote’s stories helped push back
the walls I felt closing around me as I read the
news. She says she thinks of her own writing
as being like beadwork, putting down one
word at a time. “When I’m at the beadwork
table, I always find myself wondering how
it is that Indian people have survived. And I
think surviving is about people continuing to
remake their culture.”
Can Americans make a culture free of
the idea of white supremacy, a democracy
truly based on inclusion and equality? Can
we reckon with our past and our present?
Langston Hughes said it best: “Let America
be America again — the land that never has
been yet — and yet must be.”
It will take stories that help.
The next First Draft Zoom is on Jan. 21 —
the day after the inauguration — at 7 p.m.
———
Bette Husted is a writer and a student of
T’ai Chi and the natural world. She lives in
Pendleton.
Congressman Bentz needs to nip Trump virus in the bud
ROGER
WORTHINGTON
OTHER VIEWS
N
ormally, we would give a grace period
to a freshly sworn-in politician. But the
actions and words of Rep. Cliff Bentz
warrant not patience, but condemnation.
Many of us heard President Trump’s sedi-
tious call to incite violence. We heard him tell-
ing the terrorist mob that he “loved them.” But
in an interview with Oregon Public Broad-
casting the day after the storming and looting
of the Capitol, Bentz said he wasn’t familiar
with what Trump said before or afterward.
Either Bentz is lying, or he’s staggeringly
ignorant.
When asked whether he would support
invoking the 25th Amendment to the Consti-
tution to remove Trump from office, Bentz
said he couldn’t be expected to have read the
amendment and know what it means. Yet, in
striking contrast, Bentz voted against certify-
ing the electoral votes of Pennsylvania, show-
ing he’s well-versed in conspiracy theories.
President-elect Joe Biden won the election
and every state certified its electors. In fact,
Biden received 81.3 million votes, a historic
number. He pummeled Trump by more than
7 million votes. Biden’s win in the Electoral
College was not even close — at 306 to 232.
Voter fraud? Rigged election? Nearly 60
courts heard the claims and unanimously
concluded — there’s no evidence.
Jan. 6 was supposed to be a ceremonial
duty. By joining in with the other Republicans
in the attempt to overturn the results of a fair
election simply because they were angry with
the result, Bentz must accept responsibility
for the terrorism that ensued.
No, Bentz, you do not get a pass by your
constituents of Eastern Oregon, includ-
ing my hometown of Bend. You may have
entered the office as a Trump loyalist, but
you took an oath to defend the U.S. Consti-
tution, not a despot. You swore to defend
our country against all enemies, both
foreign and domestic.
In order to lead, we need to trust your
judgment. You knew before being sworn in
that Trump had completely failed to control
the spread of the coronavirus. You knew the
havoc the virus was unleashing on our econ-
omy, as well as the horrendous and mounting
loss of lives. You knew his record on reject-
ing science, denying climate change, abusing
women, undermining civil rights, bullying
allies, spreading self-serving misinformation,
thwarting the rule of law, and fanning the
flames of hate and division.
Congressman Bentz, after today, how
can we trust you? If we’ve learned anything
from the last four years, it’s this: If we know
or suspect of a cancer on the body politic,
we must intervene early to stop it before it
metastasizes. We can no longer assume that
a malignant political neophyte will, with
time and patience, mature into a healthy
and mature statesman. Recall Maine
Sen. Susan Collins’ infamous prediction
after her no vote — now that he’s been
impeached, Trump has learned his lesson
and will now act more presidential.
I call on you, Rep. Bentz, to unequivo-
cally renounce Trump and all he stands for.
Apologize for your vote to overturn the will of
the people. Apologize for fomenting lies that
stirred up extremists to attempt a coup d’etat.
The health and life of our democracy is
on the line. Trump may be out, but his stain
remains. Is Bentz stained by the Trump virus
of hatred, bigotry, willful ignorance, despo-
tism and sedition? So far, the diagnosis is
affirmative. We can’t wait two years for reha-
bilitation.
