4 A
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WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ DECEMBER 14, 2016
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
LETTERS
Ponderous Bureaucracy
In a deeply polarized nation where public
confidence in governmental institutions is as
low as negative campaigning was high, many
people are worried about a rush by the winners
to fulfill promises that, on the surface, are per-
ceived by many to be fundamentally threaten-
ing.
Traditionally, we look to the Founders’
genius in devising a government of three
branches whose constitutional interplay of pow-
ers and duties provides the checks and balances
designed to protect against arbitrary or unre-
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strained exercise of power.
But, when all three branches are dominated
by a single goal, checks and balances can be lost
in the excitement of dominance.
An informal fourth branch, the news media
protected by the First Amendment, has served
as an impediment to callous governmental over-
reach. But, facing systemic and competitive
changes in journalism, it failed to effectively
alert the electorate to the flood of misinforma-
tion awash in our politicking.
An extra-constitutional fifth branch, the
bureaucracy, is seldom seen in positive terms.
This professional secretariat is the part of gov-
ernment that implements the promises of the
winners. Its public image is one of red tape,
obstruction and slow down.
Nevertheless, it makes possible the function-
ing of huge, complex and unique organizations
like State, Defense, HHS, and Homeland
Security even when they are headed by novices
with no government experience.
The bureaucracy’s structure, mirroring its
duties and responsibilities, sets the pace of gov-
erning to ensure predictability and organization-
al stability through predetermined decision-
making criteria.
The Founders never envisioned today’s pon-
derous bureaucracy.
Still, they would find it consistent with their
constitutional design to slow the process of pol-
icy change. Some 230 years later, with radical
proposals by one-party rulership in the offing,
this fifth-branch governor on governing is the
last brake on unrestrained exercise of authority
feared by the Founders.
The bureaucracy — who would have
thought?
Arnold Buchman
Florence
Lovely afternoon
One of the highlights of the Christmas season
this year has been a delightful afternoon of pure
Great concern
Let me say that I have never been an enthusi-
astic supporter of Hillary Clinton, and I believe
she lost because she was a deeply flawed candi-
date.
I did vote for her as the lesser of two evils in
my opinion. Supporters of the President-elect
ask me why I can’t give him a chance and the
reasons are many.
To begin with, he lied as a candidate and con-
tinues to lie as President-elect. He claimed to
save 1,100 jobs at Carrier in Indiana when, in
reality, only 730 jobs were saved — and they
were saved by the taxpayers of Indiana, at a cost
of $7 million in tax incentives.
Why should I believe he will change to a
truth teller after the inauguration?
His proposed cabinet appointees cause me
great concern. He claims to be the candidate of
working people, yet he has named the Goldman
Sachs CEO and other billionaires to his cabinet.
If you believe these folks have your best inter-
ests at heart, think again.
His Department of Treasury nominee, Steve
Mnuchin, made his billions aggressively fore-
closing on people’s homes during the housing
crisis in 2008 and ’09; Betsy DeVos,
Department of Education nominee, has said she
doesn’t believe in public schools; Andrew
Puzder, the nominee for Department of Labor,
is against setting a federal minimum wage and
supports robots replacing humans in minimum
wage jobs; Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, said to
be in consideration for Secretary of State, has
been a friend of Putin since the early ’90s.
Speaking of Putin, it seems our President-
elect admires dictators and strongmen as lead-
ers, even so far as to discredit 17 intelligence
agencies that have agreed that Russia hacked
the DNC and attempted to interfere in our elec-
tions.
It’s not that I believe the outcome would have
been any different. But the fact that they tried is
scary enough. Putin is not a friend to
Democracy; he is a thug.
We must ask what the President-elect’s finan-
cial investments or obligations are with Russia.
Unfortunaetly, we will never know because he
refuses to show his tax returns.
Other cabinet appointees are concerning as
well. Tom Price, Department of Human
Services nominee, has advocated for privatizing
Medicare.
Privatization is the final step to ending it alto-
gether. Personally, I don’t want anyone touch-
ing my Medicare.
Tom Pruitt, nominee for head of the EPA,
says he doesn’t believe the science behind cli-
mate change.
The President-elect has merely emboldened
the far right white nationalists with his rhetoric
and with the appointment of former Breitbart
editor, Steve Bannon, sending the message that
these neo-Nazi types are safe to attack, blame
and discriminate against LGBT, Muslims,
blacks, Latinos and other minority groups under
his leadership.
Personally, I say “no” hate in my America.
For the sake of our country, I hope I am
wrong about what I see happening. But, so far,
the President-elect has given me no sign that I
can expect anything but chaos during his presi-
dency.
Marybeth Marenco
Florence
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John Bartlett
Jenna Bartlett
Ned Hickson
Susan Gutierrez
Cathy Dietz
Ron Annis
Jeremy Gentry
lovely Christmas music with the Community
Chorus, Bell Choir, Florence Nightingales and
Siuslaw Middle School choir
And of course, led by director Jennifer Weier,
accompanied by Rhianna Haines.
The Presbyterian Church was almost over-
whelmed by the attendance, but came through
by accommodating all the people wanting to
attend.
Thank you all and Merry Christmas!
David Johnsen
Florence
Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line 503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
West Lane County Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us