 Letters in the Editor's Mailbag March 5, 2004 Mr. Mannix orchestrates a coup I'd like to offer my congratulations to our new shadow governor, Kevin Mannix. How proud he must be that he's managed - with out-of-state financing from a Tom DeLay group - to successfully overturn the compromise budget from the longest session in Oregon legislative history. He surely must be pleased as punch that he and his gang of Republican thugs and talk-show demagogues have successfully managed to take a group of Oregon legislators who put their home lives, personal fortunes and sacred honor at risk by actually engaging in representative democracy and compromise over nine long months and let them know that their efforts were entirely wasted. Heartened, no doubt, by the successful coup d'etat in California, I can only imagine how pleased our new shadow governor must be at his own successful coup right here in Oregon. What an achievement this is for Mannix. No longer will losing an election be an impediment to holding elective office. I look forward to watching him as he appoints his shadow cabinet and proceeds with his already-delineated shadow legislative agenda. But I have to wonder if he's thought this entirely through. Having already ensured that no Oregon legislator in a generation will have the gumption to actually propose any meaningful budgetary legislation, I am curious as to why he is now calling for a special session. It seems as if having gelded the stallion, Mannix is now attempting to stand it at stud. Something is missing from the equation, certainly. HART WILLIAMS |
