Cars, not transit, are the COVID-19 transportation heroes
By Rachel Dawson When it comes to commuting during COVID-19, private vehicles are…
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The hidden truth behind the Renewable Energy Certificate market
By Rachel Dawson You may have noticed companies and public agencies using the…
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To Meet Kids’ Urgent Education Needs, Oregon Should Give Parents a “Money-Back Guarantee” Through School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok School choice has been increasing in popularity with parents for…
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Education Savings Accounts Are an Innovative Way to Provide Flexible, Safe K-12 Options
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked state and local budgets….
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School Choice Can Help Solve K-12 Social Distancing Challenges
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked education budgets. And, it’s…
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Metro has a history of breaking promises to voters. The housing bond measure is no exception.
By Rachel Dawson Metro has a history of breaking promises to voters. This…
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COVID-19 Is Killing the Economy; New Business Taxes Are Bayonetting the Wounded
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Many Oregon businesses are looking forward toward May 15….
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COVID-19 and New Business Taxes: Bayonetting the Wounded
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Many Oregon businesses are looking forward toward May 15….
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Metro’s Housing Measure: Bad Policy, Terrible Timing
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Does Metro’s appetite for more money ever end? Last…
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Think renewable energy is infallible? Michael Moore’s film “Planet of the Humans” says to think again
By Rachel Dawson Despite the claims of environmentalists promoting wind and solar energy,…
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Flexibility and Students’ Needs Should Drive Education Options in 2020
By Kathryn Hickok Oregon’s experience with COVID-19 will change the ways students in…
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Ballot Measures with No Accountability Deserve a No Vote
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. We all need to raise questions about our politicians’…
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Portland Gas Tax: Big Dollars, Minuscule Results
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This May, Portland voters will be asked to renew…
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Portland’s homeless population needs a “hand-up,” not another Metro money grab
By Rachel Dawson The Oregon nonprofit Cascadia Clusters understands the value of providing…
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Letting Oregonians Find a Path to Recovery Is Essential Business
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Oregon is nearing the end of the first month…
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Nature 1, Lockdown 0
John A. Charles, Jr. Public officials are angry that thousands of Oregonians have…
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As more people work remotely, a reliable grid is needed now more than ever
By Rachel Dawson “The vast disparity between the rich and the poor is,…
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ODOT Must Move Forward on the Rose Quarter I-5 Bottleneck
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Last week, the Oregon Transportation Commission took a significant…
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Online charter school students were learning at home just fine, so why have their schools been taken away from them?
By Kathryn Hickok If Oregon charter school students can stay at home and…
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Small Modular Reactors Are Not the 20th-Century Nuclear Plants We’re Familiar With
By Rachel Dawson Oregon, it’s about time we talk about nuclear power. No,…
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The Upcoming PERS Crisis: The system is facing a $30 billion shortfall—radical reform is needed
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Coronavirus has hit the economy hard. Nearly all the…
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Oregon Can Support Workers by Reducing Regulations
By Rachel Dawson Businesses across Oregon are laying off employees and shuttering their…
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Tax Relief Can Slow the Spread of COVID-19 Financial Panic
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The coronavirus is already taking a toll on our…
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Kate Brown is out of touch if she thinks an executive order is needed to reduce emissions
By Rachel Dawson Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown responded to the Republican walk-out and…
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Cascade Policy Institute Asks the Federal Transit Administration to Enforce Light Rail Contracts with TriMet
March 9, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: John A. Charles, Jr. (503)…
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The Housing Crisis Isn’t a Portland Problem; It’s a UGB Problem
By Rachel Dawson Portland’s housing crisis isn’t unique to the Metro region. Other…
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Metro’s Housing Tax Requires Serious Oversight
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. At the first—and likely only—public hearing on Metro’s “supportive…
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The Grid Is Not a Tinker Toy
By John A. Charles, Jr. Rarely has Oregon’s lack of political leadership been…
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Cap Taxes or You’ll Trade Business
By Miranda Bonifield You may not be able to tax carbon out of…
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TriMet Drops Ridership Estimate by 13% for Tigard Light Rail
By John A. Charles, Jr. After eight years of bragging that the proposed…
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Frustrated with Traffic? According to PBOT, That’s Your Problem
By Rachel Dawson The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), the agency charged with…
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Cascade Policy Institute Raises Concerns Metro Is Flouting Oregon Public Meetings Law
Transparency is critical as Metro asks voters to trust the agency with billions…
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They Always Want More: Voters Face at Least a Half Dozen New Taxes in 2020
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. With this year’s “short” session of the legislature, the…
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Supreme Court Espinoza Case Debates Parents’ Freedom to Choose Religious Schools
By Miranda Bonifield When Kendra Espinoza’s husband suddenly left their small family, her…
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Oregon is meeting its 2020 GHG emissions goals, depending on how you measure it
By Rachel Dawson Is Oregon meeting its 2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction…
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Oregon and Washington Need to Think Bigger on I-5 Bridge Project
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. “It’s time to get this done!” Governor Kate Brown…
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Miss Virginia: A Trailblazer for Educational Opportunity for Today’s Kids
By Kathryn Hickok and Miranda Bonifield Virginia Walden Ford is a Washington, D.C….
