Dudley Issue Overview

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Chris Dudley believes for too long Oregon's political leaders have made job creation and economic growth an after-thought rather than the central focus of protecting and improving our quality of life. Lack of job creation is Oregon's number one challenge to overcome. He understands that without job creation and a growing economy, not only do individuals and families suffer, but so do our schools and other government services that rely on taxes paid by individuals and businesses.

Chris believes that people, not government, create jobs and that people, pursuing their dreams, in a state that values their work, is the key to creating a brighter economic future and quality of life for all Oregonians. As Governor, Chris will implement a four-point plan he has advanced – JOBS FIRST – to help lead Oregon's recovery and economic comeback.

Central components of the plan include:

1) Promotion of private sector job creation

2) Controlling state spending and reforming government

3) Educating for our economic future

4) Rebuilding public trust in government.

Chris has identified the following six goals he wants Oregon to achieve by 2014:

1) Job growth and per capita incomes above the national average

2) Unemployment below the national average

3) Jobs and incomes growing across all regions of the state

4) Taxpayer-sustainable budget growth

5) Job growth sufficient to support essential government services

6) A job-friendly image of Oregon locally, nationally and globally.

Read Chris' Jobs First Plan Here

TAXES

Chris Dudley believes taxes in Oregon are too high and our tax rates make the state less economically competitive, less attractive to entrepreneurs and start-up businesses and a drag on private sector job growth which is essential to our quality of life.

As Governor, Chris will make Oregon's tax system more attractive for existing businesses, new businesses, entrepreneurs and people with investment income. He will reduce Oregon's highest-in-the-nation capital gains tax rate, will increase tax deductions for businesses making new capital investments (bonus depreciation) and will work to reduce Oregon's highest-in-the nation income taxes that unfairly tax too many small, start-up and even unprofitable businesses.

Chris will not propose a tax increase or keeping income tax "kicker" refunds to balance the state budget.

As Governor, Chris will support temporary targeted incentives, such as increased bonus depreciation allowances, enterprise zones and job training, to ensure Oregon is economically competitive with other states and nations seeking growth industries. However, he will only support other business incentives if they are performance-based, not a blank check, and will be awarded transparently and on the basis of job creation and economic returns for the state and local communities.

A state budget that grows 13% every two years (as it has averaged in Oregon the past 20 years) is not only financially unsustainable but is driving the demand for higher taxes – higher taxes that make Oregon less competitive economically and hurt the private sector job growth essential to our quality of life.

As Governor, Chris will control spending and reform the state budget by appointing a state budget director inside his office, ending automatic budget increases and building two-year state budgets from forecast revenues, not "current or essential" service levels. He will fund K-12 education first – not last – in the state budget, establish a Budget Review Team to conduct regular audits and will aggressively use his veto-pen to control legislative spending that is outdated or non-essential.

As Governor, Chris will immediately cancel programs that have failed to create jobs they promised to create, will propose that state employees pay a portion of their health insurance premiums, will champion cost-saving reforms to the public employee retirement system (PERS) and will end outdated programs.

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE HEALTH CARE AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS

Chris Dudley believes Oregon's public employees are valued members of our society who everyday provide critical services in our communities. However, the current system of providing health and retirement benefits to state employees is not financially sustainable for taxpayers and the state budget.

As Governor, Chris will propose that state workers pay a portion of their health insurance premiums and will champion cost-saving reforms to the public employee retirement system (PERS).

Chris Dudley believes Oregon's state government no longer needs to have a monopoly on the business of controlling and managing liquor sales.

As Governor, Chris will propose that Oregon join most other states, ending the Depression-era policy of government controlled liquor sales. He will replace and privatize the current $135 million system and budget with a fee on liquor sales dedicated to education while ensuring continued enforcement of important state liquor-control functions.

State government should have a savings account to protect funding for essential services, like schools, in tough economic times. However, Chris doesn't believe the only way for state government to create a "rainy day" savings account is to raise taxes or keep taxpayers' income tax "kicker" refunds.

As Governor, Chris will create the Oregon Future Fund, making saving for a rainy day the first – not last – priority of state government. He will set aside 3% of forecast revenue into a fund only accessible for schools and essential services in times of economic downturn; a 2/3 vote of the legislature will be required to use the funds.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Chris Dudley believes Oregon's colleges and universities are an underutilized, over-regulated and underfunded asset that should be a central strategy toward improving Oregon's economy and creating jobs. They should be Oregon's job and idea factories of the future. Chris believes that if we can keep our best and brightest students in Oregon and attract the best and brightest students from across the nation and around the world to come to Oregon, that innovation, entrepreneurs, jobs and economic growth will follow.

As Governor, Chris will make higher education a top economic development priority. He will champion ideas being advanced by higher education leaders to reform the way colleges and universities are governed, regulated and funded with the goal of improving the entire system of higher education and creating greater innovation and accountability among individual institutions. He will work to strengthen the relationship between the research and innovation at higher education institutions and existing and emerging industries and businesses.

K-12 EDUCATION

Chris Dudley knows a quality K-12 public school system is critical to protecting and improving Oregon's quality of life and our economic growth. He believes our schools need to prepare every child, regardless of economic background or ethnicity, for college, work and the world; helping all young people become both good citizens and contributors to our economic and social well being.

Oregon's commitment to meaningful reform and innovation in our public schools is failing – as evidenced by the state finishing near the bottom (34th place out of 41 applicants) in the federal "Race to the Top" program and then deciding not to reapply because it was too difficult. This action proved there is a lack of state government commitment to reforming schools which disadvantages both students and our state.

