What Do You Think Of The TAX Increase Measure

[ccjarider]

Originally Posted by SyraBrian

Asking for 2.5 billion a year pretty much means that businesses will find it cost effective to launch a massive television, radio, and canvassing campaign against it.

One can only hope you are correct.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Because look at how well that worked for the local dock workers.

Oregon has always had a reputation for being unfriendly to business. Why do you think that the only jobs available are tourist industry jobs? Big industry with living wage jobs goes elsewhere to a friendlier location. Add more taxes and drive more businesses away.

About a decade or so ago, one of the little towns close to Portland decided the best way to raise more tax money was to place a tax on local businesses. Much to their surprise, a bunch of those businesses moved outside their city limits. Net effect was a reduction in tax revenue.

It's not like the government does any kind of good job with the revenues that they do collect. So much of it is simply wasted. Well, why not? It isn't their money they are spending and if they want more to spend, they can always raise taxes.

Hanjin was leaving Portland at the end of the year anyway. They had already announced they were leaving before the longshoremen strike, they just pushed the schedule 6 months. Plus, the strike was not over wages, it was about obsolete equipment and unsafe working conditions at the port. They watched a bunch of members get crippled and decided it was time for management to do something about it. A disability check doesn't make up for not being able to walk.

You hear all sorts of scare stories about how paying taxes will bring the apocalypse, but if low corporate tax rates determine business behavior, why isn't every company in the US setting up shop in Oregon?

I sympathize with your desire to retreat to the 1960s. It played a big part in my decision to stay in Douglas County. It's like stepping back in time to a simpler era. However, I don't see much in the way of government waste. I have personal conversations with state representatives and senators working on the budget, and the budget is pretty lean. It cuts a lot of services that, in the best of all possible worlds, would be fully funded. I think most accusations of government waste are just drunken tavern rhetoric and AM radio rabble rousing by the professional mouths.

[V8 Vega]

You haven't seen 5 goverment workers standing around and one guy working?

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by V8 Vega

You haven't seen 5 goverment workers standing around and one guy working?

No, I haven't seen that. Does that happen a lot in Los Angeles?

[MotleyCrew]

Housing or lack thereof is one reason businesses don't flock there. Let us just ponder what a Portland would be like without a NIKE...just for a moment. Give them tax breaks I say.