On this day, May 21, 2001, in Seattle, Wa., members of the Earth Liberation Front torched the Univ. of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture causing about $6 million in damage. An Oregon tree farm owned by Jefferson Poplar Farms was also burned. four people were later convicted of taking part in the firebombing. One later committed suicide in prison.
Also on this day, May 21, 2002, The George W. Bush administration said it will allow new mining to resume on nearly one million acres of the Siskiyou region.
Also on this day, May 21, 2006, demolition crews destroyed the 499-foot cooling tower of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. Demolition of the containment dome was scheduled in 2008.
Also on this day, May 21, 1998, 15 year-old Kipland Kinkel killed one classmate and wounded 19 more at Thurston High School. His parents, William and Faith, were found shot dead at home and a 2nd student died the next day. He had been expelled from school the previous day for bringing a gun to school. Kinkel dropped an insanity plea in 1999 and pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and 26 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced over 111 years in prison.
Oregonians will continue to pay more for basics
Amid runaway inflation, Oregon Democrats are bringing multiple spending
packages out of Ways and Means, and the Senate Republicans voted to cut
taxes on prescription drugs and items necessary for Oregon families.
Senator Lynn Findley (R-Vale) made a motion to withdraw
SB 1507 from
the Finance & Revenue Committee, where the bill has been blocked by
majority Democrats this session.
The bill would exempt prescription
drugs, diapers, baby formula, and feminine hygiene products from the
corporate activities tax. Democrats don't seem to want that to happen.
The effort was blocked by Democrats along a party-line vote, 8-16.
Senator Rachel Armitage​ (D-Scappoose), Senator Michael Dembrow (D-Portland), Senator Lew Frederick (D-Portland), Senator Sara Gelser Blouin (D-Corvallis), Senator Jeff Golden (D-Ashland), Senator Chris Gorsek (D-Portland), Senator Kayse Jama (D-Portland), Senator Akasha Lawrence Spence (D-Portland), Senator Kate Lieber (D-Beaverton), Senator James I. Manning Jr. (D-Eugene), Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem), Senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene), Representative Janeen Sollman (D-Hillsboro), Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward (D-Portland), Senator Kathleen Taylor (D-Portland), and Senator Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) all voted no to this exemption that would lead to lower prices for Oregonians. Observers say that the Democrats may want to retain this revenue in order to fund pet projects.
They instead are moving forward a more narrow provision in
SB 1524 that
would reaffirm taxes on most Oregonians’ prescription drugs, by only
exempting those with nine or fewer locations.
“Most Oregonians don’t realize we have a sales tax here in Oregon,â€
Senator Findley said. “They don’t think they are paying a sales tax when
they buy their prescriptions, diapers, or baby formula. Make no
mistake, the hidden sales tax of 2019 is costing Oregonians more and
putting pharmacies out of business.
“Some will pat themselves on the back for voting for SB 1524 which
picked only select pharmacies to exempt from these taxes. It doesn’t go
far enough and reaffirms taxes on the majority of Oregonians'
prescription drugs. I don’t want anyone paying taxes on these items. We need to make health care more affordable and accessible, and SB 1507 would have been a more comprehensive approach to accomplish
that goal.â€
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Provisions within SB 1524 would not have saved Bi-Mart pharmacies
from closing. Nor will it reduce the cost of prescriptions purchased at
Walgreens, Walmart, or another main supplier.
Without the passage of
SB 1507, Oregonians will continue to pay more for basic necessities.
--Donna Bleiler| Post Date: 2022-02-27 09:24:35 | Last Update: 2022-02-27 15:19:25 |
