Do you care about Measures 66 & 67? You should.

On January 26th we Oregon voters get to second guess our legislature.  Yes, another ballot measure to undo what they did in session.  So what's new?

W-a-y back in July, 2009 (a whole 5 months ago), our democratically elected state legislators and our democratically elected Governor increased taxes.  Why?  Because our 1-legged-stool of a state tax system is falling (has fallen?) over.  Because relying solely on an income tax (oh, and a lottery!) is simply not a sustainable way to run a state.  Thank you, Salem, for taking a step toward solving this obvious problem. 

So if I'm so full of thank yous, what's the problem?  To preserve this positive step toward a more sustainable and (dare I say) fairer tax policy, we have to prevent its repeal on 1.26.10 (which is, of course, precisely what anti-tax activists want). If Measures 66 & 67 fail, the new taxes that our democratically-elected officials passed 5 months ago will NOT go into effect.  To say "ugh" falls far short of how I feel about this whole question-the-legislature-taxes-suck mantra.

Here's the gist on 66 & 67 according to Ballotpedia:

Oregon Ballot Measures 66 and 67 are on the January 26, 2010 special election ballot in Oregon as potential veto votes on a $733 million tax hike enacted by the Oregon State Legislature in 2009.

On July 20, 2009 Gov. Ted Kulongski signed two tax bills that will increase taxes in the state by $733 million through increasing the state’s corporate minimum tax, raising taxes on the state’s high-income individuals and raising income taxes on businesses. In reaction to the news, tax activists in the state geared up to use the veto referendum process in the state to try to stop the hikes.

What will happen if you vote...

• YES VOTE (that's me!): Raises tax on incomes above $250,000 for households, $125,000 for individual filers. Tax rate increases 1.8 percentage points on amount of taxable income between $250,000 and $500,000, 2 percentage points on amount above $500,000 for households. For individual filers, the rate increases begin at $125,000 and $250,000 respectively. Eliminates income taxes on the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits received in 2009. Raises estimated $472 million to provide funds currently budgeted for education, health care, public safety, other services.

• NO VOTE (the anti-tax position): Rejects tax changes on incomes at and above $250,000 for households, $125,000 for individual filers. Rejects tax exemption for first $2,400 of unemployment benefits received in 2009. Leaves amount currently budgeted for education, health care, public safety, other services underfunded by estimated $472 million.

Why does this matter to Oregon families? Without additional revenue from these new, more fairly distributed taxes (yes, I think businesses should have a higher minimum tax and high-income households can pay a bit more), public education, health care, and other critical services (think corrections, public safety) will suffer (even more).  To see how these changes will affect your county, simply click on this interactive map.  Here are a few in the Portland area:

• Clackamas
• Multnomah
• Washington
  

Still not sure of your position?  The "YES" campaign has a great FAQ that might help (uh, convince you!).

How can you help?  Let me count the ways....

1. VOTE yes on both measures on the 26th (Not registered?  Do it here by 1.5.09).
2. Pledge to vote yes here.
3. Put up a lawn sign.
4. Join us to register voters this Saturday morning, 1.2.09 in DT Portland (meet at Backspace Cafe @ 10 AM).  We'll have our kids - bring yours!
5. Stay current by fanning the "YES" campaign on Facebook and following them on Twitter.

If you have any other ideas, by all means share them in the comments.  Whatever you do, let's join together to fund the things that are headed to the chop block - but shouldn't be.