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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1985)
editorial Sales tax plan still needs some work The passage of the 5 percent sales tax in the Oregon House on Friday is a welcome sign. It brings the issue closer to letting voters finally have a chance to decide on it. The current sales tax plan is not perfect, but it has come a long way from Gov. Vic Atiyeh’s original proposal. This has resulted in a proposal that is now more likely to be accep table to the voters. But no one should be fooled. Careful review and reworking of the current sales tax plan is still needed. Hopefully, this will happen when the sales tax bill reaches the Senate. The bottom line with the sales tax idea has always been to find a way to reduce property income tax. Debate has been carried out on how best to achieve this goal in an equitable fashion. The current sales tax proposal is the best attempt we have seen so far in reaching a compromise to satisfy as many interested groups as possible. The key word here is compromise, because no one is going to get a sales tax plan just the way they want it. As it stands now, the 5 percent sales tax would net $759 million for elementary and secondary schools and for com munity colleges. Approximately $645 million would be us ed to cut property taxes at an average of 33.1 percent, while another $114 million would finance a 9 percent income tax cut. On the individual level, the tax would provide a rebate to households with incomes below $17,500. Futhermore, $47 million would be used to provide relief to renters, giv ing them an annual 5.6 percent rebate. These aspects of the tax, especially the latter two, reflect an attempt by some legislators who are uncomfortable with the sales tax idea to make it more progressive. But clearly some problems remain. Rep. Larry Hill, D-Springfield, who voted against the sales tax in the House, claims that the cur rent plan will shift $30 million in extra taxes from businesses to households. Hill also says that while a family of two earning $17,500 would pay $115 more in taxes, a family of two earning $50,000 would pay $222 less, making it more of a regressive tax. Despi the controversy that has surrounded the sales tax proposal, we feel that it’s time to let the voters decide where thay stand on it. But this brings us to another, more critical issue. How will revenues from the proposed sales tax be allocated to Oregon’s 330 school districts and 15 com munity college districts? The House deliberately left this issue unresolved. The Senate must not do the same. Leaving the question open on how revenue will be distributed to schools was based on the conviction that to work it out in the House would have meant considerable delay and more political fighting at a time when the sales tax plan was moving along faster than many expected. But it is a mistake to think that the sales tax proposal can go before voters when there is no allocation plan worked out concern ing schools. What is the public to vote on if they don’t know how the revenues for schools are to be distributed? Members of the House Revenue Committee decided that the the sales tax proposal should go before the voters first and then, if passed, a special legislative session would be called to decide how to allocate the revenue. This is poor politics indeed! While we are eager to see the sales tax plan in its new form go before the voters as soon as possible, it would be a big mistake to put it to the vote before the package is com plete. Voters must have a clear idea of where the money from a sales tax is going, and where it is coming from, before they can be expected to approve such a proposal. Even if it means heated political debate and a delay in the Senate, this issue must be settled before the sales tax is considered ready to go before the voting public. Oregon daily emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403. The Emerald operates independently of the Universi ty with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press. General Staff Advertising Director Production Manager Classified Advertising Controller Susan Thelen Russell Steele Vince Adams Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales: Laura Buckley, Tim Clevenger, Jen nifer Fox, Marcia Leonard, Rick Martz, Nancy Nielsen, Laurie Nobel, Roberta Oliver, Brett Pickman - Intern, David Wood. Production: Kelly Cornyn, Stormi Dykes, Julie Freeman, Kathy Gallagher, Dean Guernsey, Susan Hawkins, Rob Kraft, Ross Martin, Karin McKercher, Lauri Neely, Kelly Neff, Kara Oberst, Curt Penrod, Michele Ross, Alyson Simmons, Peg Solonika, Tim Swillinger, Colleen Tre maine, Hank Trotter. Editor Managing Editor News Editor Editorial Page Editor Photo Editor Sports Editor Sidelines Editor Friday Edition Editor Entertainment Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Administration Higher Education Politics ASUO Student Activities Community Features Michele Matassa Mike Sims Michael Kulaga Costas Christ Michael Clapp Brent De La Paz Sheila Landry Kim Carlson Michael Duncan Michael Clapp Jolayne Houtz Michael Hosmar Paul Ertelt Julie Shippen Diana Elliott Cynthia Whitfield Lori Steinhauer Reporters: Sean Axmaker, Dave Berns, Kirsten Bolin, Michelle Brence, Dave Carlson, Robert Collias, Thomas Henderson, Robin Joannides, Allan Lazo, Capi Lynn, Scott