The BulleTin • Friday, January 29, 2021 A5
EDITORIALS & OPINIONS
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
Heidi Wright
Gerry O’Brien
Richard Coe
Publisher
Editor
Editorial Page Editor
Should Oregon
prohibit pepperoni
in hospitals?
A
t least one of us on the editorial board has dined on the
hospital food at St. Charles Bend. Other restaurants in
Bend probably aren’t shaking in fear, but it was good.
Now comes before the Oregon
Legislature what we would like to
call the “prohibit the pepperoni bill.”
Rep. Marty Wilde, D-Eugene, would
require through House Bill 2348 that
hospitals not serve any processed
meat. According to Wilde’s bill, that
means no hot dogs, no sausages, no
bacon, no turkey bacon. Although
he does not call it out specifically, it
also means no pepperoni. The defi-
nition in the bill includes any meat
or poultry “that has been trans-
formed through salting, curing,
fermenting, smoking or any other
process other than cooking.” The bill
also requires hospitals, long-term
care facilities and prisons to make
available plant-based meals.
Hmm.
If your mom told you to eat
your vegetables, she was right. We
can’t find any reliable statistics on
how many Oregonians eat a super-
healthy diet, but we’d guess many
people could benefit by eating more
fruits and vegetables. Depending
on how they are prepared, it can be
the healthy way to go. Some of those
new plant-based burgers can pretty
much trick you into thinking you are
eating ground chuck. They also can
be an assault of salt.
Should the state, though, dictate
what people can and can’t get served
for dinner? It would be one thing if a
doctor recommended a strict diet for
a patient. But this would be the state
of Oregon carving out processed
meats from hospitals. Of course,
eating unhealthy meals can help get
you to the hospital in the first place.
And someone stuck in a hospital
could perhaps order takeout or have
Should the state, though,
dictate what people can and
can’t get served for dinner? It
would be one thing if a doctor
recommended a strict diet for
a patient. But this would be
the state of Oregon carving out
processed meats from hospitals.
Of course, eating unhealthy
meals can help get you to the
hospital in the first place.
a friend smuggle in some sausage.
Doesn’t it seem downright unfair to
treat patients like children who get
restricted choices of what they eat?
What if a person is dying and would
really like a pepperoni pizza or some
slices of bacon? The state of Oregon
is going to tell hospitals no?
Thom Pastor, manager of food
services for St. Charles Bend, told
us it already offers 100% percent
plant-based meals. Processed meats
are available and they are very pop-
ular. Without them, “our patient and
customer satisfaction would suffer
greatly,” he wrote in an email.
Hospitals, long-term care facili-
ties and prisons do all receive some
public money. So the public does
have an interest in how that money
is spent. But is there some reason we
can’t trust that hospitals don’t offer
healthy options? Tell your legislator
what you think or write us a letter to
the editor.
Child Welfare Division
shows some progress
L
awsuits and state investiga-
tions have repeatedly shown
Oregon needed to improve
how it cared for its most vulnerable
children.
Gov. Kate Brown declared a crisis
at the state’s child welfare agency in
2019 and stepped in with more over-
sight. Nobody would suggest the
problems are gone. Working with
families and abused or neglected
children is not going to go well ev-
ery time. But there has been notable
progress:
• The number of children in fos-
ter care is the lowest it has been in
15 years.
• All children placed at out-of-
state residential treatment facilities
are back in Oregon.
• The state has also decreased the
number of children in temporary
lodging.
If that reads a bit like a news re-
lease from the state’s Child Welfare
Division, that is because it is in fact
from a news release from the Child
Welfare Division. That doesn’t mean
it isn’t worth noting.
The Bulletin’s community ed-
itorial board also recently inter-
viewed the director of the division,
Rebecca Jones Gaston. It’s a mis-
take to extrapolate too much from
a 45- minute interview, but the di-
vision certainly does seem to be in
good hands. She has spearheaded
an effort to refocus the agency with
a racial equity lens and center its vi-
sion. We don’t think that will neces-
sarily represent a sea change at the
agency — but it could help.
