Issues
The Register Guard – EDITORIAL
A proposal to privatize the United States’ air traffic control system has surfaced again…
Last year, GOP Congressman Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, introduced a bill that would have dismantled the air traffic control system and turned its functions and responsibilities over to a private, nonprofit corporation…
This is not a system to be discarded lightly or turned over to private interests without an assurance that the prosperity and security of the United States would be as well-served under private management as it has been under public…
…[Rep. Peter] DeFazio argued that privatization would “tear apart aviation programs, risk unnecessary duplication and complexity, and ultimately cost money for taxpayers and travelers.”…
Any move to dismantle the existing system for a new, untried system with the potential for massive conflicts of interest should be firmly squashed.
We Respond & Your Comments
“As a traditional government agency constrained by federal budget rules and micromanaged by Congress, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is poorly suited to run what amounts to a capital-intensive, high-tech service business.” So declared Clinton and Obama administration policy expert Dorothy Robyn in a Brookings Institution study.
“A look at the five countries where private groups handle air traffic shows there need not be any safety risks” according to bloomberg.com.
One report charges that the FAA is using “technology from the World War II era.”
Private enterprise is almost always preferable to government control. And when Progressive statists such as The Register Guard, New York Times and Rep. Defazio line up against private enterprise we get suspicious.
We say if private air traffic control is good enough for Canada and other countries it’s probably good enough for us!
Competition, demographics concern Oregon Lottery director
PORTLAND — One of Oregon’s critical revenue sources, the Oregon Lottery, could be in jeopardy.
Aging players, increasing competition from tribe-operated casinos and a shrinking retail base threaten to cut into revenue the state budget counts on, lottery director Barry Pack told the House Revenue Committee on Tuesday.
The lottery, with more than 3,900 retailers statewide, is projected to contribute nearly $1.2 billion to state coffers this biennium. About half of that goes to education…The rest would pay for economic development, parks and natural resources, and gambling addiction treatment…
The biggest problem facing the state’s lottery, Pack said, is…players are getting older, and young people aren’t as interested as lottery officials would like…
We Respond & Your Comments
There are arguments pro and con on government lotteries. Pro – They generate loads of money. Con – They’re regressive taxes on low income workers and catnip to addicts.
We believe people should get the government they’re willing to pay for. Instead, Oregonians get $1.2 billion of programs whose costs aren’t paid by taxes and therefore go unnoticed. When money dwindles, legislators can zero them out or preserve them with more taxes. Guess which they choose.
Who’s really gotten a free ride on lottery bucks are politicians. They’ve spent them to create programs that get them reelected. Think when lottery dollars fade they’ll just kill them? No – they’ll pick your pockets to keep their good times rolling.
Income tax increase for homeowner’s bill up today — House Bill 2771
By Taxpayer Association of Oregon,
… the House Revenue Committee will be hearing an income tax increase bill for homeowners -House Bill 2771. House Bill 2771 phases out allowances of itemized deductions for homeowners. This bill raises taxes on any homeowner who earns more than $50,000. For higher income earners this bill eliminates entirely one’s deduction for property taxes. This is a steep income tax increase for most Oregon homeowners.
The bill has no author. The politician who created this bill has remained anonymous.
The bill is also missing the 3/5th majority requirement for tax increases… This amounts to a naked violation of the state constitution…
We Respond & Your Comments
As we said above – Oregon’s $1.8 billion budget hole isn’t the result of taxpayers not paying enough. It’s the result of our “Progressive” Legislature spending (and here we apologize to drunken sailors) like drunken sailors.
HB 2771 is one of the first fiscal assaults on Oregonians who are just trying to earn a living. There will be many more as our one party government slops up at the trough filled with your tax dollars.
Always remember our Legislature’s motto: “Government can never do with less money. Taxpayers always can.”
Oregon tax revenue growing 2x other states
By Taxpayer Association of Oregon Foundation, reprinted in Oregon Catalyst
Governor Kate Brown and some lawmakers say the State of Oregon is facing a $1.7 billion budget shortfall in the 2017-19 biennium. Yet, this shortfall is in the face of all-time high tax money coming in to state government.
Research published by the Pew Charitable Trusts finds that Oregon has seen some of the fastest growth in tax revenues since the end of the Great Recession.
Pew’s comparison of each state’s tax receipts show that since 2010, Oregon had the third largest recovery among the states. On average, states have seen tax revenues grow by 21 percent. At 41 percent growth, Oregon’s tax revenues grew at nearly double the state average.
