Out-of-State Money and Oregon's Ongoing Political Disaster

No out of state citizen has any right to be involved in our political process.

Courtesy: EPA

(EUGENE, Ore.) - Oregon and the Nation face seemingly intractable problems of unemployment, debt, excessive taxation, and government corruption.

Every election cycle brings more money being dumped into the political process, more shady advertising, and more empty promises from politicians.

The failures of both the Democratic and Republican parties are widely acknowledged, and yet they maintain a stranglehold on our State and Nation.

The key to the dominance of the Democrats and Republicans is money: pure and simple.

Not only is our State Government dominated by money; it is dominated by money coming from out-of-State interests that promote policies directly contrary to the interests of Oregon Citizens.

If Oregon’s representatives are bought and paid for by banks, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, and other out-of-State corporations, then who do they represent?

Politicians represent the people who put them in office. In our pay-to-play political system it is not the voters who put politicians in office. It is the contributors.

Democrat or Republican, any elected official who takes money from out-of-State corporations, lobbyists, and contributors does not represent Oregonians. They represent the people who pay their bills.

Ron Wyden – Democratic Senator

For the 2010 election cycle, 66% of donations to Ron Wyden have been from out-of-State. This money included $596,628 from New York, $349,990 from Washington D.C., and $213,984 from Los Angeles.

In 2004, the last full cycle in which Wyden ran, he took 54% of his money from out-of-State interests.

Jeff Merkley – Democratic Senator

Of the top metro areas that Merkley received donations from during his 2008 campaign, he received $1.7 million from out-of-State, and $1.3 million from in-State. Leading out-of-State contributors were from New York with $555,324, and Los Angeles with $322,548.

Gordon Smith – Former Republican Senator

In the 2008 election cycle, former Senator Gordon Smith took 50% of his donations from out-of-State. $607,360 came from Washington D.C., $244,508 from Los Angeles, and $208,800 from New York.

In 2002, the prior full election cycle, Smith took only 34% of his donations from out-of-State.

Additional Notes

Oregon Senators get the biggest chunk of out-of-State money by far.

The Senate is the primary target for political corruption on the national scale. The Senate's limited numbers, and arcane anti-democratic rules make its members more powerful than their House counterparts. The less frequent election terms of Senators make it easier for them to get away with their corrupt practices.

There is a good reason why it is illegal for Federal candidates to take money from Foreign countries: it is impossible for anyone to faithfully represent a sovereign state when they are accepting bribes from competing states.

Oregon would do well to emulate the Federal government in this particular respect, and ban foreign political contributions to candidates from our State.

No individual who is not a citizen of this State has any right whatsoever to be involved in our political process.

Allowing foreigners to give bribes is just as insane, if not more so, than allowing foreigners to vote. Obviously, we would never allow foreigners to vote freely in our elections, so why do we allow them to spend millions of dollars bribing our politicians?

Ersun describes his writing as being "in the language of the boardroom from the perspective of the shop floor." He adds that "he has no education in journalism other than reading Hunter S. Thompson." But along with life comes the real experience that indeed creates quality writers. Right now, every detail that can help the general public get ahead in life financially, is of paramount importance.

You can write to Ersun at: warncke@comcast.net