Portland Politics Thread

[downtownpdx]

Totally see your point and while I support the basic idea/services provided behind these taxes, as Philly put it we were booming at the time they were passed and in individual cases they seem pretty minuscule when you look at the ballot. I mean why not tax 1.25% on high incomes, it seems like such a tiny number. But then another and another and they add up, and you tack on a pandemic, social unrest, remote work and homelessness and in a quick span of time people are seeing high taxes and crappy services. Things have improved a lot since 2020 in terms of public safety (still not enough of course). But I’m hoping the local electorate and officials can see that we have to stop the “you’re lucky to be here now pay up” attitude towards business. I think the recent landslide defeat of the proposed $1600-for-every-Oregonian measure (80% said no) paid by corporations was a wake up call. Really hope our city council sees the value in retaining and recruiting business - if we decide we want to plug a $100 million budget gap then expanding the tax base would be a good move.