Bismarck said that politics is the art of the possible. He was right. Modern politics has forgotten that admonition and politicians from both the Right and the Left - especially the Left at the moment - have forgotten this truism to the nation's detriment. Case in point: Oregon's forests.
Federal forest policy in Oregon and the West generally can be summed up in the phrase, "Don't do anything." The result has been catastrophic forest fires because underbrush is not cleared and forests are not thinned. The difference between Federal forests and state-managed forests is marked with the latter being clearly healthier. Federal policy has also resulted in the near death of the timber industry. That's why a political compromise fashioned for Federal policy on Eastern Oregon national forests is such a refreshing change.
The plan, crafted by Sen. Wyden with the help of both the timber industry and environmental groups, provides for protection of old growth trees and watersheds and thinning of trees, which provides timber and jobs. The plan cover six national forests in Eastern Oregon and is supported by an astounding 77% of respondents from all sides of the issue. That is an excellent example of achieving the art of the possible.
Even if Republicans win back the House and/or Senate in November, the outlook is continuing gridlock at the national level. The same does not have to be true, though, at the state level. Chris Dudley is less beholden to special interests than Kitzhaber and therefore able to be more creative and flexible in approaching problems, so I hope that he is elected and I hope he will practice the art of the possible, as is the case here with Oregon forests. We need to get people back to work and get this state moving again.
www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/06/poll_shows_strong_support_for.html
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