This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Wall Street Journal editorial writers had a field day when the U.S. Senate passed what was called an “omnibus” funding bill.

Here is what they wrote under this headline:  “Congress’ Omnibus Is $1.7 Trillion and 4,155 Pages:”

“With lawmakers eager to head home for the holidays, Congress unveiled an omnibus spending package that must be seen to be believed.  Besides a $1.7 trillion price tag, the bill includes changes to the Electoral Count Act, aid for Ukraine, a ban on TikTok on government devices, tweaks to Medicaid rules, and new FDA powers over cosmetics.  

“Is this really how Congress should be doing business?”

That strikes me as a good question, but I will demur from further commentary on an action in Congress that I watched from afar.

I add that the Senate-passed bill is under consideration in the U.S. House where its fate is far from certain as Republicans may choose to wait until they take control before deciding what to do.

But, in all of this, my thoughts went to behind-the-scenes – and, of course, I wasn’t there either in Washington, D.C.

But I think about the bill writers in the back rooms who had to translate the complicated piece of legislation into words that would fit within federal statutes – and had to do in a matter of just a few days, perhaps even hours.

And, what they got stuck doing consumed more than 4,000 pages.  Must have been several long nights at the keyboard.

My thoughts went in this direction because of my 25 years as a lobbyist, albeit in Oregon, not Washington, D.C.  Here, I knew that a band of lawyers in the Legislative Counsel’s Office at the State Capitol would stay up nights turning legislative action into statutory language.

Not 4,000 pages, probably, but still a lot of work.

One aside.  When I or my clients wanted to introduce a piece of legislation in Salem, we had to resort to this process:  We had to get what was called “a note from mother,” which was a note from a legislator authorizing a bill to be drafted.  The note would then to go to the Legislative Counsel’s Office.

Why this circuitous route?  The answer was the Legislative Counsel’s Office function as lawyers for legislators, not for lobbyists or their clients.  So, we had to get the note. 

Then, the lawyers in the Counsel’s Office would draft the proposed bill.  They were the only one’s authorized to do so.

Back to the federal omnibus bill.  My thoughts also went to its length.  Would senators have the time or attention span to read all of it before voting?  Probably not.

So, it stands as a comparison to the action several years ago in Congress to pass the Affordable Care Act, which came to be called ObamaCare.

The text was so long that none other than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi admitted she had not read the bill as she prevailed on House members to vote for it.

Still, wherever they are, in Salem or Washington, D.C., my sympathy rests with those who get stuck with writing the details of complicated pieces of legislation.

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

As is the case at Easter, Christmas is a time when I remember my favorite words of famous Christmas carols, the best one of which in terms of music may be “Handel’s Messiah.”

I reflect on Christmas carols, but don’t usually sing them because I cannot, as they say, carry a tune in a wheelbarrow.

There is almost no better way to celebrate the “reason for the season,” which is to remember that Christ came to earth, lived for about 30 years here, and then went to a horrible death.  All to give us a way to have a relationship with Him.

Why do I post this blog on December 22, several days before Christmas?  Well, this is the day for our family Christmas, a tradition that owes its thrill to my wife, Nancy.  She has done such a great job that our grandchildren, even now as teenagers, look forward every year to “Nana’s Christmas.”

An on-line aggregator, Pushpay, came up with a list of the Top 10 Christmas hymns played at churches at this time of the year.  Here is the list, though at the end of what I post this morning, I refer to one of the greatest sounds of Christmas, “Handel’s Messiah:”

• The Christmas carol “O Holy Night” ranked first in a list of hymns most played in December at Christian churches in the United States.
• “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Silent Night” ranked second and third, respectively.
• The top-10 list is filled with carols familiar to Catholics.  Following the top three choices are, in order, “The First Noel,” “Joy to The World” and “Angels We Have Heard on High.”
• Following those are two songs featured more in the repertoire of non-Catholic churches.  “Glorious Day,” which ranked seventh overall, was recorded by the contemporary Christian group “Passion.”  It is more of a salvation narrative without any lyrics taking note of the birth or infancy of Jesus.  Still, the song’s official music and lyrics video has received 6.6 million views on YouTube.
• There are several versions of the eighth-ranked song, “Goodness of God.”  One video of the song has climbed up to seven million YouTube views.  The song is another in the Christian contemporary genre which focuses more on a first-person singular, personal relationship with Jesus than a first-person plural voice found more often in Catholic hymnody.
• Ninth is the gospel melody “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” which has found a home in many Catholic hymnals and parishes.
• The 10th spot is taken by “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” an Advent song based on a chant melody familiar to Catholics ,not only in the United States, but throughout the world.

