Anna Burger's Campaign Notebook: TABOR

Posted October 26, 2006

Yesterday I was in Portland, Oregon where I had the chance to talk with state employees in their workplace about Oregon's upcoming election. They told me about their efforts to re-elect Governor Ted Kulongoski and to get out the vote for other pro-worker candidates, but I also heard how they are pulling out all the stops to defeat Measure 48, or TABOR, the so-called Tax Payer's Bill of Rights.
 
There is nothing right about TABOR -- if enacted, it would slash funding for the vital services the state needs like education, health care and infrastructure. It could eliminate billions of dollars from the budget that improves Oregon's schools, ensure quality patient care and emergency response services, and maintain safe roads and highways.

That's why groups and advocates normally in opposition to one another have come together in an unusually broad coalition to fight the measure, including business, consumer and real estate developers; teachers, law enforcement officers, nurses and librarians, clergy and religious organizations. Elected officials from both sides of the political aisle have come out against Measure 48, and even Gov. Kulongoski's Republican opponent agrees TABOR would be a death sentence for the state's most vulnerable: seniors and children. 
 
The state workers, who take pride in delivering reliable public services, cited Colorado's failed TABOR experiment for proof. Dire statistics on how TABOR eroded access to prenatal care for pregnant women, how it decimated the public K-12 school system, and how the share of low-income children lacking health insurance has doubled. 
 
Thankfully, Coloradoans voted to repeal it last year. That's why we need to stand with these public employees who are working day and night to stop the special interests behind Oregon's Measure 48 and the TABOR ballot proposals in 3 other states in their tracks.

And let me be clear, this is not just an issue for public employees.  TABOR affects all working people, and that's why Change to Win as a federation of unions is opposing it.

This growing movement is a testament to the power we can have as a community when we come together in defense of the common good.  For more information about the movement to defeat Measure 48 in Oregon and get involved, see: www.defendoregon.org 
 
Below are links to websites working to defeat TABOR amendments in other states:

Anna Burger is the Chair of Change to Win.  This entry is part of Anna's 2006 Campaign Notebook.  Return to the Campaign Notebook home page for more information, or to read other entries.