Families across the state of Oregon will be gathering over this holiday season to share updates, latest news, gossip and whose side are you on in the upcoming greatest civil war football game between the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers. (For full disclosure, Go DUCKS!)
On many people’s minds, but less talked about, are our worries. Jobs security, health care cost, and our family’s future. In January, in a special election, Oregonians will decide on two very important ballot initiatives, measures 66 and 67 which would fund vital services, preserve jobs, and safeguard working families from this recession. Measures 66 and 67 would increase the corporate minimum tax from $10 – which has not been changed since 1931 – to $150. Two out of three corporations pay just $10 a year in income tax. Just $10!
Oregon’s five Jobs with Justice Coalitions recognized the importance of the upcoming election for working families and the communities and collectively worked on a statement for the upcoming voter guide. JwJ encourage Oregonians to talk to family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers about the need for to pass measures 66 and 67 in January. So, get a second or third helping and help Oregon by talking about measure 66 and 67 and its importance to what we hold dear to our hearts, the future for our families.
The full text of the Oregon JwJ coalitions voter guide statement is below.
It’s time to level the playing field for Oregon’s working and middle-class families.
Jobs With Justice urges a Yes Vote on Measures 66 and 67.
Measures 66 and 67 will protect:
–Oregon jobs
–Oregon families
–Oregon communities.
Right now, while working and middle-class families are struggling just to make ends meet in this recession, large out-of-state corporations who make millions of dollars in Oregon are paying just $10 a year in income taxes.
The recession may continue, and many more people could lose their jobs. Many of the unemployed could have trouble finding new livelihoods, particularly if they are over forty years old. The social service that taxation supports helps people while they are looking for work.
Supporting public services provides a critical and minimal safety net to those who are already stressed and using all their available resources. We need to look after each other.
These measures will help protect Oregon jobs and are necessary to preserve the critical services that are needed now more than ever. These measures will help those who’ve been hurt the most by this recession by protecting vital services and removing taxes on the first $2,400 in unemployment benefits.
66 and 67 will start to hold corporations accountable by making sure that corporations are paying more than $10 a year in income taxes and asking for those who’ve benefited most from our state to contribute just a bit more. This revenue could pay for green jobs that will help in the fight against global warming, for example, by improving public transit.
The measures protect services that we all depend on. By voting YES on 66 and 67, we’ll be keeping our communities safe and making it clear that corporate greed is NOT an Oregon value.
Join Jobs With Justice in Voting YES to protect Oregon’s future.
Statement submitted by: Portland Jobs with Justice, Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network/JwJ, Central Oregon Jobs with Justice, Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice, Mid-Willamette Valley Jobs with Justice
Need more details: The Oregon Education Association has some great info on their website.
