I submitted a couple pithy letters to The Oregonian this week. Perhaps we’ll see one or both in the future, but for now, here they are:
In response to January 13 editorial, “An Urgent Need for Bipartisanship in Salem”:
The editorial board encourages bipartisanship, but is the lack of it really the problem? What will more compromise without solution really accomplish?
The problem remains that fringe ideologues and the undereducated set run politics and policy here. A rose from Jackie Winters still means just as much as the rose’s ability to fashion legislation.
Of course, the public wants something different then hegemonic power wielded by one political party. However, Republicans, in this case, will not be held any more or less accountable if and when the Democrats engage in this foggy notion of “bipartisanship.” Why should accountability, never a strong-suit in politics to begin with, start now just because The Oregonian encourages it?
The governor is not “right.” He is a boob. He yammers about “division, stalemate and partisan warfare” not in some altruistic vision of governance, but rather as a scared, lame-duck politico clinging to power.
The second one was from yesterday. There were a couple articles and letters lauding the tobacco tax. Here are my thoughts:
Three cheers for taxing tobacco! I’m so proud that many people–too many to count, really–have been saved. We deterred children from the evils of smoking! Money is rolling in to the state as a result. Smoke-free bars and taverns … the best! The drudgery of taking my smoky clothes to the cleansers the next day no longer exists.
Just take this a step further and implement a garlic tax. Try sitting by the guy who just ate five cloves of roasted garlic for once. The breath, the gas … hideous! Pepper of all kinds is really tough on the tummy and a major cause of ulcers. Gas, too. Tax it! Imagine the revenue from happy-hour Buffalo wings alone.
Coffee’s potential here is off-the-charts. State coffers will be full if there is a duty on every cup of joe and every pound of beans.
Don’t stop believing…
Have a good weekend!
