C ommentary
D ecember 3, 2003
T he C lackamas P rint • 3
raise can help many Tax hike not the answer
Ben Maras
T he C lackamas P rint
There isn’t enough money to fund schools or
medical programs, yet the man who wanted to be
known as the “Education President” spends $87
billion to wage a bloody pre-emptive war in the
Middle East.
It’s the same sad story we’ve grown familiar
with over the past several years. What are citi
zens forced to do? Let our programs be cut, so
that schools deteriorate to embarrassing levels;
proper medical care is only a dream; and we end
up in one of the deepest recessions in history.
In light of this, the Oregon Legislature
passed House Bill 2152 (HB2152) to raise
taxes in order to fund educational and social
programs. Before we start grumbling about
raising our already unfair tax burden, realize
that in comparison to other countries, we have
an exceptionally low tax rate.
If this is true, what’s so bad about taxes?
Even Adam Smith, the founder of capitalism,
supported taxes, providing it was fair to the
people.
“Every tax ought to be so contrived as both to
take out and to keep out of the pockets of the
people as little as possible,” Smith wrote in his
book “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of
the Wealth of Nations.” In short, Smith believed
that taxes need to take as little away from the cit
izens as possible, while giving them the most
benefit.
Although this bill would be the laigest tax
increase in Oregon’s history, the majority of the
burden doesn’t fall on the middle-class family.
The tax increase is progressive; the majority of
Pete Ford
the increase will be allotted to households mak
ing more than $100,000 annually.
O pinion E ditor
Even if the tax hikes were averaged, it
would only cost the average family $132 per
year. That may seem like a lot, but break it
down and it comes to a miniscule $11 a month.
A tax increase proposal has become almost
Ask the average couple if they would pay that standard nowadays when there seems to be a
much to give their kid a good education; they lack of money, but raising taxes once again is not
would undoubtedly answer that they would the answer to solving the government’s money
gladly pay much more.
issues.
Most of the tax increase, however, is aimed at
For those who don’t have answers regarding
businesses. Remember when PGE/Enron, one of the government’s poor budgeting and their
the biggest corporations in America, paid just depleting funds, however an $800 million hike
$10 in income tax last year?
just seems to be the immediate solution.
Built into HB2152 is a section that raises the
Oregon Legislature’s House Bill 2152, the
corporate minimum tax, meaning no longer will largest in thè state’s history, will not only enact
huge corporations pay a measly $10 while the a temporary tax increase, but a permanent one
proletariat struggles to fulfill their part of the tax too. This is not something most would feel
infrastructure.
excited about.
Don’t like the idea of paying a little more in
Though the bill was created with positive
taxes? The other option is to let the proposed intentions and will be on the ballot in February,
alternative cuts in programs go through. The there is a strong possibility that the money could
main two victims of the cuts would be the health be misused. For example, our federal govern
industry and the elderly, not to mention the edu ment has a $354.8 billion defense budget, a pret
cational system that continues to suffer.
ty hefty sum of money that isn’t always used in
Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli once the most positive ways.
said that the antidote of corruption is education.
We have wasted well over $100 billion just
Maybe by investing in education today, we can to develop different versions of our national
fight corruption (the kind that paid $10 on missile defense .system. We frivolously spent
income tax) tomorrow.
$7.6 billion on two advanced strike fighters
The ball is in our court. Enough signatures designed to combat advanced tactical aircraft
have been gathered to put the tax increase up to and penetrate enemy countries with integrated
a vote in February. Do we want to cower down air defense systems. Yet we are more threatened
and let society be cut down by the bourgeoisie, or by those with the capability of building bombs
is it time for the average citizens to take charge in their basements than our most sophisticated
of the country, pull society up by its bootstraps adversaries, all of whom don’t even possess
and strive for a better tomorrow?
these specialized air defenses.
Will these multi-million dollar fighter planes
help us? No. But we are going to throw billions
of dollars after these defense contractors any
way.
This is what makes me feel that this tax
increase will become nothing more than a sta
tistic and a loss of money for those it affects.
