Op-Ed: Special-Session 'Aspirin' Far Too Weak, Too Late

(SALEM) - Oregon`s desperate state-budget illness now demands rational dollars, most cogitating citizens now agree. This situation recalls a personal near-tragedy, familiar to many parents.

`Give him aspirin -- call me later !" the college doctor said, drowsily angry at awakening by `new kids in town" at 3:00 AM. Our first babe-in-arms was suffering `sudden burning fever" from already-burst appendix. Doctor refused lifesaving rapid visit; desperate phone-search triggered rush to `Doernbecher" in Portland, referred by Salem specialist via following phone-call.

Six months --and seven operations !-- followed, saving our first son by fine/honed `Doernbecher"-skills and deep professional concern by beloved Dr. Krippaehne.

Ironic note: This time, for Oregon`s educational system suffering longtime starvation leading to widespread `sudden fever" dollar-deprivation, it was another K-child, Governor Kulongoski `to the rescue." He demanded this `special session" despite obvious political risk --and made it happen over obstruction and intentional non-action by self-styled `Oregon leaders."

`Doctor"-Kulongoski`s necessity is already now demonstrated by parent/school board court action confronting `The State". The rapid parent/school board strong-reaction --seeking Legislature-set Constitutional rights for all Oregon children-- is firmly founded on positive decisions in more than thirty states,with others expected soon.

`Doctor"-K followed up work well-done by our `communicator-type" Education Superintendent Costillo --who knows raging fever when she feels heat-reflected-- this time from protesting parents building boiling public opinion across all of Oregon.

She helped `constant confronters" to back off, taking `new direction" accepted by nearly all-involved, to avoid `bloody Thursday" --perhaps leading to further primary-drained blood, too.

That burning heat felt by parents and school boards is fully-symptomatic for desperate system-decimating `support deprivation" --"coming on" steadily for twenty years in Oregon.

Education succumbed first. Similar serious system-infections will surely follow. They will surface in new budget-balancing failures. Full dollar-dealing illumination will death-deal some longtime Legislators -- and many other political reputations, too.

Just so long as `campaign contributions" are allowed to shape the people`s government to the malign, mischievous will of well-known corpulent corporations, exporting Oregon dollars elsewhere.

That is `catastrophic-state" for any continuing confidence level in any and all Oregon Legislative progress -- for every action OR NON-action. The special-sessioneers felt that growing heat --on very susceptible skin-areas sensitive to every political hot-breath.

What more-meaningful `Fix it or Die !" demonstration can parents choose than `SUE the STATE !` -- followed by what will prove extremely damaging court-compulsion on Constitutional grounds already well established in more than thirty states. What can be more-meaningful to ANY parent-pair than the solid-foundation/welfare of their offspring, in Oregon`s own public schools ?

Sad similar situations are simultaneously surfacing across the entire board of what was for long years seen as solid `societal contract" for every citizen -- and the kids, too. Health care, environmental risk, even basic food-necessities for survival -- all are compromised by the same cabal and conspiracy-driven (even PLEDGED !) deprivations.

On education, the Legislature `has spoken" -- but apparently not loud enough and not recently enough, either. That special-study and long-continued full-discussion, consideration-in-depth, and bipartisan devotion; evolved efficient, effective student Constitutional rights.

It has now been distorted, perverted --and finally ignored--by minimalists like Minnis and some maximum obstructionists like Mannix, both in-and-out of our `responsible" Legislature.

Since when has responsibility ever existed -- especially political and public-issue-- without accountability following closely, bearing consequences -- Constitutionally imposed, of course !

`They" and their cult of once-GOP/principled `former" Oregon legislators have had their way far, far too long. Did `They" --perhaps aided-and-abetted by colleagues then-or now-- ever consent and then sign-on for that ATR-copy of the Norquist PLEDGE -- to which Mannix now openly admits ?

Norquist et Cie --aided and abetted by ATR in Oregon--have peddled the PLEDGE --or its mirror-reflection-- over the past decade, despite some desperately-damaging illuminations of irresponsibility.

Are we ready for `more-of-the-same" dish, from the same suspect cook-ees, come the Regular Session, all too soon ?

(This Op Ed is the first in a short series devoted to the desperate plight of Oregon`s state funding systems now damaging and destroying essential services across the entire state.-hcr)