Oregon Republicans walk out and subvert democracy. Again.

> In Oregon right now, a handful of white people from the far right are holding the state government hostage. Article reads like it was written by a child, full of drama and conjecture, and doesn't explain much to why they walked out. > The tax package enshrined in House Bill 3427 won surprising last-minute buy-in from the business industry after Democratic leaders cut a deal with Oregon Business and Industry, the state’s largest business group. That deal meant the $1 billion-a-year proposal has a far smaller chance of being defeated at the ballot if it’s passed. But the agreement rankled Republicans, who said they were not included in any of the negotiating. > It’s a dramatic move for Senate Republicans, but not unprecedented. In 2001, for example, House Democrats left Salem for five days during a fight over redistricting. Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, had the school funding bill printed and out and sitting on his lap Tuesday morning. He was a key architect of the $2 billion school funding package. And he was part of the 2001 Democratic walkout. “I’m not going to say anything negative,” Hass said, about the current Republican walkout. “We used the one tool we had (in 2001) and it worked. But we got beaten up pretty hard.” https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-republican-senate-shutdown-education-funding-vote/ > Bentz says his proposals surrounded how to spend the hundreds of millions of dollars HB 2020 would raise by charging polluters for each ton of greenhouse gas they emit. Currently, the bill has equity provisions that ensure some of the money would go to communities that might be disproportionately impacted by climate change... He also proposed a better deal for manufacturers, who he says should not be charged for carbon emissions if they are using the most clean technology available to them. https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-senate-republicans-walking-out-again/ Even if private companies upgraded to the best and cleanest systems, they would still get taxed. Seems like they'll just pay the fee and it won't actually do anything for pollution. I'm also still a bit fuzzy on who is "disproportionately impacted by climate change" too. Does that mean that the million dollar beach houses and giant shipping ports are going to get money from rising sea levels? I'm from the east coast, I haven't heard about any bills like that. I'm not sure about the process for walking out, but that seems to be a thing allowed to be used there by the superminority to get press about bills they feel are getting pushed through by the supermajority. They're upset because the whole deal got made without them and then none of their changes were considered for the vote after they were told that they would be. I guess it kinda worked. I would have had no idea this was going on there. Over here, if they walk out, they just have the vote without them.

Subverting Democracy? That's cute. Nothing says Democracy more than spying on a political opponent.