Category Archives: Projects

“Citizens Against Crime” Makes Burglars Pause in Josephine County

With only three patrol officers covering 16,042 square miles of a rural Southern Oregon county, law enforcement can respond only “to life-threatening calls.” For lesser crimes, citizens could find themselves on their own. In May 2012, severe budget problems in … Continue reading

Posted in Cascade Website, Kathryn Hickok, Land Use, Rural Freedom, Tax and Budget, Video | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Tale of Two Lobbyists

By Doug DeFilipps The Oregonian’s Betsy Hammond pointed out last week that there are two lobbyists in the Oregon legislature representing K-12 Inc. (which operates the online charter school Oregon Virtual Academy) and another two from Connections Education LLC (which … Continue reading

Posted in Cascade Website, School Choice Project | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Job Creation Shouldn’t Be Our Goal

The next time someone argues that we need government to “create jobs,” show him or her this three-minute video. Then show it to them again, and again, until they grasp the concept:

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Freedom in Film: Won’t Back Down (2012)

Social problem films are not generally “feel-good” movies, in the sense that viewers feel comfortable with their feet up, eating popcorn, laughing with the heroes, and hoping for happily ever after. Won’t Back Down (2012) is a bit different. The … Continue reading

Posted in Cascade Website, Children's Scholarship Fund, Freedom in Film and Fiction, Kathryn Hickok, School Choice Project | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

This Week in the Capitol: Virtual Schools, Tobacco Taxes, and Land-Use

We are a month and a half into Oregon’s 2013 legislative session. Cascade’s John Charles and Steve Buckstein are in the capitol several days each week, bringing free-market and fiscally responsible perspectives to issues before numerous committees. On Tuesday, Steve … Continue reading

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Can the Queen of Sciences Dialogue with the Dismal Science?

The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty says indeed it can―and it should. Many people “with a heart” and a mission for serving the poor, leading congregations and faith-based charities, or running social service nonprofits don’t have … Continue reading

Posted in Asset Ownership, Cascade Website, Entitlement, Kathryn Hickok | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cascade in the Capitol: Opposition to more subsidies of student higher education costs

State Treasurer Ted Wheeler has proposed that the state obligate its citizens to repaying hundreds of millions of dollars in General Obligation bonds to subsidies student higher education costs. Below is the prepared testimony that I gave to a House … Continue reading

Posted in Cascade in the Capitol, Cascade Website, Oregon Economic Opportunity, Steve Buckstein, Tax and Budget | Tagged | 3 Comments

Ollie and the Train

Online learning is becoming an ever more popular method of engaging students. Whether through public, private, charter, or home schools, Oregon kids are increasingly able to use technology to interact with teachers and to learn at their own pace. Watch … Continue reading

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Exposing “The Machine”

Just months after the release of Cascade Policy Institute’s StatusQuoLobby.com webpage, the Moving Picture Institute and Reason.tv have created a video which vividly explains the relationship between teachers unions and politics. Illustrating how a great increase in per student spending … Continue reading

Posted in Cascade Website, School Choice Project, Tax and Budget, Video | 1 Comment

Will an Education Czar solve Oregon’s education problems?

Governor Kitzhaber’s latest attempt to reform education in Oregon took a major step forward today with his Oregon Education Investment Board’s hire of Rudy Crew as the state’s first Chief Education Officer, our very own education czar. Not to be … Continue reading

Posted in Cascade Website, School Choice Project, Steve Buckstein | Tagged , , | 14 Comments