Senate Republican leader: Hughes column was 'set piece'

The Statesman Journal ran a column by Editorial Page Editor Dick Hughes recently with the headline, "The politics of fear, Republican style." It was a virtual "set piece" Republicans have come to expect during election cycles. While attack ads are the fodder of both Republican and Democrat political machines, the media turn a blind eye toward Democrat attacks.

In the days following the election four years ago, Senate Republicans approached Senate President Peter Courtney with a novel proposal to hold Senate members from both parties accountable to the same standard of language and conduct in campaigns as they do for actions and words on the Senate floor.

Half-truths, untruths and distortions would bring an immediate "Point of personal privilege" objection from victims of either party, who could then demand a public retraction or request a vote of censure against the perpetrator. Courtney refused.

But incivility in politics and distortions of the record are not the scariest thing in Oregon politics.

Far scarier is blind support by the media of a regime that has produced some of the worst public policy failures in Oregon history.

What's scary is only six out of every 10 grade school students reading at grade level. One of the shortest school years in the U.S. and a dropout rate comparable to that of the 1950s is scary.

Is it not frightening that Oregon's per-capita income is $7,000 less than neighboring states and we are plagued with lingering urban unemployment with much higher rural unemployment?

In his review of Cover Oregon, turn-around specialist Clyde Hamstreet found "scant accountability, questionable expenditures, weak financial controls and questionable business practices ... conducted by executives and managers who do not have the experience or ability to succeed."

It is scary that one of Oregon's poster-child bureaucracies is inundated with rampant dysfunction.

Our collective fear of Oregon's continuing downward spiral should be more than enough to motivate Republicans, Democrats and Independents to vote for a change in leadership.

Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, is the state Senate Republican Leader. Contact him at Room S-323 in the Oregon Capitol, (503) 986-1950 or sen.tedferrioli@state.or.us.

Online

The Connecting the Dots column to which Sen. Ted Ferrioli refers was published online Oct. 18 and in print Oct. 19. To read it, go to www.statesmanjournal.com/opinion/dick-hughes.