As we approach Christmas, I usually try to find a way to get past the glitz of the season, though the “glitz” is not all bad.  There is just a purpose to the season beyond that and a way for me to focus on the “real reason for the season” is to recall the words of great hymns and carols.

So, finally, this on the “Messiah” drawn from a story this morning in the Washington Post:

“They say you can’t force the Christmas spirit.  To that I say:  Watch me. Determined to feel something festive this year, I decided to go all in on the “Messiah,” attending three full performances of Handel’s 1741 masterpiece by three orchestras in one week:  The New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the National Philharmonic

“That’s nearly 8½ hours of concentrated exaltation!”

For me, the exaltation occurs when, at our church for the Christmas Eve service, members of the audience are invited to head up to the stage to join in singing the “Messiah.”

Of course, I stay in my seat.  But then, as the performance begins, I stand up with every other person in the audience.  It’s the right action to take — also a traditional one — in response to the great words and music by Handel that uphold God!

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

I found myself wondering this morning about the coming session of the Oregon Legislature, which starts officially on or about February 1, 2023 and runs through the end of June.

As a former state lobbyist, my thoughts went to what issues Democrats and Republicans will advance in the session.

I could imagine some of them, given what happened along the recent campaign trail.  But I also was not sure.

Then, I went on-line to the website of my former client, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), and got a look at prospects.

OPB remains one of the best journalistic outfits going and one central feature is a program called “Think Out Loud,” moderated by Dave Miller.

Early December interviews with soon-to-be Speaker of the Oregon House, Dan Rayfield, and soon-to-be Minority Leader in the Oregon Senate, Tim Knopp, produced the issue summary that appears below.  The results, to be sure, are a bit general, but still a helpful early look.

And, of course, as this blog headline notes, proposals are one thing.  Results are another.

But, first, this summary of the make-up of the House and Senate.

Even as former House Speaker Tina Kotek won a spirited three-way contest to be Oregon’s next governor (no Republican has held the state’s highest political office since 1987), Democrats kept their majorities in both the House and Senate.  However, they lost supermajorities in both chambers, which means:  (a) Democrats cannot pass tax increases on their own as they could in the past; and (b) they’ll need to work with Republicans to find middle ground on various issues.

On the Think Out Loud program, moderator Miller asked both Rayfield and Knopp about the “most urgent issues” facing the state.

Rayfield said this:

“I lump them into three categories.  And just as a reminder, we have six months to really accomplish a lot of things.  The first one that we heard loud and clear from people in Oregon is that we just need to make things work.

“If you think about housing and homelessness, behavioral health, we have a public defense crisis getting better outcomes in education.  We just need to make that stuff work.   I think we’ll have some packages during the session that will really start to address those issues.

“We also need to invest in Oregonians.  They’re our biggest asset.  It’s our infrastructure.  It is the bread and butter.  So, you think about investing in the workforce.  We have general workforce shortages, as well as nursing shortages.

“We have shortages in our education side of things.  Semiconductors, there’s a tremendous opportunity to bring billions of dollars to the state and really create family wage jobs into the future.  

“And, then the third category is strengthening our democracy.  Thinking about campaign finance reform, voters overwhelmingly support this.  We have to get this done.  There’s ways to improve our ethics and build trust within the government.  I think that this is more important than ever.

“I think there’s ways to reform our electoral system, changing the way we elect candidates perhaps through ‘rank choice’ voting.  I think there’s a responsibility that we have as elective leaders to build a culture of respect in the Legislature, especially as we see a lot of the discomfort and frustration that you see on the federal level that all of us have with the government. I think there’s an opportunity for us to lead to build a culture of respect.

