The OFC Blank Check Report #1
My Fellow Oregonian,
“He who marches out of step hears a different drum.”
That line, from Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest set in an Oregon mental hospital, made me think about how politicians, bureaucrats, and people in and around government often hear a different drum beat than that of the people whom they ostensibly serve.
That’s why I’m introducing the OFC Blank Check Report. Each week OFC will highlight a bad policy decision, mistake, or embarrassment that happens in Oregon which demonstrates the blank check authority politicians and bureaucrats think they’ve been given. Those highlights–or rather lowlights–will come from all corners of Oregon at all levels of government. The idea is to highlight the absurdity of these policies, offer free market, limited government alternatives to them, and remind these folks they are accountable to the People.
And this week’s is a good one that highlights something I’m very passionate about: taxpayers having a voice on what they pay their government.
Residents in Phoenix, Oregon will be paying nearly three times as much for their parks after the Phoenix City Council voted to raise its park maintenance fee from $2 to $5.84. At face value, this may not seem too absurd as many parks and recreation departments charge small parking fees to help cover maintenance costs.
But Phoenix’s “fees” are not dependent on residents actually using the park. The so-called “fee” is actually tacked on to residents’ utility bills every month. In other words, residents might never go to a park, but they’ll pay $70.08 annually for them. That’s not a fee; that’s a tax!
I believe Oregonians should have a voice on any increases in government revenues that directly affect their pocketbooks. This includes a vote on tax increases, fee increases, bond issuances, and any other revenue raising measures that result in taxpayers paying more money for their government.
Politicians often claim they know what’s best for the people for whom they legislate. It’s rare that the People are ever actually given a voice on these matters. That’s because when given a voice on revenue increases, the lawmakers are usually embarrassed politically. Take the gas tax increase and referendum–which OFC led through No Tax Oregon–for example. Salem claimed they knew best, we gave taxpayers a voice, and Governor Kotek and her allies were embarrassed by 83% of Oregonians rejecting their knowledge of what’s best for Oregon.
They, as well as the Phoenix City Council, seem to march to a different drum.
God Bless,
Nick Stark
Chief Executive Officer
Oregon Freedom Coalition
P.S. If you have a policy blunder you’d like to share, visit OregonFreedom.com/blankcheck to tell us the story. We’ll look into it and might just have some commentary.