Oregon voters soundly reject tax hikes, opting instead for service reductions.
In January 2003, Oregon voters rejected a $310-million income tax increase, leading to a shortened school year, police layoffs and other spending cuts.This type of government income "recession" will lead to cuts initially, but yield efficiency gains over the long-term, just as recessions do in the private sector.When the Legislature passed an $800-million tax hike package in August -- to protect schools and other services from additional cuts -- tax-hike opponents launched their petition drive to repeal the measure.
I couldn't agree with you more! I've been living in Oregon (in the winters at least) for the last few years. Just last year we were handed a similar tax measure. Each had the same ad and news campaigns: Vote FOR the tax increase OR schools and police labs will close, sick people will get sicker, old people will die, kittens will starve and you will rot in hell for not providing every person in Oregon with "needs" all they require.
The positively amazing thing is that each tax increase was defeated by a very low-key campaign that simply said, "They have enough. Let them learn to live with it." It's the type of message that a traditionally working class state understands, even if those in Eugene and Portland don't.
Ever notice the first services they cut are the most noticeable and most essential like fire/police etc?
Mark Warner pulled this crap in my homestate of Virginia, opening the DMV offices just 4hrs a day.
Apparently the pols' idea is to make the public "squeal" enough that they'll ok even more taxes, keeping their pork barrel, bloated capitol staffs , seminars, lavish trips, etc, fully funded.
But its pretty telling when even the socialists in Oregon are crying Uncle.
It's called the Washington Monument Syndrome.
Well, if Oregon would only learn from Louisiana, they'd know that to pass the tax, you hold the election again, slightly change the language, precede it by a massive campaign showing big-eyed babies, and happy kindergarten classes, tell everybody it's for the children, and hold the election in the dead of summer, like Independence Day weekend...
That's how we do it down here...
Wasn't that what the whole Mr. Holland's Opus movie was all about... (staged in Portland at my Dad's alma mater, btw) how wrong it was to cut programs like Music, and that is how we balance our budget...
Oregonians (at least from my part of the state in small town Lebanon) often enjoy rejecting these budget measures, and the pols love to cut programs like music and athletics or institute a pay-to-play program, rather than look at where the money really goes.
(not that I know where the money goes... I live in Texas now... 'natch)