The government should simply transfer the
$0.8 billion from the $354.8 billion spent on
defense to the school’s fund to take care of edu
cation problems. That “0.8” is equal to
$800,000 million, the same amount which the
tax hike looks to raise, and that way it isn’t just
consumers who have to pick up the slack caused
by poor financial planning.
It is okay to tax things like cigarettes and
alcohol, but tapping once again into the pocket
books of the American public because the gov
ernment didn’t plan ahead very well is just as
bad as someone asking a relative to pay off a
huge credit card debt.
I can’t remember the last time taxes
dropped, if they ever have. Just like the postage
stamps that were once just a quarter, then
jumped nearly a dime to $0.33, and finally rose
to its current rate of $0.37. Once costs start
going up, they keep going, with no intentions of
coming back down.
It is much more gratifying to donate money
to your own school or your children’s school,
than to throw it into one large pool and let the
government officials distribute it where they
see fit.
It’s not hard to see that the priorities of our
federal government are not always where they
are supposed to be, and until they are and it is
certain that the money is being well spent, a tax
increase of this magnitude should not be sup
ported.
Dethroned ‘King of Pop’fails to save face through legal turmoil
Everybody’s favorite million-dollar
freak is back in the limelight, and this
time Michael Jackson is a changed man
... or woman... or whatever he is.
Actually, there aren’t many changes
from the last time the public eye was on
the self-appointed “King of Pop” and
once again charges of child molestation
are being brought against the white-
gloved wonder. The previous incident a
decade ago involved a 12-year-old boy
who wouldn't testify after being paid
over a million bucks by the singer. The
latest case involves an undisclosed,
under-aged person and undisclosed
charges. Wow, that's helpful. How does
the news get a half-hour spot out of
that?
Very predictably Jackson paid his
$3 million bail and left within hours of
entering the Santa Barbara jail. Some
authorities are hoping his Teflon-like
layer of money that keeps things from
sticking to him will wear thin and they
can finally nab him this time around for
the prison sentence he deserves.
As with any world-shaking event,
the media is persistent in giving its
viewers a heap of facts they just have to
know about this misunderstood man
that I for one would rather ignore. Let
us recount some of the best-known
facts.
Bom Michael Joseph Jackson in
1958, the pop star grew up in Gary,
Ind., with his eight brothers and sisters.
Michael was one of the first major
“child stars” in the music industry and
received a lot of attention performing
with his brothers in The Jackson Five
during the 1960s. He later had a suc
cessful solo career, selling millions of
albums worldwide.
The best known of his albums is
probably “Thriller,” which sold an esti
mated 45 million copies and still ranks
as the most-sold album of all time. It’s
also noteworthy that the song “Billie
Jean” was the first song MTV added to
its normal play list that was sung by a
black (at the time) artist.
Indeed, those were die days. It’s
hard to believe that the cute little boy
with an afro and pimpin' dance moves
morphed and mutated into some sort of
hellish Steven Spielbergian monster.
Maybe nobody else has noticed, but
MJ looks scarier now than he did in full
It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas
Cyndee Mady
Co
E ditor - in -C hiee
‘Tis the season where holly,
jolly visions of sugarplums dance
through the air, while the scent of
chestnuts roasting on an open fire
waft through the silent night.
That’s right folks; it’s begin
ning to look a lot like Christmas!
Everywhere you go, people are
hustling about their daily lives,
busier than usual in the flurry of
holiday preparations. Thoughtask
lists are cumbersome, people
throughout the world radiate a
genuine aura of joyfulness. A
transformation emerges overnight,
as individuals begin to look one
another in the eye, smile and
T he
C lackamas P rint
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extend holiday wishes during this
most wonderfill time of the year.
Could it be that every year, for
just a small moment in time, one
relives his or her childhood? A
time when the age of innocence,
trust and the belief that Santa
Claus will hurry down the chim
ney with a bound and gobble up
the carefully-placed cookies—was
still a reality?