Editorials reflect the views of The Bulletin’s editorial board, Publisher Heidi Wright, Editor
Gerry O’Brien and Editorial Page Editor Richard Coe. They are written by Richard Coe.
My Nickel’s Worth
Happy for teachers first
I wish The Bulletin and Oregon
news agencies would interview those
seniors who are not mad that teachers
were put ahead of seniors. Many of us
were happy to step aside and let the
teachers go first. I’m tired of hearing
from only the naysayers on this.
— Carla Fox, Bend
Teachers should be first
I would like to publicly thank Gov.
Kate Brown for allowing teachers to re-
ceive their vaccinations before some se-
niors. Children desperately need to be
back in class. From the experiences of
my grandchildren, I know how difficult
online classes have been for families.
Even children who are normally good
students have struggled to stay moti-
vated. Those of us over 65 can wait a
few more weeks for vaccinations.
— Margaret Wyman, Bend
Honored to follow teachers
Wednesday, this 88-year-old senior
received her first COVID-19 vaccine
at the well-organized effort at the fair-
grounds in Redmond. I feel honored to
follow the teachers who need to guide
our children toward a positive future.
In my lifetime, I’ve had many shots,
literally and figuratively, to make my
contribution. I grieve the losses we’ve
recently endured but refuse to live in
fear. I celebrate the increased efforts of
our government, nationally, statewide
and locally, to improve our physical
and economic health and look forward
to a joyful tomorrow. Cheers!
— Jacqueline Thea, Bend
Excellent vaccination effort
Good news for this senior who re-
ceived her first COVID-19 vaccine
at the Deschutes County fairgrounds
this afternoon. The experience was
flawless from start to finish and took
less than an hour. The coordinating
agencies — Deschutes County Health
Department and St. Charles, assisted
by the National Guard — have been
so successful in delivering the vac-
cine that appointments are running
ahead of the state’s schedule. It prob-
ably helps that the 75+ age group are
a hardy bunch who quickly signed up
to be vaccinated, happy to do battle
with the virus.
— Marion Davidson, Bend
Well done on vaccinations
Many thanks to the St. Charles
staff, volunteers and Army personnel
at the Deschutes County fairgrounds
COVID-19 vaccination event. They
were patient, polite and professional
to a very large group of seniors. Ev-
erything was well-organized, and
the lines all moved smoothly. It was
only an hour from the time I arrived
to when I walked out of the Mid-
dle Sisters Conference Center with
an appointment for a second dose.
The shot (Pfizer version) didn’t hurt
and, for me, had no side effects. You
need to make an appointment ahead
of time and should arrive early since
there may be a line for parking. Some
of the queue is outdoors, so dress ap-
propriately. I brought a book for the
15-minute observational period after
the vaccination. We recipients appre-
ciate the time and effort everyone put
into this event.
— Larry Cole, Redmond
Thanks for the help
Sunday, while walking my dog in a
snow-filled part of southeast Bend, I
dropped my driver’s license.
Of course, I did not know this un-
til I got home. I want to thank the
person or persons who found it and
took the time to return it to my home.
What a relief! Having lived in Bend
for over 20 years, this reminds me
why this is a great place to live. Again,
thank you!
— Dorothy Wright, Bend
Credit to the vaccination effort
Kudos to Deschutes County Health
Department. This weekend, I was
lucky enough to receive my first vac-
cine shot at the fairgrounds in Red-
mond. It was easy, well-organized,
efficient. The workers were very
friendly. Thanks to the medical pro-
fessionals, the volunteers and the Na-
tional Guard who made this possible.
Thanks for helping us along the path
to a normal life!
— Peg Fisher, Bend
Expel them from Congress
For weeks, I pondered whether the
best way to unify the nation would be
to avoid further legal action against
Donald Trump. Then, Trump’s effort
to overturn a fair democratic election
with lies emerged, as did the domes-
tic terrorist attack Jan. 6. Ignoring the
destructive behavior of Trump and his
followers would be more divisive than
holding them accountable.
