Executive Club Reminder!
7:00 pm • Wednesday February 7th • Airport Shilo Inn
OK, to read what follows just remember the basic facts:
Salem will pursue more and more taxes so they can hire
more and more people so they can explain that they need
more and more taxes in order to make sure we pay them
then pay them more and more! Get it? First, salaries. Then:
PERS... forever.
Now, on to the "short" 2018 session (and by "short"
we mean "ram through all the confiscatory taxes
possible with "minimal" -- OK, "no" -- debate).
Our speaker this month has been in the Salem swamp
for more than 20 years, most recently as a lobbyist.
He knows the money badgers have a big, juicy target
in mind this time, and are jazzed by their 101 win.
JL Wilson
JL sees one monster of special concern this session:
A "Carbon Tax", a euphemism for taxing all economic
activity because it touches transportation, personal life,
power, manufacturing, services...
everything.
Just another sales tax, buried in the cost of everything
we wear, eat, drive, live in. To start: an immediate
$0.16/gallon increase in gasoline. Overall, perhaps
$125 per month for Oregon families. $700 million a year.
Worse: once put in place, bureaucrats can increase it...
without a vote of the people.
And its stated, imaginary purpose? To fix the global
climate, even though Oregon only produces about
ONE THOUSANDTH of global emissions of CO2.
Even though there is no proof that CO2 is even responsible
for anything other than feeding plants.
Salem only sees joy when they contemplate a new tax.
They never understand the reality:
All taxes tax the poor,
because even the poor pay part when anyone is taxed.
Heartless. Destructive. Regressive. And all based on unsound
allegations about a molecule essential for all life on earth.
There's more budget stuff to be discussed, but isn't
this enough for you to join us Wednesday Night?
~ ~ ~
Portland Airport Shilo Inn ~~ 11707 Northeast Airport Way
Bring a friend! ~~ $20 select menu option ~~ no host bar
And of course, the cigar room, afterward
Next meeting after this: March 7th
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Submitting Followup Information
Executive Club passes on meeting followup information as a courtesy to our speakers and members. Any member or speaker may submit, by email, a simple update text presentation to be sent to the club mailing list, to give the membership to have more details, or just a recap of your platform presentation. To be considered for publication, please be sure to submit your update within 24 hours of the close of the meeting. Please don't include any pictures in your text, but links to web pages, or links to things stored elsewhere on the web -- .pdf files, Word documents, or even pictures -- are OK now. Formatting and inserted pictures will not be copied, just the text content, so please don't use 4 fonts and 6 colors to convey your thoughts: you will be disappointed. Look at a previous followup email, or the bottom of most of the invitation emails, to see how they are presented. The simpler and cleaner your text, the more likely it will appear exactly the same in the email we send out. Each update must also indicate the author's name and contact information -- either a phone number, email address, or website with contact information. We reserve the right to edit for brevity, or reject, any submission.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Timely Information and Events
Details of all Cascade events and publications are available at
http://cascadepolicy.org/ and you can sign up for Cascade's free weekly Courier email list
here.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Freedom Foundation is a regional think and action tank dedicated to removing government unions influence on the political cycle.
January was a great month for us at the Freedom Foundation, we filed our largest lawsuit in Oregon against SEIU 503 with 14 plaintiffs. The merits of the lawsuit were based on SEIU 503 not recognizing people's rights to opt out and cease paying union dues. Defendants in the lawsuit included the SEIU leaders personally, as well as Gov. Kate Brown for her role in this scheme. Details can be read here.
We also uncovered the numbers behind SEIU 503's books in 2017. Most notably seven of their staff were bringing in over 6-figure salaries, and their highest paid staff member? Their political director Melissa Unger (sister of Our Oregon's Exec. director). More proof that SEIU is in fact more of a political operation than anything else. Last year we also saw $4 million spent directly into politics in Oregon from the union dues they collect. As well as the $7.3 million they send to the national union for their political agenda. When they talk about organizations taking money and spending it outside this State, they should look in the mirror first. Our full report can be read here.
Removing these funds from the political cycle is our only focus at the Freedom Foundation, Oregon cannot seek change with government unions funding "the labor" movement to this extent. 2018 is going to contain huge losses to theses unions in Oregon, and if you think they're not scared read this article outlining our battle and watch out for their skewed cited numbers.
Aaron Withe, Oregon Director of
Freedom Foundation (.com)
awithe@freedomfoundation.com; 503-951-6208; PO Box 18146, Salem, OR 97305
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
