Media Watch: The Oregonian turns good news into a phony class war
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Man, even when the Oregonian Editorial Board is reporting on some genuinely good economic news, they just can’t help themselves from ginning up a class war against teachers and other public employees.
In the case of today’s editorial, it’s some painfully passive-aggressive jabs at the folks who educate our children and keep us safe. 
After delivering the news that Oregon’s economy is improving (thanks only to the private sector, according to the online headline), Erik Lukens & Co. dive into this:
“The weakest employment sector: government employment, with many of the job losses coming in education. All told, the state shed 1,200 government jobs, after seasonal adjustments, in June. But that's not a big reason for concern.”
Not a big reason for concern? Tell that to the mother who had to explain to her child why his favorite teacher got fired. Tell that to the student, who’s now crammed into a classroom with 36 other kids struggling to be taught. Tell that to the teacher, who’s now unable to pay rent or buy food at local businesses.
Then, Lukens and friends dive into a six-paragraph argument about—I guess—why the private sector is better than the public sector. And just in case you haven’t figured out their blatant political agenda yet: Yes, they find space to attack public pensions.
It’s painfully obvious that the Oregonian is following the lead of the state’s most powerful corporate lobbyists. They’re trying to drive a wedge between working Oregonians by demonizing (or at the very least, belittling) the work done by teachers, nurses, firefighters, and other public workers.
It’s their way of distracting you from the fact that their beloved tax breaks have grown out of control, even while we cut school budgets.
Frankly, if the Oregonian were interested in helping to create a better future for all Oregonians, they’d say something like this:
“There’s some great news out today about Oregon’s economic health. In most sectors, we’ve increased jobs and are providing opportunities for Oregon families. Unfortunately, there’s also some bad news, as the reports show big drops in jobs among teachers and public employees who provide basic services.
“While we should applaud the growth in private sector jobs, we have to recognize that the loss of teachers and other education professionals means we’re disinvesting in the services that will safeguard our future. Worse, we’re shortchanging the next generation of Oregonians by sticking them in overcrowded classrooms and taking away critical educational opportunities.
“The future of this state depends on us investing in our schools and basic infrastructure that allows families and businesses to thrive.”
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If I could see any substantive ojtecbion on the part of anti- 66 & 67 measures, this discussion might carry some weight. But all I see is Knight, whose company has enjoyed subsidies and tax breaks from Oregon complaining, when he and all these other small businesses make demands on schools, colleges, police and and other services but don't want to bear the cost of these.The new rant is about rampant spending I can tell you as an employee at a community college that our budget has been slashed and we are barely able to meet the needs of our current students, let alone all the people who have been laid off and are increasing our enrollments by over 25% from last year. You expect me to double my workload for the same or lower pay when we in education haven't recovered from previous economic set backs in the state. Ask a long-term school employee about lost wages and not being able to make them up after a lifetime in service to YOUR children.Understand that the reputation of Oregon outside the state is that it doesn't support its own education system. That is on you, business owners. Especially those corporations the size of Nike (who still employs sweatshop labor).
I grew up reading The Oregonian and was always so proud of it. I would travel and compare our paper with others and always found them lacking.
I simply do not recognize this sudden corporate shift in editorializing. Has there been a buy-out or a sell-out?
Shame on Oregonians for not properly taking care of our educators and our children. Are those tax cuts worth our children's, no, our State's future potential? Think about that the next time you have the opportunity to vote on school funding amd tax cuts.
Scott: Thanks for calling them out on this! I had some of the same thoughts when I read the editorial myself, but could not have expressed as well as you have. The editorial board seem to forget that public sector (ie teachers, firefighters, other public workers) spend their paychecks in the local communities and help drive the economy forward too.
Public education is economic development. Anyone who thinks otherwise has no real clue to helping recover our economy.