PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, OCTOBER 14, 2016
KeizerOpinion
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Measure 97
Adding $3 billion in
new revenue to the state
budget is a great idea...on
the surface. Sure, we want
to be sure our schools
have the level of fund-
ing needed to improve
education. Sure, we want
there to be money to im-
prove healthcare and we’d
certainly like to see more services for
our senior citizens.
Measure 97 would increase the
minimum corporate tax on corpo-
rate gross sales that exceed $25 mil-
lion. Corporate sales below $25 mil-
lion would continue to be taxed at the
current 0.1 percent rate.
Some say the new tax would make
big business pay its fair share of taxes
in Oregon. Proponents continue on
that it would mostly be out-of-state
corporations with in-state sales that
would be affected.
Opponents say that regardless of
the intent of the measure the added
tax costs will be passed onto the con-
sumer; some say that could be up to
$600 per household per year in added
expense.
According to the 2016 State Busi-
ness Tax Burden Rankings by the An-
derson Economic Group of Michigan,
Oregon has the lowest corporate tax
rate of any state. That can be addressed
another day. If Oregon has the lowest
corporate tax rate in the na-
tion shouldn’t corporations
be fl ocking to our state? But,
that’s for another day as well.
We are not swayed by ar-
guments such as Measure 97
would be the biggest tax in-
crease in state history, or it is
a hidden sales tax.
We are swayed by the ar-
gument that the measure does not put
into state statute exactly where that
new revenue would be used. As writ-
ten the revenues from the new cor-
porate tax would go into the general
fund. Though supporters say it would
be used for childhood education,
healthcare and senior services, that is
no guarantee. Future legislatures could
direct that revenue into other areas.
We say vote no on Measure 97 in
2016. Then the hard work must be-
gin: Democrats and Republicans must,
without excuse, come to agreement
on areas to streamline and reduce the
costs of government. Get the state’s fi -
nancial and tax houses in order, show
the people it can be trusted to work
with billions of extra dollars.
Any future measures similar to 97
should have revenues explicitly ear-
marked for the areas most people
would agree are important: education,
wellness (physical and mental) and se-
niors.
—LAZ
Community
key to KNOW
event success
bent in District 25, brag
about how he successfully
worked with both parties
in the legislature to get
his bill passed during the
last session. What was this
bill that passed on an 89-1
vote?
I did some research.
His bill permits people to eat food in
the lunchroom of a smoke or tobac-
co shop. It’s nice that the folks who
work in such a shop can now legally
eat lunch where they work.
But how many people in Oregon
benefi t from this bill? Damn few. I
heard the number eleven tossed
about. This is an inconsequential,
very poor example of bipartisan co-
operation.
He continues to push the idea
that was his platform when he ran
for an open seat in the legislature
two years ago. He thinks ‘there are
too many laws on the books in Ore-
gon’. His solution is to eliminate two
existing laws whenever any new law
is passed. Arbitrarily crossing laws off
the books makes a joke out of poli-
tics and government, especially when
a new bill is as inconsequential as his
bill.
Republicans, I’m sure you could
fi nd a better candidate. But since you
haven’t, I strongly urge you and ev-
eryone else to vote for Sharon Free-
man. This is just one of many reasons
for my supporting Sharon Freeman.
She is the ‘right’ candidate. Join me
in supporting the more competent
and thoughtful candidate.
Barbara Doyle
Newberg
editorial
letters
To the Editor:
On behalf of the Keizer
Chamber Foundation and
the members of the Keiz-
er Network of Women (KNOW),
I would like to thank the Keizer
community and surrounding areas
for their support for our our recent
“Roaring 20’s” fundraiser.
Monies raised during the benefi t
will be used for our Keizer Chamber
Foundation Gift Basket program. A
huge thank you to all our local busi-
nesses who continue their support
and this year, sponsored tables for
educators and staff from all of our lo-
cal schools.
The Keizer Chamber Foundation
provides cultural and educational
opportunities, charitable services and
personal development programs to
Keizer citizens.
If you would like more informa-
tion, or to see photos of the event,
fi nd us on Facebook.
Thank you for another great year.
