Issue Position: The Economy

Issue Position

Our Economy is in Shambles.

The sad truth of it is the above comment is the truth. To long we have allowed for taxes to KEEP rising. We have allowed Fee's, Assessment's, Penalties, and more to rise as well.

Why is this happening? Greed, Power, and Corruption.

Businesses thrive when a tax environment is very stable. If they know they will pay the same tax rate for a decade they will be able to plan for the downs and ups of the economy. But when taxes are guaranteed to rise, and with the amount to rise being uncertain, this makes businesses have problems.

I know of a close person who had a successful business bought from their family. Between many different taxing authorities raising rates, and different auditing powers of these agencies, this person was forced to sell their business as it could no longer support a family of four.

So the first thing Oregon needs is STABILITY. I plan to introduce legislation to promote such stability upon being elected. The next side of this coin is we need jobs to cover that spending we have already approved.

With one of the higher unemployment rates you would think our State would do anything to get jobs. This however has been untrue under the leadership of my opponent. I have calculated that in my district alone we can provide close to 10,000 jobs, that is to say high paying jobs, supporting up to 100,000 other jobs throughout our State. THAT MY FRIENDS IS A JOBS PLAN! There is the magic trifecta we need to move on to make this happen. There are four industries we can invite in, prosper with, and still be sound for our local environment.

These four are: Logging, Mining, Oil, and Fishing.

One thing I am seeing if it will be feasible is to get two Salmon on ice (I am concerned they wont last for the whole season though) and remove their fins. I will then ask anyone in the crowd to identify the 'natural born' Salmon and the 'farm bred' Salmon. No one will be able to tell. When these Salmon lay their eggs they can be mixed up and no one could find a difference at all. So the question Begs... Why are they considered a different species? Case in point... only environmental extremists want them to be different species, and only for their extremist agenda's and why should we let them do this? Salmon is more healthy for us than Cow Meat or Pork...

Logging is an industry long mastered. Did you know that I have planted acres of land with Tree's as part of a School Program? Did you know there is mandatory tree replanting on Federal and State lands? We can harvest much more wood than we are, and responsibly plant more tree's. In fact given the new evidence that Spotted Owls actually do not live in Old Growth, but in New Growth (Think Christmas Tree's) area's... we can help bring this bird back from extinction via logging and replanting responsibly.

And now is the time to do logging. We as a nation import tons of wood from Canada... and all the while China is offering top dollar for any wood they can get.

Mining is a mainstay of the world. But not in America anymore. We can change that. Oregon is blessed with a large amount of mountain ranges with a number of valuable resources, and the high potential for many more such. This is many ways to mine. If we state how we would prefer the mining to be done, and opened lands to bids from miners... They will come. They will provide jobs, auction money, and taxes from their existence. This is a WIN-WIN-WIN.

Oil is a needed resource. Did you know that using the United States Geology Service statistics on oil, natural gas, shale, and coal that you can discover the United States has more total resources than the rest of the worlds KNOWN reserves? Additionally did you know these reserves could supply the world at current rates for 200 years? Peak Oil has not even come near to happening with these discoveries.
We should allow responsible drilling for oil, and perhaps we can make a requirement that a certain amount goes directly to Oregon markets in-exchange for the rights to drill. Or we can do like Alaska and ask for a percentage of the profits to help run our Government.

And North Portland, a major transportation hub, a major industrial hub, a major warehousing hub... would reap the best of it all. I am talking high wage jobs making Chainsaws, Nets, Boats, Drills, Pipes, Trucks, and more. No minimum wage jobs these... This is a real chance for people to get away from poverty for GOOD.

This is my Jobs Bill, this is my means to get people out of Poverty, and this is my means to recover our Economy!

The Republican Party of Oregon came out with a 50,000 jobs plan (source). I would increase the amount of logging above what they propose to get another 5,000 additional jobs. Further Governor Walker in Wisconsin got 24,000 jobs via changing Union rules (source) (where I would say we would gain less due to our lower population numbers, and of course regional differences exist, so perhaps 10,000 jobs gained). Our plan did not look at oil (Oregon is sitting on a formation possibly as large as the Bakkan formation) which could net us 20,000 jobs (BLS figures for job growth in N. Dakota), nor did it cover mining (Oregon has a vast set of mountain ranges with a wide variety of resources available) which if we truly went for it could net 5,000 jobs, or even fishing which with indirect and direct labor should net another 5,000 jobs.

My fellow Oregonians this is already 95,000 jobs and my plan is not yet even completed! Lets add more jobs with the reduction of burdensome and unnecessary regulations, fix the zoning laws to meet the 21st Century, remove loop holes and then balance the corporate tax system to make it easier for new business to enter the State, promote tourism zones where businesses can grow near tourist locations and solicit increased tourism, and especially tackle the waste and fraud in our State which will make us more appealing to businesses in general.
So how do I come up with the jobs figure for North Portland?

Well North Portland is blessed with location, location, location! Add in a ready and willing labor pool, a University full of desiring students, and an existing heavy industrial base and you have a recipe for success! Our location means we are the hub for I-5, I-84, the Willamette River, the Columbia River, International Trade via the Pacific Ocean, and trade via the Portland Airport. This is one of the most highest potential logistical outcomes in the United States in one district. If our State grows then our district by default must grow with the State.

Our existing infrastructure is especially designed to handle such growth and we have room for more infrastructure as well. We have warehouses and distribution centers in very large numbers, as well as a large chemical and building material manufacturing base. Trust me that our district can sustain heavy growth and should do so if our State turns the leaf into a new direction.

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