BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- The group which hosted a national budget discussion last weekend released their preliminary findings Wednesday, showing the American public is sick of partisanship in policymaking.

Portland was one of 19 cities that took part in a national discussion created to talk about the country’s financial and budgetary problems and potential solutions.

The local event, which drew nearly 430 members of the public, took place on June 26 at Portland’s Convention Center. It took AmericaSpeaks, a D.C.-based nonpartisan think tank, four days to calculate preliminary findings from the suggestions and priorities for every city that participated in the national discussion.

In their findings, the group found that 89% of participants nationwide expressed their dissatisfaction with the “tone and quality of political discussion” in America today. Among the most common views expressed was the dislike of partisanship in government.

“Abandon the failed politics of partisanship,” was one of the common opinions expressed during the event. “You can’t demonize each other and expect us to trust you.”

In the written testimony released about the preliminary findings, Carolyn Lukensmeyer, President of AmericaSpeaks, wrote that participants in the event showed that the American public cares about America’s fiscal problems, can understand the hardships associated with fixing those problems, and is able to offer guidance on policy to policy makers.

“They offered a plea to policy makers to set aside partisan differences and get on with the work of addressing our most pressing problems,” wrote Lukensmeyer.

Local sponsors for the event included 1,000 Friends of Oregon, the Portland Business Alliance, the Bus Project, the Oregon 912 Project, Portland Community College, Rebuild Oregon, and Oregon Politico’s parent organization, the Cascade Policy Institute, among others.

Steve Buckstein, Founder of the Cascade Policy Institute, said the event was especially important because “if we don’t get the nation’s fiscal house in order, our local troubles will pale in comparison to what’s headed our way from Washington, D.C.”

“The concept of divergent voices coming together and just trying to find common ground is something we’ve been supportive of and tried to work in the way we approach dealing with issues,” responded Eric Stachon, Communications Director for 1,000 Friends of Oregon.

Richard Burke, Grassroots Coordinator for Americans for Prosperity, was hired by the AmericaSpeaks group to recruit “fiscally conservative” participants into the Portland discussion. He said he thought the discussion was effective in raising the profile of the budget and national spending.

“The question of our national debt, I think, will be one of the defining issues for the next fifty or even one hundred years for this country,” said Burke. “It’s an issue that has been on the back burner too long. An issue we pay too little attention to. And one that we need to raise the profile of.”

Stachon added that he was “impressed by the turnout” and thought it was effective in making participants feel their opinions had value.

Burke noted that despite the makeup of the event, which he characterized as being mostly left leaning, a majority of participants supported less spending on health care and non-defense spending.

Both Stachon and Burke thought future events like the one hosted by AmericaSpeaks are beneficial for the public and policy makers. Burke added that because of the importance of the issues, there can’t be enough discussions like this.

Final results from the event are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

BY SARAH ROSS

EUGENE- Concerns over Oregon’s state budget and economy ruled the conversation at Wednesday’s town hall in Eugene.

The meeting was held at the Song Brook Community Center in west Eugene for local constituents to talk with their legislators about February’s legislative session. The legislators, all Democrats, included Rep. Val Hoyle, Rep. Nancy Nathanson, Rep. Terry Beyer, and Rep. Paul Holvey and House Speaker Dave Hunt, from Clackamas County.

Although questions were proposed about forestry and rent control, the audience focused their comments on the state’s budget. Questions, such as how to get tourists to pay their fair share of taxes and how accurate the state economist’s revenue forecast really is, were addressed to the Lane County representatives.

One question drew particular interest when the leaders were asked if something was being done to address the short-handed staff and resources at the Department of Human Services.

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With regard to the forestry issue, Speaker Hunt agreed that the environmental pendulum probably has swung too far in an extreme direction recently and that more harvesting of the resource should be considered, just not to the extent that it was permitted a few decades ago.

None of the legislators took a hard and fast stance on rent control, but Rep. Holvey said a conversation on the topic likely would be needed.

To get tourists to pay their fair share in taxes for using local resources, the legislators cautioned away from a sales tax, with Speaker Hunt calling it regressive. However, he did show interest in some kind of user fees that are generally tourist-specific.

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- The three Republican legislators representing Salem held a town hall Tuesday to discuss the recent legislative session.

The legislators, Sen. Jackie Winters, R-Salem, Rep. Vicki Berger, R-Salem, and Rep. Kevin Cameron, R-Salem, opened the meeting by discussing their experiences during February’s month-long special session.

