Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2015)
A4 Opinion wallowa.com October 7, 2015 Wallowa County Chieftain Overtime rule promises more than it will deliver T he president wants to change the rules on when workers are eligible for overtime pay. And as with attempts to increase the minimum wage, he wrongly assumes that government can increase ZRUNHULQFRPHE\¿DWZKHUHWKHUHLVQRFRUUHVSRQGLQJ increase in economic output. The Fair Labor Standards Act mandates that hourly wage earners be paid time-and-a-half when they work more than 40 hours in a regular work EDITORIAL week. The act exempts The voice of the Chieftain salaried and some hourly workers — managers, executives, administrative staff and professionals — IURPUHFHLYLQJRYHUWLPHLIWKH\PHHWQDUURZO\GH¿QHG criteria and are paid at least $455 a week. That’s $23,660 a year. The criteria, including the wage levels, are set by Department of Labor regulations. The president wants to increase the minimum salary to $970 per week, or $50,440. The president also proposes mechanisms that would increase that minimum automatically over time. The administration said as many as 5 million U.S. workers will become eligible for overtime under the rule, and will collectively receive more than $1.2 billion in extra earnings. “It’s one of the single most important steps we can take to help grow middle-class wages,” the president said. A lobster in every pot, and a unicorn in every garage. While it makes a great headline, unless the president is writing checks he can’t guarantee anyone a pay raise. The operative word in all of this is “eligible.” Though many politicians would have us believe otherwise, businesses don’t have a magic pot of money WKDW¿OOVXSWRPHHWQHZJRYHUQPHQWPDQGDWHV$QG they don’t employ people as part of a social welfare scheme, but to accomplish work that contributes to the SUR¿WDELOLW\RIWKHEXVLQHVV Aren’t there some employers who take advantage and classify workers as “exempt” just to cheat them out of overtime? Yes, unfortunately, there are. But most employers are fair, and try to offer pay competitive in the local market commensurate with the duties performed. This mandate raises no new revenue, delivers no new customers, produces no additional goods or services. So rather than get a pay increase, most workers will probably see their base wage fall so that everything remains equal. The assistant manager working 50 hours now and making $35,000 as a salaried employee will still work 50 hours and make $35,000 as an hourly employee. $QGLILWGLGWKHPDWKRQLWVRZQ¿JXUHVWKH administration knows this. That $1.2 billion in extra wages averages out to $240 per new eligible worker. Hardly the stuff that middle class dreams are made of. All Americans could use more money in their paycheck. But most Americans are smart enough to know that won’t happen unless there’s more money coming into the business. Too bad the president and KLVDGYLVHUVKDYHQ¶W¿JXUHGWKDWRXW USPS No. 665-100 P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828 2I¿FH1:)LUVW6W(QWHUSULVH2UH 3KRQH)D[ :DOORZD&RXQW\¶V1HZVSDSHU6LQFH Enterprise, Oregon M EMBER O REGON N EWSPAPER P UBLISHERS A SSOCIATION P UBLISHER Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com R EPORTER Stephen Tool, stool@wallowa.com R EPORTER Kathleen Ellyn, kellyn@wallowa.com N EWSROOM ASSISTANT editor@wallowa.com A D S ALES CONSULTANT Jennifer Powell, jpowell@wallowa.com G RAPHIC D ESIGNER Robby Day, rday@wallowa.com O FFICE MANAGER Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY : EO Media Group 3HULRGLFDO3RVWDJH3DLGDW(QWHUSULVHDQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV Subscription rates (includes online access) Wallowa County Out-of-County 1 Year $40.00 $57.00 6XEVFULSWLRQVPXVWEHSDLGSULRUWRGHOLYHU\ See the Wallowa County Chieftain on the Internet www.wallowa.com facebook.com/Wallowa | twitter.com/wcchieftain POSTMASTER — Send address changes to Wallowa County Chieftain P.O. Box 338 Enterprise, OR 97828 Contents copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Volume 133 Mistake leads to success I’ve always found elk meat a little salty for my taste. But that was proba- bly from the tears of frustration running off my face while eating elk somebody else brought home. Years of unsuccess- ful bowhunting did seem to educate me a little bit each season. Not to brag, but some of those paper airplanes I made RXW RI XQXVHG HON WDJV FRXOG UHDOO\ À\ The learning curve for pursuing elk with a bow and arrow taught me last year I