Takin’ it to the streets — again
What do you think about the recent politician-approved three-year “temporary” state income tax…
Read Blog DetailStop the highway slaughter
The tragic deaths of eight young firefighters this week on Highway 20 near…
Read Blog DetailRegulation leads to blackouts
Advocates of government regulation are crowing over last Thursday’s biggest-ever electricity blackout in…
Read Blog DetailOregon spendaholics must learn fiscal responsibility
The Statesman Journal has a counter on its website tallying the taxpayer burden…
Read Blog DetailPERS reforms are not "forcing" people out
The mass exodus of Oregon public employees—due to pending changes in the Public…
Read Blog DetailPeaceful revolution and recalling politicians
John F. Kennedy once remarked, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make…
Read Blog DetailNow Playing: Tax to the Future
Why should doing something that is legal today land you in jail tomorrow?…
Read Blog DetailAn alternative to tuition increases
The Oregon Board of Higher Education approved a change that allows state universities…
Read Blog DetailLincoln County schools clean up
Salem-Keizer School District board members just learned that they could have reduced expenses…
Read Blog DetailEuphemisms and American Revolutions
Former Oregon Gov. Vic Atiyeh just testified in Salem about fixing the state’s…
Read Blog DetailA qualified teacher in every classroom
A June 22 Oregonian story reported that a significant number of Oregon middle…
Read Blog DetailOregon’s Animal Farm
The legislature and governor have signed off on reforms to Oregon’s extravagent Public…
Read Blog DetailMetro Brew: More pork, less mobility
On June 12 a powerful Metro committee, JPACT, will decide how to spend…
Read Blog DetailRoughing the kicker
A move is afoot in the Oregon legislature to increase taxes by watering…
Read Blog DetailProductivity and benefits: The missing education links
A recent document from the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) trumpets that…
Read Blog DetailPass a tax, reject an opportunity
Multnomah County voters just approved Oregon’s only local income tax, primarily to help…
Read Blog DetailAnother wild pitch: Sports teams and economic development
Proponents of a taxpayer-supported baseball stadium in Portland argue it and a team…
Read Blog DetailBusiness collects taxes, but doesn’t pay them
As Multnomah County voters make up their minds about the new county income…
Read Blog DetailZoning: It’s all about power
Wilsonville Mayor Charlotte Lehan and Metro President David Bragdon are both complaining. Why?…
Read Blog DetailBe aware of choices during Hunger Awareness Week
According to a United States Department of Agriculture survey, Oregon is the hungriest…
Read Blog DetailThe Mythical World of Transit-Oriented Development: Light Rail and the Orenco Neighborhood, Hillsboro, Oregon
Executive Summary During the past decade, Portland-area planners have embraced Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)…
Read Blog DetailEducation freedom advances
The Oregon State Senate recently advanced education freedom by eliminating mandatory testing of…
Read Blog DetailShow us the leadership
With April Fool’s Day just passed, Governor Kulongoski is poised to break his…
Read Blog DetailBusiness of the City
The Mayor of Oregon’s largest city delivered her annual State of the City…
Read Blog DetailGreat selection, low price; why discriminate against large stores?
The Sandy, Oregon, Planning Commission held a hearing last week on a proposal…
Read Blog DetailSell government assets for a "win/win" situation
Some assumptions concerning public policy are false. “If government doesn’t do it, nobody…
Read Blog DetailLegislature should reject TriMet tax request
TriMet, Portland’s transit agency, is seeking authorization from the state legislature to raise…
Read Blog DetailRemove mandates and health insurance will be more affordable
More Oregonians should be able to afford health insurance. To help achieve that…
Read Blog DetailDon’t follow Portland school district’s lead
The recent deal between the city, county and school district and teachers’ union…
Read Blog DetailNo plan(ners) required
A Portland newspaper editor recently implored in print, “We need a plan, people,…
Read Blog DetailDon’t adopt the "Daughter of 28"
Close on the heels of Measure 28’s failure Portland and Multnomah County officials…
Read Blog DetailPaving the rails with gold
Since the voter defeat of Measure 28, public officials in the Portland region…
Read Blog DetailNew approach to education can reduce achievement gap
Oregon education officials recently revealed what many have long known – the public…
Read Blog DetailThe fatal conceit of selective tax breaks
Oregon legislators are eager to review existing tax breaks. The thinking is, some…
Read Blog DetailKitzhaber doubts power of government?
After holding various political offices for 22 years, former Governor John Kitzhaber recently…
Read Blog DetailMeasure 28: No cure for Oregon’s ailing economy
Many proponents of Measure 28 advocate it as the key to bolstering Oregon’s…
Read Blog DetailFor a better road system: electronic tolling
The Oregon Road User Fee Task Force recently became the object of scorn…
Read Blog DetailFollowing New Zealand’s lead
The New Year brings promise and opportunity for Oregon. Though we face challenges,…
Read Blog DetailA 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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Money for Nothing? An analysis of the Oregon Quality Education Model
By Richard Vedder, Ph.D. Click here to read the full report: 8-2000-Vedder_Quality_Education_Model_Report …
Read Blog DetailSocialized Medicine in Great Britain: Lessons for the Oregon Health Plan
by Professor John Spiers Dr. John Spiers is a professor in the Business…
Read Blog DetailFocus on Measure 5: An Alternative Analysis of Measure Five’s Impact on State and Local Government
By Vernon S. White Why This Report? Depending on your viewpoint, the property…
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