MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2019
Baker City, Oregon
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OUR VIEW
Town
halls are
crucial
As we have written before on this page and in this
space, town hall sessions held by elected leaders are
crucial for the health of democracy.
The subject is relevant because Rep. Greg Walden
will swing through Morrow County this week for a
town hall session in Heppner.
Walden, who is Oregon’s sole Republican federal
lawmaker, will also visit Rufus, Arlington, Burns and
Tygh Valley.
The sessions may seem mundane for most but they
actually provide one of the best forums for voters to
interact with their federal legislators.
Walden said he already has conducted 40 town
halls in Oregon during the year and, most likely, he
will do even more before the year comes to an end.
Walden, of course, isn’t alone. Lawmakers across
the nation hold town hall sessions frequently, and Or-
egon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley also spend a
lot of time on the road. Wyden is especially profi cient
with holding town hall meetings, often in places —
such as Eastern Oregon — where his political views
stand in sharp contrast to the prevailing sentiments
of the regions voters.
But political dogma isn’t the issue when lawmak-
ers like Walden or Wyden swing into town. At least
it shouldn’t be. That’s because at the end of the day,
our elected leaders — whether Republican or Demo-
crat — represent us all. Their goal should be — as
it clearly is with Wyden and Walden — to listen to
everyone about their concerns.
For area residents, the town halls are the perfect
environment to interact with the men and women
who make legislative decisions in Washington, D.C.
Knowing what our elected leaders are doing — and
why they are doing it — is a crucial pillar to our
democracy.
While there is a lot of discussion and debate about
important issues facing our nation, it is often so polar-
ized that understanding any of it can be a challenge.
That’s why town halls are a good thing. At a town
hall meeting a voter can stand up and ask a question
and receive an answer. Whether they like the answer
is beside the point. The point is the people we have
elected stand before us and give feedback and up-
dates on what goals they seek to achieve.
Democracy can be a messy business, but it only
functions if there is clear communication between the
body politic and those chosen to represent it.
Practicing democracy shouldn’t be a hassle but an
important element of day-to-day life. That means if
you get the chance, you should take the opportunity
to attend one.
Best games teach real life lessons
An old detail kept elbowing me, tug-
ging at my sleeve like an annoying little
kid, when President Donald Trump said
he thought it might be a good idea to buy
Greenland.
Then I went back to check on the map
of the world as depicted by the classic
board game “Risk”: Greenland is one of
the golden-yellow territories in the game,
as a much part of North America as
Canada and Mexico.
Maybe Donald Trump was remember-
ing this when he said he wanted to buy
Greenland. But if that were the case, of
course, he’d also consider buying Mexico
as part of the same package deal. Not
likely.
Or maybe Mr. Trump’s entire focus
has always been on his own board game
which, unsurprisingly, is called “Trump:
The Game.” I’d never heard about it until
Facebook friend Char Piacentino proved
to me that she wasn’t making it up.
If you haven’t heard of it either, don’t
worry.
First issued in 1989, “Trump: The
Game” didn’t exactly enthrall the na-
tion. A Dec. 30 L.A. Times article that
year announced that Trump’s game
was “among the retail sales bombs this
holiday season,” along with a line of
children’s clothing promoted by Pee-Wee
Herman.
The winner of Trump’s game is the
one who merely amasses the most
money. The players start, naturally, with
an inheritance. (Who doesn’t? I once
asked my father about our inheritance,
and he said, “Your brother gets the pots.
You the pans.”) After that, it’s luck, not
skill, that gets you ahead.
Ironically enough, although Trump’s
GINA
BARRECA
game was reissued in 2004, it never was
an earner: It sold fewer than half as
many units as expected.
Hasbro stopped manufacturing it.
There’s another vintage board game
I worry an American president might
become too good at playing. It’s called
“Go For Broke.” Its rule book, from 1965,
now seems almost prescient: “Players
receive one million dollars ... and race to
be the fi rst player to spend all of their
money and go bankrupt. Players can risk
money at the Racetrack, the Casino, play
the Stock Market or make donations to
charity.”
I wasn’t allowed to play the board
game “Risk” when I was a kid, so what
do I know about diplomacy, confl ict and
world conquest? It was the early 1960s,
and my brother Hugo, six years my
senior, played “Risk” with other cool kids,
all of whom were boys.
Girls, perhaps unsurprisingly, were
not encouraged to go anywhere near
“Risk.”
While our brothers were strategiz-
ing about how to occupy continents and
territories, whether to attack, move or
pass, and how to build up their borders
for more effective defense, their little
sisters and I were busy learning skills
that would become important to our
lives as women. We practiced our own
crucial rituals in games such as “Mystery
Date,” in which we assembled “outfi ts,”
then opened a door to reveal whether
our outfi ts matched that of the potential
mate on the other side.
Talk about risk.
Or we learned how to be named
“Miss Popularity” by becoming expert
at buying dresses, getting autographs,
preparing for picnics, and — even in
1961 — getting a silver credit card.
Boys had to slay their enemies to
win; all the girls had to defeat were our
friends.
But while the boys could form al-
liances, make treaties and dominate
globally, girls used a miniature plastic
phone to address the eternal questions of
womanhood with nuanced replies such
as “yes,” “no” or “busy.”
At what board game should the presi-
dent of the United States be profi cient?
