Proposed tax increase in Oregon goes down to overwhelming defeat _ again

[Judi Lynn]

Proposed tax increase in Oregon goes down to overwhelming defeat _ again

BRAD CAIN, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, February 3, 2004



(02-03) 21:29 PST PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) --

Oregonians overwhelmingly rejected a proposed tax increase on Tuesday, setting the stage for another round of spending cuts for schools, courts and other programs already reeling from earlier slashes.

The $800 million measure, with nearly half the vote counted, trailed 58 percent to 42 percent.

"The margin of defeat is larger than expected," said Kevin Mannix, state GOP chairman and opponent of the tax package. "It's not just a defeat. It's a swift kick in the pants to business-as-usual politicians who have ignored the need for reform."

Gov. Ted Kulongoski has said he is "not inclined" to convene a special session of the Legislature to consider retooling spending cuts already designated for implementation should the measure fail. (snip)

Schools would take the biggest hit -- $285 million. The Oregon Health Plan, which extends health insurance to poor people and once was touted as an example for the nation, would lose $182 million, meaning nearly 50,000 of the working poor would lose their coverage.
(snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/02/03/national2350EST0952.DTL

[bluestateguy]

1. I have an idea

Every time voters reject one of these taxes the governor should pardon and release as many prisoners as necessary (non-violent ones) to make up the state funds needed to continue running the schools.

[pretzel4gore]

2. thing is, Oregon is one of the most liberal states of all...

n/t

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. No it's not

Not anymore.

I lived there from 1984 to just last summer.

Portland, Eugene, Corvallis, Astoria, and Ashland are very liberal. The rest of the state is libertarian-leaning (no taxes and let me smoke dope and rape the land).

I'd say that the libertarian element makes it socially liberal, so medical marijuana and assisted suicide are fine. The one puzzling exception is gay rights, which is odd, because the state also has one of the lowest percentage of religious affiliation and the highest percentage of declared atheists in the country. If it hadn't been for Portland and the other cities, Oregon would have anti-gay laws on the books.

However, the anti-tax zealots have taken over, and Ted Kulongoski is such an ineffectual wimp that he can't whip the legislature into shape. The Republicans hate taxes, schools, environmental laws, mass transit, and cities.

I often felt in recent years that the strip of cities on the west side of the Cascades should secede and form their own state.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. When I lived there

my idea was to take all the budget cuts out of the counties that voted against the tax.

"You don't want to pay taxes? All right then, no services for you!"

[Arugula Latte]

5. Exactly.

You don't want to pay? Then you don't get to play. Simple as that.

That's why the voters of Multnomah Co. (Portland) took matters into their own hands last year and passed a tax to temporarily save local schools. Most of the rural folks would just as soon let their kids' schools go down the drain as fork out another penny to the government.

[SharonAnn]

6. But what actually happens is the oppsosite. Just like in the US

where the "Blue" states pay more in Federal tax dollars than they receive and the "Red" states receive more in Federal tax dollars than they pay.

And we continue to be ruled by the "Red" state mentality as shown by Bush's policies. "Cut our taxes, but give us your tax money to pay for our services."

[stevedeshazer]

8. I agree

I worked the phones on that campaign to raise my own taxes.

But I have to say that not all rural Oregonians fit your description. Many of us grew up and attended schools in small towns and rural places in the state and a lot of us are very progressive.

[depakid]

20. and yet during the snowstorm

those very same anti-tax, anti-government zealots whined incessantly about the roads not being cleared and the light rail being shut down.

[stevedeshazer]

7. That's exactly what's happening

Oregon native here.

Radical right radio hosts here said it was a scare tactic, but as soon as the election results came in, the Multnomah County sheriff came on the tube and announced the impending release of non-violent offenders.

Teachers will be laid off, school days will be cut, prisoners released, and the Republican Party here is celebrating like a drunk with seven hundred bucks.

I could say a lot more, but I won't because I'm too pissed.

[DrWeird]

16. Already done that.

We've also cut off psychiatric patients from their medicine. At least one committed suicide when the meds ran out. It's not like republicans give a shit.

[progressivebydesign]

23. Hey.. they've already done that pretty much.

oregon was such a cool place. It pretty much sucks now. All because the anti-tax morons ran things there for a while.. I'm sorry, but I can't believe that anyone could be so freakin' short sighted as to continually vote down tax increases when their state is falling apart at the seams. I studied oregon extensively all last year when we were relocating to the Pacific Northwest. I love it.. but when you have people voting against MINIMAL tax increases, and watching schools laying off teachers en masse, and releasing prisoners, and closing medical clinics, you have to wonder what planet they're on. We chose Washington, by the way. And couldn't be happier.

I wish Oregon would get their act together. From the majority of polls and editorials I read, the State has a stupid anti-tax-zealot-written law that requires a LARGE margin of approval for new taxes.. and enough people that think there is some magic money hidden away that the legislators aren't telling them about. They vote no, because they think it will force the State to be better money managers... It's ridiculous. Sorta like recalling Davis because California's economy flopped. Look east friends.. keep looking until you see the White House and the Congress.. Those are the ones to blame. I mean, geez, if Oregon was the ONLY state doing badly this year, or if California was the only state doing badly, then I'd say yeah.. make them fix the problems without new taxes.. or get a new governor. But.. the tax increases are only to make up for unfunded mandates, vast unemployment and poverty, and rising costs of running a state (i.e. insurance, unfunded mandates, No School District Left STanding, etc.).

[Robin Hood]

9. The reason is that a boatload of Dems have left the State.

And I fear that Oregon will go for Bush in 04', even though we have the highest unemployment in the country, the dumb fuckers around here are all pro Bush. I swear, I have never met dumber people in my life. Perhaps there's a good reason why it's got the highest unemployment in the nation.

