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Hello Friends,
As
I drive the 500-mile round trip between Salem and Ashland each week, my
thoughts are often with my friend, the late Senator, doctor and Rotarian, Alan
Bates.
A
recent guest editorial from a former Jackson County commissioner stated his
views of what Bates would do. That is actually the first question I ask myself
with every decision and vote that I must make as I serve out the remainder of
his term in the Oregon Senate.
At
this point, we are poised to adjourn the 2017 regular session without having
taken any major action on the state’s Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)
or a corporate tax package. We are unacceptably kicking the can down the road
to future legislatures.
That
is not leadership.
As
I watch the state of Illinois slide into the failure of bankruptcy, it inspires
me to recommit to our state and the need to help address these very serious problems.
Our
unfunded PERS liability grows larger every year, which puts each of our
citizens at risk, as well as every school district, city and county in Oregon. If
this continues to be ignored, our bonding rate will change and cost our
citizens many more millions of dollars as we borrow money we don’t have. The
retirement plans of thousands of our hard-working public servants will be in
greater and greater jeopardy. All of this is happening because legislators refuse
to do their jobs. The bottom line is that we need to work together a whole lot
better than we have been.
Leadership
could, and should, be an effective tool. But instead, the House Speaker brought
forth a plan, without consulting other legislative leaders, that would change
the entire focus of our attempted efforts at much-needed reform. It resulted in
thousands of phone calls being made to advocate for a plan that would, in my
opinion, ultimately bring about failure.
House
leadership then infuriated both sides of the Senate by deciding that a 51
percent vote can be used to pass a revenue package, when the state constitution
requires a supermajority to do so.
Further
complicating matters is the fact that special interest groups advance their
agendas by bombarding our offices with hundreds of form e-mails, many of which
are not from constituents or people who are even aware that this is being done
in their name. This makes it more difficult for sincere, personalized e-mails
from concerned citizens to get through to us.
In
our capitol building in Salem, I try to start every day with hope. That hope is
dashed and divided when plans don’t work out and ideas don’t come together. Those
initial hopes often turn into disappointment, then people tend to get upset.
Hope shines a light again, then the process starts all over.
I
am reminded that we have had multiple lawmakers with heart problems this
session, and I constantly remember Alan Bates and wonder what he would think of
all this. It gives me much to think about as I make my weekly commute from
Ashland to Salem.
Yours truly,
Sen. Alan DeBoer
Senate District 3
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1703
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-421, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: sen.AlanDeBoer@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/deboer
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