Media’s showdown with Governor Brown

By Taxpayer Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

It has shocked the state that the lawmakers passed a death penalty roll-back bill (SB 1013) giving a free pass to current death row inmates despite the fact that lawmakers promised this would not happen. Now there are calls to host an emergency Special Session to fix SB 1013 before the bill goes into effect September 29. But Governor Brown so far is doing what she always does — ignore, hide and dodge.

Here is what the Sunday Oregonian Editorial said about Gov. Brown,

“Brown, however, has barely acknowledged that an issue even exists. Neither she nor her communications staff spoke publicly about the request until Thursday, despite repeated attempts by multiple news organizations to get comment from her office. And even in responding to questions Thursday, she was vague and noncommittal, saying she needs additional information and analysis before deciding whether to call a special session. When asked by The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Noelle Crombie for her timeline on making a decision, Brown answered that she didn’t have one.”

This is a long standing tradition with Governor Brown.

She became the first Oregon Governor in modern history to offer up an official proposed state budget that was unbalanced — leaving a massive $2 billion hole. Gov. Brown did not care to balance the proposed budget like all other governors. She just offered a wish list and left it to others to find a way to raise $2 billion. The politicians ended up choosing one of the most unpopular and disliked taxes in the nation, a gross receipts tax, and then allowed Oregon’s largest corporations to get special exemptions. It was Governor’s Brown’s way to hide from important decision making until it is time to celebrate the ribbon cutting victory.

Governor Kate Brown also ignored the $26 billion PERS crisis. For several years she just ignored offering any meaningful suggestions. Then in 2019, she offered a PERS reform plan that actually cost the state more money making the problem worse. Ultimately, the entire $26 billion PERS crisis has been ignored and still stands as a crisis today.

Now we have the death penalty scam where lawmakers got caught gutting the death penalty (Sb 1013) and secretly helped set free Oregon’s existing death row inmates from their voter-mandated capital punishment. Governor Brown, at this point, has been criticized for ignoring the media and may continue to do so until the September 29 deadline passes. We hope the media fights back on this showdown and at least forces a decision from her.

— How many people should read this article?  If you Like/Tweet/Share it, then 40,000 people will see it.

— Wish to see more article like this?  Then please donate here . (The Taxpayer Association of Oregon has been active for 20 years for lower taxes and exposing government corruption.  There are tax credit and tax deductible options to help us spread the word)