Here at the Oregon Center for Public Policy, we’re wasting no time thinking about — and advocating for — a path forward after the defeat of Measure 97.
While disappointing, the defeat was not much of a surprise. The “no” side, flush with tens of millions of corporate dollars, bombarded the Oregon electorate with a barrage of simple but misleading messages. Corporate Oregon apparently doesn’t think facts ought to matter.
The failure of the measure at the ballot box takes us from the possibility of vastly improving the quality of education and public services that most Oregonians desire and rely upon, to the reality of a $1.4 billion budget shortfall. That shortfall means cuts to schools and other key services, unless lawmakers find the will to raise new revenue.
In an op-ed in The Oregonian, the Center outlined some of the priorities on the path forward: requiring corporate tax transparency, closing loopholes and subsidies, and raising additional revenue to avoid further cuts to schools and other key services.
Read it. Share it with friends and colleagues. Get on the path forward.
