Op Ed:
Toothless Ethics
Allows Legislative
Misfeasance Now

Job One: To Set Practical Working Surveillance

Direct, forceful, action necessary when the “the game” begins again via inherent power-of-the-people

(Salem) - No action of the incoming Legislature can begin to rebuild Statewide return to credibility and common sense without rapid, radical reform of their self-imposed ethical rules for operation. Whatever our elected representatives returning to “the Salem Arena” do NOW, an essential “first step” must include new “rules-of-the-game”. Those “rules” must now be broadly surveilled and very firmly “administered” by a strengthened Ethics Commission, independently funded. Any meaningful working-measure must include additional staff and greatly-expanded investigative capabilities. By far the most widespread defining and damaging evidence of ongoing Legislative misdemeanors is the public record already drawing strong interest. “Memory loss” and “lobbyist advice” is no longer acceptable --and should carry truly painful consequence. Even Legislative cogitation surely must sharpen with such highly harmful event and report now producing widespread dismay and distrust. This situation demands simple, strong, common-sense rapid-reform, without fail. There must be direct, forceful, continuing action, immediately, when the new session begins “the game” again -- or other “major meaningful participation” may follow via inherent power-of-the-people. “Transactional lobbying” and loose, lush “campaign contributions” have now clearly coalesced. Yet meanwhile “non-consequential” escape, by those whose lack of sensitivity or due responsible care characterizes such actions is the regular rule --so far. That’s totally damning for voters whose decision was made in fundamental open trust and confidence for every current Legislator. Oregon voters watch and wait for what must NOW be done. They demand the Legislature NOW install strong new means and practical methods to manage-and-police its own operations. No one else can do that job as well and as rapidly. No one else should have to think about doing it; it is their job. BUT many are now contemplating “whatever it takes” to guarantee what they have a perfect right to expect: Ethical operation of their representative assembly, on all levels and in all activities. The only wise actions that can be taken immediately MUST be by these VOTE-selected representatives, acting on-their-own. What they do can only arise from conscientious understandings of their own conferred-and-conjoint responsibilities, now fully-accepted. Deep concern is now demanded, followed by practical action to correct current consequences of past evasion and denial of realities. That’s what “the vote” given to each truly demands, in any semblance of American democracy at work for the commonweal. Here are practical steps to guide rapid “rules-setting” and begin solid reform, opening this session. The legislative “niceties-of-procedure” can follow after the raw wounds of non-wisdom over the decades are roughly-bandaged. That may take months --and it should, to make sure it is done right this time. Meanwhile present perpetrators can be prevented from further destruction of essential trust-relations by tough new working-rules. First and foremost: Independent funding for operations and strengthening current staff should be undertaken rapidly by whatever practical measures are possible. Given “creative motivation” --surely now highly evident even to the legislators-- that fundamental foundation should be wrapped up within early weeks. Such rapid action is justified by the trust-draining impacts already clear for anyone following the State media. The most cynical observer must concede nothing else has so ripped away public confidence in Legislative activities as ongoing fundamental departures from that fundamental trust awarded and accorded ONLY --and inevitably-- by “my vote!” Emergency-action via special dispensation, covered by later detailed planning and procedure, is surely both justified-and-demanded. That one wise move will do more to repair the decades-long disintegration of Oregon politics into desperate party-cult confrontation than any possible other single step. Second, but only slightly-so: The financial-fine structure for Commission application should start with a first-time “found-guilty” $15,000 fine. That will guarantee all-concerned understand the actual arrival of solid surveillance. To be followed by stinging-rebuke consequence, for any and all serious situations. The second and final fine should be $25,000 --with the addition of a legal bar for any continuing career in state politics-- for any elected individual found guilty by Commission action. The fundamental, underlying foundation for and all democratic governance is the absolute reliance on trust and capacity to act in the common weal; conferred on each and every representative sent to Legislative service by VOTE of Oregon citizens. How more-hurtful for all of us can there be than such “slippery slide” into destroying that fundamental “trust and confidence” conferred by voting-choice? Painful consequence must be written into the “new rules” as rapidly as the source for independent Commission funding. Whatever the malign pattern or reprehensible action found to force Commission-consequence on those “caught-in-the-act”, strong and effective staff-investigation should be followed by equally strong-and-effective –and deeply/punishing--- consequence. One reason Oregon has suffered decades of decline in so many desperately-needed Statewide services and protections for the common person and family is precisely that “everybody does it, everyone gets away without hurt”: A fact surely evident from the now-public record clearly visible, reaching the abject level of “I forgot” and “we trusted the lobbyist.” Oregon’s most serious voters --long concerned as they witnessed deadening denigration imposed on Ethics actions over past decades-- are now joined by many, many more who will be seeking practical, rapid, and highly-consequential “rewriting of the rules” --just as the new game begins. Political-cult/dominated confrontation continued will surely have extremely serious consequences, this time around --but not for the Oregon voter alone!