Check out the latest Cascade Newsletter with articles on Health Care, State Post Employment Benefits, Climate Change, School Choice, Redistricting, and a recap on the impacts of Measures 66 & 67. Click here to Download

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Click the play button to hear the audio commentary 15 Years of Audits Reveal a Pattern of Fiscal Irresponsibility at the Oregon Commission for the BlindFebruary 10, 2010 By Jacob Szeto A Secretary of State Audits Division audit report questions if $1.46 million used by the Oregon Commission [...]

PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: Jacob Szeto In an effort to meet requirements for a transparency website created by House Bill 2500, the Department of Administrative Services has compiled and made available state workers’ salaries. The data provided includes approximately 32,620 state workers’ salaries. Not included are employees of the Oregon University System, Oregon State Treasurer, and [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jacob Szeto T: 503.242.0900 F: 503.242.3822 A recent report by the Oregon Secretary of State Audit Division questions the efficiency of state cell phone use. Of $3.1 million charged to the state for cell phones, the report found $588,000 of waste during a one-year period for unused and overused cell phones. [...]

Beware the common wisdom about who might support and who might oppose the new taxes proposed in Measures 66 and 67. When asked to make the “No new taxes” case to the board of directors of a Portland-based non-profit that provides services to disabled Oregonians, I was skeptical that anything I could say would cause [...]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Click the play button to hear the audio commentary The White House recently claimed that about 640,000 jobs have been saved or created as a result of the $787 billion stimulus package. Many have questioned the accuracy of this number, and for good reason.

FOR IMMEDIATE  RELEASE CONTACT: Jacob Szeto T: 503.242.0900 F: 503.242.3822 According to Recovery.gov, the U.S. government’s official website for data related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Oregon has a total of nine new congressional districts. That’s eight more than Oregon is projected to have after the 2010 census.

Click here to read the full report in PDF format In a world full of names, acronyms and management change plans, taxpayers can get lost. When the information to describe these programs is not transparent to the public, we cannot keep up with what our tax dollars are purchasing. Moreover, we cannot wander into discussions [...]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]Click the play button to hear the audio commentary The MADE IN OREGON sign atop the White Stag building is a Portland Waterfront icon. Every Christmas, the lighting of the red “nose” is carried live by all the television stations and has become a local tradition. The sign read [...]

Click here to read the full report in PDF format      Summary:  Last fall Cascade Policy Institute identified 1,209 deceased Oregonians who were still active voters according to the Oregon Voter Registration List. Cascade identified at least 32 who “voted” in the 2008 election. HB 3433 is designed to correct many flaws in the [...]