Oregonians just voted to raise taxes

[bluestateguy]

That sound you hear is the sound of Grover Norquist choking on his tea.

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/01/oregon_measure_66_measure_67_e.html

[tonysam]

1. Good, good, GOOD

Best news I have heard in a long while.

[pdxmom]

2. You just beat me to it. This is unbelievable! I really wasn't sure this

was going to pass. Guess Oregon proves that the mood of the country isn't exactly what the teabaggers and Republicans would like to believe.

This was a fantastic outcome.

[Luminous Animal]

3. Congratulations, Oregon!

[Odin2005]

4. YAY!

:woohoo:

[TomCADem]

5. YES! Here In California, We Are Dying Due To Prop 13 and Supermajority Req

Good for Oregon. In California, there simply is no way to get anything done given the conflicting constitutional mandates.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. YAY!

It sounds like the era of Bill Sizemore is over!

[gratuitous]

7. Gee, looks like folks didn't believe the hype

56-44, both measures. Oregonians decided that it's time for the biggest winners in our society to contribute to its upkeep. So long, Nike, Intel, Shilo Inns, Phil Knight, Pat McCormick and the rest of you overrich whiners. You all practically promised you'd leave if Oregonians decided to bump your taxes. Let's see it. I'll bet you all stay put. And any of you that leave, good fucking riddance.

[tonysam]

8. This is what is needed on a national level, but

fat chance that's going to happen with both political parties on the take.

[TCJ70]

9. Some of the comments on that story may have a kernel of truth...

...about people probably taking their businesses out of the state to find lower taxes. Which is why we need to raise the national tax rates on higher incomes, to protect states from those kinds of consequences. I do think that $250,000 may be a bit low of a threshold but I also don't know anything about Oregons economy so what's my opinion worth, right?

I looked up the history of our top marginal tax income tax rate (and it's dollar amounts in todays dollars) and it blew my mind. We really need the return of a sensible tax and trade policy.

[eeyore]

14. Don't buy their bullshit threats...

These same people have been holding back tax increases for decades with the same threats. Oregonians are clearly done with their threats. The groups against this were the most conservative of the large businesses here. The smaller businesses, like mine, will never be effected by this at all. It's a small step towards fixing what they've trashed, and if they don't like it I and most I know will cheer when they go.

[TCJ70]

16. Yeah, I meant to put a "may" in my subject line...

...edited to fix.

[pdxmom]

15. Before the vote, OR had the 2nd lowest business tax in the country. After

the vote, we're still the 5th lowest. That only gives businesses a choice of 4 states to go to in order to have lower business taxes. And lots of businesses were passing on Oregon to move into, even as the 2nd lowest. So their decisions aren't all about the tax rate.

[depakid]

19. That's the same prefabricated line that they always use in comment threads on this site

FACT is that Oregon's overall tax burden is in the slightly below middle of the pack- is lower than either of its neighbors and generally has a better quality of life.

[eeyore]

25. Yeah, good luck running your businesses in Vantucky, suckers!

I worked at Nike for a few years, and there were a few execs who lived in Vancouver so that they could dodge taxes. A very unsavory lot, indeed. The funny thing is, they have to spend half of their time driving to get across the bridge they refuse to properly fund. Can you imagine commuting from Vancouver to Beaverton every damn day? Now that's being committed to paying as few taxes as possible. Yikes!

[depakid]

27. If the knuckleheads in Clark County, Washington had voted for lightrail extension in 1996

They could have been commuting in relative comfort, relaxation and sanity for a TON less money than they'll have to pay now.

Easy, short walk (or quick jog or bike ride) from the Merlo Road stop to Nike headquarters... after all it IS Nike, but no.

[MissB]

10. Yes we did. Other states are watching our election.

Bet a few of them follow suit. Raising taxes on folks that make over $250k/yr for couples (half that for individuals) went over well.

The other measure raised the corporate minimum tax, which has been $10 since the '30s.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. Oh thank god.

Now I'm not upset that I had a level 3 brain fart and left my ballot on the kitchen counter all day.

For those not in Oregon, it's been a lot like our own Coakley vs. Brown out here.

The Legion of Doom had a real fucking seedy media blitz trying to stop these measures. They, frankly, were running a much better campaign and they still lost.

Fuck 'em.

[neverforget]

17. My wife forgot to send me the ballot so I didn't get to vote. At least

they all passed! Yeah!

[depakid]

18. The Oregonian's unethical new publisher, N. Christian Anderson took a fat hit on this one

The paper may end up wishing that they could send this Orange County, California reject back down I-5. Newhouse probably won't be having any of that- being that they're not in state and could care less about Oregon's best interests.

[pdxmom]

20. Personally, I cancelled my subscription of 15 years after the Oregonian's

editorial against the measures. I've had it with the right-ward push there. The editorial was bad enough, but the so-called reporting has been obviously biased to the right.

[MissB]

21. I cancelled mine over the first spadea.

[eeyore]

12. I am an Oregon business owner and I voted YES!!

The coalition against these measures were the type of people that make me refuse to ever join a business coalition or organization. Greedy, fear mongering, threatening, negative and whiny. Groups like the Oregon Business Association have been saying for years that Oregon is a terrible place to do business, that any extra taxes will send them all packing and destroy what's left of our economy.

Fine. If you don't like doing business here, then leave. Good riddance. I suspect that, like most pro-business (read Republican) threats, they will unfortunately never come to fruition.

Here's to fiscal health in Oregon!

[KILL THE WISE ONE]

22. did you read all the idiots responding on the news site

that was the best part. Pretending they will move their business across the border. What kind of business can they move for less then the tax increase? "I will get my AMWAY (or more likely pot) delivered to Grandma's house across the border".

[depakid]

23. Fox "news" and hate radio listeners

Some of whom may well be paid, considering the canned, astroturf wording in the responses over the past couple of years.

(anyone following the comment sections- with a keen eye for grammar and uing "quote" searches knows the various screen names involved- even when they change ).

[eeyore]

24. Yeah, what a bunch of tools...

I envision Bill Sizemore and Lars Larson "hiring" interns to astroturf on a daily basis. Sadly, I don't think they have to, because damn near every Oregon Live thread ends up like that. I suspect a fair number of them don't even live here. Even the Blazers threads get that way sometimes. If I were thinking of moving here and took a look at those "discussions" I'd run screaming. Sadly, it's all empty threats.

[Foo Fighter]

26. Good for you!

Congrats to Oregon for having the sense to put this to a vote of the people.

PS: eeyore, what kind of business do you own? Please feel free to PM me rather than broadcast it and possibly get some negative backlash.

[stevedeshazer]

13. We Win!!! But no one will notice....

When Scott Brown won in Massachusetts, it was news for two weeks (it still is) but when Oregon voters like me vote to increase taxes on corporations and the more well-off among us, it will be ignored in the media.