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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 2020)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 Baker City, Oregon 4A Write a letter news@bakercityherald.com EDITORIAL Crowded city ballot gratifying Convincing Baker City residents to run for a seat on the City Council has sometimes proved a major challenge. But not in 2020. In a few elections in the past couple decades there were more openings on the City Council than candi- dates seeking to fi ll them, forcing city offi cials to so- licit interest from people who received write-in votes. But this year city voters will have a robust roster of people to choose from when they sit down with their ballot. Voters will decide who will occupy six of the seven seats on the Council; Lynette Perry is the only in- cumbent whose term doesn’t end Dec. 31. And voters will have 13 candidates to consider. It’s gratifying to see so many people willing to rep- resent their friends, family and neighbors. Serving as an elected offi cial is a noble pursuit any time. But the Baker City Council will have some vital decisions to make, and likely challenges to confront, over the next couple years. City Manager Fred Warner Jr. plans to retire at the end of the year. Although newly elected councilors — as few as two and as many as six, depending on the election results — won’t be sworn in until January, they could, and should, at least be involved in inter- viewing candidates. Perry has advocated for putting off the hiring of Warner’s replacement until early next year so the newly constituted City Council, which will have to work with the new manager, can also make the hire. Perry’s idea is a good one. In the council-manager form of government Baker City follows, the city manager is in effect the city’s CEO, responsible for overseeing the daily operations and hiring and fi ring department heads and other administrators. Besides potentially choosing the city’s next chief administrator, the new Council will deal with the continuing effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Thus far those effects haven’t been dramatic at City Hall, at least in a fi nancial sense, since the city’s main sources of local revenue are property taxes, water and sewer service and ambulance runs. But issues are likely to arise, including potentially additional federal COVID-19 aid, that will require councilors to make decisions. And the fi nancial crisis related to Oregon’s Pub- lic Employees Retirement System — PERS — will continue to loom. With PERS likely to take a larger share of the city’s revenues over the next few years, councilors might face tough choices such as either raising fees or reducing services, potentially in the police and fi re departments. It’s not likely to be a tranquil term for new council- ors. It’s a credit to those who are willing to sacrifi ce their time on the public’s behalf. — Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor Your views The soul of American democracy is at stake The term Demokratia (democracy), meaning “the people hold power,” has its origins in ancient Greece. Embed- ded in our system of American gov- ernment is a belief in representative democracy, the principle of electing of- fi cials to represent the people thus giv- ing us a voice. This is achieved through a fundamental principle of our system of government — the elections process. As Jefferson observed, it refl ects the “free expression of the people,” that the will of the people and majority rule is vital to the future of our nation. The sanctity of this process requires it to be inclusive, providing equitable opportunities to all eligible citizens to participate. Equally important, it must be transparent. The freedom to vote is one of our most essential political rights. It has been extended by the 14th,15th, 19th and 26th amendments, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. The 10th amendment to the Constitution states that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. States are responsible for running elections and have the power to regu- late the elections process, including reg- istration procedures, access to ballots, absentee voting requirements, polling places, and counting and certifying votes. While Congress does not have constitutional authority to legislate state and local elections, it has constitu- tional authority over congressional and presidential elections and authority to enforce practices that would discrimi- nate against the elections process. In his farewell address, George Letters to the editor • We welcome letters on any issue of public interest. Customer complaints about specifi c businesses will not be printed. • The Baker City Herald will not knowingly print false or misleading claims. However, we cannot verify the Washington stated that government needed to ensure “the general diffusion of knowledge” throughout the United States, that government is created to enforce the opinion of the people, so the opinion of the people should be informed and knowledgeable. He warned that political factions (parties) might seek to obstruct the execution of the laws created by the government or to prevent the branches of government from exercising the powers provided them by the Constitution. He noted these factions may claim to be trying to address and solve national issues, but their true intention is to take power from the people and place it in the hands of unjust men leading to revenge on their political opponents and result- ing in despotism. Unquestionably, our nation is at a crossroads today with the soul of American democracy at stake. Anthony Johnson Retired BHS government teacher Baker City Biden/Harris ticket is a chance to unify America We’ve now had the chance to hear and see a diverse group of Democrats during their national convention. I trust that many of us have come to see presidential candidate Joe Biden as a truly decent human being who can unify us