Originally Posted by randya
Freedom: Being able to build, buy and drive planet-killing vehicles.
By this definition, corporations should just be able to dump toxic waste wherever they want. True freedom is not about egotistical self-gratification, consideration must be given to care of the commons, too. The commons includes the air, water, public lands and public infrastructure (roads, water and sewer systems, etc.) we all share. The frontier is closed and the American Cowboy is just a myth perpetuated by Hollywood. Get over it.
Oregon's got no sales tax but does have a hefty income tax. I'd personally prefer it the other way around. Washington used to have much higher vehicle registration fees, but they were voted out during the tax revolts of the 80s and 90s. The condition of their roads is starting to show it.
The economics of the commons is a well-discussed topic in economics, and the overuse of commons is one of the classic arguments for private ownership of resources. The implication of calling the pollutable air and water commons is very interesting, and suggests that the best way to preserve them is to create private ownership, so that the adverse impacts would accrue to an owner, who then would have great incentive to avoid pollution.
As to Oregon having no sales tax, but an income tax, I would like to point out that in general income tax is deductible on your Federal Taxes, while sales tax is not, although the tax code has recently been changed to let residents in low income tax states deduct some of their sales taxes. I would bet that Oregon residents get back a higher portion of their taxes in the form of deductions on their Federal taxes than do Wasington residents. Of course, you could live near the Oregon border in Washington (for example Vancouver,WA) and shop in Oregon, and avoid a lot of taxes.