Sen. Winters highlighted the legislation she passed, including a bill to protect wineries in the Willamette Valley and a memorial honoring a local doctor.

The two House members talked about how they signed their name onto several bills but did not present any themselves because they believe no major policy items should come out of the constitutionally titled “emergency session.”

The legislators fielded questions on the tax measures 66 and 67, PERS contract agreements, the state budget, kicker reform, and potential tax increases.

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BY SARAH ROSS

OREGON CITY- Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) drew major criticism and little praise from constituents Thursday night at the Willamette Falls Medical Center for his health care vote last summer.

During the ninety-minute town hall gathering, almost every question Schrader fielded was about the subject of health care. While there were a few appreciative remarks for his vote last summer, the majority of the audience spoke out against that vote and urged the Congressman to vote “no” on coming legislation.

Many of the comments and questions from the audience questioned the legality of Congress’s ability to force people to buy health insurance coverage. Schrader responded to these remarks by stating that the health, safety, and welfare clause in the Constitution afforded Congress this option. He also added that no matter the outcome, because this legislation is so controversial, it likely will be brought before the United States Supreme Court for a ruling on constitutionality.

Other complaints came from those saying the health care legislation would increase the national debt. Schrader referenced the Congressional Budget Office, stating that the legislation would not increase the debt and would be paid for through increased taxes and fees.

Additionally, the Congressman added that if certain aspects of the original House bill, including reform on Medicare reimbursement, are not included in the final bill, he would not be voting in favor of it.

He stated that while he believed a public option was the way to go, since Oregon has had semi-public options for years, that element is not necessary for him to vote in favor of the final bill.

“This isn’t the final product, guys. We have a long way to go,” said Schrader. “This is a lot of work to fill in the blanks: what’s in the basic benefits package, what’s preventative medicine? And those are discussions, hopefully, you and I, providers, and other advocates will have going forward.”

Besides the questions on health care, other points of contention included immigration and climate change. Concerning immigration reform, Schrader stated that he supported a strong border patrol, mandatory legal worker verification software, and requiring illegal immigrants already in the country to pay a fine and then go through the standard immigration process.

On the issue of climate change, the Congressman did not claim to know the science of climate change well but believed that the cap-and-trade bill on which he voted earlier this session would be helpful in achieving energy independence for the U.S.

Despite the rowdy nature of the town hall, Rep. Schrader noted that this event had been one of his better town halls.

BY SARAH ROSS

MOLALLA- Despite the passage of health care legislation in the Senate over a week ago, controversy on the matter took center stage at Sen. Ron Wyden’s (D-OR) town hall in Molalla on Tuesday.

Numerous questions about the bill were presented to the Senator, including how the legislation would affect Veteran’s benefits, how it would be paid for, if it could get bipartisan support, if it includes abortion and illegal aliens, and if it would include a public option.

The Senator responded to these questions, making sure to refer back to the health care bill he crafted, which was not put before a Senate vote.

“I wrote a bill,” Wyden stated. “I really put 5 years into a different approach and I had multiple Democrats and Republicans with valid points. I went to see 85 Senators in their offices, both parties, just to listen to them….

“I think that [my] bill which guaranteed, in effect, better coverage for less money, and that’s what the Congressional Budget Office said, was the way to go. Now, my view didn’t prevail but we have to try to export as much of that approach with competition, choice, and markets as we can. We’ll try and get as much of that at the next stage as we can.”

The Senator said there is enough money in health care to pay for his plan, but that with the path this new bill is taking, money likely will have to be cut from other places in the budget.

He assured his constituents that the bill presented to the Senate, however, would not affect current veteran or military health care benefits. Additionally, he guaranteed that he did not vote to cover illegal aliens or public funding of abortion in this bill.

As for the public option, Wyden strongly supported and voted for such measures but made clear that a public option was not in the final Senate bill.

He did say that while he will try everything in his power to get bipartisan support, because of the party-line vote on the Senate bill, support from across the aisle is unlikely.

“I’m going to do everything I can to get bipartisan support at every level. Now, I’m not going to kid you or anybody else. This bill came out of the United States Senate on a 60-40 vote. That’s a fact.”

Even though health care legislation is in its final stages, town hall attendees in Clackamas County demonstrated that citizens are still concerned about the affects it will have.