Hello, Oregon Progressive Party members and supporters. Welcome to the lastest of our now monthly newsletters of what the Oregon Progressive Party is up to and other items of interest to the Oregon Progressive community.

The OPP state council has decided to support efforts by the Portland Tenants Union to enact an ordinance combating landlord harassment of tenants in order to kick the tenants out and increase rents. A proposed Tenant Protection Ordinance would define what landlord harassment is, what actions are harassment, and calls for an expansion of a City of Portland robust Rental Services Office that can support tenants in addressing their housing issues. Learn more about this ordinance and how you can help make it happen here.

Note that the ordinance is not yet written but examples of such ordinances already exist in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Berkeley.

Democrats and Republicans in Congress Agree:

We need to spend more money on "Defense"

Really????

The US House of Representatives last week voted 316-113 to approve the new bigger than ever US War Budget, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal 2022, costing the American taxpayer $778 Billion dollars, about 54% of federal discretionary spending. The last Trump war budget when the US was actively involved in Endless Wars was only $740.5 billion.

In 2021 the US spent more on defense than the next 11 countries combined. Those 11 nations include China and Russia

Our Oregon congressional delegation split their votes, 3 yeses with just 2 nos.

The No votes came from Bonamici and DeFazio. YAH!

The Yes votes from Republicans Bentz and Democrats Blumenauer and Schrader. BOO!

Especially disappointing was the Yes vote by Rep. Blumenauer as he had voted in favor of some important proposed amendments to cut the military budget as well as restricting the DOD from transferring surplus military property to federal, state or local law enforcement agencies. Another amendment getting his support would have required the suspension of US aid to the Saudi air force airstrikes at Yeman. In spite of seeming to understand the problem, he caved anyway, voting to approve the world's largest ever war budget.

The war on Afghanistan has ended and the other "endless" wars are ending. It is time for a peace dividend, a time to move money from the war machine to more peaceful initiatives. We were promised such a dividend when the Soviet Union disintegrated and the Cold War ended. But like so many promises, this first peace dividend did not materialize.

The first and very modest step is approval of a bill introduced by Rep. Mark Pocan into Congress which will move money from the 2021 Pentagon budget to fund COVID vaccines, titled: "The COVID Defense Act." This bill does not yet have a bill number and Rep. Pocan's press release does not list co-sponsors. So we don't know if any of our Oregon Reps will be original co-sponsors.

OR Progressive Party suggests calls to Rep. Blumenauer, Bonamici and DeFazio asking that they sign on as co-sponsors. Naturally, calls to Rep. Schrader are appropriate as well but given his record he is not likely to sign on as a co-sponsor.

Calls to Sen Merkley and Wyden, asking that they introduce the bill into the Senate, would also be good.

Find your members of Congress contact info here.

The leaders of the US, Australia and the UK have announced a new "Pact", the AUKUS Agreement. This agreement will transfer technology to Australia in order to build a new nuclear powered fleet of submarines, an agreement which makes the Australian agreement with France to build fossil-fuel powered sub null and void. As a result, France withdrew their ambassadors from the US and Australia. Much of the press conference in which this pact was announced talked about the need to counter Chinese military presence in the South Pacific. And China reacted very negatively to the development.

More news on the New Cold War and AUKUS agreement:

Amy Goodman:Democracy Now!: United States of War: How AUKUS Nuclear Submarine Deal Could Inflame Tension, Provoke War with China

Take Action: Call Oregon's US Senators and Representatives: Demand hearings on the ramifications of this agreement. This "pact" should be regarded as a treaty which would require 2/3 of Senators to ratify the treaty. Find your US Representative and Senators here.

Oregon voters clearly want effective limits on political campaign contributions and spending in Oregon elections. Even so, the Oregon legislature failed again to enact any limits at all. Oregon is still one of only 5 states with no limits on money flowing into our political campaigns, making OR elections among the most expensive in the nation!

Oregon Progressive Party and our allies at Honest Elections will file an initiative petition soon with the OR Secretary of State asking that Oregon Voters enact effective loophole-free limits on campaign contribution.

WE WILL NEED YOUR HELP getting this on the Nov 2022 ballot. Sign up here to help the OR Progressive Party help with the campaign gathering of signatures when the time comes.

Could you use $750 annually for each of your family members?

Now you can sign the initiative petition to increase the Oregon Corporate Activities Tax and distribute the revenue to all OR residents equally. The OR People's Rebate estimates a rebate of $750/resident each year.

Click the button below to download, print, sign and mail a Single Signature sheet. That single signature might be your signature, or, if asked, you could print copies for other family members and your friends. Or ask them to do it themselves.

The initiative would increase the state corporate minimum tax on sales in Oregon of over $25 million per year and distribute the additional revenue raised to every bona fide Oregon resident. The campaign estimates that increase will support a individual rebate of $750 per person who resided in Oregon for at least 200 days during the prior year.

As an Oregon registered voter, you can give a tax refundable donation of up to $50 once a year and then deduct it off your Oregon income taxes. There is no reason to wait to the end of the year. Do it now. Learn more and make a donation here.

If you have a question which you think that candidates for political office from or in Oregon should answer, please let the Party know by completing this survey. As the Party writes candidate questionnaires for local, state and national level offices, we will consider asking your question, or combining your question with similar questions.

Survey available here.