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.
There are over 60 local tax measures on the various county ballots in Oregon this May Primary.
We call them sneaker taxes because many of these local tax measures were put on the ballot by politicians at the very last minute in March — barely 30 days before ballots are sent out. Wow!
30 days is not enough time to have a public debate — and that is why the politicians do it.
This is why most voters will open their Voter Pamphlet or ballots this week and be surprised at a local tax they did not know about.
Another reason we call them sneaker taxes is that many of these taxes on the May ballot are property tax renewals and politicians sell these taxes as not costing taxpayers anything. That is incorrect. Without the tax measure on the ballot, your taxes are going down (as the tax expires), by the measure passing your taxes will be going up.
To help educate voters, the Taxpayers Association of Oregon created this cheat-sheet below on upcoming local taxes so you do not get surprised. We list in red taxes that we oppose and think are excessive or wrong.
Baker
Tax Alert! #1-123 Baker Fire Local Option tax
Tax Alert! #1-124 Haines Fire Local Option tax
Tax Alert! #1-125 Pine/E school bond
Tax Alert! #1-126 Fir/police tax levy
Tax Alert! #1-127 Local Option tax
Tax Alert! #1-128 Local Option tax for weeds
Clackamas Vote No! #26-244 zoo tax bond Vote No!#3-605 Urban Renewal
Tax Alert! #3-606 Molalla school bond
Tax Alert! #3-607 Est. school bond
Columbia Tax Alert! #5-298 – Police Local Option tax
Tax Alert! #5-299 – 911 Local Option tax
Tax Alert! #5-300 – Jail Levy
Tax Alert! #5-301 – Vernonia Fire levy
Coos Tax Alert! #6-212 – Myrtle-P, Fire levy
Tax Alert! #6-213 – Police levy
Tax Alert! #6-214 – (Coq) school bond
Crook Tax Alert! 7-87 – School bond
Deschutes
Tax Alert! 9-164 – Dust L/O tax
Tax Alert! #9-165 La Pine fire levy
Tax Alert! #9-166 La Pine fire levy
Tax Alert! #9-167 school Local Option levy
Douglas Tax Alert! #10-208 gym bond
Hood River Vote No! #14-77 Park levy Vote No!#14-78 pool/trail bond
Tax Alert! #14-79 Fire levy
Jackson Tax Alert! #15-229 fire levy
Jefferson Tax Alert! #16-109 fire bond
Tax Alert! #16-110 rec. district
Tax Alert! #16-111 rec. district
Josephine Tax Alert! #17-117 shelter Local Option tax
Tax Alert! #17-118 school bond
Lane Tax Alert! #20-350 Fire tax
Tax Alert! #20-351 Street bond
Tax Alert! #20-353 (Mhwk) fire levy
Tax Alert! #20-354 (FR) school bond
Tax Alert! #20-355 (JC) school bond
Tax Alert! #20-356 (Mckzn) fire levy Vote No! #20-357 school tax bond Vote No! #20-358 $$ for baseball Lincoln Tax Alert! #21-222 Library Local Option tax
Tax Alert! #21-223 (DP) Fire levy
Tax Alert! #21-224 (OCCC) bond
Tax Alert! #21-225 (GLndn) Local Option tax Vote No! #21-226 Newport gas tax
Tax Alert! #21-227 (Tld) water bond
Linn Tax Alert! #22-202 Lebanon fire levy
Tax Alert! 22-203 (SH) fire bond
Marion Tax Alert! #24-495 Woodburn fire levy
Tax Alert! #24-496 (Jefferson) fire levy
Tax Alert! #24-497 (SF) school bond
Tax Alert! #24-498 school bond
Morrow Vote No! #25-98 gas tax
Multnomah Tax Alert! #26-243 water bond Vote No!#26-244 zoo tax bond Vote No! #26-245: gas tax Vote No! #26-246 School bond
Union
Tax Alert! #31-119 – Local Option levy
Wasco
Tax Alert! 3-110 (WH) Local Option tax health Washington Vote No! #26-244 zoo tax bond
Tax Alert! #34-332 (TVFR) Fire levy
Tax Alert! #34-333 police levy
Tax Alert! #34-335 Banks fire levy
Tax Alert! #34-336 Banks school bond
Yamhill Tax Alert! #36-229 – WVFD Fire levy
Tax Alert! #36-230 – Willamina bond
Tax Alert! #36-231 Dundee fire levy
Tax Alert! #36-232 Fire Local Option tax
— Was this helpful? If so, Contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com[4] (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction[4] or Political Tax Credit[4] options to promote liberty).