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Eric Fruits, Vice President of Research of Cascade Policy Institute submitted testimony to Metro Council regarding the lax oversight of Metro’s Parks and Nature Program
Press Release: Eric Fruits, Vice President of Research of Cascade Policy Institute submitted testimony…
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National School Choice Week Celebrates All the Ways Kids Learn
By Kathryn Hickok January 26-February 1 is National School Choice Week, the world’s…
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Why are rural, low-income residents subsidizing Teslas for Oregon’s urban elite?
By Rachel Dawson Oregon state officials recently celebrated helping the state reach 25,000…
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New Year, New Tax: What You Need to Know About Oregon’s Gross Receipts Tax
By Katie Eyre, CPA The 2019 Oregon Legislature established a new tax affecting…
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Espinoza and Equal Opportunity in Education
By Miranda Bonifield In 1926, an Oregon school controversy made it all the…
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New Portland Design Guideline Will Place Responsibility for Homeless Crisis on Private Property Owners
By Rachel Dawson There is a homeless crisis in Portland. According to a…
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Press Release: Report shows possible benefits to workers, employers, and unions from increased competition in representation
December 30, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Eric Fruits, Ph.D. (503) 242-0900…
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Inter-Union Competition and Workplace Freedom: Ending Exclusive Representation
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Labor unions exist to improve compensation and…
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Don’t Pop the Champagne on Oregon’s Job Numbers
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Oregon is at near full employment. That’s good news,…
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Why Wapato Is the Right Facility for Portland’s Homeless Crisis
By Rachel Dawson On December 2, I had the opportunity to tour the…
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T2020 is the transportation measure that Metro wants—not Portland residents
By Rachel Dawson Is it possible to spend billions of dollars on transportation…
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Oregon’s population growth: Slow and steady may not win the race
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Oregon’s population grew by more than 41,000 residents last…
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Early Coal Closures Could Spell Trouble for Grid Reliability
By Rachel Dawson The Northwest Power and Conservation Council regularly assesses the adequacy…
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Deal With It—Commuters Need Cars
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. How did you get to work today? If you’re…
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Why Cap-and-Trade Can’t Be “Tweaked”
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Oregon is less than three months away from the…
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Miss Virginia
By Miranda Bonifield Virginia Walden Ford is a mom whose extraordinary sacrifice and…
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Voters Should Reject Ballot Measure 26-203
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. By now, Oregon voters have received their ballots for…
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Enough Is Enough: Voters Should Reject Metro’s Bond Measure
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. By now Oregon voters have received their ballots for…
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Metro’s Housing Philosophy is Political, Not Practical
By Miranda Bonifield Metro’s attempts to provide low-income public housing since last year’s…
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Press Release: Cascade Policy Institute Publishes Comprehensive Study of Metro’s Parks and Nature Program
October 15, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contacts: John A. Charles, Jr. Eric…
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Like Other MAX Projects, TriMet’s Green Line Underdelivers at 10th Anniversary
By Rachel Dawson TriMet has proven time and again that it is unable…
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Hidden Lands, Unknown Plans: A Quarter Century of Metro’s Natural Areas Program
By Vladislav Yurlov, Helen Cook, and Micah Perry with Eric Fruits, Ph.D., research…
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TriMet Broke Key Promises About MAX
Published in Portland Tribune By Rachel Dawson TriMet’s payroll tax has been increasing…
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Oregon Distilleries Deserve Better
By Helen Cook Oregon has a booming craft distilling industry. That’s why it’s…
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Shrinking Roads and Rising Fatalities Don’t Bode Well for Portland’s Vision Zero
By Rachel Dawson Portland hasn’t seen 50 road fatalities since 1996. With 43…
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Metro Wants More Money—For Parks You May Never See
How much would you be willing to spend to buy parkland that would…
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Press Release: Cascade Policy Institute Urges a NO Vote on Measure 26-203
Cascade Policy Institute Urges a NO Vote on Measure 26-203 Voters should reject…
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Where Is Our Metro Park at Chehalem Ridge?