Here is the way Minority Leader Knopp answered the same question.

“Well, I think this is going to be a budget session and if you talk to people who are low or middle income, they’ve been in recession for the better part of the year.  Our economists from the state tell us that the whole state will be in recession within six to twelve months.  And as I said, I think a good portion of Oregonians are already having trouble paying for their groceries, their gas, and their rent.

“I think it’s really important that we do what we can in the Legislature to help them with their family budgets.  One of the things we can do is return a substantial kicker to those families who have paid taxes – we would say overpaid – and now it’s time for them to get their money back in the form of a stimulus.  I’d love to see it go back as a check as quickly as possible.  So that’s one item.

“My hope is that the Democrat majorities will work with the Republican minorities all along the way.  If they don’t, they’re not likely to have votes for budgets, which could be problematic because, if we’re talking about some budget reductions in areas, then I think that could become problematic for them.

“I think it’s all about prioritization.  And I’ve said for the last couple of years that, if you had a program that you just started up, you should consider that a one-time expenditure, whether it was agreed that was the case or not, because you could see that this recession was likely to come. We didn’t know exactly when.  But let’s just say that the Biden Administration hasn’t done a lot to help keep us out of recession and probably done more to drive us into one.

“That’s why I think it’ll probably be a little worse than what the state economists are saying.  I liken it to the pilot who comes on and tells you that it’s going to be a 15-minute delay whereby they then come on a half hour later and say it’s going to be a half hour delay and you’ve all been on flights where that’s happened. And I feel like we may be in that situation with the economists.  They don’t want to over-exaggerate that it’s going to be bad news, but I think it will likely be worse than what’s being portrayed.”

Now, beyond the summary of potential issues, one thing I have noticed in the run-up to the session is the tension in the Senate between Knopp and the Democrat who is scheduled to become Senate President, Rob Wagner.

He will be first new Senate President in 15 years, given that the incumbent, Peter Courtney, is leaving the Legislature.

I know both Knopp and Wagner, having lobbied both before I retired.  I found both to be willing to consider, to listen, and then to give me their thoughts.

So, I have been surprised about the tension between the two, even before the session starts.

Here is the way Knopp put it on the OPB program:

“It’s really up to him.  The Senate President represents the entire Senate, not just the Senate Democrats.  And obviously he comes from a place of being the majority leader (the job he held last session) and being very partisan.  

“It is our hope that he will become much more bi-partisan as we move into the 2023 session, but he hasn’t shown that to be true.

“And, as it relates to untrustworthy, many of our members have had issues with him, I would say, being less than accurate on why their bills were dying or what was happening and didn’t like it.  There are currently no votes on our side for Wagner as Senate President.

“I’ve been able to talk with him, but we need to have a partner that, when there’s an agreement that’s made, the agreement is honored.”

To react to the entire 2023 Legislature, I use this time-worn phrase, “only time will tell” as to what is accomplished.

Democrats remain in charge everywhere in Salem.  Can they work with Republicans?  And, can Republicans find a way to be a productive minority.”

For my part, I am glad to be retired, so I won’t have to deal with the process, but will be able to monitor the Legislature from afar.

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Donald Trump deserves all the legal jeopardy he faces.

He did so much damage to the country – our country – and is still brandishing many weapons as he tries to become U.S. president again.

Three views from the Post this morning verify the jeopardy – and I post these intentionally because I share the views:

FROM COLUMNIST JENNIFER RUBIN: 

“Donald Trump cannot pass off the House January 6 Select Committee’s final report as mere partisan opinion.  His criminal liability is based on a mound of evidence, as the committee meticulously detailed.

Error! Filename not specified.Donald Trump cannot pass off the House Jan. 6 select committee’s final report as mere partisan opinion. His criminal liability is based on a mound of evidence, as the committee meticulously detailed.””Moreover, the committee’s “roadmap to justice” is not just a restatement of facts already made public by the committee. It is the foundation that the Justice Department could use to prosecute the former president and his underlings to the fullest extent of the law.

“The report’s executive summary, which the committee released on Monday, includes four criminal referrals for Trump:  Insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and conspiracy to make a false statement.

