ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
SATURDAy, JULy 30, 2022
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Editor/Senior Reporter
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Voters want
results from
their elected
officials
O
ur elected leaders on both sides
of the aisles politically need to do
much more to realign themselves
with the middle ground of America and
shun the high-powered rhetoric and shouts
of the lunatic fringe in our great society.
True, everyone in our nation has the right
to express an opinion, and that right is a
sacred one that must be guarded. However,
during the past decade it seems those who
sit on the opposite poles of the right and
left have gained new prominence, their
voices louder, their dogma more militant.
In the Oregon Legislature there is a
clear divide among Democrats and Repub-
licans with the GOP vastly outnumbered
and relegated to an ineffective minority.
The state assembly political roster mirrors
our own national stage politics in the
sense there apparently exists a wide gulf
between what each side wants and desires.
In Oregon, the majority Democrats have
the power and use it in ways lawmak-
ers believe their constituents want.
Usually, when major political conflicts
erupt, Republican lawmakers face few alter-
native other than simply leaving the build-
ing to erase a quorum needed for votes.
That means, essentially, that on really
critical issues, the normal discourse
needed by a democracy to succeed breaks
down. One side gains the advantage, or
in Oregon’s case at times, one side is left
standing alone on the dance floor while
the other is long gone from the building.
What those types of actions accomplish
is little for the voters and create a wider
dissatisfaction that continues to grow.
Oregonians have shown in polls they
want more out of this year’s gubernatorial
race than the usual name-calling added to
a good dose of fear-mongering from the
lunatic fringe of both parties. Voters don’t
want more fighting. They want results.
Therein lies the problem. Because results
are not measured — either here at home or
on the national political stage — by prac-
ticable results but instead by which part of
the far left or right can gain ascendency.
Our elected lawmakers on both sides of
the political fence need to begin to work
together and to develop concrete solutions
to difficult problems. Calling Democrats
liberals bent on destroying the Republic
and Republicans as people who want to
create some kind of Handmaid’s Tale-like
system is not only ludicrous but solves no
problems and creates only more problems.
The future of our nation and state
rests on our lawmakers ability to work
through problems. Not fighting.
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
Magazine capacity does
not define or is limited
to an assault weapon
I disagree with Dr. Andrew
Clark’s opinion on assault rifles and
magazine capacity. The U.S. Army
defines this weapon as a short rifle,
medium power weapon capable of
automatic fire. This means that pull-
ing the trigger once will fire all the
ammunition available. A person
cannot buy this weapon legally
through any source in the U.S. except
under very rigid circumstances.
All other rifles require the shooter
to pull the trigger every time a shot
is fired. This makes a huge differ-
ence in the time it takes to fire multi-
ple rounds. Magazines holding more
than five rounds became available
in the 1894 Winchester. Depending
on the caliber, that magazine held
seven, eight or nine rounds. Quite a
few semi-auto, pump and lever-ac-
tion rifles made years ago and still
today hold more than five rounds.
Magazine capacity does not define
or is limited to an assault weapon.
Restricting our Second Amendment
right to own a firearm by modify-
ing the type, color, shape, caliber,
magazine capacity or other criteria
is no different than restricting free
speech. Laws restricting guns or
accessories doesn’t prevent murder
or crime because criminals obtain
guns in many ways that aren’t legal.
Mike Mehren
Hermiston
No land owner will benefit
from this boondoggle
Here we go again with the push
to build the “for profit” Boardman to
Hemingway 500 kilowatt power line.
Idaho Power Co. is one of the operators
of the B2H and owns 45% of the line,
along with PacifiCorp. The companies
hope the line can become a “clean-en-
ergy superhighway.” What the comment
should say is the companies hope the
line will produce the estimated $80
million in profit for the stockholders of
the two investor owned companies.
“The more we study, the more we
are convinced that this is the best option
for the Pacific Northwest,” Idaho Power
spokesperson Sven Berg said. What he
should say is that it is the best option for
the shareholders and has no benefit to the
700-800 private landowners who will
suffer not only from the loss and destruc-
tion of their land but the significant loss
of value due to the line. No land owner
will benefit from this boondoggle.
This land grabbing project began back
in around 2007-10. At that time Idaho
Power was to present an estimate of cost
to build the line, and it was projected
to be around a billion dollars, and, as I
understand it, there was to be safeguards
that taxpayers and ratepayers would not
be picking up any of the costs. At this
point it should be noted, with the with-
drawing of Bonneville Power, Pacifi-
Corp (Berkshire Hathaway) is asking
for a rate increase of more than 6% for
construction and updates of their lines.
It is time for Idaho Power to submit a
new updated projected costs budget.
Idaho Power had planned on buying
steel from Russia for the towers and lines
themselves. That to date has not been
done, nor can it due to current actions
of Russia. What is the new costs of
construction, or should I say destruction,
of the planned line site. If it was esti-
mated around a billion dollars in 2010,
what is the overall estimates now? Why
did the Oregon Public Utility Commis-
sion form a commission to study the fire
prevention plan of Idaho Power, which
returned a summary that Idaho Powers
fire prevention plan was not up to stan-
dards, only to override the commission’s
findings and make an exception for
Idaho Power? How many energy projects
has the Department of Energy Siting
Council ever rejected? Idaho Power is
to receive a 10% bonus in construction
costs, most of which will go to investors.
John and Cyndi Harvey
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