Editorial
Packwood supports
Oregon’s interests
Sen. Bob Packwood has been an effective and intelligent
congressman representing Oregon since 1968. and he wins
our endorsement.
His opponent. Democrat Rick Bauman, deserves credit
for entering the campaign late, with enthusiasm and good
ideas, after Rep. Jim Weaver withdrew his candidacy.
Packwood. however, is a powerful senator, and con
tinues to support Oregon interests as he pursues national
legislation.
This support is shown by his help in achieving funding
for University science buildings, establishing a reforestation
trust fund for the replanting of timber land and his support
of Oregonians in his development of the historic tax reform
bill recently signed into law.
Packwood often has been a thorn in the Republican
party’s side on issues of environmentalism, labor, feminist
legislation and abortion rights. This shows his dedication to
a broad range of issues free of party affiliation.
He was one of three senators who prepared a report
criticizing President Reagan for sending predominately
miliatry aid to El Salvador rather than economic aid. He will
oppose aid to Nicaraguan Contras as long as the Sandinistas
do not support revolutionaries in neighboring countries.
Packwood has also pledged staunch opposition to the
Department of Energy’s plan to make Hanford. Wa. a
federally licensed nuclear waste site. His opposition, joined
with other Northwest legislators, is the leverage the North
west needs to prevent the DOE from placing that site in
Hanford.
Packwood has been an effective national legislator and
an advocate for Oregonians. We give him our endorsement
to continue in this role.
Goldschmidt has edge
in gubernatorial race
The race that everyone is watching this fall is the guber
natorial race between Norma Paulus and Neil Goldschmidt.
The two have very similar stands on most issues; the big
question is what leadership each can provide.
We support Goldschmidt. Both candidates have the
energy and ideas Oregon needs for economic strength paired
with support of education and the needs of Oregonians, but
Goldschmidt has the edge in proving himself to be effective
and innovative.
Whether mayor of Portland, secretary of transportation
in Washington D.C. or vice president of Nike, Inc.,
Goldschmidt has shown himself to have the gumption to
bring major changes to Oregon.
As mayor of Portland he brought about the light rail, at
tracted businesses downtown and reduced the burglary and
juvenile delinquency rates.
He has good ideas for the state, including seeking
private donations to support Oregon education, providing
state loans to students and introducing legislation to force
divestment of state funds from South Africa.
Goldschmidt has the energy and will to make these
ideas work.
There is another benefit to a Goldschmidt victory;
Paulus has made Oregon politics her career, and will cer
tainly continue to do so. Thus Oregonians would benefit by
having both these politicians providing leadership for the
state.
Bain’s tax experience
gives legislative plus
The sincerity of Republican William Bain's campaign
for state representative of District 41 and his experience in
the Assessment and Taxation offices give Bain the edge, and
our endorsement, in this race.
Bain supports bringing community colleges into the
State System of Higher Education, and giving special atten
tion to the Centers of Excellence and master's business ad
ministration program. He also feels Oregon needs to retain
its graduates by maintaining a favorable business climate.
He supports a comprehensive look at the insurance pro
blem. focusing on high court costs and contingent lawyers'
fees as problems.
Bain’s experience as tax assessor will help him to
responsibly confront tax bills before the House. He opposes
the tax measures on the ballot, and will help the Legislature
recover funds if any of the tax measures pass.
“ttext Him, they’ll never spot us with our pants down In Nicaragua with these! ”
Tax measures could be devastating
Ballot measures 7, 9, 11 and 12 present
tax reform options to Oregonians. They are
not good measures and could have effects
ranging from bad to devastating if passed.
• Ballot Measure 7 would amend the Oregon
constitution to provide a 5 percent sales tax.
Besides being a regressive tax and not taking
as much tourist money as its supporters
would have us believe, a sales tax has been
voted down in Oregon every time it has been
put on the ballot.
• Ballot Measure 9 would amend the con
stitution to set a maximum property tax rate
and limit annual increases in assessed pro
perty value to 2 percent.
Higher education would not be hurt
directly but could suffer when funds are
diverted to save elementary and secondary
education. The Legislature will be forced to
choose between basic school support and
other state and local services in the competi
tion for reduced tax revenue.
Property tax limitation measures are un
popular and have failed in previous elec
tions. Hopefully the voters will turn it down
once again.
• Measure 11 would make exempt from taxa
tion 50 percent of a residence valued at up to
$25,000, and Measure 12 shifts state income
tax brackets to create revenue to fund these
exemptions. Of all the tax measures these are
the best, but we still do not support them.
Our biggest concern with the tax
bracket shift is what effect it will have in
conjunction with the new national tax
reform bill. The national legislation is
designed to tax corporations and businesses
more; the impact on corporations and
businesses could be doubly severe.
The tax shift would place a heavier
burden on upper-income taxpayers and cor
porations, and the effect could be to drive
them out of the state.
Measure 4 creates utility commission
Ballot Measure 4 would convert the
public utility commissioner’s office into a
three-person committee. This measure
would make deliberations of the Public
Utility Commission subject to Oregon’s
Open Meeting Law and would allow for
public access to utility rate incease deci
sions. We endorse it.
Currently, the public utility commis
sioner can make decisions about utility rate
increases behind closed doors, without
public hearings, as the commissioner has
done as recently as December of last year.
A commission would not only be open
to the public, but would create broader
representation in utility rate decisions; the
measure stipulates that no more than two of
the members of the commission be of the
same party.
Every other state has a commission
rather than a single commissioner, and the
payoff is open, representative utility rate
decisions. Support Measure 4.
1
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