As I write this we are at war in Iraq. My prayer is that by the time you read this 
we are victorious and Saddam Hussein is gone, with the lowest casualties possible, 
on both sides. Whatever our views about the wisdom of the President's course of 
action, all of us support our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters who fight 
for us and for our freedom. They are the brave and noble of our society and deserve 
our support and our prayers. I said a little more on House Resolution 2 in which 
the House with my "yes" vote praised "the courage, dedication, professionalism and 
sacrifices of the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States..." Thousands 
of Oregonians are in Iraq. We pray for their safe return home.  

State Budget: Last week the chairs of Ways and Means, the committee charged with 
preparing the state biennial budget, released their "Summary of Total Expenditures"
based on the Governor's proposal from January but smaller to account for additional 
cuts in income. The numbers are grim. The proposed k-12 school budget is reduced 
11 percent from the budget for the current biennium adopted in 2001. Ditto for the 
Oregon University System and Community Colleges. Under this proposal the Oregon 
Health Plan will be stripped back to the most basic Medicaid recipients and over 
150,000 Oregonians will lose health insurance. The medically needy program that 
has been so much in the news lately will still be seriously under funded. People 
will die for lack of needed medicines and treatment. The courts will continue in 
their scaled down mode and petty criminals will get off scot-free because there 
are too few dollars to prosecute them.

As the effects on real people finally sink in to those "in the building," there 
is more discussion of ways to increase revenue. There is something for everyone 
with dozens of bills in the House Revenue Committee. Reps. Shetterly and Williams 
proposed a sales tax dedicated to schools. Lane County Commissioner Bill Dwyer's 
gross receipts tax bill makes its usual entry on the "possible" list. More and more 
of us are looking at the income tax loopholes. The income tax should generate about 
$9 Billion in the next biennium, but we will never collect about $7 Billion more 
in credits and deductions. Every session the legislature expands the list of "tax 
expenditures" without any reference to the needs of schools, health care, or public 
safety. Those tax expenditures need a very hard look. Closing some loopholes and 
reducing others in the short term would give our programs needed revenue, make the 
income tax less volatile, and increase the fairness of our tax system all without 
changing the tax rates. The vast majority of Oregonians with ordinary middle class 
incomes will pay nothing more than they do now. This idea is generating a lot of 
interest. The most important decisions the legislature can make are in this area. 
We can devastate our schools, health care system, and reduce public safety, or we 
can lead into a positive future. Stay tuned...

Farmers: Last week we celebrated National Agriculture Week. Every day farmers from 
around the state came by and gave legislators samples of their work. We received 
little packets of nuts, potted plants, paper cups of growing grass, onions, pears, 
and many other things, all to promote Oregon farmers and agriculture in general. 
There is a growing and dynamic direct sales farm community who sell what they grow 
at farmers' markets and in small sheds in front of their farms. As commodity prices 
for wheat and cattle continue to decline, getting the rest of us to buy local produce, 
eggs, cheese and meat will be more and more important for Oregon's farmers.

Last Word: Dad gave us a scare last week and had to go back to the hospital, but 
he is tough and appears to be on the mend. We appreciate all your good wishes and 
prayers for him.

Keep those emails and letters coming. I respond to as many as I can.  The more you 
tell me, the better I can represent this diverse and exciting district.



		



		    



		    Rep. Phil Barnhart can be found at room H-477 at the Capitol on


		    weekdays. Capitol phone: 503-986-1411, District phone: 541-484-5119,


		    email: rep.philbarnhart@state.or.us, web sites: www.PhilBarnhart.com 


		    and www.leg.state.or.us/barnhart. When contacting Phil include your address


		    and phone number so that he can contact you.