That would be an amazing accomplishment for Kate Brown to screw this up. Blue wave… everywhere but Oregon of all places. I-5 corridor don’t fail me now.
The way she plays is not entirely inaccurate. She taxed the rest of the state to give Portland transportation improvements. And that’s just one of many taxes. She’s in trouble. I’m pretty pissed with that specific tax too.
If a civil way ever broke out in Oregon it would be the rest of the state vs Portland (and Eugene). There wouldn’t be much love lost there. Makes sense that doing anything for Portland at the expense of the rest of the state would earn a few sneers.
You realize that Oregon used to have one D and one R for senators right? It’s not as lopsided here as you think. This is a barely blue state, despite Portland, Salem and Eugene (three areas really). It is in no way a sure thing Oregon couldn’t turn and shift again.
I wasn’t trying to imply it’s lopsided. I’ve said before that is a red state + Portland and Eugene. And the red parts really resent the (more densely populated) mouthy blue dots along interstate 5.
Yeah, but a five point lead… why do you think Eugene and Salem want to pay for Portland’s road problems? She’s losing democrats. Her lead should be way bigger than that. Did you hear the part where I am pissed too. I’m not a freaking Republican. She’s taxing the shit out of this state. I can’t remember if it was this subject or some other one where the individual tax scheme is really hated, well here’s a prime example.
Even if you could try and forget it, all you have to do is look at your paystub. Every week, month, every two weeks, workers in this state get to look at their paystab and remember that they just got hit with a new permanent tax that probably doesn’t help them, and they have a name attribute to that.
I agree with both your frustration and your observation about her sway with Democrats.
Yet they selfishly forget that it was the taxpayers of those urban areas that have subsidized almost every infrastructure improvement to their sparsely populated areas, just as it is with every other state.
Because, let’s be frank, things like electricity, water, roads, Internet? Those things would either not exist, or be complete shit, of it weren’t for urban areas subsidizing rural.
I mean, on the other hand, Portland is sort of the main thing of value the state has going for it. Investing there is sensible, and it pays dividends for everyone. Oh, Craig beat me to this.
Says the guy living in the good, liberal part of a very red state and benefiting very much from that :-)
Yep she should definitely run with that. That’ll get the votes in…
Based on the ads I’ve seen, he’s completely outspending her right now too, but I am sure the message of you’re lucky you got what you got will play much better than she’s tried to raise taxes by 13 billion and in case you forgot, you’ve got a new line item on your paycheck to look at to prove it.
She’s in danger but I’m sure Portland is the only thing that matters will help with that…
It sounds to me that the problem with that Oregon tax is that it hits a lot of working and middle class people rather than focusing on the high earners who’ve benefited the most from our society.
Nesrie, is it a flat tax that hits everybody with the same percentage? Does it has a minimum threshold or does it hit everybody? Also, is it a payroll tax or an income tax?
People forget that “taxes” are a broad subject and there are many ways to tax, some much better than others, some much worse. It sounds like the Oregon transportation tax is one of the bad ones, like CA old car registration tax (everybody hated that one).
https://www.oregon.gov/newsroom/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?newsid=2793
Salem, OR—Oregon employees will see a new tax withholding on paystubs received after July 1. Oregon’s statewide transit tax is one-tenth of one percent (.001) of wages earned—or $1 per $1,000 in wages.
It’s not actually that big, but it’s in your face, a constant reminder, it feels like you are having something taken away and they just started collecting in… July, so it’s fresh… Normally you’d see something like this at the pump, not as visible, throw away receipt of thing. I question why they did it this way other than some fear of electric cars, maybe.
Buehler’s ads are good, and I am not sure factually he’s even wrong. I am not a fan of what I think he would do if he took over, I was just, after seeing his ads for awhile, I decided to look at that race more. I don’t think she’s a sure thing, and she was’t super popular when she came in the first time around.
That’s just one. I think they increased taxes on the driver’s license, car registration and one more thing I forget in addition to this, they probably call it a “fee” not a tax.
I guess that’s possible, but I thought the thing with Oregon is that they have a high income tax combined with no sales tax at all, because the latter is regressive while the former isn’t. Do they not have progressive income tax rates?
(I used to live and work just across the river in Washington.)
Our tax brackets are kind of a joke. It’s almost a flat tax.
Yeah, this isn’t very progressive. Caps out at about 9.9% for the highest earners, but people at around $40k are paying nearly 9% anyway.
Yeah or simply like this:
For single taxpayers and married couples filing separate returns:
- 5% on the first $3,350 of taxable income.
- 7% on taxable income between $3,351 and $8,400.
- 9% on taxable income between $8,401 and $125,000
- 9.9% on taxable income of $125,001 and above.
So quick and dirty, about 10% for anyone who isn’t an ultra part-time worker.
They’ve tried to introduce a sales tax for years, Democrats, fails every time because they want to add it in addition to what is above.
Nesrie, I didn’t say that. I’m pointing out the hypocricy. And it’s not Oregon specific for sure.
This does demonstrate how specifically targeted taxes are trouble though. The reality is this is a valid and reasonable hint tondo. It’s small. The perception is what’s messed up. And I know how it gets viewed that way, it’s easy to see since it specifically this one tax being marked for this specific purpose. But the problem is those complaining fail to see all the other ways this flows the other direction, all the taxes those urban centers pay that are used to fund the rest of the state.
It’s this notion that is fueled by the right wing media, that isn’t challenged by the rest. Republican politics are truly the politics of the selfish, and the notion of ‘stronger together’ doesn’t sink in for them.
Yes. I’m no economist, but there are good reasons why rural and small-town Oregonians should care about the state of infrastructure in Portland.
LULWUT
Making six-figures and your taxes are the same as someone who is working part-time at a fast food place?
Well Portland’s I-5 bridge problems were actually done by design. They had this stupid plan to try and guide people to public tran and other roads and it… doesn’t really work. I am sure they will use the money for other things, but she can’t send a out 2 min snippet on how grateful everyone else should be and expect combat these ads that paint her really well as someone who just wants to tax you death to pad the pockets of the Democrats, the group that really screwed their roads to push public tran.
Yeah it’s not good. I am sure if we got real tax brackets I might actually go up not down. It’s hard to say. I see what other states pay, but they also have sales taxes. That person making less than 10k… they could use some relief.
Again Kate Brown’s attempts to raise taxes, when it’s put to a vote, has often failed. She doesn’t always win, and they’re playing with that too. That’s why I think the numbers might be right even if that’s not actually what happened.
We were not really an iffy state with Trump. The fact she only has a five point lead, maybe that seems huge but it seems not good to me. And all the ads I’ve seen focus on taxes.