As Governor, Chris will work closely with local school boards and administrators to promote education reforms that focus on improving student achievement, specifically, efforts that strengthen professional training and standards for teachers and provide incentives for outstanding performance. He supports allowing parents the opportunity to choose and create alternative education options for their children including charter schools and home schooling.

LAND USE/PROPERTY RIGHTS

Chris Dudley believes that Oregon's land use laws have been effective in controlling urban sprawl and protecting farm and forestland over the past 30 years. However, too often individual property rights have been ignored in the land use process. The result is costly litigation for families and taxpayers and a system that is too rigid to address the unique differences in land use issues that confront communities across the state.

As Governor, Chris will ensure that state land use laws are modernized and improved to meet Oregon's future land use challenges. He will support responsible expansion of urban growth boundaries to meet future housing and commercial needs and greater flexibility for rural areas seeking to grow.

In addition, he will ensure that a balance of conservation and property rights voices are represented in state land use policy-making decisions and on the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC).

REBUILDING PUBLIC TRUST

The civic mindedness of Oregonians is one of our state's greatest assets. Chris knows that a healthy dose of skepticism about our elected and government officials is natural and appropriate in our democracy and believes, therefore, that it should be the first job of those in government to demonstrate and earn that trust each day they serve. Regrettably, too many Oregonians have lost trust in our government and the next Governor needs to rebuild trust to more effectively govern the state.

As Governor, Chris will be more accessible to the public and legislature by holding open town hall meetings each year in every county to make the office of Governor – and all of state government – more personally accessible and accountable to people across the state.

Chris will meet regularly with legislative leaders – Democrat and Republican – and will seek to meet, socialize and interact with elected officials from across the state on a regular basis. He will protect citizen access to the ballot through Oregon's pioneering initiative and referendum system and will oppose changing the state Constitution to require annual – rather than biennial – legislative sessions. He will support efforts to close the revolving door between the legislature, state government and lobbying and will require legislators to openly compete for state jobs after leaving office.

As Governor, Chris will refresh state government with a new generation of people and attitudes – changing the policies of state government by changing the people who help shape them – appointing people with diverse backgrounds, without regard to partisan politics, from every corner of Oregon.

ENERGY

Chris Dudley believes access to reliable, affordable energy is essential to creating a positive environment for job growth. Innovation in energy production can be a source of future jobs and economic growth in our state, but at this point the state has failed to develop a consistent long-term energy policy, resulting in uncertainty for residential and industrial customers as well as energy producers and builders of major energy infrastructure.

As Governor, Chris will support an energy policy that balances the need for more energy production and infrastructure with our existing efficiency and conservation programs. He will maintain a strong commitment to the development of renewable energy sources such as wind, wave, solar and geothermal.

Chris will oppose a federal, state or regional "cap and trade" system which would significantly increase taxes on energy production and consumers and do damage to the economy and job creation.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Oregon's natural resources remain one of our state's greatest assets. As Governor, Chris Dudley will re-focus state policies to support, not stand in the way of, sustainable natural resource industries in agriculture and ranching, timber and forest products, fishing and seafood, food processing and other industries that make value-added products from Oregon-grown commodities.

Chris will support increased woody biomass utilization and more active management of state forests that contribute to The Common School Fund. He will defend the region's hydroelectric power system which provides affordable, carbon-free energy critical to the Pacific Northwest economy and will advocate for federal land management policies that balance conservation, jobs and the rights of landowners.

As Governor, Chris will join with key industry leaders to actively promote Oregon and Oregon-grown products across the nation and around the world, and will support international trade policies that open new markets for Oregon products. He will appoint new people to key positions and commissions that share his belief of balance in the areas of conservation, the sustainable use of natural resources and allowing access to public lands for economic and recreation activities.

HEALTH CARE

Access to quality, affordable health care is central to a civil, compassionate and economically competitive society. Chris believes the most important health care challenges facing America today are the rising cost of health care and the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.

Chris opposes the national health care legislation passed by Congress and the President believing it contains too little reform, cost containment and incentives for better health and too much federal government regulation, taxation and debt that will harm America's long term fiscal health and economic competiveness. It is a significant concern that Oregon's state budget will not be able to afford the unfunded mandates included in the health care legislation.

As Governor, Chris will work to ensure that any new federal health care mandates and expansion of Medicaid are both affordable within Oregon's already challenging budget environment and flexible enough to not require a significant expansion of the state bureaucracy to implement them.

Chris Dudley laments the sad statistic that after decades of progress in health and wellness, life expectancy has recently crested and fallen, with children today less likely to live as long as their parents. As Governor, Chris will work aggressively to promote policies to combat childhood obesity and to increase physical activity. He will promote better eating habits for children and young people; he will fast-track physical education requirements recently approved by the legislature and will propose healthier breakfast and lunch options in Oregon schools.

Chris will engage Oregon's college and professional athletes to raise awareness among parents and kids of the importance of physical activity and a healthier diet at school and home. Creating good habits while they are young is the best investment we can make towards achieving healthier, and longer, lives for Oregonians.

TRANSPORTATION

Chris Dudley believes an effective statewide transportation system is essential to providing an environment for job creation and economic growth, as well as to protecting our quality of life.

As Governor, Chris will appoint people to key positions and commissions that share his belief in maintaining and building a transportation system that moves both people and freight effectively is imperative for the future of our state's economy.

He will take action – putting a stop to the endless debate – to move forward with Washington state and federal officials to build a new I-5 Columbia River Bridge.

Don't see the issue most important to you here? Email Chris at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it