Look at what WE
DID!
While we're still waiting for all final numbers to be released for
county by county turnout and voting results, let's look back at some of
the things we did collectively: All 60 local member groups of the ROP
reached out, talked to neighbors, engaged voters, and advanced the
movement for justice and democracy in small town Oregon through the 2006
Election cycle. A small snapshot of what we did includes:
* 42,500 STAND Voter Guides distributed to small town Oregon
* Voter guides distributed in all 36 of Oregon's counties (can
any other group claim that!)
* 30 Small Town listserves emailed out the voter guide
* Countless doors knocked on, ballot parties, small town
Oregonians reached by human dignity groups
* Countless
Co$t of War events including Eyes Wide Open visiting 13 communities,
vigils in nearly every count, letters to the editor in every district,
and more to keep the Co$t of War message loud during the election
There is so much
more! Tell us your stories on just what you and your human dignity group
did this election cycle.
What's Next?
Tell us your stories!
Here at the ROP we are
collecting stories of what each group and each person did this election
cycle. What worked? What didn't? What do you want to incorporated into
your 2008 election work, and what do you hope to avoid next time
around. Email marcy@rop.org with your election stories... from human
dignity work, to party work, to Move On and other groups, we want to
hear just what you learned in the 2006 election cycle.
Celebrate and Reflect with your
progressive community.
How is
your human dignity group planning to celebrate these election results?
It has been a while since we have been so reassured that all is not lost
in our democracy. While there is much to be done it sure feels a little
more hopeful when you see the voters speak and get heard.
Now Democratic
Party leadership is in control of both houses of Congress and both the
Oregon House and Senate. Wow. But are we ready for this?
We probably feel pretty clear that we know what we want (after all, ROP
has a platform that describes that) but do we know how to get it? This
is not exactly the strategy we have been focused on.
One human dignity group has already decided to
open up there next Leadership Team meeting to a broader pool of
community progressives and to make the agenda a time to reflect and
analyze what has just happened in the elections and how the group can
effect the new situation. Nothing
needs to get set in stone at this next meeting. But we do need to
create some time to reflect on the shifts that have happened. And it
can even happen as a celebratory party.
However you do it, do set aside the time and please
share those reflections as you summarize them.
Between now and when the Oregon Legislature and
Congress reconvenes in January it makes sense to orient our new
representatives to our platforms. You can set up a coffee date to
orient the person to your group.
As your group gathers to reflect, remember that
the November ROP KTA uses the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a
frame to hold up a local person who serves as an inspiration. You can
access materials including a camera ready certificate by going to
http://www.rop.org/ThisMonth.htm -
this is a good tactic for keeping positive modeling in public view.
Let's celebrate a local person who helped
invigorate the notion of a common
good in your town! Now is a very wonderful time to advance a positive
vision and mood!
Contact the ROP
today if you would like one of us to be a part of your election debrief
and celebration.
The View Out
West: 2006 Election Analysis in the Western States
ttp://www.westernstatescenter.org/2006electionanalysis.pdf
Have you said "Thank
You" to your neighbor?
CLICK HERE
|
#
|
Ballot Title &
Summary |
Rebuilds
America? |
Advances
Democracy? |
Who is
Behind It? |
|
39 |
GOVERNMENT CAN'T STEAL MY PROPERTY AND GIVE IT TO
A DEVELOPER ACT
Objective:
To prohibit public body from condemning private real property if
intends to convey to private party |
NO
Don’t be fooled by the catchy title. Would continue to erode
Oregon's land-use planning laws.
Still
permits condemnation; only
makes it
more expensive and complicated. Could
cost taxpayers $16-30 million a year.
Developers
win; taxpayers and local governments lose. |
NO
Added expenses allow
property owners to extract more from taxpayers. Another Measure
37, which has seriously hampered public services. Measure 39
was drafted to further the same people’s anti-government agenda
that undermines the common good. |
It is part of a multi-state agenda by Americans for Limited
Government, promoted locally by Oregonians in Action.
Sponsor: Ross Day, David Hunnicutt |
|
40 |
DISTRICTING OF JUDGES
Objective:
To amend Constitution to require Oregon Supreme Court and Court
of Appeals judges to be elected by district. Also lowers the
threshold to recall judges, making it easier. |
NO
Justice is
universal, not geographical. Because the loyalty of a judge is
to the law and justice, judges should be elected on their merit,
not their address. This measure needlessly politicizes the
judicial branch that must serve all Oregonians. |
NO
Our judicial
system works well, and our current election process preserves
judicial independence critical to democracy.
Judges are
not politicians and we should not amend our Constitution to
elect them like politicians. |
Money
comes from anti-land use, anti-government groups. Two of these
got $100,000 each from Loren Parks.