Trump and his traitors orchestrated
an insurrection that cost five lives and
extensive carnage as the Nazi, racist
and white nationalist terrorists looted
the Capitol in search of perceived ene-
mies to capture, try and execute. Chief
among these was the vice president.
This was not a peaceful First Amend-
ment protest; this was a violent at-
tempted coup against our democracy.
The idea that treason (at worst) or se-
dition (at best) should go unpunished
is unconscionable. Anyone present on
the Capitol grounds and party to this
action should have known what they
were endorsing since the plans were ob-
vious to everyone for weeks. These ter-
rorists should be prosecuted, convicted
and imprisoned. Then we can discuss
reconciliation. Members of Congress
who abetted this action by falsely claim-
ing there was massive fraud in the No-
vember election should be expelled
from Congress and precluded from
holding public office again.
— Trisha Vigil, Medford
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OSU-Cascades bill is for fairness, not fiefdoms
BY REP. PAUL EVANS
I
read your recent “Legislators
shouldn’t put higher educational
fiefdoms first” editorial with great
interest. It was a fascinating read. Ac-
cordingly, I feel compelled to respond
to the fallacious mischaracterizations
your organization printed.
I am curious if you will publish my
rebuttal.
To begin with, the intention of
House Bill 2888 is not to defend fief-
doms — it is to expand fairness — to
defend the opportunities of students
throughout the state of Oregon that
are suffering because of the growth of
Oregon State University-Cascades.
The editorial advanced an argu-
ment: House Bill 2888 was introduced
to defend Western Oregon University.
Unfortunately, your editorial board
knowingly omitted the rest of the nar-
rative for the apparent sake of sim-
plicity.
Eastern Oregon University, Ore-
gon Institute of Technology, South-
ern Oregon University and Western
Oregon University are all struggling
to survive. This is not about one TRU
(Technical and Regional University);
it is about all of them. House Bill 2888
is not about a defending a fiefdom, it
is about protecting students (many of
them from Central Oregon) from the
unanticipated consequences of un-
sustainable growth at OSU-Cascades.
TRUs exist to serve students who
may not be able to learn at larger fa-
cilities. TRUs serve a critical function
throughout Oregon, as many students
can’t afford to relocate.
OSU-Cascades is directly and indi-
rectly subsidized by the main campus
in Corvallis. OSU-Corvallis employs
GUEST COLUMN
an army of adjunct
(part time, tempo-
rary) instructors
and graduate teach-
ing assistants. This
allows for cheaper
overhead that can
Rep. Evans
be, and often is,
passed along to
OSU-Cascades to subsidize the price
of instruction. In simplest terms, the
4% growth in enrollment (at a time of
systemwide reductions) is the product
of a “fixed game,” period.
TRUs are not legally allowed to of-
fer doctorate degrees. TRUs must not
compete with community colleges
offering “applied baccalaureate” de-
grees. TRUs are required to provide
the wrap-around services necessary
for maintaining accreditation, internal
assessment and all the other legally
required functions of a stand-alone
institution. TRUs are on the brink of
survival during the best of times, and
this is far from the best of times.
OSU-Cascades was originally justi-
fied as a “regional” institution. Many
of us supported this initial effort be-
cause of a shared commitment to the
ideals of fairness — no student should
have to travel far from home for the
educational opportunities to compete
in the 21st century. As a career college
educator, I still support a campus in
Bend.
However, over the past six years
OSU-Cascades has expanded in scale,
scope and size. It has done so at the
expense of existing universities; it has
done so without regard for system
need (the Higher Education Coordi-
nating Commission study concluded
there was no need for additional ca-
pacity).
The continuing attacks upon my
character for offering Central Oregon
the opportunity to establish a stand-
alone institution may sell newspapers,
but it cheapens the public dialogue
about how we steward scarce re-
sources in a challenging time.
I believe in fairness not fiefdoms. I
believe the people of Central Oregon
deserve access to affordable post-sec-
ondary education.
And I believe the OSU-Cascades
campus is an important regional asset.
I just don’t believe that any one cam-
pus should grow at the expense of all
the others.
e e
State Rep. Paul Evans is Democrat
from Monmouth.