…On average, states have seen tax revenues grow by 6 percent since their pre-recession peaks. Oregon’s tax revenue growth was more than 16 percent since the end of 2008…
Deficits are caused from spending outpacing revenues. Despite Oregon’s record rate of revenue collection, state spending plans have increased even faster…
We Respond & Your Comments
Record levels of tax dollars – dollars you worked for – are rolling in to Salem. But they’re not enough for the Progressives who run our Beaver State. They’ve spent themselves into a $1.7 or $1.8 billion (who’s counting? They’re not) deficit. Every program sounded good. Every union raise and new benefit was for “fairness.” But any spending cut they might pass means they’re taking something away from somebody. And Progressives’ union sugar daddies, who deliver votes and dollars, hold tight to what they’ve already won.
We doubt that our liberal legislators will jerk from their arms the spending needles that mainline their votes and campaign dollars. That leaves us, the taxpayers, first in line to solve their spending problem. Our advice: Grab your wallets! Progressives are on the prowl for them.
Giant Property Tax Increase (SJR 3) Advancing
By Taxpayer Association of Oregon, reprinted in Oregon Catalyst
Senate Joint Resolution 3 would dismantle the protections homeowners have on the rate of increase of their property taxes on their home. Currently those taxes based on the assessed value of your home are capped at 3%. This 3% limit was enacted by voters in 1997 (Measure 50) and placed into the Oregon Constitution. SJR 3 aims to remove it — which could hit homeowners with thousands in higher property tax bills…
The bill tries to win public support by extending some sort of exemption for owner occupied properties, but leaves it to other factors to determine what that exemption will be…expect big property tax increases on your home regardless. As for rental property and business property owners — expect a property tax increase that will be crippling. Every single business in Oregon will be impacted.
We Respond & Your Comments
Oregon legislators face a $1.8 billion budget gap over the next biennium. Think they’ll close it by cutting spending? No – spending is what got them elected and reelected. Spending is the drug they offer voters to keep their own jobs.
They’re going to tax anything and everything to plug the gap they created: coffee, old cars, the air we breathe. But this –Senate Joint Resolution 3, is the big one. If they can turn your property into a free fire zone for taxation they can keep on spending and stuff the budget hole with dollars you earned.
Keep a close watch on this one. It’s big – real big.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown And AG Ellen Rosenblum Blaze The Oregon Trail Of Political Patronage
By Adam Andrezejewski, Contributor, forbes.com
Opinions expressed by Forbes contributors are their own
As the state contemplates an income tax hike, Oregon’s elites line their pockets with taxpayer money.
In 2016, as politicians across America were fleeing voter wrath, Oregon’s governor and attorney general were blazing an unlikely trail – accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from businesses with state contracts…
Our analysis at American Transparency (OpenTheBooks.com) found 207 state contractors gave $805,876 in campaign cash to Governor Kate Brown ($518,203) and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum ($287,673) since 2012. These businesses hold lifetime state contracts worth at least $2.6 billion. State contractor donations to the governor and attorney general represent 57 percent of current cash on hand in their campaign committees…
We Respond & Your Comments
So Guv Kate’s “committed to getting the big money out of politics.” Right. Reminds us of the would-be priest who prayed “Lord, bless me with poverty, chastity and obedience – but not just yet.”
Guv Kate & AG Ellen have done quite well with lots of the big corporations that Progressives are supposed to hate. Portland General Electric, for instance, graced Kate with $31,000 and has over $250,000 in Beaver State contracts.
We could go on. And we will. In coming issues of Lane Solutions we’ll launch a new feature titled “Kate & Ellen’s Buds,” where we’ll reveal contributions from and deals with these gals’ best buds. We think it’ll be fun. Stay tuned in.
2016 was ‘one of the best years’ for Lane County, chairman says
The Register-Guard
Lane County officials enhanced critical public safety and health services in 2016, Board of Commissioners Chairman Faye Stewart said Monday in his State of the County speech…
Stewart noted Lane County last year approved a reduction in the county’s five-year jail property tax levy…
In a bid to curb costs, the county also eliminated vacant jobs, shifted to a self-funded health insurance system for employees and started using existing legal staff for litigation rather than paying legal fees…
The jail expanded its number of local beds to 317, which reduced the number of early releases…
In addition, the sheriff’s office in March returned to 24-hour deputy patrol coverage in rural areas…
Last year, county officials worked with the city of Eugene to shelter more than 400 homeless veterans, he said…
We Respond & Your Comments
Today we’re very pleased to present you with an example of good government
This year Lane County citizens are safer thanks to our Commissioners. And isn’t that the primary purpose of government? We think so.
