Notes of a Political Life

by Michael Meo

At the Eastside Democratic Club a couple of days ago two current office holders addressed the collected longtime political activists present. The first, who ate with us, brought his spouse and grandchild, and stayed the longest, was state senator Rod Monroe.

The most probing question was that of Walt Brown, onetime president of the Eastside Democratic Club, former state senator himself, and last year the candidate of the Pacific Green Party for Attorney General of the state of Oregon. “One hundred thousand children in this state are currently without health insurance of any kind. What has the Legislature done for their benefit?”

“We passed a bill,” responds the presently-serving senator Monroe, “that is one of the most significant health-coverage bills ever passed, anywhere.” All children in Oregon are now covered. Of course, it needs perhaps to be pointed out, that this is a statement about health insurance, not health care. Still, it is a proud statement.

“And the children of illegal aliens?” Walt Brown persists. “Are they covered?” Senator Monroe does not know. When the second of the two office-holders to address the group, City Councillor Amanda Fritz, rose to thank the Eastsiders for having helped to elect her, pausing to accept questions, Walt Brown raised the question of the children of illegal aliens and their health coverage.

“I know the answer to your question,” said Fritz, who had not heard the earlier exchange with Monroe because she had arrived at the end of the meal. “The mayor had assigned me to examine how children in Portland could get health coverage, and I did not have to bite that bullet. I am able to say that the passage of the bill through the Legislature this year covers all children in the state.”

“Including those of illegal aliens?” Walt Brown was ineluctable.

“Those children who are registered in school are covered,” responded the city councilor.

As a teacher for two decades in the Portland Public Schools, I added my testimony that it is the traditional policy of the public schools not to pass to federal authorities any knowledge of the immigration status of any student in the schools. City Councillor Fritz added that that has for some time been the policy of the police, as well.

So there is one area in which the members of the Pacific Green Party must own some degree of gratitude to the otherwise recalcitrant Democratic Party. With the governor and both houses of the legislature in their hands, the Democrats did act to provide health coverage for children.

Immediately following this, the persistent and insightful Walt Brown asked Fritz about the killing by “kicking to death” of a mentally ill man on the streets of Portland. He did not include the name of the victim, but we all knew it to be James Chasse; the autopsy report, which spoke of ribs being broken in sixteen places, completely contradicting testimony by the arresting officers, that in arresting the man they had “fallen” on him by accident.

Here there appeared the other side of the coin: the answer was a classic example of viewing with alarm, but making no effort to address the problem. Listeners were assured that Rosy Sizer, the chief of police, was going to correct the problem – despite the fact that no one was fired, or even reprimanded, for the act of manslaughter – and that she would be working herself to improve the situation – although she made no commitment to any action of any kind.

If we had a hundred Walt Browns, we Greens would be a force in the politics of this state. The Democrats did indeed do right in health care this year in the Legislature. And sea slugs still compare favorably with Democratic politicians in the region of spinal equipment.