The Oregon Bubble

Page 1 of the New York Times (Sunday Nov 2) talks of touch choices public unions are making around the country with looming state deficits. New governors around the are country being inaugurated. What can we hope for in Oregon? Then again, what can we expect?

I come from an Eastern state that lost population in the 2010 Census. New Jersey is always in the news. Property taxes are sky high, and even my liberal (some of them) relatives worship Chris Christie for the tough reforms he has had to make. Cleaning up municipal corruption too, including nepotism, and contracts that didn’t deliver. Sounds familiar..

What about Oregon? With our 1.5 legged stool of revenue (income tax mainly, constrained property tax, and no sales tax), we have a limited set of options.

Sales tax is off the table they say. Property taxes – who wants to pay more of that? I don’t, no way. Which leaves the equation: income tax and spending, and how to balance them. What kind of government are we willing to pay for?

First of all, tax is not a four-letter word. It is the government carrying out its obligation to its citizens. As a citizen I want safety. I want clean water. I want schools where kids are told and taught to succeed.

I do not want another 4-8 years of rhetoric and empty promises – make it happen.

To the new Governor K: give us a sustainable level of government services. Oregon taxpayers cannot put their tin cup out to Chinese investors as the federal government can (which is certainly not sustainable).

Nope, we are a self-reliant people. On both sides of the Cascades. Industrial North and Rural South and everything in between, even Nyssa.

Maybe you can get some ideas from Mr. Sizemore about what some people expect from government. And about the tough choices we have to make as a state. Involve your citizens, all of them.

When I read about the tough cuts and choices other states are making, and look around and see the same old sides getting ready to dig in, I wonder why Oregon seems to live in such a bubble. We are not the frontier anymore. We can’t run away to the West coast, this is it. We have to make it work here.

Nervousness at the Capitol

In keeping with the "as seen and heard" tradition, what is the sentiment in Salem this chilly August pre-furlough day?

Faces I recognize in the cafe. Gary Blackmer, runs the Secretary of State audits division. I could legitimately have said hello since when last we were in the same room together it was for a retirement gather for a mutual friend. But alas, either I was in stealth mode (or thought I was? or like to be?) or I just choked.

Another face I wanted to say Merkley but no it was Dave Hunt (Speaker of the House). What about that budget, I could have asked. Where is our salvation. But, I let him stand peaceably in line.

I almost envy the job of the capitol janitor, methodically pushing his silent soft wide broom across the marble floors. And walls too.

Now that they have displaced the bus depot since the Marion county building was determined to have "structural flaws", they say crime is up here at Willson park. Well the townies are at bay today, thank you.

People in agency hallways are already posing what if scenarios about the next Gov. What if it's Dudley. Yes what if. No one can imagine a zero-based budget but perhaps this is just a failure of imagination.

Next week will be interesting- just how do you hack $1 million off the state budget??