The Oregon Catalyst is one of the best political blog/news sites covering Oregon. Yesterday it reprinted a recent Bend Bulletin editorial lamenting the lies told by Democrats about Measures 66 & 67, which dramatically increased taxes on individuals and businesses in the middle of a recession. Not surprisingly, the tax increases actually produced negative revenue, blasting an almost $600 million hole in the current budget which runs through June of 2011.

Here's my comment on the blog to that editorial:

Many, many lies were told - in the Voters Pamphlet and elsewhere - by Governor Kulongoski, Speaker Dave Hunt, Senate President Courtney and those who ran the Yes campaign for Measures 66 and 67. Oregonians seem vulnerable to lies about how "additional funding" will be used to "help the schools" when in fact neither Measure designated even a single dime to K-12 education and of course actually produced less funding rather than more. Since both Measures were retroactive to the beginning of calendar year 2009, it's particularly shocking that they not only failed to produce the extra $750 million that was promised, but resulted in a $1.3 billion reduction in expected revenue.

"The Rich" have a distressing propensity to take their ball and go home when taxes get too high. And who can blame them? I don't purposefully seek out the most expensive products money can buy - especially if I know the quality [is] poor - and there's no reason for people to purposefully live in a state that's trying to be the most expensive. This drain on State revenue was expected and warned about repeatedly during the campaign and is only going to get worse. Current projections are for large State budget shortfalls for years to come. All these folks that Democrats hate so much (but want to tax so badly) are never coming back. They will establish new lives elsewhere - perhaps in one of several states with no personal income tax at all - and their fellow citizens there will gain the benefit of having them in their society.

Oregon is now following the path Detroit started down a couple of decades ago. In 10 years, we may look as Detroit does now, bulldozing thousands of homes that have stood vacant for years. Perhaps not the desired "open space" initiative, but hey - things look different here.