I implore Bentz to read the 25th Amend-
ment. Show us you are capable of self-healing
by joining the growing numbers of Democrats
and Republicans who are advocating for the
swift removal of our unfit commander-in-
chief. Every moment that the maniacal Trump
remains in office is a grave danger to the secu-
rity of this nation and the world.
———
Roger Worthington, an asbestos cancer
lawyer, is the owner of Worthy Brewing in
Bend.
Oregon, the most
expensive place to farm
MIKE
MCCARTHY
OTHER VIEWS
OVID-19 has brought difficult chal-
lenges for food producers. It has also
brought a heightened realization by
the public of how essential food production
is and how important farmers and farm-
workers are. What I wish more people real-
ized is how burgeoning labor and regulatory
costs are driving Oregon family farmers out
of business.
Even before these challenging times,
underlying economic problems have been
increasing, particularly for family farms
in Oregon that raise labor-intensive crops
like vegetables, fruit, wine grapes, nursery
stock, and dairy products. On these farms,
labor can cost 60% of total farm expenses.
While market forces impact producers in
most states about the same, government-im-
posed costs have made Oregon the most
expensive state in the U.S. to farm in if you
have employees.
Farmworkers certainly deserve a decent
living wage for the hard work they perform,
and also for the incredible contributions
they make to our vibrant, abundant and
sustainable food supply. USDA determines
the “regional weighted average hourly rate
for crops and livestock” (prevailing wage)
annually. It found wages paid in Oregon and
Washington were the highest in the U.S. for
the last three years pushed up by our mini-
mum wage. Oregon wages at $15.83 for 2019
were a full $2 per hour more than the U.S.
average for farmworkers — and even $4 per
hour more than some states.
This prevailing wage is what the Depart-
ment of Labor uses to set the wage rate or
Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for the
agricultural guestworker program for the
next year. From 2010 to 2020, the AEWR
increased 50% in Oregon, making $15.83
the starting wage for guestworkers and
the minimum wage for any farmworkers
working on a farm with an H-2a guest-
worker program. During the same period,
wage growth was only 25% across the U.S.
economy. Unfortunately for farm employ-
ers, commodity prices are not increasing to
cover these enormous labor costs.
Base wages are only part of the cost
of farm labor. Other Oregon-mandated
programs, such as Paid Sick Leave, add
additional costs to our farms and are not
paid in most other states. Also because of
housing shortages and the high cost of hous-
ing in Oregon, many farmers are provid-
ing housing rent free with utilities paid,
which equates to an employee benefit (and
C
employer cost) of up to $10 per hour.
Further undermining farm profitability
is the cost of regulatory compliance. Regu-
lation is important to ensure the safety of
employees, our food supply, and our envi-
ronment. But the continual onslaught of new
and revised regulations imposes such chal-
lenges that many are leaving farming. Fifty
mandated local, state, federal and interna-
tional regulatory programs are required for
farmers. Many of these programs are unique
to farming and are not a burden on other
businesses. Costs for a medium-sized farm
can be between $50,000 and $100,000 per
year for compliance materials, supplies and
particularly a farmer’s time, much of that
unpaid. Even modest family farms now need
to hire HR, tax and regulatory professionals
to keep up.
This hostile regulatory environment
hurts family farms in Oregon. Oregon had
the greatest increase of all Western states
in farm bankruptcies in the last year. Most
Western states have higher on-farm income
than Oregon, and Oregon’s individual farm
income is much less than the average for
U.S. farms. USDA data shows Net Cash
Income for Oregon farms was less in 2019
than in 2015. Further burdening farms, the
Oregon Legislature over this same period
imposed a tax on gross income in Oregon.