Willamette Week reports that many Democrats are upset at Biden over Gaza and are conducting a write-in campaign. Some want to write in “uncommitted” while others push for “Jeff Merkley” Oregon’s U.S. Senator who has been very pro-Hamas and anti-Israel. Merkley recently called for pulling[5] non-defensive military aid to Israel and used Easter to Tweet against[5] Israel. There is more to the write-in story. Read more here[6].
This is just more signs of inner-conflicts within the Democrat Party that we often do not see. Read more from an article we wrote “Democrat internal battles you do not see[7]“.
Man stole 80 cars over 30 years. (why we must vote anti-crime)
This month a local man was sentenced to six years for stealing up to 80 cars[8] over a period of 30 years in Portland. He would steal people’s vehicles with a make-shift tow truck and proceed to gut the vehicle and sell parts.
This is just one story on how Portland become one of the car theft capitols in America because liberal politicians de-funded police and liberal prosecutor Mike Schmidt let criminals go unprosecuted or under-sentenced for hundreds of cases.
Here is a map of where vehicles have been stolen in Portland (dark red means multiple thefts).
Now, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt is under fire and under a tough re-election campaign from a tough-on-crime prosecutor Nathan Vasquez[9]. The election is occurring right now in the May Primary. If you want less crime and less news stories about criminals on a 30-year crime marathon then please check out Nathan Vasquez[9].
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Speaker Johnson’s Conversion
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Larry Huss
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Appeasement,Communist China,Economy,Foreign Relations,Iran,Islam,Israel,Leadership,President Ronald Reagan,Speaker Mike Johnson |
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[10]
I don’t know Speaker of the House Michael Johnson (R-LA). Wouldn’t recognize him if he spit on my shoes. But there is something endearing about a person who thinks that the demands of the job outpace his parochial interests. Something courageous about someone who, when unjustly threatened with the loss of his job, replies, “Do your best.” And something genuine about someone who refuses to be bound by conventional wisdom – the idea that you had to bind objectionable legislation with other legislation in order to get is passed. I say this in light of Mr. Johnson’s demonstration of leadership skills in maneuvering passage of military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan this past weekend.
But what emphasizes those leadership skills is the distance he has traveled from representing a rural congressional district in Louisiana running from just north of New Orleans up the west border of Louisiana and to the north border just above Shreveport.. He served on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. He had no special knowledge of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Intelligence, or for that matter foreign trade and international economic conditions. Mr. Johnson represented a conservative congressional district that probably didn’t give a hoot about those issues, but did care about taxes and how wasteful government spending has become. The whole concept of foreign aid would rank extremely low in Mr. Johnson’s 4th congressional district. Mr. Johnson’s votes prior to assuming the Speaker’s office and even his early opposition to additional aid in pursuit of a war in Ukraine that seems to be dragging on to a stalemate was understandable.
As Speaker, however, Mr. Johnson’s responsibility is first to the whole of the nation and then the whole of the Republican congressional caucus. That requires a broader perspective of global events and causes and effects. Today, we find ourselves confronted by three hostile powers – two of whom wish to replace us as the leading superpower and a third run by zealots simply seeks our physical destruction as a religious mandate. (For those of you forced to endure a teachers union led education in the Portland Public Schools, that would be China, Russia and Iran in that order.) Even worse, because of the ineptness of the current president – President Joe Biden – and his parsing of support for allies and dalliances with our enemies, two out of these three confrontations have graduated into hot wars that threaten to expand in either regional or worldwide conflagrations. The lack of leadership at the presidential level places an even greater burden on the Speaker.
Having now immersed himself in access to the best minds in America – coupled with the best minds in Europe and Asia – Mr. Johnson has gained a new appreciation that world dominance is no longer just a military contest and that wars are more likely to be won and/or lost as economic contests. And that economic superiority may be the greatest weapon in the hands of knowledgeable and determined people.