By Helen Cook This summer, I was walking on an old logging road…
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Dumbing Down Voters
By John A. Charles, Jr. In 2016 Val Hoyle, then a legislator from…
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Portland’s Rising Bills are Purposeful Accidents
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Portland City Council has just learned that what it…
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The MAX Yellow Line: A Look Back After 15 Years
By Rachel Dawson TriMet’s MAX Yellow Line first opened 15 years ago in…
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Cascade Policy Institute Presents a Special Event with Economist Stephen Moore
Join Cascade Policy Institute for a conversation with economist Stephen Moore. This special…
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Better Buses May Be the Transit Solution the SW Corridor Needs
By Rachel Dawson TriMet may have found a better alternative to the proposed…
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Portland’s Temporary Gas Tax Should Stay Just That
By Rachel Dawson Portland’s temporary gas tax should stay just that: temporary. Portland…
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Residents Say Portland is Not the City that Works
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. What if the self-proclaimed “City that Works” isn’t working?…
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Stop Raising Rents in Portland
By Micah Perry On Wednesday, August 7, 2019, the Portland City Council passed…
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The Government-Sanctioned Cat-And-Mouse Game
By Vlad Yurlov Governments often try to pat themselves on the back. The…
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Congestion Pricing in Portland: Good in Theory, Bad in Practice
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. “Good in theory, bad in practice.” Sure, it’s a…
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Metro: Where Temporary Means Forever
By Rachel Dawson Milton Friedman once famously said that “nothing is more permanent…
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Portland’s City Council Wants Rent to Go Up
By Micah Perry The Portland City Council recently passed a new ordinance that…
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Oregon Distilleries Deserve Better
By Helen Cook How much would you be willing to pay in taxes…
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Think TriMet’s New Electric Buses Run on Wind Power? Think Again.
By Rachel Dawson TriMet unveiled five new battery-electric buses (BEBs) in April 2019,…
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Charter Schools Create Diverse Choices for Students with Different Needs
By Miranda Bonifield Parents know the educational needs of their children are as…
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Why Is Oregon Centrally Planning the Cannabis Industry?
By Vlad Yurlov Does the cannabis industry need central planning? The Oregon legislature…
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WES at 10: Time to Admit Failure
By John A. Charles, Jr. TriMet recently marked the ten-year anniversary of the…
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Congestion by Design on the New Sellwood Bridge
By John A. Charles, Jr. Portland-area motorists who have to regularly cross the…
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Fresh Spinach for Indifferent Students: Oregon’s Costly Farm-to-School Program
By Helen Cook When did you last hear a child profess his love…
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Portland’s Clean Energy Tax: A High Cost with Low Benefit
By Rachel Dawson In January 2019 the City of Portland implemented a voter-approved…
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Public Debt for Public Housing
By Vlad Yurlov In the 2018 general election, voters approved a bond measure…
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Portland’s Ill-Considered Climate Action Tax
By Micah Perry Last fall, Portland voters approved a new 1% tax on…
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Oregon Legislator to Oregon Business: “Let ‘em Leave!”
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. “Let ’em leave. Someone else’ll come in.” That was…
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SW Corridor Project: A Net Negative for the Environment
By John A. Charles, Jr. Portland politicians claim to be concerned about carbon…
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The New Sellwood Bridge: Promises Unfulfilled
By John A. Charles. Jr. Executive Summary Portland has an international reputation for…
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Press Release: Multi-year case study of Multnomah County’s Sellwood Bridge explains the history behind worsening traffic congestion in the SE Portland bridge corridor
June 6, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: John A. Charles, Jr. 503-242-0900…
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Testimony of Kathryn Hickok Before the Senate Education Committee Regarding SB 668 Education Savings Accounts
June 5, 2019 Chair Wagner and Members of the Committee, my name is…
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Metro Transportation Funding Task Force Testimony
By John A. Charles, Jr. At the last meeting, there was a fair…
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Carbon Regulation: Another Legislative Circus
By John A. Charles, Jr. According to the state’s Global Warming Commission, Oregon…
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Is Oregon Really “Disinvesting” in Education?
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The Portland Association of Teachers declares Oregon has suffered…
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Education Savings Accounts Give Parents the Power of Choice in K-12 Education
By Kathryn Hickok This month, the Tennessee legislature passed a new Education Savings…
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Tennessee’s New Education Savings Account Law Puts More Parents in the “Driver’s Seat” of Their Kids’ Education
By Kathryn Hickok This month Tennessee enacted a new Education Savings Account (ESA)…
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Why Record-Breaking Revenues Aren’t Enough
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This week, Oregon is facing a one-day teacher strike,…
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May 8 Should Be Declared “Fix PERS Now Day”
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The Oregon Education Association is organizing a statewide walk-out…
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Florida Legislature Gives 18,000 More Children the Chance for a Great Education
By Kathryn Hickok This week, the Florida legislature passed a bill that would…
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