by Cascade Policy Institute
Thursday, August 28. 2008
Meet His Excellency Václav Klaus
President of the Czech Republic
Join Cascade Policy Institute, Americans for Prosperity and
The Competitive Enterprise Institute for a reception, luncheon
and book signing with His Excellency Václav Klaus,
President of the Czech Republic and author of the book
"Blue Planet in Green Shackles:
What is Endangered: Climate or Freedom?"
Tuesday, September 30 at The Hilton Portland
11:30 a.m. V.I.P. Reception and Photo Op $50
12:00 p.m. Luncheon and Book Signing $50
Advance payment required. RSVP to nancy@cascadepolicy.org
or 503.242.0900 by September 25.
Cascade Policy Institute is Oregon's free market public policy research center.
by In the news
Thursday, August 28. 2008
 [ Senate Majority Office Release]
The Oregon Agenda 2009
Education Excellence for All Oregonians
Last session, Senate Democrats made record investments in schools by lowering K-12 class sizes and expanding opportunities for higher education. In 2009, we will continue our commitment to developing the workforce of the future by:
-- Increasing access to our universities, community colleges, and vocational programs by making higher education more affordable — especially for our returning veterans
-- Promoting a strong base of learning for our children by expanding access to Head Start
-- Giving teachers the tools to provide a first class education by supporting high quality professional development
Continue reading "The Senate Democrat 2009 Agenda"
by Jerry Dawson
Wednesday, August 27. 2008
 Sites such as Oregon Catalyst attract not only readers, but writers as well. If you are an author and have already been self-published or are considering self-publishing, I have a tip for you. Oregon-based Empty Garage Books is a company that specializes in helping authors publish, market, and sell their work. I recently engaged them for the second printing of my book, Sales 101: Principles in Action, and was very favorably impressed with their work. Empty Garage Books developed a new look for my book (new cover, layout, and fonts), arranged to have it published using their print-on-demand partner, and developed a web site dedicated to the promotion and sale of the book.
Continue reading "Calling all Authors"
by Jerry Dawson
Wednesday, August 27. 2008
 Once again, Oregon has placed just one institution of higher learning in the top 50 on the Wall Street Journal’s top feeder schools ranking. The Journal simply takes the number of students the colleges or universities actually send on to graduate school divided by the schools’ class sizes to obtain their rankings. Nothing subjective. Only objective data. And remember, to go to graduate school you have to graduate from college. Few do that at Portland State, for example.
Continue reading "Only One Oregon College Ranked"
by Larry Huss
Wednesday, August 27. 2008
"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed,
if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." Mark Twain
Most often, the misinformation comes less in what is reported than in what is withheld. I’m never quite sure what it is about Democrat policies and politics that requires the mainstream media in general, and the Oregonian in particular, to bury, burnish or belabor particular events to enhance the image of Democrats individually or collectively.
Last week, the Oregonian did a “by the numbers” comparison of the Democrat National Convention (Denver) and the Republican National Convention (St. Paul/Minneapolis).
Continue reading "Denver Is An Armed Camp."
by Jerry Dawson
Tuesday, August 26. 2008
 A simple look at gasoline prices per gallon around the world from Conde Nast Portfolio Magazine dramatically shows just how much havoc governments can cause when they interfere with the free market economy and how much tax policies, subsidies and additive and refining requirements can effect the prices citizens pay for fuel.
Continue reading "Governments’ Power to Alter the Free Market"
by In the news
Tuesday, August 26. 2008
 By Bob Clark
Rooftop solar electric systems are prohibitively costly to manufacture and install with or without government subsidies. As reported in the Oregonian, page E1, August 8, 2008, a 2000 watt solar system costs about $21,000 including installation. Under existing tax credit financing structures, the buyer of these installations pay around $7,500 while taxpayers pay the remaining $13,500. The owner of these installations, for instance homeowners, are said to save $176 per year as a return on their investment. Translation: even after 25 years, the buyer will have lost $3,100, even as taxpayers lose $13,500 per unit installed. These losses do not include the opportunity cost of funds.
Continue reading "Solar Power Leaks Tax Dollars"
by In the news
Monday, August 25. 2008
by Todd Wynn
Monday, August 25. 2008
 Clark County, Washington’s transit agency, C-Tran, recently announced that it is now running a little over 10 percent of its bus fleet on hybrid engines. The agency recently purchased 12 new hybrid diesel buses from the Gillig Corporation in San Francisco.
The hybrid buses cost $650,000, compared with $450,000 for standard diesel buses. In addition to the higher initial cost, the hybrids have a large battery that needs to be replaced every 6 years at a price of $34,000, plus labor. Also, because of the lower floors on the bus, the hybrids hold 35 seated passengers instead of the 45 that non-hybrid buses carry.
Continue reading "C-Tran's New Hybrid Buses: When Going "Green" Costs Lots of Green!"
by In the news
Sunday, August 24. 2008
 Let me tell you a tale about a cross-dressing kid.
A kid goes to school. He undresses unusually. Wears makeup, dresses like a girl. His parents don’t stop it. He doesn’t stop it. He’s fifteen years of age.
And then, one day, a young man in his school, shoots this young man to death. The murderer ought to be punished and the parents are angry because their son has been murdered and that’s wrong.
Continue reading "Lars Larson…on a cross-dressing kid"
by Jerry Dawson
Saturday, August 23. 2008
 Where else could you get seasoned foreign affairs experience, judiciary experience, legislative experience, and honesty and gavitas all in one bright, articulate, clean package? This gravitas is just what the unseasoned, inexperienced Obama needs to put to rest fears that he will not be ready on day one.
Continue reading "Biden - Much Needed Gravitas"
by In the news
Saturday, August 23. 2008
 The big question posed his week was nearly 100 university presidents calling for the drinking age to be reduced to age 18 as a way to stem alcohol problems on campus. Oregon had three sign on: Dr. Thomas J. Hochstettler of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Dr. Phil Creighton from Pacific University in Forest Grove and Dr. M. Lee Pelton from Willamette University.
Is this a civil liberty issue, a crime control issue or a civic values issue?
by In the news
Friday, August 22. 2008
by In the news
Friday, August 22. 2008
 Americans for Prosperity
“High Cost of Hot Air” Balloon Tour Schedules Portland Area Stop
( see also Baker City 8/25, Portland 8/26, Bend 8/27, Medford 8/27)
Portland – Americans for Prosperity – Oregon State Director Jeff Kropf today announced details of the organization’s upcoming “High Cost of Hot Air Tour” stop in Aurora. Designed to call attention to the huge economic costs being proposed in Congress and the States to combat “global warming,” the Hot Air Tour has visited 16 states and the District of Columbia thus far. The Tour features a 70-foot tall hot air balloon in which local residents are given free rides.
Continue reading "Americans for Prosperity Hot Air Balloon tour hits Portland"
by Steve Buckstein
Friday, August 22. 2008
 How many voters should it take to raise your taxes? Oregonians once again will be asked this question on our November ballot. Currently, local governments seeking approval of certain property tax measures must see at least 50 percent of their qualified voters turn out before a majority of those voting can approve the new tax. The only exception to the 50 percent turnout requirement is for November elections held in even-numbered years. This requirement is known as the “double majority” rule.
Now, the legislature has placed Measure 56 on the ballot. It would void the double majority rule in any election held in May or November of any year, even or odd. This effectively grants local governments four times as many chances to pass new taxes with low voter turnout than they have now.
Continue reading "Keep "Double Majority" Voting Rule in Place"
|
