A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Vote ‘no’
on Oregon
Measure 97
O
regon voters in
November must reject
Measure 97, the gross
receipts tax measure on the
ballot.
The measure — pushed
by public employee unions,
education and health care
advocates and other liberal
interests — proposes Oregon’s
largest tax hike ever. It would
impose on “C” corporations
an additional 2.5 percent
tax on gross sales in Oregon
exceeding $25 million.
The measure is expected to
raise $3 billion each year, or $6
billion for the biennial budget
cycle.
At fi rst blush, Measure
97 seems like a no brainer.
The state faces a $1.5 billion
shortfall in the coming
biennium as it assumes more of
the costs of expanded Medicare
under the Affordable Care Act
and struggles to cover shortfalls
in the Public Employees
Retirement System fund.
An extra $6 billion would
seem to solve those problems,
plus put more money into
schools and other programs that
have been short-changed since
the Great Recession.
But when you dig deeper, the
measure’s problems are apparent.
Supporters of Measure
97 fondly point out that 70
percent of the companies that
would directly pay the tax
are not domiciled in Oregon,
and include big retailers, big
banks, big oil, big electricity,
big pharm — huge, greedy
companies carrying away
Beaver State boodle to
Arkansas, Wall Street and
Moline.
The big retailers that
would be hit — Walmart,
Walgreens, Safeway, Target,
etc. — account for 88 percent
of the retail sales in Oregon,
making Measure 97 a fairly
broad-based sales tax. By
the Legislature’s analysis of
Measure 97, a full $4.1 billion
of the tax will be passed on
to consumers in the form of
higher prices or reduced wages
and opportunities.
It seems businesses don’t
pay taxes, but consumers do.
In addition to the big box
retailers and the Fortune 500
the tax would hit a whole bunch
of iconic Oregon brands such
as Powell’s Books and Wilco.
The burgeoning software
industry that has of late fueled
Portland’s boom would be
particularly hard hit, as all of
their sales originate here.
Because Measure 97 taxes
gross receipts, not net profi ts,
low-margin businesses with the
requisite sales will pay whether
they make money or not. In that
case, the tax bill will come out
of reserves.
Nonetheless, supporters
argue Measure 97 is all for the
kids, the old and the sick.
But the Legislature’s lawyers
say lawmakers can spend the
money any way they want. An
extra $6 billion will go through
the Legislature like guano
through a goose. While the
public employee unions will
benefi t and government will
expand to sop up the money,
we doubt many of the problems
facing the state will be solved.
We would prefer the
Legislature take stock of the
state’s needs and present a
reasoned reform of Oregon’s
fi nances that includes specifi c
targeted outcomes for revenue
increases.
To facilitate its passage,
Measure 97 supporters have
picked a small segment
of businesses to paint as
unsympathetic targets of their
tax. But if passed, Oregonians
and many of the state’s iconic
brands will fall victim.
C ORRECTION
Last week’s history section article about the F.C. Sels Brewery mistakenly
stated F.C. Sels was married with children. F.C. Sels’ brother Frank R. Sels
was married to Vella, and the six children mentioned were their children. The
Eagle regrets the error.
W HERE TO W RITE
GRANT COUNTY
SALEM
• Grant County Courthouse — 201
S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City
97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541-
575-2248.
• Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon
City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax:
541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@centu-
rylink.net.
• Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville
97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541-
987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net
• John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day,
97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541-
575-1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net.
• Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long
Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax:
541-421-3075. Email: info@cityofl ong-
creek.com.
• Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument
97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025.
Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net.
• Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt.
Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax:
541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net.
• Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie
City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax:
820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net.
• Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca
97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161.
Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com.
• Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State
Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378-
3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: www.
governor.state.or.us/governor.html.
• Oregon Legislature — State Capitol,
Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180.
Website: www. leg.state.or.us (includes
Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised
Statutes).
