Friday, January 10, 2003 -- On the program following Seven Days, Bill Moyers' NOW,  Grover G. Norquist, of Americans for Tax Reform, was described in the intro as having "plotted" the new Bush economic strategy, which the program previous to Seven Days, Washington Week in Review, portrayed as shocking.  (And, of course, impossible, risky, not based in reality, etc.)

Three programs in a row, supported by your tax dollars, telling you that unless you vote for higher taxes on yourself, and more spending by government, everything will collapse.  Three programs which are produced and manned by people who haven't the faintest idea how an economy works, what is contained in the U.S. Constitution, or what they've done to the people of America.

This all has to do with priorities.  What people think comes first.  To these people, government comes first.

Seven Days is set up much like Bill Maher's now defunct Politically Incorrect, which was, like all liberal products, incorrectly named.  Maher and three other liberals would lambaste as viscious and unfeeling the single conservative brought to the show.  (That is a liberal's idea of fairness.)  Seven days is exactly the same on rare occasions.  Mostly, it omits the conservative view.

But, tonight, Bridget Barton, who with Jim Pasero produces Brainstorm Magazine, was the token conservative.  She faced Stephanie Fowler (PBS, a liberal), Hasso Hering (Albany Democrat Herald, a liberal), Richard Aquirrez (Salem Statesperson Journal, a liberal) and a political pundit from the Oregonian whose name escapes me at the moment.  He's a liberal.

Miss Barton, who is in my opinion superior to the Oregonian's David Reinhard when it comes to representing conservative viewpoints, reacted to the doom and gloom predictions of the others by pointing out that only one portrait of the results of a failure of the pending tax initiative was being given to the citizens of this state.  The others, of course, believe they are totally neutral journalists, and never color anything.  Only one, Hasso Hering, who now and then does depart slightly from the Democrat party line, allowed as how there was some merit to Barton's position. 

Hasso has mixed priorities.  He has the heart of a liberal and the mind of a conservative.  Most of the time the emotional priorities of the heart overrule the reality in his brain.

The discussion then went on to cover Kitzhaber's legacy, which they (excluding Miss Barton) interpreted as being that of a genius who had great ideas but not the soul of a politician who could communicate these great ideas to the people. (Liberals always believe that the reason you don't support their ideas is because you aren't intelligent enough to understand them.)

What Kitzhaber actually did, of course, was try to cram more Oregon cars into the same roads.  What Kitzhaber did was to supervise the worst state economic record in living memory.  What Kitzhaber did was to increase the size of government, promote outrageous public employee income and retirement plan growth, establish a state health plan that balooned into a billion dollar boondoggle (just as critics said it would), turned the public school system into a complete mess and ruin Oregon's reputation with potential new business clients from here to the Hudson River.

Kitzhaber is similar to Hasso, only moreso.  He's all heart and no brain.  The secret to understanding Kitzhaber is good intentions.  Those are his priorities.  Like all liberals, he is living proof of the old maxim that says the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. 

They all postulated about the new fellow, of course.  He meets with a lot of people, so he will be better, they think.  Even the conservative Miss Barton thinks there is some promise in the early expostulations of Mr. Kulongoski.

No matter which way this edition of Seven Days swayed, however, a great question hung like a canopy over the discussion  Considering the mess the state's in, what can the new fellow possibly do?  If the coming election fails to provide more money, and most of them think that's exactly what's going to happen, how  can the collapse of everything be avoided? 

This was Miss Barton's opening.  She did not grab the ball and run with it, so I will.

The answer is simple.  It's about priorities.

You make a list of what must be done.  When the needs of that list have been met, if anything is left, you spend that money on second level priorities, and so forth.

The very idea that these editors and reporters could suggest that a single state police officer would be laid off borders on the ridiculous.  Public safety is the number one priority for any government, period.  We do not need to fund the arts or humanities at the expense of a single police officer or fire fighter.  The state economic development funds have been dished out to arts and festivals for years, as well.  We have had terrible problems with unemployment during those years.  Manufacturers move out, or change their mind about setting up shop here, but boy do we have a time in good old clam gulch on Sadie Hawkins Day.

You want more good paying jobs in Oregon?  Learn about the priorities of business.  They don't like high taxes on themselves or their employees. 

Take down the names of those you see threatening that possibility.  They are more than liars, they are damned fools whose views could endanger your community, your family and your friends.  Save that list of names so you'll know who doesn't have the same priorities that you do.  Television shows, newspaper editors, politicians, civic figures -- keep that list handy.  Look at it now and then, so you'll never forget who thinks funding the important things should come second.

If he's your newspaper's editor, stop subscribing to the paper.  If he's your television anchor, stop watching that program.  If he's your politician, change politicians.

If we use common sense and so have our priorities properly arranged, the failure of that tax increase will actually improve life in this state.  The snorting of the hog will no longer be heard in the public trough, and entire VW microbus wagon trains will leave for California and Massachusetts.

Old Tom's spirit will smile as each hippie crosses the border.

© 2003 Oregon Magazine