…and in the case of Oregon, that will likely mean less jobs, less businesses, and a worse off economy. All thanks to a vote for tax hikes on corporations, businesses and higher income earners.
Oregon Ballot Measures 66 and 67 appeared on the January 26, 2010 special election ballot in Oregon as potential veto votes on a $733 million tax hike enacted by the Oregon State Legislature in 2009. Both measures were approved.
On July 20, 2009 Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed two tax bills that would increase taxes in the state by $733 million through increasing the state’s corporate minimum tax, raising taxes on the state’s high-income individuals and raising income taxes on businesses. In reaction to the news, several Oregon citizen and business groups geared up to use the veto referendum process in the state to try to stop the hikes.
The campaigns to oppose the new taxes were outspent on all fronts. Who were the groups that lead the charge to get the tax increases? And how much did they spend to help push it through?
-Oregon Education Association $1.65 million
-SEIU Local 503 $850,000
-Oregon AFT Political and Legislative Action Network PAC $400,000
-Oregon Health Care Association $229,200
-American Federation of Teachers $100,000
-Oregon School Employees Association $75,000
-Nurses United PAC $30,000
-Alida Rockefeller Mesinger $25,000
-Senate Democratic Leadership Fund $20,000
-Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney $10,000
Unions and liberal Democrats.
As Michelle Malkin points out:
Big Labor poured millions of rank-and-file members’ dues into a tax hike campaign in Oregon. It worked. The “wealthy” and the “evil corporations” will now be forced to bail out government schools and social services. Look for affected business owners to start Going Galt en masse.
I can’t for the life of me understand why we let union thugs and power brokers manipulate us like this. The same happened in Nevada with the smoking ban when I lived there. I remember Casino lobbyist and special interest pushing “clean air” and “it’s for the kids” campaigns, when really all they wanted was to ram through legislation so that the only place you could smoke was in a casino.
It had nothing to do with the interest of the people, it had everything to do with the interest of money. And thanks to that smoking ban, smaller bars and pubs went out of business because a large source of their revenue was based bar top poker machines and the smokers who played them.
Less businesses, less jobs. Less jobs, less tax revenue. And now Nevada is one of the top states for foreclosure and unemployment.
Oregon should look at states like Illinois and California. Here in Illinois, there are more empty storefronts on busy streets than there are occupied. Here in Chicago, we pay more than 10% in sales tax alone!
Raise taxes, kill the economy. It really is that simple.
We do indeed get what we vote for. And unfortunately, Oregon may have just voted their state economy off a cliff.
-Eric Odom
repubs are not getting the point across. americans are not getting the correct message. what you want to try with healthcare is free. its free to try. if it doesnt work then we can move on. but the point is that its freeeeee. you need to ask people if they trust what the fed does. if yes: ask them why the fed raises rates. basically to slow the economy. then ask them what the difference between raiseing rates and taxes is. they work the same. we are screwed the economy is getting worse cut taxes major while people have jobs. i am in the drycleaning buis. we get a good read on the economy. we are almost dead. its a clear sign of things to come. also you need to point out that this tax cut we got, we have to pay back. that is not take cut its a scam. what the hell is 10 dollars a week going to do. pay for 1 meal maybe. repubs are not doing a good job of letting people know the truth. your out their but your not saying the right message. also americans respond to pain or gain. so instead of the pain of taxes give people a gain. lets say medicare pays 1000.00 for an mri. and i can find one for 800. the gov would save 200 dollars. pay me half the savings. so 100 dollars. it will give people an incentive find a lower price. and the gov would save 100.00 you will have seniors calling all day long for price quotes. hospitals will be forced to post prices and compete. the gov would continue to save money as time and compitition kicked in.
Business owners in your universe must be very evil, spiteful people who sulk and take their marbles and go home at the slightest provocation. So I should tell you the story of Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, and his nationalising his country’s hydrocarbons from the western corporations. Now, if you are correct and they sulk and “go Galt”, none of these corporations would have signed contracts with Bolivia to help manage the nationalised gas fields and rake in profits, albeit fewer profits, then before. But lo and behold, they did sign these contracts. Amazing, isn’t it. The rich aren’t so evil after all!
As a person who works in large business, I see less jobs and more interest from the high-paid workers to move out. As an owner of a small business, I wonder why we keep trying…