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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2018)
SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018 | 7A CANDIDATES from page 6A 16,000 new jobs and make our roads safer. We passed a first in the nation pay equity and fair scheduling bills. We worked together to ensure that 430,000 Oregonians have ac- cess to affordable health care be- cause everyone should be able to see the doctor when they’re sick. Buehler: Brown has been in elected office for 30 years and the past four as governor. She has more money than any other governor in Oregon’s history, yet our most pressing problems continue to get worse — teachers are still getting laid off, class sizes are getting bigger and our graduation rates are still third-worst in the nation. We have a growing homelessness crisis and vulnerable foster kids are not getting the care they need. Brown had her chance to show that she is capable of solving the big problems facing Oregonians. We need new leadership. I will lead where Kate Brown has failed. U.S. Congressional Race DeFazio and Robinson face off for the fifth time. Oregon has five Congressional Districts and Florence is included in District 4. District 4 represents the southern half of Oregon’s coast- al counties including Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane and Linn counties and most of Benton and Josephine counties. Democrat Rep. Peter DeFazio has represented District 4 since 1987 and is running for re-election this year. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University and a Master of Arts degree from the Uni- versity of Oregon. He is the ranking member on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc- ture and is running against oppo- nent Art Robinson. Robinson has a Bachelor of Sci- ence degree from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California in San Diego. He is a well-known scientific and medical researcher, having worked with Li- nus Pauling co-founding the pres- tigious Institute of Orthomolecular Medicine. He served as president, director and tenured research professor at the research facility after it was re- named the Linus Pauling Institute in 1971. Why are you interested in rep- resenting Oregon District 4? DeFazio: Most Oregonians are tired of partisan bickering and grid- lock in Washington. And so am I. But I have a fire in my belly and a lot of good ideas about how we can make progress for the American people. I would like the Congress to work together to improve health care, make investments in job-creating infrastructure programs and make college more affordable. I will work with the Trump White House or anybody else to meet those goals. But when I disagree with the presi- dent or my party I will use my voice and my vote to stand up for our Or- egon values. I have built seniority that puts me in position to be the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee if Demo- crats win the majority. I will be part of crafting an agenda that makes investments in our roads, bridges, ports and airports and creates jobs and strengthens the economy. Robinson: I am running because I think I can do a good job. I have been successful in medical research and I have been a successful educa- tor and scientist. Most importantly, I have been successful in the real world. Mr. DeFazio has served in congress for 40 years and he has no real-world experience. As a scientist I am a problem solver. DeFazio does not want to solve the problems we face, he just wants to figure out how he can benefit from them. All he really cares about is making sure he gets re-elected. What issues are you most concerned with at this time? DeFazio: Many Oregonians are one serious health issue away from personal financial crisis. Quality affordable healthcare is the top con- cern of most Americans and a top priority for Democrats in Congress. It’s time to reduce healthcare costs by expanding coverage, protecting consumers, creating a public option outside of the for-profit insurance industry, and allowing the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare recipients. Robinson: I am really concerned with improving access to medical care. There are estimates that as much as 20 percent of the earn- ings of real people go to paying for their medical costs and medical care. I have spent a lifetime work- ing in the medical field and know we can make a lot of progress there. The economy has improved under President Trump and we need to take this opportunity to support the president’s initiatives to reform healthcare. Again, Mr. DeFazio has no inter- est in providing good health care to people; all he wants to do is figure out a way to secure votes, while continuing to postpone meaningful changes to the healthcare system. What are the most significant challenges facing the House this term? DeFazio: If Democrats win the majority in the House, it will be a message from the electorate that they want Congress to uphold its constitutional duty to serve as a check on the Trump administra- tion. As Chairman of the House Transportation Committee with oversight of the General Services Administration, I plan to investi- gate the president’s conflict of inter- est as both the lessee and lessor of the Trump Hotel and White House involvement in the siting of a new FBI Headquarters. It will be a challenge to find com- mon ground legislatively, but I’m hopeful that we can come together in Congress to make a significant investment in our nation’s infra- structure to create good-paying jobs in construction, technology and engineering, and get the country’s economy moving. I have three bipartisan infra- structure proposals — that are ful- ly paid for and would not increase the deficit — that would invest over $500 billion in the nation’s crum- bling roads, bridges, transit