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<div><tt>This from former Oregon Governor Kitzhaber's speech saying he
would not run for governor, instead to focus on health care
issues:</tt></div>
<div><tt><br></tt></div>
<div><tt><font size="+2" color="#000000"> Š our
politics today have become largely transactional - "lower my taxes
and I will vote for you;" "give me prescription drug coverage and
I will vote for you." And it works the other way around as well -
"vote for me and I will cut your taxes;" "vote for me and I will
fund schools first." The problem is that these transactions are all
about "me" - and have nothing to do with "us." They are all
about what I can get, not what I can give. They neither foster a sense
of the larger public interest; nor do they do advance the common
good.<br>
<br>
And the fact is that we cannot solve the crisis in
our health care system - or in our school system or in our economy
or our environment - through this kind of transactional politics
because they erode any sense of common purpose and foster the belief
that if we can just elect a new governor; a different legislature or a
different congress - all our problems will be taken care of. And
that is simply not true.</font></tt></div>
<div><tt><br></tt></div>
<div><tt>Words well worth thinking about.</tt></div>
<div><tt><br></tt></div>
<div><tt>Mark Solomon</tt></div>
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