McFetridge, Stasia Scarborough. News and Editorial 686-5511 Display Advertising and Business 686-3712 Classified Advertising 686-4343 Production 6864381 Circulation 686-5511 r letters Old issue “Is Perry’s still a gay bar?” was an inevitable question (ODE. Feb, 18). I think that the issue is old and almost boring. Years ago, I wouldn’t have thought that we'd still be debating it (or many of the issues written about here). I just want to say that I, for one, am tired of it. I have been going to gay bars for a long time, mostly because they’re fun places to dance and drink with my gay and women friends. However, the point is that it’s nobody else’s business what my or anyone else’s sex uality is. We want to go somewhere where we can be ourselves and relax. It’s too bad that we don’t feel that comfor table in many straight bars. It’s important to be con siderate of other people. I don’t think that it’s appropriate for straight couples to be too self absorbed while they’re in a gay bar, but who’s to judge who’s what? I’ve been hassled by gays for being too affectionate with a gay (male) friend. That’s still better than dealing with more traditional sexisms and biases. (My boyfriend was beaten by several men here in Eugene because they thought he was gay) Perry’s is popular because of the dance floor (and maybe because they serve hard liquor too). I don’t think that Cassady’s or the Riviera Room have the same problem with straights possibly taking them over. It’s too bad that there aren’t more gay bars, but Eugene is not large. It’s more of a community. If you want categorization and segregation, go to some of the bars in larger cities. In the meanwhile, to hell with all that, let’s get along and maybe even enjoy each other. Judy Gilliland Eugene Freak show A few weeks ago I walked through the EMU main lobby, saw a crowd and heard these words from a video “...note the feeble attempts of the fetus to escape....” Now we have this pornography display. Another crowd. I hear men say in passing “what bullshit.” I’d like to thank personally all those responsible for the main lobby circus/freak show. # Cynthia Johnson Scandinavian/ Germanic Languages Erroneous Roscoe Carson’s ill-informed attack on the Oregon Commen tator (ODE, Feb. 20) was er roneous on every point. 1. The student vote in last year's election had nothing to do with the Commentator being denied funding. After the stu dent vote, the Incidental Fee Committee voted to give the Commentator $5,000. This budget request was vetoed by ASUO President Mary Hot chkiss for reasons that have never been made clear. 2. We are a collection of students who print news, opi nion, and analysis of ideas and issues. If one took the trouble, he or she would find that we have a large percentage of pro tected minorities on staff. 3. Although Roscoe Carson works in the SUAB office with Doug Green, a Commentator staff member, he apparently hasn’t discussed the facts con cerning the Commentator with Green. It also appears Carson hasn’t read a copy of the Com mentator recently. While Green was the publisher of the Com mentator for several weeks fall term, that position has been held by Robert Davis for nearly three months. Green asked the Oregon At torney General’s office for a rul ing concerning the student fun ding of “political activities,” but did so as a member of another student group; the re quest has nothing to do with the Commentator. We have no con trol over the private activities of our staff members. At any rate, the Commentator would remain untouched by any decision regarding student funding of "political activities” since we have never taken a stand on a partisan political contest or ballot measure. Thomas Mann Managing Editor Oregon Commentator CIA okay? I would like to inform the University community that this Tuesday, Feb. 26, agents from the CIA will be here on campus attempting to recruit students into their organization. The cur rent crimes of the CIA in Central America have been eloquently if not alarmingly exposed by others (including the ODE); nevertheless, as long as CIA ac tivities are perpetrated “over there” in defense of some plutocratic “national interest” or a perverted "freedom and democracy”, then it seems to most busy students that the CIA is okay. We should all be aware, however, that no matter what the CIA’s intentions are, it is perfectly ready, willing and able to cross all legal, moral, na tional, and ideological obstacles that get in its way. Thus, the CIA says okay when it fabricates a guerrilla army in Nicaragua while it tries to exterminate one in El Salvador. The CIA says okay when it bribes military dictators to hold “democratic” elections in Honduras while it sponsors military coups to over throw democratic elections in Guatemala and Chile. The CIA says okay to its own set of laws and morality which closely resembles the “law of the jungle” and “might makes right”. Let’s not kid ourselves; the CIA is NOT okay! How long will we have to swallow further budget cuts in our education while knowing those tax dollars go to fund the huge but un disclosed budget of the CIA? How long will we have to suffer further international disgrace while knowing the CIA makes a despicable lie of our national ideals? Take a minute to think about what the CIA does “over there” when it comes right here to the campus Tuesday, Feb. 26. Tim Ingalsbee Eugene
