Animation celebration in Bend APRIL 6, 2012
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GOP budget plan could force many Oregonians off Medicaid By Andrew Clevenger The Bulletin
WASHINGTON — In recent weeks, both President Obama and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have released 2013 budget proposals, both intended to reduce the nation’s exploding deficit. Obama’s plan, which was viewed as a nonstarter on Capitol Hill and voted down IN D.C. 414-0 by the House of Representatives, sought to cut the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years by reducing spending and raising taxes on top earners. Ryan’s budget plan, which the House passed last week by a 228-191 vote, would reduce the deficit by cutting into entitlement programs, particularly health care spending. Ryan’s budget favors block grants, which give states flexibility to spend federal dollars where they are most useful instead of allowing the government to allocate them for specific programs such as Medicaid. These days, budgets are rarely passed into law, but they do indicate policy and spending priorities. The House Democrats have not released a 2013 budget, so Ryan’s plan has received a great deal of attention. Some experts worry that Ryan’s method of calculating the size of block grants — and linking them to population growth and inflation — will result in cuts to Medicaid that could have a significant impact in Oregon. Enrollment in Medicaid will rise faster than the population, and health care costs have historically outpaced inflation, said Edwin Park, vice president for health policy at the nonpartisan Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. See Budget / A4
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Schools limiting IB transfers • Summit and Mountain View are approving fewer requests to enter Bend High program By Patrick Cliff The Bulletin
Tony Roberts, who has worked in international schools from Istanbul to Bangkok, would like his son to attend Bend High School’s International Baccalaureate program. Because Roberts and his family live within the Summit High School at-
tendance area, however, he had to request a transfer. Like dozens of other parents in Bend-La Pine Schools, Roberts assumed that his request would be approved, just as similar requests have been in recent years. It wasn’t. This year, principals at Summit and Mountain View
have approved a fraction of transfer requests like Roberts’, slowing the migration of students to Bend High. The principals cite a number of reasons for their reluctance to rubber-stamp IB-related transfers, including budgetary pressures and the adoption of the Advanced Placement international diploma, which both Summit and Mountain View will offer beginning next year. Along with about 45 other families, Roberts received a letter from Summit rejecting
his transfer request and pitching Summit’s AP international diploma and scholar programs — both IB competitors. After receiving the letter, Roberts met Summit Principal Lynn Baker to explain his preference for IB. Baker ultimately approved Roberts’ request and has made similar reversals in more than a dozen other cases after speaking with parents. Still, says Roberts, the district should find a better way to deal with transfers. See Transfers / A5
PLOWING AHEAD, WITH AN EYE TOWARD MEMORIAL DAY
Joe Kline / The Bulletin
D
eschutes County employee Lance Younger drives a plow to clear snow from the Cascades Lakes Highway west of Lava Lake on Thursday southwest of Bend. The Deschutes County Road Department began clearing the road in mid-March, aiming to have the entire highway
open by Memorial Day for the start of fishing season. The highway south of Elk Lake is currently closed to all traffic, snowmobile and cross-country ski activities.
Administration concedes courts’ review power By John H. Cushman Jr. New York Times News Service
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration conceded the incontestable to a disgruntled federal court on Thursday, formally declaring that “the power of the courts to review the constitutionality of legislation is beyond dispute.” Attorney General Eric Holder, bowing to an unusual demand of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in New Orleans, made official the backpedaling of the past
few days over remarks by President Barack Obama about the Supreme Court’s coming ruling on the constitutionality of his health care overhaul. Obama said Monday that it “would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step” for the court to overturn the law. Ever since, the White House has been struggling to explain what the president meant. And the appeals court, where the administration is challenging jurisdiction over an unrelated lawsuit,
took the unusual step during oral arguments on that case of demanding a detailed memorandum addressing the executive branch’s view of the judicial branch’s power over the legislative branch’s acts — in short, the separation of powers. “Where a plaintiff properly invokes the jurisdiction of a court and presents a justiciable challenge, there is no dispute that courts properly review the constitutionality of acts of Congress,” Holder wrote. His letter was filed
in precise obedience to the court’s demands, which included a noon deadline, a three-page length, single spacing and an explicit reference to the president’s statement. But the letter also offered a reminder that the Supreme Court has emphasized that there is a strong presumption that acts of Congress are constitutional, and that the executive branch has frequently urged courts to respect the judgments of Congress. See Courts / A4
Smaller Navy ship has rocky past — and key support By Elisabeth Bumiller New York Times News Service
MOBILE, Ala. — The Navy’s newest ship is designed to battle Iranian attack boats, clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz, chase down Somali pirates and keep watch on China’s warships. The ones built here even look menacing, like Darth Vader on the sea. “It’s going to scare the hell out of
folks,” said Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Ala., who is one of the ship’s biggest boosters in Congress. Bonner acknowledged that the ship had needed a “tweak” here and there — his allusion to one of the most tortured shipbuilding programs in Navy history, a decadelong tale of soaring costs, canceled contracts and blown deadlines. One of the two $700 million ships
completed so far has had a major leak and crack in its hull, while the other is at sea, testing equipment that is failing to distinguish underwater mines from glints of light on the waves. More ominously, a report late last year by the Pentagon’s top weapons tester said the ship “is not expected to be survivable in a hostile combat environment.” See Ship / A4
Entering drone field, OSU plans to apply for testing site By Duffie Taylor The Bulletin
Oregon State University is vying to become a key player in the future of drone testing. It’s not alone. Economic Development for Central Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and others also want to tap into drones’ enormous commercial potential, and all say securing a testing site in the region is the first step. Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration registered the university as a potential sponsor to test drones, or unmanned aircraft systems. OSU will now apply for a one-year contract to test drones at an undetermined site. If approved, drone testing by the university could begin in summer or early fall. “We’re committed here as the initial sponsor and as a host for those that want to team up,” said Michael Wing, OSU associate professor of geographical information science and spatial analysis. No longer seen as strictly military apparatuses, drones are increasingly being explored for their data collection and reconnaissance capabilities, Wing said. The stealthy aircraft’s ability to survey wide regions and carry vast amounts of information could change the way snowpack measurements, firefighting and search-and-rescue operations are handled. The far-reaching implications of drones have spurred universities nationwide to apply as testing sponsors. Though OSU is the first university in the state to apply, Wing said the demand for testing is already here. Already a halfdozen companies specializing in drone hardware and software production are operating near Hood River, he said. “The big ones are university research- and development-driven,” said Collins Hemmingway with EDCO’s aviation committee. “If we get a testing area here, that business will spread over the three- to six-county area.” High on the university’s list of potential testing grounds is the Warm Springs reservation, primarily because of its low population, high visibility and clear airspace. “Central Oregon is a strong place for it because it has a fairly low population and can minimize heavily populated flight lines,” Wing said. “It also has excellent visibility.” See Drones / A4
The fast, maneuverable USS Independence, a littoral combat ship, is central to President Barack Obama’s strategy of projecting American power in the Pacific and Persian Gulf. General Dynamics via New York Times News Service