New Year, New Oregon?
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. With 2022 winding down and 2023 less than a…
Read Blog DetailYear: 2022
A Holiday Wishlist for Oregon
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. ‘Tis the season for holiday wishes. And, toward that…
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Education Savings Accounts: A School Choice Solution That Can Save States Money
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Critics of education savings accounts, or ESAs, claim that…
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Education Savings Accounts Can Boost Per-Student Spending in Public Schools
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Critics of education savings accounts, or ESAs, claim ESA…
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Research Shows Voucher Programs Boost Test Scores and Improve Educational Attainment
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Vouchers and education savings accounts (ESAs) are a subset…
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Decades of Research Finds Voucher Programs Are Associated with Improved Public School Quality
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. In recent years, school vouchers and education savings accounts…
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Cascade Quarterly Fall 2022
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Cascade Policy Institute – to Land Board Members
Cascade Policy Institute 4850 SW Scholls Ferry Road, #103 Portland, OR 97225 December…
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Tolling’s Political Pile-Up
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. If the Oregon Department of Transportation has its way,…
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Opposition to Ban on Sale of Flavored Nicotine Products
Testimony of Cascade Policy Institute Multnomah County Board of CommissionersAgenda Item PH.1 Agenda…
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Reject the Renewable Fuel Standard Update
Comments from Cascade Policy Institute Eric Fruits, Ph.D.[1] November 16, 2022 Cascade Policy…
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Multnomah County Is Going “Ban”-anas
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. First they banned styrofoam, then last week they banned…
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Education Group Works to Put School Choice on the Ballot in Oregon
By Kathryn Hickok This year, Arizona became the first state to expand eligibility…
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Let the Best Trash Man Win
By James Swyter Today, many people associate the word “monopoly” with big tech…
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Private Property Saved the Plymouth Pilgrims
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This Thanksgiving let’s give thanks to the Pilgrims who…
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2023 Should Be Oregon’s Year of Opportunity in K-12 Education
By Kathryn Hickok A June poll of Oregonians conducted by Nelson Research and…
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Magical Thinking Won’t Fill the Fuel Tank
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Portland is a world leader in magical thinking on…
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For Oregon’s New Governor, Great Power Comes with Great Responsibility
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It’s the day after Election Day and the votes…
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Oregon Needs a Free-Market Makeover
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D “What’s the one thing you’d do to fix Oregon?”…
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Mayor Wheeler Offers a Mixed Bag of Homelessness Solutions
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Last week, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and his council…
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Portland’s “Moon Shot” to Solve Homelessness: Lessons from Apollo 13
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This week, Portland City Council is considering five resolutions…
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No on Measure 26-225: Metro’s Parks and Nature Program Needs a Reset
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Yet again, Metro is asking for more money for…
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ADA Lawsuit Is a First Step Toward Addressing Region’s Homelessness Crisis
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. For most of us, homeless tents blocking sidewalks are…
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Yearning and Burning on the November Ballot
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This week, ballots for the November election will be…
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Walk Away from Measure 113
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. In just a few weeks, Oregon voters will be…
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Closing the Racial Learning Gap in Schools: Spending Money Is Not Enough
By James Swyter For years, policymakers in Oregon have wrung their hands over…
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Kate Brown’s Parting Gift
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is accepting…
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Oregon Ranks 40th on Heritage Foundation’s “Education Freedom Report Card”
By Kathryn Hickok The Heritage Foundation recently released its first Education Freedom Report…
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Arizona Offers All Children School Choice; Oregon Should, Too
By Kathryn Hickok This summer, Arizona expanded the nation’s first Education Savings Account…
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PCC Wants More of Your Tax Dollars to Spend Its Way out of a Slump
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The ballot for November’s election is filling up, and…
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3 Ways New Oregon Leadership Can Improve K-12 Education Fast
By Kathryn Hickok Oregon soon will have a new governor and a new…
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Biden’s Student Loan Bailout Brings Chaos to College Students
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. By now you’ve heard of President Biden’s student loan…
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Oregon’s Budget: Out-of-Control Spending and Misplaced Priorities
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. If you feel like Oregon politicians are spending more,…
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Oregon Legislature Should End the GET Green Energy Fiasco
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It seems everywhere you look, “clean energy” is in…
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Biden Administration May Control School Suspensions
By James Swyter In less than two weeks, Oregon students will be heading…
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Gotta Get Rid of the GET Green Energy Boondoggle
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It seems everywhere you look, “clean energy” is in…
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Solar Panels in a Dark Room
By Taylor Marks In 2014, Fire Station 21, located on SE Madison St….
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TriMet’s Electric Bus Plans Could Burst into Flames
By Mia Tiwana Connecticut’s bus service just pulled its entire fleet of electric…
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Portland’s Clean Energy Fund Didn’t Deserve a Green Light
By James Swyter and Mia Tiwana This month, Portland City Council approved $118…
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Local Governments Must Change Course to Fix Their Policy Crises
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Things are not going well in the Portland region….
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Cascade Quarterly Summer 2022
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This Green Fund Doesn’t Deserve a Green Light
By Mia Tiwana Have you heard of the Portland Clean Energy Fund? Portlanders…
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Welcome to Portland, Where Getting a Job Is Easy but Staying Safe Is Hard
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Two of my kids are young adults working retail….
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Portland’s all-or-nothing city charter ballot measure may add up to no reforms at all
By Taylor Marks Too much, all at once. Portland’s city charter is long…
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Lights Out: A Lesson in Local Government
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Last week, an Oregonian story reported that for years,…
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The $60 Million Question for Portland Public Schools: Where is the Money Going?
