Oregonians Against Job-Killing Taxes (OAJKT) spearheading tax referendum

Newsletter from Senator Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg

From time to time we feature one of Oregon's legislators.  We have included Senator Kruse's newsletter from a couple of weeks ago.  We though you would appreciate reading it.

 
It has been a while since my last newsletter, simply because my farm has kept me busy seven days a week starting the day after the Legislature adjourned.  What has been interesting is the fact most all of the e-mails and phone calls we have been getting deal with either the tax increases passed by the 2009 Legislature (which I voted against) or the Obama healthcare plan.  For the purpose of this letter I will talk about the taxes, as they are the most time sensitive.
 
This letter will be very partisan, but it is that way for a reason.  This was the most partisan session of the Legislative Assembly I have experienced.  Because the Democrats had super majorities in both Chambers as well as the governor they were able to pass basically anything they wanted.  They were not interested in hearing or acting on any alternatives to what their agenda was and this includes tax and fee increases totaling close to two billion dollars.
 
Currently there are petitions available for signature to put two of the tax measures on the ballot for a special election in January.  I hope most of you will take the opportunity to sign.  For a group of elected officials to decide to make such a significant and permanent change to our tax structure without asking the opinion of the people is wrong in more ways than I can count. 
 
They say this is only a tax on the rich and business, but nothing could be further from the truth.  We all know that small businesses make up the back bone of our economy and these are the people who will be paying the majority of this increase.  The Democrats have shown through their actions they have no real understanding of how a business operates or the dynamics necessary to keep a business viable.  As only a small handful of the Democrats currently serving have ever run a business this might be marginally understandable.  They seem to think everything is like government and money can be created out of nothing (or more correctly taken from someone else). 
 
Under their bill a business will pay taxes even if it is losing money.  How much sense does that make?  These tax increases will cost more Oregonians their jobs.  In the simplest terms what is being proposed is designed to accomplish only one thing and that is to protect and grow government.  Not only is this wrong and unnecessary it will happen by taking even more money from the private sector which is already paying too much.  Were you aware of the fact that in the United States we pay more in federal, state and local taxes than we spend on food, shelter and clothing combined?  I think enough is enough.
 
It should also be pointed out that nothing was done during this Session to make government more efficient or even accountable for the money they spend.  In fact we are actually growing government by over 2,500 employees.  Republicans suggested several ways to streamline government and they were all ignored.  At the end of the day the only part of our economy that is growing is government and it is happening in a way that will require even more tax increases in the future.
 
The chair of the House Revenue Committee actually believes creating government jobs stimulates the economy.  I asked a Senate Democrat in early June (as my frustration was growing) if there was any part of my life he didn't want to regulate and his answer was no.  This path of more government, more taxes and more intrusion into people's lives has got to stop.  I still believe in freedom and personal responsibility, but we are moving farther and farther away from these core values.  We need to turn this ship of state around and our first step needs to be the rejection of these tax increases.
 
Sincerely, 
Senator Jeff Kruse

The Omnivore's Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces New Direction and Vision for America's Forests

Wind Power for Communities: A Workshop for Residents of Rural Oregon

Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development is pleased to present a workshop for rural landowners, public officials and community members interested in learning more about wind energy development. Workshop attendees will come away with the knowledge and tools they need to ensure wind developments, large and small, result in the greatest local benefit. The workshops will include an introduction to modern wind technology, the various scales of wind development and state incentives and policies effecting wind energy projects. Afternoon break-out sessions with subject matter experts focused on small/community wind projects and landowner participation in large-scale wind projects will also be offered.

All workshops are open to the public with a registration fee of $35.00. A light lunch will be provided. Registration will close on September 9th, 2009. Exhibitor options are available. Please follow this link for more information.
Space is limited, register early!
 

Workshops are offered in two locations:

September 23, 2009 in LaGrande, OR
Ag Service Center - OSU Extension Office
10507 N Mcalister Rd # 9
LaGrande, OR 97850-8716
8:30am - 3:00pm 
Register Now - LaGrande
 

September 24, 2009 in The Dalles, OR
Columbia Gorge Discover Center
5000 Discovery Drive
The Dalles, OR 97058
8:30am - 3:00pm
Register Now - The Dalles

Sponsored by the Energy Trust of Oregon and Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development.

Obama Administration Names Lynn Voigt to Serve as State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency of Oregon 

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Availability of Value Added Producer Grants

MODESTO, Calif., Aug. 26, 2009 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA will soon be accepting applications for grants to assist agricultural producers seeking to add value to the commodities they produce. Approximately $18 million will be awarded nationwide.

"These grants strengthen rural economies and create jobs by helping farmers and ranchers add value to their agricultural products by using them for planning activities such as feasibility studies, marketing and business plans, or for working capital," Vilsack said. "This program also supports President Obama's goal to expand our nation's renewable energy resources by helping farmers develop renewable energy from agricultural products."

Vilsack highlighted a past grant recipient in Ohio as an example of how local producers have used USDA's Value Added Producer Grant funds to expand markets for locally grown produce. The Chef's Garden, Inc., in Huron, Ohio, received a $97,500 grant to explore the feasibility of processing and marketing products derived from locally-grown produce. The 40-year-old company has completed market research efforts and is now selecting products to market to consumers. The company projects a 20 percent increase in sales.

