Op Ed: TABOR was POISON In Colorado One-Shot: Is THIS Oregon's Future ?

(SALEM) - "Ask the family that owns one.” That has always been a common-sense pattern for proven-practical information on any major acquisition. SO let’s ask the Colorado state-family their experience when they “bought” TABOR. We must value their insights: That’s the ONLY state to ever operate a TABOR, the so-called "Taxpayers Bill of Rights" and it is easy to see-why !! Approved in 1992, it rapidly brought disaster on every State of Colorado activity. It was abandoned as blatant hypocrisy and complete debacle; by widely-demanded-action from Republican Governor Bill Owens and Democratic legislative leaders, this last November. SO in its ONLY practical-trial, it is NOW dead, if not yet buried, in the only State where it has ever been tried: Over a 13-year/run, please note. Here’s a summary drawn from Colorado authoritative sources: The URL is www.thebell.org. That’s The Bell Policy Center, as authoritative in Colorado as our Oregon Center for Public Policy. “TABOR’s ratchet-effect won’t let services recover, even when the economy rebounds, so the cuts caused by revenue shortages remain in place.

“Services will never be able to catch up or keep pace with real economic growth --and, in fact, will continue to shrink-- unless we change TABOR’s spending limits and eliminate the ratchet effect.” That’s from the introductory statement to the following factual findings: * Colorado ranked 37th in personal income growth in 2004 with a rate of 0.7 percent, below 1 percent for the Rocky Mountain region. * Colorado was one of the last two states to emerge from the 2001 recession; only 35,400 of 117,500 jobs lost since Dec. 2000 have been regained. * Over 56 percent of business leaders think the state’s fiscal situation is “critical” or “very critical.” * Colorado ranks 44th in K-12 expenditures, 46th in high school completion rate, 36th in average teacher salary, 41st in highway maintenance. * Colorado ranks 37th-lowest nationally in spending per capita for public health. For more than ten years no additional funding has been provided to cope with population increase or combat new threats like the West Nile virus. * Between 2001-2005, park operating costs fell 37 percent, a $1.2 million reduction with loss of 26 full-time positions. * Between 2003-2004, nearly 100 court employees were laid off; another 209 positions were left unfilled. The justice system is 17 percent under-staffed; case-load grows 7 percent annually. * Since June 2002 funding for libraries has been cut 79 percent. * Between 2002 and 2004, Colorado’s Council on the Arts appropriations fell from $1.9 million to just $100,000. (Had enough ? There’s much, much more at that Bell source: go and “see with own eyes” -- as we challenge Ron Saxton to do, too; see just-below.) ======================================================= Is THIS the touted Oregon-future for which we all struggle and strain ? Should we allow this experiment in economics and social-contract planning to be perpetrated in OUR State ? By “lavish outside-money propagandists ?” BOTH the OCPP multi-page study re State of Oregon corporate tax policies; and these summary statements from Bell Center re the TABOR debacle after 13 years of anguished trial-there; have been sent in toto to corporate attorney Ron Saxton; “on the public record” by E-mail transmission to others. Surely as a professional leader (no pun intended !) in our own State he is able to recognize; if he so chooses; factual and evidentiary materials presented professionally to him, precisely as he would have to do if so assigned right out there in Court before the Judge. Here YOU are the Judge, observing whether he allows one more malign attempt to manipulate and over-manage Oregon’s Constitution by those gaining the most by that monstrous maneuver. That includes his corporate client-base gains by his close alliance-now with the likes of Sizemore and McIntire: Widely recognized as conscienceless perpetrators of the most pernicious kind and level of “public policy” propagandized for private and corporate purposes (and their own business-gain.) It is understandable that Saxton may wish to protect his day-job --but that should not be achieved literally at our expense. Public-record proof of that malign alliance continues as Saxton is repeatedly out-”Scheined” by his political keeper, cloaked in protective cover as “campaign manager.” That tattered concealment is well-known to anyone with the weird experience of reporting on the wildly-fascinating “funny stuff” that permeates modern politics today. Revealing use-of-language tells the tale with no trouble at all, for those who will but listen: No self-respecting (and unencumbered) corporate lawyer; of the stature and professional reputation to which Ron Saxton has respectable claim; ever allows another less-informed and surely less competent political hack to speak for him; without due and solid reason and motivation for that revealing action. But this happens-now in nearly every reported exchange with the press --when any exchange even occurs OR is reported. There is an odd, disturbing, cynical, corporate-feel (and other characterization, too !!) to this entire situation with Ron Saxton. For whom does he speak...and when ? Why bother paying any further attention ? Why would you listen, knowing what you surely know by now? Do you wish to live --and pursue your own Oregon way-of-life--while encumbered by what is only-too-surely coming our way ?? There’s a single, simple, powerful and potent answer.