Chuck Sheketoff of the Oregon Center for Public Policy talks about Ballot Measures 66 and 67

Hi Joe... I'm a longtime listener and sometime caller, and a proud member of KBOO.Good show the other day with Chuck, and I have to say that it made me realize just how little most of us really do not understand the ins and outs of economics in general. With that, I think that these 2 tax measures are so critical to what is happening overall, not just to Oregon but to the country in general and the world as a whole, that I feel that it is important enough to keep this issue alive on your show up to the vote in January. Why? Because the public has been fleeced for so long that the real message needs to be put across to people. And that 'message' could be heard on your show through the divisive debates that it created.The emotion that it generated was a strong sign alone. What I realized was that there were instances where the arguments were between the people on air, not with the people who are always wanting to continually 'tax' the public by having us subsidize what they are not willing to pay their fair share for. This is exactly what the opposition wants. And what is happening here locally is happening in every jurisdiction in every state. It is yet another form of Shock Therapy and it is totally unsustainable and inequitable.I have to say: I think the second caller you had on the line Tuesday, the guy who was supposedly self-employed and upset about having his fees raised, as well as strangely irrational when it came to his image as "rich" just because he could afford to pay the fee hike, was a 'plant' by the very folks who oppose these tax measures. Think about it: no matter how much Chuck laid it out in plain english, he resisted the logic and no matter what he felt he was already charged too much whether taxes or fees. And he called himself a "Progressive" and kept the issue emotional and drawn-out. He 'presented' the arguments that are the very arguments the opposition has to these measures...and presented the image the opposition says they are supposedly supporting: the average small business, blue-collar Joe. I could be wrong yet my 'blink' tells me not. This is the kind of not-so-subtle deception that is used to sway votes and minds, especially against those they despise the most, you know, like those of us on KBOO!