Capitol Letters: An Inside View of the Legislative Process - Hardcover

Oregon State Representative Mitch Greenlick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0983816875 ISBN 13: 9780983816874

Publisher: Arnica Creative Services, 2016

Synopsis

Do you ever wonder what goes on in the Capitol? How does a bill become law? How do our elected officials, many of whom are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, work together for the best interests of the public? When budgets are tight, how do they prioritize and fund much-needed programs for education, medical care, housing, public safety and so much more? How do they deal with the tough stuff and begin the conversation without falling victim to polarization and political drama? Representative Mitch Greenlick takes us inside the Capitol and gives us a front-row seat to the process of law-making. Most legislators send out some kind of newsletter to their constituents, but Greenlick's MitchMessages are unique in that he writes them himself; they are his own very personal account of legislative sessions as a participant/observer. Capitol Letters is a compilation of those messages, nuanced by his academic background, but written to be accessible to the ordinary citizen. During the day we listen to the state agencies talk about their budgets and how they expect to deal with them. It can be very dry stuff. Then in the evening we get to put faces on those dry numbers. And it is not possible to hold back tears as we listen to the stories of their fragile lives, their valiant efforts to deal with adversity, and the realization that the only thing that allows them to survive is the aid provided by the state. This is extraordinarily difficult, but I firmly believe we are ultimately judged by the way we treat the most vulnerable among us. I believe introducing long-term and difficult issues into the legislative process is one of a legislator s most critical responsibilities. It is, of course, not the only responsibility, and I would not consider it productive to spend all of my time tilting such windmills. But occasionally, a windmill turns into a dragon and becomes slayable.

About this title

About the Author

Representative Mitch Greenlick was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2002. He serves on the House Committee on Health Care, a committee he has chaired or co-chaired since 2007. He also serves on the House Judiciary Committee. Representative Greenlick received his BS and MS from Wayne State University in Detroit and his Ph.D. in Medical Care Organization from the University of Michigan. Mitch was the founding director of the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research and was Vice President for Research, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals for more than thirty years. He retired from Kaiser Permanente in 1995. In addition to his duties as a legislator, Mitch is professor emeritus and past chair of the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in the Medical School of Oregon Health and Science University. He has served on numerous boards and has been the recipient of multiple awards and honors, including the 2011 Health Center Hero Award, from the Oregon Primary Care Association.

Edition details

• Publisher: Arnica Creative Services
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0983816875
• ISBN 13: 9780983816874
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Jack Ohman
• Number of pages: 288