FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion / Politics
— Editorial —
No on 97
On the ballot this fall, voters
will see Measure 97 (formerly IP
28), which would raise over $6.1
billion every biennium from what
is essentially an end-run around a
traditional sales tax on products
and even services. Voters have put
the kibosh on a traditional sales
tax, so now they need to be aware
of this—a new tactic.
The measure would impose a 2.5
percent tax on gross receipts of
companies...
This translates as a sales tax that
spans items that are even exempt
from sales taxes in other states.
Oregon’s income tax doesn’t go
away to balance out this burden on
households, either.
The projected impact to the aver-
age household (low- and medium-
income families included) is $600
in additional taxation per year.
Companies such as JC Penney,
which operates at a loss in Oregon,
say they will either have to raise its
prices or make the tough choice to
close more stores in the state.
Grocery prices are anticipated to
spike 2.5-4% virtually overnight as
stores compensate for the tax they
pay on wholesale goods, the tax
they must pass along to consumers,
and the efforts needed to track and
pay the tax to the state.
Where does the $6.1 billion go?
Into Oregon’s General Fund, which
means it can be spent on basically
anything that gets pushed through
Salem. The politicians we all love
to hate will have what amounts to a
blank check.
Opponents of 97 estimate that by
the time the impact of this new tax
is fully felt by small businesses,
38,000 jobs will fade away within
our state. We don’t know how this
was calculated or if the number is
accurate, but economic common
sense dictates that at least some job
loss will occur.
It’s mind-boggling why a burden
would be placed on companies and
households in our already strug-
gling economy simply to fund
future unchecked political spend-
ing whims.
—The Baker County Press Editorial Board
— Letters to the Editor —
Gun Comment Profoundly
Stupid
To the Editor:
On one of the gun control debate sites
I saw a comment by a Portland woman.
She commented that it was funny that
she lived 66 years and never felt the need
of a gun. I guess that was meant to be
profound. Actually it reflects the state of
American education. Let’s go back to
school. Lady, you don’t kiss any royal
arse, as the Brits say. Twenty-five thou-
sand men died in a seven-year war to
found your republic, where the common
man rules. The idea of divine rights of
kings died when we won at York Town.
You don’t Siege Heil, or bow to the Rising
Sun. You don’t have to wear a Burqa or
worry about midnight police raids like in
Stalinist Russia or Mao’s police state. You
most likely are upper middle class in a
safe neighborhood patrolled by some men
and women in blue. All of these people
have firearms and provide you with the
safe life you live.
The founders came from an era where
absolute monarchs ruled and state reli-
gions were the norm. You couldn’t peace-
fully assemble, worship as you pleased,
publicly speak your mind without retribu-
tion or be secure in your home if the state
wanted to search. Torture was used to get
confessions.
The Founders knew that it is human
nature to seek, gain and consolidate pow-
er. A “profound” statement like, it doesn’t
take thirty rounds to hunt deer, is just
another imbecilic statement. They weren’t
concerned about deer becoming dictators.
Established power with military and po-
lice were their concerns. They added the
Second Amendment to the bill of rights to
secure the rest of your American rights.
Take advantage of your First Amendment
rights and learn something. Your comment
wasn’t profound; it was profoundly stupid.
Steve Culley
Baker City
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services advertised.
Bentz appointed chair of
Columbia River Council
Representative Cliff
Bentz (R-Ontario) partici-
pated in the yearly meeting
of the Legislative Council
on River Governance
(“Council”) on Aug. 22-23,
2016, in Boise, Idaho.
The Council is made
up of a minimum of four
Legislators, appointed by
the Speakers and Presi-
dents of the Houses and
Senates, from each of the
states of Idaho, Montana,
Oregon, and Washington.
The Council meets once
per year to review, discuss,
debate, and on occasion
act upon, federal and state
laws affecting water rights,
water interests and water
supply within the Colum-
bia River Basin.
Each year a chairman for
the group is selected from
the state delegation and is
given the opportunity to
organize and plan the next
year’s conference.
Oregon will host the
Council meeting in 2017.
Rep. Bentz was selected
as Chair of the Council for
2016-2017 and, with the
help and experienced as-
sistance of the Water Team
from the Council of State
Governments, will lead the
2017 meeting.
Rep. Bentz said, “I have
been privileged to serve
on the Council, as one of
Oregon’s voting members,
since my appointment, by
Speaker Hunt, to the Coun-
cil in 2009.
“The Council provides
a forum and opportunity to
exchange ideas and discuss
protection of water use
with others interested in
the future of Columbia
Basin water supply, access
and management.
“It also provides at-
tendees with an update
on actions and laws, both
federal and state, affecting
the Columbia Basin and
Oregon’s place, related
to water, in the Basin. In
this age of hotter weather,
longer dry summers, and
drought, such information
is invaluable.”
