Those who covet power must first earn out trust

For the first 150 years of its statehood, Oregon limited regular legislative sessions to odd-numbered years. As governance turned increasingly complex and contentious, it became one of only a handful of states still getting by without annual sessions.

That all changed in the general election of November 2010, when voters overwhelmingly approved addition of a 35-day even-year session devoted primarily to budget issues — that and other matters too urgent to await the next full odd-year session, at least in the eyes of the majority Democrats running the show in recent decades.

In addition to rebalancing a state spending blueprint suffering from economic malaise and reduced federal support, this year’s even-year session opened Monday with three principal goals:

-- Coming up with at least a short-term solution to Oregon’s transportation funding impasse, preferably one that could serve as the starting point for a more comprehensive longer-term solution down the line, once the dust settles from this year’s gubernatorial and legislative elections.

-- Unlinking Oregon from at least three of 115 federal tax code changes collectively serving to bleed almost a billion dollars a biennium from the state treasury, while leaving breaks on tips and overtime pay intact for working people.

-- Enacting legislation better protecting Oregonians from an increasingly violent, aggressive and unpopular federal immigration crackdown — one led by heavily armed and masked agents granted police powers far exceeding those of city, county and state officers.

The goals may seem relatively straightforward, when stated so concisely. But the devil’s in the details, and they are all burdened with boatloads of details.

If you recall, legislative leaders spent months working on a transportation funding package in preparation for last year’s regular session, then months more reworking it in search of sufficient supportive votes during the proceedings, all to no avail.

They ultimately had to summon a lawmaker from his sick bed to get the plan approved during an ensuing special session. And a whirlwind petition drive swiftly succeeded in referring it to voters, putting everyone on notice that the final word had not yet been spoken.

The majority Democrats made a hash of the process from the get-go. That being the case, they richly deserve the hay minority Republicans are making of their folly, as campaigning for the May primary and November general election begins to get under way in earnest.

However, there is one stubbornly irrefutable fact the two opposing sides both need to face: Oregon is building a staggering backload of urgent transportation needs and an antiquated funding system is starving it for revenue. If Oregonians are going to get any semblance of the road and bridge work they need to keep them and their economy moving, they are going to have to cover a large share of the tab in some fashion.

Republicans are clinging to the tired old mantra of using cost-cutting, waste-trimming and wishlist-downsizing to rein in costs to the point where they match existing revenue. To help make it work, they would readily defund the mass transit system on which much of urban Oregon depends.

The problem is, construction costs are soaring at the same time that rapidly increasing electrification and fuel economy have gas tax revenue plunging. Making ends meet entirely through cost-cutting, or even substantially so, amounts to nothing more than idle political posturing.

As Sir Walter Scott so aptly observed in his poem “Marmion” in 1808, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” And that’s all we’re getting right now from most elements of the minority party, as no one is depending on them to actually deliver the road and bridge work we so badly need.

The other two headliner issues this year are fraught with perilous challenges as well. However, finding a workable way to fund future Oregon roads and bridges going forward is the most crucial to Oregon’s continued residential livability and commercial vitality.

If Republicans hope to ever earn the trust of Oregonians to run this state again, they need to show they can help forge real solutions to real problems, not just pander to an easily aroused reluctance to fund crucial social and economic functions.

The tougher times are, the more we need honest, open, well-intentioned leaders — the kind who can not only clearly identify problems, but also develop reasonable and realistic ways to solve them.

Are there any adults in the room? Are any of them holding seats in the Oregon Legislature? If so, please let their voices be heard.