“At its core, the report lays out the evidence for critical facts:

• Trump attempted to stay in power despite the vote of the American people.
• He tried to concoct phony slates of electors to change the electoral vote.
• He tried to pressure former vice president Mike Pence to disregard the electoral count.
• When that did not work, he summoned the mob to the capital on January 6, 2021, urged rally attendees (some of whom were armed) to march to the Capitol and did nothing for 187 minutes to stop the violence that ensued.  In fact, while the insurrection was underway, he sent out a tweet putting a target on Pence’s back.”

COMMENT:  Enough said.

FROM COLUMNIST GREG SARGENT: 

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“It was the biggest surprise of the mid-terms:  Bucking widespread skepticism, the House committee examining President Donald Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection made the cause of democracy matter to voters.  Its revelations surely encouraged the defeat of numerous MAGA election-deniers, helping protect our political system against future subversion.

“Now, with the panel holding its last meeting Monday in advance of the release of its final report, it appears prepared to attempt another, similar feat:  Making a public case that Trump committed crimes.

“Will this influence the Justice Department’s ultimate decision on whether to charge Trump?  Probably not.  And many will argue that this renders the move unnecessary or purely theatrical.

“But that’s the wrong way to look at the committee’s work.

“This move communicates to the public that the committee — which has examined the insurrection more deeply than anyone — believes the Justice Department should investigate whether Trump committed specific crimes. When people deride hearings as ‘political theater,’ that’s automatically understood as a ‘showboating waste of time.’  But successful hearings, even theatrical ones, are also acts of communication with the people. And in this case, that’s especially important.”

COMMENT:  Enough said.

FROM THE POST EDITORIAL BOARD

“The House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack approached the end of its work Monday with a dramatic recommendation that the Justice Department charge former president Donald Trump with four crimes, including inciting or assisting an insurrection.  This criminal referral is symbolic; the Justice Department is responsible for making a tough call on whether such charges would stick — and whether it would be prudent to indict a former president and current presidential candidate.

“The committee has secured its legacy in different ways, providing a searing picture of what occurred on January 6, 2021, and exhibiting the cowardice of those who, out of fear of Trump, refused to help it reckon with that dark day.

“The public now knows much more about Trump’s culpability.  New details, including videotaped testimony from former Trump aides, showed Trump had been told he’d lost the election, but nevertheless leaned on state officials, the Justice Department, his vice president, and others to keep him in power — a campaign that resulted in the January 6, 2021, riot.”

COMMENT:  Enough said.

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

I subscribe to PEW Research publications for several reasons:

• On occasion, I learn something new.
• On occasion, findings give me something to question.
• On occasion, findings really are “striking.”

Pew Research Center is a non-partisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.  It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis, and other data-driven social science research.  It does not take policy positions.

So what does PEW stand for?  Well, it is not an acronym; it is the name of the family that started the site.

A couple days ago, a new PEW publication shed light on public opinion around some of the BIGGEST NEWS EVENTS OF 2022 – from Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, to Americans’ experiences with extreme weather events.

So, without further ado (though I add a few of my own comments below), here is a list of the 15 findings, which were called “striking.”

1. Today, roughly four-in-ten Americans (41 per cent) say none of their purchases in a typical week are paid for using cash, a July survey found.  This is up from 29 per cent in 2018 and 24 per cent in 2015.
2.  If recent trends continue, Christians could make up a minority of Americans by 2070.  That’s according to a September report that models several hypothetical scenarios of how the U.S. religious landscape might change over the next 50 years, based on religious switching patterns.
3. Views of reparations for slavery vary widely by race and ethnicity, especially between Black and White Americans, a November analysis found.  Overall, 30 per cent of U.S. adults say descendants of people enslaved in the United States should be repaid in some way, such as being given land or money.  About seven-in-ten say these descendants should not be repaid.
4. A growing share of adult TikTok users in the U.S. are getting news on the platform, bucking the trend on other social media sites, according to a survey fielded in July and August.  A third of adults who use TikTok say they regularly get news there, up from 22 per cent two years ago. 
   
   

Comment:  I don’t get any news on Tik Tok, which I have never opened – and don’t plan to open.

