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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2019)
OPINION Wallowa County Chieftain A4 Who defi nes rural America? Wednesday, April 17, 2019 A nyone who follows the New York Times probably noticed that within days of each other the nationally infl uential paper pub- lished columns by two icons of contemporary jour- nalism: David Brooks and Paul Krugman. The authors, coming from opposite sides of the political spectrum each analyze the state of rural America. The author’s diverging worldview are apparent from the start — just look at the respective titles. Brooks: “What America has to Teach Us.” And Krugman: “Getting Real About Rural America.” While both are insightful they are instructive, it’s when examined should-to-shoulder that their value truly shines. An important message rests between the lines. Their opposing ways of thinking — even more their differing conclusions can be seen as an asset. The ever humble Brooks, with his optimistic dis- position and educational background in Humanities conveys a perspective emphasizing human values and hope. As East of the Oregonian publisher Chris Rush observed, Brooks “spent time with his subjects, got to know them, their motivations, their aspirations … .” Brooks challenges the contention that rural America is in a state of decline by reshap- ing the analytical framework. Rather than emphasizing the decline in popula- tion or the lagging industrial challenges that face rural communities, Brooks tells a story of strength of character and civic responsibly. He notes importance of community identity and the sense of place. In contrast, the left-leaning, Nobel Prize winning economist, Krugman analyzes his subject in terms of numbers, data-points, empirical trends and compara- tive analysis. Admittedly more cynical that his coun- terpart, Krugman’s assessment urges a reality-check for rural America. If, as Brooks asserts, rural America’s identity and integrity remain strong, the economist Krugman aptly observes that the of industry driving of rural economies is not. He observes that between the mid- 1950s and now, the 6 million jobs have evaporated to 2 million. Coal mining jobs have dropped from 150,000 to 50,000 in that time. Contrary to the face-value of the two pieces, they shouldn’t be seen as mutually exclusive. The two intellectuals observe their subject through vary- ing points of view and value their research in differ- ent ways. The message of each author at their most basic level seem to be this: Brooks and his optimism values human virtue and community engagement then asks: “How can we spread the civic mind-set they (in rural America) have in abundance?” Meanwhile, Krugman’s realism values the obser- vation of concerning trends and concludes: “We can’t help rural America without understanding that the role it used to play in our nation is being under- mined by powerful economic forces that nobody knows how to stop.” What Brooks gets right and Krugman neglects is the unquantifi able values embedded in rural life: The grit and innovative drive in communities like Wallowa County, where residents take care of their neighbors — in good times and in bad. On the other hand, Krugman’s analytical approach serves as a much needed sound of alarm for the overly optimistic among us. If rural America isn’t in decline, it’s trending tendency to lag behind its urban counterpart is more than a cyclical eco- nomic downturn. If communities like Wallowa County remain asleep at the wheel and neglect accept change now, Krugman’s grim warning will ring true in the history books. Perhaps both provide an accurate assessment of rural America. Through contemporary science we now under- stand that political disposition is largely a product of genetic brain chemistry. Think on that for a moment. Consider Brooks and Krugman: two unquestionably intelligent and thoughtful people; both well edu- cated, incisive and accomplished with radically dif- ferent ways of thinking clearly linked to radically different outcomes. We need to utilize the sometimes confl icting qual- ities for the common good rather than fi ght over their merits. If we do, through communication and dialogue we can solve the problems of today and prepare for tomorrow. VOICE CHIEFTAIN Christian Ambroson is the editor of the Wal- lowa County Chieftain, he lives in Joseph. VOICE of the CHIEFTAIN Help and hope for Oregon’s suicide crisis T hat 825 Oregonians died in a single year by suicide is a sobering assessment of our col- lective ability to help those who feel trapped in their own despair. That it’s such a hidden statistic, however, is an embarrassing refl ec- tion of our collective ignorance. Hun- dreds more people died by suicide in Oregon in 2017 than by traffi c crashes, fi rearms or drug overdose. The sui- cide rate in Oregon is well above the national average, as it has been for the past three decades. Yet this undeniable public health issue has lacked the pub- lic attention and sustained outcry that it desperately needs. Some of that stems from the stigma that persists around mental illness and suicide, shutting off conversation or even acknowledgment that a sui- cide has occurred. Some may stem from the fear of encouraging “copy- cat” behavior. Regardless of the moti- vation, however, our families, schools, communities and media organizations have too often chosen the easy way out by simply keeping silent. Mean- while, the suicide rate in Oregon and the United States has continued to climb. Clearly, silence hasn’t worked. This week, news organizations around the state are collaborating to bring atten- tion to the problem of suicide, report on populations at highest risk and share resources on how to prevent it. While the “Breaking the Silence” proj- ect won’t necessarily provide answers, it aims to start a statewide effort to confront it. Using responsible report- ing practices that examine, not sen- sationalize, suicide, these stories can provide the common understand- ing, motivation, tools and questions that can help the community mobilize against this public health threat. The data show just how widespread a problem this is. Oregon’s suicide rate is 14th highest in the country and suicide is the second leading cause of death for those ages 10 to 34, accord- ing to the Oregon Health Authority. One fi fth of those who kill themselves are veterans. More than half the deaths are caused by fi rearms. While those statistics may seem daunting, they can also provide possi- ble