Article Preview: Our view: Will Brown reach out to rural Oregon? - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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2015-02-28

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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation  |  Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Medford considering leasing space to Family Nurturing Center Police looking for possible additional victims in Ashland rape cases Modern Roots Foundation works to increase musical opportunities Police urge caution after men enter home Ski area launching concert series Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Police looking for possible additional victims in Ashland rape cases Police urge caution after men enter home Man jailed on 32 sex abuse charges Emergency services Minor injuries reported in rollover crash near hospital Politics and Elections Judge upholds Phoenix's moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out Friday Brown's inauguration brings hope to local lawmakers Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Gov. Kitzhaber steps down, federal investigation begins Education MSD considers adding a health center at one of the city's high schools Absenteeism in Oregon schools prompts bill that would tie funding to attendance, not enrollment Territorial Seed contribution a boost for SOU food program 200-plus Jackson County students miss vaccination deadline Medford, Ashland districts fall short of anti-bullying standards Environment Lost Creek Lake algae bloom subsides Lost Creek Lake logjam could become hazard for boaters Made in the Shade Controlled burn planned for Ashland watershed on Friday Coho salmon road trip State News Oregon official says he was questioned by FBI, IRS Hayes wants her private emails protected Oregon Senate votes unanimously to outlaw 'revenge porn' Judge: Oracle must host Oregon's Medicaid system Oregon Coast fish could be from Japanese tsunami Nation - World Obituaries Pamela Sue Banuelos Judith Ann Miller Rita Launa Stitt Ursula E. Johnson Thomas H. Smith Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society This $1 million Mercedes is like an armored private jet for the road Sports Latest Stories South Medford standout Ritter out for season No. 7 Arizona has little trouble with Colorado LeBron scores 42 as Cavs top Warriors Stanford too much for Beavers, 75-48 Stanford spoils OSU party Varsity 541 College Sports No. 7 Arizona has little trouble with Colorado Stanford too much for Beavers, 75-48 Stanford spoils OSU party Raiders, Owls meet in '14 title rematch Oregon will take care of its athletes Pro Sports LeBron scores 42 as Cavs top Warriors LeBron unhappy over recruiting of son, 10 No word on discipline for Hamilton Herman takes first-day lead at Honda Matthews, Blazers sink Spurs Community Sports Business Latest Stories Medford Fabrication isn't afraid to go big Ride & Drive: 2015 Audi R8 Blog: Friends Forever Ride & Drive: 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Lithia Motors scores record revenue, net earnings in 4Q and 2014 Real Estate News Housing prices climb 9 percent in Jackson County Big plans on the Butte Homes for the long haul People In Business People in Business People in Business Transportation Lodging gains bode well for travel industries Medford airport flies past January record Agriculture Warm winter has fruit growers poised for action Briefcase: Business briefs for Feb. 21 1-800-Flowers dumps Harry & David execs Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Leonard Nimoy dies Our View: School attendance bill could backfire Letters to the Editor, Feb. 27 Guest Opinion: Predatory banking practices bilk citizens Arthur I. Cyr: Iran nuclear accord – tough negotiations, at home and abroad Editorials Our View: School attendance bill could backfire Our View: Higher education still getting too little Our View: Adjusting for unintended consequences Our View: Homeless food proposal is the best solution yet Our View: Smell of trouble may spark marijuana limits Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Feb. 27 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 26 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 25 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 24 Feb. 23: Letters to the editor Columns Guest Opinion: Predatory banking practices bilk citizens Dana Milbank: The Homeland Security fiasco Guest Opinion: Is less education the answer? Michelle Teheux: Will we keep heading down the wrong path? Kathleen Parker: Twitter as America's conscience Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Predatory banking practices bilk citizens Guest Opinion: Is less education the answer? Guest Opinion: Bill would shore up legal aid funding Guest Opinion: Weed killers should not be sprayed on streams, homes Guest Opinion: Understanding Wes Cooley Lifestyle Latest stories What's there to do on the Oregon Coast? Ride & Drive: 2015 Audi R8 'She Stoops' rises on SOU stage Winging it Community blog: Support local CSA farms by signing up Saturday Food Community blog: Support local CSA farms by signing up Saturday Joanna McQuillan Weeks: Cheeseburger pie is the perfect winter comfort food Page H. Onorato: Hot dogs I have known and loved Season Stepp: Tips for roasting vegetables Tammy Kelly: Here’s to healthier Mex! Home and Garden Specialty painting adds wow to your walls Dear Monty: Home seller questions agent ethics Home Help: Low-maintenance landscaping ideas Garden Cameos: Winter is the time to prune How to install energy-efficient windows the right way Health Health Watch: Sticking to your health plan when your family isn’t helping Community blog: Finding Your Indomitable Spirit to Defeat Addiction Dr. Murray Feingold: ‘Beet’ high blood pressure with borscht Community blog: And if I Die Before I Wake Dr. Murray Feingold: Does a sedentary lifestyle make you prone to disease? Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs, Feb. 27 Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 20 Religion News: Pope makes surprise shantytown visit Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 13 RELIGION BRIEFS, Feb. 6 Milestones and Achievements Anniversary: Hofer New arrivals: Sunday, Feb. 8 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Live Music in Local Clubs HAPA plays the Historic Ashland Armory An all-new Rising Stars music competition kicks off this weekend Ronny Cox plays the Unitarian Fellowship SOU presents 'She Stoops to Conquer' Theater 'She Stoops' rises on SOU stage SOU presents 'She Stoops to Conquer' 'The Glass Menagerie' is polished and professional OSF kicks off its 2015 season SOU presents 'The Glass Menagerie' Music Rogue Valley Symphony showcases Anton Bruckner and Richard Wagner Live Music in Local Clubs HAPA plays the Historic Ashland Armory An all-new Rising Stars music competition kicks off this weekend Ronny Cox plays the Unitarian Fellowship Community Events Third Fridays showcases local artists Southern Oregon Rod and Custom Show Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jacksonville celebrates Chinese New Year Dining Great Outdoor Grill offers healthful options Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 Saigon Xich Lo Vietnamese cuisine The zwickels shall flow Soo Rah Korean Cuisine Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED   » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW   Police looking for possible additional victims in Ashland rape cases       ...       Police urge caution after men enter home       ...       Ski area launching concert series       ...       Police looking for possible additional victims in Ashland rape cases       ...       Police urge caution after men enter home       ...       Ski area launching concert series       ...           OUR VIEW Our view: Will Brown reach out to rural Oregon? MailTribune.com Writer Posted Feb. 19, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Feb. 19, 2015 @ 12:01 am »  Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Kate Brown comes to the Oregon governor's office promising she'll work to restore the people's faith in government. We hope she recognizes that, as shocking as John Kitzhaber's fall from grace was, rural Oregonians had lost much of their faith in the state long before they ever heard the name Cylvia Hayes. Brown has the good fortune — if there can be such a thing under these circumstances — to come into the office with the economy on the upswing. For, as much as the policy wonks debate political precepts and cultural metrics, we all know it is indeed the economy, stupid. No far-sighted agenda can make it out the door if the economy is sour. Money may not buy you love, but it can buy you full-day kindergarten. What seems to escape the folks in Salem — and especially those who drive to Salem from the north — is that the rising tide is not lifting all boats equally. Certainly, the economy is better across the state, but when Nike talks of adding 2,000 jobs with minimum $100,000 salaries, the good folks in places like Douglas, Curry, Klamath, Josephine and, yes, Jackson County have a hard time relating. We've been down so long, a footrest starts to look like up. Much of the malaise lies with natural resource and environmental policy, and much of that policy comes out of Washington, D.C., rather than Salem. But if there's no voice for rural Oregonians speaking up in Salem, there's no hope the message will be heard in our nation's capital. Kitzhaber was an Oregon Democrat, in other words, liberal in many areas. But he did have a sense of how out of balance our timber policies are, with the federal government owning the vast majority of timberlands, on which only a very small fraction of the timber harvest is occurring. No one is suggesting a return to the days of cut first and ask questions later. But the pendulum has swung so far to the other side that common sense has disappeared from even our peripheral vision. People see our forest clogged with trees that can't be cut and our courts clogged with lawsuits from organizations that seem determined that as little as possible will be cut. This is not only a timber issue. Farmers, ranchers, small business owners, blue collar workers, fishermen — the list of people who see prosperity as a distant dream goes on and on. John Kitzhaber was a Willamette Valley guy, his years in Roseburg as a physician notwithstanding. But he was also a practical governor who knew that the state is not prospering if only the Willamette Valley and the metro area are prospering. There are an awful lot of people in those many, many counties that lie outside of the Eugene to Portland stretch of I-5. Kitzhaber knew that and knew they still need help, even as the economic indicators continue their upward climb. Kate Brown is a Portlander and almost certainly more liberal than her predeccesor. But she's also a smart person, who like Kitzhaber, knows Oregon is a big state with many varied needs. We can only hope that, as she begins her term in office promising to restore the people's faith, her promise is extended to all the people of this state.   MailTribune.com Writer Posted Feb. 19, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments   /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ »  STAY INFORMED   Email NewsLetter   Sign Up Today   Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed   Email newsletter   Sign Up Today   Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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