By LaNicia Duke
Dear Tillamook County (and state of Oregon),
Even though I did not complete my non-affiliated run for Governor of Oregon, I am still committed and determined to help our communities have a more knowledgeable electorate. After we vote, we need more community members to be more involved in our legislative process. Over the next several weeks, I will offer information for you to navigate what’s happening in our government.
Helping people understand the difference between politics and government has been a passion of mine for several years now. Many get so caught up in red or blue, identifying being a Democrat or Republican and voting by “agendas” instead of how governing our state actually functions.
In my trainings, How to Understand Oregon State Government, I explain Politics refers to the process by which people negotiate, compete, and decide how power and resources are distributed in a society. It involves campaigns, public discourse, lobbying, and activism including: debating ideas and values, making decisions about public policies, competing for leadership and influence, and engaging citizens through activism, voting, and advocacy. Politics happens inside and outside of government – at the dinner table, in communities, on social media, and in campaigns.
Government is the formal institution or system responsible for making and enforcing laws, managing public services, and directing the affairs of the state. It can refer to the people in power (e.g., elected officials, agencies), the structure of rule (e.g., democracy, monarchy, dictatorship), Formal Institutions (e.g., Makes laws, manages services, directs state affairs).
Government includes branches, departments, officials, and policies which is the machinery that implements the decisions made through politics. Politics is the process; government is the tool. Politics determines who gets power and how decisions are made. Government is where those decisions are carried out—through laws, policies, and public services. Political values and conflicts shape the direction of government actions.
Here is how politics and government have looked in Oregon.
Oregon has had a democratic governor for almost 40 years! Numbers don’t lie!
Oregon Democrats have held majority in both Oregon House (approximately 18 years) and Oregon State Senate (approximately two decades), and Oregon is still suffering under their leadership. At this point, the only reason democrats need republicans in Salem is for quorum.
The Democrats have held 60% supermajority in state senate for six legislative biennia.
The Democrats have held 60% supermajority in state house for four legislative biennia.
That’s decades of substantial governing authority.
Oregon’s challenges did not develop overnight, and they cannot all be attributed to one political party.
But when one party has held the governor’s office and controlled both legislative chambers for this long, it is reasonable to ask that party to account for the results.
Even though SB 1501 (authorizing up to $365 million in state financing for the Moda Center renovation) passed with bipartisan support, democratic legislators supplied most of the votes to pass it.
It was democrats who wanted to raise fees and taxes for ODOT. It is democrats who continue to refuse to take accountability for failing schools. It is democrats who aren’t supporting small businesses. It is democrats who would rather force laws instead of putting them on the ballot where they deserve to be (like breaking away from federal tax code).
It is democrats who have created the mess in OHA (Oregon Health Authority), ODOT (Oregon Dept of Transportation), ODHS (Oregon Dept of Health & Human Services), ODE (Oregon Dept of Education) etc. with no accountability.
Now that politics is over for the next two years, maybe people will actually pay attention to what’s happening in government.
What’s happening in Oregon is not because of any republican agenda but a lack of oversight and accountability by the “majority” party and their constituents.
This is the difference between politics and government!
