There is something going on in Oregon that I don't think is right. I think the Oregon Democrats, myself included, are shooting themselves in the foot with coastal marine reserves.
We have developed a pretty proactive and science-backed system for regulating fishing here. A lot of people who aren't your typical save-the-whales type grudgingly admit that they may not like restrictions and limits placed on them - but they understand the process.
To add to that we started kicking around the notion of marine reserves. How would they be created, managed, overseen and perhaps closed or moved? All these questions have been working their way through the system - AND a lot of people were even playing along.
BUT - our Gov. Kulongowski has come off as someone who winks and says the process continues while he appears to be short circuiting the process. The process seems to have devolved into one where any area can be nominated by anyone and be kept forever as a "heritage" reserve. Pretty light on the science. Who evaluates nominations? What is the criteria? What is the goal? Instead of substantial conversation I am hearing emotional backlash to the Bush disaster as a reason. Save the salmon? Salmon don't live within a marine reserve longer than they transit through it. A lot of crying about things that happened in the past that are now outlawed. Like I said, emotional backlash.
Disagree if you want about this being correct. That is the perception that is out there and from what I've seen I agree. We are basically doing an anti-Cheney - cooking or ignoring the science to get what we want in an obvious way.
Want to lose the state to the repubs so they can do some serious damage in all their anti-tax, anti-regulation ways? Well, this is a good start. We may get some zones set aside but we'll end up paying in the long run.