This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE 7/7/05

Talk about inviting the fox into the henhouse!
I’m referring to the Legislature considering going to annual sessions.
They’ve been at it now for about six months and have yet to come forth with an education budget. That clearly, since it takes over 50 percent of the total available budget, should have been the number one issue before the solons.
Instead they’ve been posturing and posturing and unable to come to an understanding between the two bodies.
Not only that but the only legislation that has been coming from Salem has been about little things.....pedestrians, bicyclists, breast feeding and other seemingly important issues.
Meantime, every school in the state is held in suspended animation depending on just what kind of money they’ll eventually get from the Legislature.
Isn’t it about time that some kind of a joint committee was given the task of coming forth with a figure that is satisfactory to both houses.
Normally it seems like a good thing to have one of the legislative houses run by one party and the other by the other party. However in this case it is just one jumbled deadlock on the important issues.
They couldn’t even decide what the words of Measure 37, passed by sixty percent of the voters....really meant. They’ve shoveled that issue from pillar to post and still haven’t come up with some answers.
We didn’t send them to Salem to polarize the session into one of Democrats versus Republicans...or vice versa....but rather to examine the larger problems and produce some results.
And the Governor is of little help. While he could be lending some influence or guidance on the important issues...he is busy elsewhere.
Now....with that kind of Legislative record....we should give them an opportunity to do this same thing every year rather than every other year. Come on.....they demean the intelligence of the Oregon voter.
It’s time there was a clean sweep of the leadership, at least, and give them a solid reminder that they are not there for some political agenda but there to serve the needs of the state.
This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.