State Government
Friday, March 30, 2007
So yesterday I was lucky enough to get a free lunch in the Oregon State Capitol (provided by the Oregon State Grange Association) and then I took a tour of the Capitol grounds with some friends. We went up to visit the Golden Pioneer (121 steps from the 4th floor) and saw the rooms the state House and Senate use. We also went over and saw the Supreme Court building.
One thing that amazed me was the security of the grounds - or apparent lack thereof. The fact that I could simply walk into the rooms and freely peruse the grounds of the Capitol was refreshing. I felt like my government was accessible, not cordoned off behind metal detectors and background checks. Obviously there was some security, but the unobtrusiveness of it all made me feel like it was my government working for me. At the Supreme Court building we had to sign in with our names and the purpose of our visit (a quick tour) but that was it; we didn't have to provide ID or anything. If only all of our government was so close to the people.
Anyway, here's a view from the top of the capitol building. I highly recommend the tour:
One thing that amazed me was the security of the grounds - or apparent lack thereof. The fact that I could simply walk into the rooms and freely peruse the grounds of the Capitol was refreshing. I felt like my government was accessible, not cordoned off behind metal detectors and background checks. Obviously there was some security, but the unobtrusiveness of it all made me feel like it was my government working for me. At the Supreme Court building we had to sign in with our names and the purpose of our visit (a quick tour) but that was it; we didn't have to provide ID or anything. If only all of our government was so close to the people.
Anyway, here's a view from the top of the capitol building. I highly recommend the tour:
posted by Burton at 2:02 PM
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