KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Editor/Senior Reporter
THURSdAY, JUNE 23, 2022
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Being
open about
universal
health care
T
he plan for universal health care
in Oregon may sound great.
We wonder if people are being
given enough information to judge it.
The task force building the plan offers
a long list of selling points for the plan:
• Everybody in Oregon would have
health care.
• The health care benefits would be more
generous than most current plans.
• There would be more benefits available
for behavioral health treatment.
• Everyone would have dental benefits.
• Health coverage would not be related
to your job.
• People wouldn’t have to pay when
getting care. No copays. No deductibles.
People would pay based on how much
they make.
• The state board that runs it would have
open public meetings and report to the
governor and Legislature.
The state’s universal health care task
force is holding meetings with the public,
through Zoom. You can learn more about
those tinyurl.com/ORhealthmeetings.
In the background provided for these
meetings, the possible benefits of the
program are clearly spelled out. Some
of the possible downsides, not so much.
For instance, this change means
much of the private health care insur-
ance industry in Oregon and any jobs
associated with it likely would be
wiped out. No need for them when
the state is running the system. And
the fact that it would be a transpar-
ent, government board running the
system may not be such a plus if you
don’t like the prospect of the govern-
ment taking over more of the private
sector and attempting to manage it.
It would be nice to not have to
worry about what treatment might
cost when you go to the doctor or
are wheeled into the emergency
room. But what will people pay?
The rates of the new income taxes that
families will pay are not in the back-
ground documents for the meetings.
The rates of the payroll tax employ-
ers will pay are not there, either.
It’s one thing to tell people that over-
all they would pay 13% less in premi-
ums, deductibles and copays than they
do now. It’s one thing to tell employ-
ers that they would pay 11% less
than they do now in premiums. They
should be told upfront the expected
rates for income and payroll taxes that
those assumptions are based on.
At least according to some task force
documents, households would pay
income tax rates of up to 9.3% in addi-
tion to the income tax they already pay.
There would be marginal rates based
on the federal poverty level. The rates
ramp up. For instance, households
below 200% of the federal poverty
level would pay zero. The line for a
family of four to start paying would
be just over $55,000. A family of four
would pay the highest marginal rate
of 9.3% for income over $110,000.
Employers would pay a payroll
tax based on employee wages. Below
$160,000 a year an employer would pay
a marginal rate of 7.25%, jumping up to
10.5% for income of $160,000 or more.
A plan for universal health care in
Oregon needs to be as frank with the
costs as it is with the possible benefits.
Cousins are friends for a lifetime
TAMMY
MALGESINI
INSIDE MY SHOES
T
here are several memes that allude
to cousins being the first friends
we have as children.
While I have a number of cousins,
there are several on my mom’s side of
the family who are around the same
age. As a kid growing up in California, I
looked forward to our family vacations.
Along with my parents and my brother,
Mike, we would pile into the car and
head up Interstate 5. After camping at
Shasta Lake, we would continue on to
the Medford area, where my cousins,
Wade, Laura and Lynda lived.
I remember many fun-filled times
with my cousins — and a few mishaps.
There was that time we were playing
baseball and I got whacked in the head
by a bat. I had one big goose egg thanks
to my brother’s errant swing. Of course,
that was nothing compared to the time
Mike tried to chop off my toe with a
shovel but that’s a story for another time.
And we shared everything with each
other — including the mumps. Already
on the road during a family vacation,
I started showing the telltale sign of
swollen glands. My mom consulted with
her sister, Willamae, who said to come
anyway. After our vacation ended and
we headed home, the mumps lingered
and infected most everyone in both our
families.
When I was in fifth grade, my family
moved to southern Oregon. It was great
because I had instant friends — Laura
also was a fifth grader and Lynda was
two years behind us.
And I remember not long before my
family moved to Coos Bay — between
my seventh and eighth grade years —
Laura, Lynda and I had a cousin’s night
out. Uncle Jim dropped us off at the
Craterian Theater to see “Paper Moon.”
Afterward, we went to a little restaurant.
In addition to sharing French fries
and sodas, we talked about our dreams
for the future. Laura wanted to live in
the mountains; Lynda talked about sing-
ing on stage and I shared my desire to
make people laugh.
When we were all still in school, we
made frequent trips between Medford
and Coos Bay. And we stayed somewhat
connected into early adulthood.