• Most Americans who have experienced extreme weather in the past year – including majorities in both political parties – see climate change as a factor, according to a May survey.
• Following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, Americans became much more likely to see Russia as an enemy of the United States.  In March, just after the invasion, 70 per cent of Americans said that, on balance, Russia is an enemy of the U.S., up sharply from 41 per cent who held this view in January.
•  Relatively few Americans take an absolutist view on the legality of abortion – either supporting or opposing it at all times, according to a survey conducted in March, before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The vast majority of the public is somewhere in the middle when it comes to abortion:  Most think it should be legal in at least some circumstances, but most are also open to limitations on its availability in others.

Comment:  This reflects my own view.  It’s impossible for me to join either the “no” or “yes” sides in the debate.  The abortion is far too personal and complicated to end up with a simple answer.

•  Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the partisan gap in views of the court grew wider than at any point in more than three decades. While 73 per cent of Republicans expressed a favorable view of the court in an August survey, only 28 per cent of Democrats shared that view. That 45-point gap was wider than at any point in 35 years of polling on the court.
•  About 5 per cent of Americans younger than 30 are transgender or non-binary – that is, their gender is different from their sex assigned at birth, according to a survey conducted in May. By comparison, 1.6 per cent of those ages 30 to 49 and 0.3 per cent of those 50 and older say that their gender is different from their sex assigned at birth. Overall, 1.6 per cent of U.S. adults are transgender or non-binary – that is, someone who is neither a man nor a woman or isn’t strictly one or the other.
• Most Americans say journalists should always strive to give every side equal coverage, but journalists themselves are more likely to say every side does not always deserve equal coverage, according to two separate surveys conducted in late winter amid debate over “bothsidesism” in the media. 

Comment:  As a former journalist, I feel for reporters and editors today.  The question is whether the old adage – cover both or all sides equally – should apply today.  I say not, if only because the news media should call out scofflaws like Donald Trump and his minions, and thus fail intentionally to cover “both sides.”

1. A recent surge in U.S. drug overdose deaths has hit Black men the hardest, a January analysis found.  While overdose death rates have increased in every major demographic group in recent years, no group has seen a bigger increase than Black men.  As a result, Black men have overtaken White men and are now on par with American Indian or Alaska Native men as the demographic groups most likely to die from overdoses.
2. Nearly half of U.S. teens now say they use the internet “almost constantly,” according to a survey conducted in April and May. This percentage has roughly doubled since 2014-15, when 24 per cent said they were almost constantly on-line.
3. The share of aggregate U.S. household income held by the middle class has fallen steadily since 1970, according to an analysis published in April.
4. Growing shares of both Republicans and Democrats say that members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest and closed-minded than other Americans, according to a survey conducted in June and July.

Comment:  This is a reflection of the problem that the “middle ground” rarely exists in politics any longer.  Still, that is often where the best solutions lie.

1. Majorities in nations around the world generally see social media as a good thing for democracy – but not in the United States, a survey of people in 19 advanced economies found.

PEW again performs a useful service by summarizing these statistics.  Do all of them represent me?  No.  But they are worth thought and reflection.

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The Washington Post newspaper has showed up with a list of the most egregious lies told by political figures in the last year.

The story, labeled “The biggest Pinocchios of 2022,” was reported by the Post’s Fact Checker column writers and editors.

Reading the list reminds that the lies were so profound that no one would likely believe them.  Right?  Well, no.  Many Americans do.

No surprise here, but presidential aspirant Donald Trump, U.S.Senator Ron Johnson and media wacko Tucker Carlson made the list.

But topping the list?  Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows.  He got the “special hypocrisy” award from the Post – for this:

“Mark Meadows, as Trump’s last chief of staff, helped spread Trump’s lies about the 2020 election and fanned fears of voter fraud.  He asked in one interview:  “Do you realize how inaccurate the voter rolls are, with people just moving around?”

“But the Fact Checker revealed that in 2022, he was simultaneously registered to vote in three different states — North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina.  He lost his North Carolina registration after the New Yorker magazine reported he had registered to vote at a home where he did not reside. He then voted in the 2020 election via absentee ballot.

