Dems 2008

[Lueyen]

In order to get numbers 10, 11, and 12 to happen you might need to become a little more lenient on number 5.

Not necessarily depending on number 7.

[Azlana]

I'm totally in favor of making welfare more difficult to receive; there ought to be more incentive to work....but I don't think that would be enough to make up the difference. I'm all for taxation as long as I can see my dollars put to work in my community - which I do...I think that for Oregon does a great job of putting money back into areas where the difference can actually be observed.

[Lueyen]

I'm totally in favor of making welfare more difficult to receive; there ought to be more incentive to work....but I don't think that would be enough to make up the difference.

http://www.allcountries.org/uscensus/599_social_welfare_expenditures_under_public_programs.html

20.9 percent of our GDP 1,505 billion in 95 was the latest I could find that seemed reasonably credible. Of course we wouldn't eliminate all of that... but even a small dent would be a substantial amount of money.

I'm all for taxation as long as I can see my dollars put to work in my community - which I do...I think that for Oregon does a great job of putting money back into areas where the difference can actually be observed.

Well I guess I can see the Tram every day from my office.

But yes we have good roads, and not just the Portland area, most areas I've been too our state roads are maintained well. I realize the huge contrast when I travel... certain states have really shocked me just how poorly roads are maintained in comparison.

That being said the state needs to get a handle on it's spending, the benefits you see come most times at an over inflated price. The states answer is always more tax instead of improving how tax dollars are used.

Consider that the past few years they've been after the kicker checks (I believe they did manage to grab the cooperate ones this year) and our governor tried to gain tax authority. Fairly regular bumps to state taxes on tobacco (last one .80 cent a pack increase was voted in by the state legislature instead of by the people as they have been in the past). I won't even get into the pirate ship that is the OLCC. What annoys me the most is that often times when the people do vote on a tax increase it usually passes if it only affects a small portion of the population (hunting license taxes for example, something tells me the story would be different if the proposed tax was on lattes and energy drinks)... and then you have the really brain dead who passed the special Multnomah county income tax for schools (you know the ones that were supposed to be taken care of by lottery before lottery funds started being used for everything but) when the rest of the state figured out it was a scam. I have to say I'm glad they didn't get away with bypassing the voters for the statewide one they tried to initiate when Multnomah one expired. Oh, and the way we do our commercial Diesel tax here we are one of the more expensive states for trucking companies to run through.

All of this and our state government still tries to get us to submit to a state sales tax, with no real reduction in other areas (that are higher then most already justified by not having a state sales tax). Thank goodness people still look north and see that that small 4 percent tax once instituted has a habit of growing every time the state thinks it need more money.

I'm not bitter or anything though... no really I'm not 8). Well ok maybe a bit.