Audrey Butler
Keizer
Support for
Freeman in Dist. 25
To the Editor:
I’m supporting Sharon Freeman
for state representative in House dis-
trict 25 for many reasons. Here is just
one.
I recently heard Bill Post, incum-
A vicious presidential debate
By E.J. DIONNE JR.
It’s not an American habit for
a presidential candidate to declare
that he would imprison his oppo-
nent. Donald Trump, reeling from
the release of an 11-year-old video
recording his lewd and repulsive
comments about women, went
there anyway.
And while he said he was “very
embarrassed” by his talk of grop-
ing and assault, Trump decided that
salvation lay in dredging up old
scandals involving his opponent’s
husband. Of Bill Clinton, he said:
“There’s never been anybody in
the history of politics in this nation
that’s been so abusive to women.”
Trump seemed to think that the
comparison would somehow make
him look better.
Trump stalked the stage, inter-
rupting Hillary Clinton, repeatedly
attacking her for “lying,” and assail-
ing the moderators, Martha Rad-
datz and Anderson Cooper, saying
at one point that the debate was
three against one. It was the petu-
lant and often boorish performance
of a man aware that his campaign
was at the edge of extinction.
Clinton hit back hard on
Trump’s history of sexist com-
ments, his refusal to release his tax
returns, the untruthfulness of many
of his claims and charges, his pro-
posal to ban Muslim immigration
and his closeness to Russian Presi-
dent Vladimir Putin.
But Clinton remained calm and
confi dent, her demeanor refl ect-
ing the reality of the debate: That
Trump’s meandering and often ill-
informed answers and his angry
aggressiveness would play badly
with voters harboring doubts about
whether he has the temperament to
be president. He left those doubts
in place, and he may even have
other
views
deepened the
quiet qualms
of his own
running mate
by openly dis-
agreeing with
Mike Pence’s
views on U.S.
policy toward
Russia and Syria.
Clinton knew that she did not
have to do much to take advantage
of the troubles the video created for
Trump. She argued that it should
not be viewed in isolation but as
part of a pattern of sexism and abu-
sive comments about women. “It
represents exactly who he is,” she
said, and showed he was not fi t for
the presidency.
The paradox of the evening is
that everything Trump did to turn
off swing voters nonetheless com-
plicated the path for Republicans
who want to drive him out of the
race or, at the least, cut him loose
from the rest of the party’s ticket.
His aggressiveness gave him
more control over the second de-
bate than he had in the fi rst, and
his belligerence is precisely what his
base loves about him. By the end of
the encounter, he had done little to
make the contest genuinely com-
petitive, little to reassure Republi-
cans who are thinking of jumping
ship, but more than enough to rally
his strongest supporters. They will
remain an army of resistance to
moves against him inside the GOP.
This, too, may have been a victory
for Clinton.
The most substantively shocking
moment in the debate came early
on. Speaking of Trump’s instabil-
ity and untrustworthiness, Clinton
said: “It’s just awfully good that
someone with the temperament of
Donald Trump is not in charge of
the law in our country.”
Trump immediately shot back:
“Because you’d be in jail.”
Nothing could have done more
to reinforce fears of Trump as a
dangerously authoritarian fi gure.
Friday’s video almost certainly
ended any chance Trump has of
becoming president. Clinton un-
derstood this and acted accord-
ingly, believing that Trump would
do her work for her. He largely did.
Trump’s desire to fi ght back fero-
ciously kept him in the race but
left him badly wounded and made
some of the wounds deeper. He was
thus more dangerous to his party
after the debate than he was before
it began.
For Americans looking for uplift,
the night offered very little. Clinton
came the closest, opening and clos-
ing with an appeal to bring Ameri-
cans together, and offering a grace
note when both candidates were
asked to praise something about
their opponent. Clinton praised
Trump for his children, and used it
as a way of reintroducing her theme
of a more united and tolerant na-
tion. Trump praised Clinton for the
very trait she most values in herself:
her ability to stand up, fi ght and re-
main in the arena.
