ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
THURSDAy, FEBRUARy 25, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Who benefits
most from
eliminating
student debt?
O
regon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff
Merkley are backing a plan to
cancel up to $50,000 for federal
student loan borrowers.
“It’s ridiculous that so many students
are forced to take on back-breaking
amounts of debt to go to school — espe-
cially as the coronavirus continues to
upend our economy,” Merkley said in
a statement. “It’s time to cancel student
loan debts so we can free up Americans
burdened by student debt to chase their
dreams, contribute to their communities,
and help us pave the way to economic
recovery.”
The idea supported by Democrats is
also to eliminate any tax liability from
having the debt wiped out.
People who are low income or who are
racial minorities would certainly bene-
fit, but the benefit would accrue mostly to
wealthier families. They hold most of the
federal education debt. A simple policy
of eliminating $50,000 in federal student
loan debt would be a regressive policy, not
a progressive one. It would be a policy that
would give more benefits to people who
need it less.
Wyden and Merkley say they want to
ensure that debt cancellation “helps close
racial wealth gaps and avoids the bulk of
federal student debt cancellation benefits
accruing to the wealthiest borrowers.”
OK, how is that going to be done? By
race? By race and income? And is this
only a one-time deal or can colleges start
escalating their costs and advertising:
Don’t worry, your first $50,000 in college
debt is now free.
Should federal
stimulus checks
increase your
state taxes?
T
he federal stimulus checks helped
a lot of Oregonians out when
they needed it. And it is also
going to help out Oregon government —
about $100 million in federal stimulus
payments is going to wind up in the state
treasury.
The federal government is not taxing
the stimulus payments. In Oregon, they
are not taxed as income, either. But the
payments can impact the federal tax
calculations used on your Oregon income
tax. And so the stimulus payment may
mean you owe state tax on more of your
income and wind up paying more taxes or
get a reduced refund.
Does that sound right to you? The
stimulus checks sure seemed to be aimed
at helping individuals, not helping state
government.
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, a Demo-
crat, wants state lawmakers to pass a
bill to eliminate the state tax liability
owed by Oregonians on federal stimu-
lus payments. State Sen. Dick Anderson,
R-Lincoln City, is already working on
such a bill. The idea has at least half a nod
from Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek,
a Democrat. A spokesperson said Kotek
“supports the House Revenue Chair eval-
uating this issue.”
Tell your legislator what you think.
Remembering Lucifer brings tears, laughter
TAMMY
MALGESINI
INSIDE MY SHOES
I
t would be an understatement to say
this pandemic year has been trying
for many people. The most difficult
thing for the Malgesini Pack would be the
loss of my husband’s 11-year-old German
shepherd. Lucifer was diagnosed with
leukemia the day after Thanksgiving.
In his prime, our majestic canine kid
tipped the scales at 115 pounds. When he
passed on Feb. 5, he weighed less than
half that.
As we mourn, little things can bring
tears — like eating scrambled eggs.
Although he didn’t beg for food, Lucifer
always waited patiently for me to drop the
footrest on the recliner, which signaled
that he was getting a snack.
During his last day with us, Lucifer
accompanied me on errands. I decided to
swing by Safeway to get some ice cream,
a rare treat Lucifer first tasted when he
was barely 2 years old. I never saw his
tongue move so fast, and then he very
daintily ate the cone. I always wondered
if he got an ice cream headache.
Aside from getting carsick on long
trips, Lucifer loved to travel. He enjoyed
exploring new destinations in Oregon,
Idaho, Montana and Washington — but
mostly he just wanted to be wherever
John was. He was just 10 months old
when he took his first trip to the Oregon
coast.
He enjoyed going to the “big water,”
except when getting caught in a hail-
storm. Captured on video, Lucifer would
glance at John with a look on his face that
seemed to say, “Make it stop, Papa.” Still
trying to run for shelter, he’d bring one
paw up to brush the pelting ice balls off
his face.
Lucifer risked his status as man’s best
friend during the terrible twos when he
chewed three remote controls, the couch
and various shoes. However, he was very
well mannered at hotels, houses and
bungalows.
One time at Soap Lake, Washington, I
was out taking photos. John was on a run
when I returned to our suite. I puttered
around the room, poured myself some
Pepsi, turned on the TV and was reading
a newspaper.
John returned about 30 minutes later
by himself. In a panic, I asked, “Where’s
your dog?” Looking confused, John
pointed to the dog crate, where Lucifer
had been quietly laying inside the entire
time.
His size, color and name sometimes
intimidated people. As we were packing
up the Jeep at a hotel in Meridian, Idaho,
our dogs were taking care of business in
the designated pet area. John snapped his
fingers and called out, “Lucifer, General.”
