Judy Trohkimoinen For OEA Region III Vice-President

I have known Mrs T from the time my son was in first grade, he's now several years out of high school, and I've been endlessly impressed by Judy. She is a 19 year veteran of education and advocacy for anything that improves the health, education, and welfare of our children. As you may have noticed, I am rather politically active, Judy is not behind me in that respect, though a bit less, ahem, partisan. Take this in the respect of not being a DPO operative, as I am.

As longer term readers may have noticed, Baker City does manage to bring some political figures to our fair city and I don't miss them, so I know that Judy doesn't either. Two articles down you will find a picture of Sen. Wyden and a couple people including...Mrs T. I've spent over a dozen years mangling Mrs T's actual last name, but that really doesn't matter since it is a matter of a ballot. If you have a say in OEA please go to the link I've provided, and even if you don't, getting acquainted with her is a nice thing.

Rule of Law and Sheepskinned Stupidity

Let's assume that some university granted you a diploma that somehow qualified you to be the William R Kenan Professor of Government at Harvard University, that would seem to indicate that you had some understanding of US government and its foundational document - The Constitution. Harvey C. Mansfield has those credentials and an astonishing level of stupidity backed by a lot of inapplicable references to other governments' crassness of power hunger backing The Case For the Strong Executive in the WSJ. He opens his argument with a disdain for the term "Imperial Presidency" being applied critically to the BushCo regime, 'apologizes' for what he's about to promote by stating that under other circumstances he would be "defending the rule of law." This statement alone should scare the snot out of any American.

Somehow Aristotle, Machiavelli, Locke, and Cromwell get rung into a discussion of the Republic created by our Constitution and how that underpinning law is inadequate to circumstances outside of those of peace. The argument begins and ends with the proposition that the ends justify the means. The Bill of Rights becomes optional in his scheme, in fact that there is a mistaken liberal opinion assuming "that civil liberties have the status of natural liberties; and are inalienable." An odd appellation for something written down by the Framers and referred to repeatedly in discussions regarding the BOR at the time. Under his scheme the Constitution becomes a guide subject to convenient revision at any time it is inconvenient to the exercise of an energetic executive.

You would think that a Harvard professor of government would be aware of the bad end Cromwell came to and might avoid using the very arguments that brought it about. Nope, he is a paragon of governance and what he saw as utilitarian is some brought forward from England's parliamentary form of government into out own. Locke is touted as a "wiser liberal" as he promotes the idea of "doing the public good without a rule." What part of Revolutionary War is it that Mansfield doesn't get? These yahoos were messing about quite a while previous to that little dust-up in Monarchical/Civil War England.

I don't deny any of these people their due in the understanding of the evolution of governance, but to bring in their completely alien experiences to a discussion of disregarding the further evolution of governing called the Constitution is simply academic posturing, as is the liberal sprinkling of Machiavelli's Italian. You are to ignore the simple equation he is proposing, rule of law is subordinate to rule of personality (man) in uncertain times. Now, Machiavelli was a creature of the rule of personality, Cromwell was a ruler of that philosophy, George III carried it onto America's back, and later America bled copiously to defeat: Hitler, Mussolini, et al - all examples of the rule of man in uncertain times.

By the way, the problems in Iraq "arise from having wished to leave too much to the Iraqis, thus from a sense of inhibition rather than imperialism."

If you do not understand my insistence that the 2nd Amendment is meaningful today, you should go read this tripe passed off as a serious discussion of the future of American law and liberties and reflect on where it came from and who ascribes to it. In shorter words - these people are scary; and frankly, treasonous.

Eddykayshun at OU

Thanks to Ridenbaugh Press for a heads up on this one. The Opinion Piece in the Register Guard signed by 92 Oregon University faculty is distressing to say the least. Some college athletics departments give money back to the university, at Ohio State U it's around $10 million, at our OU it's zip, yep nada. If everything was just ticking along that might not be an issue, but everything is not just ticking along. While the athletics department's budget has increased by 224% since 1994, $18.5Mil to $41.5Mil the biology dept. gets along with 20% less office staff for 20% more students and a budget increase of 47%. You get a situation where a student athlete costs $92,000 per year while a biology student costs $705 per year. I like sports well enough, but gee whiz, on an absolute scale biologists trump football players.

With faculty salaries on the low end of the American Association of Universities and academic rankings sliding it seems that the rah rah emphasis is misplaced. With athletics at a zero return to the school, being a major league training camp instead of a high power university is not a mission for OU that I'd back. In fact, in that scenario, once you get past giving students a common ground to root for the school it's a big fat waste of money. Versus providing a top notch education I don't particularly care if they can't beat the Baker HS Bulldogs.

The Opinion Piece offers quite a bit more detail and is worth a read if this is the sort of thing that gets you in an uproar. I've sat in -20F in a blizzard that was dumping 2 feet of snow watching an MTU football game, it was fun, it meant something to us, and we also were attending one of the top 3 universities in applied science.