Although we were close as kids, my
life eventually took me in a different
direction. While I ended up in Herm-
iston, Lynda remained in the Medford
area and Laura eventually moved to
Wallowa County.
However, thanks to social media,
I reconnected with Laura and Lynda
more than a dozen years ago. I’ve visited
with them on numerous occasions —
including hanging out with Laura in her
house in the Wallowa Mountains and
listening to Lynda belt out tunes in vari-
ous venues in Oregon. The last time the
three of us were all together was in 2015.
With our birthdays in February,
March and April, we were going to cele-
brate Laura and me turning 60 in 2020.
Although the pandemic delayed our
original plans, and with Lynda turning
60 this year, we finally set another date.
And with more than three decades
of periodic stand-up comedy gigs under
my belt, I’m sure there will be plenty
of laughter. We’re going to rendezvous
over the Fourth of July at Laura’s place
above Wallowa Lake for our long-
awaited CUZNS 62-62-60 celebration.
———
Tammy Malgesini, the East Oregonian
community writer, enjoys spending time
with her husband and two German shep-
herds, as well as entertaining herself with
random musings.
YOUR VIEWS
B2H line is going
make us pay more
The headline in the East
Oregonian on Tuesday,
May 24, 2022, reads: “Pacifi-
Corp proposes rate increase.”
The requested rate increase is
for 6.8% beginning in 2023.
Let us reflect back a short
while when I wrote a letter
to the editor stating there is a
purposed power line — B2H
— that Idaho Power Co. wants
to build from Boardman to
Hemingway, Idaho. In that
letter I made the comment
that, if the project fails, the
taxpayers would be on the
hook to pay the costs. I was
only partially right as now
PacifiCorp wants to increase
rates to all ratepayers to help
cover their costs of operation.
PacifiCorp is the major-
ity owner of the Idaho Power
project and, with the back-
ing out of Bonneville Power
Administration on the proj-
ect, there are only two major
players in the power line
project — Idaho Power and
PacifiCorp. PacifiCorp is
owned by Berkshire Hatha-
way, who’s main obligation is
their stockholders. When the
project was begun in 2007,
the power company esti-
mated the costs at approxi-
mately a billion dollars. Now
15 years later, the project is
obviously going to have much
higher costs than in 2007.
Interesting that PacifiCorp
wants to increase the rates
at the same time as Idaho
Power desires to start actual
construction of the line, which
at this time has not been
approved. PacifiCorp has
applied for the increase rates
to the Oregon Public Util-
ity Commission, which is to
oversee utilities and to insure
ratepayers and taxpayers are
protected from high costs
and rates. It should be noted
the OPUC just voted against
its own committee that said
Idaho Power’s plan for forest
fires was not adequate.
My question is why should
Oregon ratepayers and
taxpayers need to help pay
for a power line, to benefit
the stock holders of Idaho
Power and Berkshire Hatha-
way, to supply power mostly
for the Boise and surround-
ing areas? I also asked, “Why
would the rate/taxpayers of
Umatilla County care where
the power line would be built,
if not in their backyards?”
The answer is clear — higher
rates and taxes. Yes, even
though the line might not
cross your front yard, it still
will be the taxpayers and
ratepayers who pay the bill.
John Harvey
Stanfield
PFLAG Pendleton
expanding our
Pride and uniting
our community
Many of our supporters
and other curious community
members may be wonder-
ing why PFLAG Pendle-
ton did not participate in
the recent Pride parade in
Pendleton on June 11. PFLAG
chapters have shown their
Pride and marched in Pride
parades all across America
for more than 50 years, and
it was an obvious omission
for PFLAG Pendleton to
not be present at this one.
The local organizers
asked us not to attend, and
we honored their request.
However, PFLAG Pendle-
ton continues to support the
Pendleton LGBTQIA2S+
community, friends and fami-
lies through guest speak-
ers, movie nights, tabling
and monthly social events.
We also debuted a fabu-
lous drag show on June 10 at
the Electric Sundown. This
was made possible by the
support of many local busi-
nesses and the hard work
of numerous volunteers.
We continue to support,
educate and advocate for
anyone seeking our help or
assistance. Please contact us
at pflag.pendleton.or@gmail.
com or call us at 541-966-
8414. You can also find us
on Facebook at PFLAG
Pendleton OR Chapter.
Patrick Cahill
PFLAG Pendleton
Board member