If you’re a Multnomah County homeowner, business owner, or have a retirement account, watch out for the May election. There’s a measure on the ballot that’s coming after you. Measure 26-238 imposes a capital gains tax on Multnomah County residents. If you sell your home, you will pay the tax on the increased value since […]
Elected officials across the state are scrambling to do something to reduce homelessness in Oregon. In March, the Oregon Legislature fast-tracked $200 million in spending to address housing and homelessness. The City of Portland is fumbling around to find space for sanctioned homeless camp sites. Multnomah County is considering buying a 241-room hotel to house […]
Oregon’s economic engine is losing steam. For the second year in a row, Multnomah County lost population. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the county now has 21,000 fewer people than in 2020. In contrast, Clark County, Washington added more than 11,000 in population. It’s not an accident and it’s not a mystery. Over that time, […]
In about 18 months, Portland-area drivers will be paying the first of many tolls if the Oregon Department of Transportation has its way. By the end of 2024, ODOT plans to toll both the Abernethy Bridge and the Tualatin River Bridges on I-205. Tolls could be as high as $2.20 each way on each bridge, […]
In 2017, when the Oregon Legislature authorized a modest highway widening project on I-5 just north of the I-84 intersection, it was expected to improve travel speeds and reduce traffic accidents. The estimated construction cost was $500 million-$700 million. By 2021, the project had morphed into a social justice and real estate development scheme, with […]
Last November, voters in Arkansas elected Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders as their new Governor. Oregonians elected Democrat Tina Kotek. On March 9, Gov. Huckabee Sanders signed the Arkansas LEARNS Act, her top legislative priority. The new law creates Educational Freedom Accounts for all K-12 students, to be phased in by 2026. Individuals choosing a Freedom […]
Last week’s snowstorm was more than a snow-pocalypse, it was a dystopian scene of the decline of Portland civil society. The storm snuck up on all of us. Because it came so quickly and so hard, many drivers had to abandon their vehicles on the side of the road. In response, the City of Portland […]
A new report published by Cascade Policy Institute finds that school choice programs such as vouchers and education savings accounts can improve public school quality. The report, “Decades of Research Finds Voucher Programs Are Associated with Improved Public School Quality” reviews more than 20 years of research evaluating the relationship between school choice programs and […]
Cascade Policy Institute has released a new report evaluating the effect of an Education Savings Account program on local public school district budgets. “Education Savings Accounts Can Boost Per-Student Spending in Public Schools” examines funding for every Oregon school district. The report finds that if 5% of public-school students used an ESA program to transfer […]
January 22-28 is National School Choice Week, a celebration of opportunity in K-12 education. Every January, thousands of independent events draw attention to the ways school choice brings quality education to millions of students. Families increasingly believe parents should be able to choose among the schools and resources that best meet their children’s academic and […]