Projected spending for the Center for Black Student Excellence may violate Oregon Law…
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Portland’s “EV Ready Code” Isn’t That Electric
By Mia Tiwana Portland City Council is trying its best to bring electric…
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Portland Needs More Than Zoning Changes to Increase Housing Supply
By Taylor Marks Starting July 1, Portland property owners will have new choices…
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A Boring Budget Item Highlights Public Safety Dysfunction
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It’s budget season for local governments in Oregon. Budgets…
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Portland Public Schools Needs a Plan for Declining Enrollment
By Mia Tiwana This year, Portland Public Schools is in a financial sweet…
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Plans Are in Place to Force Oregonians to Pay for the Privilege of Waiting in Traffic
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Are you ready to pay a toll to cross…
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The MAX Yellow Line Doesn’t Deserve a Green Light
By Taylor Marks Over-promised and under-delivered. Throughout its 18-year life, TriMet’s Yellow Line…
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Press Release: The $60 Million Question: Cascade Policy Institute Questions PPS Bond Spending
May 24, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contacts: Eric Fruits, Ph.D.Office: (503) 242-0900eric@cascadepolicy.org…
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The $60 Million Question: What Is the Center for Black Student Excellence?
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. and Mia Tiwana Executive Summary In November 2020, Portland…
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Press Release: The I-5 Bridge Replacement Project’s Administrators Are Misleading State Legislators About Light Rail
May 19, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contacts:Micah PerryOffice: (503) 242-0900Mobile: (303) 330-3855micah@cascadepolicy.org…
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It’s Election Night: Do You Know Where Your Ballot Is?
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. By the time you’re reading this, your May primary…
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State Legislators Created Their Own Pay Problem
By John A. Charles, Jr. State Representatives Karin Power (Milwaukie), Anna Williams (Hood…
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Portland’s Self-Inflicted Rental Housing Shortage
By Micah Perry According to a revised report from economic consulting firm ECONorthwest,…
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Lift the Cap on Oregon Charter Schools
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Next week is National Charter Schools Week. Oregon passed…
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Nostalgia and NIMBYism Stand in the Way of Sheltering the Homeless
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. For more than a year, Cascade Policy Institute has…
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Poll: 72% Believe Parents Should Have School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok The last two years have made it clear: Oregon parents…
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Better Late Than Never at the Expo Center
By Micah Perry For years, Portland residents have dealt with homeless individuals parking…
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Roads Are Infrastructure Worthy of Investment
By Micah Perry The Oregon Transportation Commission recently decided how to allocate $412…
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Are Taxes Driving People Out of Portland?
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The Census just released the latest population estimates and,…
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Fossil Fuels Are Not Going Anywhere
By John A. Charles, Jr. Many Oregon politicians have convinced themselves that we…
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Oregon Secretary of State Says No “Clear Purpose” for Mortgage Tax Deduction
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This time they’re coming for your home. Earlier this…
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Cascade Quarterly Winter 2022
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Oregonians Want More Hospital Beds. The Oregon Health Authority Is Standing in the Way.
By Micah Perry According to a new survey from the Oregon Values and…
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Portland’s Parking Price Hike Proves City Council Hates You
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Just five months ago, Portland City Council announced that…
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Legislators Can Work Less Instead of Asking for More Pay
By Micah Perry Everyone loves getting a raise. Our Oregon state legislators are…
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Testimony of John Charles to Portland Public School Board on the Proposed Climate Crisis Response, Climate Justice, and Sustainable Practices Policy
By John A. Charles, Jr. March 1, 2022Rosanne Powell, Senior Board ManagerPortland Public…
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Testimony of Kathryn Hickok before the Senate Committee on Education
February 24, 2022 Senate Committee on EducationOregon State Legislature Re: Support for SB…
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Metro’s Playing Farmville With Taxpayer Money
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. People in the Portland area love their parks and…
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Local governments seeking to ban natural gas are willfully ignoring Oregon voters.
By Rachel Dawson Think the natural gas industry is dying? The latest data…
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Why is Oregon One of the Last States with a Mask Mandate?
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Why does Oregon still have a mask mandate? Oregon…
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Support for HB 4140—Expands duties of Oregon Government Ethics Commission to
conduct investigations, make findings and impose penalties for violations of public
meetings law.
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Public meetings can be boring, but those meetings are…
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Oregon’s Land is Overregulated
By Micah Perry Land use regulations in Oregon are adversely impacting the state’s…
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Bud Clark Was More Than “Whoop! Whoop!”
He Had the Right Approach on Homelessness By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Fewer than…
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Testimony of John Charles Before the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire Recovery Regarding SB 1546-1
By John A. Charles, Jr. February 3, 2022Senate Natural Resources CommitteeState CapitolSalem, OR…
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Portlanders are fed up with homelessness, crime, and their elected officials.
By Rachel Dawson A recent poll by the Portland Business Alliance found that…
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Metro’s New Parks Took Too Long, Leave Too Much to Be Desired
By Micah Perry In December 2021, Metro, the Portland-area regional government, opened Newell…
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Oregon Should Expand Education Choices to Help All Students Succeed
By Kathryn Hickok Oregon students are now half-way through their third school year…
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National School Choice Week Celebrates Options and Opportunities in K-12 Education
By Kathryn Hickok January 23-29 is National School Choice Week, a 50-state celebration…
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Remove Oregon’s Age Restriction on GED Tests
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. COVID-19 disrupted—and may continue to disrupt—in-person learning at many…
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Oregon’s Century-Old Lesson in Public Education
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Earlier this week, the Michigan Democratic Party’s Facebook account…
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Don’t own an EV? Too bad. Oregon says you’ll pay for the infrastructure anyway.
By Rachel Dawson With the start of a new year, power customers will…
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Portland’s YOYO Approach to Solving Crime
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Just after dinner on New Year’s Eve, my oldest…
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