“In November, state investigators submitted to state prosecutors the findings of a voter fraud probe into Meadows’s actions but the state’s attorney general has not yet announced whether he will bring criminal charges.”

Meadows, like Trump, has talked incessantly about election crimes.  He was guilty of one himself.

I have heard of duplicity, but this tops the list.

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

After I posted my blog this morning, a story from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) announced this:

“Washington Governor Jay Inslee proposed Wednesday that state spending during the next two years place a top priority on housing, including an effort to quickly build thousands of units that would require the okay from Washington voters.

“The governor’s proposed budget would spend $70 billion over two years starting in July 2023.

“That figure represents a roughly 12 per cent proposed increase in spending from the current budget.  

“The additional money would pay for about 5,300 housing units between 2023 and 2025 and 19,000 in the following six years, according to the proposal.  Nearly 13,000 people are living unsheltered throughout Washington — up from more than 10,500 in 2020, according to the state’s 2022 Point in Time Count.”

What Inslee proposes or does in Washington doesn’t directly affect Oregon, of course.  But his emphasis on housing could be reflected in what Governor-Elect Kotek proposes once she takes office after the first of the year.

OPB’s story did not use the word “homeless” as a justification for more housing in Washington, but there is little doubt that the governor to the north has that issue in the back of his mind, as would be case with all governors across the country.

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Anytime a new governor takes over in Oregon, those of us in the political cheap-seats wait for announcements about a new sense of direction.

Governor-Elect Tina Kotek chose this week’s Business Summit in Portland as the location for her first major public comments since winning a hard-fought three-way battle for the state’s highest political office.

Here is how the Oregonian newspaper reported her comments:

“Oregon governor-elect Tina Kotek told business leaders at an annual summit in Portland on Monday that she will prioritize rebuilding trust, increasing accountability in state government, and boosting partnerships between various government entities and the private sector when she takes office in January.

“Kotek also promised to deliver results on three ‘issues of shared concern’ across the state:  Housing and homelessness, mental health and addiction services, and schools.

“We must improve the experience of Oregonians who are counting on us to deliver services every day.  Accountability in government is one of the primary reasons I ran for governor.”

Too often, the Oregonian says, “state leaders have declared victory after passing new programs or funding, then failed to ensure the public ultimately received the services or benefits that were promised.”

I agree with the Oregonian.

Making promises is one thing.  Delivering on them is another.

The latter often settles into the dust.

As a lobbyist and government manager in and around state government for 40 years or so, I could cite example after example of programs failing to deliver on promises.

Let me cite just one today – and I choose it, for one reason, because Kotek was not involved in it.  I prefer to give her a chance to succeed without posing questions in advance of her tenure.  Give her a clean slate.

The case I recount involved passing a bill to install a “pay for performance” approach to private sector foster care contracts,  It was a top priority for one of my firm’s clients, ChristieCare, which came to be called Youth Villages.

Here is how the director, Lynne Saxton, described the problem in testimony to the Legislature in 2011:

“According to industry data, there are 8,689 children in foster care in Oregon today.   For every 10,000 kids in the state, 100 are in foster care.  The national average is 57 and the average in Tennessee is 45.

“Stop and think about this statistic for a moment.  It is nothing if not sobering.

“On behalf of ChristieCare, as well as Youth Villages, the nationally-known non-profit organization with which ChristieCare recently affiliated, I want to go on record strongly in favor of this legislation, which requires the Department of Human Services and county partners to implement Strengthening, Preserving and Reunifying Families programs to provide family preservation and reunification child welfare services.” 

Through Senate Bill 964, it was Lynne’s way to call for a better foster care system, one that helped kids, not put them in increased jeopardy, which had been a huge blot on Oregon’s hyman services record.

Let me put it more simply.  SB 964 instructed the Department and private providers to focus on reducing foster care caseloads in Oregon, which had risen to the alarming levels listed above.  If private contractors did not succeed in delivering on their promises, their contracts would not be renewed.

What happened?

Nothing.  The legislation sits in Oregon lawbooks today with no result.

This is not Governor-Elect Kotek’s responsibility; it is just one example where Oregon state government did not practice what Kotek has now emphasized – accountability for performance.

