EDITORIAL
Make term limitation
nationwide, not local
When Washington voters decide whether to limit
the terms of their state and national government, they'd
better make sure all their bases are covered.
The limitation measure coming before the voters in
November would cut the number of terms congression
al as well as state legislative members could serve.
California. Colorado and Oklahoma passed term
limiting legislation last year, and supporters are now
pushing for statewide referondums in most of the west
ern United States.
ii comes <ls no sur
prise that the primary
funders of this move
ment are Republicans
and that they are target
ing the western region.
Fed up with lawmakers
who can't seem to hold
their weight against the
“special-interest"
groups of the area, they
want to see a change.
However, allowing
this measure to pass
would mean a loss of
state power at the na
tional level.
Tom Foley
The idea has potential. Term limitations would
ideally put government buck into the hands of its citi
zens by forcing career politicians out of office, making
room for fresh faces.
The only way it could work is if the entire nation
agreed on such u plan. Should Washington or any oth
er state limit the terms of its congressional and senate
delegation, it would undermine that state’s ability to
effectively represent itself.
To get anything done through the Capitol's politi
cal power structure, members of Congress need seniori
ty. This status buys committee appointments, "friends”
with whom one can trade the passage of state-relevant
mcusurcs, and your basic skinny on who is who and
how things work.
Unless everyone at the national level was on the
same term-limitation time schedule, the new kids on
the block would be at the mercy of the veteran legisla
tors.
Washington can’t afford that. The Northwest can’t
afford it. Controversy the region is currently experienc
ing, specifically the spotted owl-timber workers strife,
wouldn't have a chance of being resolved in a way con
sistent with area concerns without potent Northwest
ern representation.
Approval of the measure would dilute this neces
sary power. Should it pass, the state's congressional
delegation would have to leave office in 1994 if they
met or surpassed the new limits. This stipulation
would force House Speaker Thomas Foley to abandon
his post, a loss of political might Washington cannot
afford.
The state should think twice before handing over
its bargaining control; state and regional interests
should be protected by retaining the necessary influ
ence' in D.C.'s power puzzle.
COMMENTARY POLICY
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the University community.
Commentaries should be between 750 and 1,000
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Step
COftiV "4X5 >.1?.' CC
OPINION
Solution is one voters don t want to near
THE FINE
PRINT
BY DON PETERS
This state needs a sulos tax.
There, I've said it And won
der of wonders, tho sky didn't
fall in. the ground didn't quake,
and I wasn't slonixl to death by
an angry mob
At least not yet
Mention the words "sales
tux" anywhere in Oregon and
voters immediately find 67 dif
ferent reasons not to huvo one.
If a politician were to even sug
gest implementing u sales tax,
you can lx: sure it would txi the
political equivalent of lobbing
themselves off the top of PLC.
OK, so maybe I exaggerate,
but just a little.
Despite all the possible bene
fits, and all the arguments
made in favor ol a sales tax, Or
egon voters refuse to oven con
sider the possibility.
Sure there ure some benefits
to living in a state without a
sales tax Because 1 am still an
official California resident. I
don’t file an Oregon income tax
return Anil when 1 get my
Whopper and fries, S3.Q9
means S'i l)<), so by all means
refrain from instituting a sales
lax.
But if Oregon voters want to
solve the fiscal problems of this
state, a sales tax Is the best an
swer.
The idea behind Measure 5
was a goixi one, but it didn't go
far enough Yes, something
needed to be done to slash the
property tux rates. Asking
homeowners to pay huge
amounts in property tax to n
nnnee the: state public educa
tion system was unfair. So in
that respect. Measure 5 did
what it set out to do.
But in taking schools off the
property tax system, and not
coming up with any replace
ment revenue, Measure 5 put
Oregon in its present financial
position, which tain best be de
scribed as precarious. The state
has to come up with money to
fund the school system. Pretty
soon, the state's reserves will
be used up, and there won’t be
any more money to fund the
system. Then the schools close.
End of story.
Using Measure 5 to change
the tax system was kind of like
using a flamethrower to light a
cigarette — it works, but you
tend to burn a lot more than
you intended to.
It was a short-term solution
with bitter ramifications for the
future. The Oregon voting pop
ulation seems to want it both
ways: social programs without
any way to fund them. Measure
5 decimated this state. Some of
the stop-gap solutions politi
cians have come up with are
g<x)d ones — trimming the stato
bureaucracy, cutting out un
needed and bloated programs,
etc. — but they do nothing to
solve the problem permanently.
With a 5 percent sales tux,
things will bo much belter By
1995, Measure 5 will cost this
state S2.9 billion in replace
ment revenue, or about 40 per
cent of the current budget.
While the politicians skip
around the issues, offering con
fusing, half-baked solutions, no
one is looking at what needs to
tie done to permanently solve
the problem.
1 h«; whole point behind
Measure 5 seemed to be "let's
get those lousy so-and-sos up in
Salem to get off their butts and
do something." A noble idea,
but slashing property tuxes
without replacing the lost
funds is short-sightedness at its
worst.
With the threat of school clo
sures, public outcry has finally
reached the governor's office in
Salem. Cov. Barbara Koborts'
whistle-stop tour of the state
was an interesting idea. It was a
rebirth of old-time politics,
actually going out to the voters
to get their opinions on an is
sue. But Roberts — at least for
the moment — seems to have
dropped the idea of the sales
tax. Where is the replacement
revenue going to come from'
blither Roberts is uxpecting to
win the lottery, or there Is a
money tree outside the Capitol
building she hasn’t told us
about yet.
People who voted in favor of
Measure 5 argue thut it will
force lawmakers to come up
with solutions. For years, these
people have asked for property
tax reform, only to have thoir
requests ignored. Now those
same voters are demanding im
mediate action from a notori
ously slow Salem process lo
me, that shows an extraordi
nary (and unwarranted) faith in
the Oregon legislature.
Both sides — politicians and
votors — must accept equal
blame for the Measure 5 deba
cle; but you ran be sun: that
when the schools start closing
and the financial situation
worsens, the fingers will be
pointed anywhere but at them
selves.
Don Peters is an Emerald edi
torial editor.
bombing
liberate.
Kuwait.'.
__ V
parades'.
recession
unemployment
no more parades
what, to do?
BOMB IRAQ!
_A