Today is pretty much the same global situation that President Ronald Reagan confronted when he assumed the presidency. He faced a menacing Soviet Union that continuously threatened our European allies and a recent hostile take over of Iran by the Shia zealots that currently still run that nation. The former was a formidable military force supported by a doomed economic philosophy (communism) that left its citizenry mired in poverty while the Communist Party apparatchik isolated physically and economically from its citizenry. Mr. Reagan and his advisors understood that America’s economic might could destroy the communist economic frailties in short order. Thus they engaged the Soviet Union in an arms race that the Soviets mindless of their own economic peril could not afford and that they predictably lost in short order.
With regard to Iran, Mr. Reagan and his advisors recognized that Iran was – as we say in the West – all hat and no cattle. The Shia hierarchy was blinded by fifteen centuries of hate and jealousy that while the world progressed, the Shia’s did not. They were hell bent on destroying those who had succeeded – mostly the Jewish state of Israel* and the Western world. The Iranian theocracy kidnapped sixty Americans and held them while another ineffective international apologist – President Jimmy Carter – wrung his hands in despair. Mr. Reagan had promised to retaliate when he became president and the hostages were released shortly after his swearing in. Later Mr. Reagan destroyed two of Iran’s largest oil platforms in retaliation for its attacks on Kuwait. The toothless tiger was tamed for the remainder of his presidency.
China is the exception to the rule here. It has always played the “long game” and so while the threat of an invasion of Taiwan by China is real it is not likely. You see, China has come to realize that its quest for world power – to supplant the United States as the greatest superpower – lies through economic means. The rapid transition from a centralized communist control to a Communist Party oversight has led to the dramatic increase in China as an economic power. It’s desire to return Taiwan to a role as part of China – while historical – is really driven more by the genius of Taiwan’s technology, particularly in the design and production of computer chips. The introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has simply made Taiwan’s industries even more valuable. An actual invasion of Taiwan runs the real danger of destroying the prize it seeks – technological superiority. Even as Taiwan arms to repel any type of invasion, its technological industries are busy deploying their labs and production to other lands including the United States in case there is an invasion.
Having absorbed all of that Mr. Johnson understood pointedly that to detour Russia we need to ensure a robust Ukraine defense of his homeland which forces Russia once again to enter an arms race with an underlying economy – with the exception of oil production – that is no better than the days of Reagan when it watched its economy and its power structure implode. The cheapest way to control the spread of Russian influence is to periodically choke Russia’s economy by forcing them to choose between arms and prosperity. The woe begotten Mr. Biden and his progressive morons are never going to understand that and will continue to treat the war in Ukraine as his predecessors treated the wars in Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and Iraq by funding the conflict only to a level of “not losing” but never to a level of “winning.” I believe that Mr. Johnson now understands the difference.
In providing funding to Israel, Mr. Johnson understands that the key to peace in the Middle East is to preserve a strong Israel capable of repelling the religious zealots of Iran along with its proxies. At a point in time, the rest of the Middle East is going to tire of the excesses of the Shia hierarchy and realign themselves with a new tolerance towards Israel and a new hostility towards Iran and its insufferable interference in the governance of the Middle East and North Africa. It is economic pressure that will bring down the ayatollahs – not missiles and bullets.**
I’m less sure that Mr. Johnson understands the meaning of China’s long game but because it is a long game but there is yet time to develop our own long game. The expiration of Mr. Biden’s presidency will hasten the creation of that long game.
Unlike recent editorial comments in the Wall Street Journal, do not think of Mr. Johnson as heroic – at least not yet. I do think that he is due new respect as he grows into his new role as Speaker. The Republican dissidents should shut up long enough to give him a try.
_____________________________________
*As foreign organized protests, led my Iranian interests, to support to Hamas, and condemn Israel, we are beginning to see that the threat of “new Nazis comes not from the mullet wearing, toothless white boys of the South, but rather from the elites of the Ivy League and the left wing of the progressive/socialist elements – exactly from whence it came in support of Adolph Hitler ninety years ago.