USDA plans to award planning grants of up to $100,000 and working capital grants of up to $300,000 to successful applicants. Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that use existing agricultural products in non-traditional ways or merge agricultural products with technology in creative ways. Businesses of all sizes may apply, but priority will be given to operators of small and medium-sized family farms - those with average, annual gross sales of less than $700,000.

Applicants must provide matching funds equal to the amount of the grant requested. Ten percent of the funding being made available is reserved for beginning farmers or ranchers and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. An additional 10 percent is reserved for projects involving local and regional supply networks that link independent producers with businesses and cooperatives that market value-added products.

Paper and electronic applications must be submitted to the Rural Development state office in the state where the project will be located. A list of state offices is available at www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html  Electronic applications must be submitted through www.Grants.gov  The Department will publish the official notice for funding availability in the Federal Register within the next week, and will begin accepting applications at that time.

USDA Rural Development's mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural residents. Rural Development fosters growth in homeownership, finances business development and supports the creation of critical community and technology infrastructure. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA Rural Development's web site at www.rurdev.usda.gov 
 
 

Plum Appointments Rile Republican Lawmakers

Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian
August 24, 2009
 
When three Oregon legislators recently jumped into high-paying state jobs, it reignited the controversy about the big increase they will get in their pay and pension benefits.
 
Republican legislative leaders say it raises potential conflict-of-interest issues and are promoting legislation that would require a waiting period before lawmakers can move into state jobs.
 
The Republicans also may try to change state pension law so that legislators can't leverage their service in the Legislature into much larger pensions after only a few years in the executive branch. That's because pensions in the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System are based on both years of service and the three highest years of salary.
 
The Democratic legislators moving into the new jobs say they gained the jobs on merit and dismissed the criticism as partisan politics.
 
This issue has long been debated in the Capitol, where many legislators gain valuable contacts and skills that help them move into government or lobbying jobs. Those jobs pay far more than the $21,612 a year that part-time legislators receive.
 
In 2007, legislators passed an ethics reform bill that required lawmakers to wait for the end of the next legislative session before they could become a paid lobbyist.
 
House Minority Leader Bruce Hanna, R-Roseburg, said Republicans will pursue a bill in the February session that would require a similar waiting period for lawmakers before they can take a job in the executive branch.
 
"Oregonians should feel confident that legislators are not using their positions to obtain higher-paying jobs in state government," said Hanna, calling it a "fairness and equity issue."
 
Without majorities in either the House or Senate, however, Republicans acknowledge they have little chance to win approval for any significant legislation in February.
 
The latest flurry of moves into the executive branch came weeks after the past legislative session. 
 
Then-Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, was appointed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski to become chairwoman of the state parole board and will earn $97,020 a year. Rep. Larry Galizio, D-Tigard, took a $95,380-a-year job with the state university system acting as a liaison to community colleges. And then-Sen. Margaret Carter, D-Portland, took a $121,872-a-year position as deputy director of the Department of Human Services.
 
"I am one of those people who have been around enough that I don't need a job," said Carter, 73, who has been a legislator since 1985. "It is my passion that is taking me to the Department of Human Resources."
 
She said she could live comfortably on her pension from her work as a counselor at Portland Community College as well as from Social Security and the equity in her home in the Irvington neighborhood. Carter said she didn't even know how much she would make in her new job until she read about it in the newspaper.
 
Besides receiving a major boost in pay, Carter could also significantly increase her pension after a few years in her new position.
 
She said she retired in 1999 from Portland Community College, meaning she has 10 years of legislative service she can eventually credit toward her pension. The pension will be based on her total years of service and her three highest years of salary.
 
Walker, 53, said it was time for her "to get paid for the value of your work," but she added she was confident that the governor appointed her to the job on the basis of merit. Like many lawmakers, Walker said, she was forced to scramble to make ends meet while devoting so much time to a low-paying legislative post.
 
Walker, who entered the Legislature in 1999, said she hasn't paid any attention to how her new job will affect her pension.
 
"I couldn't even tell you how many years I have to work in an executive branch job to get a bump in my legislative pension," she said.
 
However, based on PERS formulas, her pension would increase by at least four times in the next three years compared with what it would be if she stayed in the Legislature for that same period.
 
Hanna said that kind of big increase is a problem.
 
"It might provide too much false incentive in terms of, 'If I can just nail down that job for the last three years of my career, I get bigger numbers,'" he said.
 
House Majority Leader Mary Nolan, D-Portland, said Republicans didn't deal with this issue when they ran the House before 2007 in a period when the governor appointed several Republican legislators to agency positions.
 
"It's frustrating to me that they came up with this after the governor found a few Democrats who are qualified" for executive branch jobs, she said.
 
Tim Knopp, who was majority leader when the Republicans ran the House in 2003, said he did push unsuccessfully to remove legislators from PERS.
 
"There is too much opportunity for that to be manipulated and misused," Knopp said. He added that through the years, both "Republican and Democratic legislators have been hired for state jobs that have substantially improved their financial situation."