to the Oregon
State House of
Representatives District 14 on the Pacific Party ticket
The Pacific
Party offers a new and unique political viewpoint that is neither left
nor right but green. The Pacific Party favors limited government
and strongly supports personal self-determination without denying government's
essential social safety net role as well as the only logical and feasible
protector of the environment.
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Let's work together to make Oregon BETTER NOT BIGGER
STOP SUBSIDISING unwanted and unnecessary GROWTH
We can't arbitrarily put an end to all growth but we can stop subsidizing excessive, superfluous growth with public resources. Exclusion is not the object, newcomers will still be welcome with typical Oregon warmth and friendliness.
Oregon is at a crossroads.
Our pro-growth activity has been all too successful and we are beginning
to have to live with the undesired consequences. It's never too late to
turn our goals around and begin to strive for livability and beauty instead
of growth and power, and the health of our environment in place of cashing
out our spectacular natural resources for immediate profit.
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Justice demands that corporations pay their fair share of the tax burden. Working people are shouldering higher taxes to give breaks to the wealthy.
If we do use public money to support private business we should demand a stake, a share of the business.
HOMESTEAD TAX EXEMPTION for fair, targeted, property tax relief. Give relief to the people, not downtown high-rises.
REPLACE current income, payroll and property taxes with GREEN TAXES. Let's tax what's bad and make polluters pay for the true cost of their actions.
SHELTER the HOMELESS, FEED the HUNGRY, EXPAND HEALTH CARE.
Simple human decency requires that we care for our least fortunate citizens.
Institute HOMELESS MENTOR TAX.
Each year match up the homeless population with Oregon's wealthiest citizens. For instance, if there are 10,000 homeless in Oregon then the 10,000 richest Oregonians pay an income tax surcharge sufficient to house one individual for a year, which amounts to about $4000. The poorest of the 10,000 wealthiest Oregonians earns more than $500,000 per year, so at most the tax would amount to less than 1% of their earnings.
Keep food banks well stocked.
Expand health care to cover all citizens.
We owe it to our grandchildren to be honest and faithful stewards of our God given ENVIRONMENT.
STOP CLEARCUTTING
Sensitive ecoforestry logging on a limited sustainable level is not a problem, whereas clearcutting is an open sore on the face of mother earth.
Thinking long term,
Increase Public Ownership.
Finance the above with long term, 50 year, low interest "public improvement" bonds.
This is an investment for our grandchildren and great grandchildren.
TRAFFIC is worsening by the day and leading up to an intractable situation. We have neither the resources nor seemingly the ideas that can save our streets from gridlock and our daily movements from frustration and/or danger.
Infill and higher density, in our current high growth economy, can only intensify our traffic problems. Moreover specifically to District 14 there are no future plans whatsoever, regarding either roads or public transportation, to tackle the East county commuter traffic that clogs all of our streets and no thought to make bicycling truly safe.
As an alternative to today's ineffectual programs, I propose we create a system of GREENBELT TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS that include space for IMPROVED VEHICLE MOVEMENT, SAFE SEPARATE BIKEPATHS and ELECTRIC TRANSIT.
McLaughlin Boulevard is a good example of this.
This will of necessity be a gradual and long term process since it requires major changes to the built city. Included in the transition must be the protection of all old houses. They can not be demolished only moved.
GREENBELTS include a wide
natural strip to buffer housing and other people activities from heavy
traffic. This is equally important in Oregon's smaller cities and Portland.
Build SAFE SEPARATED BIKEPATHS. Narrow painted bike lanes are better than nothing but biking will never achieve it's true potential until the state is covered with a system of safe, totally separate bike paths.
Expand LIGHT RAIL and STREETCAR routes and switch to ELECTRIC BUSSES. Enhance the environment with clean, quiet, efficient electric transit.
Conservatives seek to impose their personal and narrow views of morality on society.
Abortion rights must not be abridged.
Self-determination is a basic constitutional right.
Defend the fundamental civil rights of women, minorities and gays.
The
War on Drugs is an Expensive and Dismal Failure
And counterproductive to
the goal of minimizing youth drug use. When it's a problem, it's a personal
and/or a public health problem, NOT a concern of the Justice system.
Begin by reforming marijuana
laws.
Whenever possible we need to DEVOLVE CONTROL and allocate financial resources to the neighborhoods where the concerns of ordinary citizens can have a real impact.
Lack of funding is only a small part of the problem. Radical solutions such as school vouchers and charter schools are being bandied about in many areas as an alternative to bureaucratic and hidebound school systems.
I propose a COMMUNITY BASED ALTERNATIVE.
Control of elementary schools should be devolved to neighborhood school boards in an OPEN ENROLLMENT system in which parents can send their children to the school of their choice anywhere in the state. Each district gets a relatively equal amount for each student. NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL BOARDS must accept neighborhood children first. Wealthier districts can tax themselves to increase funding but must share additional taxes one to one with the state as a whole.
LOCAL CONTROL will make public schools more responsive to citizen concerns and provide a better education at less cost. Open enrollment gives parents a choice and forces poor quality schools to improve.
Neighborhood control will allow innovations such as teaching k-2 children in small dispersed locations. Teaching of little children does not require or benefit by large edifices. Large single family houses located close to the children's residences are likely to be better facilities for educating tots, and it will be much easier for parents to get involved in that scenario. The space freed up in our large school buildings can then be utilized as community resources.
Control of middle schools can be devolved after the results of elementary school devolution are assessed. High schools probably need to remain part of a larger system.
HIGHER EDUCATION TUITION MENTOR TAX.
Excessive wealth has become concentrated in the hands of a few. For instance, Phil Knight, CEO of Nike, has a net worth of 6 billion dollars ($6,000,000,000). That is enough to cover the total cost of tuition and books for all 60,000 Oregonians who are now attending the state university system for twelve years!!!! It is time to tap those obscenely deep pockets.
Therefore I propose a tuition mentor tax that would tax the wealthy the cost of tuition and books for one full time resident student - about $5000 - for each $1,000,000 in total assets. That amounts to a net worth surcharge of 1/2 of 1% per year and a truly insignificant amount to the wealthy person. But to the struggling student it could well be the difference between getting or not getting an education. Proceeds could be used to lower tuition across the board, provide scholarships or any combination.
Everyone loses when any
individual is not able to reach his/her potential. All citizens regardless
of income should have access to higher education.
The Pacific Party is focusing on initiatives that would:
1. Change the election of the Oregon House of Representatives to a Proportional Representation system that would give third parties a place in the legislature and increase representation by women and minorities. Though it is a radical concept in America it is used by most Western democracies. Oregonians would finally have a real choice rather than having to vote for the lesser of two evils.
2. Ban Clearcut logging. It's time for us to think about the legacy we will leave to future generations.
3. Reform of Marijuana laws to remove all criminal aspects from personal use of marijuana and provide as much as $500 million in tax revenue.