- The Oregon Catalyst - https://oregoncatalyst.com -

New TV ad for Measure 104

 

By Taxpayer Association of Oregon [1]

Here is the latest television spot for Yes on Measure 104 by the official campaign. The Measure 104 TV ad is very good and shows what is at stake.

This is no joke. For instance, the politicians created HB 2006 in 2017 which rolled back the Home Mortgage Interest Deduction for homeowners by introducing new income limits and tough rules on which homes qualify. The tax was labeled Not-a-Tax (despite raising a $100 million) and was allowed to bypass the Constitution’s 3/5 rule.

The politicians also created HB 2060 in 2017 which voided the Small Business Tax Cut for any businesses that didn’t hire new employees. The tax was deemed Not-a-Tax (despite it raises a ¼ billion) and was allowed to bypass the Constitution’s 3/5 rule.

These are real tax raising tax bills being sold as non-tax budget tweaks. Don’t buy the lie – Vote Yes on Measure 104!

Nearly 75% of the public has not voted. Please get your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to turn in their ballots and Vote Yes on Measure 104.

We need to honor the will of the voters.

In 1996, Oregon Voters approved a Constitutional amendment requiring all taxes and fees to require a 3/5th majority of votes.

This higher 3/5 vote (60%) threshold in the Constitution has stopped a flood of tax increases from being passed over the past 20 years.

Now, the politicians have found a way around it.

By changing who qualifies for tax credits and deductions, the politicians can raise billions in new taxes without it ever being considered a tax increase.

This is why we need Measure 104!

— Was this article helpful? Enjoy lower taxes? Support the Taxpayer Association with a small donation here [2]. Tax credit and tax deductible options.

2 rare Oregon sights: Wolverine, water tornado

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled

(photo: ODFW-Sharon williams/Ilysse Shepherd)
By NW Spotlight

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported [3] a wolverine sighting along Oregon coast between Nehalem and Newpor by Sharon Williams.

Also a water tornado -like water spout seen off Oregon coast. As mentioned by KGW upon Ilysse Shepherd’s video.

 

Hon. Julie Parrish brings back man’s stolen house

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com [4]

Former Oregon State Representative Julie Parrish was never meant for a normal or boring life after serving as a state lawmaker.  Willamette Week has a superb story [5] on how thieves are using public deed documents and forgery to steal people’s houses and sell them to other people.   Now attorney, Julie Parrish “esquire”, came to one Oregonian’s rescue.

Kudos Julie!!!

Below is her Facebook comments on the story:

More on Julie Parrish endeavors here [6].

— Was this helpful?  Consider a donation (it is how we make this article possible) — Contribute online at [4]OregonWatchdog.com [7] (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction [7] or Political Tax Credit [7] options to promote liberty).

Cops: Lego heads mugshots to bypass CA law

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com [4]

NY Post reports that one police department has found a way to comply with the new California law blocking police from releasing mug-shots and crime arrest photos of criminal suspects.

In Oregon in 2021, House Bill 3273 was passed which limits Oregon’s ability to release mugshots and arrest photos.

 

Lars Larson: Alcoholism, Governorship, Nepotism

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


By
 Lars Larson [8]
NW and national radio host,

The Northwest Nonsense:

I grew up with an alcoholic dad for ten years so I know well the kind of crazy decisions boozers make.

Call me unsympathetic if you like, but I think the public has a right to know MORE when the Governor of a state chooses a mentally ill family member who is also an alcoholic to work in her office.

Is the Governor making good decisions for the folks who elected her?

Tina Kotek refuses to say what KIND of mental illness afflicts her wife.

Governor Kotek says Aimee is in recovery but won’t say how LONG she’s been clean and sober. Most addicts are proud if they’ve stayed dry a long time.
If you’re not bragging about your sober time, “short” would be an educated guess.

Now, Governor Kotek has taxpayers funding a staff member, at 12-thousand bucks a month, to investigate creating a job for the “first spouse”, inside the Governor’s office. I’m sure a state salary comes with that at some point. It already includes a staff member to keep Mrs Aimee Kotek’s schedule, and a security detail. Tensions over the Governor’s addiction addition to her office have already caused three top staff members to exit…chief of staff, deputy chief and one other.

In the meantime, Aimee Kotek represents the Governor, and you and me, at public policy meetings on the Measure 110 drug legalization that took more than a thousand addict lives last year.
What could possibly go wrong?