As they came running to the rig, a gal
parked in front of us froze at her bumper.
As I walked to the garbage can, she
commented how beautiful and well-be-
haved our dogs were but was a little afraid
when she heard “Lucifer.”
After we picked up Lucifer’s cremains
last week, John ordered an Egyptian
Anubis urn. Initially, he put it on the
entertainment center next to the turntable.
A couple of nights ago, when John had
fallen asleep in his recliner, I glanced at
the entertainment center and the urn was
gone. “Where’s Lucifer?” I said out loud.
Flashing back to being in the hotel at
Soap Lake, I chuckled to myself and said,
“Where’s your dog?”
If you ever loved and lost a canine
kid, you need to watch a video of Jimmy
Stewart reading his poem “I’ll Never
Forget a Dog Named Beau.” It was
filmed during a 1981 appearance on “The
Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” and
like the host, tears welled up in my eyes
when viewing it. The poignant words of
the late actor share the joys of dog owner-
ship and the heartache of losing your best
buddy.
While Lucifer has passed on, he
remains with us in spirit.
———
Tammy Malgesini, the former East
Oregonian community editor, enjoys
spending time with her husband and
German shepherd, as well as entertaining
herself with random musings.
Please let Bentz know you support his
appointment to the water subcommittee.
Clinton R. Carlson
Ione
to cook, eat and drink at home to avoid
contacting the COVID-19 virus, they still
have a financial obligation to use your tax
dollars in support of businesses that even
the banks are reluctant to touch.
City officials have been more than
willing to spend hundreds of thousands
of your tax dollars on renovating build-
ings, financing new eating establish-
ments, decorative statues, even speed
bumps in an effort to draw shoppers to
the downtown area. Then a blizzard hits
and they ignore the area completely.
Have you visited the area during the
latest wintry weather? It’s deplorable.
Unplowed streets and sidewalks are the
rule rather than the exception. Then
again, none of our current city officials
were around when our streets down-
town were plowed. The lack of any snow
removal along curbs now requires men
with shovels to keep the drains clear.
Progress?
A major cleanup effort at the airport
has done wonders for the economic
outlook of that facility. Why is the down-
town ignored? It’s unfortunate city
management’s vision of the future is just
another dog park rather than a well-main-
tained city with a more diverse economy.
As our country moves back into manu-
facturing, perhaps that’s the direction we
should be looking. The latest computer
chip shortage is one example of opportu-
nity knocking.
Rick Rohde
Pendleton
YOUR VIEWS
Bentz a good addition to
water subcommittee
Newly-elected Rep. Cliff Bentz was
appointed ranking member of the Natu-
ral Resources Subcommittee on Water,
Oceans and Wildlife. Bentz served in the
Oregon Legislature as chair of Oregon
Water Resources Commission and is a
trained attorney in water law.
This is a very important appointment
for Oregon’s freshman congressman.
Issues like the Columbia/Snake river
system EIS renewal, and now Rep. Mike
Simpson, R-Idaho, introducing his plan
to remove the four lower Snake River
dams will come before this subcommit-
tee. Republicans on the subcommittee
are devoted to promoting low-cost, clean
and renewable and emissions-free hydro-
electricity generated by federal dams and
reservoirs.
Bentz has a thoughtful approach to
issues and finding solutions. He is in a
unique position to help Oregon and the
Pacific Northwest by continuing to have a
reliable river transportation system, inex-
pensive electricity, adequate irrigation
water, and abundant recreation opportu-
nities.
As a wheat grower, I know the burden
it would have on the lower Snake River
agriculture producers to not have the
hydroelectric dams that provide barge
service to transport commodities to
market, the inexpensive electricity and
abundant water for crops.
Diversity and maintenance
are necessary
The COVID-19 pandemic has left
Pendleton’s economy on its heels with a
not-so-rosy picture of the future. Familiar
with that term ”Black Friday?” That’s the
day when retail profits for the year jump
into the black and a preview of future
financial health. It’s generally the day
after Thanksgiving.
For locally-owned small businesses
in Pendleton, it’s been the day after
Round-Up. If you’re not in the black by
then, you just might as well close the
doors.
With the shift of retail to the big box
stores like Walmart and the internet, the
local economy has become more depen-
dent than ever on tourists. That over-re-
liance on the hospitality sector, a sector
notorious for generating minimum wage
rather than living wage jobs, has become
our Achilles heel.
Our mayor, city council, city manager
and city employees are fortunate. They
don’t work in the hospitality sector and
aren’t personally affected financially
by the pandemic. They have, however,
determined that whether you frequent
those tourist-reliant businesses or prefer