Rural Oregon State Rep. Smith Openly Opposes Business Tax Hikes

Decades of empirical proof clearly show that cutting taxes, especially during a down economy, will help improve the economy and increase tax revenues. If one wants to see what happens when the opposite is applied, then just look to California, one of the largest economies in the world is over 20 billion in debt. They have about every kid of tax and fee you can think of and the end result cannot be spinned, it is chaos. Certainly the majority of legislator's in Oregon don't get it. Every ballot measure they have put forward to increase taxes has been defeated, now with the highest unemployment percentage in the country they raise taxes. Government spending for jobs only works when tax revenue pays for them. When you have such a high unemployment rate, where are you going to get that revenue on a "long term basis?" Once again just look at California and other states that have high taxes and out of control spending. For example if you were an investor, would you trust the government to stand behind the Bonds you would purchase? Or would you look somewhere else to invest? Keep in mind that the U.S government just failed to back up prime bondholders (union people like teachers, police and firemen) from Indiana with the GM bailout in favor of subordinate parties, like another union, the UAW. There is only one successful model that has been used to help generate new revenue during a depressed economy, cut taxes and reduce spending. That is just common sense, you cannot spend what you don't have, that is if you are responsible and especially if you have a fiduciary responsibility as do our elected officals.

dude et al: For rational, reasonable data re tax realities in Oregon, see my Op Ed SEVENTY YEARS. RE "bailout" billions, at national level, do you have any rational, reasonable other way to remedy and reinvigorate economy ? Latest information shows it is already at work, as many stories in most states surely show, too, including Oregon. One major calamitous continuing event full of longrange consequences, some of which are now arriving, is the determined, desperate, and disastrous fullscale longterm drive by business interests to transfer all costs possible from their side to OUR side as consumer and citizen taxpayer. For documentation, see many past OCPP and similar reports across the nation. Be not dismayed by detail delivered in defense of local interests; voter pressures create real problems for those who must face up to notorious no-nothings driving most such uninformed groups. Fact is fact. In Oregon it is fact corporate and similar interest do NOT and HAVE NOT, for a very long time, paid their fair share of what it costs to operate what we call our civilization.

Where's the tax break for the people while you're at it??? We're on the hook already for 14+ trillion in "bailouts" can't we get a year off income tax or something? That would only cost em 4 or 5 hundred billion at the most. No of course not, what am I thinking?