Sneak preview
The regular game of fighting over ballot measure titles is starting up in Salem again. Depending on how you word a ballot title, you can get some people to vote for just about anything.
This time, it's the two Oregon income tax increase measures that will be up for a vote at the end of January -- Measures 66 and 67. The legislature's going to have a few busy days this week writing the ballot titles and summary statements for the two measures. The whole thing could be wrapped up by Wednesday, and must be done by next Monday, but as of this hour, there's still no hint of what language they're going to propose.
They're supposed to show a draft around at 9:00 this morning. If you want to comment on what they come up with, you'll have three minutes to show up in Salem and testify between the time they show it to you and 5:00 tomorrow afternoon. Oh, and be sure to bring 25 copies of any written materials you're submitting. Or stay in your armchair -- you can e-mail your comments here.
And then whatever words they settle on will be appealed straight to the state Supreme Court.
Are you like me -- do you figure the legislators have had pollsters out there trying out various wording to see how many yes votes they can get? Don't be surprised if the first draft reads something like this:
Saves children; eases global warming; provides tools for investment, fiscal sustainability
RESULT OF "YES" VOTE: "Yes" vote imposes teeny, weeny, hardly noticeable increase of income taxes on greedy, evil corporations doing business in Oregon, who are lucky we even let them in here.RESULT OF "NO" VOTE: "No" vote will result in layoffs of police and firefighters, paving over of open space, drastic increase in global warming, decreases in funding for enforcement of civil rights, deferred maintenance of bike paths, widespread swine flu, bankruptcy of public employee retirement funds, and other harms too numerous to mention.
SUMMARY: Oregon taxes are ridiculously low, particularly for corporations. Some corporations pay only shockingly small amounts of Oregon income tax, and they are permitted to pay them by returning deposit bottles and cans. This measure enhances fairness by imposing modest increases to corporate minimum taxes, thus lessening the tax burden on hard-working individual taxpayers who read the voter's pamphlet.
ESTIMATE OF FINANCIAL IMPACT: Yes.
| Posted at 1:03 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (11)
Is there a way to get this in front of the media?
Posted by David E Gilmore | October 19, 2009 6:43 AM
You forgot to mention teachers and nurses in the layoffs list!
Posted by Michelle in Orygun | October 19, 2009 7:15 AM
That is funny, except you forgot lamentations of women-folk and beginning of global darkness in the NO vote side.
Any guess on the over/under on the NO vote on taxes in January?
It might make a good charity pool since you have 3 months to hype it.
Posted by Steve | October 19, 2009 8:06 AM
Wow Jack, you must have engaged in some form of Vulcan mind-meld with Chuck Sheketoff. I bet that's exactly how he would write it.
Posted by mp97303 | October 19, 2009 9:48 AM
It should be amusing to see how the folks against these new taxes spend their many millions convincing Oregonians to vote no.
Posted by jimbo | October 19, 2009 9:52 AM
You forgot one trick Jack. A no vote will actually be a yes vote while the yes vote will really mean no.
Posted by Darrin | October 19, 2009 10:04 AM
You could have thrown Lar's favorite line in there too. If the measure fails, we will be throwing grandma out in the snowbank.
That said, we need to close that paying with pop bottle deposit thing, ya think?
Oh, and I'm against the measure.
Posted by native oregonian | October 19, 2009 10:06 AM
Darrin, that No means Yes trick isn't in there. Legislative leadership tried to slip it in during the session, but they were overwhelmed by the forces of good, so voting Yes still means "Yes, raise taxes and kill jobs" while voting No still means, "No, don't raise taxes on anyone, especially those who create the lion's share of jobs in this state."
Posted by Steve Buckstein | October 19, 2009 11:26 AM
Aaah, Oregon's "home grown" initiative process, where wealthy out-of-state special interests pour in money to trick distracted locals into voting for whatever.
Posted by Snards | October 19, 2009 12:40 PM
"Oregon's "home grown" initiative process"
You're right, the alternative of a one-party legislature and governor wihout any checks is soooooooooo much better.
Posted by Steve | October 19, 2009 6:43 PM
If God wanted anyone vote for a Republican in Oregon, he would have given us candidates instead of whack jobs who would gladly vote against the Enlightenment if they only had the chance.
Posted by George Anonymuncule Seldes | October 19, 2009 11:28 PM