Battle of the ‘.orgs’: Everyone wants jobs but no one wants to pay taxes. And the banks are sitting on cash reserves that could unleash a wave of recovery. Both John Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley promise employment but Dudley hasn’t got clue one how to run a state and Kitzhaber probably does know the way out but telling voters what has to be done would tank his campaign. Meanwhile, the Koch brother’s assorted ‘Astroturf ‘ .orgs are rolling in money, saturating the airwaves with quasi-populists messages financed with Wall street money. Republican Dudley wants a deep cut in Oregon's nation-leading capital gains tax rate, from 11 percent at the top end of the bracket to 3 percent. He argues it would be the quickest way to restore what he says is Oregon's bleak reputation among business owners. Democrat John Kitzhaber's top idea according to the Oregonian (that’s the key term here, ‘the Oregonian’, the mouthpiece of the Portland Business Alliance. And it would be interesting to source some of the money the PBA is pouring into Republican and ‘Independent’ war chests…) a large infusion of public dollars to improve energy efficiency in schools. Kitz says his plan would cut education costs, open up cave-like classrooms, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate badly needed construction jobs. But I can see why the Big O is somewhat conflicted: Here’s the Democrat; he’s a known quantity and he knows the territory And then there’s the Republican who’s got nothing to offer in the way of skills, experience or basic intelligence… Ahhh, but the ‘New Ideas’. The Dud brings a whole new interpretation to the phrase, ‘full-court ‘Press’; And we know who’s behind that IV drip…Right? Right?
- KBOO