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Posts published in “Day: April 23, 2007”

Oregon’s 150

Oregon 150This has been going on for some time, but we'd not seen the web site before today: Oregon 150, the planning group for the 150's anniversary (the sesquicentennial) of statehood. The group is already highly active; its board next meets on May 9 in Portland.

That anniversary is not for a couple of years yet, in 2009. But these large year-long activities take a while to plan, as the centennial planners in Idaho (1990) or Washington (1989) could tell you. And this one looks as if it has a broad range of activities in store.

It's in early stages, as yet. (A blog, for example, is promised but not yet developed.) But the early postings are promising.

Over, and some things done

Washington statehouseThose critics of the legislature in Idaho, which adjourned late last month, who blasted it as do-nothing, missed a point: A legislature is there to make decisions, not necessarily to pass scads of bills. Its decisions on passing or rejecting proposals may be variously right or wrong, but turndowns aren't necessarily bad. It depends on what they are, and where you sit.

A legislature can be judged by its overall approach, and in the cases of Idaho and Washington, that was not hard to read. The Idaho Legislature was what you might reasonably expect when dominated by Republicans; the Washington Legislature this year, similarly, was generally what you'd expect of chambers dominated by Democrats.

Among the major outcomes of the Washington Legislature this year, which sine die'd Sunday evening, were at least two major rejections, of financing for sports facilities, the NASCAR raceway in Kitsap County and a proposed new arena (sought by the Seattle Sonics basketball management) at Renton. And there were scale-backs or hold-offs (notably some of the WASL testing, which has become so contentious). Stronger regulation of payday lenders, and stronger legal protection for homeowners, both failed.

But if this was a less spectacular session than 2005, there were important items passed.

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