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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2000)
Measures 8 and 91 are not what they seem for taxOavers Guest Commentary Dave Frohnmayer On Election Day, being careful about our deci sions is always a good idea. But as a fiscally ' conservative Republican and for mer Oregon Attorney General, there are some things I believe call for particularly careful scrutiny: • Money • Fairness • Changing our Constitution • The future of our state. Those are just four of the rea sons Oregon should look carefully at Measures 8 and 91, and then vote a resounding no. I’ll start with Measure 91. This measure offers individuals and corporations unlimited de ductibility of their federal taxes from their state taxes. It sounds great — more money for taxpay ers, right? But most Oregonians won’t see a dime if Measure 91 passes. Be cause it would cancel the kicker next year, the majority of Oregoni ans would experience what amounts to a tax increase. The state Legislative Revenue Office reports that a typical family of four earning $81,000 would mere ly break even; typical families earning less would actually lose money. Yet this is a $2 billion tax break. Who benefits? The top six percent of individuals enjoy a whopping 69 percent of the personal income tax benefit. The $2 billion hit represents al most 20 percent of the state’s gen eral fund, which supports health care, public safety and other vital services — including Oregon’s public colleges and universities. Not only is that the soul of unfair ness, it is a direct hit to our ability to invest in our future. And then there is Measure 8. Although it is advertised as a limit on government, it is written in a way that simply makes no sense for Oregon taxpayers. The limit of Measure 8 covers far more than the spending of our state tax dollars. It also covers state spending of federal matching funds and grants, and dedicated fees that people willingly pay for services. And it would cut $5 bil lion in the next budget alone. Measure 8 could force us to send back billions of dollars in federal funding that is rightfully ours and pays for things like transportation and services to sen iors — and it wouldn’t even lower our taxes. As a matter of fact, Measure 8 would actually remove the incen tive for government to find ways to pay for services without relying as much on taxes. For example, universities could not raise tu ition or accept donations to offset cuts, because any extra funds that come in would be counted against the limit. Neither of these measures is re JL ^ ally what it seems. They are unfair to most taxpayers. They are filled with unintended consequences that would be locked into our Constitution. And they will harm our economy, our state and our fu ture. That is why an unprecedent ed coalition has formed to oppose these measures: Republicans and Democrats, business and labor, teachers and parents, seniors and Oregonians from every walk of life, from every corner of the state. Tax reform and reasonable lim its on government? I’d love to see them. But Measures 8 and 91 don’t even come close. Please join me in voting no. Dave Frohnmayer is President of the Uni versity of Oregon Letters to the editor Holding the bag of governmental debt The government is not really paying down the national debt. In the next 10 years, it will replace $3.3 trillion of publicly-held debt with government-held debt. The government has no plans for re payment. This policy is freeing trillions of dollars to chase equity investments and has helped to create trillions of dollars of profits for stockholders. It is the younger generation that will be left hold ing the bag for this debt. The government is borrowing r trillions of dollars from the Social Security trust fund. A repayment plan should be in effect before this money is loaned to the gov ernment. It is likely that this mon ey has been stolen. In any case, if it doesn’t get repaid, then it has al ready been stolen. It is the younger generation that will be left holding the bag for this debt. Fraudulent government ac counting is creating structural deficits which can be expected to average $400 billion to $500 bil lion annually in the period 2015 2035. It is the younger generation that will be left holding the bag. We are receiving bad govern ment. The media are doing an F minus kind of job and are not properly informing the American people about what is really hap pening. The politicians tell their lies, the media repeat the lies and the younger generation will be left holding the bag. What a sordid mess. This is an excellent opportunity for some outstanding journalism on an important national issue. Steven Gerdsmeier Yorba Linda, Calif. Nader helps Bush in polls I hope that George W. Bush writes Ralph Nader a long and sincere thank you card. Polls show Bush and Gore nearly tied, and it is no secret that Republi cans aren’t transferring their votes to Nader, who has about 5 per cent. Four years ago, when Clin ton was ahead of Dole by a con siderable amount, I supported Nader. He appeals to people with strong social consciences, which is undoubtedly why he has gained so much support in Eugene. How ever, this time around, things are different. An election is in the bal ance. Our next president will select new Supreme Court justices, the people who will be making deci sions in our country for years. By voting for Al Gore, you will sup port an ethical man with strong environmental policies and con tinue the prosperity of the Clinton years, without the scandal. Your vote elsewhere could allow George Dubya to give the rich gen erous tax cuts, destroy public edu cation, demean hard-working teachers with school vouchers and drill for oil in one of the most pristine places on earth, the Alaskan Wilderness Refuge. Ralph Nader is a great person, who has aided Americans and consumers for years, but he will not be our next president. The bottom line is this: A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush. Olivia Rounidy senior French ®> We are people of many different faiths. We believe Measure 9 is destructive to our children and our schools. We are taking a stand against discrimination. See our ad with over 1,000 supporters in the Register Guard on October 21st. Itag Join us at our service of'Resistance and Restoration: an interfaith service in response to Measure 9'; October 26, 7pm, at the Central Presbyterian Church, 555 E. 15th SPONSORED BY RELIGIOUS RESPONSE NETWORK PAC, David Bernstein, Treasurer, 1414 Kincaid, Eugene, OR 97401 VOTE NO ON 91