VKRXOGSUREDEO\JHWDULÀHWDJIRUDFRZ if I wanted decent odds at eating elk meat ,JRWRQP\RZQ%XW,¿QDOO\PDGHWKH right mistakes this year. Success. Still tastes pretty salty, but tears of joy have a higher salinity. First good mistake I made this year ZDVIRUJHWWLQJWRSXWLQIRUDULÀHKXQW Those application deadlines somehow come up faster than elk run away after they get your wind. I’ve gone the route of applying real early, sometimes drawn good tags and of course had some con- ÀLFWSRSXSVRWKHRQO\WLPH,KDGWRXVH the tag was folding another paper air- plane after the deadline went by. I guess I don’t mind supporting my pals at Fish & Wildlife. The best mistake I made this year was either not packing enough water, not man. I set up and here he comes, antler tips weaving through the forest. The ta- chometer on my heart rate went into the red. My adrenal glands had to open Jon up a factory overseas to meet demand. Rombach This. This is what all the practice arrows and preparation and paper airplanes are EULQJLQJ DORQJ P\ ZDWHU ¿OWHU WR PDNH about. Here he comes, out into the open, more, or not rationing the water I did almost, except for that little Charlie have. But it was tough. On the day in Brown Christmas tree he’s standing be- question my hunting partner ran short hind, blocking the shot. It’s probably a of water by the middle of the day. I had good thing I didn’t get that 5 point bull. been sharing some beef jerky I made, He wouldn’t have rewritten any record which was very salty. Whoops. He was books, but I’d need a neck brace right set to hike back to our camp to reaquify, now to support my big head if that had but allowed me talk him into sharing my EHHQP\¿UVWHONZLWKDERZ An hour later I’d circled around, set water. He was polite about it, though, and barely took any so after we split up up and tried calling him in again. I could all I could think about was how thirsty KHDU WZR HON FRPLQJ 7KH ¿UVW WR VKRZ he must be. That just made me thirsty was a young spike and there was no lit- and soon enough I was out of water my- tle tree in the way. It’s like Thanksgiving self. The timing wasn’t great. Animals each time I prepare this elk meat. I also would be on the move soon, headed for get surprisingly thirsty and pour a tall water, and that’s all I could think about glass of water while cooking, remember- ing the hours of being parched out there myself. Just as I was dropping down the trail while taking care of the meat before the back to camp I got into a group of cows. long hike back to camp in the dark. Rare- They moved into the timber. A stout bu- ly have I been that thirsty, that tired, or gle came from a bull wondering where that content. Jon Rombach is a local columnist for everybody was going. I bugled back. No call waiting. He got right back to me. Oh, the Chieftain. AND FURTHERMORE In support of Wallowa Valley Orchestra To the Editor, Another exciting season for the Wal- lowa Valley Orchestra is under way. We are a group of local musicians, of all ages and skill levels, who enjoy getting together weekly for a short time and re- hearsing a variety of music with conduc- tors, R. Lee Friese and Randy Morgan, in preparation for a local concert. 7KHUHDUHPDQ\EHQH¿WVWRWKLVJURXS We continue to learn our craft, with help from each other and instruction as nec- essary. There is always someone avail- able who can advise or teach an aspect of the piece that you may be struggling with. No matter how long you’ve played your instrument or been able to read mu- sic, there is always something more to learn. We are continuing and encouraging traditions for future generations. No one wants to lose any aspect of a culture, playing music together helps maintain a classical format of rehearsal and per- formance that is not often available to a local area. Normally, you would go to a performance in a metropolitan area and VHHD¿QDOSURGXFWEXWLW¶VQRWRIWHQDQ opportunity comes to you or seeks par- ticipation on a local level. Another side of participation is the audience, without that feature, there would be no reason to hold a concert. We believe the audience is one of the most important aspects of a concert. The time you invested learning to play an instrument as a child isn’t nec- essarily lost as an adult. Someone who might not have played for many years is able to start again regardless of age or ability. A little time practicing, a lit- tle encouragement from peers, time spent re-exercising memories, produc- es amazing results that might surprise and please you. Music encourages