Sponsor:
FreedomWorks, Bobos, Russ Walker. |
|
41 |
GUARANTEES SAME DEDUCTIONS AS ON FEDERAL RETURN
Objective: To change state tax code to allow federal exemptions
deduction to substitute for state exemption credit. |
NO
Would cut state
general fund by $800 million in 2007-2009 budget. Effectively
retroactive. Will cut $151 million from already allocated
budgets for 2007. Nicknamed “Sizemore’s Tax Scam.” |
NO
Would reduce
lawmaker accountability to fund Oregon’s priorities. No amount
of citizen engagement could restore the cuts. |
Written by
Bill Sizemore, sponsored by FreedomWorks, funded by Loren Parks
from Nevada. |
|
42 |
BAN ON DISCRIMINATION IN INSURANCE
Objective:
To prohibit insurance companies from using credit score or
"credit worthiness" in calculating rates or premiums. |
U DECIDE
Research has not
revealed that this measure itself will harm the public good.
However, there is wariness about any measure by a sponsor with a
history of using anti-worker, anti-tax and self-promoting
initiatives to further his own career. |
U DECIDE
This initiative’s
sponsor faces labor and election fraud challenges for how he
gathered signatures for this initiative.
|
Funded by Loren Parks
with out of state dollars funneled through local sources.
Sponsor: Bill Sizemore. |
|
43 |
PARENTAL NOTIFICATION FOR MINORS SEEKING ABORTION
WITH JUDICIAL BYPASS
Objective: To require 48-hour notice to unemancipated
minor's parent before providing abortion; to authorize lawsuits,
physician discipline |
NO
Good family
communication cannot be mandated by government.
Judicial
bypass sounds good on paper, but history shows it doesn’t work
in the real world. Vulnerable teens need a trusted counselor and
good medical care, not a judge. |
NO
Undermines Roe Vs.
Wade without providing any benefits. State laws mandating
parental notification and consent do not reduce abortion rates
and often cause unintended harmful consequences. |
Dollars
tracked to Oregon sources. Sponsor: Oregon Right to Life.
|
|
44 |
EXPAND SCOPE OF OREGON PRESCRIPTION DRUG BULK
PURCHASING PROGRAM
Objective:
To allow any Oregon resident without prescription drug coverage
to participate in Oregon Prescription Drug Program. |
YES
Removes unfair
economic barriers to life-saving medication. Gives 1 million
needy Oregonians access to the Program and saves them up to 60%
on needed medicines. A step towards health care equity
and away from corporatization of our health care system. |
YES
Empowers Oregon
to do what the Feds should have done with Medicare: negotiating
with the RX companies for best price. Creates a model for other
states and gives us something positive to vote FOR.
|
66% Oregon
funds, out of state AARP funding. Sponsor: Bill Morrisette,
Springfield, OR and Gerald Cohen, Lake Oswego, OR |
|
45 |
REINSTATE LEGISLATIVE TERM LIMITS
Objective:
To amend Constitution to limit state legislators: six years as
representative, eight years as senator, fourteen years in
legislature. |
NO
We don’t need to
change the Constitution to change bad politicians. This is the
wrong solution to our problems.
Elections
let us change leadership when we want to; this measure forces us
to lose good leaders even when we don’t want to. |
NO
Restricts our
right to decide who represents us. Only voters should decide
when a politician’s time is up. Elections are the only term
limits we need. |
Funded
entirely by out of state dollars.
Sponsor:
Theodore Berthelote and U.S. Term Limits |
|
46 |
OR POLITICAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Objective:
To amend Constitution to allow laws regulating election
contributions, expenditures adopted by initiative or 3/4 of both
Legislative Houses. |
NO
Would weaken the
free expression provision in the Oregon Constitution’s Bill of
Rights. Currently being challenged in Oregon Supreme Court for
violating the single-subject requirement. |
NO
This constitutional
amendment is too open-ended and could have unintended
consequences on the ability of individuals and groups to
advocate for candidates or ballot measures. |
Oregon
funding w/66% from two people (Lonsdale/Hazell) FairElections
Oregon |
|
47 |
OR POLITICAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM ACT
Objective: To revise campaign finance laws; to limit or prohibit
contributions and expenditures; to add disclosure, new reporting
requirements. |
YES
Sends message to
legislature and others that Oregonians want campaign finance
reform.
This may
require a reform strategy other than just mandatory contribution
limits. |
YES
Language supports
core notion that democracy should create a level playing field.
However, won’t be able to become law without change in
constitution (#46), which we oppose. |
Oregon
funding w/ 66% from two people (Lonsdale/Hazell) Sponsor:
FairElections Oregon |
|
48 |
CONSTITUTIONAL STATE SPENDING LIMIT
also
known as TABOR
Objective:
To amend Constitution to limit biennial percentage increase in
state spending to percentage increase in state population, plus
inflation. |
NO
Flawed formula
forces huge, arbitrary spending cuts. Unintended consequences
could include the measure being retroactive, cutting more than
$2 billion from the budget in 2005-2007 and $4.9 billion in
2007-2009. In Colorado, a similar measure forced the state’s
education, health care, public safety, and transportation
systems into such deep decline that Coloradans voted to suspend
it. |
NO
Ties our
hands and limits flexibility of future legislatures and citizen
initiatives to address problems with increased revenue when
needed. Funding restrictions would also threaten civic basics
that foster participation in democracy. |
Part of an
11-state agenda. Funded by out-of-state special interests with
85% of funding for the measure came from New York developer,
Howard Rich. Sponsor: Don McIntire, Greg Howe (Taxpayer
Association of Oregon)
|
