“Oregon System” Sends Governor Back to Square One
By Naomi Inman The final signatures were plunked down on December 30—down on…
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Portland Public Schools’ Risky Real Estate Gamble
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. On December 2, Portland Public Schools (PPS) board voted…
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Multnomah Audit Finds Fraud in Construction Recycling
By Naomi Inman What happens to all that construction debris on public works…
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TriMet Retreat Should Focus on Crisis, Not Expansion
By John A. Charles, Jr. On November 12, the TriMet Board will hold…
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$2 Trillion and No One Aboard
By Randal O’Toole Since 1965, when Congress began subsidizing urban transit, taxpayers have…
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Dear PPS Bond Committee: Please Tell the Taxpayers
By John A. Charles, Jr. Cascade’s president, John Charles, testified online at the…
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Over-Sized, Over-Priced Schools Accelerate PPS’ Fiscal Crisis
By Naomi Inman Cascade’s President and CEO, John Charles, emailed a Memo on Monday to…
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The Center for Black Student Excellence Should Be a Private Venture
By John A. Charles, Jr. In September, the Portland Public Schools Board voted…
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Why Affordable Housing is Unaffordable
By Randal O’Toole Last week KGW news reported that Portland area rents are…
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Oregon Energy Strategy is Doomed to Fail
By Randal O’Toole The Oregon Department of Energy “Oregon Energy Strategy” for saving…
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John Charles’ Sept. 9 Testimony for PPS Board Meeting Re: Purchase Agreement for Center for Black Student Excellence
Executive Summary: On September 9th, the Portland Public School (PPS) board met to…
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Student Excellence for Every Portland Public School
By John Charles On September 9th, the Portland Public School (PPS) board was…
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Spending Solutions for ODOT’s Spending Problems
By Naomi Inman The Oregon Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation Funding will consider…
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John Charles’ Testimony Re: ’25 Special Session Transportation Funding
Testimony of John A. Charles, Jr.Regarding LC 2Before the Joint Interim Committee on…
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The Tapeworm Eating ODOT’s Record Gas Tax Revenue
By John A. Charles, Jr. Governor Tina Kotek has called a special session…
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Special Session Should Use Emergency Funds, Not Punish Oregonians
By Connor Roberts The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has a $350 million…
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Metro Council Votes to Approve $88.5 Million Bond for Road Diets: One Intern’s Reflection
By Connor Roberts The summer of 2025 brought Cascade three talented Research Associates…
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Metro’s Ballooning Bond for Road Diets
By Jacob Beckwith On July 31st, the seven Metro councilors will vote to…
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“What Does It Cost?” Film by Discovery Institute Exposes the West Coast Climate Agenda
This summer, Cascade’s summer Research Associates reviewed a film produced by the Discovery…
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HB 2089 Brings Oregon into Compliance with the Supreme Court’s Tyler Ruling on Property Rights and Home Equity
By Kathryn Hickok With the passage of House Bill 2089 in late June,…
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Voters Aren’t Interested in New Transportation Taxes
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Oregon legislature ended on June 27 without…
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From Gas Tank to Paycheck: Oregon’s Plan to Tax Everything That Moves
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Executive Summary Three major transportation funding proposals are circulating…
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Educational Choice for Children Act Would Expand Private Scholarship Options for American Children
By Kathryn Hickok Groundbreaking, school choice legislation called the Educational Choice for Children…
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Testimony Before Tax Supervising Conservation Commission on PPS Proposed 2025 Budget’s Race-Based Funding Disparities
June 6, 2025 Ms. Harmony QuirozChair, Tax Supervising Conservation Commission808 SW Third AvenuePortland,…
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Metro Should Scrap Visioning and Long-Range Planning
By Randal O’Toole Metro will soon be revising its 1995 Regional Framework Plan,…
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Testimony on SB 702 Limits Sale of Flavored Tobacco/Nicotine Products to OLCC Outlets
May 21, 2025 Senate Committee on Revenue and FinanceOregon State CapitolSalem, OR 97301…
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House Bills on Oregon Water Resources to Double Dip Taxpayers
By Madilynne Clark House Bill 2808 and House Bill 2165 seek to address…
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Affordable Housing Does More Harm Than Good
By Randal O’Toole So-called affordable housing is anything but affordable. Instead, it is…
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Metro Should Scrap Visioning and Long-Range Planning
By Randal O’Toole Metro has begun rewriting its 1995 “Future Vision,” which is…
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School Choice Is Bigger in Texas
By Kathryn Hickok It’s official: More than half of America’s K-12 students are…
