Yes on 66/67: Don’t be swayed by false letters!
If you are one of many Jackson and Josephine County residents who received a letter from the Leuthold dairy farmer, you will understand how important it is to counter this sort of misinformation and corporate manipulation of the facts on Measure 66 and Measure 67. See more information below from the Vote Yes for Oregon Campaign about the Leuthold letter.
The Real Facts About Carol Marie Leuthold’s Dairy
This weekend, many Oregonians received a letter that claimed to be from an Oregon dairy farmer opposing Measures 66 & 67. This letter was both factually inaccurate and deeply misleading.
The letter claims “Smaller businesses like ours will be forced to lay off workers,” but the truth is that Carol Marie Leuthold’s Wilsona Farms, LLC – like nearly every other farm in Oregon – will not be significantly affected by Measures 66 & 67. Leuthold’s dairy is an LLC, thus the entirety of Leuthold’s business tax burden under the new law will be $150 per year. Indeed, under measure 67, 88% of businesses in the state will pay just $150.
There is little doubt Leuthold can afford $150 to preserve Oregon’s vital services. Her profile on the Tillamook Cheese Fan Club states, “Leuthold and her husband, Dan have a serious case of the travel bug. The couple has roamed around the world, including stops in Brazil, Italy, Germany and Alaska. They touch down in Switzerland, Dan’s familial homeland, every four years or so. This past year, Carol Marie flew to the South of France and Italy to take cooking classes.”
Family farms are the quintessential small businesses in Oregon and Measure 67, the corporate tax measure, was designed to protect small businesses. Under the measures, over 92% of farms in the state will pay no more than $150 – just like Carol Leuthold.
Adding iron to the fact that Leuthold objects to paying just $150 to the State of Oregon is the fact that her business does not object to accepting thousands of tax payer dollars in the form of farm subsidies. Between 2002 and 2006, the last year for which records could be found; Leuthold’s farm accepted $92, 753 in taxpayer supported USDA subsidies.
The truth is that Measure 66 & 67 is good for all of Oregon, but they are especially good for rural Oregon. Rural Oregonians are far more likely to rely on the Oregon Health Plan. Seniors and people with disabilities living in rural Oregon rely more heavily on long-term care programs; in-home care, assisted living and nursing home care. These measures would help to preserve these vital services.
Measure 66 & 67 protect those who have been hit hardest by the economic crisis; seniors, children and the unemployed, without putting more of a burden on Oregon’s middle class families.
The Vote Yes for Oregon campaign is dedicated to factually and accurately informing voters about the stakes of this important election and urges the opposition to avoid claims and tactics that could further harm Oregon’s economy and its reputation as a place to do business.
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