Dennis Tuuri

Full PEAPAC Analysis

PEAPAC Explanation: Measure 86 Provides State Funding of College and University Education

We strongly oppose this Measure for several reasons. First, it would further indebt the State of Oregon. Oregon’s Constitution wisely limits the ability of the State to incur debt, reflecting the Bible’s warnings regarding indebtedness (Prov. 22:26-27; Rom. 13:8). This Measure would actually change our Constitution, enabling more debt.

Second, this Measure would, if needed, repay this debt from tax dollars. That means it would lead either to higher taxes or a cut in spending for other state programs. Some small level of taxation is necessary for the limited role that the Bible gives civil government. But the Bible warns about bad governments that would take more and more of what people produce by their labor (see 1 Samuel 8:11-15). Currently, the combined tax haul of government amounts to nearly half of all the wealth the people produce each year.

Third, while the Bible and our American system call for a limited civil government, this Measure seems to be part of an effort to add yet one more significant government entitlement – tax supported higher education for all. We all want what’s best for our children, and it’s understandable to consider this Measure in that light. But the government has slowly but surely grown to control more and more of what the Bible sees as properly overseen by private citizens, business, churches, and voluntary associations. The carrot that the government holds out in front of us is always tied to a more controlling bureaucracy, less money under our own control, and less freedom.

What the State finances, it controls. As the world’s Golden Rule puts it, whoever has the gold makes the rules. And this is our fourth reason to oppose Measure 86 – education increasingly paid for by the State reflects more and more the political goals of the State. Public primary and secondary schools have increasingly become tools for progressivist ideology, which favors, for instance, radical environmentalism over business. Measure 86 would likely further extend what can be called liberal indoctrination into the higher education system.

Fifth, we oppose Measure 86 because it violates basic Biblical instruction about the need for personal responsibility. In the Bible, education of children is the responsibility of those children’s parents, not other adults. Likewise, it is the responsibility of adults seeking higher education to pay for it. Measure 86 would coercively make some people pay for other people’s college education. This violates a fundamental biblical principle of personal responsibility. Five fingers make a fist, and we think these five reasons make a strong case for voting No on Measure 86.