But that was about the only in-
spiration there was to be had. This
is a vicious campaign that will for
years make it hard for lovers of the
American political system to pro-
claim that ours is the greatest de-
mocracy in the world. Trump rose
to fame as a reality television star,
and his quest for the presidency has
brought everything that is offensive
and dispiriting about the genre into
the center of U.S. politics. It will
take us a long time to recover.
(Washington
Group)
Post
Writers
Regulations have a place in the nation
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A couple of Americans running
now for high public offi ce—Donald
Trump, nationally and Bud Pierce in
Oregon, are calling for cuts in regula-
tions and less red tape. That kind of
pie-in-the-sky stuff just may be easier
to promise than deliver. Neverthe-
less, what’s got me more than a little
nervous is what and where regula-
tions and red tape will be cut and
to what extent the eliminations will
mean a greater danger to our health
and safety.
But, let’s get specifi c on regula-
tions and red tape:
For offi ces, will it mean the smok-
ing of cigarettes (again), cigars and
now “joints” will be allowed? Will
ergonomics in the design of desk
furniture and other works stations be
lumbered out? Will heating and
cooling of offi ce spaces be reserved
only for CEOs and other executives?
Will sanitary conditions be provided
and will the buildings be maintained
in repair for safe use? Will all the ma-
chines in daily use be maintained to
avoid leakage of toxic substances into
the air and spills on the fl oor as slip-
ping hazards?
For homes, will asbestos reappear
in the form of insulation in attics and
walls, countertops, fl ooring and ceil-
ing-fi nish surfaces? When repairs or
improvements are made, will there
be any further effort to control the
release of asbestos into the environ-
ment? Will lead in paint make a re-
turn to homes (and auto fuels)? Will
all things bought for home use be
potentially and readily combustible?
Will there by any control over the
quality and lasting ability of home
building materials? Will outlets be
any longer designed to keep small
children from
electrocu-
tion?
Will
there no lon-
ger be breaker
switches that
automatically
shut things off
when an elec-
trical problem occurs?
For outside construction work,
will steel-toed shoes still be required
for work entailing heavy objects?
Will outer ware still be available for
various kinds of outdoor work, like
special gloves to handle hazardous
materials, hard hats for work where
objects may fall to harm workers,
and special clothing that’s to be worn
when handling materials that can
cause skin lesions and the like? When
working at heights above 10 feet will
fall protection continue to be re-
quired? Will trucks laden with loads
to dump or deliver continue to use
noise-making devices to warn that
the truck is coming at workers in re-
verse gear? Will respirators still exist?
For farm work, will every safety
protection be maintained? Will farm
workers be protected from inhaling
dust from fertilizers and other mate-
rials that are used in the cultivation
of ground, its preparation for plant-
ing, and in its harvesting? Will safety
devices such as automatic shut-off or
dead-man switches keep farm work-
ers from getting entangled in or shut
down immediately when it happens
in the use of farm work machinery?
Will silos and barns no longer be de-
signed to keep workers safe but be-
come death traps again?
For business and industry, will
practices in those places be ‘anything
gene h.
mcintyre
goes’ again? Will any business and
industry that uses heavy metal toxins
in their processes be able to simply
pump out their spent materials into
the air, rivers, or into the ground? Will
the air be more heavy with airborne
particles that have not been fi ltered in
any way? Will reporting on what the
business and industry is doing by way
of record-keeping and reporting not
be kept or required while anyone
or organization with a protest can
be told to just go away with no le-
gal recourse against what’s lawless or
illegal? Will the Occupational Health
and Safety Administration (OSHA)
drop dead and Oregon’s Department
of Environmental Quality (DEQ) be
buried? (Although with waivers
and special exemptions by the DEQ,
more often nowadays its regulations
already go unenforced.)
There are many more examples
of regulations and red tape that make
American life more safe and livable
today than any time since the Indus-
trial Revolution got under way in the
mid-1800s. The reader can surely add
to my list of thankful-they-exist spe-
cifi cs. All I want to know is whether
the list of those protections that will
be proposed by he who becomes
president and governor are planned
for obsolescence under their admin-
istrations? I’ll vote accordingly.
(Gene H. McIntyre’s column ap-
pears weekly in the Keizertimes.)
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