There needs to be sensible decisions made about our economy.
We need access to jobs. We need a healthy economy. With the ongoing budget cuts and the lack of corporate accountability, our priority is to make sure that Portlanders have the financial security they need. The People pay the taxes that keep this city moving. They should have a say in how much of the budget goes into creating jobs, localized in our area. Education needs to be affordable AND usable.
According to the federal poverty guideline, even with the recent minimum wage increases in Oregon, Portland’s full-time minimum wage employees still live under the national poverty line. In our society, economic inequality is becoming wider than it has been in decades. Portland should join the effort of cities such as San Francisco and New York City in increasing its city-wide minimum wage. The business industry tends to claim that minimum wage increases hurt the economy, although their bias is pretty evident. Statistics show that consumer demand creates jobs and stimulates our economy, while an increase of wealth and savings leads to less and less involvement with the public interest. Portland should also create a Citizen’s Commerce Commission which can review appeals from local, small business owners and make recommendations about which companies require tax relief in order to have their business thrive.
In Portland, increases on property tax are higher than the average income increases every year. This has led to home foreclosures and less gains from property tax, which has created a crisis in our funding for public schools and other vital services. Portland should explore the effectiveness of progressive taxes on corporations and the astronomically wealthy. Analysts have proven that claims from multi-millionaires like Warren Buffet, that many don’t pay their fair share of taxes. In a region where we understand the beauty and value of a human life, Portland should be more interested in supporting the People, and less about investing into individual wealth.
We need to evaluate how the city can manage its spending so that it benefits the People better. There needs to be more safety protocols to prevent politicians from misusing the budget for pet projects that hurt our taxpayers and are a barrier to economic progress.
Portland needs to attract more green jobs into the area. We need to emphasize building real relationships with environmentally sound companies that are dedicated to investing in Oregon, not to outsourcing labor and products.
Increasing competition inside the business sector does not equate to creating jobs. The People need more guarantees than just political jargon, reduced licensing fees and tax breaks are a gamble which make no promises to repair our suffering economic environment. Competition for profits are fierce, and Portlanders are having a hard enough time finding start-up income for business, and adding debt to our society would be a big mistake for Portland.
America has seen an economic crisis due to our emphasis on a service economy. We have outsourced the production efforts that once made our nation prosperous and beautiful. Our emphasis needs to be on bringing innovative factories back into our city.
Let’s ask ourselves some pivotal questions. Why do we get our children’s textbooks shipped in from Texas? Why are we supporting polluting plastic industries, instead of creating more biodegradable alternatives? We can increase manufacturing efforts like these to provide good, conscious jobs for Portlanders.
We must educate Portlanders to Buy Local, and give them to opportunity to Work Local. Portland will see real job creation if I am in office.
Program, Truly Reforming Law Enforcement is attached to the nations only law,
Oregon Senate Bill 111 Police Use Of Deadly Physical Force mandated to be in
full force July 1, 2008.
Please Google:
Program, Truly Reforming Law Enforcement
Rise In Police Brutality USA TODAY Dec. 18, 2007
Jerry Atlansky Oregon Senate Hearing Bill 111 Police Use of Deadly Physical Force
Future success,
Jerry Atlansky, Founder/Chairperson
United States Police/Oregon State Police-
Independent Citizens Review Board
Portland, Oregon 97213
[email protected]