**Mr. Biden and his progressives continue to cower at the threat of Iran possessing nuclear weapons. Stop with that baloney already. Its the same threat that former President Barack Obama used as an excuse to cave in to Iran’s demands. Iran already has nuclear weapons. It is unlikely that when a backwards country like North Korea could develop nuclear weapons over a decade ago that Iran has not accomplished the same thing in the last sixteen years. What they don’t have is a delivery vehicle. And that was reinforced with the ludicrous performance of its missile attack on Israel less than three weeks ago.
The private lot near Multnomah Falls plans to charge[11] $5 to $20 to park near the number one tourist destination in Oregon. The $20 will be for during the highest point in the season — a new trend called peak pricing or surge pricing.
You may soon see this elsewhere in Oregon.
Oregon is trying to push highway tolling at 8 locations in the greater Portland Metro area where the tolls would charge different prices during the day as a way to pressure people to to stop driving.
Just this year, Wendy’s considered changing menu prices during the time of day based on high traffic times.
— Was this helpful? If so, Contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com[4] (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction[4] or Political Tax Credit[4] options to promote liberty).
The Supreme Court must strike down rules that forbid cities from acting against homeless who set up camp on public property.
First, drug and alcohol addiction causes nearly all homelessness.
Do you want proof of that? Homeless shelters offer “low barrier” rules: translation, you can keep right on drinking and drugging and still get in.
So the laws tell cities to let the addicts know nothing is expected of them, and they may keep on doing the very thing that put them on the streets in the first place.
The obnoxious and often criminal behavior of “concrete campers” has worn out their welcome. Any of us who fell on hard times would first turn to family and friends for help. When those folks now refuse to take you in, you’re allowed to impose your antisocial behavior on the rest of your community.
The current court decision…which i hope the supreme court overturns…forbid cities and counties to threaten jail or criminal penalties for living on the streets
The courts tell us we have an obligation to house, feed, and care for people who created their own Hellish conditions, and they can’t be forced to change.
Try telling law-abiding Americans about “obligation”…in a country where cities feel no obligation to quickly answer your 9-1-1 call. Where Joe Biden shows no obligation to stop a dangerous invasion.
Prosecutors who refuse to prosecute.
Schools that refuse to educate.
Tell those folks about their obligation to addicts who owe them nothing in return.
Beware: squatters not as easy to get rid of as you would think
I received an email last week from a property owner with a question about squatters and a link to a recent article about the growing nationwide problem with squatters[14]. Squatters are people who move into homes without invitation from the property owner and refuse to leave when discovered.
The email question was how are squatters treated under Oregon law? The short answer is getting rid of a squatter isn’t as easy as it should be.
A squatter is a trespasser.
Trespassing is a crime under Oregon law. If you combine Oregon law with common sense, you’d think it would be easy to get rid of a squatter. If you discover a squatter on your property, just call the local police and they’ll get rid of the trespasser. Right? Well maybe.
There is no requirement that police intervene and enforce trespassing law, and if the situation isn’t clear, the squatters don’t appear to be dangerous and are claiming that they have the right to be on the property, it can very easily become a “civil matter,” meaning the police are going to ask the property owner to take care of the problem. So, what does the property owner do?
To be clear – a squatter is not a tenant.
In order to be considered a “tenant” under Oregon law, there has to be a “rental agreement” between the landlord and the person claiming to be the tenant. If a trespasser takes control of a home on your property without your permission (oral or written), they are not a “tenant,” and they are not entitled to protection under Oregon residential tenant law.
The fact that the squatter is not a “tenant” is both good and bad. The good news is that Oregon law makes it really difficult to evict “tenants”, which is one of the reasons that there is a shortage of rental units in most communities. Why become a landlord in Oregon when the state makes it really hard on you?
The bad news is that the legislature has an expedited legal process for resolving landlord/tenant disputes that is only available to those parties. The lawsuit is known as a “forcible entry and detainer” action (FED), and it’s used by both landlords and tenants to resolve disputes between them. The legislature has created a greatly expedited process for FED lawsuits to make sure property disputes are resolved quickly.
Unfortunately, the only way a property owner can use a FED lawsuit against a squatter is if the squatter made “forcible entry” onto the property. What does that mean?
