WSJ: Oregon at the Tax Crossroad

Published in the Benton Co. Republicans 1/17/2010 e-Newsletter - “The battle in Oregon [over Ballot Measures 66 & 67] is a case study in the political drama now unfolding in many states. It’s about whether a state’s wealth belongs to its public employee unions or to everyone." [Snip] “The public unions are the primary drivers behind the Oregon tax hike campaign. In recent weeks, national powerhouses AFSCME and the SEIU have poured close to $1 million into the state campaign to secure passage." [Ed.note: with a new “Yes” mailer in my mail box nearly every day for two weeks, I thought the figure was $multi-million. These unions are trying to buy the election!] "Oregon’s public employees have one of the sweetest deals in America. Their average pay is about one-third higher than that of private Oregon workers, and Oregon public Employees don’t have to pay anything toward their health-care benefits." [Snip] “Now Oregon has reached a crossroads. If Oregon enacts these tax hikes to fund its rising public payroll after a severe recession and amid a slow recovery, we’ll revisit the state in the future to see how many private workers are still there to pay the taxes.” --Excerpts from “Oregon at the Tax Crossroad”, Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2010