The shame of doing the right thing

I knew that when Governor Kohoutek signed the bill recriminalizing hard street drugs, she'd do it as quietly as possible. I thought she would do it last Friday, so that it would get lost in Easter weekend. But I was wrong. She did it on Monday.

There was none of the hoopla you usually get when she signs something she likes. You might have thought she'd have a ceremonial photo op with health care workers, police, some business owners, some former addicts who supported the bill, and so on. But there was none of that. She called in some bureaucrats and gave them one of her obnoxious lectures about what she "expects," then signed the bill into law as if it were a credit card receipt at a liquor store.

It was Kotek Klassic®. Who cares if the bill was supported by the vast majority of the state's voters? Who cares if it passed the legislature easily? It wasn't what she wanted; it was admission of a mistake, something she never, ever does. And so she gives everybody her icy bully look and moves on.

Above all, she doesn't want to turn off the faucet on those sweet, sweet political contributions from the far left. The people who foisted decriminalization on Oregon, and who have been paying mouthpiece Tera Hurst's mortgage for the last four or five years – whoever they are – have plenty more dough where that came from. Somebody like the Guv wouldn't want to be seen smiling on camera as Oregon tells them to take their crazy social experiment back to the East Coast, or wherever they are. She may need their money later to deal with the Betsy Johnsons of the world.

Oh, well. The repeal of Measure 110 was a rare bright moment in Oregon politics. Having to look at the governor one less time just made it a little brighter.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Max Williams and the other people who held the legislators' feet to the fire on repealing 110. And I hope Max & Co. don't wander off. I suspect there will be a lot more foolishness with drugs, crime, and who knows what all else before too long.