Following New Zealand’s lead
The New Year brings promise and opportunity for Oregon. Though we face challenges,…
Read Blog DetailYear: 2002
A sales tax could cost Oregon jobs
Oregonians have nixed a sales tax nine times at the ballot box, yet…
Read Blog DetailAn emerging consensus on school spending
The intellectual debate about school spending in Oregon is coming to a close….
Read Blog DetailMetro "faithful" lose their religion
Portland’s regional government, Metro, is held up as a national model for how…
Read Blog DetailHave a prosperous New Year
Here’s wishing everyone a prosperous New Year. That’s not a trite phrase; it’s…
Read Blog DetailA Thanksgiving story to celebrate
Most children are taught that Thanksgiving celebrates the Pilgrims’ first harvest and their…
Read Blog DetailTemporary is a long-time in government-speak
During the last session Oregon legislators created the current budget shortfall. They added…
Read Blog DetailImproving Oregon’s budget and business climate
Now that Oregon has a new governor-elect, speculation begins about how he will…
Read Blog DetailTo reduce the influence of money, limit government’s power
Every now and then we hear the call for taxpayer-funded political campaigns at…
Read Blog DetailMajority vote does not change wrong into right
A sign in a government community center reads, “Exercise your freedom and vote!”…
Read Blog DetailFlaws in education reform exposed
Discontent with Oregon’s education reform is now coming from new areas. Recently the…
Read Blog DetailFirst, do no harm
Why are so many Oregonians calling for a single-payer health care plan funded…
Read Blog DetailProtect everyone’s basic (property) rights
Last week the Oregon Supreme Court invalidated ballot Measure 7, which voters passed…
Read Blog DetailA better direction for special education
A recent report by an Oregon legislative task force outlines how the state…
Read Blog DetailAn electric idea to save taxpayers half-a-million bucks
Portland’s Mayor Katz and Commissioner Sten are spending a half-million dollars to study…
Read Blog DetailPrinciples, not taxes, needed to balance state budget
In June of 1993 Cascade Policy Institute published the report Seven Principles of…
Read Blog DetailSeptember 11th
Even after a year, it’s too early to know what September 11th will…
Read Blog DetailSustainable development
The United Nations conference on sustainable development is winding down after a week…
Read Blog DetailCanadians and Brits wait for health care … and wait
Oregonians will vote this fall on a ballot initiative that advocates a virtual…
Read Blog DetailPut children, not schools, first
The bipartisan No Child Left Behind education bill is unlikely to achieve its…
Read Blog DetailGOP: The Bigger Government Party
Republicans in Oregon and elsewhere are in danger of losing votes, and elections,…
Read Blog DetailWildfires show need to decentralize federal lands
In the 1970s the U.S. Forest Service came to look at fires as…
Read Blog DetailTime to revisit privatizing Social Security
The stock market has plunged over the last two years. Recent corporate accounting…
Read Blog DetailThe high cost of government health care
Dr. David MacDonald is a co-founder of the American Association of Patients and…
Read Blog DetailOHSU Tram: Forward into the Past!
The recent decision by the Portland City Council to build a tram from…
Read Blog DetailEducation freedom key to religious liberty
The debate surrounding government education and religion took an interesting turn with recent…
Read Blog DetailCharter school law too restrictive
Oregon passed its charter school law to foster educational freedom. The recent negotiations…
Read Blog DetailVictory for school choice!
Last week the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long awaited ruling that low-income…
Read Blog DetailI-5 Partnership locks in traffic
The I-5 Partnership, representing the states of Oregon and Washington, will adopt final…
Read Blog DetailBusiness support for public power raises red flags
The failure of so-called electricity deregulation in California and the bankruptcy of Enron…
Read Blog DetailKeep the quorum: Preserve the double-majority rule
Low voter turnout in the recent Oregon primary election helped block numerous tax…
Read Blog DetailDo teacher unions really benefit children?
During the recent primary election the Oregon Education Association (OEA) got what it…
Read Blog DetailWhat if they held an election and no one came?
Voter apathy is the popular explanation for low voter turnout. As the director…
Read Blog DetailLesson from New Zealand: Plow under U.S. farm subsidies
President Bush showed his anti-consumer, anti-taxpayer side on Monday, May 13: he signed…
Read Blog DetailSchool funding waltz: Measure 5, equalization and legislative puppeteering
Political candidates and editorial boards across the state blame Measure 5 for centralizing…
Read Blog DetailDrug prohibition, cigarette taxes and terrorism
When U.S. Drug Czar John Walters spoke in Portland last Friday he touched…
Read Blog DetailPERS: Let’s talk solutions
Gubernatorial candidate Ron Saxton deserves praise for making the state’s financially insolvent Public…
Read Blog DetailWestside story shows land use planning flaws
Recently the Westside Economic Alliance and others sponsored an economic “summit” to examine…
Read Blog DetailBlack holes in education spending
Oregon’s budget crisis is a blessing in disguise for schools. It has helped…
Read Blog DetailExtend Enron scrutiny to government programs
The collapse of Enron has been grabbing headlines for months. Politicians are on…
Read Blog DetailDefuse drug testing debate through school choice
The Oregon Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court heard similar cases…
Read Blog DetailUniversities can flourish without Salem
The Oregon University System will sustain an additional $27.2 million in budget cuts,…
Read Blog DetailColumbia River dredging: It’s the pork, stupid!
The Oregonian has stirred up debate recently with its investigative report on the…
Read Blog DetailCreative solutions for school budgets
School districts in Oregon face budget cuts that present opportunities to empower teachers,…
Read Blog DetailUrban renewal gets another black eye
The Portland Development Commission has put 70 urban renewal projects on hold due…
Read Blog DetailCAFE carnage: Death by fuel economy standards
Dozens of Oregonians are killed every year by fuel economy standards on new…
Read Blog DetailGreater health insurance freedom would reduce OHP demand
Much noise was raised about protecting the Oregon Health Plan from budget cuts…
Read Blog DetailTime to commercialize Oregon’s bridges
The Oregonian‘s four-part story about Oregon’s slowly collapsing highway bridges points to a…
Read Blog DetailEducation freedom linked to high test scores
The Manhattan Institute recently released its 2001 Education Freedom Index, which measures four…
Read Blog DetailTerm limits decision threatens initiative rights
Oregonians’ ability to make meaningful changes to their Constitution was further eroded when…
Read Blog DetailOregon lives beyond our means
When Governor Kitzhaber argues that we should pursue revenue increases to balance the…
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