Down The Sewer Pipe – Politically Speaking

This year we have a presidential candidate that has become disenchanted with the political process.  He promises change and change is thought to be a good thing.  True there are times when the political process grinds slower than one would like.  The issue is do we the people really want, or even need, our legislative bodies to act quickly.

After you take public office there will be pressure, lots of it, to create laws that make things better.  Better for whom, is a question that must be asked, because in Portland Oregon better for some means worse for others.  When Portland Oregon created a law, that requires fuel stations to have their products cut with ethanol, no one asked the question, about the inventible increase in price.  People, who are down right rich, wealthy, or well healed, do not have a problem with fuel price.  Middleclass and working class people are forced to choose, between food to eat, and a way to get to work.

Legislation, then, needs to be well thought out.  Normally, in the case of Portland Oregon, the time frame is four months.  Four months to come up with a set of restrictions for the many, while the few profit.  The few are, in most cases, making all the noise while forcing the many into their narrow view of life.  The few have no consideration of the many.  This is why we have a bus mall in Portland Oregon, where cars are not allowed.  The bus mall has at least four empty storefronts along its path.  This is because the town council, in the gas that passes for wisdom, decided that people would use the bus to shop in the downtown area.  This has proven to be a mistake that has cost one hundred people their jobs.

The State of Oregon is in a similar place with some land use legislation that they placed on the ballot last year.  They convinced the majority of people that measure 49 was a good thing.  Now public money is being used to defend it and so far four thousand people have sued the state, more will follow.  So the question, then, is why would we want to have a quicker pace for legislation?

Well thought out legislation does not become part of a lawsuit, meets the needs of everyone, and lasts the test of time.  The Congress of The United States passes thousands of laws a year.  There is no possible way that everyone, that votes to pass these things, reads them all.  Neither do they have any idea of the adverse effects that these laws have on the population at large.  In short, they do not think things through because they are so busy either running for office, or passing something so quickly that they never ask the question, whom does it hurt?

Slowness in the legislative process means that the legislative body actually thinks about what they are doing, what the real cost is going to be in social and monetary spheres of life.  A well thought our piece of legislation would never lead you Down the Sewer Pipe – Politically Speaking.

Sherman