Meme: Business sign reflects inflation

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com [4]

Want to see more memes?   Just type the word “meme” into the Oregon Catalyst Search Bar on the right hand margin and see the site’s extensive library of memes and other visual messages.

Why memes?  There is only so many breaking news stories of Oregon’s apocalypse we can broadcast on this website before the viewers start descending into chronic depression.

Con. Hoyle called out over controversial offshore wind project

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


DeSpain Calls Out Val Hoyle For Failing Her Constituents as Offshore Wind Near Coos, Curry Counties Moves Forward

By Monique DeSpain Campaign,

Program Strongly Opposed by Local Residents, Tribes, Fishermen, Wildlife Conservationists – Hoyle’s Recent Request to BOEM Ignored As Project Moving Ahead Anyway

 

Eugene, OR – Oregon Fourth Congressional District Candidate Monique DeSpain called out Congresswoman Val Hoyle’s weak request to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to allow more community input, which failed to accomplish any delay or halt to the imminent offshore wind project along the coast near Coos and Curry Counties [9].

 

“Career politician Congresswoman Val Hoyle has blown it once again by failing to demand the pleas of her constituents who strongly oppose the BOEM offshore wind project off of our precious Oregon coast are heard and respected. Val made a big deal about requesting 30 more days of public input, but she and our two US Senators are not enough of a big deal in D.C. to make that minor accommodation happen. So much for the influence of career politicians,” said Monique DeSpain.  “Her failure to boldly and unequivocally oppose this project speaks volumes. Lacking the sway to even get BOEM to “allow” more phony listening sessions that BOEM and Hoyle weren’t listening to anyway is already bad enough. But, given her track record of ignoring the priorities of voters in the 4th District on issue after issue, it stands to reason that she’s actually just fine with this offshore wind debacle and couldn’t care less what the constituents in her district think, want or need.”

 

“I am listening to voters all across this district, and they have made it abundantly clear that this Offshore Wind Project poses a danger to fishermen and tribal areas, will harm sea life, is unsafe in severe storms, and stands to lose enormous sums of money for which ratepayers will be left to pay the price, just like similar failed experiments on the east coast. I oppose this entire disastrous offshore wind boondoggle from being imposed on the residents and businesses of the coastal communities of the 4th congressional district full stop,” said DeSpain.

 

“It’s time to end the billion-dollar boondoggles pushed by radical activists and crony capitalists, imposed by D.C. bureaucrats holding sham listening sessions where career politicians, like Disloyal Val Hoyle, pretend to care while really just giving the powerful special interests in D.C. her loyalty. We need new representation who listens and actually hears and then puts the concerns of the people of the 4th District first in D.C.  As a fighter for transparency and accountability, I will demand an end to the imposition of offshore wind and be a voice for residents, businesses, and stakeholders in my district. This is why I am asking voters to join me in holding Disloyal Hoyle accountable by sending her packing and deploying me to Congress in November,” DeSpain added.

 

Monique DeSpain is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, mother of twin boys, and public policy advocate who resides in Eugene, Oregon. She is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District in a bid to unseat incumbent Congresswoman Val Hoyle in 2024 and bring about a safer, more prosperous Oregon. Her campaign website is www.MoniqueForCongress.com [10]

 

Bridge collapse & Oregon’s I-5 Bridge

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


By Taxpayers Association of Oregon

OregonWatchdog.com [4]

Policymakers in Oregon and Washington have been considering a replacement for the I-5 span over the Columbia River between the two States for a number of years. While the primary sticking points have been whether to build a bridge with a higher capacity and whether to include light rail lines over the bridge, a third debate – over the proposed height of the new bridge – has been brought into sharper focus by late March news events. In Maryland, a heavily loaded cargo ship leaving the Port of Baltimore apparently lost power and its ability to steer on March 26, eventually slamming into a bridge support. The accident caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse, plunging cars and people into the Patapsco River and closing the Port of Baltimore for the time being. Pacific Northwest policymakers ought to reconsider their objections to the Coast Guard’s safety regulations regarding how much clearance the new I-5 bridge needs over the Columbia. The last thing Oregon and Washington need is to see policy short-sightedness lead to cars and people plunging into the Columbia and a closure of the Port of Portland should a ship collide with the new I-5 bridge.

It must be noted, that the politicians’ demand that light rail be included on a Columbia replacement bridge not only means a lower bridge but also a spike in construction costs.

