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The INDEPENDENT, April 18, 2002
Court upholds vote
on assisted suicide
In 1994, Oregon voters considered all aspects of a
proposed physician-assisted suicide law and decided
that it contained sufficient safeguards to prevent either
spur-of-the-moment decisions or deliberate misuse. In
1997, they again affirmed the right of terminally ill Ore
gonians to determine the time of their own deaths.
Last year, with no public input, U.S. Attorney Gener
al John Ashcroft effectively nullified the voters’ deci
sions, by threatening Oregon physicians and pharma
cists with criminal charges under the Controlled Sub
stances Act, if they followed state law and prescribed
or dispensed drugs to assist in the suicide of terminal
ly ill patients. Ashcroft’s action was challenged in fed
eral court and U.S. District Court Judge Robert Jones
ruled that the Dep’t of Justice lacks the authority to
overturn Oregon’s law.
Jones ordered the federal government to stop any
efforts to prosecute Oregon physicians, pharmacists
and other health-care providers who participate in as
sisted suicide of terminally ill patients under state law.
He criticized Ashcroft for “trying to stifle debate,” with
his directive and wrote “...the fact that opposition to as
sisted suicide may be fully justified, morally, ethically,
religiously or otherwise, does not permit a federal
statute to be manipulated from its true meaning to sat
isfy even a worthy goal.”
It is likely that the Justice Department will appeal
Judge Jones’ decision to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals. Depending on what happens there, it could
go on to the U.S. Supreme Court, which previously de
clined to hear a similar case because, they said, that is
a decision to be made at the state level.
Didn’t Oregon voters already try that? Twice?
Registration deadline is April 30th
Your vote really does count, as the above situation
emphasizes, but if you want a say at the ballot box, you
must be registered. April 30 is the last day to register
for the May 21, 2002, primary election. There will be
some important measures on the ballot, and voters
registered by party will be making decisions on who the
candidates will be in the November General Election. If
you’re not registered, you won’t be involved in that de
cision-making.
High tax claims not supported by fact
Responding to the exaggerated claims about cal tax burden on middle-income households is
taxes that surface around April 15 each year, the
10.8 percent.
Oregon Center for Public Policy urged Oregoni
The tax burden on middle-income families is
ans to use a critical eye on the inflated claims of considerably lower than suggested by anti-tax
anti-government activists. “Each year claims are activists. “When read together, these two analy
made that taxes are too high and that they are ses suggest that middle-income Oregonians pay
rising even higher,” noted Jeff Thompson, econ roughly 27 percent of their income for all federal,
omist with the OCPP. “Nothing could be further state and local taxes,” said Thompson.
from the truth - taxes on middle income Orego
The public policy research center cautioned
nians are not very high and they are actually de that studies claiming that the tax burden is high
clining.”
er or has been rising should be viewed critically.
Recent analysis of taxes demonstrates that
One particular source used to dramatize the
both the federal and the state and local tax bur issue of taxes is the Washington, DC-based Tax
dens have declined in recent years.
Foundation. Tax Foundation figures, however,
A study by the Washington, DC-based Center considerably overstate the tax burden for the
on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that the typical taxpayer. For example, the Tax Founda
federal tax burden of middle-income families is tion’s data include payments that private parties
at the lowest point in many years. Families in the make for use of government owned property.
middle of the income distribution paid just 16.3
“The chief deception,” according to Thomp
percent of their income for all federal taxes (in son, “is that the Tax Foundation tries to convince
cluding income, payroll, excise and other taxes) typical Americans that they share the tax burden
in 2001. This was the lowest level in the 22 years of the very rich.” Because of progressive income
for which the data exist. Additionally, the typical taxes, the “average” tax payment is far larger
four-person family with two dependents paid just than what most households face. Only those
6.8 percent of its income in federal income tax with, very high incomes face the “average” tax
es, the lowest rate since 1957.
burden as expressed by the Tax Foundation. In
A separate study, released this year by the Oregon, the typical taxpayer has an income tax
Oregon Center for Public Policy, showed that, as burden that is about half the size of the “aver
a share of income, state and local taxes in Ore age” burden.
gon have also declined in recent years. Accord
Anti-tax activists also rely on data showing to
ing to Thompson, “For most of the last 20 years, tal federal tax receipts as a share of Gross Do
taxes consumed a steady share of income in mestic Product (GDP). Like the Tax Foundation’s
Oregon, a trend which changed downward in the numbers, this measure excludes capital gains in
mid-1990’s."
come, but counts capital gains taxes. For this
Additional analysis by the Oregon Legislative and other reasons, Federal Reserve Board
Revenue Office shows that the total state and lo
Please see page 14