systems, ports, harbors, and airports. Ac- cording to the Council of Economic Advisers, every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure creates or sustains 13,000 jobs. I am also hopeful we can find common ground to reduce health- care costs by expanding cover- age, protecting consumers, creat- ing a public option outside of the for-profit insurance industry, and allowing the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare recipients. Robinson: Electing represen- tatives that support the president. President Trump has done a great job fixing the economy and cutting taxes. But Mr. DeFazio opposes the president, not for his ideas or poli- cies but as a partisan attack on the president. I think it is very important that we elect representatives that sup- port the president and his pol- icies. Mr. DeFazio has opposed any changes that the president has wanted to make, not because of the policies, but as a way to make a par- tisan point. He does this for votes, not be- cause of what he believes. Provide our readers with the major differences between your opponents and yourself DeFazio: I supported the Af- fordable Care Act and expansion of Medicare to 150,000 people in my district. My opponent opposes expanding Medicare and making health care more affordable. I support strengthening Social Security by lifting the cap and mak- ing all income subject to the federal payroll tax — a waiter shouldn’t pay a higher percentage of his or her sal- ary to Social Security than a CEO of a corporation. My opponent wants to privatize Social Security and let Wall Street gamble with it. I’ve always supported a wom- an’s right to choose and access the health care that she needs. I stand with Planned Parenthood and have opposed efforts to defund this critical service. My opponent has said that he’s “rabidly pro-life” and has said that banning abor- tion is the most important issue in America. I believe that the federal govern- ment can and should do more to invest in our students and schools by increasing K-12 funding, as well as affordable higher education op- portunities. My opponent has con- sistently said that “the whole pub- lic-school system is child abuse” and that he thinks “public schools should be abolished.” I am actively working in Con- gress to advance plans and pro- grams to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce our dependence DONATE NOW! Maximize your donation by donating to Cars for a Cause by Dec. 31st. We accept cars, trucks, RVs, boats & motorcycles CALL NOW! •Helps those in need in Lane County • Charitable donation •We do all the paperwork on fossil fuels, and address the dangers of a changing climate. My opponent believes that climate change is a myth and we should “Burn the coal fields” because we would benefit from the increase in carbon dioxide. My opponent believes chronic radiation is good for your health. I don’t. Robinson: The main difference between Mr. DeFazio and myself, as I have said, is his lack of re- al-world experience and the fact that he doesn’t really want to solve problems, he wants to benefit from them. He believes that big government can solve every problem by creat- ing another tax. He has been more concerned with getting re-elected than in addressing the issues that Oregonians care about. He did nothing to save our timber indus- try when he had the chance. He got money for the counties and did nothing to keep the indus- try alive. He did not solve the prob- lem, he figured out how to benefit from the problem. Every election he has given speeches to fix the VA (Veterans Affairs). He has someone at his office take calls from vets needing help and he helps those individuals that call his office. The problems our VA Depart- ment has could be fixed simply by issuing a medical card for all vet- erans. That card could be used at any medical facility, anywhere in the country. But he hasn’t done that because he doesn’t want to fix the problem, he just wants to get votes. COASTAL from page 1A President Trump in April, which en- courages offshore oil and gas explora- tion and production in federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf, which includes waters off of the Oregon coast. “Our country is blessed with in- credible natural resources, including abundant offshore oil and natural gas resources, but the federal govern- ment has kept 94% of these offshore areas closed for exploration and pro- duction,” Trump said. “This deprives our country of potentially thousands and thousands of jobs and billions in wealth.” The need to maintain the states’ special mix of forests, mountains, sea- shores and wildlife is clear, according to Brown, who cites the significant economic and cultural assets that could be jeopardized if the president’s plan to increase offshore oil drilling is implemented. The protection afforded by Brown’s order is important, not only for the fiscal benefits gained from visitors, but also for the historical and cultural aspects of the region that may be com- promised. Brown also pointed out that many locations along the coast hold spe- cial significance for Native American tribes. These groups are sovereign entities, recognized by the state and federal government, and any develop- ment that impacts that sovereignty is a violation of law. Other reasons given by Brown in- clude the 22,000 jobs and $2 billion created by the coastal tourism and recreation industry annually and the historic accessibility of all 363 miles of Oregon’s coast to the public. According to Brown, the Oregon Coastal Management Program has a unique oversight responsibility to de- termine the best ways to protect and enrich Oregon’s coastal assets. Her inclusion of this program in her or- der implies the organization would be integral to the process of determining the viability of any federal attempt to extract oil or gas from