We’re gathered here on this 8th day of May in the year 2007 to mourn the loss of freedom in Oregon.

On this day we come together to take stock of what has been lost in just the past few months as the Oregon State Legislature. Led by Prime Minister Courtney, and Speaker Merkeley—under the direction—or perhaps misdirection-- of Governor Kulongoski—these people who call 
themselves ‘DEMOCRATS’ have forgotten about DEMOCRACY.

If you go to the back of the State Legislature, out the back door, you’ll find what’s left of the Oregon voters’ rights.  Alongside them, in a heap, lay the Oregon voter. 

They were left behind this session.

In the beginning much was said about conciliation, working together, 
compromise, but the only thing compromised was the will of the voters. Their rights have not been honored. It seems the democrats’ plan was to tidy up a bit. Thrown into the dustbin were the rights of Oregonians. But, you see, it’s easy to see why they don’t respect the rights of the voter or the will of the voter, or the freedom of the voter.

It’s because freedom is messy. Freedom spills all over the floor.

It can’t be contained.  It can’t be managed.  And the little d democrats don’t like that because in their mind that is not the natural order of things. They must be in charge and dictate what you want.   So, this session they decided to clean up your freedoms a bit.  They observed that the voters didn’t know what they were doing when they passed an initiative declaring marriage is between only a man and woman. That was an inconvenience for the democrats. It was messy, so they “cleaned it up”, gave it a new name, gave new “rights” to their friends, and let the men marry men and women marry women. Exactly opposite of what the voters wanted.

This session the democrats decided that a 14-20% increase in taxes paid into government wouldn’t be enough to fulfill their plans so they planned to rake in hundreds of millions more with a series of new taxes. They planned to take the kickback given to corporations. Then they announced that because they know better than you they’d confiscate your kicker and give some of it away to people who were more ‘needy.’

The voters approved the kickers. The kickers were in the constitution but the democrats didn’t care. They couldn’t do with your money what they wanted—it was too messy—so they cleaned it up and broke the law.

The democrats wanted to carve out a full time job for themselves so they decided to meet every year. The constitution orders they meet every other year, but it was too messy for them, so the democrats cleaned up the constitution, by ignoring it. 

When the voters twice said the government should have to pay if it takes your property, the democrats didn’t like that very much. The first time the judges said it was unconstitutional. So the second time it was proposed it wasn’t put in the constitution. Now the democrats have stripped the backbone, guts and heart out of the measure, rewritten it and have decided they’ll give you another chance to get this decision right. Isn’t that nice of them? Except it isn’t any measure you’ve seen before. They don’t believe in private property rights so it’s no choice at all.

Thousands of Oregonians AND the federal government have declared themselves in favor of a secure piece of identification so we can access federal buildings, travel on airplanes, and know who is in this state illegally. But the democrats said that was too messy and they don’t want to do that. They don’t trust the federal government, don’t think there’s a security problem, and the people in Oregon who want Real ID are just mean. So the illegal aliens have more right to be heard than you do. 

The voters have said they don’t like sales taxes. Nine times they’ve said ‘we don’t want sales taxes.’ So the democrats are running through a sales tax on homes.  Freedom is messy and they need every dime they can squeeze out of you to ‘clean it up.’  You’ll find your freedom out the back door next to the trashcans at the Oregon state legislature. 

You can’t miss them. They’re right by the bright blue mop. 
 
 

© 2007 Victoria Taft