Page 22
The INDEPENDENT, January 21, 2010
Letters
From page 21
Center has received funding
through the Oregon Tax Check-
off program for many years.
These funds were passed from
the State through the Oregon
Coalition Against Domestic and
Sexual Violence to agencies
like ours.
Every time a taxpayer
marked off the box to help do-
mestic violence victims, it pro-
vided funds for the many serv-
ices so desperately needed by
our clients. These services in-
clude housing in our 26-bed
shelter, The Starting Place, 24-
hour crisis line response, out-
reach, counseling, support
groups, information and refer-
rals, etc.
This is the first year that
Stop Domestic & Sexual Vio-
lence will be rotated off the
front page of the Oregon Tax
Form. In order to maintain
some of the funding we’ll be
losing because of this change,
please write Code 22 on your
tax form. Please encourage
others to do the same.
Your help in maintaining this
funding is very much appreciat-
ed.
Jessica Halberg
Executive Director
Columbia County
Women’s Resource Center
Writer thinks others
don’t need services
To the Editor:
During the month of Decem-
ber, I attended a debate in the
Loowit Room. It was very inter-
esting. The topic was on Mea-
sures 66 and 67. The vote con-
cerning them will be on January
26th.
The two speakers FOR the
measures tried to make them
appear harmless and benefi-
cial. They said big businesses
should pay their fair share, and
that it would increase from $10
to a mere $150. (Wow, a 15
times mark up.) The AGAINST
speakers brought up the actual
fact that Boise would have to
pay $100,000 a year. Not really
fair at all! More job losses also.
The FOR speakers brought
up terms like “Sustainable”
communities (I was warned to
beware of the word Sustain-
able, as it has a hidden mean-
ing). They also said the legisla-
ture created these two meas-
ures to maintain the “status quo
in these challenging times”.
The speakers kept reiterating
the words, “we need Govern-
ment Services.” They threw in a
couple stories for sympathy for
their cause.
The speakers AGAINST the
two measures, 66 and 67,
spoke. I was impressed by their
straight forward answers. No
beating around the bush. They
were well informed and had
their facts straight. These are
some of the quotes I wrote
down that made a lot of sense:
“Rather than a fight, this should
be a search for truth.” “Just be-
cause they want more money
does not mean they need more
money.” “We are not prosper-
ing, and don’t need to be taxed
more.” “The time to put the
brakes on is now! Increasing
taxes is what these two meas-
ures are really about!” “You
should not raise taxes in a Re-
cession. If anything, you should
decrease them!” “We need to
reprioritize the budget struc-
ture, and dial down tax increas-
es.” “Oregonians have put far
too much trust in ‘programs’.”
“Bureaucracy is not the an-
swer.” “we are moving in the di-
rection of Socialism, until they
run out of everyone else’s mon-
ey!” “The state needs to cut
back just like everyone else.”
“Real tax fairness means cut
the budget, don’t increase the
taxes!” “Do you really want a
government that can give you
all you want. That kind of gov-
ernment call also take ALL you
have!”
Pappy Yokum had a penny.
A gambler said, “I’ll flip you for
that penny.” Pappy said, “I don’t
want to flip for my penny.” The
gambler said, “Ah come on; if it
lands on it’s side, it’s yours. If it
stands on it’s edge, it is mine!”
They flipped the penny, it
rolled, fell in a crack and stood
on edge. “The penny is mine!”
hollered the gambler. Pappy
started to cry. “Oh you just want
sympathy,” said the gambler.
Pappy answered, “No I don’t, I
just want my penny back.”
This scenario relates to what
measures 66 and 67 do. The
taxpayer is Pappy, putting up
his own money; which is most
likely to fall into the crack. The
gambler is those pushing to get
66 and 67 deceptively through,
so they can keep Pappy’s pen-
ny and run! Pappy, the taxpay-
er, will be left crying, wanting
his penny back. It’s mighty
easy to get taxes added, but
have you ever noticed, it is im-
possible to get them removed?
Don’t be Pappy! Vote NO on 66
and 67!
One thing I did not like about
the debate, which also hap-
pened at the David Wu Town
Hall meeting in St. Helens.
Questions were not from the
floor, and had to be written out.
I asked, “What is ROP’s real
agenda, and would you be giv-
en a ‘grant’ from the increased
taxes if 66 and 67 passed?”
Surprise of surprises! They
overlooked that question!
So now I ask YOU, the voter
and the taxpayer, a question
asked at the debate. “How do
you feel about paying more tax-
es so someone else can re-
ceive all the benefits?” Stop
this scam, vote No on 66 and
67!
Sincerely,
Marie Hatcher
Scappoose
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