The recently built Portland Tillicum Bridge had lower clearance than the bridges adjacent to it according to Willamette Week [11].  It seems that Portland planners like to set their sights low.

Meanwhile, KGW reports [12] that a few bridges in Oregon have the same structure as the Maryland bridge one.

KPTV has this news clip:

— Was this helpful?  Consider a donation (it is how we make this article possible) — Contribute online at [4]OregonWatchdog.com [7] (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction [7] or Political Tax Credit [7] options to promote liberty).

 

Kotek’s wife’s $143,000 assistant? Ethics complaint.

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


By Taxpayers Association of Oregon

OregonWatchdog.com [4]

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has placed her wife into the Governor’s Office complete with her own office, a security detail and now a personal assistant who will be paid $12,000 a month.   The assistant is said to be maybe to last only 6-months or could be up to a year which would be over $143,000.  Willamette Week reports [13] that an ethics complaint has already been filed on the issue (which is similar to an ethics complaint to when then Governor Kitzhaber had with his girlfriend occupying space in the Executive Office, read more [13]).

Kotek is trying to create an official “First Spouse” office.

The media learned last week that this First Spouse is attending an out-of-state conference in Utah with her own First Spouse security detail.   The media learned that the First Spouse joined Kotek for much of the 36-county tour across Oregon.   The tour produced little results and little notice as the people Kotek often visited were small events with supporters, government employees and groups that get funding from the government.   One official was quoted as saying they purposely kept the event low-key.  It begs the question on whether the year-long 36-county tour was the benefit for the Governor, the citizens or the private benefit of Kotek herself.

Just as this First Office is trying to be created, three of Kotek’s top aides have announced resignations this past week — including her Chief of Staff.  It is now public that conflicts over the First Spouse played a role in some of these resignations.

Update: The Oregonian reports [14] that Kotek’s wife has come forward to share her current struggles with alcoholism and mental illness.  This may add insight to the picture of what is happening in the Governor’s Office.

This has already become an international news story as seen below:

— Was this helpful?  Consider a donation (it is how we make this article possible) — Contribute online at [4]OregonWatchdog.com [7] (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction [7] or Political Tax Credit [7] options to promote liberty).

Pushing Apple to open i-Phones

Posted By Larry Huss On In Antitrust,Government incompetence | Comments Disabled

[15]

Last week, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Justice Department has filed an antitrust case again Apple. It’s about time although one shouldn’t hold your breath for any reasonable resolution. My pessimism is rooted primarily in my experience with the break-up of the Bell System over forty years ago.

I am a life-long capitalist who believes in the free market as the best arbiter for development, distribution and improvement of goods and services consumed by the public. And, I recognize that for a free market system to work with minimal abuse you must have a robust system to identify anti-competitive (monopolistic) practices. We have long had such a system but it currently lacks the modernization necessary to deal with the business of collecting, manipulating and marketing data. The importance of this is that a quick look at the financial markets demonstrates that a significant amount of the growth in the Dow, S&P 500 and NASCAP is due to the growth of what are known as the FAANG stocks – all of whom participate in whole, or in substantial part, in the acquisition, manipulation and marketing of data – Facebook (now Meta), Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google (trading under Alphabet), now joined by NVIDIA. Let’s not forget that several of these companies grew by buying competitors who had better products – proof that bigger isn’t necessarily better, just richer.

The allegations against Apple is that it built a barrier to access to its wildly popular I-phones – both physical interconnections and, more importantly, software interoperability. The net effect of such operations would be to created a barrier for software and hardware sellers who could otherwise compete with Apple. At the same time it would limit choices available to consumers – particularly owners of I-phones – for so many other apps. The allegations, if substantiated, are text book examples of anti-competitive conduct.

Anti-competitive litigation is extremely complex and not for those expecting a prompt resolution. The Department of Justice has a whole section devoted to “antitrust” enforcement and work on both civil and criminal investigations. The section includes lawyers, investigators, economists, financial experts, forensic accountants and a variety of other specialties depending on the focus of current investigations. It is safe to say that they are staffed to identify and litigate anti-competitive conduct. What they are not particularly well staffed to do is propose and implement remedies to rectify anti-competitive conduct. The reason is that most of the lawyers are lifetime government employees and have no real experience in the competitive world, even as to in how businesses make money. But they have virtually unlimited access to taxpayer funds to pursue and prosecute their cases.

