McCall's dream fulfilled

Back in 1973, Governor Tom McCall proposed to make education funding more equitable by slashing property taxes and increasing taxes on the wealthy and big business.

The first half of this vision was accomplished years ago, but we've suffered as a result of the remaining unfinished business. Now we've finally finished the job.

Measure opponents spread misinformation

Like many business owners who have publicly opposed Measures 66 and 67, Jan Eldredge (Letters, Jan. 23) butchers the facts when describing the impact to their business. Specifically, it is completely untrue that the new revenue-based corporate minimum tax will be levied on top of corporate income tax.

This tax of approximately 0.1% will be levied only upon businesses such as Portland General Electric that do not declare profits, and which therefore pay no corporate income tax.

It will truly be a shame if voters reject these measures based on widespread misinformation like this. Oregon's businesses and the wealthy would only be very modestly burdened by passage of Measures 66 and 67. Our poor and middle class, however, will be very heavily impacted if we are forced to find some other way to close a $1.2 billion hole in our budget.

Class warfare? You bet!

Measure 66 and 67 opponents are quick to scream "class warfare!" Well, heaven forbid the losing side should fire a single shot! Class warfare has been waged brutally on America's working and middle classes for the last 30 years.

Real income has shrunk - we now see a generation less well off than their parents - while concentration of wealth has increased drastically. Taxes on the wealthy are at an all time low, a recipe for economic stagnation punctuated by repeated asset bubbles.

Measures 66 and 67 will restore a little more fairness to the system. They will place an undue burden on no one, and they will plug a $1.2 billion hole in the state budget. The budget cuts caused by their failure would create enormous misery around the state. Don't let today's class warriors win yet another round.

Pat Robertson is a curse

So Pat Robertson thinks the Haitian earthquake is divine retribution for a claimed 200 year old pact with the devil? You'd think an an alleged Christian minister might be better informed about his own religion.

Christianity's fundamental message is not one of hate, fear and destruction as preached by Robertson, but one of redemption, forgiveness, love and peace. Perhaps he might browse a copy of the New Testament once in a while. You know, the one with Jesus in it.

$10 is not enough

I'm in the most-aired ad for Oregon Measures 66 and 67. Almost everyone in Oregon who has a television has seen this: