Oregon doesn’t have a money problem. Oregon has a tax problem. Stop asking working class people to continue to dig into our empty wallets to fund public education when the state refuses to tax those who have the money.
According to Kiplinger.com, there are 89,383 millionaire households and two billionaire households in Oregon. The tax rate for someone making more than $125,000 a year is 9.9 percent. Someone making $8,700 or more pays a 9-percent tax rate. Someone making $3,450 or more pays a 7-percent tax rate.
And imagine making less than $3,450 a year and paying just 4.9 percent less than someone making well over $100,000 a year. I’m not anti-taxes. I’m pro-justice!
I find it highly offensive that people who are barely making ends meet — paying high rents, utilities, transportation, with the cost of food going up and being unable to save because of low wages — should be made to feel guilty about not supporting a levy because we are the working poor.
What if we tax the rich appropriately, so our schools, teachers and students thrive? I’m not anti-education; I just believe that we deserve progressive taxation, and for those who have more to participate in the community with the rest of us.
Don’t like it? Please take your money and leave. Until we get justice, I won’t continue taxing myself to death. No to 4J Levy.
Suzanne Sanders
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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