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Last week, in his role as chairman of the Senate Executive Appointments Committee, Lake Oswego's Republican state senator, Randy Miller, evoked the ghost of Joseph McCarthy in an outrageous inquisition. The occasion was a hearing on Ron Eachus' reappointment to the state Public Utility Commission. Miller asked about a trip Eachus took to Hanoi 30 years ago to protest U.S. involvement in the war in Vietnam. He also asked whether Eachus had smoked pot while in college--again, some three decades ago. As reported in Thursday's Oregonian, Eachus answered the questions directly and forthrightly--despite their personal nature and their having no bearing on his qualifications to work for the PUC. In the process, Miller disgraced the Legislature and considerably lowered the standards of public life in this state. Particularly remarkable is that Miller's own public record leaves him in no position to cast stones. Here are a few questions Miller might not like to answer. They concern conduct more recent than 30 years ago--conduct that actually has some bearing on his role as an elected representative. 1. Have you ever failed the Oregon Bar exam? How many times? Do your answers to these questions have anything to do with your taking the Legislature's time--and spending taxpayers' money--on efforts to abolish the test lawyers must pass to practice in this state? 2. How many times have you exceeded the speed limit on Oregon's highways? What's the fastest you've ever driven? Is it appropriate for taxpayers to watch you zip past them on I-5? Is this why you've taken up so much of the Legislature's time and money with efforts to raise the speed limit? (By the way, which is more dangerous to the health and well-being of your fellow Oregonians--speeding or smoking pot?) 3. What's the name of the big timber outfit you work for? Has your company been cited for violations of the Forest Practices Act? Has it been involved in any disputes with the Division of State Lands or the state Department of Environmental Quality? 4. Observers of the Legislature say that, despite a lengthy career as an elected state official, you are known for coasting rather than working hard. You also have a reputation for providing more than one person's fair share of negative energy in Salem. Can you tell us what major legislation you've originated and successfully pushed through the House and Senate? 5. What conversations have you had with Gary Wilhelms about Eachus and the PUC? Wasn't Wilhelms a paid lobbyist for U.S. West before becoming Senate President Brady Adams' right-hand man? 6. As you are aware, these questions have not been pulled out of thin air. Are you comfortable with them, or do they seem inappropriate or out of line? If they're in the latter category, perhaps you and your colleagues might think twice about subjecting model public servants to inquiries far more out of line than this. |
