Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Headlines

"Both are really vague and really confusing. I think it's dangerous because people are just going to pick one without knowing anything about them," said Mike Lennon, a first year, post-degree student at Western.

Measures 49 and 50, both up for vote in the Nov. 6 special elections, offer students a voice in the Oregon Constitution. The Voter's Pamphlet available in the Werner University Center, provides an overview of the measures for those students unsure how to vote.

Measure 49 covers property rights issues. According to the voter's pamphlet, a yes vote "modifies Measure 37, clarifies private landowners' rights to build homes; extends rights to surviving spouses; limits large developments; protects farmlands, forestland, groundwater supplies." A no vote "leaves Measure 37 unchanged; allows claims to develop large subdivisions, commercial and industrial projects on lands now reserved for residential, farm and forest uses."

"Until I became a homeowner, I never really paid much attention to this," Lennon said, "which I imagine is the case for most of the students here. My understanding is that it's hugely in favor of the government, but when you drive down the road, all the farms have 'yes' signs. It seems to be a contradiction."

Arguments in favor say that Measure 49 will protect the property rights of individual landowners by allowing them to build up to three houses on their property, if the law allowed it when they purchased their land. It will also allow owners to build up to ten houses if the owner documents a decrease in property value that dictates the need for the increase in homes, but limits the large developers from using Oregon's currently designated farmlands and forests while protecting ground water.

Arguments in opposition state that the measure will allow the government to take away private property without just compensation. "A lot of people are going to lose their land," said Lennon. Freshman Anna Braunworth said she values Oregon's natural resources and farmlands. "I don't want to see that get wiped out by Wal-Marts," she said.

Measure 50 creates a tobacco tax constitutional amendment and sets that revenue aside to fund new health care programs developed by the legislature. This measure raises the price of cigarettes approximately 85 cents per pack, increases the price of other tobacco products and reserves part of the new revenue for funding the Healthy Kids Program, created by the 2007 legislature.

The voter's pamphlet explains that a yes vote "dedicates funds from the additional revenue to provide health care for children, low-income adults and medically under-served Oregonians, and funds tobacco prevention programs, through an increased tobacco tax." A no vote "rejects proposal to dedicate funding for children's health care, other health care programs, and tobacco prevention programs; maintains the tobacco tax at its current level."

"Most of the campaigns on television advertise the fact that [the measure] is changing the Constitution, but it's been changed so much, that I don't think that's a big deal," Lennon said.

Although Lennon is planning on voting, he said he has not had time to research the measures because of their extensiveness.

"I think Measure 50 is a good one," Braunworth said. "If prices are increased, that could be helpful in giving people who are already addicted a reason to stop." Senior Emily Hardy, who also plans to vote, said she likes the ideas in Measure 50, but is unsure of whether the measure presents the correct way to reach those goals. "I don't know if it's the right way to, one, get people to stop smoking, and, two, get kids the health care they need," she said. •

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