EDITORIAL
Re-elect Defazio
for District No. 4
In a bewildering election season with scant easy choic
es, there are only a few races that provide an obvious
vote.
The race for IJ.S. Representative from the 4th District
is one such case.
Peter DePazio has been a force for Oregon in his four
terms as representative, consistently bringing home con
crete benefits for the state, which have earned him the
respect of both his constituents and his colleagues in
Washington.
Me has the experience, commitment and intelligence
necessary to servo Oregon for another term. He should bo
given that chance.
The debate between environmentalists and the timber
industry is often simplisticaily characterized as Jobs vs.
the environment. DeFazio has not subscribed to that
notion.
Instead, he has been one of the strongest supporters of
a ban on log exports, which would keep unfinished logs
from leaving the state without first being made into fin
ished products or at least lumber. That generates Jobs
in this state without simply encouraging the industry to
keep cutting down more tnms than necessary.
And ho has made efforts to ensure that displaced tim
ber workers remain productive citizens. He has even
donated some of his congressional pay raise — an
increase he voted against — to fund scholarships at com
munity colleges so those workers can get the training
they need.
uoiazio s opponent. Republican John l) Newkirk, is
running on a platform of stopping "tax-and-spond politi
cians." That argument would be more appropriate
against someone other than DeFazio. who lias shown
himself to bo more responsible in that regard than many
other members of Congress.
DeFazio has co-sponsored a constitutional balanced
budget amendment — hardly the act of a tax-and-spend
politician.
The virtual unknown Newkirk is obviously at a disad
vantage in this race. And while his list of priorities may
appeal to some voters, it simply can’t compote with the
proven record of Peter DeFazio.
Newkirk is probably right when he describes DeFazio
as a "career politician." But when a career is as effec
tive as DeFazio's has been, then erne has to wonder why
that's such a bad thing.
According to Nowkirk, politicians are persuaded by
lobbyists to ignore the concerns of the voters who elect
ed them. Essentially, he's afraid that "special interests"
control tho politician.
But Newkirk's list of priorities show that he is just as
influenced by special interests as any career politician,
calling for protection Tor social security, the opening of
closed forests, tho preservation of fishing rights and the
right to bear arms.
Whether those are worthy causos is not the issue here.
The point is, DeFazio has made it clear that he gets the
job done in Congress. All we have to do is hire him
again.
Oregon Daily
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■ COMMENTARY
Think twice before you vote
Patrick Mitcholtrct?
As you Icxik over thi* measures
in the 1994 voters' pamphlet,
visualise what would happen if
all of them passed By doing
this, you may start to notice
some problems specifii alls,
the combination of Ballot Mea
sure 5 and Ballot Measure IS
Measure S. sometimes called
"the son of five." is an extension
of Ballot Measure S from 1990
The first Measure 5 imposed a
limit on property taxes in Ore
gon and caused massive funding
problems for almost all state
assisted programs The new
Measure 5 would inquire that all
new taxes and fee increases he
put before the voters for
approval
Measure 15. the “kid's first"
measure, would require the state
to maintain funding for public
si hoots and community colleges
at present levels and to increase
funding to compensate for infla
tion and increased enrollment
This would help countered the
fiscal problems created by the
first Measure 5, and would also
guarantee that the schools
wouldn't be hurt.
Both measures appear good
on the surface Taxpayers are
tired of the government popping
new taxes on them to drain their
hank accounts, and schools are a
priority for many Oregon voters
However, both measures are
attracting criticism. Measure 5
would put every new tax and fee
increase on the ballots That
could add up to hundreds of
minor taxes that need to be
approved. Most won't be
approved. Taxpayers are
extremely reluctant to vote m
favor of new taxes, and the gov
ernment will be hurting for
money
Measure 15 also creates prob
lems because the money to fund
schools will more than likely
come from state colleges and
many other state-funded ser
vices, such as law enfon ement.
nursing homes, and juvenile
programs That moans Universi
ty students would have to pay
up to 30 percent more for
tuition, or the state universities
would have to eliminate 8,000
students
What would happen il both
measures passed' Individually,
they have good and bad points,
but together they will create a
crisis, The state will lie required
to maintain funding for schools,
but will have no way to do it.
With inflation, the general ris
ing expanses of just about every
thing and the population growth
in Oregon, and all state pro
grams. including public schools
and community colleges, are
going to need larger budgets. If
the government can't increase
taxes to fight increased costs
bet auso the voters turn down
each new tax. almost all services
would have to take a budget cut,
or he eliminated — including
puhlii education.
That would be breaking the
law.
What would be the purpose of
electing people to represent us
in the state government if we tie
their hands with a proposal like
Measure 5? If it can’t levy taxes,
then we’ve eliminated one of the
main tools of the government.
Because of budget cuts, we’ll
also lx* eliminating a good por
tion of the government.
These people were elected to
maintain a state system, provide
services and public order. Mea
sure 5 would handicap them,
and Measure 15 would paralyze
them.
In my experience, no two peo
pin agree on everything, or even
on most things. That's why we
have elected representatives. If it
were up to the general public,
there would be no taxes and
very, very little would ever get
done.
I’m not necessarily in favor of
new taxes or more government,
nor uni I against maintaining
funding for schools. But it seems
suicidal to render the present
government impotent without
having some way to replace it.
These measures leave no
options.
But it does not make sense to
fund education at the kinder
garten through 12th-grade level
by robbing institutions of higher
education. In a world that
almost requires a master's
degree for a well-paying job, a
high school education or a piece
of paper from a community col
lege won't cut it. Oregon stu
dents won’t be able to afford
either in-state or out-of-state col
lege tuition.
When you vote on November
H, keep these things in mind.
These measures may look good,
but they will hurt you in the
long run. I'm not asking you to
vote like me. I'm just asking you
to think about the consequences
of your vote.
If you are not planning to
vote, I strongly suggest you
reconsider. Students are one of
the largest voting groups in Ore
gon and the group with the least
votes. So vote, and vote wisely.
I’ntrick Mitcheltrve is a journal
ism student at the University.
■ COMMENTARY POLICY
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