• State Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario (Dis-
trict: 60), Room H-475, State Capitol, 900
Court St. N.E., Salem OR 97301. Phone:
503-986-1460. Email: rep.cliffbentz@state.
or.us. Website: www.leg.state.or.us/bentz/
home.htm.
• State Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R — (District
30) Room S-223, State Capitol, Salem
97310. Phone: 503-986-1950. Email: sen.
tedferrioli@state.or.us. Email: TFER2@aol.
com. Phone: 541-490-6528. Website: www.
leg.state.or.us/ferrioli.
• Oregon Legislative Information —
(For updates on bills, services, capitol or
messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313.
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
P UBLISHED EVERY
W EDNESDAY BY
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
Collaborative group’s
motive to feather
‘their own nest’
To the Editor:
One only has to look at the key
voting members of the Blue Moun-
tain Forest Partners, the local collab-
orative group, to see through their
motives. Their cronyism amounts
to feathering their own nest and dili-
gently protecting it.
The executive director receives a
salary of $50,000 or more. One mem-
ber has water trucks for fi res that de-
pends on the goodwill of the Forest
Service to be hired. Another is overall
boss of a local fi refi ghting entity.
There is a paid advertiser for the
sole stewardship contractor for the
Malheur Forest. Round that off with
a well paid attorney from an environ-
mental organization, and one can see
why “coordination” is worrisome to
the collaborative group. Just wanted
to shed a little light on the subject.
Herb Brusman
John Day
Constitutional
sheriff pleads Fifth
Amendment 51 times
To the Editor:
According to a Sept. 27 Orego-
nian article, Sheriff Glenn Palm-
er was forced to testify at a video
deposition at which he was forced
to invoke his Fifth Amendment
right against self-incrimination no
less than 51 times.
If he’s re-elected sheriff, will
Palmer later possibly (1) be in-
dicted for crimes; (2) attempt to
take administrative leave with
full pay during his entire criminal
prosecution and one paid by hard
working Grant County tax payers;
and/or (3) seek to have his crim-
inal defense lawyer paid by hard
earned tax dollars?
It’s a crime to destroy public re-
cords in Oregon. I believe Palmer
intentionally deleted public emails
sent to and received by him as
sheriff. According to the Orego-
nian article, Palmer invoked his
right against self-incrimination (1)
when asked whether he reviewed
the legal defi nition of “public re-
cord”; (2) when asked about his
own email exchanges with the
Grant County district attorney;
(3) when asked about whether the
emails were public records, if cop-
ies existed, where he fi led printed
versions and why they weren’t re-
leased to the Oregonian after it re-
quested them; and (4) when asked
about other documents which
he previously said under oath he
didn’t have, but which other gov-
ernment agencies subsequently
provided to the Oregonian.
What possible motive did
Palmer have (1) intentionally to
delete public records which are re-
quired by law not to be destroyed;
and then (2) be forced to protect
himself from possible incrimina-
tion by “taking the Fifth” no less
than 51 times? Was it possibly
because the deleted public emails
provided incriminating evidence
of possible crimes by Palmer?
Should Palmer’s professional
conduct cause Grant County resi-
dents possibly to question Palmer’s
professional competence, profes-
sional judgment, professional cred-
ibility and professional integrity?
Brian McDonough
Bennington, New Hampshire
Election more
vital than the last
To the Editor:
This November 8, “truth” will
be on trial. Just as oil and water
don’t mix, and dirt and water make
mud, there is such a thing as abso-
lute truth. Both sides can’t be right,
when one says up and the other says
down. It’s up to “we the people” to
ponder and check on each import-
ant factor. Ever hear of this?
The truth shall set you free! Don’t
we deserve to know it, and informed,
before we vote? Every election seems
more vital than the one before. Ask
for wisdom from above, and don’t
rely on emotional decisions, but on
what policies and who would be best
to lead this great nation, for us and for
the future generations.