Governor K's Baker City Inaugural Visit

I hope you'll bear with me on my "quotes" since I have no recorder and I don't know an actual version of shorthand, ok, I'm apologizing in advance for my crappy notes, but the quotes if not exact are real close. We had a pretty nice day for the Governor's luncheon, just a little fresh snow to make things white and mixed sunny weather.

I shook hands with TK and told him how nice it was to have him back and he thanked me personally "for all the good work you guys have done" (Baker County Democrats). So, kudos folks. Gale Voser, BCD Treasurer, deserves special thanks for closing up her store to come and help with the door. Courtney Warner was charming and efficient as she helped with the meet and greets, this means something in a small town. Sad to report that she's winding up her commitment to the Gov.

Fred Warner (D) County Chair handled the introduction, noting particularly the difference in the economy and employment picture between the Inaugural Ball 4 years ago and today.

The Governor opened up by saying what a pleasure it was to "be back in beautiful downtown Baker City" (if you've never been, it is) and thanking Baker for all the volunteers for state boards noting that "people are starting to wonder if everybody is from Baker City." He said that he never gets to visit Eastern Oregon enough, but sometime too much with the funerals for soldiers and thanked us for how we support those in harm's way.

Most of the remarks were referenced to this "Moment of Opportunity" provided by our improved economy, and that he hoped to turn this into our longest and best opportunity for all of the state's people. He mentioned his plans for education from pre-school to work-force, children's health care, making Oregon a leader in renewable and alternative energy, and other facets of his Inaugural Speech that your correspondent was too slow to get noted.

I'm going to step out of chronological accuracy and group statements by topic and I'll note that these are statements I found interesting and strong.

On the topic of labor and global marketing Ted wanted the worker to know that when "he wonders who cares and will help, that we will." We will see to it that there is more education and skill training. "We will not abandon you." Regarding education and labor he stated that 70% of high school grads will not go on to college and that we need to carry the message to them that "labor is an honorable and worthwhile thing," something that is not being done now.

In regards to opportunities in Oregon, he pledged that "we will close the gap between those who have found the Dream and those who press their faces to the glass looking in." We care about each other in Oregon and take care of each other, "we do not move ahead by leaving others behind."

He believes that "if we remain defined by our differences we can never move ahead," that "before we are members of political organizations, we're Oregonians."

I've condensed an hour of speaking and Q&A; considerably more than it deserves and Governor Kulongoski gave a good uplifting speech that I'm sure even the Republican Party of Oregon attendees could get along with. It is worth noting that the Republican Chair Mrs Jan Kerns is on one of the Governor's Boards.

The Geiser Grand Hotel, pre-turn of the century, is a beautiful building, and they served a nice luncheon and ran a good show. It is a premier hotel, worth a visit to "beautiful downtown Baker City."

Thanks for stopping by, Ted.

Ron Saxton for Dog-catcher

Ted Kulongoski is Governor of the State of Oregon and he's had to make some decisions that haven't pleased every one, or even most of his base. Well, gee, and you want what from your Governor, that he'll just go a long to get along as the State goes in the ashcan?

Well if that's what you'd like I have just the guy for you, Ron Saxton. This guy has taken all the stands, mutually exclusive though they might be. Cut your taxes, raise your services. Fix education by spending smarter, he's proven he can spend a lot and beg for more and then raise nothing. He can fix education for his kid, he'll just move and keep the previous address for his political convenience. He really likes George II, maximum donation likes him, but he's an independent thinker (George II and thinking in the same sentence??) Boy illegal immigrants are a problem for him (not because they depress wages, but they're furriners who might vote) but when them cherries need a pickin he knows how to build an immigrant camp. He'll give you ten seconds to come up with something the Governor has done, but won't spend ten seconds telling you what the Party he represents has done to obstruct the State's business or what he's actually done. He cares about kids, he's proved he cares about his, now his little work around cost some other kid but that don't count - they're probably poor and poor people don't vote. Speaking of vote, he's all worried about votes, but he sure hasn't had a negative word about the House Voting Security Bill that'll strip you of your vote if you can't manage their BS. It's definitely in the Republican Party's favor to depress the general vote, then their narrow ideological base counts for more. See Saxtonwatch for more details on why this guy would be a disaster as dog-catcher, much less Governor. (hey Ron, G - O - V - E - R - N - O - R, Mr Eddykashun) That's not nice, it's really hard to get good help, especially with that base to work from - maybe try an immigrant for spell checking.

By the way, Ted Kulongoski is a hell of a guy, that's a story that ought to be good fiction instead of fact, and you're damn right he cares, a lot. Too bad for Ron, it's tough to run against that kind of character with so little ammunition. Hell, my dog ain't even scared.