If you keep denying funding for education and social services, you're gonna end up with an inbred, dumber than dirt society.

[thebaghwan]

11. That is because a sub species of human lurks in Oregon, Oregonis

Neanderthalsis. Having lived in Grants Pass for a number of years I can attest to this fact. They even have a statue of him jusat off the freeway in Grants Pass. This sub species is noted for the leave me the fuck along, no taxes, its my property I can do what I want with it, let's go out and rape the land, fuck education attitude.

[SuffragetteSal]

10. Four homicides just last weekend

and now even less money for gang control and training for police officers. I live here and I think people are very classist and/or racist when they vote this way because they don't care about the poorer folks and their problems or 'that' side of town etc.

I can't explain it, I have been here only a couple years and the word
'simple' keeps coming up in my mind to try and explain how the majority of people think here, simple and somehow naive.

[0rganism]

12. No Taxes = No Services

I swear, people here aren't going to figure this out until they're waist-deep in sewer back-up trying to get the non-existent police on the line to report armed robbery by a gang of 1st-graders.

Dumb. As. Dirt.

For a while, California took our ugly crown by electing the Gropenator, but we're back in the lead again as the dumbest state on the West Coast.

[xchrom]

13. you always hurt the ones you love

i can imagine this will set up a scenario that will take a long time to over come.
i worry for the poor though -- what will happen to them?
we have not bottomed out on the ''hate government'' thing yet -- and you'd think the pain would begin to change folks.

[0rganism]

14. the "hate government" thing doesn't bottom out until it's all gone

> you'd think the pain would begin to change folks.

It actually strengthens their hatred of gov't. See, the less money we give to the state, the crappier our state's services become. Then, the anti-tax crew gets to work by telling people how incredibly crappy government services are, "so crappy they don't deserve your money," and how the "private sector" can handle things soooo much better.

Voila! Instant libertarians.

[Tempest]

15. This doesn't bode well for the Gropinator

He's betting the farm on voters passing Proposition 57, the $15 billion loan to bail out California.

So far, only 38% support the measure.

[megatherium]

17. The Mississippi of the Northwest,

they were calling Oregon last year when the last measure was defeated. I'm from Oregon and I've lived in Mississippi, where the public doesn't support public education. Down there, they have "christian academies" where you send your kids if you have the money and don't want your kids to "come into contact with secular immorality".

[Gin]

18. I felt that tax increases were necessary to fund the social programs

such as schools..etc......then I read "Perfectly Legal" and I am rethinking the whole thing of tax increases.

The laws should be changed to make corporations pay more..and the top so called "elite" must pay their fair share. The middle class pays enough already. With the status quo in place...we will pay and pay and pay.

I live in VA. and we are facing similar problems..I have said over and over again that I would gladly pay more for all of these programs..well....now I'm not so sure.

[0rganism]

19. This was a VERY progressive tax increase

You should have a look at it:

http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/feb032004/guide/m30.htm

It would have increased the corporate minimum tax (from a ridiculous $10) and upped the taxes significantly on the wealthy. The average family would have seen about $80/month increase, tops. It was endorsed by damn near every secular PAC in Oregon, as well as a number of corporations who know their business here will suffer as the infrastructure crumbles.

However, the republicans unleashed their radio attack dogs, and demonized this bill like there was no tomorrow. As a result, the rural communities will suffer the most degradation in service levels. The more liberal urban counties will simply use local levies to maintain fire departments, schools, libraries, and the like. The decay in the rest of Oregon will be phenomenal.

It was the backwater farmer-types who really shot themselves in the foot with this one, and they're dancing around declaring victory. Stupidest shit I've ever seen.

[depakid]

21. Yep- the right wing is insistent on economic suicide

What business in their right mind would relocate to a state that doesn't support its schools and higher education? I've already heard quotes of that nature coming from CEO's who've chosen take their businesses to other states.

The biggest irony, of course, is that the rural Republican counties are going to get hit by far the hardest, which as lydia_leftcoast alluded to, is only just.

[stevedeshazer]

22. I agree mostly

It was a progressive increase, indexed to income. No one talked about that.

It continued a cigarette tax that expires. No one talked about that.

It did raise the corporate minimum tax from $10 to $250. No one talked about that.

When PGE, the Enron-owned subsidiary that is the largest energy provider in Oregon pays only $10 in corporate taxes, something is fucked up with the system.

Only part I don't agree with is about farmers. It's not their fault that they've been fed a line of bullshit. Everyone in Oregon who pays attention knows that the media here is way more slanted to the right than the general population. There were way more suburban voters from Gresham to Springfield to Beaverton that voted no, dooming their own services. Truly rural areas have suffered for a longer time.

Maybe they'll figure it out when they call the fire department and the line is busy.

[0rganism]

24. It wasn't just the rural and suburban voters flaking this time

Check out the results for Multnomah county (Portland metro east).
http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/dbcs/elections/2004-02/results.shtml

    PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 129).  .  .  .  .       129  100.00
    REGISTERED VOTERS - TOTAL .  .  .  .  .   359,352
    BALLOTS CAST - TOTAL.  .  .  .  .  .  .   215,529
    VOTER TURNOUT - TOTAL  .  .  .  .  .  .             59.98

    STATE MEASURE 30
    VOTE FOR  1
      YES  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    96,618   44.85
      NO.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   118,792   55.15

It's just insane. Even the People's Republic of Multnomah voted against this tax measure. The bullshit was THICK, bro. Of course, ever since the PUD got smacked down, I'm thinking Mulnomah voters are getting pretty dumb, too.

So I don't want to imply that the rural republicans were the only ones going against this measure; just that they're going to be, far and away, hit the worst by its failure.