Oregon’s coast- al waters. The timing of Brown’s order was significant in a smaller, but meaning- ful way. The order took effect two days prior to the 2018 State of the Coast Conference and one week before the mid-term elections on Nov. 6. The State of the Coast was held Sat- urday, Oct. 24, at the Hales Center for the Performing Arts at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay. It was sponsored and coordinat- ed by the Oregon Sea Grant branch of Oregon State University (OSU). Jaime Doyle is a member of the Sea Grant Extension faculty and was part of the team that coordinated this year’s conference. “There is such a positive ener- gy from participants at State of the Coast,” Doyle said. “We see this en- thusiasm for our coast, for the marine environment and for our coastal com- munities, as a key piece of the future of our coast, and we are thrilled to pro- vide a space that can help to cultivate this passion.” According to Doyle, there was a panel specifically on Oil and Gas off the Oregon Coast. Please share anything else you feel is important for our readers to know about this election DeFazio: This is the most im- portant election of our lifetime. I hope I have earned your vote for U.S. Representative to return to Congress and continue fighting for our shared priorities and values. Robinson: We need to elect someone that has a fresh perspec- tive on the problems that we face. It is also important to build on the positive steps made by President Trump and send individuals to the House of Representatives that will work with the president to imple- ment his reform agenda. I just want to say two words that are very popular across the coun- try: “Term limits.” There is a point where a con- gressman becomes unproductive, ineffective and complacent and I believe that Mr. DeFazio has reached that point. Both Robinson and DeFazio are firm supporters of a strong educa- tional component in the communi- ties they serve. Robinson believes in school choice and home school- ing as alternatives to the tradition- al government centered education program. DeFazio has taken a different course, embracing the university system by channeling approved congressional pay raises into a scholarship fund for his constitu- ents. Christmas Gift List Toys • Books Clothing Houseware Furniture Gift Certifi cates St. Vincent DePaul’s 2315 Hwy 101 541-997-8460 Open Daily St. Vincent de Paul 2315 Hwy. 101 • Florence • 541-997-8460 PORT HOLE PUBLISHING 179 Laurel Street, Suite D FLORENCE LET US PUBLISH YOUR BOOK PORT HOLE BOOKS 77567 Hwy. 101 • GARDINER Glass for Every Purpose 1780 Kingwood St. / P.O. Box 144 Florence, OR 97439 541-997-8526 “We try to cover timely issues at State of the Coast, and while we could not have anticipated that Gov. Kate Brown would have issued an exec- utive order banning offshore drill- ing two days before the conference, it speaks to how relevant that panel was,” she said. Sea Grant Oregon states that its mission is to serve as a catalyst that promotes discovery, understanding, and resilience for Oregon coastal communities and ecosystems. Sea Grant also manages the Visitor Center at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Sci- ence Center in Newport as an ocean and coastal learning center for all ages. The State of the Coast Conference brought together a wide array of indi- viduals involved in one way or anoth- er with life on the Oregon coast. The schedule of speakers and workshops was extensive, with pre- senters speaking about topics ranging from family fishing traditions to the disappearance of eelgrass from estu- aries along the Oregon coast. The keynote speaker for the con- ference was science author and lec- turer Sam Kean. Kean is an engaging and humorous speaker, highlighting during his discussion the many un- usual situations he has encountered researching and interviewing subjects for his four books, all dealing with dif- ferent aspects of science. An afternoon workshop highlight- ed the issue of energy exploration and production off of Oregon’s coast. One of the points made was the research that indicates the amount of oil avail- able for collection here is minimal, in comparison to other areas, and the cost of obtaining that oil would be prohibitive. One of the more intriguing pre- sentations of the day discussed the ongoing work being done at the Pac Wav energy center in Newport. The location is operated by staff and re- searchers from OSU and has been ap- proved by the state to host a series of tests for evaluating the different ways of collecting and storing the energy generated by waves. OSU has received $40 million from the Department of Energy for this program and the first tests should be- gin in early 2020. The State of the Coast Conference is a tangible example of the growing importance OSU is playing in the development and understanding of the many interconnected scientific as- pects of coastal life in Oregon. OSU is working closely with the Hatfield Marine Research Center, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other state and federal entities, to determine the best way to maintain and support the coastal ecosystems that gener- ate high levels of interest and large amounts of revenue for the state each year. Doyle believes the growth of the State of the Coast conference will con- tinue as more families and individu- als discover the natural beauty of the state’s coastline. “The diversity of break-out ses- sions hopefully had something for ev- eryone. It’s a jam-packed day ... Every year we have grown our student sci- ence and art exhibits, and this year has been our best yet,” she said. Fax 541-997-9132 NEW-USED-RARE! WE HAVE IT ALL! ccb#55030 Best-Selling Author, Ellen Traylor, Owner/Publisher 541-999-5725 Sotheby’s, eBay Master Dealer and Appraiser for Discovery.com portholebooks.com • portholepublications.com
