Op Ed:
Triple-Bottom-Line For Corporate Responsibilities
Shaping Governor-Battle

Oregon's Corporate Business-Characteristics Under Scrutiny.

It's more their future than ours

(SALEM) - Strong national-international trends are re-shaping how the whole world does business, with new technologies affecting management at every level.

Changes are demanded for corporate managers who must "run the show or the show will run you." Right out-the-door, that is.

The “pay-off issue” (no pun intended!) in Oregon is clearly rapid corporate tax reform --and control of “corporate campaign contributions”; strongly illuminated as voters dread biennial budgeting, badly distorted by the massive shift in tax-burden from all corporations to every individual Oregonian.

Oregon has long had the lowest business/corporate tax rate in the nation; further massive shift is well documented by OCPP: www.ocpp.org/cgi-bin/display.cgi?page=reports

Its destructive impacts on Oregon education are professionally presented and strongly documented by The CHALKBOARD Project: www.chalkboardproject.org. Conflict over values demanded from the Governor becomes essential “point-of-separation” determining the outcome of this crucial choice by voters. Saxton chooses still to maintain silence on any detailed stand-or-action, refusing details or explanation. (OREGONIAN 8/17, Metro: “Candidates Forced to Measure Up”}

That’s AFTER full information on TABOR tax-initiative damage in Colorado --suspended after a 13-year run ending in disastrous debacle across-the-board in every State program. (See OCCP report agenda, preceding URL)

(Disclosure: ALL THREE studies-mentioned have been sent directly to Ron Saxton by Salem-News, via e-mail on the public record, seeking open public response.)

World-wide change builds unrelenting pressures for corporate structural, staffing, operational reforms directly affecting the creative worker.

That’s why fully-funding education, Kindergarten through grad-school, is fundamentally demanded in Oregon. That essential action is blocked by budget-manipulation via corporate tax-burden evasion/escape-mechanisms draining dollars.

ANY business seeking an Oregon site will check on Oregon schools --since creative workers make sure their kids learn at high levels. One thing is sure-and-certain: They are no dummies !!

We can NO LONGER permit damaging the one program which can produce that essential asset for us; after decades of corporate onslaughts succeeding by continued confrontation and “campaign contributions”.

Corporate reconstruction, delayed for political and economic reasons, is THE major issue in this campaign for the Governor’s command-post.

The strongest trend-now is "the triple bottom-line" concept building new characterization for corporations.

Pursuit of profit as the-only corporate responsibility is long-gone, for more than thirty years. The "triple bottom line" concept for corporations has been building momentum for more than twenty years. (Try Googling: My search returned 20 pp. of references.)

CSR has many dimensions, thus several definitions; one in particular fits the situation here precisely: "Profit, Programs, Progress".

"Profit" since without that the corporation returns to nonentity until dissolved; "Programs" because without those “pursuit of happiness” via workers seeking realization of potential becomes a nonentity. (Can’t be allowed to happen for creative-types today.)

Finally "Progress", covering a wealth of wise, ethical, widely-demanded steps and stages leading corporations use to guide moving rapidly for profitable impact of social responsibilities.

That concept has been recognized, described, detailed ever since Adam Smith's first book "The Theory of Moral Sentiments"; which laid out moralities governing trade transactions --in 1776 !

“Sentiments” preceded and lead into "The Wealth of Nations" defining and describing "laissez faire" and "free trade"; as well as prime mechanisms for any and all “mercantilism”. Which IS: “Modern business within the capitalist society”.

It is entirely right, rational--and very illuminating-- that the major issue to elect a Governor is candidate-confrontation on this corporate development CSR.

It is already the leading trend in corporate psychology, well-recognized ever since the early '80s. It first surfaced at leading centers for management study. ("Management", 5th ed., 2000; ISBN 0-03-025967-3)

Corporate tax payment was "a scandal for the jay-birds" in Oregon when Peter Drucker, world-famed management pundit, first wrote extensively about CSR in the 70’s; so surely it is not surprising when, after decades of corporate neglect for these essential responsibilities; and malign manipulation on biennial budgets over decades; it has become such a painful campaign issue.

Surely and inescapably, now, it shapes every step, stage, phase and program in Oregon's next State program-plan and process.

The Legislature, forced to disclose practices creating corruption a la "campaign contributions" ---what is now termed "transactional lobbying"-- was forced to deal with some of their own members as questionable actions surfaced to public view, while they again prepare to "enter the Arena" in Salem.

It is simply too much to plant heavily on their shoulders more-demanding self-examination under supervision by any new Governor PLEDGED to present difficulties, delays and decisions on the most essential action demanded --despite that Oath of Office.

Saxton is PLEDGED to hampering what most voters, however reluctantly, know by now we MUST DO:

IF Oregon and its children and students are ever to achieve their full potentials in that “strong start for which there is only the single opportunity”.

IF you're an immigrating creative-worker, would YOU choose Oregon ? IF you were an “arriving-child”, would YOU choose Oregon ? (Mothers-to-be are careful and VERY determined !)

IF you were a corporation executive seeking solid foundation-placement for dollars-collected millions-high, would YOU choose Oregon for that precarious pile-of-pelf from stakeholders ?