Most of the large multi-state firms likewise have sections solely devoted to antitrust litigation. And while they do not have unlimited access to taxpayer funds, they often represent clients whose “deep pockets” rival those of the government – i.e. Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon. And while they may have some say in any remedies imposed it would be very little since they lost the battle and more importantly any advice offered would be viewed with suspicion that such advice is done more to protect their clients than to further competition.

But to show the weakness of crafting an appropriate solution let’s take a look at the breakup of the Bell System – AT&T. The purported rationale for breaking up the Bell System is that long distance service providers could not compete with AT&T because it controlled the “last mile” of the telecommunications network – the local network. It was true and AT&T did every thing short of armed resistance to deny non-discriminatory access to that local network. So what would be a reasonable solution. That’s right, require AT&T to provide technically equivalent interconnection and distribution of long distance calls to local users at non-discriminatory rates. Now remember the culprit in all of this was AT&T and its senior management structure – they designed the network, they barred interconnection, and they determined the pricing which was hardly non-discriminatory.

So what was the actual remedy. Well, they did require interconnection to the last mile (the local distribution network) on a non-discriminatory technology basis with non-discriminatory pricing. But that wasn’t enough. They then freed AT&T to compete freely with other long distance providers and to retain all of its current long distance technology including connectivity to the local distribution network. But being historical monopolists, AT&T proved to be inept at competing and eventually failed. The AT&T you know today is basically the former local network provider Southwest Bell who recovered the AT&T name as it failed in the market place. Don’t shed a tear for the former AT&T management because they simply failed in a competitive marketplace even without the burden of government controls. Failed even after a head start on all the other competitors as they geared up to be nationwide competitors.

But on the flip side of that, the government, in addition to requiring “equal access” on a non-discriminatory technical and pricing basis for all long distance carriers, imposed extraordinary restraints on the local network providers that were spun off by the break up of the Bell System: NYNEX, Ameritech, Atlantic Bell, BellSouth, Southwestern Bell, USWEST and Pacific Telesis:

Now here is the insane part. The local operating companies were initially huge cash generators. At the same time the technology changes from analog to digital switch was dramatically reducing the cost of providing the local distribution network – it was less labor intensive and required dramatically less maintenance. The local operating companies could have upgraded their distribution network using fiber optics that were coming online but local regulators barred them recovering the cost of such upgrades reasoning that the companies would have to recover their existing investments over their physical usefulness rather than their technical usefulness. With excess cash the management of these local distribution companies recognized that expansion would be slow in coming and sought other venues for investments. US WEST chose to seek authority to enter the commercial real estate business within its fourteen state territory. The Justice Department’s antitrust division balked. After a lack of progress, lawyers from the Justice Department were asked to attend a meeting with lawyers from USWEST – as a newly minted member of the law department, one of the few with any extensive history of representing mainstreet clients who worked in competitive enterprises, I was invited to attend. The meeting was congenial, at least until we asked for the Justice Department’s rationale for opposing the company’s request. And at this point the government lawyers opined that they were suspicious that our real intention was to use the buildings that we would purchase or construct to mount microwave towers that could transmit telecommunications and re-enter the long distance market. Never having been burdened with diplomacy in the face of stupidity, my jaw dropped. While my colleagues sought to respond politely I asked one of the government lawyers whether he really thought we would buy or build a $50 million dollar office building so as to put a $50,000 microwave structure on top that could broadcast approximately thirty miles before needing a repeater station in our fourteen western states noted for their sparse population and uninhabited distances. Dead silence. Our general counsel gave me a look but remained silent. The Justice Department lawyers dismissed the meeting and said they would get back to us*.

It is that kind of exchange that has soured me on looking to the government for practical solutions.

In the current dust up, should the Justice Department prove its case, the remedy is quite simple for Apple. Simply require Apple to provide equal access to their I-phone system at non-discriminatory rates and equivalent interconnection. That includes allowing competitors access to the Apple app store.

But this is the government and they will cock it up somehow.

_______________________________

*Eventually the Justice Department accepted our request.

