Education/Economy Passed General Election
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PEAPAC Recommends: NO

The Bible warns against standing surety for another; propping up debt financing is unwise; public schools are insatiable.

Summary

Allows the state to guarantee (co-sign) the debt of school districts to lower their interest costs.

Biblical Reasoning

Biblical law recognizes suretyship, and regulates the same in passages such as Deut. 24:6-17, Exodus 22:25-26; Amos 2:8 and Job 24:3. However, the book of Proverbs contains a number of passages which warn against standing surety for another (6:1; 11:15; 17:18; 22:26-27; 27:13).

While debt is a way of life in America today, Scripture repeatedly and clearly negatively characterizes most forms of debt (Deut 28:12,13 with 28:43,44; Prov. 22:7; Rom. 13:8). Debt is not sin, but frequently (not always) results from the sin of covetousness – desiring and then obtaining through unrighteous means what God has not provided for with righteous means.

Like the proverbial horseleach’s daughters of Proverbs 30:15, the government schools always cry, “Give, give.” They are like “the grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough” (Proverbs 30:16).

Romans 13:8 — “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”
Proverbs 30:15 — “The leech has two daughters; ‘Give’ and ‘Give,’ they cry.”

Election Results

55%
45%
YesNo

Voters approved the measure to guarantee school bonds (55% Yes).

Full PEAPAC Analysis

PEAPAC Explanation: This Measure would let the State of Oregon guarantee (sort of like co-signing for) debts of various public school groups. This would have the effect of lowering the financing costs for these groups. We have no recommendation on this Measure.

PEAPAC Commentary and Recommendation: Biblical law recognizes suretyship, and regulates the same in passages such as Deut. 24:6-17, Exodus 22:25-26; Amos 2:8 and Job 24:3. However, the book of Proverbs contains a number of passages which warn against standing surety for another (6:1; 11:15; 17:18; 22:26-27; 27:13).

The obvious argument in favor of this Measure is that it’s purpose is to lower the financing costs of public education. So most would favor this Measure. There are, however, a couple of arguments against this Measure. First, it could be said to prop up a system of debt financing, with no firm commitment to the elimination of debt. Its sort of like a man in debt continually making use of lower cost credit cards to pay off higher cost ones, instead of making a commitment to live debt-free as much as possible. While debt is a way of life in America today, Scripture repeatedly and clearly negatively characterizes most forms of debt (Deut 28:12,13 with 28:43,44; Prov. 22:7; Rom. 13:8). Debt is not sin, but frequently (not always) results from the sin of covetousness – desiring and then obtaining through unrighteous means what God has not provided for with righteous means.

Second, Measure 54 seeks stable, cheaper funding for public schools. We recognize that many good Christian men and women and their children are involved in the public school system. But ongoing commitments to maintaining the current system of public schools should be balanced by what we see as a need to rethink some of the core problems with the current system.

And third, it is our opinion that this Measure will not reduce the costs of education or your tax burden. Like the proverbial horseleach’s daughters of Proverbs 30:15, the government schools always cry, “Give, give.” They are like “the grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough” (Proverbs 30:16). Like them, the government schools are things “that are never satisfied, “things that say not, It is enough:” Some debt-service costs may be reduced by the passage of this Measure… But whatever savings occur will undoubtedly be eaten up by the never-satisfied public school bureaucracy.

← PreviousMeasure 52 (1997)