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Testimony before the Multnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission regarding the PPS general obligation bond budget
John A. Charles, Jr.President and CEOMay 5, 2025 Re: PPS 2025 Bond Measure…
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North Dakota Legislature Passes ESA and Charter School Bills
By Kathryn Hickok On Monday, the North Dakota legislature passed the state’s first…
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Race-Based School Funding
By John A. Charles, Jr. On April 14, Governor Tina Kotek held a…
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School Choice Options Now Reach More Than 40% of American Children
By Kathryn Hickok What if every child could attend the school where he…
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Testimony: HB3792-3 Consumer Protection for Utility Ratepayers
March 28, 2025 Rep. Nathan SosaChair, House Commerce and Consumer Protection CommitteeOregon State…
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New Law Expands School Choice to All Wyoming Children
By Kathryn Hickok This month Wyoming became the 15th state to give students…
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Education Funding Should “Follow the Child” When Parents Choose Oregon Charter Schools
By Kathryn Hickok Charter schools are public schools, but students attending Oregon charter…
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WES Commuter Rail Should be Shut Down, Not Expanded
By John A. Charles, Jr. On March 11 the Joint Transportation Committee of…
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A Failure to Launch at PPS
By John A. Charles, Jr. At its March 4th meeting, Portland Public School…
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Tobacco Testimony HB 2528
February 26, 2025 House Committee on Commerce and Consumer ProtectionOregon State CapitolSalem, OR…
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Tobacco Testimony on SB 702
March 4, 2025 Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral HealthOregon State CapitolSalem,…
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Oregon’s Neighbor Idaho Passes a School Choice Tax Credit
By Kathryn Hickok Idaho families are the winners after the state’s legislature passed…
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Restructuring Oregon’s Death Tax Would Benefit the State
By John A. Charles, Jr. Oregon’s death tax has earned our state a…
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Testimony on HB 2301
February 6, 2025 House Revenue CommitteeState LegislatureSalem, OR Re: HB2301 Dear Committee members:…
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The Government Should Try to Do a Few Things Well in 2025
By John A. Charles, Jr. This week marks the inauguration of President Trump…
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Trust Is Earned, Not Given
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Portland School Board (PPS) wants voters to…
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PPS Bond Request Is Too Big and Too Vague
January 7, 2025 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd.,…
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Testimony for Portland Public Schools Meeting on January 7, Agenda Item #9, Resolution 7038
January 7, 2025 Mr. Eddie WangChair, PPS Board501 N. Dixon StreetPortland, OR 97227…
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Extending the Yellow MAX Line to Vancouver Is TriMet’s Worst Idea Yet
By John A. Charles, Jr. At a December 17th meeting of the Joint…
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Why Are Portland School Construction Projects So Expensive?
By John A. Charles, Jr. In 2021, Sherwood School District opened the largest…
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Portland to Expand Streetcar, Riders Not Included
By John A. Charles, Jr. In mid-November, the Portland City Council approved a…
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DEQ’s Plan to Raise the Cost of Driving Should Be Cancelled
By John A. Charles, Jr. On November 21, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission…
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The Siren Song of free school meals
By John A. Charles, Jr. Thirty years ago, an iconic goal of liberal…
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Opinion – Oregon’s ‘Rebate’ Proposal Is a Backdoor Tax Increase
By Bill Conerly Will voters in the deep-blue State of Oregon vote for…
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Metro, Please Learn from Past Mistakes
By Seth Bowman The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) was opened in 1990 with…
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Rising Costs and Diminishing Returns
By Brittany Hjelte The Oregon Legislature has mandated that large utilities deliver 100%…
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With Declining Enrollments, Why Is Portland Building Bigger High Schools?
By Ethan Rohrbach The modernization of Benson Polytechnic High School is nearing completion….
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Is Affordable, Reliable Electricity a Service of the Past?
By Brittany Hjelte Oregon politicians banned the use of coal for electricity generation…
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Liability, Not Reliability: Solar Panels in Oregon Schools
By Ethan Rohrbach In 2007, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2620. The…
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Zero-emissions? Not Really
By Emily Schutte When an Electric Vehicle is marketed as “zero-emission,” consumers expect…
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There is no Field of Dreams at the Expo Center
By Seth Bowman The Portland Expo Center has been serving our region through…
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Portland Public Schools’ Building Costs Are Shaking Up Budgets
By Brittany Hjelte Worries about the Cascadia Subduction Zone have persisted for the…
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Is a New, Earthquake-Ready Burnside Bridge Necessary?