Bentz lists out wins in budget bill

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


Oregon Congressman Cliff Bentz,
Press Release,

Congressman Cliff Bentz, (OR-2) released the following statement regarding his vote in favor of the “The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act” (FCAA):

“This was a difficult vote. There is much I dislike in this bill, but when we Republicans barely control only one of the three branches of government (House, Senate, White House), the results our team obtained after months of work and thousands of amendments are deserving of serious respect. Additionally, failing to move this bill forward now would not in any way guarantee a better outcome and could result in a far worse one. We are now five months into the fiscal year to which this bill applies. We absolutely cannot keep kicking the budget can down the road, and we cannot shut down the government when we Republicans have not agreed on what it would take to reopen it. Our leadership team has negotiated, among many other things, reductions in overall spending, an increase in our military’s pay, and a stronger more modern fighting force. With this budget behind us, we will immediately begin work on the 2025 budget. For those interested in reviewing a summary of what we Republicans were able to do in this budget, here is a link to a summary of the six budgets that make up the FCAA [16]

. And in case you are wondering, yes, I have plowed my way through the 1012 pages of the bill!”

 

Highlights from the Remaining FY24 Appropriations Legislation:

Oregon:

Pro Life Inclusions:

Border Security:

Fiscal Discipline:

Culture:

Defense/Foreign Affairs

 

Groups Supporting:

Jewish woman harassed on Portland streets (video)

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


By Taxpayers Association of Oregon

OregonWatchdog.com [1]

Oregon journalist Andy Ngo has video of a Jewish woman who harassed on the streets of Portland for daring to attend a pro-Israel event.

Schools sit on $544M surplus … why the taxes? .

.

 

Short-term renters abuse the rules

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


By William MacKenzie,

Lake Oswego encourages visitors.

“If you are visiting or thinking of visiting Lake Oswego, we welcome you,” says the city’s’ website. ” Whether you’re coming for business or pleasure, you’ll encounter an inviting community, friendly people and businesses, and plenty to see and do.”

At the same time, in response to citizen concerns about maintaining livability, Lake Oswego has tried to regulate short-term visitor rentals. But local property owners are widely ignoring the city’s short-term rental (STR) rules.

Lake Oswego tried to get a handle on controversial STRs in 2019 by enacting Ordinance 2815. The ordinance allows STRs (rentals of less than 31 days) of certain residential properties.

Since then, residents who want to operate a STR have been required to obtain a business license from the city and pay an $80 annual fee. They’re also required to pay Transient Lodging Taxes equal to 6% of taxable income from their STR. The tax revenue is used for the promotion and development of tourism and visitor programs for Lake Oswego.

It’s all pretty straightforward and simple. If you own a property being used for STRs, you need to get a business license and pay taxes on your revenue. But a review of city data on STR business licenses and on a national STR website reveals a lot of people are ignoring the ordinance, with the number of STRs and the number of scofflaws actually increasing over time.

At the end of 2022, according to AirDNA, a STR marketing firm, there were 90 active STRs in Lake Oswego, while information obtained from the city in response to a public records request revealed there were just 42 active STR business licenses. The discrepancy was brought to the attention of the City Council in hopes it would address the problem.

AirDNA reports there are now 161 active STRs in Lake Oswego, but, according to publicly available Lake Oswego licensing data, there are just 81 active STR business licenses.

In other words, the number of licensees has gone up, but so has the number of scofflaws.

The STR occupancy rate over the past 12 months has been 66% and the average market charge per day has been $246.90.

The Lake Oswego STRs that have popped up include everything from a $61-a-night guest bedroom to a $288-a-night 3-bedroom home (“a serene sanctuary where the forest meets modern luxury.”) and a $1452-a-night massive luxurious estate with 7 bedrooms, plus a pool, sauna, hot tub and theater room.

It’s not possible to identify the addresses of all the properties without trying to book them one by one. Website maps, reveal, however, that they are spread all over Lake Oswego.

If a STR is found to be in violation of City Code, the city may suspend or revoke its business license, if it has one. The property owner may also be cited and have to pay a fine or appear in Municipal Court.

So come on malingerers. Step up. Do the right thing.

Meme: Babylon Bee skewers Meghan Markle

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled

By Guest Submission headline,

More:

Want to see more memes?   Just type the word “meme” into the Oregon Catalyst Search Bar on the right hand margin and see the site’s extensive library of memes and other visual messages.

Why memes?  There is only so many breaking news stories of Oregon’s apocalypse we can broadcast on this website before the viewers start descending into chronic depression.

Lars Larson: Voters elected Kotek … not her wife

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


By
 Lars Larson [8]
NW and national radio host,

Voters in Oregon elected Tina Kotek Governor.

They did NOT elect Kotek’s wife.