brain health and stimulates mental growth, and regardless of physical ability you can generally continue to play an instru- ment. The musicians of the Wallowa Valley Orchestra would like to extend an invita- tion to join us, as a participant preparing for the October 25 concert or as an au- dience member. We’d also like to invite you to visit a rehearsal if you’d be in- terested in seeing how we put things to- gether. We rehearse Tuesday evenings at Enterprise High School band room, 6:30 - 8 p.m.. If you’d like more information regarding our organization, contact the Inland Northwest Musicians at (541) <RXFDQDOVR¿QGXVDWZZZ inlandnorthwestmusicians.com and on LETTERS TO THE EDITOR facebook as Wallowa Valley Orchestra and Inland Northwest Musicians. Kathy Vernam Wallowa Valley Orchestra, Inland Northwest Musicians Lostine Progress with rails and trails To the Editor, My late mother described inertia as “the property of a body at rest to stay at rest and the property of a body in motion to stay in motion,” and it’s the former KDOIRIWKDWGH¿QLWLRQWKDW¶VJHQHUDWHGVR much opposition to the Feasibility Study months from being completed regarding the proposed Rails and Trails between Wallowa and Union counties. In December, results from that study coordinated by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and students from Eastern Oregon University will be presented to the body with ultimate control regarding the future of that pos- sibility: Wallowa Union Railroad Au- thority’s Board of Directors. While interested parties pro and anti to the Rails/Trails concept consistently have gathered to voice opinions about whether or not that proposed 64-mile bicycle/pedestrian path should be built along a mostly abandoned railroad line, both democratic logic and economic realism are quietly morphing into what could become an equitable solution. I’ve attended several public meet- ings on the matter and both watched and listened as quiet proponents and vocal opponents sitting at respective tables complied with and decried the efforts of Rocky Houston from Parks and EOU student Dana Kurtz as they outlined the latest status of the Feasibility Study. And, subtly, I see progress being made. Though friends I’ve grown up with often claim it’s a done deal, that Hous- ton and party are ramming what they don’t want down their throats without hearing their voices, I disagree. The last meeting I attended described ¿YHGLIIHUHQWVW\OHVRIWUDLOWKDWFRXOGEH implemented if construction is feasible and desired by WURA, and my under- standing was—both to meet the desired wishes of landowners within Wallowa County and to reduce overall expenses to build such a trail—the proposed route through the Wallowa Valley would leave the railroad line and utilize existing roadways. This wouldn’t keep those doggone foreigners from coming to Wallowa County, but shy of building the Great Wall of China to border us off, it might be an equitable solution. And yet, as Houston says at every meeting, all they’re doing is gathering information to provide WURA’s board with data from which to advance or de- rail a proposed plan. Rocky Wilson Wallowa Either side spends with little regard To the Editor, “We don’t like taxes.” (“It’s mine, my money, keep your hands off it.”). This seems to be a core principle of Repub- licans at this time. However they do like spending, e.g. a bottomless pocketbook for all things militaristic. The Republicans and Democrats spend with little regard to how it all gets paid for. The suggested solutions are reaf- ¿UPLQJRIWKHLUUHVSHFWLYH³LGHRORJLHV´ Democrats would raise taxes and pro- nounce hollow words about reduced spending. Republicans think less taxes on ev- eryone will equate to more individual wealth and consumer spending, thus ac- tuating increased production (growth) to satisfy consumer demand. This plan ne- cessitates less spending to compensate for lost revenue, and the hollow words of the Democrats on this subject are given form and substance by some Re- publicans with the intent of cutting social SURJUDPVVLJQL¿FDQWO\ Another group of Republicans, joined vigorously by Democrats, maintains end- ing loopholes in the tax system will com- pensate for reduced revenue. And it would, PRVWO\7KHLGHDKDVEHHQÀRDWLQJDURXQG for years, and for obvious reasons, there DUHQRVSHFL¿FVDERXWZKLFKWD[ORRSKROHV must go and which may stay. 'HEW DQG GH¿FLW DUH SURFUDVWLQDWLRQV albeit with wringing of hands. As long as there is a tomorrow, there lies the solution. Patrick Dunroven Enterprise