Here are other highlights of her Business Summit remarks:

“The real victory doesn’t come until that working mom enrolls her child in an affordable childcare program, until an unhoused military veteran gets a home “and the student who’s been struggling to read knows the satisfaction of reading her first book.”

“The governor-elect said she will push her administration to ‘re-frame success,’ to prioritize results. and she will deliver lists of expectations to state agencies after she takes office.”

“Our entire state benefits when Portland is healthy and economically thriving,” Kotek said. Some Portland-area civic leaders have faulted Gov. Kate Brown for her hands-off approach as the state’s largest city struggled with rising gun violence, homelessness, and other problems.

A lot will happen as Kotek takes office after the first of the year, including her State of the State speech to a joint session of the Legislature.

It is not surprising to hear the governor-elect identify homelessness as a major problem.  It will be a challenge for her to find a way to work with urban leaders – especially in the City of Portland – to find a way through the public policy thicket of homelessness and housing.

Most of what has been tried recently has not worked, but Kotek did emphasize, in her remarks, that she intends to reach out to urban leaders to collaborate on potential solutions.  She may want to look in Salem where Church at the Park has been making some progress. 

A further indication of Kotek’s priorities will come when she announces her “Recommended State Government Budget for 2023-25,” a task the law instructs every new governor to perform. 

Good governors will use the state’s budget to propose the priorities they want to set for their Administration.

Will the new governor succeed?

One hopes the answer is yes.  Success will be good for all Oregonians, both those who voted for Kotek and those who didn’t.

No matter.  The time for campaigning is over.  The time for governing has arrived.

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

I show up today with summaries of stories that appeared in two of my on-line golf publications.

Publishing this allows me to focus just a bit on golf, inasmuch as it is tough to play these days in Salem, Oregon, where I live.  Too rainy.  Too cold.

So, here are excerpts of the stories, one that lists famous “watery graves” on golf courses, and another that lists the “most expensive rounds” you can play as long as you don’t care how much it costs.  In two cases, I add my perspective.

WATERY GRAVES

In the most recent issue of Links Magazine, David DeSmith lists what he calls “12 of Golf’s Scariest Watery Graves.”

He starts his story this way:

“Whether you call them water hazards or penalty areas, golf’s lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans often become final resting places for our errant shots.  You can recover from deep rough or a bunker.  But there’s no coming back from a water hazard unless it’s a very shallow one and you’re feeling especially courageous.”

Right.

So, here’s the list:

Rae’s Creek—Augusta National Golf Club (Augusta, Ga.)

Let’s get the most famous one out of the way first.  Patrons of the Masters know well the role that a nettlesome tributary of Rae’s Creek plays in guarding the front of the green at Augusta National’s famous par-three 12th hole and the fairway and green of the equally famous par-five 13th.

Mangrove Lake—Mid Ocean Club (Tucker’s Town, Bermuda)

Bermuda’s Mid-Ocean Club credits C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor as its original designers.  At Mid Ocean’s par-four 5th, they created a classic Cape hole that starts at an elevated tee and bends gently left around the edge of Mangrove Lake.

Machrihanish Bay—Machrihanish Golf Club (Machrihanish, Scotland)

It’s not a lake you need to worry about when you hit your opening tee shot at Machrihanish Golf Club—it’s the Atlantic Ocean. Here again, the par four sweeps gently to the left, hugging the shoreline. There’s plenty of room to bail out to the right, but that just makes this 424-yard hole even longer. Should you hit your tee shot left, you might get lucky, though. If the tide is out, you can play your second shot from the beach.

NOTE:  I had the privilege of playing this great course and, on my tee shot over the Ocean, I managed to make it.  But I hit the sand and played my second from the beach must like a fairway bunker.  Still got par on the hole.

Stillwater Bay—Pebble Beach Golf Links (Pebble Beach, Calif.)

Imagine coming to the 18th tee at Pebble Beach needing a birdie or par to win the U.S. Open and seeing the vast expanse of Stillwater Bay lurking to the left.