and lead us from the depths of our current national disasters. I also hope that my fellow readers have some feel for the positive direc- tion of the thoughtful Democratic agenda that we need to move decisively forward. I urge everyone to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as soon as we receive our ballots. Conversely, I also urge those who remain uncertain to ponder all the reasons we cannot afford another four accuracy of all statements in letters to the editor. • Writers are limited to one letter every 15 days. • The writer must sign the letter and include an address and phone number (for verifi cation only). Letters that do not include this information cannot be years of Donald John Trump. The difference between Biden/Har- ris and Trump is dramatic. Just look at a few of the most recent, atrocious actions of this deeply un-American president: • Stonewalling on desperately needed COVID economic relief • Attacks on the U.S. Postal Service and on our voting by mail • Cutting off Social Security and Medicare revenue payments • Slashing limits on methane, a powerful greenhouse gas • Promoting racist, “birther” and “deep state” QAnon conspiracy theories And this does not include the long- standing consequences of the trillions in tax cuts for billionaires, the denial of global warming, and the initial and ongoing denial of the COVID virus. That Trump is an unapologetic, hardened sociopath has been well- documented by his niece, psychologist Mary Trump, and many others. His reckless, total disregard for our welfare should be carefully evaluated by every U.S. citizen. He doesn’t care about us. He may point to the stock market as evidence that the economy is “great,” but that means little to most Ameri- cans who are caught in long-term poverty. No matter what is said during the Republican convention, Trump will raise not one fi nger to deal with glaring wealth inequality, widespread poverty, a raging COVID pandemic, a crum- bling healthcare system, and global warming that is intensifying Gulf storms and California fi res. What will be left of our nation if an unrepentant, psychologically damaged Trump is re-elected? Marshall McComb Baker City published. • Letters will be edited for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. Mail: To the Editor, Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker City, OR 97814 Email: news@bakercityherald.com OTHER VIEWS Editorial from Bloomberg Opinion: The suspected poisoning of Russian op- position leader Alexei Navalny underscores the dangers Russians face for speaking out against President Vladimir Putin. It’s also a warning to those currently protesting for democratic change in neighboring Belarus. So long as Putin remains at the helm, Russia will continue to pose a serious threat to demo- cratic values, in its periphery and beyond. A coherent strategy to confront this challenge will be essential for the next U.S. administration. It should include respond- ing more directly to Putin’s provocations, raising the costs for Russian misconduct and strengthening America’s relationships with its NATO allies. The U.S. shouldn’t rule out cooperation with Moscow in areas of mutual interest, but only when doing so demonstra- bly advances its own security. Above all, Washington must send clear signals to Putin about the kinds of behavior the U.S. deems unacceptable. The Trump administration’s policies have instead been characterized by inconstancy. Since 2017, the U.S. has imposed sanctions against Russian individuals and some government entities for a range of actions, from conducting cyberat- tacks to meddling in Ukraine to poisoning a former Russian spy living in the U.K. Yet the impact of these measures has been blunted by Trump’s resistance to tougher penalties, his acceptance of Putin’s denial of interfer- ence in the 2016 election and his push to welcome Russia back into the Group of Seven club of industrial nations. More recently, Trump has refused to respond to intelligence assessments that Russian operatives paid bounties to Taliban fi ghters to kill U.S. troops. The U.S. should avoid a rush to judgment, but the president’s willingness to side with the Kremlin’s ver- sion of events, rather than that of his own intelligence agencies, is disturbing. At a minimum, the White House should suspend high-level communication with Moscow while it conducts a thorough investigation. If the deaths of American troops are traced back to Russian operatives, the U.S. should impose a cost that will make Putin regret those actions. Meanwhile, Washington needs to push back against Putin’s efforts to divide NATO and subvert the U.S. political system. Military and diplomatic offi cials should remind their counterparts of America’s capacity to retaliate if Russia attempts to meddle in this fall’s elec- tion. The next administration should repair relationships with NATO partners and work with them on modernizing weapons systems. The U.S. should also reverse Trump’s decision to remove some 9,000 troops from Germany, which has cheered Russia at the expense of allies’ security. As during the Cold War, the U.S. should look for ways to manage tensions and reduce the risks of catastrophic escalation. Russia lacks the economic power to compete with the U.S., but it possesses the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal and a larger military budget than any European country. Extending and strengthening the New START treaty, a bilateral arms-control agreement that’s due to expire next February, is critical for the security of both countries. Seeking collabora- tion in areas of shared concern — on climate change, say, or space policy — would also make sense. Engaging with Putin, however, should not mean placating him. Consistent messaging, tougher deterrence measures and resolute support for allies are essential to a successful strategy. Continued drift will only embolden Putin and his operatives, to the detriment of America’s security and the world’s.
