EDITORIAL
Roberts’ decision
shouldn’t surprise
Tho Novomber 1990 election introduced the state of
Oregon to two things, which have since made their mark
on tho state. The first of those was Ballot Measure 5, a
revenue-slashing tax limitation measure. The second
was Barbara Roberts, a new governor.
Four years later, the state is bidding farewell to the
governor. Roberts, who has presided over four of tho
most nightmarish years in Oregon governmental history,
has decided not to run for re-election in the fall, citing
family problems including the recent death of her
husband as the reason. Surely, no one can argue that
such family ' challenges," as she called them, played a
role in her decision. However, there are other realities in
fort e in Oregon that make the governor’s job a less-than
enviable one — realities that make Roberts' decision
seem quite reasonable indeed.
Foremost of these realities is Measure 5, which accom
panied Roberts into Oregon politics, and is now helping
to push her out.
Sint e it was passed, the measure has preoccupied the
slate legislature and confounded the governor. The lim
itations it placed on property taxes have gotten more
severe with each passing year and have therefore forced
the government to do more and more with less and loss
tax revenue.
The results have not been pretty.
Il was inevitable that Roberts would be eventually
blamed fur the financial troubles that resulted from Mea
sure 5. The governor Is the symbolic, if sometimes pow
erless. figurehead of the state government, If that gov
ernment can't successfully deal with an issue such as
Measure 5, then the governor gets a lot of the heat.
Roberts thought she had a solution with the sales tax.
proposing a t.5 percent measure in 1992 that never
made it out of the legislature It was followed last year
by a ri percent tax. which did make it on the stale ballot
as Measure l but tailed at the hands of votors.
The tax didn't recognize the basic truth about the
majority of Oregon voters. They want to pay less in tax
es. It doesn’t matter what form the tax takes. Passing
Measure 5 and rejei ting Measure 1 prove this to be the
case.
Roberts' agenda probably didn't agree with this truth.
Governors, and particularly Democratic ones, want to do
something when they are in office — not merely preside
over the state's decline. As University School of Law
Dean Dave Frohnmayer said. Measure 5 is the real gov
ernor of Oregon. Roberts' administration was in trouble
before it began.
One has to admire the courage of those individuals
who have entered the race to he Roberts' replacement.
Measure 5 won't be fully in effect until 1996; any win
ner this November is likely to be a big loser four Novem
bers later — assuming, of course, that they can even
muster up the strength to run again. After all. Roberts
couldn’t.
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COMMENTARY
The immorality of philosophy?
n Jan 1‘). I attended a
talk. I)\ the University
v^i tub Students >>! Objei
tivism The flier road. "Bridging
the Is-Oughl C..ip How to Derive
Morality from hin ts delivered
In Dr Binswanger. the profes
sional philosopher and tern her
of graduate students
The student organization is
based on the philosophy of
ultraconservative (although she
refused to even call herself a
conservative) Ayn Hand, a
known advocate for regression
to laissez-faire. Adam Smith
uipitaiism.
She believes having pure. Iris*
trade prevail in society would
allow for the free mind of every
individual, and that self-inter
est. rather than collective
responsibility, is the key in a
world where the market would
ideally rule
In other words, interest
groups liberalism projected at
the macro level. Every man for
himself, as Kami herself would
put it
For an hour, Binswanger
explained why he opposes the
"is-ought" do hotomy made by
so many philosophers, and then
he went inlo a question-and
nnsvver period A man got up
and said he was not a believer in
most things, and he did not buy
into many concepts — well,
right there with that statement.
Binswanger, obviously suffering
from a double dose of egotism
and self-superiority, immediate
ly scowled and belittled the
man.
The philosopher proceeded to
cut him down and cut him off.
saying he could not talk to him,
and that there was nothing to
talk about because the man was
not worthy of the scholar. And
with that, he moved on to the
next raised hand But his rude
and obnoxious behavior was
thankfully countered and. confi
dence to his credit, he insisted
that the speaker hoar him and
let him finish. The belligerent
(not) and magnanimous (not
even) and unprejudiced (hell,
no) philosopher finally relin
quished his throne to basically
save face and to look .is though
he iv,is being all of these things
The rather patient man. then,
finally got Ins chance to ask Hin
swanger what he thought of the
I.A riots
The distinguished philoso
pher first responded by saving
that the riots, though he
believed that the police offic ers
who beat Rodney King were
guilty, (what in the hell else
could he say) were immoral
There needs to lie social control,
to lie sure, but he went on to say
that the acts of vandalism that
went on for several days were
completely unjustified Me said
that radical liberals would have
you believe otherw ise Me said
what would everyone say if
white, top-executive lawyers ran
through the streets of LA. and
looted and vandalized? Would
that lie justified as well?
I'll tell you what 1 would say
— let's get real, shall we? White
top-executive lawyers would
have no reason to do those
things because they are the
oppressors, not the oppressed
All African-Americans are the
descendants of human beings
who were enslaved by the white
man for four centuries. Can you
understand that, Binswanger?
lait's not forget that I'd say that
it would bo indeed an absolute
ly unjustified act Me went on to
say that the "bloodless savages"
(spoken from the side of his
mouth), his reference to African
Americans in the LA area, were
fully responsible for the looting
and damage.
! am unequivocally, irrevoca
bly and unreservedly discon
certed on three levels. I am
thwarted that the University
would invite this person to our
campus (and no doubt pay w'ith
student funds) and support such
a racist. I am perplexed that a
person with a doctorate could be
so tilturlv misinformed and mis
guided over the course of his 50
some years of life Most of all, I
am upset that when the philoso
pher spoke those two out -
iandishly pejorative words,
quoted above. I was the only
who got up and left the room
(for good). Why' I wanted to
scream at the zombies still
planted in their seats, "What the
fuck are all you zombies still sit
ting here for, didn’t you hear
what the man just said?”
If. after having read all of the
above you think this is a sting
ing indictment of Hmswanger
and the philosophy Ayn Rand
purports and promulgates —
beautiful! The so-called peace
maker doesn't smell ... it stinks
What results is a lack of
access to career opportunities
and an enormous lack of social
services for those minorities
who are disproportionately rep
resented below the poverty line.
What results is social unrest like
what happened in l.A Why?
Because these people are human
beings with feelings, not ani
mals, though they are often
treated as such They have
wants and desires and dreams
just like anybody else regardless
of their background
I thought we went over all this
and cleared it all up during the
1960s, some 30 years ago. but
maybe at that time Hmswanger
had not received his Ph.D. yet.
Such a philosophy is sadly (1
would say unbelievably, tint
that would be too naive.
Besides, millions grunt to the
tune of Rush l.imbaugh) eaten
up f»y more than a million
Americans.
If you're reading this. Bin
swangor, or even the one and
only Ayn Rand herself, for that
matter. 1 have a question for you
both: Is she, or her, or woman,
or humankind in your vocabu
lary or capacity of speech? I was
just wondering.
lumper Brinkman is a sopho
more studying political science.