Even liberals own homes and have bills to pay.

Oregon is a high-unemployment state with low average income. Frankly, I don't understand how they've been so successful with past tax measures, except we allow people who don't pay property taxes to vote to raise ours. Maybe, I'll just go back to renting.

The measures have been successful because voters have done a bang up job of keeping themselves ignorant.

Snards; rent or own you still pay! The land lord passes the rates along.
I really hope this measure goes down in flames. When the debt servicing costs out pace all other costs something has to give and the taxpayers have "given" enough.

More buildings and sports fields?

Those who care about our children need to take a more holistic look at children’s needs.

Children need to have free time to play, and free places to play.

Much has been written about the value of children in nature.

http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/new_york_times_the_case_for_natural_happiness

http://www.wildernessventures.com/richard-louv-essay/
Why Children (and the rest of us) Need Nature by Richard Louv
Clearly, the long-term health of the earth depends on our saving an often-overlooked indicator species, the child in nature.
Richard Louv is the author of “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.”

In my view, we have too much structure and organization of playtime especially in our urban areas. Recess time, organized sports and ready-made activities are dominant now.

The Metro plan of infill has not been healthy, as more open spaces for children to play in within the UGB have been taken, more homes have been built with very small yards or worse yet huge dense housing units without any place for children to play at all.

School grounds may have limited hours for use and certainly can help, but are not the natural world these articles talk about.

Many of the activities for children within our city are for those who can afford to pay.

Most likely with the increase in the price of fuel, less trips can be taken to go outside the UGB. There are some children who do not have the privilege of even being able to leave our city, outside the UGB. Very sad, this plan has turned out to be for our children and us.

This is a conversation our community needs to have.

And as importantly, our children need to have more time away from government-provided places to play, more time away from government buildings and less government interference in how and when they play.

"Many of the activities for children within our city are for those who can afford to pay."

This is what I've found with our young kids.

Snards wrote:
we allow people who don't pay property taxes to vote to raise ours

and then Portland Native added:
The land lord passes the rates along.

Unfortunately, the many renters don't know that their rent payments include a shared proportion of the property taxes.

The best thing that landlords could do would be to inform their renters what will happen if the measures pass. They are certainly not going to absorb any increase in property taxes; rents will most certainly increase.

People will have to start a local branch of the "My Rent is Too Damn High Party".

We sent Jack's calculator to our commercial tenants. The property tax payments are made by the tenants and this is written into almost all commercial leases.
Residential leases and rental agreements are written differently and so most residential renters do not realize that they are paying the property taxes for their landlord.

... we allow people who don't pay property taxes to vote to raise ours

This happens not because we "allow" it, but because the right to vote is guaranteed by the Constitution.

Are you advocating we go back to England of 200 years ago, where only property owners could vote?

Actually John, I was employing hyperbole. Of course I don't advocate stripping people of the vote.

What I would advocate is a tax system that isn't so dependent on the property tax, so that every spending measure isn't voted on by all, and paid for by half.

And yes, I understand that landlords pass on property tax to their tenants, but I don't think most renters know/factor that in their voting choices.

I enjoy reading your blog.
1. I taught for several years in various schools around Portland. None of the schools I've ever seen looked like the ones portrayed in the commercials. Where have those commercials been filmed?
2. My property taxes have come down about $2000 from a couple of years ago but will go up by $1700 if these measures pass. I cannot increase the rent on my rental home enough to offset the new taxes if they pass. Who lives in a house whose assessed value is 150,000 in Portland?
3. I understand there is at least one European country where the taxpayer is allowed to choose where a percentage of their paid tax can go. It would be more palatable if the current, or future "emergency" education taxes in Portland/Multnomah County/Oregon would permit the taxpayer to assign a percentage of that tax to a private school of their choosing. I'm already paying in excess of $10,000 in property taxes per year, while tuition for my own kids will be close to $20,000 for the 2011-2012 school year. It doesn't appear equitable to me.