EDITORIAL
Make college system
a public corporation
The Oregon State System of Higher Education, the
governing entity for the state's eight colleges and uni
versities, wants to become a public corporation. Unfor
tunately, some state legislators see such a move as a con
cealed power grab and a potential step toward the pri
vatization ofonce-public institutions. Such assumptions
are misguided if not uninformed.
Under the proposal, the state system would gain the
independence to manage its business affairs without the
burdensome and costly day-to-day oversight of state leg
islators and bureaucrats. It would also relieve the system
of having to pay a portion of state projects that have
nothing to do with higher education. In all, the state sys
tem could save over $10 million per year and offer
access to more students.
As the Oregon Revised Statutes aro written now,
OSSHE pays for a portion of state projects that contribute
nothing to educating students. The state system, along
with other state agencies, currently pay for the land
scaping at the Capitol Mall in Salem". And OSSHE regu
larly pays assessments on state construction projects —
like the new parking carage in Salem. The public cor
poration proposal would exempt OSSHE from paying for
the lush green backdrops when legislators hold outdoor
news conferences. Cutting out costly and non-educa
tional assessments could save approximately S2.5 mil
lion per year.
The proposal would also allow the state system to
negotiate its own contracts with various entrepreneurial
entities. For example, current procedures dictate that
colleges and universities buy computers only from Firm
A because the state has an exclusive contract with that
company to purchase a certain amount of units at a bar
gain price. Tho problem with this scenario is that it
removes the elements of responsiveness and competi
tion. Under this process, universities cannot take advan
tage of many of the educational discounts offered by oth
er computer companies, not to mention that the
state-approved computers are often obsolete by time they
reach their destination.
Additionally. CJSSHE must get permission from the
Department of Administrative Services for nearly every
purchase related to education. Instead of lotting experts
— whether professors, deans or institution presidents —
decide what materials would bo educationally valid pur
chases, the Legislature wants those decisions left to
bureaucrats within the DAS. Certainly, this is for over
sight purposes, as all state agencies follow the same
redundant process.
The proposal includes a strong post-audit function
that would uncover any misappropriation to soothe
those legislators distrustful of the state system.
Many legislators who will vote on this proposal are
worried about losing control of higher education. As it
stands now, the Legislature only funds about 20 per
cent of OSSHE’s S2.4 billion budget, but wants full con
trol of higher education. OSS1IE itself generates the oth
er 80 percent through tuition, feos and federal grants.
Being the majority stockholder in this ’•company"
should allow the siate system more autonomous deci
sion-making power.
OSSHE should become a public corporation. The sav
ings alone justifies the experiment. Since the passage of
1990's Ballot Measure 5. the state system has cut sever
al academic programs and shaved administrative costs
to the bone. Eliminating redundant administrative rules
within state government is the logical next step.
Oregon Daily
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COMMENTARY
American Party not for sale
By Kathy Snie/ko,
Jeanne Wojack Dellinger
and Mike Bonner
The lame County American
Party is a grass-roots or
ganization with a moder
ate political program that em
phasizes th« key issue of cam
paign finance reform We em
phasize reform because it seem
to us that Oregonians i-annot ef
f*« lively address the problems
of our state government until we
address the core problem, which
is the corruption of our elected
offi< nils by s[h* ial interest mon
ey
Bat k in the early 1970s Ore
gon politicians obeyed strict
limits on campaign contribu
tions and expenditures In the
wake of Watergate, the Oregon
legislature got fancy and passed
an expenditure limitation of
$.25 per voter
Hie result didn't sit well with
the court In May of 1975. Ore
gon's Supreme Court handed
down its disastrous Doras vs
Myers decision The court ruled
that political money was the
same as free speech, and not
subject to legislated limits.
This gave candidates the
green light to raise and spend
unlimited campaign money.
In the years that followed, cor
porate lobby and professional
interest groups soon took con
trol of legislative campaign fi
nance. Croups wanting to buy
legislators now give staggering
amounts of money to them.
