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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Republican Ron Maurer ready to take seat as District 3 state representative
Legislative freshman concerned about spending proposals listed by governor; Notes that funding for troopers available without new sources
BY SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
Monday, Jan. 8 is
scheduled as opening day
for the 2007 Oregon Legis-
lature at the state capitol in
Salem.
Among the freshmen
legislators who will be
sworn in that day is Ron
Maurer, who was elected
Nov. 7, 2006 to represent
House District 3, which in-
cludes Cave Junction and
Grants Pass.
Maurer, a Republican,
ran for the seat after Gordon
Anderson incumbent and
former Grants Pass mayor,
announced that he would
not seek re-election.
Since November,
Maurer has been preparing
for the legislative duties that
lie ahead. Aside from at-
tending orientation meetings
at the capitol, Maurer has
been speaking with indi-
viduals and groups, includ-
ing Three Rivers School
District, Grants Pass City
Council and Cave Junction
Mayor Tony Paulson.
“Basically, I’ve just
been meeting with people to
hear what they are interested
in and what their concerns
are,” Maurer said.
One of his biggest tasks
so far has been studying
Democratic Gov. Kulon-
goski’s proposed, “Hope
and Opportunity” budget for
the 2007-09 biennium. De-
spite record revenues flood-
ing into state coffers, Kulon-
goski has suggested new
revenue-raising measures --
including a surcharge on
automobile insurance, elimi-
nating the corporate tax
kicker, raising cigarette
taxes and raising the corpo-
rate minimum tax.
“It looks like the people
of Oregon better hold on to
their wallets,” Maurer said.
“The governor wants to
spend their money.”
According to a Dec. 4
press release from Kulon-
goski’s office, the automo-
bile insurance surcharge
would raise $25 million dur-
ing the biennium. The
funds would go toward in-
creased law enforcement
coverage statewide by Ore-
gon State Police troopers.
While Maurer said that
public safety “should be one
of the primary priorities of
state government,” he does
not support the proposed
auto insurance surcharge.
“We should be able to
fund state troopers at an ap-
propriate level based on the
general fund and not have to
go look for new streams of
revenue,” Maurer said. “The
governor has already admit-
ted that there is enough
money in the budget to fund
troopers without a surcharge
on auto insurance.”
The “Hope and Oppor-
tunity” budget also calls for
diverting the state’s corpo-
rate kicker to a “rainy day
fund.” That move would
raise $275 million, accord-
ing to Kulongoski’s office.
Maurer said that he is
unwilling to support such a
proposal at this point.
“If we want to change
the rules going forward, we
can have that debate,”
Maurer said. “As far as rob-
bing corporations of the tax
kicker that was established
some time ago, I am ada-
mantly against it.”
Maurer said there is
“probably some political
will” to review raising the
corporate minimum tax, but
that he needs to examine the
issue further before taking a
stand on it.
“If Intel or Nike pays
$10 (for an increased corpo-
rate tax), people do have
concerns, but when it’s
Mom and Pop Inc., then
we’ve got different issues,”
Maurer said. “Any time you
look at taxes, you have to
look at the consequences
and see what it does to jobs
for people that rely on busi-
nesses to survive.”
The governor’s pro-
posed cigarette tax increase
would go toward funding
health care for all of Ore-
gon’s uninsured children.
Maurer said that he will not
support such an increase,
due to a campaign promise.
“During the election, I
said I would not vote for
increased cigarette taxes; so
I won’t,” he said.
Maurer added that there
is a hope that tax increases
may be avoided during the
legislative session. Democ-
rats hold a narrow 31-29
majority in the House,
which is not enough to raise
taxes on party-line votes.
“A tax increase requires
a 3/5 majority of the House,
which is 36 votes,” he said.
“They don’t have 36 votes,”
Maurer continued, so, “It’s
possible that there are some
of those measures that may
get the political will to im-
plement, but that remains to
be seen.”
2 hurt in Merlin plane crash
Two residents of Williams were taken from their airplane
after it crashed at the Grants Pass Airport in Merlin on Friday,
Dec. 29, said Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, (JCSO).
Rescued were Hal Averty, 78, and Randy Averty, 47.
The crash was reported at 2:33 p.m. at the north end of
the runway. JCSO, American Medical Response, and Rural/
Metro Fire Dept. responded, said JCSO. Data about the type
of craft or who was the pilot were not provided.
The two men were taken to Three Rivers Community
Hospital in Grants Pass. FAA and the National Transportation
Safety Administration are to investigate details of the crash.
ILLINOIS VALLEY COU-
GARS captured fifth
place at the Rogue Valley
Tournament in Medford
on Saturday, Dec. 30
from among 14 partici-
pating schools. I.V. wres-
tlers amassed 170
points. Roseburg was
first with 319.5, Crater
second with 285, Grants
Pass third with 203.5,
and Phoenix was fourth
with 197. For the Cou-
gars Jesse Swift and
Jerad Miller (right)
square off for first place
in the 145-pound class.
Swift took first, Miller
second. Also for I.V.
