Top 10 Oregon Catalyst 2013 stories

by NW Spotlight

As the year rolls to an end, here’s a look back at the ten most popular 2013 Oregon Catalyst stories. Counting down from number 10:

10. Portland may follow rusted, busted Detroit – in April, Moody’s Investors Service issued a report identifying 29 municipalities selected for review over concerns of credit-worthiness. Portland was one of the nine largest cities on the list. In September, Moody’s confirmed Portland’s Aaa stable bond rating – but expressed concerns Portland was heading down a dangerous financial path.

9. Oregon Country Fair condoning and romanticizing violence – for the second year in a row the Oregon Country Fair (near Eugene) chose to have Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn as guest speakers – both were leaders in the Weathermen, a group involved with numerous bombings around the U.S.

8. Marijuana: more potent now and unquestionably addictive – Sen. Doug Whitsett wrote on how the facts regarding the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana have changed over the past several decades, and that as many as half of the marijuana smoking juveniles who run afoul of the law in Oregon report that they obtained their marijuana from a medical grower or cardholder

7. Sen. Prozanski’s witch hunt against CHL holders – four hours of testimony at Oregon Senate gun bill hearings in April failed to produce a shred of evidence that there are problems with Oregon’s 170,000 concealed handgun license (CHL) holders. And yet, 3 of the 4 bills discussed were to take away rights from Oregon’s hyper-law-abiding CHL holders.

6. Should unrepentant Piers Morgan be fired, again? – back in 2004, Piers Morgan was fired as UK Daily Mirror editor when it was discovered that photos allegedly showing British soldiers abusing an Iraqi were fake. There was a popular petition early this year to get him deported for his offensive treatment of CNN guests while discussing gun control.

5. Bill Watch: $750 Property Tax Increase – nine Property Tax increase bills surfaced early in the 2013 Legislature; if the Legislature had killed Oregon’s two constitutional property tax caps (Measure 5 & 50) it would have increased many homeowner’s tax bill by $750

4. Oregon GOP candidate rumors – Governor, Congress – rumors from back in July of who would be running. So far, only one of the four is running (Dennis Richardson)

3. Reminder: Obamacare passed without a single Republican vote – Dems in D.C. didn’t learn lesson from Dems in Washington State: “health care is so big, so complex, so passionate, that it has got to have bipartisan support.”

2. President Obama proposes pressure cooker ban – A satirical look at political opportunists who exploit tragedies (after the Boston bombing)

1. One nation, under LOVE? – Dems were still wrestling with God at the 2013 Opening Day Convening of the Oregon House