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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2017)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, August 2, 2017 A multipronged approach is right course on pension reform W hen it comes to reforming Oregon’s Public Employees Retirement System, state leaders need to avoid taking one step forward and two steps back. As the L egislature recently sputtered on pension reform, Gov. Kate Brown appointed a seven-member, public-private task force to scrutinize ways to make the most of state assets to reduce the system’s pension liability, which was $22 billion at the most recent valuation. Brown gave the task force a goal of reducing the liability by $5 billion and suggested selling state assets, although not certain properties, such as prisons and state parks. Sales could include properties such as “buffer zones” around state prisons or youth correctional facilities. It’s also possible the state could enter public-private partnerships or cut costs in other ways, such as by moving certain state offi ces to lower- rent areas. Those are good steps and should be taken, but many would generate one-time-only savings, and none address the real root of the PERS problem – the system’s structure and the benefi ts themselves. Public employee unions have vigorously fought any reduction of benefi ts, and the unions exert heavy political clout. Brown and other lawmakers acknowledged near the end of the legislative session that any structural or benefi t reform would have to be tackled at the next full session in 2019, thereby kicking the can down the road once again. In this past session, a bill that would have required a 1 percent salary contribution toward PERS died in committee. A multi pronged approach is the right course to take. Legislators, for their part, can only make changes to the system going forward. The task force, though, isn’t addressing the benefi ts issue. It s mission is fi nding ways the state can pay down a chunk of what it expects to owe. It’s also looking at whether dedicating specifi c revenue streams to help reduce the obligation makes sense. In its fi rst meeting last week, the task force agreed to focus its work — expected to culminate in a report due to the governor by Nov. 1 — on big- ticket items that can get to the $5 billion fi gure. However, the board overseeing PERS downgraded assumptions about how much return the system will get on its investments Friday, which is expected to increase the unfunded liability by about $2 billion. This means state agencies and school districts will have to put even more money into the system in the coming years. The governor and lawmakers need to be advocates for system changes to reduce the fi nancial threat the liability poses to the state’s future well-being. Until those issues are addressed, the liability will continue to grow, public employers will have to increase the amount they pay into PERS for employee benefi ts and the task force’s work will provide only short- term help. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Family entertainment positive for community To the Editor: Having been a businessman here in Grant County since 1974, I personally know how diffi cult, ex- pensive and challenging it can be to start a new enterprise. I want to take this opportunity to recognize the Madden brothers for their vision and willingness to invest hundreds of hours of their time and thousands of dollars in upgrading the old Ju- L nior High School on Dayton Street and bringing it back to life. Their goal is to provide the community and the surrounding area with the opportunity to enjoy some good, clean family entertainment. I hope that everyone will invite a friend or a neighbor and come enjoy the music and see old friends. Let’s show the Maddens a good old Grant County turn out and let them know that their efforts are appreciated. Jerry Franklin Prairie City etters policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express them- selves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank- you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244. Blue Mountain EAGLE P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY G UEST C OMMENT Bipartisan water progress By Rep. Greg Walden To the Blue Mountain Eagle All of us in Oregon and across the country deserve access to safe, clean drinking water. That’s why the Energy and Commerce Com- mittee — where I serve as Chair- man — just passed bipartisan leg- islation to modernize the nation’s drinking water infrastructure. Today, drinking water fl ows to our homes and businesses through more than one million miles of pipes operated by both publicly and pri- vately owned water systems. Many of these pipes were laid in the early to mid-20th century with an expect- ed lifespan of 75 to 100 years. In fact, some communities in Oregon still rely on wood stave water pipes that are reaching the end of their life. While in most places, drinking water quality remains high, we also have seen horrible problems from Flint, Michigan, to drinking foun- tains in Oregon schools. Our legislation focuses on ad- dressing drinking water systems’ physical needs, aiding states and utilities with compliance and opera- tion of the drinking water program, and encouraging the wisest use of money that is spent. For the last 20 years, Congress has helped drinking water deliv- ery systems meet the challenge of providing consumers with safe and affordable water through the Drink- ing Water State Re- volving Fund. From the end of 1997 through 2016, Or- egon has received more than $274 million in grants to Rep. Greg help improve the Walden safety and quality of tap water, com- ply with drinking water rules and reporting requirements and give a helping hand to the most economi- cally distressed communities strug- gling to provide their residents safe drinking water. This fi scal year, Oregon is set to receive nearly $12 million in funding to improve its water systems. Many rural communities across Oregon struggle with failing infra- structure and a limited ability to af- ford these increasingly costly proj- ects. They turn to the DWSRF for help. In Malheur County, rural com- munities such as Vale and Nyssa are completing new water treatment and storage facilities to bring safe drinking water to their residents. In Umatilla County, the city of