Like taking a vacation in your garage
Sunday, April 5th, 2009This coming Thursday, Leadership Portland is taking us to the State Capitol.
This is very exciting. The Capitol has an amazing energy to it, especially when the Legislature is in session, as it is now.
Especially this session: After all, the economy is doing it’s impression of the Hindenburg, Oregon managed to slough off $3 billion in revenue from December to February (when the ill-named March Revenue Forecast was released) and nobody believes the slide has stopped. We’re expecting, at a minimum, to have lost yet another $1 billion when the equally ill-named June Forecast is released May 15. If we lose as much as $2 billion, we will have shed one-third of the state’s revenue in five months.
Mazel tov!
So Leadership Portland is taking us into the heart of maelstrom, and it should be an exciting time for every single member of the class of 2009.
Except, of course, me.
Because I live at the Capitol these days.
I’ll be there around 7 a.m. this Monday, because the education subcommittee of Ways and Means is taking up the budget for Oregon’s 17 independent community colleges. I’m the public affairs manager for Portland Community College.
A public affairs manager is… OK, that’s never been explained to me. Save to say: I’m in the Capitol when our budget comes up.
I’ll be there until around 7 p.m. Monday. Then back at 7 a.m. Tuesday. And 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Then there on Thursday, around (yawn) 8 a.m. for Leadership PDX.
Seriously. Ground Hog Day much?
dana