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Posted on 07/13/2008 4:46:42 PM PDT by george76
Is it possible that one of Oregon's 36 counties could disappear? And if so, would anyone step in to provide basic services to its residents?
The answer to the first question, according to many in and out of government, is yes, and soon. At least two Oregon counties, Curry and Josephine, warn they may stop providing state-mandated programs as soon as a year from now.
But no one is sure who would step in to take over services such as elections and law enforcement, which has county leaders concerned and the state scrambling to put together a system for saving counties in crisis.
How did Oregon arrive at a point where the dissolution of one or more of its counties is being contemplated and planned?
The problem is tied to the state's wealth of federal forests. For more than a century the federal government shared timber receipts with local governments, which rely in large part on property taxes to pay for services.
Federal land is exempt from local property taxes.
Following the decline of public lands logging in the 1990s, Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, which expired in 2007...
But some counties will fare far worse than others.
Many counties have already eliminated jobs or shut libraries ...
(Excerpt) Read more at oregonlive.com ...
I'm sure they'll get everything they pay for. You know, government off my back, fine country living, etc.
There are several counties in CO with populations well under 1,000. Kind of makes you wonder how they keep things going. Much of an infrastructure and the whole population would be working for the county.
It is tough when the Federal government owns 99 percent of the land, bans all commercial activities, and then pays no property county taxes.
When I was a young man Oregon was a great state of loggers, fishermen, and a great tourist industry. I guess too many Southern Californians have moved up there because they have turned into a Marxist liberal, far left state and it’s hard for some like me to even care what happens to them now. The same could be said about Washington state. I live in Hawaii and it along with the whole west (left) coast has literally gone to hell. Obama may just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
What has long boggled my mind is the huge number of counties in Texas. Surely some unification could lead to tax reductions.
Don’t think that would work. My understanding is that Texans, unlike just about anybody else in the country, are “patriotic” about their county.
**How did Oregon arrive at a point where the dissolution of one or more of its counties is being contemplated and planned?**
Dimocrats including kulongoski.
Texas counties are actually a good deal bigger, like most things in TX, than those farther east. They average something like 1000 sq. miles, about twice that of a MO county, for example.
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Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Oregon Ping List.
“It is tough when the Federal government owns 99 percent of the land, bans all commercial activities, and then pays no property county taxes.”
You forgot “and takes 30% of the income generated in the county for income taxes, as well.”
This will never fly! The slaves must pay taxes for the programs the government mandates!!! A slave rebellion will not be tolerated!!
Texas has a half dozen counties under 1000, even Georgia has 4 counties under 3000.
It’s worrisome to me, my wife moved there ahead of me to open her business, with any luck I’ll be joining her soon. I hope I haven’t traded one liberal hell hole (NYC) for another. (Although at least its a lot nicer in or.)
Well, at least the RKBA seems alive and well there.
Connecticut has 169 cities / towns, and a population of 3.4 million. It looks like at least 1/3 of these twons have populations less than 10,000.
What’s the problem? They have a Democrat Governor and Democrat control of the state legislature, just raise taxes in those counties.
A lot of bleeding heart liberals in Portland too, maybe they will volunteer to pay more taxes to help.
Isn’t that the Democrats cure for everything?
If I remember correctly, president Bush gave the state some lee way to do more logging and old governor Kulongoski said no.
The recent 9th circuit court reversal on its anti logging stance needs to be persued.
To which part of Orygun are you coming?
Correct on RKBA. We passed shall issue concealed carry before it became trendy, and with a Democrat legislature at that. Still not good enough for me though and I have no intention of paying the government to be put into that database. No permit CC comes up every couple of years and it will pass eventually - the qualifications for carry permit are nearly identical to those required to pass NICS, so there is no legitimate need to require government permits certifying qualifications that have already been satisfied through another agency.
And beyond the NICS, government permission is not required to purchase any type of firearm. Also, no types of firearms or accessories are banned - whatever is legal under federal law is legal here. There is no state registration. We do have a law that requires NICS check for private sales at gun shows. That proposal actually failed in the legislature but it was brought in the next year as a voter passed initiative (McCain helped campaign for it). Stands to reason in a state that elects mostly Democrats a large portion of the voters would be mentally deficient (IMHO) but Democrat and Republican elected officials alike don't generally support gun control proposals. Guns of some kind are in virtually every home and those who have them want to keep them - and besides, it's doubtful much in the way of gun control would be allowable under our state constitution, where RKBA has always been clearly an individual right for (among other purposes) self defense.
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