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Oregon voters face important revenue measures on January ballot

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Oregon Special Election January 2010

Note - Dec. 23, 2009: Since the original posting on December 17th we've gotten feedback that the original message was either 1) too much (or not enough) to the 'Vote Yes' side, or 2) not strong enough in telling you what the potential impacts are of lost revenue. It is a great reminder of what happens during campaigns - there is one side or another, no in-betweens. We are not building a short-term campaign, we are building a movement. And since one of our values is transparency, this blog posting continues to evolve with input from members of our Community Leadership Council.

Our goal is to have more people every day who become informed, understand the issues at hand, learn about the impacts of their decisions and then take action - like voting. This is what we mean by a 'new space for civic engagement.' If you already know how you are going to vote on January 26th, this post may not help you. But if you, like the majority of Oregonians, don't know what the debate is about, then some of the links may be helpful. We are not going to tell you how to vote, but we are going to encourage you to get informed and involved.

We would never tell you that all Archimedes Movement members agree on the detailed steps along the way to a new system. But what we do agree on is that our new system should be guided by a set of principles and follow the objectives of the Triple Aim - improved health of the population; lower per capita costs and a better experience as we maneuver through the system. We know this will take time to achieve, but if we lose sight of where we're going it's easy to stray, and the current debate in DC is a great example of what can happen when you lose sight of your goal. We don't want to follow their path, we want to lead. Liz

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The community leaders of the Archimedes Movement encourage all eligible voters to vote in the upcoming Special Election on January 26th, 2010. 

Voters are being asked to affirm two pieces of legislation that were passed by the 2009 Oregon Legislature. These measures were not referred to the voters by the legislature; in this case, the legislation was passed into law by the legislature, then after they were passed signatures were gathered to place them on the ballot. 

Get Information About the Ballot Measures

Passage of these measures would provide revenue to support public programs, revenue that was approved by the legislature as part of the 2009-2011 budget. The additional revenue was needed to support the level of services approved in the budget. Many Oregonians don't realize that about 90% of the state's general fund budget goes to fund education, public safety, and health care services, so when revenue falls short there is not a lot of flexibility when it comes to decisions about use of scarce general fund dollars. 

We know that each day more Americans are at risk of losing their access to health care. Maybe it's because they can't afford health insurance; or because their employer no longer offers affordable insurance; or it may be that they work full time for an employer who doesn't offer health coverage, or that their position got eliminated due to budget cuts. This happens in private companies and it happens in public programs.

Everyone has a unique story, but the most important part to remember in this special election is that we all know someone who is hurting. The Archimedes Movement has a set of principles (that thousands of Oregonians took part in writing) that we believe shape the design of a new health system, and can help you evaluate options put before you and be guidelines for design of our future system.

We are all in this together - people of different incomes, rural and urban, employed and not, employers and the public infrastructure. It's hard work to hold to a set of principles, but we recommend that you review them as you make your decision on this special election. 

The non-partisan website Ballotpedia has a thorough explanation of the two ballot measures. Please take a few minutes and read their material. It gives you information about the measures, what passage of the measures will do and also who is supporting either side of the campaign.

We Are At the Beginning, Not the End of this Debate

These measures alone won't improve the health, education or safety of Oregonians, or lower the cost of those services. Those changes, as you can imagine, require a much longer and broader conversation, but there will be steps along the way that will determine if we keep moving forward. These measures may influence how implementation of health reform in Oregon moves forward (and remember, we've already passed significant reform legislation) and at what pace. 

While our mission is to create a new space for civic engagement, we started with the crisis in the U.S. health care system - and started here in Oregon - because Oregonians still gather, discuss and debate complex problems that don't have easy solutions. We have a lot of work to do, but we believe we can make things better. 

You, the Voter

We are not naive. We know that sometimes, stopgap measures are required to bridge hard times until we find a better way to do things. The responsibility is ours and yours – to learn about the impact of the measures, and find your own words to describe the impact of your Yes vote or your No vote. We are asking you to go beyond the rhetoric of the sound bites, and along with the campaign materials learn for yourself what is at stake. Not only do these measures have an impact on the taxes that some of us will pay or not pay, the measures impact general fund resources available for Oregon's public schools, public safety and health services. 

Learn and Engage

Here at the Archimedes Movement we encourage you to get involved with the conversation. Start by becoming an informed voter, and then, by all means, vote. Here are some more ways to get informed: 

  • Be on the lookout for forums and gatherings about the measures as they happen in your community. They started a few weeks ago and are continuing until the election. Go and don't be afraid to ask your questions.

And once the election is over, keep learning. The budget issues that face Oregon won't be solved simply in this election. We have a lot of work to do and the Archimedes Movement is the place where you can continue to learn, and then take action based on what you've learned, raising your voice to help shape decisions in Oregon. Policy makers and politicians can't make Oregon better without you. Get involved. Learn. Vote. Join the Archimedes Movement.

And Don't Forget - 

For every Oregonian who knows there is a special election in January 2010 there are many who don't even know it's happening. Please forward this email to people you know. You don't have to tell them how to vote, but letting them know how they can find information is an action step you can take on. Remember, every vote counts in this important election and the Archimedes Movement is a place to come together, learn and then impact change.

Published on: 
Sat, 12/19/2009