Mya Ennis
Mt. Vernon
‘The media has
painted me as the
Annie Oakley of the
geriatric hordes’
To the Editor:
In response to a news item in the
Sept. 28 issue of the Blue Mountain
Eagle, “GCSO investigates its own
special deputy who shot a dog she says
attacked her”:
An interesting point was that Mr.
Taylor, owner of the pit bulls, did not
put in an appearance until after his dog
(who escaped from a “closed door”)
attacked and I had walked away to
avoid a second dog.
He would have been unable to see
my dog in his driveway because my
dog, an aged yellow Lab, was right by
my side in the middle of the street.
Self-defense is a great motivator
when an aggressively charging dog is
less than 3 feet away, and the victim is
unable to run or defl ect an attack of a
50- to 60-pound pit bull. Dogs of this
sort of instability are plentiful in Can-
yon City and John Day, according to
reports provided during the Canyon
City Council meeting on Tuesday,
Sept. 20, and a featured article in last
week’s issue of the BME.
I fi nd it ludicrous that the incident
has turned into another attempt to
smear a local county law enforcement
offi cer. Not sure how being a special
deputy equates to a civilian’s self-de-
fense, but we all know this was re-
ported by a skewed media with what
appears to be an over-worked personal
vendetta. I was very impressed with
the quick response by John Day dis-
patch and follow up by the sheriff’s
offi ce. As to be expected, one unin-
formed female claimed the handling
of the investigation by the sheriff’s of-
fi ce as a “good old boy system.”
There are those who trespass into
unfamiliar territory and are ignorant
of the fact that the county sheriff is the
preeminent authority in Canyon City.
At this point, the media has painted
me as the Annie Oakley of the geriat-
ric hordes. More irony exists when a
similar incident was reported by TV
news last week of a man whose dog
was attacked in the Portland area and
the owner of the attacking dog was
cited.
Judy Kerr
Canyon City
‘2 pit bulls attack
woman walking
her dog’
To the Editor:
God bless the BME — with a
brick! Titillating headline: “GCSO
investigates its own special deputy
for shooting dog.” First sentence in
the article “... investigated an incident
...” I’m sure GCSO investigates all
incidents reported to them. It’s their
job. And we know all incidents re-
ported are not run on the front page.
Rather than another in a series of
articles about the real problem (i.e.,
dogs running at large, attacking other
dogs, biting people). No, BME uses
this as another attempt to cast as-
persions on the Sheriff’s Offi ce. The
headline should have been “2 pit bulls
attack woman walking her dog.” Judy
Kerr was not acting in any capacity
she may have as a special deputy. She
was a citizen walking down the street
at 6 a.m. in Canyon City.
If she had been Jane Q. Citizen,
this would have been played out en-
tirely differently in the BME. As for
D.A. Jim Carpenter’s comments, I
don’t think he ran down to the BME
to offer them. Pretty obvious a report-
er went to him and specifi cally asked
about any “bias.”
Ethically, he should have respond-
ed “no comment,” as it’s an ongoing
investigation. In reality it’s just anoth-
er incident in the grand witch hunt.
Easy to see through for anyone with a
half or less a functioning brain.
While we’re on the subject
(somewhat), 25 years ago I moved
to Grant County from the valley.
The number of pit bulls rises fairly
proportionately with the increase in
drug traffi c. Don’t believe it? Call
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Offi ce.
My husband and I see pit bulls run-
ning at large every single time we go
to John Day.
And before you responsible pit
bull owners get your knickers in a
knot, I love pit bulls. I spent years res-
cuing and rehabbing them, trying to
educate the public about them. They
are all about what is best in a terrier.
When the breeding is good, when
they are socialized, not abused. But
they can be, and sad to say often are,
a lethal dog. What if Judy had been
walking along with a 5-year-old
child? Would the headlines have been
different? Assuredly so.
Patti Yellow Hand Bull
Monument
Editor’s note: The headline would
have been the same if the sheriff’s
offi ce investigated its own deputy-in-
volved shooting.
See LETTERS, Page A5
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