Maybe it’s the idea of buying
gifts and wrapping them with love
for the people who have made a
difference m our lives that brings a
warm fuzzy to the season. It could
be the act of watching a child’s
face light up like a tannenbaum, as
he whispers all I want for
Christmas in Santa’s ear; that
sends a sentimental shiver down
one’s spine.
Whatever the reason, a joyful
and triumphant air abounds in
the days surrounding this
beloved holiday.
So what happens during the
other 11 months of the year?
Why do strangers embrace one
another during the winter wonder
land of the noel, yet direct their
heads towards the pavement, in an
attempt to avoid eye contact the
rest of the year?
Are we all so wrapped up in
our daily routines that we can’t
extend a simple kindness to those
around us? Why not just think of
a few of our favorite things the rest
of the year, and keep the momen
tum going? Let the “Bah, hum
bug!” mentality rest in peace with
the miserly version of Ebenezer
Scrooge.
One needs to hear words of
good cheer all throughout the year.
So, come all ye, faithful citizens,
let nothing you dismay—for tid
ings of comfort and joy are possi
ble everyday.
werewolf makeup in his 1984 Thriller
video.
Lately, things have gone downhill
for Mr. Moonwalk and some are left
wondering, “Ye gods, what the hell
happened to that guy?”
The truth of the matter is, nobody
really knows but Michael Jackson. His
reasons for becoming the only person
on earth uglier than Aerosmith's Steven
Tyler will remain a mystery until he
dies.
That might be for the best, as the
general populace probably shouldn't
know the eccentricities of a man who is
reported by E-Online to have had six
mannequins that he would dress up and
interact with. According to the website,
Jackson explained that he liked to
“imagine talking with them.”
This
seems about right considering that
“normal’’ humans, at least those over
the age of 12, don’t seem to interact
with him much.
Michael Jackson is unusual largely
because of a desire not to grow up. The
singer's
zillion
dollar
ranch
“Neverland” is named for the mythical
place that Peter Pan runs off to and the
star has been quoted in an interview as
having said, “We can fly, you know. We
just don’t think the right thoughts and
levitate ourselves.”
A statement like that would be very
profound if it came from the Dalai
Lama, but it
loses some of
its
depth
when spoken
by the same
guy that said,
“I'm not call
ing myself Jesus; I’m
comparing the stress and
pressure to Jesus.”
Sure. Jesus lived in
abject poverty and had thou
sands of loyal followers; he
was persecuted by the
Roman Empire and nailed
bleeding and naked to
a splintery wooden
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cross. Sorry, Jackson, but Jesûs of
Nazareth crucified on the cross beats
your getting decked by a pet monkey
named Bubbles.
Jackson lives in his own little world,
covering his ears at things he doesn’t
want to hear and pretending that the
world is innocent and carefree. Come
on, one of his songs is called, “In the
Closet.” How clueless can he be?
Madonna was to sing backup on the
track but was dismissed when she came
up with some “additional” lyrics,
prompting Jackson to call her a
“heifer.” Madonna wisely retoited that
she would “rather look like a cow than
a space-alien drag queen.”
The harsh comeback hasn’t persuad
ed Jackson to lay off regularly tweaking
his body. He’s been at it since his first
nose job in 1979 and, given enough
time, he may very well look like Peter
Pan and would nicely compliment
Morph, his favorite X-Man. Morph is a
huge, pale-skinned, burly guy very
much like the type I can only hope and
pray the world’s leading male pop diva
will be encountering in prison by the
end of the year.
If a 40 year-old homeless guy were
to run around your house screaming
and pretending he was an athletic young
boy in green tights that could fly you
away to a “magical place,” you would
probably whip out the stun gun and zap
senseless his shuddering
carcass while the police
came to cart him off to
rehab.
When he invades
my living room every night
through the idiot box, it’s like
having my intelligence
raped. Please, stop paying
attention to this person
known as Michael Jackson.
He is no longer worthy of
the media's attention, and
giving him screen time
will only encourage his
outlandish and perverse
behavior.
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