Allen Alley, apparently, is formally launching his campaign for Governor in a couple of weeks, at the offices of EcoMotion. His invitation contains some rhetoric that I find rather confusing and disturbing:
EcoMotion sells "Earth Friendly Vehicles" but even a great green establishment like EcoMotion cannot survive in this economy. EcoMotion is the right business in the right place at the right time, but even they are failing. Allen is running for Governor to help good companies like EcoMotion all over Oregon, thrive in our new ultra-competitive world. He believes government needs to create a great environment for growth, not take money from successful businesses and individuals and redistribute it to failing ones. EcoMotion is just one example of a very good business idea that struggled and ultimately did not survive in this economic environment.
My question: What does Mr. Alley mean when he talks about “tak[ing] money from successful businesses and individuals and redistribut[ing] it to failing ones”? Does he mean that he opposes the Federal bank bailouts and the AIG bonuses? If so, what does that have to do with being Governor? Or is he playing to the far right, implying that most of your Oregon tax dollars are redistributed to the ‘undeserving poor’?
Mr. Alley should be aware that it is thoroughly misleading to imply that a significant portion of Oregon tax dollars are ‘redistributed’ to ‘failing businesses and individuals.’ The largest portion of Oregon tax dollars is spent on public schools. Does Mr. Alley regard Oregon’s students and teachers as ‘failing’? Another large portion is spent on health care for poor children and families and long-term care for seniors and people with disabilities. Does Mr. Alley consider poor children and families without health insurance, and seniors and people with disabilities who cannot afford long-term care, to be ‘failures’? The third largest portion of Oregon tax dollars is spent on prisons, state police and the courts. I suppose it’s possible that Mr. Alley might consider people in prison to be ‘failures,’ but spending money to keep them locked up doesn’t really count as ‘redistributing’ it to them, I don’t think.
Ironically, EcoMotion’s own web site promotes the value of Oregon tax credits for individuals and businesses that could benefit buyers of its “Earth Friendly Vehicles,” and Alley’s own kickoff invite describes EcoMotion as 'failing.” If Alley's rhetoric means anything at all, you’d think it would have to be an indictment of tax credits that benefit 'failing' business.' (The tax credits go to the purchasers, not EcoMotion itself, but EcoMotion definitely benefits from their existence.)
I know good people who like Mr. Alley and consider him a “different kind of Republican.” But it seems that his gubernatorial campaign is going to rely on the same old tired, vague, divisive, misleading Republican rhetoric. Sigh.