Then the Commissioners did the unheard of – they cut a tax. How rare is that?
And they did this while addressing the needs of homeless veterans and other vulnerable citizens.
Join us in thanking our County Commission for truly representing us. And remember them the next time you mark your ballot.
Gov. Brown proposes budget with series of cuts, tax and fee hikes
By Taylor W. Anderson, The [Bend] Bulletin
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown today released her proposed budget that bridges a $1.8 billion budget deficit through a series of tax hikes and by asking lawmakers to give state agencies about $1 billion less than what they say they need to meet rising costs.
Still, the proposal would lead to state spending that at $20.6 billion would be about 9 percent above what lawmakers agreed to spend in the current, two-year budget that ends July 1, 2017…
We Respond & Your Comments
Make no mistake – Guv Kate. is outraged at these “cuts.” “The budget includes significant cuts at a level I find absolutely unacceptable,” she declared in a presser.
Of course they’re “unacceptable.” That’s because government can never do with less money. You can. We can. But government? Puleeeze. We don’t suppose she saved a morsel of righteous outrage over the 9 percent increase in spending.
Herewith some predictions about the coming months:
- You’ll hear liberals bleating about “investing” in this or that program;
- You’ll learn that most every program must be fully funded because it’s “For the children;”
- You’ll hear increasingly hysterical calls for evil corporations and greedy rich Oregonians to pay “Their fair share.”
And did we mention that Kate wants to bond out another half billion bucks? $300 million would go for home loans to people banks won’t lend to. Haven’t we seen this movie before?
Take The CEO Pay Fight Local
By Sarah Anderson, Contributor, usnews.com
Public outrage over sky-high CEO pay runs across the political spectrum…
Frustrated with Washington inaction, some activists are taking the CEO pay fight local…
These efforts are most advanced in Portland, Oregon, where the city council is holding a hearing on Oct. 26 to consider what would be the nation’s first-ever surtax on corporations with wide gaps between their CEO and worker pay. Firms that do business in Portland would owe a 10 percent surtax on the city’s existing business tax if they pay their CEOs more than 100 times what their workers receive [i.e. their workforce median wage]…
We Respond & Your Comments
We’ll skip over the fact that it’s none of Portland city councilors’ business who pays what to whom. This is just another example of bumbling busybody bureaucrats distorting another market.
But we do want to make two points:
- What incentives are these numbskulls, who can’t even keep Portland sidewalks clear of seemingly comatose bodies, creating? First – they’re incenting companies not to locate in Portland. How brilliant is that? Second, they’re incenting companies to get rid of lower income workers in order to raise their median wage number. That’ll really help “the little guy” their hearts bleed for.
- Why do we never hear these income inequality crusaders bleat about progressives like Meryl Streep snagging $825,000 per TV episode or Robert De Nero pulling down $750,000 per show?
Liberal income inequality outrage seems highly selective and limited to CEO’s – who actually create something.
The path forward after Measure 97’s defeat (Opinion)
Chuck Sheketoff, oregonlive.com
…The measure’s defeat could not come at a worse time, as Oregon stares at a $1.4 billion shortfall for the upcoming budget period.
While corporations as a group are getting away with paying little in income taxes, we have no way of knowing which corporations are the worst tax avoiders, and which tax loopholes they use to pay nothing — or next to nothing — in taxes. Right now, that information is not public…
The other top priority in the 2017 session is for lawmakers to muster the will to raise new revenue…
Even opponents of Measure 97, such as former Gov. John Kitzhaber, acknowledge that “corporate Oregon can afford to contribute quite a bit more to support” schools and other key public services….
Ultimately, it is up to lawmakers to move forward with a plan that indeed asks large corporations to pay “quite a bit more.” …
Chuck Sheketoff is executive director of the Oregon Center for Public Policy.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-anthem-obamacare-20161103-story.html
We Respond & Your Comments
Dear Mr. Sheketoff:
We have a few questions based on your guest editorial:
- If corporate tax information “is not public”, how on Earth do you and disgraced Ex Guv Kitz know that they’re “getting away with paying little in income taxes,” or that they “can afford to contribute quite a bit more…”? The short answer is: You don’t.
- Are you aware that “new revenue” will go straight to PERS benefits? How does that help little Johnny and Suzie learn to read better?
- Since when are moneys confiscated under threat of imprisonment labeled “contributed”?
We eagerly await your response.
Cordially,
The Editors, Lane Solutions