Yet Aimee Kotek now has a formal role inside the Governor’s office.

She also has taxpayer paid staff who answer to her.

Nigel Jaquiss at Willamette week broke the story that First Spouse Aimee now makes decisions for Oregonians who don’t even know her name.

Foolish doesn’t begin to describe this nepotism.

Apparently some of Governor Kotek’s top staff members agree.

Her Chief of Staff just left over problems caused by bringing the Governor’s wife onboard. So did special adviser Abby Tibbs…and another staffer went on leave.

Now, consider what Oregon Revised Statute 162. Dot 415 says

Official misconduct in the first degree

A public servant commits the crime of official misconduct in the first degree

If with intent to obtain a benefit…

The public servant knowingly performs an act constituted an unauthorized exercise in official duties.

I’ll remind you we have seen this movie before and it doesn’t have a happy ending.

Less than ten years ago, one Governor installed his grifter girlfriend in his office, apparently illegally.

It did not end well, although it was temporarily very lucrative for John Kitzhaber and Cylvia Hayes.

And in that case, it led to Kitzhaber’s resignation a month after he was inaugurated into office…followed by the accidental Governor Kate Brown, who disastrously seized emergency pandemic powers over private citizens.

Now, Kotek has added her own personal Yoko Ono, without even talking to the rest of the band.

Kotek wants “First Spouse” office to employ wife

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


By Taxpayers Association of Oregon

OregonWatchdog.com [1]

According to the Willamette Week, Oregon Governor wants her first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson to have an official role and office in some form of “First Spouse” office.

This comes as personal tensions, involving the First Spouse, were part of the mews stories surrounding 3 recent high level steps downs by top staff.  Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s top staffer, Chief of staff Andrea Cooper is leaving as well as special adviser Abby Tibbs and deputy chief of staff Lindsey O’Brien.  Insider sources say it was office conflicts.  See more here [20].

The First Spouse already has an office within the Governor’s office just like Kitahzber significant other who caused a scandal at the time.  The Taxpayers Association did a cartoon on Kitzhaber’s staff scandal at the time:

 

Some of this conflict may explain why Kotek has seemed to be absent during the 2024 Legislative Session.

— Was this helpful?  Consider a donation (it is how we make this article possible) — Contribute online at [4]OregonWatchdog.com [7] (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction [7] or Political Tax Credit [7] options to promote liberty).

Repealing Oregon’s EV Mandate Should Be Next on Gov. Kotek’s List

Posted By Cascade Policy Institute On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled

By John A. Charles, Jr.

Recently Gov. Tina Kotek decided to pull the plug on ODOT’s highway tolling scheme. She correctly understood that the ODOT plan was going to be all pain with no gain for voters.

The Governor should now turn her attention to DEQ’s auto emissions standards, which require 35% of all new cars and light trucks sold in Oregon to be either battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by 2026.

At the time the regulation was adopted two years ago, electric vehicle sales were rising and many traditional auto manufacturers were spending billions to bring out new models. That bubble has now burst.

Several EV manufacturers have entered bankruptcy, and the Wall Street Journal reports that EVs are sitting on dealer lots for an average of 67 days, compared with 25 days for gasoline-electric hybrids.

Traditional hybrids such as the Toyota Prius are attractive because they have the benefits of low emissions without the charging hassles of battery electric vehicles. But under Oregon’s regulatory program, the Prius will be banned by 2035, along with all other gasoline powered vehicles.

The EV mandate will fail for the same reason tolling failed. The Governor would be wise to repeal this regulation before the 2026 compliance deadline arrives.

John A. Charles, Jr. is President and CEO of Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization.

Did you like this article? Contribute to Oregon’s premier public policy research organization online at  [21]CascadePolicy.org [22]Donations to Cascade Policy Institute are tax-deductible to the extent of the law.

Boeing memes, travelers skip, Execs exit = bad news

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com [1]

This weekend both Fox Business News [23] and NBC News [24] did stories on passengers who are choosing to avoid flying in Boeing aircraft while this morning it was announced several top executives have resigned [25].  This PR is extremely bad for the former NW-based company.

We hope our FFA is working with Boeing to help them with their diagnosis and inspections, instead of just sitting back and waiting for problems to occur so they can make high profile condemnations the company — which is a favorite government hobby.

