Former NBA pro Chris Dudley has a lot in common with Mr. Pink:
Here's Dudley on the plight of waitresses:
“It doesn’t make sense that our waitresses are getting tips plus the highest minimum wage in the country.”
Those damned waitresses, expecting to get money on top of the $8.50 an hour they're bilking employers for. This is coming from an NBA pro, who evaded Oregon taxes when he was playing for the Trail Blazers in the first half of the 1990s by "moving" to Washington State, even though he continued to live in his house in Oregon. He played the system well, though, keeping his car registered in Oregon and avoiding the high auto licensing tax in Washington. Chump change for an NBA starter, but illustrative of his political beliefs.
That includes a pledge to cut the capital gains tax from a top rate of 11 percent to 3 percent, further eroding already stretched to the limits state budgets. Given that his current job is as as financial adviser to the wealthy, including fellow NBA pros, this pledge isn't too surprising. But it's bad for Oregon. A new ad from the SEIU explains how.
"Dudley specializes in helping the very wealthy avoid taxes, so it's no surprise that Chris Dudley's plan for governor hands over $800 million in tax breaks for the wealthiest few."
The Dudley campaign cried foul, saying that the Legislative Revenue Office estimates that his proposal to cut the capital gains rate would reduce revenue to the state by $418 million in the next two years. The Dudley campaign even sent a letter to television stations demanding they pull the ad - something stations rarely do.
However, SEIU lobbyist Arthur Towers said the union is referring to how much the tax cut would cost the state over a four-year period.
"If Dudley wins the election, how long does he think he is going to be governor, for God's sake?" asked Towers, arguing that a figure that fits with the four-year gubernatorial term is "much more accurate."
Chris Dudley, against waitresses, for former NBA players. Or in other words, a pretty typical Republican.