By Ethan Rohrbach For the past 40 years, the scientific community has been…
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Testimony: Testimony to Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission on PPS Budget
June 4, 2024 Ms. Allegra WillhiteExecutive DirectorMultnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission…
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EVs = bad business
By Emily Schutte Electric Vehicles are bad business. To boost sales in a…
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Paying Twice for Oregon’s Roads
By John A. Charles, Jr. A committee of the Oregon legislature will soon…
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PPS levy perpetuates ongoing discrimination
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Portland School Board is asking voters to…
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Cascade Policy Institute Seminars: The How-To’s of Making a Difference in Local Policy
Come join us for an exciting free seminar series with Cascade Policy Institute, where you’ll…
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Equity Funding Has Not Closed the Racial Achievement Gap in Portland Schools
By Ethan Rohrbach April 2024 Non-white students have historically performed worse in Portland…
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The Affordable Housing Scam
By Randal O’Toole Executive Summary U.S. taxpayers spend tens of billions of dollars…
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The prudent person principle should be applied to all publicly funded projects
By Karen Rue Last week, Cascade Policy Institute provided suggestions to the Board…
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Letter to the Department of State Lands re: Draft Asset Management Plan
April 3, 2024 Vicki WalkerDirector, Oregon Department of State Lands775 Summer Street NESalem,…
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Letter to PPS Board: Recommendations for Jefferson Highschool Modernization Project
April 2, 2024 Mr. Gary HollandsChair, Portland Public School Board501 N. Dixon StreetPortland,…
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By 2027, All Alabama Students Will Have Educational Choice
By Kathryn Hickok This month, Alabama became the most recent state to increase…
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Repealing Oregon’s EV mandate should be next on Gov. Kotek’s list
By John A. Charles, Jr. Recently Gov. Tina Kotek decided to pull the…
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More Money is Not the Solution
By Joshua Schutte The Oregonian recently reported that “Oregon students as a whole…
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Rose Quarter I-5 Project Testimony on ODOT AVT Proposed Partnership Agreement
March 12, 2024 Ms. Julie BrownChairOregon Transportation Commission355 Capitol Street NESalem, OR 97301…
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Legislative committee wants to extend commuter rail to Salem at a cost of $118 per ride
By John A. Charles, Jr. On February 22, the Joint Committee on Transportation…
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Oregon Needs More Than Tiny Homes
By John A. Charles, Jr. The 35-day session of the Oregon Legislature opened…
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Testimony before the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response Regarding HB 4002, HB 4036 and SB 1555
John A. Charles, Jr.President & CEOFebruary 7, 2024 Cascade’s mission is to promote…
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Oregon’s Reliance on Fossil Fuels Is Growing, Not Shrinking
By John A. Charles, Jr. During the holidays, the Oregon Department of Energy…
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Reviving Downtown Portland Requires Stronger Medicine
By John A. Charles, Jr. Last week Gov. Tina Kotek released the recommendations…
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Why More Money Won’t Solve the Problems in Portland Public Schools
By John A. Charles, Jr. At the Portland Public Schools board meeting last…
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Re: Adoption of RTP and HCT Plan
November 29, 20323 Metro Council600 NE Grand AvenuePortland, OR 97232 Re: Adoption of…
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Taxpayers Have Been Generous to Portland Schools
By John A. Charles, Jr. In any prolonged strike, it is usually assumed…
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What The New Homeschool Demographic Means For School Choice
By Mia Tiwana The homeschool landscape is changing. Our approach to school funding…
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It’s Time to End Home Equity Theft in Oregon
By Mia Tiwana It’s time to end home equity theft in Oregon. In…
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School Choice Programs Don’t Cause Tuition Inflation
By Kathryn Hickok A long-standing question about taxpayer-funded school choice programs like vouchers,…
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North Carolina Becomes the 9th State to Offer Students Universal School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok North Carolina has become the ninth state to enact universal…
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Testimony of Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Submitted to Portland City Council
September 19, 2023 Re: Agenda Item 798—Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF)…
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Portland’s $750 million climate slush fund
By John A. Charles, Jr. In 2018, local voters approved the creation of…
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2023 – An Outstanding Year for School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok 2023 has been an outstanding year for school choice. Utah,…
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RealClear Opinion Poll Shows 71% of Registered Voters Support School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok A June 2023 RealClear Opinion Research survey of registered voters…
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Oregon Should Let Voters Reconsider Clean Nuclear Power
By Micah DeSilva For over 40 years, Oregon has outlawed the construction of…
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Let Oregon Voters Reconsider Nuclear Power
By Micah DeSilva Earlier this year, Oregon lawmakers proposed legislation allowing voters to reconsider their 1980 decision to effectively ban construction of new nuclear…
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Making Driving More Expensive Won’t Fix Oregon’s Congested Roads
By Micah DeSilva Metro is the regional government of the greater Portland region….
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Oregon’s 2040 Electric Utility Mandates Rely on Future Technology–or Buying Electricity from Other States
By Micah DeSilva Two years ago, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2021,…
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Metro Nature Parks are Hidden by Design
By John A. Charles, Jr. In June the elected Auditor for Metro published…
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Portland Needs More Than a Small Tax Break
By Sam Herrin Two weeks ago, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced plans to…
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Politicians Should Stick to Politics and Leave Technology Alone
By John A. Charles, Jr. Just four days before legislative adjournment, House Bill…
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