Attempted weaseling out in the first degree
I see I'm in the Weed today. The publication provided a comeback to my post about the State of Oregon's shameful support of an outrageous seizure of a 90-something-year-old person's money by overzealous tax collectors in Minnesota.
It's always weird when the Weed reporters have to get into Oregon legal stuff, since the publication's former publisher, and I assume still shareholder, is married to the state attorney general. The A.G. signed the U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief that I found disgusting.
Anyway, here's what that whole gang has got to say in its defense:
“The Department of Justice has a responsibility to defend Oregon statutes, and Oregon has a statute similar to Minnesota’s that would be at risk of being struck down depending on the outcome of the case,” [department spokesman Roy] Kaufman says. [Yeah, the same guy who flacked for Sam Adams when he was mayor.]
“We joined the brief to express our view of how the legal analysis should proceed,” he adds. “But our joining in no way suggests that we think that the Minnesota county’s decision in this particular case was appropriate or just; we did not weigh in on that question either way.”
Really? That's a stretch, Roy old pal. Oregon specifically asked that the Eighth Circuit decision be affirmed. That decision affirmed a lower court ruling that dismissed the elderly taxpayer's complaint and let the county keep her money.
You can root from the sidelines. Oregon clearly didn't. I repeat: For shame.
It looks like Rosenblum is planning to run for re-election next year. I hope she gets to answer for that foul brief at many a stop on the campaign trail.
She may get asked, but will dodge the question and our media “watchdogs” will give her a pass.
ReplyDeleteI don't know for sure, but I strongly suspect Ms. Tyler is not private pay in her assisted living and is instead receiving assistance from Medicaid -- the dreaded state -- to maintain herself in that facility. Just providing a decent standard of care for a 94 year old is spendy, and not many do it without tapping Medicaid.
DeleteI run into a lot of people who want me to help them or their elderly parents qualify for Medicaid, while at the same time not wanting to pay any taxes. Turns out, there's no free lunch. If you want government services and supports, someone has to pay taxes.
True, but not the issue here. The county got enough to pay her taxes, then stole another $20,000+ from her.
DeleteBTW, remember when they made it a crime to advise people how to qualify for Medicaid? Good times.
Ellen will escape this debacle with the support of her friends in the media
ReplyDelete