Should she play a mean game of “Mille
Bornes,” or would that indicate too close
an alliance with the European Union?
Should he be unbeatable at “Scrabble”?
Should she sizzle at “Chutes and Lad-
ders”?
A world leader should be good at “Life”
and learn the rules of “Sorry,” because all
of them will face “Trouble” at some point.
But they need to have a “Clue.”
The best games teach real lessons, and
at the very heart of every game is the
need to keep everyone engaged. To fold
up a map of the world, throw the pieces
onto the fl oor and walk away would be a
real risk.
You wouldn’t want to do it for all the
gold in Greenland.
Gina Barreca is a board of trustees
distinguished professor of English literature
at the University of Connecticut and the
author of 10 books. She can be reached at
www.ginabarreca.com.
OTHER VIEWS
Editorial from The San Diego
Union-Tribune:
President Donald Trump’s apparent
view that Americans want a federal
government that abandons humanitar-
ian norms was once again on display
last week with two more decisions about
the treatment of detained unauthorized
immigrants.
The fi rst is the Trump administra-
tion’s attempt to nullify a 1997 court
agreement, known as the Flores
settlement, that put a 20-day limit on
detaining minors in immigration deten-
tion centers and set standards for how
such children are treated. The new rule
would establish minimum standards
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the Baker City Herald.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the
opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the Baker City
Herald.
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for conditions at the detention centers
while allowing families to be detained
indefi nitely. It would take effect in late
October if it survives expected court
challenges and wins the approval of a
federal judge.
Given the poor conditions at some
detention centers, it’s hard to accept at
face value the claim that this new rule
would make the Trump administration
do more to improve conditions. Instead,
the rule appears to be a continuation
of Trump administration efforts to dis-
courage unauthorized immigrants and
refugee seekers by treating them poorly.
The second decision got less attention
but is similarly dubious and mean-
spirited. Offi cials with the Customs and
Border Protection agency announced
that migrant families being held in
detention centers near the southern
border won’t be given fl u vaccines even
though, as CBS News reported, three
migrant children have died while in
U.S. custody from the fl u in the past 12
months. With the fl u season expected to
begin in October, people are likely to die
as a result of this decision. Pediatrician
Richard Pan, a Democratic state sena-
tor from Sacramento, rightly reacted
by saying, “Denying basic preventive
care to human beings in our country is
contrary to American values.” That’s not
politics. It’s decency.
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Donald Trump: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania
Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500; 202-456-1414; fax 202-456-2461; to
send comments, go to www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley: D.C. offi ce: 313 Hart Senate Offi ce
Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3753;
fax 202-228-3997. Portland offi ce: One World Trade Center, 121
S.W. Salmon St. Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; 503-326-3386;
fax 503-326-2900. Pendleton offi ce: 310 S.E. Second St. Suite 105,
Pendleton 97801; 541-278-1129; merkley.senate.gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. offi ce: 221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce
Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-5244; fax 202-228-2717.
La Grande offi ce: 105 Fir St., No. 210, La Grande, OR 97850; 541-
962-7691; fax, 541-963-0885; wyden.senate.gov.
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (2nd District): D.C. offi ce: 2182 Rayburn
Offi ce Building, Washington, D.C., 20515, 202-225-6730; fax 202-
225-5774. La Grande offi ce: 1211 Washington Ave., La Grande, OR
97850; 541-624-2400, fax, 541-624-2402; walden.house.gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR
97310; 503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read: oregon.treasurer@
ost.state.or.us; 350 Winter St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR 97301-
3896; 503-378-4000.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice
Building, Salem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-4400.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and information
are available online at www.leg.state.or.us.
State Sen. Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario): Salem offi ce: 900 Court
St. N.E., S-301, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1730. District offi ce:
P.O. Box 1027, Ontario, OR 97914; 541-889-8866.
State Rep. Lynn Findley (R-Vale): Salem offi ce: 900 Court
St. N.E., H-475, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1460. Email: Rep.
LynnFindley@oregonlegislature.gov
Baker City Hall: 1655 First Street, P.O. Box 650, Baker City,
OR 97814; 541-523-6541; fax 541-524-2049. City Council meets
the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers.
Mike Downing, Loran Joseph, Randy Schiewe, Lynette Perry,
Arvid Andersen, Ken Gross and Doni Bruland.
Baker City administration: 541-523-6541. Fred Warner Jr.,
city manager; Ray Duman, police chief; John Clark, fi re chief;
Michelle Owen, public works director.
Baker County Commission: Baker County Courthouse 1995
3rd St., Baker City, OR 97814; 541-523-8200. Meets the fi rst and
third Wednesdays at 9 a.m.; Bill Harvey (chair), Mark Bennett,
Bruce Nichols.
Baker County departments: 541-523-8200. Travis Ash,
sheriff; Jeff Smith, roadmaster; Matt Shirtcliff, district attorney;
Alice Durfl inger, county treasurer; Stefanie Kirby, county clerk;
Kerry Savage, county assessor.
Baker School District: 2090 4th Street, Baker City, OR 97814;
541-524-2260; fax 541-524-2564. Superintendent: Mark Witty.
Board meets the third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. Council
Chambers, Baker City Hall,1655 First St.; Andrew Bryan, Kevin
Cassidy, Chris Hawkins, Katie Lamb and Julie Huntington.