Among the many issues
— Guest Opinion —
Mexico
should pay
for the wall
By Donald Trump
The provision of the Patriot Act,
Section 326 - the “know your cus-
tomer” provision, compelling financial
institutions to demand identity docu-
ments before opening accounts or
conducting financial transactions is
a fundamental element of the outline
below. That section authorized the
executive branch to issue detailed
regulations on the subject, found at 31
CFR 130.120-121. It’s an easy deci-
sion for Mexico: make a one-time
payment of $5-10 billion to ensure
that $24 billion continues to flow into
their country year after year.
There are several ways to compel
Mexico to pay for the wall including
the following:
On day 1 promulgate a “proposed
rule” (regulation) amending 31 CFR
130.121 to redefine applicable finan-
cial institutions to include money
transfer companies like Western
Union, and redefine “account” to
include wire transfers. Also include in
the proposed rule a requirement that
no alien may wire money outside of
the United States unless the alien first
provides a document establishing his
lawful presence in the United States.
On day 2 Mexico will immediately
protest. They receive approximately
$24 billion a year in remittances from
Mexican nationals working in the
United States. The majority of that
amount comes from illegal aliens. It
serves as de facto welfare for poor
families in Mexico. There is no sig-
nificant social safety net provided by
the state in Mexico.
On day 3 tell Mexico that if the
Mexican government will contribute
the funds needed to the United States
to pay for the wall, the Trump Admin-
istration will not promulgate the final
rule, and the regulation will not go
into effect.
Trade tariffs, or enforcement of
existing trade rules: There is no doubt
that Mexico is engaging in unfair
subsidy behavior that has eliminated
thousands of U.S. jobs, and which we
are obligated to respond to; the impact
of any tariffs on the price imports will
be more than offset by the economic
and income gains of increased produc-
tion in the United States, in addition to
revenue from any tariffs themselves.
Mexico needs access to our markets
much more than the reverse, so we
have all the leverage and will win the
negotiation.
By definition, if you have a large
trade deficit with a nation, it means
Submitted Photo
Donald Trump in the GOP nominee
for President of the United States.
they are selling far more to you than
the reverse - thus they, not you, stand
to lose from enforcing trade rules
through tariffs (as has been done to
save many U.S. industries in the past).
Cancelling visas: Immigration is a
privilege, not a right. Mexico is totally
dependent on the United States as a
release valve for its own poverty - our
approvals of hundreds of thousands of
visas to their nationals every year is
one of our greatest leverage points.
We also have leverage through busi-
ness and tourist visas for important
people in the Mexican economy. Keep
in mind, the United States has already
taken in 4X more migrants than any
other country on planet earth, produc-
ing lower wages and higher unem-
ployment for our own citizens and
recent migrants.
Visa fees: Even a small increase in
visa fees would pay for the wall. This
includes fees on border crossing cards,
of which more than one million are
issued a year.
The border-crossing card is also one
of the greatest sources of illegal im-
migration into the United States, via
overstays. Mexico is also the single
largest recipient of U.S. green cards,
which confer a path to U.S. citizen-
ship.
Again, we have the leverage so
Mexico will back down.
Conclusion: Mexico has taken ad-
vantage of us in another way as well:
gangs, drug traffickers and cartels
have freely exploited our open borders
and committed vast numbers of crimes
inside the United States.
The United States has borne the ex-
traordinary daily cost of this criminal
activity, including the cost of trials
and incarcerations. Not to mention the
even greater human cost.
We have the moral high ground here,
and all the leverage.
It is time we use it in order to make
America great again.
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TheBakerCountyPress.com
Submited photo.
Rep. Cliff Bentz.
discussed at this year’s
meeting were updates on
Columbia River Treaty ne-
gotiations, water markets,
power generation, water
use efficiency, and aquatic
invasive species prevention
& mitigation.
For more informa-
tion on the LCRG, visit:
http://www.csgwest.org/
programs/LEGISLATIVE-
COUNCILONRIVER-
GOVERANCE.aspx
US Sen. Ron Wyden
541.962.7691
Wyden.Senate.gov
Kerry McQuisten, Publisher
Editor@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Wendee Morrissey, Advertising and Sales
Wendee@TheBakerCountyPress.com
David Conn, Advertising and Sales
David@TheBakerCountyPress.com
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541.624.2400
541.624.2402 fax
Walden.House.gov
Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown
503.378.3111
Governor.Oregon.gov
State Rep. Cliff Bentz
503.986.1460
State Sen. Ted Ferrioli
541.490.6528
Baker County
Commissioners Bill Harvey;
Mark Bennett; Tim Kerns
541.523.8200
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