Open primary? Yes. The rest? Forget it

The Forest Grove News-Times, Oct 8, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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With a single exception, we don’t believe any of the initiatives on the November ballot will produce many benefits for Oregon. Last week, we gave a thumbs down to three measures put on the ballot by Bill Sizemore (58, 59 and 60). This week we urge rejection of three more ill-conceived initiatives but voice our support for one very good idea.

Measure 62 — Lottery money for public safety: Currently, state lottery money is allocated to education, parks and economic development. Measure 62 would shift 15 percent of lottery revenues away from those priorities and toward public-safety programs.

While we, too, would like to see increased funding for state police and local investigations, but the current economy requires the state to make hard choices. Since growth in lottery receipts is expected to slow, revenue forecasters say Measure 62 could cost schools $185 million per biennium at a time when budget pressure will squeeze the flow of dollars to education. Keeping kids in school and adults in jobs goes a long way to reducing pressure on police. That’s why we recommend against diverting these dollars from education or employment efforts.

Measure 63 — building permit exemption: If you’ve ever fumed over having to obtain a building permit to remodel your bathroom, you may be tempted by this measure, which eliminates the requirement on residential or farm projects costing less than $35,000.

However, as irritating (and costly) as building permits can be, there is a good reason to mandate them: It’s called safety. If a permit is required, then a homeowner is assured that the work will be done according to code. That’s an important protection to retain in the law. We believe Oregon’s homes will be safer if this Sizemore measure gets axed. We’d be open to a proposal giving more flexibility to do-it-yourselfers, but this measure, as are most of Sizemore’s, is like grabbing a sledgehammer to secure a carpet tack.

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