Op Ed: Oregon’s Corporate Contributions
Now Open to Public View;
Corrupting Consequences
No Longer Hidden

An online resource is open to any citizen to see the most essential record in State of Oregon files: “Where that political money comes from, who it goes to, and in what large chunks!”

Art courtesy: Acumen.com

(SALEM) - In Oregon, corporate “campaign contributions” cannot continue as the chosen canny cover-up once consummately carried on for often-concealed corrupting consequences.

Now, finally, each and every citizen can “see with own eyes” precisely how much --and to whom!-- the fabulous funds of feverishly favor-seeking corporate “public relations” profiteers are going.

It’s about time, too, since those funds, without doubt, have shaped some sorry, sad and suspicious situations in this fair State of ours, for far too long.

The new system is called Orestar. It is now up-and-running within the website of the Elections Division, Oregon Secretary of State, and is the subject of ongoing training sessions underway for those most concerned: Politicians and their other-selves embodied in campaign staffing and support.

A down-loadable Manual for Users is available also, aimed at assisting citizen users in this new and solid information source. It is found at: www.sos.state.or.us/elections in PDF or WORD --the most useful formats now.

There’s very good reason for the very large effort obviously required to make this rapid, if not “instant”, new system work well and easily for citizens.

There is no doubt whatsoever of the strong-and-growing determination among Oregon voters to know WHO is getting HOW MUCH, from WHOM --and WHY.

Those who --always and unavoidably-- get to pay all the bills are now very determined to know all there is to know about where political funds are coming from.

With an occasional question, too, about WHAT else goes into carefully-shaped and costly corporate causes conceived and consistently consummated to create and cost-out any possible kind of advantage thus obtainable.

Orestar is one consequence of 2005 Legislative concern concentrated into actual action --for once!-- by perhaps the worst financial furor over campaign funds in Oregon history: State Rep. Dan Doyle (R-Salem) made personal use of large sums ostensibly collected for political purposes --and then lied about it in his ostensibly-honest and open campaign expenditures accounting.

SO our ‘05 Legislature identified a true need (!) nurtured by absolute necessity for political and personal protections, not necessarily then available, from similar and sometimes also-vulnerable situations.

Those were the forces that set up study and operations activity resulting now in Orestar.

Please note that this new shining-one in the Internet firmament is open to any citizen via your own ubiquitous computer-keyboard; and a minimum effort to sign up and check in for a voluminous run of the most essential record in State files: “Where that political money comes from, and in what large chunks!”

OR many, many smaller ones --indicating surely a completely different kind of contributions climate. That, too, will now be reflected openly and honestly from this same indelible record of the flow of political lifeblood: Money, manipulated and intensely managed to build, shape, power, and maneuver for every candidate and conceivable purpose --in our indomitable democracy.

Orestar operates easily, rapidly and effectively, as my own sign-up surely demonstrated: less than five minutes, and already more than a few of some “Verrrryyy Interessssting” points of information; now readily at hand with details never before so rapidly and easily found; and fully accessible for study --perhaps leading to badly-needed understandings, too.

Since this new setup demands from every campaign contributions group details on each of their financial operations within 30 days --shortened to SEVEN days during that last six weeks just preceding the voting-- there is no longer any winning to the long-played game of waiting and waiting and waiting --until finally forced to cough up what sometimes was a choking-level of information when finally achieved.

Don’t be put off at the huge number of names, organizations and other dollar-dealing agencies involved in “the list” you will find when you visit Orestar.

You will really be concerned only with a very few for your own search, and those you can find to “see with own eyes” who is handing out how much, how fast and how lavishly --and to whom and when-conveyed. Those are unfailing and highly-reflective bits of political knowledge never before made available as fast and in full detail for Oregonians.

It is ironic that what triggered off this closer approach to realistic information --in real time for real interest in real relationships-- had to be precisely the opposite direction of activity: in this case the Doyle debacle.

Further irony, completely expectable now with eyes-open on this intriguing flow of political blood, is the impact on that flow. Most expect a definite down-side to volume-reported...while new channels for the unending pressure-pounding are somehow established, with or without the lubricant so lavished in Oregon in recent past years.

But no matter what nudged the trigger, as citizens shaping and --at least ostensibly-- directing the Oregon political pattern, plan and developments-therein, it is satisfying to see the culmination of such catastrophe as the Doyle-ditching now provide at least the possibilities for solid citizen surveillance -- surely needed at every political level now more than ever before.