ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Editor/Senior Reporter
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
No easy
answers
to tough
issues
T
he lack of thought toward unintended
consequences are becoming a hall-
mark of legislation, and lawmak-
ers need to spend more time examining the
broader implications of a bill before it gains
approval.
The problem is not just central to Oregon
but a national challenge as well.
A good case in point is a bill that already
moved through the Oregon Senate that would
restrict police from pulling over drivers for
minor traffic miscues such as a burned-out
taillight.
The legislation is designed to diminish the
often lop-sided and inconsistent impact of the
justice system on people of color in the state.
The bill would restrict officers from begin-
ning a traffic stop for a single broken taillight,
a broken taillight, a broken brake light and
other minor infractions.
Is it proper and right for lawmakers to
tackle racial issues that impact our state’s
minorities? Definitely.
Does this bill do that? Perhaps.
The bill also, though, may needlessly
complicate the job of law enforcement. That
job already is difficult, and adding such
restrictions could create unintended conse-
quences and, in the end, never really address
the main issue — racial injustice.
There is always the tendency with such
measures to see it as a knee-jerk reaction to a
broader, and more complex problem.
Another good example at the federal level
is the River Democracy Act sponsored by
Oregon U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Jeff
Merkley.
The legislation would add more than 4,000
miles of rivers and streams to the national
Wild and scenic Rivers system.
Is it a good idea to protect our wildlands?
Yes, it is. Is this proposed legislation the right
answer: Maybe?
Then again, it could create a host of
unintended consequences that will impact
families, farmers and ranchers in the rural
sections of the state.
The aim of the bill is noble. We do need
to protect our rivers and streams. But did
anyone play that particular reel all the way
to end to see what could be an unintended
consequence?
Lawmakers need to think carefully,
thoughtfully, when the good idea fairy
appears. What may look like an easy answer
to a complicated problem may, in the end,
create more challenges that have fewer
answers.
We expect our elected leaders to not only
advocate for us but to think clearly about
the future. Saving wildlands and attacking
racism are difficult issues that deserve more
than a fast, arbitrary answer.
EDITORIALS
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.
LETTERS
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:
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, OR 97801
YOUR VIEWS
Lessons learned from
conflict in Ukraine
The recent barbaric invasion of
Ukraine has reinforced two things: 1)
We always need an extremely strong
military; 2) We always need to be 100%
energy self-sufficient, and have the abil-
ity to supply others as needed.
A very strong military needs to
always be in place to help prevent luna-
tic world leaders from flexing their
muscles on a peaceful world. Bullies
such as Russian President Vladimir
Putin will roll over any country or coali-
tion that doesn’t have the ability to push
back, and a strong military gives us that
ability. Only irrational people want war,
but sometimes you need to prepare for it
to prevent it, as irrational as that sounds.
Along with many of our allies, we
import a great deal of oil and natural
gas from Russia. This needs to stop as
we are financing this brutal regime and
its insane assault on Ukraine. We have
the oil and natural gas reserves in this
country and we need to tap into them,
now. That means opening up some more
of our land for extracting oil and natu-
ral gas, and have the refineries working
overtime. I realize this goes against the
grain of the green movement, but these
atrocities need to stop, and cutting off
their income from oil, along with other
sanctions, will put more pressure on the
Russians.
The oil and gas is getting used either
way, and I’d much rather we supply it
than enable Putin’s war machine.
Scott Erwin
Redmond
Vote Susan Bower for
county commissioner
I would like to write a letter to the
editor in support of Susan Bower for
Umatilla County commissioner. I have
known Susan for approximately nine
years and I have found her to be smart,
honest and bright. She knows finances
having formally been an investment
banker and she knows how to work with
others to make good things happen.
If you will notice, Susan is the one
who has organized a crew to go down
to the Shearer’s Foods plant, Hermis-
ton, and help distribute much needed
food stuffs to the 230 workers who
were displaced by the recent fire that
destroyed that plant. Susan cares
about the common man and as county
commissioner she will work to find
someone else who is willing to come into
Umatilla County and develop an indus-
try that will employ any of those 230
employees who have not found jobs yet.
As a former investment banker, who
cracked the “Good Ole Boys” board
room, she knows finances and where and
how to get the needed capitol to bring
Umatilla County back on the map as the
place to come and raise your family. She
and her husband, Dr. Andrew Bower,
looked at several cities before they settled
on Pendleton and they did so because as
Andy said, “this feels like home.”
I would hope that when you go to the
polls you will remember one thing: We
need a leader like Susan Bower who isn’t
afraid to tackle hard projects and has
the people skills to ensure that the right
people are tapped to make any project a
success. Susan also has the knowledge to
know where to look for financing to do
things like road repairs, infrastructure
upgrades and much more.
Susan also has the skills to know
when something doesn’t look right or
that there is something wrong and has
the skill set to find the right person to fix
the problem.
When election day comes please vote
Susan Bower for county commissioner
Position 1 and bring back the “get ‘er
done” attitude that Umatilla County used
to have.
Barbara Ann Wright
Pendleton
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
GOVERNOR
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
REPRESENTATIVES
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Cliff Bentz
2185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford office: 541-776-4646
SENATOR
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-415
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us