avenues where leaders can make a difference. Such data, in the aggregate, can help build support for increased funding for veterans’ health services or provide tangible prevention options, such as the 2017 law that allows fam- ily members and police offi cers to petition a court to take away fi rearms from someone at risk for suicide or causing harm to others. We also need to recognize that Ore- gon’s youth are struggling. Nearly 9% of eighth-graders self-reported having tried to kill themselves one or more People move when they are hungry O r scared. My grandfather left Norway about 1900, when he was 18, following an older brother to America, because the farm had been broken up too many times and could no longer support the growing family. Years later, after my grandfather died, in Minnesota, I visited the farm in Norway. The youngest brother he’d never met, retired now, watched as his youngest son worked the farm; the rest of that generation too is scattered over Norway and America. The Germans were the scared ones. My grandfather on that side was just two when his family made it to Minnesota in the late 1890s. From the 1840s on, right through the Civil War, Germans made up the largest share of American immi- grants. Borders shifted, people moved and were moved by bigger powers, and men feared serving in the Kaiser’s army. They came to America, made sausages and beer in Milwaukee and St. Louis, farmed and started small businesses across the Midwest. We’re taught that the earliest Anglo and European immigrants to America were fl eeing religious persecution, but odds are that more of them were hungry. Over half who came before the found- ing were indentured servants, taken to the docks by their fathers, handed over to ships’ captains to be sold into ser- vitude in America. Maybe the parents and remaining siblings would make it on diminished agricultural crops in a MAIN STREET Rich Wandschneider Europe cold with the Little Ice Age. The Irish were hungry too when the potato blight hit and ruined their sta- ple crop; millions fl ed to America; thou- sands fi lled the Catholic priesthood across the world. Today, some 3 million Syrian refu- gees are in Turkey, a million or more in Jordan. Two or three times that many are internally displaced. We think of them as war refugees, and although that is likely the immediate cause, drought and hunger is what drove them from farms to Aleppo and Damascus where they looked for work and food and jumped in when demonstrators demanded political change. Odds are that the Arab Spring in Egypt and Tunisia and across the Middle East was fueled or infl amed by similar rural to urban pressures. In Europe the refugees—and there are millions—are primarily from Africa. Families split up when drought and hun- ger comes, gather resources and send a few to seek relief in Europe and send remittances to Africa. And this is pretty much the situation at our southern bor- der. Remittances have been important sources of income in Mexico and Cen- Wallowa County’s Newspaper Since 1884 M EMBER O REGON N EWSPAPER P UBLISHERS A SSOCIATION Published every Wednesday by: EO Media Group VOLUME 134 USPS No. 665-100 P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828 Offi ce: 209 NW First St., Enterprise, Ore. Phone: 541-426-4567 • Fax: 541-426-3921 Contents copyright © 2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. times in the previous year and nearly double that percentage considered it, according to Oregon Health Authority data. That children just entering their teen years would even think of suicide as an option should be its own open- and-shut case for more counseling, support and training in schools. And health offi cials can lead by providing guidance for families, schools, health departments, physicians and nonprof- its on how to talk about suicide both as a general public health issue and on an individual basis. This is not an insurmountable prob- lem. Resources already exist and show that crisis counseling lines and other outreach efforts make a difference. Even friends and family members can take steps to help a loved one who is struggling by asking a series of ques- tions about whether they have wished they were dead, thought about killing themselves or made any plans toward killing themselves. But it requires the willingness to have those uncomfort- able conversations in the fi rst place. The effects of suicide reach far beyond the individual. The injury is borne by families, friends, communi- ties and the public at large. It’s long past time to start treating it that way. ——— This editorial fi rst appeared in The Oregonian and is being published in newspapers across the state this week. General manager, Jennifer Cooney, jcooney@wallowa.com Editor, Christian Ambroson, editor@wallowa.com Publisher, Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com Reporter, Stephen Tool, steve@wallowa.com Reporter, Ellen Morris Bishop, ebishop@wallowa.com Administrative Assistant, Amber Mock, amock@wallowa.com Advertising Assistant, Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com tral America for some time. The sit- uation in Honduras now is probably the worst. The New York Times pro- fi led coffee farmers there, and said yes- terday that “gradually rising tempera- tures, more extreme weather events and increasingly unpredictable patterns — like rain not falling when it should, or pouring when it shouldn’t — have dis- rupted growing cycles and promoted the relentless spread of pests.” “The obstacles have cut crop produc- tion or wiped out entire harvests, leav- ing already poor families destitute,” it continues. Look for coffee prices and refugee numbers to rise. We’re going to have to fi nd a way to deal with it— it might be a way to fi ll places left by a shrinking population in many parts of the US. Here’s where it gets interesting. The US right now is experiencing major internal dislocations, and if you watched the recent weather news from Nebraska, have followed the land loss into the Gulf in Louisiana and Florida, growing fi re events in California, and this week- end’s tornados in Texas, we can expect some large movements of people within the country. The look on the Nebraska farmer’s face as he surveys dead cows on land inundated by fl ood is resigna- tion—he says he’ll rebuild, but will his children take up the farm? The faces in fl ooded Texas and Louisiana and smoke- fi lled California are more terror than res- ignation. People are leaving. 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