Chris Culver was third at
103, Quayde Fisher sixth
at 125, Sam Winter third
at 135, Jacob Miller sec-
ond and T.J. Parker sixth
at 140, and Anthony
Miller was second at 171.
The Cougars were to
face Phoenix in Ken
Mann Memorial Gym
Thursday, Jan. 4. (Photo
by Ward Winter)
Energy savings = tax credits
Saving energy --
whether it’s in the family
car, at home or at your place
of work -- has become such
an important part of our na-
tion’s long-term goal of en-
ergy independence that tax
credits are available for or-
dinary citizens making
energy-wise decisions.
Consumers making sub-
stantial home renovations
can receive a tidy check
from Uncle Sam if they
shop and buy carefully. Ad-
ditionally, some states offer
their own tax credits for en-
ergy efficient homes, vehi-
cles and equipment.
“The new Federal En-
ergy Policy Act includes a
variety of ways that busi-
nesses as well as individual
consumers can take advan-
tage of government tax
credits and tax deductions,”
said Jeff Stokes, vice presi-
dent of World Energy Solu-
tions (symbol WEGY), an
energy services company
based in St. Petersburg, Fla.
(NewsUSA)
H.D. PATTON JR
Don’t gamble with gambling -- for many a risky business
The following is by Jeff
Marotta (503) 945-9709,
problem gambling services
manager in the Oregon Dept.
of Human Services.
* * *
Has Santa's workshop
moved to Las Vegas, Nev.?
During the just-passed
holiday season there was an
annual marketing onslaught of
gambling-related toys, books
and paraphernalia. My current
favorite example is the Pink
Poker Night “It’s A Chick
Thing” kit, where for $29.95
you can have “everything a
chick needs to host a fabulous
girls’ night in.”
So what's the fuss? I
received this e-mail from a
concerned mother of two:
“I want to know how
much I should be worrying
about gambling and the
health of my kids. They
watch poker tournaments on
TV, their friends wear cloth-
ing with references to poker,
and I heard my son talk
about playing poker with
friends ... What is a mother
to do?”
She is not alone in won-
dering about the effects of
continuing exposure to gam-
bling. Today’s is the first
generation to grow up in a
society where gambling is
widely accepted; advertising
is ubiquitous; and gambling
activities are commonplace.
Research indicates that
60 to 90 percent of youth
engage in gambling, and
that youth problem gam-
bling rates are two to four
times higher than those of
adults. Surveys of Oregon
teen-agers tell us drugs, al-
cohol and gambling often
travel together, yet many
parents see gambling as a
relatively safe pastime and
encourage it as an alterna-
tive activity.
I told the concerned
mom that, although we don't
know the ultimate effects of
today’s gambling popular-
ity, we do know that chil-
dren and adults can and do
get caught up in gambling in
a way that is harmful to
themselves and others
around them.
This is not to say that if
your child is gambling you
need to panic -- most kids
engage in some form of
gambling and most don’t
develop gambling problems.
But you do need to recog-
nize that gambling carries
risk and approach it accord-
ingly, as you would tobacco
use, drug use or fastening
your car's seatbelt.
What do you look for if
you’re concerned your child
might have a problem?
Watch for signs such as ly-
ing about gambling, gam-
bling superseding other ac-
tivities, using money to
gamble that’s supposed to
be used for other things,
borrowing money to gam-
ble, or stealing and letting
schoolwork suffer.
Another suggestion I
gave the concerned mom
was to talk to her kids about
gambling using these simple
guidelines:
*Notice opportunities to
discuss gambling. Help chil-
dren make sense out of what
they see on television, in the
news and in the community.
*Discuss rules and ex-
pectations for behavior, and
follow through with conse-
quences.
*Be specific. When you
talk about gambling, men-
tion examples such as buy-
ing a lottery ticket, betting
on a sports event, playing
bingo.
*Be clear about your
own values but avoid
sweeping statements (all
gambling is bad) or threats
(“If I ever catch you betting
money…”). Kids feel im-
mortal, so scaring them
doesn't work; threats invite
rebellion.
*Emphasize balance
and choice. Facing choices
about gambling and other
risky behaviors can be a
good way to practice mak-
ing good decisions about
many life issues.
As a parent, you play
the most important role in
preventing problem gam-
bling behaviors in your chil-
dren. You may want to think
twice before buying your
daughter a “Pink Poker
Night” set or, for that mat-
ter, any one of the hundreds
When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a
thing, to allow that you do not know it -- this is knowledge.
- Confucius -
of gambling products that
will be advertised.
A better gift is talking to
your kids about the risks of
gambling and helping them
understand the best bets
made in life aren't made in
card games.
For additional informa-
tion on youth gambling,
visit the DHS Problem
Gambling Services Web
site: www.oregon.gov/DHS/
addiction/gambling.shtml or
phone the Oregon Problem
Gambling Help Line at
(877) 2-STOP-NOW.
C O
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S T
541
•
R U
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476-2127
I O
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Lic #39671
Outstanding New Subdivision
“Too Far South” Cave Junction
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