Op-Ed: Prevarication NOW May Prove Potent Political-Death Provider

(SALEM) - `Double-speak" is definitely not new in Oregon politics. It`s been `chosen language" in Oregon for too long, to offset twenty years of political-cult confrontation-consequences now causing collapse in civil, educational, social and emergency programs statewide. Every day, in every way, Oregon media report radical reverses arriving in reality for every part of `the social contract". You can see with own eyes on any tv-news program or any daily newspaper front-page: For health care, emergency food-supply, schools and teachers, university and grad-school education, police and public safety, traffic-control, child-abuse, environment, forestry, fire prevention, fish and wildlife protection --and others, too. (List compiled from actual news-reports during ten days.) Here`s `double-speak" defined for those needing a reminder: Equivocate: "be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information." Telling plain-and-simple truths may be the only way to rebuild voter confidence, now totally undermined by longtime Legislative denials of definite realities readily encountered. Oregon Legislative mismanagement of monies and budgets have radically rearranged real-life in every area of Oregon`s social, economic and educational action. YOU know and care. THEY know but don`t really care...so long as `campaign contributions" keep coming constantly. `Actions speak louder than words" --even when equivocated. What must be done about the entire tax system in Oregon is unavoidably painful, NOW. Whatever gets done will shape Oregon's future for generations to come. Whenever Oregonians think-it-through, there is simply and only one thing to do: FIX IT !! Plain-English statements are now demanded from all concerned. Equivocation clearly and rapidly reflected from situations known-and-felt by many across the state will simply-and-surely hurt those who would hide long-term consequences forever -- if they could. That works only if YOU allow them to peddle more of the same, deeper and dirtier than ever. Voters nixxed that, for sure, in the primary. Those same patterns of attack ads and more angry accusations cannot now cut-the-mustard with thinking Oregonians. Ron Saxton renounced any reasonable, realistic assumption that he is ready, willing --or even able -- to provide conscience and clarity of vision for the future. He continues to refuse delineation of what he should, could --and surely would -- do as Governor. We`ve asked --four times-- with no response for our readers. His choice is clearly obfuscation, attack-ads, and even more equivocation. The single most-consequential fact is his well-known PLEDGE promising avoidance of any tax reform, at any level, any time. for any purpose. He is PLEDGED to political-cult promises, not to Oregon`s paramount and primary interests. Eqivocation continues constantly on that painful point, you can safely bet your bottom dollar. That`s what you do if you accept what is equivocated so constantly, avoiding specifics, common sense and especially any consequences. Seizing instantly on ostensible `vulnerability" presented by proper, professional and profoundly heart-and-head/felt statement from Governor Kulongoski, Saxton has reversed his public-record statement on the `Kicker Issue". Clearly and compellingly, this action tells all-concerned that constancy in continuing consideration of compelling public issues means so little it can be abandoned for small political advantage. Even when flying in the face of compelling public record. In plain English Governor K's time-out to think it through --and then act policy on proper Kicker-use makes good common sense. What Gov.-K outlines states the realistic facts surrounding the desperate dilemma posed for Oregonians by the very fact of the ambiguous kicker-policy; intentionally built on the bedrock of heavy support from those profiting the most, most of the time; and also paying back heavy "campaign contributions". Oregon is the ONLY State with a `kicker". Did you ever wonder how that came about ? If you seek out the record, what you will find is supply-side theory -- the same insubstantial stuff that drives the Bush deficit debacle, now in the billions: Opening the door for desperate dollar-deprival for any and everything except Iraq --and other irrational, radical and very revealing reversed-conservative history. Which is what follows naturally and inevitably, irrevocably, if we allow equivocation to replace political platitudes where common sense and civil, social, economic, educational, health and public safety are concerned.