We are a proud supporter of Measure 97 because we know that critical services for families are underfunded.
Simply put: Oregon’s revenue system is inadequate. It’s overly reliant on income and property taxes – paid by individuals – yet Oregon ranks dead last in the overall amount of taxes paid by corporations.. Here’s why we believe you should vote YES on Measure 97:
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Unfortunately because of a lack of investment in early education and child care programs, too few Oregon kids have access to high-quality and educationally-enriching care. We need to invest heavily in more high-quality child care, summer care, after-care and early education programs to ensure all families can afford and access the care they need to thrive.
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Our school year is one of the shortest in the country. That puts more stress on working parents as they try to patch together the care their kids need when the kids are out of school. This is on top of crowded classrooms – we have the 3rd largest class sizes, too little instructional time,, the 4th lowest graduation rates, and other challenges our kids face because of chronic underinvestment in our schools. Care services for seniors are unaffordable and out of reach for too many Oregon families. These care services make it possible for some Oregonians to have choices about where and how to live, affording seniors real choices to age with dignity. Without these supports family members need to make big financial sacrifices or leave employment to make sure their aging family member is receiving the care they need. The state needs to make larger investments here, making home care and other senior care services more affordable for more families.
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1 out of every 14 Oregonians lack health insurance coverage that would provide them with essential preventative and other medical services due to a variety of exclusions. Others lack meaningful health care access because they can only afford limited, high-deductible plans. We need to invest more state dollars to make sure more Oregonians can access health care.
It’s time for large and out-of-state corporations to pay their fair share. They benefit from doing business in our communities, and it’s time they invest in helping us to strengthen them.
To learn more about why you should vote YES on Measure 97, visit the campaign website here.
Measure 97 presents a once in a generation opportunity to change Oregon for the better. Our time to act is NOW.