March 19, 2024 – Senator Daniel Bonham: Federal court asserts the First Amendment a privilege, not a right
This month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied our request for Free Speech protection during our legislative protest. The court opinion called free speech a “privilege” not a right.
Think about this for a moment. Privilege is indicative of circumstance, something you earn, or something that can be taken away. Free speech is not a privilege, it is a fundamental right ensured to Americans by the First Amendment in the United States Constitution.
Freedom of speech was the first thing our founding fathers wanted to protect and for good reason. Imagine if a judge ruled that practicing a religion was a privilege rather than a right. Imagine if a judge ruled that press coverage was a privilege, not a right. Imagine if a judge ruled that peacefully assembling was a privilege, not a right.
You get my point. This opinion is deeply concerning on many levels. This is the first step of a long process and I am hopeful the court will change course. I will not stop fighting, stay tuned.
Getting Americans back to work
There has been a lot of talk at a national level surrounding the federal Wyden-Smith tax bill. Whatwork started as a bi-partisan effort to extend certain tax breaks, turned into a power grab by liberals trying to expand the welfare state.
Specifically, Democrats are trying to sneak in a deal where people who do not work or pay taxes can receive tax credits. To be clear, everyone knows there is a massive difference between people genuinely needing help and people who insist on exploiting the system.
It is intellectually disingenuous to convolute the two.
As I am in my first couple weeks out of our ivory capitol tower and back amongst the living, it got me thinking about people who produce and people who exploit. As a small business owner, I work every day to provide a better life for my kids. I navigate the state’s regulatory system, contribute to the local economy and pay my taxes. I don’t think that I am alone in my struggle with government waste of my hard-earned tax dollars or the concept of free money without having to work for it.
The Chamber of Commerce recently released an article discussing trends in the labor market. In the survey, it was found that two-thirds of the Americans who lost their jobs are not “very active” in looking for a job, while almost a quarter of the surveyors said that government aide packages have incentivized them to not actively look for work.
This identifies two very core differences in our society. Those who want to be accountable and those who don’t – and how the government treats that behavior.
Oregon allows longer welfare benefits than other states and was once called “Welfare Utopia” by Atlantic magazine. Among the homeless across America, Portland is referred to as “Freelandia” for the free stuff they hand out.
How is that working? (Pun intended) Our state has some of the highest rates of individuals on welfare programs. Our unemployment is not the best, but it is not the worst. Oregon has been ranked as one of the most difficult places for small businesses to hire due to labor shortages.
Simply put, Americans need to get back to work. There needs to be protections in place to ensure accountability in welfare programs. We need to get people back on their feet, not incentivize them to stay off the market. We cannot live in a world where we overtax the working to pay for those that don’t. Learn more about the Wyden-Smith tax bill here.
Calling on Governor Kotek to veto “healthcare” bill that gives big union AFSCME financial + political kickbacks
I joined my fellow Senate Republicans to request a veto from Governor Kotek on Senate Bill 1578, the billveto that will force a government-run healthcare interpreter scheduling system while providing major financial and political kickbacks to AFSCME and well-known Democrat activist organization Unite Oregon.
The veto request letter states, “At best, SB 1578 is a costly solution in search of a problem. At worst, it is a bill that creates a redundant and inferior state-run healthcare interpreter scheduling system – with unknown costs – for the express purpose of helping a labor union achieve its objective of organizing the interpreter workforce and funneling state money to politically connected non-profits that also act as activists for the Democrat party.”
To be clear, patients and healthcare professionals did not ask for this bill. This bill was strictly pushed by a union boss and political director of the AFSCME Oregon chapter seeking to embed this program deeper into union operations, which will result in:
- More money to big union AFSCME and activist group Unite Oregon
- Less access to healthcare for Oregon patients
- Massive cost to taxpayers
- Removing the services from private companies already serving patients well
- Giving unions (and Democrat activist organizations) direct access to “two million contacts throughout the Oregon healthcare system”
Imagine if we tried to do the same thing for pro-life healthcare options and funnel government funds for millions of resident contact opportunities to through Oregon Right to Life.
Our Democrat colleagues would throw a fit.
The bill passed out of the Legislature on March 7 and the governor must act within 30 days of adjournment (excluding Saturdays and Sundays), or the legislation becomes law without being signed.
Residents can request the Governor to veto the legislation here. I hope you will join me in opposing this harmful, politically motivated legislation.
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