Farmers can seldom, if ever, push these
additional costs up the “food chain.” Some
farms can help profitability with direct or
niche marketing, but these are small markets
for only a few farmers. Most Americans buy
food at supermarkets, so most farms have
to sell to those chains. Just five supermar-
ket chains buy half of the U.S. produce; this
monopolistic market pushes down the prices
paid to farmers.
The low prices consumers pay for food
in the U.S. (just 9% of disposable income,
the lowest in the world) create an imbalance
for farmers between what they pay for labor,
farm supplies, and regulatory compliance
and what they receive for food produced.
Every elected official in Oregon says they
love and support family farms. But Oregon’s
constantly increasing burdens of new taxes,
government-imposed wage rates and labor
policies, and regulatory costs are pushing
family farms out of existence.
We want to keep farming, but if our state
government policies continue to make us
nonprofitable and noncompetitive, we are
left with a sad choice. Leave farming or
leave Oregon.
———
Mike McCarthy is a first-generation farmer
in Hood River County, and has raised apples,
pears, vcherries and cattle for 40 years. He is
a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau State
Board and has a master’s degree from Oregon
State University and a Ph.D. from Michigan
State University, both in agriculture.
Google’s monopoly isn’t
a game for newspapers
DEAN
RIDINGS
OTHER VIEWS
I
t is no secret that Google has secured a
near monopoly in the search and local
advertising world. However, the impact
on newspapers hasn’t been quite as obvious.
A number of lawsuits have recently been
brought that call Google to task for its prac-
tices. These lawsuits signal the government’s
acknowledgement of Google’s unfair prac-
tices and initiate steps to hold them account-
able.
The first suit, an antitrust action filed by
the Justice Department in October 2020,
accuses Google of abusing its position over
smaller rivals by operating like an illegal
monopoly through exclusionary agreements
that have hurt consumers and competitors.
The second suit, an antitrust suit filed
in mid-December 2020 by Texas and nine
other states, alleges the company has stifled
competition and enjoys monopolistic power,
specifically as it relates to digital advertising.
The third suit, filed just days after the
second suit by 38 U.S. states and territories,
accuses Google of abusing its market power
to maintain its search engine dominance.
The suit doesn’t seek monetary damages, but
instead seeks broader remedies and an order
to end any agreements or other behavior that
it finds to be exclusionary.
But why does this matter, and what does it
mean to you or to your community?
Almost everyone uses Google in some
way or another. It has become part of our
lives, and Google has used this to its advan-
tage. Google games the marketplace through
search algorithms to its financial gain. The
result is an uneven and often unfair playing
field for small and local businesses. At a time
when local businesses are struggling to over-
come the impacts of COVID, the need to be
able to compete fairly has never been greater.
But what it means to local news, including
this newspaper, is that Google uses content
from newspapers and other news providers
without compensating the publisher. If you
use Google to seek information about current
events in your community, chances are, the
results will be from your local newspaper
and other news providers. Google mone-
tizes the content produced by the publishers,
creating even more problems for an indus-
try that was already challenged as a result
of changing news consumption habits in an
internet-connected world.
The shift to digital readership has been
inevitable. However, the use of locally
produced content by Google without
adequate compensation has accelerated a
financial crisis in the newspaper industry
— forcing newspapers to make reductions.
If the local newspaper goes away, Google
doesn’t replace the content. It just has less
viable responses to searches for local infor-
mation. The ultimate result is significantly
diminished coverage in local communi-
ties on the issues that matter most — local
government, schools, health, environment
and all the issues that impact local citizens
day in and day out.
A successful newspaper is critical to the
health of a local community. Encourage
your representatives in Congress to support
legislative action to require Google to play
by the rules and fairly compensate newspa-
pers for the content they develop. If Google
is allowed to continue its unfair business
practices, there is no passing go or collecting
$200 as it continues to monopolize the board.
———
Dean Ridings is CEO of America’s News-
papers, an association committed to explain-
ing, defending and advancing the vital role of
newspapers in democracy and civil life.