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.
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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