There are no conditions on how
this money may be spent. Critics
of the system call it legalized
bribery.
We believe that Oregon's sys
tem of special interest campaign
finance is improper and the root
of the erosion of faith in our
state government. How can citi
zens respect the work of legisla
tors whose pockets and purses
bulge with questionable cash?
Nearly two decades after
Deras vs. Myers, the lobby is
footing the bill for most Oregon
political campaigns. The evi
dence is freely available from
Oregon's Secretary of State Re
ports of contributions and ex
penditures, or C & E's, may be
examined by any person re
questing a look, at them.
As American Party candi
dates. we recently paid a visit to
Room 141 in the State Capitol
Building in Salem to study the C
& K reports for many Lane Coun
ty candidates.
The Lane County C & E's
made pretty juicy reading. Most
incumbent legislators and many
aspirants have no compunction
about adopting checks from
wealthy interests.
Retiring Oregon House Speak
er tjirry Campbell went into the
1992 general election with a
cash balance of $12.1,152. He
raised another $75,000 from air
lines, banks, utilities, life insur
ers. oil companies and many
other lobbies
The incredible array of folks
who gave money to Campbell
infused the concept of diversity
with a whole new meaning. B\
November. Campbell had spent
over $100,000, ending with
$95,000 in the bank Presumably
it's still there
State Senator Bill Dwyer
raked in $56,000 for May 's 1994
primary race. Included among
the Dwyer donors are banks.
Philip Morris tobacco, develop
ers. utilities and insurance com
panies.
Even the newest Lane County
legislative candidates go along
with the practice of taking spe
cial interest money.
Though he is said to support
campaign finance reform. State
Senator Peter Sorenson never
theless managed to grab some
$32,556. He spent $29,420 of it
running unopposed in May’s
primary. Big checks from oil
companies like Atlantic Rich
field found their way into Sor
ensen's kitty. Known bottle bill
opponents like Oregon Soft
Drink PAC gave Sorensen sums
in excess of $2,000.
In House District 40. Demo
crat Floyd Prozanski won a wide
open primary battle while
spending $22,500. Self-service
gas proponent Commercial
Cardlock pumped Prozanski a
hefty $2,000.
Decisions about self-serve gas
ought to be made openly by vot
ers, not by a quiet flow of lobby
money to candidates.
Some politicians will argue
lobbyists aren't really buying
votes. They say lobbyists are
merely ensuring "access.”
That's like saying you don't go
to the store to buy tomatoes; you
just go there to access them.
Lane County American Party
candidates an* rejecting the spe
cial interest system of campaign
finance We will refuse all PAC
money and any individual con
tribution in excess of $100.
We're saying no to all lobby, cor
porate. union, business and bun
dled contributions as well.
Constituencies like unions
defeat themselves by playing the
spec lal interest money game. In
the long run, they can't compete
with massive corporate money.
Newspapers also encourage
the special interest game by
rarely mentioning the connec -
tion between candidates and
their financial backers in news
stones and editorial endorse
ments.
Our campaigns will be fi
nanced solely by individuals,
using the state tax credit in a
more aggressive manner. Pres
ently, only about 4 percent of
Oregon taxpayers use the cred
it.
Our goal is to end the special
interest financing of Oregon po
litical campaigns by defeating
its Lane County practitioners.
The American Party program
overall is politically moderate,
Besides campaign finance re
form. it advocates social toler
ance. fiscal responsibility and
environmental awareness. We
want our schools to have the
resources to educate our chil
dren. We believe many human
service programs perform a
valuable safety net function and
must be preserved.
Most of all. we wish to bring
freshness, honesty and vitality
to Oregon's political debate. Our
slogan is simple: Not For Sale.
We invite all who share our
views to join our cause.
Kathy Sniezko. Jeanne Wojack
Dellinger and Mike Bonner are
members of the Lane County
American Party.