Scott Bruun: Let Them Eat Cake

By J. Graber of Portland, Oregon. He is a former journalist and a graduate student in strategic communications at the University of Oregon, Portland campus. Previously, he contributed Running against Peter Defazio, Art Robinson brings the crazy

Oh how I fondly remember all those cold winter days as a child filing into my classroom first thing in the morning, stomping off the snow clinging to the hems of my pants, and turning to the flag with my hand over my heart to faithfully recite:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of the Rich and Privileged. And to the top 1 percent economic strata for which it stands, one nation under Tony Hayward for profits and tax breaks for special interest groups who can afford to pay someone to represent their interests in the capitol. "

Uhm no, that’s not how I remember it. It does seem to be the pledge Oregon State Representative and would-be congressman Scott Bruun has been reciting for all these years though.

And now, Scott, who represents the 37 Oregon House District, is hoping to take his bit of historically revisionist ideology on the road to Washington by unseating Oregon 5th Congressional District Rep. Kurt Schrader this November.

What? Don’t believe me?

Think I’m twisting or exaggerating the truth?

All one needs to do is listen to Scott’s little speech last February against a bill that would have ensured health care coverage for all Oregonians. Although I can’t convey the snarky inflection in Scott’s voice, it goes a little like this:

Our state simply cannot afford to make health care an inalienable right. And if we did make that an inalienable right, to echo what the representative from southern Oregon said, ‘What’s next? What’s the next inalienable right? Housing? Food? Clothing? Paid maternity leave? Paid vacation leave? Transportation?’

Yes Scott, we fat-cat Oregonians may actually want food in our bellies and a roof over our heads … OK, I’ll meet you half way on this one and agree to live in a field except for when it rains, or drops below 60 degrees.

I mean, these aren’t exactly extravagant requests here.

And every morning I will venture out of … er at least away from … my grassy Shangri la of domestic bliss and head to my job. You know, the kind that hires you despite the fact you are stark naked and can’t actually get to it.

And once there, I will work shoulder to shoulder with women conscientious enough to only birth their children during the lunch break so they can get right back to it when that whistle blows.

Let the wolves raise the children!

And to drive his message home, Scott goes on to quote the insane ramblings of some obviously socialist lunatic, whom he refused to name but had the audacity to claim, “It’s a right if the people say it is a right.”

Perhaps this anonymous crackpot should go back and revisit part of the Gettysburg Address where Abraham scratched out the phrase “government of the people, by the people, for the people” and replaced it with, “ government paid for by the people who don’t actually get anything in return.”

It seems Scott would be more comfortable quoting the likes of Marie Antoinette who, when asked what the starving masses should live on, replied “Let them eat cake!”

Or maybe not, let’s not loose our heads here.