I read how U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, has been an adamantly outspoken critic of a proposed Oregon state tolling plan.
She stated that it was “up to senators Murray and Cantwell to decide whether it’s worth their effort to fight for Washington commuters.”
On Nov. 16 Herrera Beutler voted to eliminate the state income tax deduction for all those same Washington commuters that work in Oregon. This represents over 9 percent of their income earned in Oregon.
It is true that the federal income tax decreases in the new tax code for some, and decreases from seven tax brackets to four tax brackets. However, if you work in Oregon and have itemized in the past, you must add 9 percent on to your bracket, because you are not getting that back. If you have a student loan, you are not getting back the interest on that.
With the new tax plan that passed in the House, we are now counting on trickledown economics to resolve an additional $1.5 trillion in debt over the next 10 years. In 2013 Sen. Mitch McConnell, former Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Paul Ryan all spoke of the national debt of the time as being an “economy killing debt.” Now $1.5 trillion in additional debt, and it is just right for the economy because your children and generations to come will pay for it. Rep. Herrera Beutler’s website states that she is worried about disastrous government spending, so we know that she is aware of the concerns of the national debt that her party pointed out in 2013. My representative, Herrera Beutler, is not fooled by these trickle-down economics. This type of stimulus is equal to the 2009 stimulus packages that the Republican Party railed against. I expect that my Congressional delegation will be fighting for me as a Washington commuter. This means that senators Murray and Cantwell will fight for equity in tolling. I know they will fight for equity in tax reform. Can I count on Representative Herrera Beutler to fight for real equity in tax reform for me?
