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I voted!
To my fellow progressives.
It's show time! One way you can help is by writing convincingly why we're putting forward the better platform. Whether it be for a candidate or an issue - we need you now to set your fingers a tapping and spread the word. If you are into door-knocking, fantastic!
If you're a writer - let's move!
And, thanks to those putting out great stuff - like TA Barnhart's recent piece on why not voting is tantamount to treason.
Let's do what we can in any way. The process takes a bit longer here vs. the instantaneous voting day elsewhere - so we need to keep up the energy! Tell us what inspires you to fight?
Thanks!
And onward!
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Every session, even when faced with a revenue shortfall, the legislature has created a new, or extended or expanded an existing spending obligation through the tax code. It’s hard to believe that history won’t repeat itself.
Thus, the only question is whether the new, extended or expanded tax code spending will match up with Oregonians’ priorities.
Oregonians’ priorities. That ought to be the legislature’s guide when it comes into session in January and confronts a revenue shortfall by deciding where to spend Oregon’s precious tax dollars.
In today’s harsh economic landscape, what more important priority can there be than helping low-income, working families with children make ends meet?
The revenue shortfall has some lawmakers promising no new spending on tax subsidies and loopholes, but that’s unlikely to occur. Every session, even when faced with a revenue shortfall, the legislature has created a new, or extended or expanded an existing spending obligation through the tax code. It’s hard to believe that history won’t repeat itself.
Thus, the only question is whether the new, extended or expanded tax code spending will match up with Oregonians’ priorities.
That’s why the Oregon Center for Public Policy has pulled together a coalition of about 100 organizations — social service providers, small businesses, local governments and unions — calling on the legislature to improve the Oregon Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). This coalition thinks that if anyone ought to get new tax subsidy spending, it ought to be those working families who struggle to get by despite their work effort.
Look at four examples of the alternatives the legislature will face.
First, film production. The tax credit subsidy doesn’t directly help woo Hollywood moguls. Rather, the subsidies for Hollywood come from a special pot of money funded with contributions, mostly from wealthy Oregonians. They receive a tax credit at least 5 percent greater than their contribution. In other words, the tax credit subsidy scheme costs the rest of taxpayers more than it would cost to fund the Hollywood moguls directly as a budget item.
Should helping wealthy Oregonians get a guaranteed 5 percent return on their “investment” trump helping a family earning near minimum wage make ends meet? Most Oregonians surely would prioritize funding an improvement of the EITC.
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I'm not sure where the line is crossed between ballsy and crazy--but its entirely possible this is straddling that line.
Amanda Terkel, Huffington Post:
With Democrats increasingly outraged over the Supreme Court's Citizen United decision that allowed unlimited corporate spending in elections -- a change conservatives have been more successful at taking advantage of -- a Democratic congressman is raising the prospect of impeaching the Supreme Court's chief justice over the issue.
"I mean, the Supreme Court has done a tremendous disservice to the United States of America," Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) told The Huffington Post on Tuesday. "They have done more to undermine our democracy with their Citizens United decision than all of the Republican operatives in the world in this campaign. They've opened the floodgates, and personally, I'm investigating articles of impeachment against Justice Roberts for perjuring during his Senate hearings, where he said he wouldn't be a judicial activist, and he wouldn't overturn precedents."
I'm not sure where to even begin with this. Maybe I'm really bad at reading political tea leaves, but I'm having trouble seeing a tremendous upside for DeFazio here. The Citizens United ruling is by any real objective account an absolutely awful ruling. But I'm not sure how whacking at impeachment on Roberts does anything but tag DeFazio with a "crazy" label.
But..maybe I'm missing something.
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Congressman Greg Walden may want to rethink his recent endorsement of Medford's incumbent Republican State Rep. Sal Esquivel who is looking for a 4th term. In today's Medford Mail Tribune
It turns out Walden endorsed a sitting State Rep. who has failed to pay property taxes since 2007 on some investment property. Esquivel, attempting to defend his actions told the reporter. "It's a business decision." Esquivel owes $13,000 in back taxes. If he doesn't pay up by June 15th he'll owe $18,000 with interest or go into foreclosure.
Esquivel sent an email to his supporters a few weeks back slamming his opponent Lynn Howe for bringing to our attention that Sal Esquivel proposed a 5% sales tax (HB 3269) In her mailer she mentioned taxing food. The mailer was in error regarding the taxation of food. Mr. Esquivel's House Bill excluded food.
Following on the heels of the Howe mailer Esquivel wrote in a heated email to his supporters, "Working for Oregonians is all about ethics, all about honesty, all about standing by your principles. Once you side step your principles you lose the very essence of your soul and you are of little use to anyone at that point in time."
The Republican Promote Oregon Leadership PAC sent out a mailer with the line "Sal Esquivel doesn't have to lie to get your vote. Vote for jobs and no new taxes."
So much for truthiness.
Esquivel sponsored a 5% sales tax (HB3269) supported a 5 cent beer tax (HB 3241) and in May of 2009 he voted for a gas tax (HB2001). Esquivel voted yes on the increase of a 6 cent gas tax increase, higher vehicle registration fees, higher weight mile taxes for trucks and increased title fees. Southern Oregon's R- Dennis Richardson voted no. Southern Oregon's R - Jason Atkinson voted no.
I can't help wondering if Congressman Walden has any regrets after sending a glossy mailer endorsing Sal Esquivel?
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The president's new Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Austan Goolsbee, took to YouTube to explain - with crystal clear and unambiguous language - what's going on with jobs in the United States.
Check it out.
And if you want a little background on the guy named "Washington's Funniest Celebrity", here's a nice profile by NPR - on the occasion of his appointment as the Chair last month. (Unfortunately, the video's good - but it's not a stand-up routine. We'll keep an eye out for that later.)
Hat tip to Chip Lazenby, who posted this on Facebook.
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