DeRemer: Bill to fight Anti-Semitism on campus

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


By U.S. Congresswoman, Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05)

Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) and Kathy Manning (NC-06) introduced the Protecting Students on Campus Act. This bipartisan legislation would empower students to file reports to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights if they experience antisemitic violence, harassment, or other unlawful discrimination on college campuses due to their heritage or religion.

“The disturbing rise and spread of antisemitism on college campuses is unacceptable. College should be about growing into an adult and making life-long friends – not fearing for your life because of the religion you practice,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “Our bipartisan legislation will empower students facing discrimination by making it easier to report these civil rights violations. As a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, I’ll continue standing up against antisemitism on our campuses and fighting to protect Jewish students.”

“All students deserve to learn and live on college campuses without fear of discrimination, harassment, or intimidation. Unfortunately, right now, Jewish students across the country are facing a drastic rise in antisemitism, leaving them feeling threatened, ostracized, and unwelcome on campuses,” Manning said. “I’m leading the bipartisan Protecting Students on Campus Act to help protect students from discrimination and ensure that colleges and universities do more to combat antisemitism and hate or be held accountable.”

The legislation is in response to a sharp increase in antisemitism on college campuses across the United States following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel. According to a recent ADL and Hillel International survey [26]

, 73 percent of Jewish college students surveyed have experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism on campus since the beginning of the 2023 school year.

Specifically, the Protecting Students on Campus Act would:

A companion bill in the U.S. Senate is being led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.).

Full text of the bill is available HERE [27]

Chavez-DeRemer has been an outspoken [28]advocate for Jewish students experiencing antisemitism on campuses. During an Education and the Workforce Committee hearing in December, she slammed many prestigious universities’ lack of Jewish history [29] classes. More recently, she spoke [30] directly to students who have experienced antisemitism to recognize their bravery.

Schools sit on $544M surplus … why the taxes?

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


By Taxpayers Association of Oregon

OregonWatchdog.com [1]

According to the Education Recovery Scorecard report [31], as of January 2024, Oregon schools still had $544 unspent surplus from the Federal Covid funds to help schools rebound.

If schools have a half billion in surplus — why all the calls for higher taxes?

Portland Public schools are asking $400 million more from taxpayers as we speak.   Liberals have been calling for taking the people’s Kicker tax refund and divert it towards, in part, to education. Teachers left their classroom for a strike that spanned into three weeks, because they said they were out of money.

Unfortunately, Oregon students are behind in their academic recovery compared to other states.

The politicians’ and school lobby response to the pandemic was …

From this we are surprised to learn that our students performed worse since 2020.

— Was this helpful?  Consider a donation (it is how we make this article possible) — Contribute online at [4]OregonWatchdog.com [7] (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction [7] or Political Tax Credit [7] options to promote liberty).

 

 

Sen. Brock Smith: Important timber update

Posted By In the news On In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled


Moving Forward Needed Management of Federal Forests

By Oregon State Senator David Brock Smith

 

As you know, I have long pushed for more proactive forest management from our federal agencies on their federal managed lands to bring timber resources to market, creating jobs, while protecting our communities from wildfire.

 

I worked on drafting and passing HB 4118 [32] that: Expresses state policy regarding pursuit of projects under Good Neighbor Authority Agreement. Instructs signatory state agencies to work with federal land management agencies to prioritize projects. Requires Governor and Federal Forest Working Group to jointly develop recommendations for goals of Good Neighbor Authority Agreement. Establishes deadline for Governor or designee agency to report recommendations for goals to Legislative Assembly. Appropriates moneys to State Forestry Department for supporting development, planning or implementation of priority projects on federal forestland under Good Neighbor Authority Agreement.

 

I then worked on drafting and passing SB 872 [33] that: Instructs State Forestry Department to endeavor to partner with federal agencies to undertake certain activities in federal forests related to fire prevention and request that federal agencies fund portions of those activities.

 

SECTION 1. (1) The State Forestry Department shall:

(a) In collaboration with any forest protective association or agency that is under contract or agreement with the State Board of Forestry for the protection of forestland against
fire, and whose protection area is or may be affected by a fire on nearby federal lands, and
with a focus on protecting lands and rural communities within the wildland-urban interface,
as defined pursuant to ORS 477.027, from fire on federal lands, endeavor to further shared
stewardship to decrease wildfire risk across Oregon through increased partnership with
federal agencies to expand activities under the Good Neighbor Authority Agreement described in ORS 526.275 in federal forests through:
(A) Increasing forest thinning.
(B) Reducing ladder fuels and other hazardous fuel loading.
(C) Restoring meadowland.
(D) Increasing biomass utilization.
(E) Increasing post-disturbance recovery and restoration activities.
(b) Request that the federal agencies fund portions of the activities described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.
(2) Activities undertaken pursuant to subsection (1) of this section must be executed in
a manner that protects and enhances the long-term ecological health of a landscape, in
conformance with the most broadly accepted scientific principles of forestry.

