Capitol Letters: An Inside View of the Legislative Process

by Oregon State Representative Mitch Greenlick, Jack Ohman (Illustrator)

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.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2016