Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels August 24, 2004 Our View Tell the candidates to bring their Visa It sure has been kind of exciting around for local politicos with the recent attention from both the Republican and Democratic presidential tickets. It's been a long time since Southern Oregon has factored into anyone's presidential campaign strategy. But we should stop blushing like an awe-struck teen and set some priorities before either side returns. The message should be simple: Come if you like, but bring your checkbook. Messrs. Cheney and Kerry hit the area with a combined tab of nearly $50,000. With two candidates prepared to spend billions to get elected, local communities who host them should stop putting them up for free. Quite simply, the state of Oregon can't afford it, but they can. If we can't make school budgets balance, and we can't adequately staff our police and fire departments, what business do we have spending $50,000 on these pop-in visits? You'd think they were doing us a favor for dropping by. Wouldn't we rather pay our police overtime to catch criminals rather than to cordon off protesters and follow along after limousines? It's irresponsible to inflate local budgets by this amount without expecting the campaigns themselves to air one less television commercial and pay the bill. We know that it doesn't work that way. But that still doesn't make it right. When our Legislature returns to the scene of the crime of last year's budget fiasco, $50,000 here and $50,000 there will only add to the problems. Sure it's a simplistic way of looking at things, but with a higher education system openly admitting that they need an infusion of billions of dollars to compete in the coming decades, do we start by throwing money down a rat hole of celebrity appearances? Furthermore, if it cost $50,000 here, then think how much it cost Multnomah County and the city of Portland to host the two presidential candidates at the same time? Just how much has Oregon paid collectively, and will continue to pay, for the privilege of being a "swing state" in the upcoming election? Sure it was kind of exciting, but let's let the candidates pay to come back to Oregon. Then we will see how badly they want our votes. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams