SKronz

=Representative Sarah Kronz - Oregon (Green Party) =

The congressman from Oregon that I am in agreement with on most issues is Earl Blumenaur. You can find out more about him and his role in congress by visiting his website at [] .

To see my partners pages click here: JBradshaw, EHarter

Some interesting facts about Oregon are:

1.There are two designs on the Oregon flag. On the front of the flag, it shows the state name, the year it became a state, and the state seal. On the back, there is a beaver. 2.Oregon is the only state with an official state nut. It's the hazelnut. 3.Oregon's state birthday is on Valentines day. It became a state on February 14, 1859. 4.The deepest lake in the USA, Crater Lake, is in Oregon. 5.There is no sales tax in Oregon

Important facts about Oregon that relate to my issues:

1.The Department of Environmental quality protects Oregon's environment 2.Oregon has statewide academic standards. 3.45% of the land in Oregon is forest. 4.26.5% of the land in Oregon is farmland. 5.The poverty rate in Oregon is 13.5%.

The issue I feel are most important are:

Environment vs. Economy

I feel that people should really be better informed about this issue. Most people think that the environment can wait for us to fix it because right now our economy is too bad to worry about such issues. Those people need to look deeper into the problem. They see it as a huge cost and a big sacrifice. As most Americans are becoming concerned about obesity, they begin to realize that things like walking and riding bikes not only keep you healthy, but also are good for the environment. Those are inexpensive solutions. Would you really pay extra for a hybrid car? Not many people would. Some solutions are simpler though. Recycling and saving water are so easy. If we don't at least do our small parts, pretty soon the economy won't even matter because all we will be focused on will be survival in the world we destroyed. if our environment worsens, so will the economy. Without good ways to grow food, that will be more costly. we can't grow food in landfills. Wood and water will suffer too. If we put off the environment, we will end up with new jobs; new jobs in hospitals because the pollution will make everybody sick! It is totally worth it to spend the money now, because eventually the amount of damage that will add up will be much worse than dealing with it now. We can't spend so much money on non-renewable resources because we will have to spend more to make our own energy sources when they are all used up. If we just add a little to everyone's taxes, we will really help the environment.  My Bill on the above topic is: HB82 BIKE IT OR HIKE IT Our group's bill is about giving people who use clean transportation to get to work bonuses. We believe that this is a good bill because it will encourage people to use cleaner transportation and leave us with cleaner air.

National Education Standards I think that the federal government should not get involved in creating educational standards in every case. Children all learn at different rates, so the topics that must be mastered in school should not have a due date. In other words, kids will learn everything, but not at the same time. If a forth grader isn't ready for long division, as long as they learn it some time, they shouldn't be stuck in forth grade until they master it. Some schools focus on teaching a history of their city or state at one point. the federal government shouldn't prevent the students form learning about their own home because it isn't a federal standard. If some kids learn a little slower, they should get to go to different classes that focus on how they learn and shouldn't have to be discouraged because they didn't learn everything and got held back. They should move on but revisit failed topics. the school should decide to help the students individually. The student doesn't have to do everything themselves to catch up. If they work hard but can't do it, the school should be allowed to let them move on and revisit.

Taxes Based on Wealth

to pay for food and clothes without having to worry about running out of money. I think that the wealthy should be taxed at a higher rate than those who cannot afford to pay as much. I think that this is true for a few reasons. One reason is that since taxes affect everyone, everyone should pay them, but it's harder for some people to pay them. I the lower class can't afford to pay, then the upper class should pay a little bit extra while the lower class pays the best that they can. If someone is in the upper class, they already have enough money for themselves. They should then go and spend that on the people who don't have the money. They would benefit our country by paying a little bit more. It should be a law that the more you have, the more you give. if everyone was taxed the same rate, poorer people would either barely have enough money, or not even have enough to pay at all. The richer people would pay the money and still have plenty left over. they would be able

Resources: ** 1."Oregon Fast Facts and Trivia." //50states.com - States and Capitals//. Marchex, Inc., 2010. Web. 18 May 2010. . 2."League of American Bicyclists * Facts & Figures." //League of American Bicyclists * Home//. 2000-2010. Web. 18 May 2010. < ** [|**http://www.bikeleague.org/media/facts**]   ** >. 3."Oregon: History, Geography, Population, and State Facts — Infoplease.com." //Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com//. 2000-2009. Web. 18 May 2010. . 4."Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives." //Production - Watch HouseLive Beta/Latest (Legislative)//. Web. 18 May 2010. . 5."ScienceDaily: Environmental Issue Articles." //Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology//. 1995-2000. Web. 18 May 2010. . 6."Clean Air Act (1963) with amendments (1966 and 1990)." //Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society//. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 May 2010. . 7."Tax Reform Act of 1986." //Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society//. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 May 2010. . 8.Kifer, Ken. "Bike Commuting and Transportation." //Welcome to KenKifer.com//. 4 July 2002. Web. 18 May 2010. . 9."How Many People Walk?" //Walkinginfo.org//. Web. 18 May 2010. . 10."Employment Situation Summary." //U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics//. Web. 18 May 2010. . **