(All legislators who are present on the floor, they must vote. You literally cannot abstain; you can merely declare a conflict of interest)

In the current 2007 legislative session, Johnson introduced a second aviation-related bill, Senate Bill 807, which would provide a funding mechanism for her 2005 bill. In short, SB 807 would allow airports serving cities of less than 75,000 to create new taxing districts within a 10-mile radius of the airport. The special taxing districts in SB 807 called Tax Increment Financing Districts will almost certainly lead to significant appreciation of land value inside the districts. That's because tax dollars are diverted from other overlapping jurisdictions for the benefit of the land inside the district And Freeman, the developer for whom Betsy Johnson bought the Scappoose land, also stood to benefit from the legislation.



If Betsy Johnson and other members of the Senate of Oregon want to do something really good for their constituents, why don't they spend time on ways to provide affordable health care for the people of Oregon? Change the laws on Corporate Welfare in the state. Do away with the $10.00 corporate tax. Make it clear to the corporations in this state, if they want to do business here, than they WILL pay decent wages, and they will pay, their fair share of the tax burden. Instead of wheeling and dealing property sales that could benefit her husbands business or other special interests.

Betsy has a good following here in Columbia County, and yet there are just as many people who do not follow in step with the senator in her own Democratic Party. I believe that says a lot about the state senator and the way she handles business in her own district. Sure its nice to throw a $500.00 or $1,000.00 bill around every so often but does that really make a difference in the long run on important issues that the citizenry in Columbia County must deal with? Or other counties in the state as well?

While the wages and life style of the workingman continues to decline, and the tax burden is increased on the middle class over and over, the profits of the corporations in this state and country continue to rise, while our elected officials make it easier for corporations to achieve their potential for record profits, while politicians apparently make legislation to further their own financial gains directly or indirectly. We of the middle class are sitting on our butts allowing this kind of deliberate attack on the middle class happen. We the middle class is allowing elected officials to carry out personal business when they should be carrying out the business of the people.

While some give unconditional support for the actions of our elected officials on issues, I cannot. I will always question elected officials whether they are from my own democratic party or of a different party. I will never make excuses for any wrong doings from members of my party or members from other party's. I will always support the law and its punishment against any politician of wrongdoing.

  We are a nation of laws, and we must not stray from the wisdom of our founding fathers, The only way to insure that our government is working for us is to question our government's actions or policy's, question our elected officials on their actions or policy's, whether it is complimentary or not. Never forget, the government is, "by the people, and for the people" and answerable to the people.