Senate chambers of the Oregon Legislature on June 7.

I have seen several letters to the editor condemning Republican state senators for their walkout and demanding they return to the Capitol so legislative business can proceed. While many pending bills have bipartisan support, by returning Republicans would also clear the way for Democrats to pass some controversial legislation. In fact, the bills that drove Republican senators to walkout are still on the table.

So, let’s look at the situation from a different perspective. After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, some states have begun passing laws to restrict abortions. While Oregon’s liberal majority is solid, let’s suppose Oregon’s Legislature had a significant conservative majority — say 35 to 25 in the House and 17 to 13 in the Senate plus a conservative governor — and that majority was ready to pass a bill to restrict abortion access. In that hypothetical situation, should the liberal minority walk out to prevent passage of those restrictions? If liberal senators in this hypothetical example did walk out, would the folks who are condemning our real-world state senator be writing to The Bulletin pressing the minority to return to work if it meant abortion restrictions were the result of their return?

Over the years, both Republicans and Democrats have used walkouts to drive legislative compromises. While walkouts are a last resort, they protect those with minority views from what Alexis de Tocqueville called the tyranny of the majority. In the end, the value of a walkout is a matter of perspective.

— Dave Price, Redmond

Dear Mike McCarter, who wrote the recent guest column about part of Oregon switching to Idaho, you need to get your facts straight. First, moving a state border is a rare thing. It has not happened very often once a territory became a state.

I live in Redmond and have no desire to become part of Idaho. I find it funny that Eastern Oregon is now admitting that they are basically a welfare state that cannot pay their own way. I wish people would spend all this energy in a more productive way then going down this rabbit hole that will never happen. If I may borrow a quote from the past “Love it or leave it.” If Idaho is so great, move there. Nothing is stopping you. You can always come back to visit.

— Brian Waite, Redmond

I could not agree more with this sentiment reported in the June 2 article on the Republican walkout in Salem:

“ ‘Oregonians who do not show up to work don’t get paid,’ Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber of Beaverton said in a statement. ‘Senators who do not show up need to start returning the hard-earned tax dollars they do not earn.’ (Senate President Rob) Wagner set the fine amount at $325 to match how much lawmakers are compensated for a day’s work, according to a press release from the Senate Democrats.”

Absolutely true. This walkout is crippling Oregon at a time we can least afford inaction. This tactic of “take my bat and ball and go home” is childish and hurtful. I find it insulting that I, as a taxpayer, am paying them while they defy the voters and taxpayers.

Oregon voters approved Measure 113 to make our opinions clear. We want our lawmakers working in Salem or else they should be removed at the next election. I surely hope they do pay the penalty since our views as voters were clear. I realize, Tim Knopp as leader, is hoping to avoid the punishment because of a technicality. Regardless, you and the others should do the right thing and return the $325 per day that you have not earned, at the very least.

—Tom Kelley, Sunriver

The pay raise that Deschutes County Commissioners Patti Adair and Tony DeBone voted in for themselves is a classic example of having your cake and eating it, too. If we all had the luxury of writing ourselves blank checks for such self-congratulatory accomplishments as “really working hard at my job” and “working hard full time,” imagine how well off we would be.

Heck, if I had known that all I needed to do to earn a 12.3% increase in my annual salary was to show up and put in a hard day’s work then I would have done it.

Well, I did, as thousands of my fellow citizens have throughout their careers and if they did get such raises, they were based on performance, not the time clock and were preceded by supervisors’ evaluations, usually rigorous. I’m confident the two commissioners received one as well. I just hope they didn’t bruise their knuckles on the mirror reaching for the handshake.

Commissioner Phil Chang’s reluctance to accept the same increase attests to the fact that you don’t need to spike the pay to attract highly qualified candidates.

— Jan Tatala, Bend

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