Having gone to high school in Portland, I am shocked that Oregonians have passed initiatives increasing taxes on the wealthy and large corporations, measures 66 and 67, by large margins.

This is surprising for Oregon?

I’m sure that a lot of you are saying, but it’s Oregon, it’s liberal, and you would be wrong.

In the 1920s, Oregon was the most Klan dominated state ever, and on taxes:

The double-barreled victory is the first voter-approved statewide income tax increase since the 1930s. Other states, facing similar budget woes, are watching the outcome closely because Oregon, after all, is a state that capped property taxes and locked a surplus tax rebate program into the constitution.

The last time voters approved a tax increase was 2002, when they agreed to bump up tobacco taxes to help pay for the Oregon Health Plan. Voters rejected income tax increases twice in recent years.

People in Oregon, which has a vociferous anti-tax streak in the electorate, have realized that if you want services, you have to pay for them.

More notably, it’s a broad based tax.

Cigarette taxes are seen as punishment for bad behavior, while the income taxes are seen as dues for being a part of society.

This is a big deal because it’s not a sin-tax, or a lottery, it’s a real broad based tax.