Sean C. Morgan
Royce Cantrell of Sweet Home is asking voters to support him as a write-in candidate for governor.
He proposes to take action in five areas, including taxes, marijuana, minimum wage, government functions and the lottery.
“You can have the same ol’, same ol’ Democrat or Republican, and whoever gets in the other party will gripe and complain or you can have me, a true independent,” Cantrell said.
“Two things. Number one, I’m not backed by any big money, any big corporation, therefore a true independent; and I will be interesting. I won’t be boring.
“Point number two, because I am independent and the other two parties will gripe and complain about it, they will unite in their efforts to try to stop me, which means I’ll be the only governor in Oregon’s history that will be able to get the Democrats and the Republican’s to work together. It’s going to be quite interesting.
“I’m running because I think there’s more to offer than just the two-party system.”
There is a lot of bickering between people because of the parties they’re in, he said. “A lot can be accomplished by an outsider.”
Taxes
“We need a change in the current tax rate system for Oregon,” Cantrell said.
If individuals or corporations make less than $25,000 per year, they should pay no taxes, he said. From $25,000 to $200,000 per year, they would pay 20 percent, and those earning more than $200,000 per year would pay 30 percent.
“Let’s give the smaller businesses and the people on the lower income scale a chance to use their money for something,” he said.
Generally, he is unhappy with the tax code, which is thousands of pages, he said. It should be simple enough to fill no more than a page and simple to file.
Minimum Wage
“Minimum wage does no good or helps anybody that has a smaller business,” Cantrell said. “If you have a smaller business of 20 people or less and I am the governor, what you pay your employees is between you and the employees. That’ll put more money in their pocket, put more money in your pocket. Everybody wins. Minimum wage should not be pushed or made mandatory for businesses with less than 20 employees.
“I think the bigger companies can afford to put up with a minimum wage.”
Marijuana
Individuals can smoke at age 18 and drink at age 21, Cantrell said.
“I also think when you get 21 years of age, you should be able to smoke marijuana, use it for medical purposes or just for pleasure if you want.
“The government has no business telling me or anyone else what kind of chemicals or food we should be putting in our bodies at 21. We’re adults. We should be treated that way. Marijuana should be left up to reasonable, responsible adults of the age of 21 or more.”
He noted the success of education at reducing smoking rates and said it would be better to educate marijuana users rather than throwing them in jail. He also noted that the three most recent U.S. presidents used marijuana and managed to make it to the top of their game. They smoked it but didn’t smoke enough to stop their ambition.
Government Functions
Tax revenue should only be spent in four areas, law enforcement, fire departments, roads and highways and libraries.
“Any other problem can be dealt with at the county or city level,” Cantrell said.
Lottery
Bars and restaurants receive 17 percent of profit, Cantrell said, “which is ridiculous.”
He proposes allowing them to keep 50 percent and sending 50 percent to the state.
“I hate when I’m working and the state takes it away when I’m doing all the work,” Cantrell said.
“If you like the ideas I presented, then remember me in November,” Cantrell said. “I probably don’t have a chance of winning, so (winning) would be the icing on the cake.”
He just wants people to discuss his ideas, get them out there and have conversations, he said. “I want real conversations, have these two guys (governor candidates) really discuss issues instead of just dancing around. They’re governors. They should make a statement. They should lead.”
That’s why he put out specific proposals, he said, and while he proposed some ideas, he is willing to adjust his position based on input and information.
He pointed to Jesse Ventura, who was governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, as inspiration.
“He fought with both parties just because he’s an outsider,” Cantrell said.
Watch Royce Cantrell’s
campaign video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49N-WLfh1vA