Pendle- ton is upgrading more than 30 miles of water lines that are nearly a cen- tury old — Mayor John Turner said this project would be impossible without the program. Our bill, the Drinking Water Sys- tem Improvement Act, continues those important investments and authorizes $8 billion over fi ve years for the DWSRF while also expand- ing the number of ways in which the fund can be used to improve deliv- ery systems. In fact, we’re authoriz- ing an increase of $350 million in funding for next year from which states such as Oregon could benefi t. Perhaps most important is how the bill looks to the future, using smart technology to moni- tor drinking water quality in real time. This allows us to better pre- vent, detect or rapidly respond to contaminants in our water systems. The ability to have up- to-the-minute information helps ensure water is safe and clean, system leaks and recent contami- nation are identified quickly and the accuracy and availability of compliance data is maintained. We also included a program to help our schools replace drinking fountains that might contain lead. These are just some of the high- lights of the bill. As this measure heads to the House for a vote, I will continue working with my col- leagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure it passes and we do our part to make sure the water Americans drink is safe. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), chairman of the House En- ergy and Commerce Committee, represents Oregon’s Second Con- gressional District, which includes 20 counties in central, southern and Eastern Oregon. F ARMER ’ S F ATE What’s in your lunchbox? By Brianna Walker To the Blue Mountain Eagle As the years have passed, the science of what food is healthy spans the spectrum. Red meat, white meat, fake meat, no meat and then back to red. Mark Twain once wrote, “Don’t take advice from a health book. You could die from a misprint!” I like science as much as the next guy. But historically, it hasn’t been very consistent when it comes to diet recommendations. Every year the theories change. Wine saves you; wine kills you. Coconut oil is the new miracle drug; coconut oil is the worst saturated fat you can ingest. • Drink a glass of red wine a day. Studies show it helps build better bones, prevents blood sugar prob- lems, boosts your body’s defenses, can increase your memory power and may increase life expectancy. • Alcohol consumption can kill you. Studies show it raises overall death rates, causes cirrhosis of the liver, causes cancer, migraines and increases the risk of heart disease. • Coconut oil has many health benefi ts. Studies show it is a natural prevention for Alzheimer’s. It pre- vents high blood pressure and heart diseases. It cures UTIs and kidney infections and also shows promise in preventing cancer. • Coconut oil can harm your health. Studies show it will raise Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper P UBLISHER ............................... M ARISSA W ILLIAMS , MARISSA @ BMEAGLE . COM E DITOR .................................... S EAN H ART , EDITOR @ BMEAGLE . COM R EPORTER ............................... R YLAN B OGGS , RYLAN @ BMEAGLE . COM C OMMUNITY N EWS .................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM S PORTS ................................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM M ARKETING R EP ....................... K IM K ELL , ADS @ BMEAGLE . COM O FFICE M ANAGER ..................... L INDSAY B ULLOCK , OFFICE @ BMEAGLE . COM your bad cholester- ol as much or more than animal fats. It will increase your chances of heart disease and will lower your overall Brianna health. Walker Hippocrates, the father of West- ern medicine, promoted wine as part of a healthy diet as well as preventing diarrhea. Then Prohibi- tion outlawed any beverage with an alcoholic content of over 1.28 per- cent, citing morals as well as health. In the ’80s, the New York Times said wine was linked to migraines, as well as causing acid-refl ux. In the ’90s, 60 Minutes said that red wine drinkers had lower cholesterol than their counterparts. Later, it was said to stop macular degeneration and prevent prostate cancer. Then in the early 2000s, studies showed it may increase the likelihood of get- ting breast cancer. Summer barbecues bring out the ever-worsening discussions on food. “We only eat organic.” “We don’t eat any artifi cial colors or dyes.” “We stopped eating dairy after we watched a documentary.” “No gluten for us.” Barbecuing has now become an art — not just the actual cooking, but on how to keep peace between the carnivores and the vegans. 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .....................................$40 Everywhere else in U.S. .....................$51 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION Email: www.MyEagleNews.com Phone: 541-575-0710 Inevitably, someone will start in on the latest studies showing a par- ticular food that is now a super-food (or super-villain, depending on the year). My husband will laugh and say, “I don’t know, my mom ate it (or didn’t eat it), and she died from cancer — of course it could have been because she drank water too!” This usually provides enough levity to change the conversation. It’s funny, though, how animated people can get over food. Especially when science over the years can’t even agree with itself. Is wine good for you or bad? Is coconut oil help- ful or harmful? If you don’t like the results of the studies this year, just wait. It’s like the weather in Pacifi c Northwest; it’ll change tomorrow. Basically, I’d say this leaves us free to forget the “food science,” as no one really seems to know or agree on what causes or prevents ag- ing and cancer. I would suggest eating and drinking what makes you happy. After all, studies show that happy people live longer — oh, wait, new studies say pessimists... Oh mercy! Studies on preservatives, carbs, calories, organics — it’s just too much for me. I just hope I don’t get the soggy Cheeto that my baby stuck back in the chip bag after sucking off the cheese! Brianna Walker occasionally writes about the Farmer’s Fate for the Blue Mountain Eagle. Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Copyright © 2017 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. www.facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