Victoria Cove—Cape Wickham Golf Links (King Island, Tasmania)

Here’s another 18th hole where a water hazard features prominently. In the case of Cape Wickham’s 434-yard finisher, though, the fairway bends to the right along the edge of Victoria Cove and its secluded beach.

Pacific Ocean—Cypress Point Golf Club (Pebble Beach, Calif.)

Just up the coast from Pebble Beach lies one of golf’s most demanding holes:  The 230-yard, par-three 16th at Cypress Point, which is all-carry from tee to peninsula green—usually into the prevailing wind off the sea.

Pacific Ocean—Mauna Kea Golf Course (Kohala Coast, Hawaii)

The 3rd hole at Mauna Kea is another all-carry par three—this one with black volcanic rock thrown in for good measure.  Robert Trent Jones serves up this 210-yard tester early in the round, and the unique volcanic rock formations and cliffs will make multiple other appearances as you move through your round.

NOTE:  I played this course and remember it pretty well.  I managed to lay up a bit to the right and ended by bogeying the hole.

17th Hole Pond—Ocean Course at Kiawah Island (Kiawah Island, S.C.)

At 223 yards, the par-three 17th hole at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course didn’t need water to make it a tough test.

West Whale Bay—Port Royal Golf Course (Southampton, Bermuda)

The 16th at Port Royal in Bermuda is another all-carry par three.  (Notice a trend here?)  In this case, it’s West Whale Bay that your tee shot will have to avoid as it travels the 227 yards from tee to green.

Pacific Ocean—Punta Mita Golf Club, Pacifico Course (Nayarit, Mexico)

Jack Nicklaus must have been drooling when he saw the coastline he’d have at his disposal when he was asked to design the Pacifico course at Mexico’s Punta Mita Golf Club.

Hawke’s Bay—Cape Kidnappers (Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand)

Don’t play Tom Doak’s Cape Kidnappers on New Zealand’s North Island if you’re afraid of heights.  Several of its spectacular fairways and green sites have steep drop-offs from cliffs perched 400 feet or more above the tumultuous waters below.

17th Hole Lake—TPC Sawgrass, Players Stadium Course (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)

The famous island-green, par-three 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is golf’s ultimate do-or-die hole.  All it demands is a high, straight shot of around 137 yards.

EXPENSIVE GOLF

Now, on to the second issue, the most expensive bookings you can play.  For me, just a curiosity because I don’t ever intend to fork over that much cash for just 18 holes.

Shadow Creek (Las Vegas, Nevada)—$1,000

Sensei Porcupine Creek (Palm Springs, California on an estate that used to be owned by billionaire Larry Ellison) — $950

TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium) (Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida)—$600

Wynn Golf Club (Las Vegas, Nevada)—$600

Pebble Beach Golf Links (Pebble Beach, California)—$595

Whistling Straights (Kohler, Wisconsin)—$555

Kiawah Island (Ocean) (Kiawah Island, South Carolina)—$500

So, for me, back to golf reality.  Thinking about playing.  And, if I do, finding reasonable costs on the 1^st tee.

This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Today, I open one of three departments I run, the Department of Pet Peeves.

I do so to emphasize one example of a “words matter” emphasis for me.

Before opening Pet Peeves, know that the other departments I run are the Department of Good Quotes Worth Remembering and the Department of “Just Saying.”  All three departments operate under my full and complete authority; no one tells me what to do.

My new pet peeve arises from a story in the Washington Post written by media critic Erik Wemple, normally a very competent writer.

His most recent story appeared under this headline:

“Why did the New York Post disappear an article on sexual assault?”

His story started this way:

“The New York Post is officially busted.  In September 2017, it published an apparent scoop about an alleged sexual assault by a top staffer to then-New York City Public Advocate Letitia James.  Then it disappeared the story without alerting its readers — a major violation of journalism hygiene.”

Say what?

The word disappear is not a verb.  You can make something disappear.  Buy you can’t disappear something.

At one point, I thought what occurred might rest with the headline writer and, those of who have been in the journalism business know that headline writers sometimes get things wrong as they post stories. 

But, this time, it was both the writer and the headline writer.

So, Mr. Wemple and his colleagues at the Post should know better and do better.