John Kitzhaber is being accused of . . . well, privilege.  In 1999 then-governor Kitzhaber accepted a $306,000 loan from Bidwell & Co., to buy a cottage.  Bidwell was an investment firm, not a bank, and had only one other loan on its books; the Kitzabler loan was with no down payment, a deal unheard of in those days.  Then 2 1/2 years later, Kitzhaber appointed Jerry Bidwell to the Oregon Investment Council, an unpaid position which nevertheless was prestigious and put Bidwell in regular contact with the most powerful individuals in the investment industry.  There was nothing illegal about the loan.  Kitzhaber didn’t even have to disclose it, because Bidwell’s firm was regulated by the state and therefore exempt from the disclosure rule.  Kitzhaber paid 8.25 percent interest at a time when 15- to 30-year loans were going for 7 to 7.4 percent, off the 5-year loan early interest, and he paid off the 5-year loan early.  So what’s the big deal?

Doesn’t everyone get a little help from their friends?  Isn’t it true that “it’s who you know” that determines who gets the job–or at least an interview?  Isn’t it OK that the next-door neighbor who is handy with automobiles helps you repair your car?  I mean, even if you live in the ghetto, don’t your buddies watch your back?  As a minister, I got all kinds of special privileges–tickets to performances, stays at lovely beachhouses owned by congregants, referrals to the best doctors.  Once when I needed to purchase a car, I got a “no money down, low interest rate” loan, just above dealer’s price, on the spot, because I was a minister. 

So what is the big deal about Kitzhaber?  It is that elected officials cannot afford to give even the suggestion that they might not be objective in their decision-making.  No one is saying that Bidwell was not qualified for the position on the Council, or that his company was given any special benefits from the state government.  But the fact is that when someone in political office is given a “favor,” it is an unwritten, unspoken expectation that the favor will be returned in some form or another.  These kinds of special privileges are given all the time–everything from nights in the Lincoln bedroom to meals in expensive restaurants to sought-after tickets at sports events.  “It’s nothing,” a wealthy politico will say.  “Do you think that a couple of tickets to a game is going to change my vote?”  Actually, yes, I do.  Not that it’s a one-for-one exchange, no–but it’s access to power, something that the little man (or woman) does not have.  It’s an ear that will hear when the phone rings.  It’s a handshake, a meeting of the eyes, however briefly, that says, “I know you.  We’re two of a kind.  I understand your needs, and I’ll be there for you.”

But lest those of us who are privileged begin to feel self-righteous, let it be said that we should recognize that we enjoy advantages that many others do not have.  What do I mean by “privileged”?  We know people who know people.  We have enough money to buy what we need, and to get the best professional help.  We can leave town when we need a break.  We give support, financial and otherwise, to certain people of power and influence.  Our skin is the right color.  We have had a chance to go to university.  And so on and so forth.  We need not feel guilty, but we should never feel that our accomplishments are all due to our hard work and moral superiority.  If we are so privileged, we should do all we can to even out the playing field.  We should never dare to congratulate ourselves on what we have become.  We’ve had a lot of help from our friends.