 

These two pieces of legislation were critical steps in moving forward with a cohesive western states strategy for proactive forest management on federally managed lands to increase production, economic development and family wage jobs while reducing fire risk to our rural communities.

 

The data is very clear.

 

On the ten year average (2014-2023):

 

• 82% of acres burned are on federal land.

• Of the 18% burned on private land, 15% were from fires from federal land.

• Of the 3% of acres that start and burn on private land, 98% are kept to less than 100 acres.

 

Moving Forward:

 

With the passage of my legislation above and the updated data, I have been working to build a coalition of Western State Legislators to move forward a comprehensive proactive federal forest management strategy for a unilateral push on our western state federal delegation.

 

I have always said, “our pacific northwest forests are a sustainable, renewable gift to our residents. They sequester carbon, and in doing so they create the most resilient building material on Earth, with a biproduct that is oxygen.” Even the environmental for profit non-profits [34] know they can no longer hide behind their “climate change” agenda, when we have the tools and management strategies to protect our federal forests and rural communities from burning to the ground. When they do burn, they release roughly 25% of their stored carbon building material (depending on fire severity), leaving the rest to be released while the trees rot on the forest floor. These thought processes are insane when again, we have the science, data and tools to do so much better.

 

This is again why I fought to pass the legislation above, so that we may move forward with proven, proactive federal forest management strategies.

On July 6th, 2021, the Bootleg Fire [35] was ignited when lightning struck near the small community of Beatty, Oregon in the Fremont-Winema National Forest.

 

As you can see from the aerial picture above, the thinning, ladder fuels reduction and prescribed fire saved the portion treated within the Fremont-Winema National Forest, under the worst fire conditions on the third largest wildfire in Oregon history.

 

We have the science, we have the data, we have the tools, and I am working to bring the resources we need to implement this strategy within our federal forest system. Working with former Senator Heard, we were able to allocate resources to start the process of building Oregon’s only Wildfire Training Center on over 27 acres of land just north of Gold Beach, the mouth of the mighty Rogue River.

 

The Rogue-Siskiyou Regional Wildfire Training Center’s (RSR) has already received nearly $1 million dollars in state funding and we are currently actively pursuing federal investment, with board members recently back from a week of meetings in D.C. with key U.S. Senators and Representatives advocating for project funding. In tandem, I am working to again build our western states coalition of legislators to also push for the these needed additional federal investments into our comprehensive proactive federal forest management strategy that mirrors the work within the Fremont-Winema National Forest described above.

 

We will then be able to have our hardworking wildland firefighters partner with our private timber companies, and transition during the off-season after wildland fire fighting efforts, to proactive federal forest management to reduce fuel loads while increasing supply of federal timber to our mills, that cannot be exported overseas and our mills desperately need.

 

Not only will this bolster additional full time, year-round employment in our rural communities, these new jobs will not all be tree fallers and firefighters. We will be able to create opportunities for other positions to allow for our youth, our most important asset, the ability to also have good paying, family wage positions so that they have more opportunities to live and raise their families in our rural communities. This of course all while making our federal forests more resilient and protecting our rural residents, their communities and the industries that support them.

 

These proactive management efforts will start closest to our communities within our Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) as outlined above in SB 872 that I drafted and passed. Focusing first within the WUI’s, we can protect our homes and communities, which will not only protect private lands, but lower the cost of skyrocketing insurance premiums that have been ever increasing due to the negligence from lack of management of federal forest lands.

 

We will then continue outward, using the science and data we have and we know works, to create a federal forest system resilient to fire. Restoring historic meadowlands that are natural fire breaks, restoring wildlife habitat and protecting our beloved salmon and other wildlife from the perils of wildfire.

 

I have been committed to this work for many years and our efforts are building the needed momentum to move this work forward for our rural communities. We have a housing crisis and Governor Kotek wants to build 36 thousand homes a year in Oregon, and we have the sticks to build them. There is no reason we should be importing any logs to be processed, when we have the resources out our back door.