On page 4 of the Voters’ Pamphlet for the Feb. 3 special election is a brief description of Measure 30 and a statement of the results of a “Yes” or “No” vote. According to this description, a “No” vote on Measure 30 would “trigger $544.6 million in budget cuts to areas including education, health care, senior services and public safety.” A “No” vote on Measure 30 would overturn a bipartisan agreement, arrived at by all 25 of our Democratic and 11 of our Republican representatives. This agreement was designed to address the State of Oregon’s budget problems. Citizens for a Sound Economy, a Washington, D.C., lobby group, and a few large Oregon businesses seek to overturn the hard work of our elected representatives in arriving at this agreement.
Please take the time to read the arguments in favor of Measure 30 starting on page 14 of the Voters’ Pamphlet as well as those arguments against Measure 30 starting on page 34 very carefully, and please note who has paid for the printing of each argument.
I am a senior, a retired economics instructor, and I represent Springfield on the Lane Community College Board, which passed a resolution supporting Measure 30. Therefore, Measure 30 is an important issue for me as it should be for all Oregon voters. After reading all the arguments in the Voters’ Pamphlet, it is my opinion that a “No” vote on Measure 30 would constitute a major threat to Oregon’s education system, including higher education and community colleges as well as K-12. I also see a “No” vote on Measure 30 as presenting a threat to senior services and health care as well as public safety, all of which are important to citizens of Oregon such as me.
Therefore, I intend to vote “Yes” on Measure 30 and urge all other Oregonian voters to do the same. Remember that taxes are the price we pay for our civilization and the high quality of life we enjoy in Oregon. Also remember that this tax is progressive, so the major burden will be on the rich, and it will only last for a maximum of three years.