Rep. Betty Olson (R-28/Prairie City) drove a long way Saturday to say not much to her constituents. At the crackerbarrel in Belle Fourche, I think she spoke up four times:
- During introductions, she talked about her changing district and her committee assignments, then wisecracked that she's "a great fan of Game and Fish."
- At some point, she said she had nothing to add to a response Rep. Brunner and Sen. Rhoden had given.
- After staring intently at her computer, she spoke up (2:45 in this video) to correct a Belle Fourche High School student who mistakenly referred to SB 86 as SB 89. The student recognized her error immediately. Rep. Olson also called the student "Hon."
- In her closing remarks, she told constituents that when they e-mail, be sure to include summaries of the bills, not just the bill numbers, since its so hard to remember which bill number is which. She says if you don't, she'll hit the Delete button.
Rep. Olson must have been disappointed. Nobody came with questions about Game Fish and Parks or mountain lions or any of her pet issues. Instead, the citizens in attendance focused on the big-picture issues of education and economic development... about which Rep. Olson apparently has no special knowledge or concern to share with her constituents.
I find it degrading to be called "hon."
On a different note, I was unimpressed by what Betty Olson had to offer at the Cracker Barrel. I'll be disappointed when we change districts, but I can't vote anyways so that's not that big of a deal.
I think she was just trying to scope out what hooligans she'd have to deal with once she has us in her district. Hope to keep her on her heels.
February 13, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Rep. Olson usually starts her comments with warnings of big government takeovers, and creeping socialism.
But Olson’s legislative district is as dependent as any on government programs. The New York Times has a nifty interactive map attached to the story “Even Critics of Safety Net Increasing Depend on Itâ€. It looks like a lot of federal checks are going to her district. Health care is provided through federally funded Community Health Care clinics. And will the Faith School District ever get their kids out of “temporary classrooms†without some sort of federally subsidized grant or loan program? With 63% of Faith School District students eligible for free or reduced lunches, I can’t see how they can get it done without help from outside the district.
So: Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans benefits, Social Security, medical and dental subsidized care, school aid, crop price supports, CRP, predator control programs, pine beetle control, higher ed loans, road repair/gas tax money back in to the district, Rural Utilities Service grants and loans,
Rural Housing services, the Rural Electrification programs, LifeLine and LinkUp programs, rural water systems grants and loans, Farm Service programs, and what seems to be a federal disaster declaration of one kind or another every year. It appears to me the government takeover of District 28 has already taken place, Betty just can’t come to grips with the evidence.
Debbie, I'm counting on you for exactly that sort of pressure. Have fun, and keep us posted! Perhaps we can appoint you special correspondent for the new District 28!
And as you quiz Rep. Olson throughout the 2012 campaign, be sure you and your fellow hooligans press her on all those government programs Monty mentions.
I plan on it, and I'll definitely research into what Monty said. I'm excited for an election year.
Cory, have you looked at SB 105? All it says is, "Education is hereby impacted." And it passed. Russel Olson and Lust are the sponsors of the bill.
SB 105: yes, looks crazy, doesn't it? But it's not as nefarious as it may seem to us outsiders. I listened to the brief committee testimony. This bill is called a "carcass": it's left blank for legislators to fill in the details later. In this case, says Senator Olson in the committee testimony, this bill is a carcass for something called the Cutler-Gabriel adjustment, a property tax deal started in 1995 whereby the Legislature adjusts the maximum local property tax levy to maintain a steady ratio between state and local school funding. It's a little complicated, but it's basically a number that legislators need to wait until later in the budget process to write down.
I'd certainly rather see carcasses with a little more detail, so legislators and citizens have a clearer record of what's being voted on. But I'll take them at their word on this one that SB 105 isn't a sneaky plot or abdication of duty, just a regular fiscal practice.
Cougar "harvest" is to ranching as tar sands are to mining.
Predator extirpation devastating to ecosystems nationwide: Oregon State University.