Oregon…
So traditional and stubborn we are fading into the bottom of the heap…

I love Oregon. I have traveled to almost every part of the country and have had offers of great-paying jobs in almost every big city, and yet, I remain steadfastly loyal to Oregon. It is without question, one of the most beautiful states in the country.

Living in the Willamette Valley, we are 45 minutes away from the beautiful Pacific Ocean, minutes away from rural lakes, streams and forests, an hour away from majestic mountains with some of the best skiing in the country, and an hour and a half away from gorgeous Desert High Country. We have it all.

Our lifestyle is laid back, with a high number of cities voted "most livable" in the country. Eugene, my hometown, is full of bike paths, parks, greenways, and the kind of layout that makes a 10-20 minute commute the extreme on any given day or time of the week. It's wonderful by so many standards…and yet…

We as Oregonians are staunchly stubborn when it comes to our fiscal responsibility and methods of taxation. We are one of two states in the Union who still outlaws self-service gasoline. The reasons given by most people revolve around preserving jobs and a way of life. But the real reason I suspect, is that nobody wants to get out and pump gas in the pervasive Oregon winter rains. For this reason, along with a bevy of local and state road taxed lumped on, our gas prices are almost always some of the highest in the nation.

But, that is small potatoes compared to our stupidity regarding our reluctance to use a sales tax to keep our public services and growth potential sound. For as long as I can remember, there have been folks with common sense, trying to get a sales tax on the ballot. When they do, it is soundly defeated, each and every time.

There is no good reason for this phenomenon. Many of the "old guard" say that it is because they don't want to be like California and Washington (nobody ever seems to mention Idaho). But again, I firmly believe it is sheer stubbornness. Others would argue that they would agree with a sales tax, if they eliminated personal income tax and property taxes. I agree with this scenario…for a several reasons.

First, property values in Oregon have skyrocketed in the past decade. We are rapidly becoming one of the most expensive states to live, when comparing our per capita income to housing costs. This means a great deal more people are renting. While the inflating taxes are passed onto the renters by the landowners, it is still creating a situation where many people with the most children in school, and using our social services, are not paying as much as countless others who own property, are empty nesters, and must pay a significantly larger share.

Second, one of Oregon's primary sources of income continues to be tourism. Tourists use our roads, they use our facilities and services, but outside of gas and room taxes, are not taxed for doing so. If they want to visit, fine. But let them help pay for the infrastructure while they do.

There are many good reasons for a sales tax at this point in our State. Most obvious of these is the gradual but very clear decline of the services that the State can provide. This was brought about by two primary changes in our economic health, the loss of timber revenue and the passage of a moronic bill that limits property taxes.

The timber economy changed as the global economy changed. Old guard timber folks want to blame it on environmentalists and the protection of the Spotted Owl. But, anyone who is honest, knows that the big timber companies that once thrived here moved on to less regulated and taxed states at the same time that Canadian and other foreign lumber players became more aggressive in lumber imports, due to the easing of trade barriers during the Clinton administration. Without the loss of the once substantial timber dollars in our coffers, income began to slip in the mid-80s and has not come back since.

To add to this problem, we allowed a "Bush-like-ultra-conservative-moron" to decide that when the state was starting to lose revenue and feel the pinch of services, it would be a good time to cut taxes. In fact, mimicking the California folks who did the same the year before (but were still able to keep money flowing due to a sales tax) Bill Sizemore presented and championed a bill that limited the amount of money that could be taxed for property taxes, and most especially those marked for education. Sizemore and his organization were later found to be guilty of racketeering, but the law remains on the books.

The result? Oregon went from being rated as one of the top states in the country for quality of education, to languishing today in the upper-30s…slipping from 23 to 38 in just five years. Things have become so dire, that this year, a lawsuit has been filed by over 20 of the state's largest school districts claiming a breech over the constitutional promise to "adequately fund" the schools.

Where does that leave us? Since the Sizemore debacle we have begun getting creative with our funding. Now a large portion of education funding comes from State Lottery funds and cigarette taxes. I'm not sure how many heavy smokers and gamblers have kids, but "bless their hearts" for becoming addicts. At least they serve a good cause while spending their mortgage payments at Indian Casinos and smoking themselves toward lung cancer.

The other big cut in government services has been to law enforcement. State Police funds, County Sheriff funds and local law enforcements funds have been slashed. One of the first to go was the department that enforced drug manufacturing, as well as detectives and crime labs. Of course, this happened at the exact time that the manufacturing and sale of methamphedamine became a epidemic in Oregon.

But, hey…who needs schools when you can cook up a batch of meth in your own garage?

The obvious result has been not enough police to investigate any crime that is not a felony, and the release of thousands of repeat offenders due to the lack of jail space.

So…while we Oregonians languish in the stubborn stupidity of refusing to join the other 45 states who have figured out that it is the most fair way to tax their citizens, Oregon will continue to slide further and further to the back of the pack. Who are the other states who have refused to jump on board? Alaska, Delaware, Montana, and New Hampshire are still without a sales tax. However, Montana (9) Delaware (25) and New Hampshire (15) have made education important enough to fund, while Alaska (44) and Oregon (38) continue to remain steadfast in their belief that we have a better way.

I don't know what Sizemore is doing these days…I can only hope he is pumping gas at some rural gas station. As far as the rest of us, it is time our State Congress started being realistic and bold enough to show some common sense, and REAL solutions for our funding woes. The first of which should be a winnable campaign for a sales tax.