Oregon AJC announces positions on ballot measures

By JEWISH REVIEW

article created on: 2008-10-15T00:00:00

The Oregon Area Jewish Committee board, meeting last month, has formally taken stands on several measures on the November ballot.
 
On statewide ballot measures the group took the following positions:
 
Measure 56: The OAJC urges a yes vote on Measure 56, which would amend the Oregon Constitution to provide that May and November property tax elections be decided by a majority of voters voting in each of those elections.

“By eliminating the ‘double majority’ this measure will give more power to those who vote, rather than giving power to those who do not exercise that right,” said the OAJC announcement. “Passage of this measure will also allow greater opportunity for new sources of revenue to go toward improvements in education and social services.”
 
Measure 57: The OAJC recommended a yes vote on this measure that would increase sentences for drug trafficking, theft against elderly and specified repeat property and identity theft crimes and would require addiction treatment for certain offenders. “Measure 57 was put on the ballot by the Legislature to combat the financially disastrous consequences of the passage of Measure 61. Measure 57 is far less costly than 61, plus it provides from addiction treatment, which is a proven preventative option against drug-related crimes,” said the OAJC announcement.
 
Measure 58: Vote no, said the OAJC on this measure that would prohibit teaching public school students in language other than English for more than two years. “This measure essentially attempts to discriminate against certain students, resulting in alienation, poor academic performance and higher possibility for dropping out,” said the OAJC, which described the measure as “inherently discriminatory against non English-speaking children.”
 
Measure 59: The OAJC called for a no vote on this measure that would create an unlimited deduction for federal income taxes on individual taxpayers’ Oregon income tax returns.”Measure 59 is a piecemeal and complicated way to deal with an already complicated and badly working state tax structure. OAJC board members felt that rather than mandating this particular specifictax reform, a comprehensive and more workable tax reform package should be where the state focuses its energy,” said the OAJC. “Measure 59 will reduce funding for important state programs, including education.”
 
Measure 60: The local Jewish Committee also recommended a no vote on mandating that teacher pay raised be tied to teacher classroom performance and not to seniority. “This measure is poorly constructed and likely to prove counter-productive. Instead of allowing public schools to retain the most qualified teachers, this measure is likely to drive many good teachers out of the public schools, especially teachers serving in schools serving low- and middle income Oregonians,” said the OAJC announcement. “We believe moving toward a performance-based system in a way that undermines teacher job security and increases competition rather than collaboration among teachers will lead to a loss of qualified teachers from the public schools.”
 
Measure 61: The OAJC urged a no vote on this measure that would create mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain theft, identity theft, forgery, drug, and burglary offenses. (See Measure 57 above)
 
Measure 62: A no vote also was urged for this measure that would amend the Oregon Constitution: to allocate 15 percent of lottery proceeds to a public safety fund for crime prevention, investigation and prosecution.
 
“By dedicating 15 percent of lottery funding to crime programs—despite recent funding increases for state police—this measure would significantly reduce funding available for education, economic development and natural resource programs,” said the OAJC.”This is a shell game that creates no new revenues for badly under-funded programs, but simply writes into the state constitution a permanent preference for funding for law enforcement over funding for education, economic development and environmental preservation.”
 
Visit the OAJC’s Web site at www.oajconline.org to read further details of the group’s recommendations on statewide and local ballot measures.