A little background information to set the table for what I believe will be a monumental slap down of a Democrat state governor. The Oregon Senate passed a transportation package to fund the Oregon Department of Transportation on Monday after several delays. The Oregon Senate’s vote on House Bill 3991, and House Bill 3992 took place after hours of debate and testimony. Both bills in the transportation package passed on Monday, September 29, 2025. Since September, Tina Kotek, Oregon’s governor, has been sitting on the bills, attempting to run out the clock so Oregon’s citizens have no voice or say on the pending tax increase:

House Bill 3991 will raise about $4.3 billion over the next 10 years to fund road maintenance and operations by raising the gas tax by six cents, nearly doubling most vehicle registration fees and doubling the payroll tax used to support public transit from 0.1% to 0.2% of a paycheck  — among other fee hikes for electric vehicles. Gov. Tina Kotek plans to sign it.

Once these bills were passed, state lawmaker Ed Diehl put together a petition initiative and a working group to force the tax increase onto the ballot, allowing Oregon citizens to have a say in substantial tax increase, passed by a Democrat supermajority. The petition to succeed will need 100,000 signatures by late December, and then the tax will be put before Oregon’s citizens.

The response to this task grows bigger while Governor Kotek delays signing the bills into law. Once the governor signs the bills, then the petitions can be circulated. As Governor Kotek delays, the army of volunteers swells ever larger: at last count, there were well over 2,000 volunteers statewide, many of whom were sending emails and texts asking how they can get involved. This is a very good indication that when you mess with others’ money without their approval or concerns, and then order them to pay a tax they didn’t get to vote for or against, you have strayed into a very dangerous political position. The Democrat legislators who passed the bills are having a very hard time with their constituents’ questions, explaining why they thought they could pass these bills and steal from them.

This is known as taxation without representation, but Democrats seem to have no issue with it. Maybe they should brush up on American history?

I liken this to swinging at a large hornet’s nest with a very short stick; when you hit the nest, the hornets are coming out angry and spoiling for a fight.

The next two months will be a frenzy of activity, and also an exciting time to see how many Oregon voters sign the petitions. Will this be the final shove, compelling some voters to switch parties? Will Oregonians finally vote to punish the legislators who swung the stick at the hornet’s nest?

John Woods: Father, Husband, Activist, Veteran, Advocate, Voting Delegate to the state Oregon Republican Party.

Image generated by ChatGPT.