There isn’t a definition of “forcible entry” in Oregon law, and there is very little guidance from Oregon courts on what it means for a squatter to enter property by force. What guidance exists suggests that for a squatter to make a forcible entry onto property, there must be some kind of illegal activity. For example, a break-in of the home, a physical threat to the property owner, or something of that nature.
If the squatter has made a “forcible entry” onto property in Oregon, the property owner can use a FED lawsuit to remove them from the property. But if the squatter fights the lawsuit, the property owner will be required to prove the facts that created the “forcible entry”.
Oregon law allows for “ejectment” of squatters.
So what happens if the squatter refuses to leave and there’s no “forcible entry”? The property owner can’t use the FED and has to use a different lawsuit. The typical claim is a claim for “ejectment” of the squatter.
There’s nothing wrong with an ejectment action, but there’s no expedited court process for ejectment actions, and if the squatter wants to fight, it can take a very long time before the court finally gets to the case and makes a decision. The property owner can recover damages from the squatter, but a typical squatter doesn’t have any money anyway – if they did, they wouldn’t be a squatter. So the damage award is a hollow victory.
So what does a property owner do when they find that their home has been taken over by a squatter? The best hope is that the police can get the squatter to leave. Problem solved. If that doesn’t work, the property owner has to consider their options. They can file a lawsuit (either an FED or ejectment action) – if the squatter doesn’t fight, the property owner can get a judgment in a couple of months. A lawsuit can be expensive, however.
There’s also self-help…
Since the squatter is a trespasser and has no legal right to the property (assuming the property owner hasn’t made them a tenant, which would be a really bad idea) there is nothing that prevents you from retaking your property when the squatter leaves. In other words, if the property owner temporarily vacates the property, you can reoccupy it. If the squatter comes back, call the police and demand that they remove the squatter. After all, it’s your property. At that point, the police should intervene and make the squatter leave.
The danger to self-help is obvious. A squatter is very likely not a functioning member of society, and by definition is a criminal. Self-help is dangerous and risky.
The last option is to attempt to make a deal with the squatter. Negotiate, get them to leave the property once and for all, and then immediately make repairs and change locks to secure the home. In some cases, that may be the cheapest solution.
OPOA is considering legislation during the upcoming 2025 session to make it easier for property owners to get rid of squatters. If you’re interested in this issue, let us know, and we’ll keep you updated on our efforts.
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not represent the opinions or positions of any party represented by the OPOA Legal Center on any particular matter.
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.
President Biden’s 2023 budget called for raising the top marginal income tax rate from 37% to 39.6%. Combined with Oregon’s 9.9% top rate, that is almost half of one’s income.
Once Oregonians become that successful, local liberal groups will call them greedy, protest outside their businesses and demand they pay more taxes or give all their wealth away to charity to atone for their sins.
Don’t forget, Biden blamed high meat prices on ranchers and not inflation. Biden blamed high gas prices on greedy oil companies and not inflation, nor the war in Ukraine. Earlier this year, Biden blamed shrinking product portions on greedy companies and not inflation and people’s shrinking purchasing power. Last year, Biden blamed high store prices on cargo companies and not on inflation.
Because of Kotek and her liberal allies …
… Oregon is becoming a place where success is demonized and capitalism is vilified.
A Portland environmental student rally shows one student with a sign saying that CAPITALISM KILLS PEOPLE.
.
.
The Taxpayers Association of Oregon documented[15] a 1,000 person Portland rally for socialism where they chanted “Take back the wealth!”
Portland has been tagged by radical Leftists with anti-Capitalism graffiti.
.
.
And messages to KILL THE RICH.
.
— Was this helpful? If so, Contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com[4] (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction[4] or Political Tax Credit[4] options to promote liberty).
(Sources: CNBC 2/9/23, 9.9% applies to those over $250,000)
TAO, 40 conservative groups rally to oppose Speaker takeover
This weekend there was an effort by some members of Congress to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The last time the Speaker was vacated (mere months ago) the entire House agenda was shut down for nearly a month, nothing was being done, a clown-car array of replacements were floated and shot down in vain, liberals used the circus for a fundraising and media bonanza to bash the party in power driving voter disgust to high levels. Our priority should be to get as much done as possible in the few remaining months left of 2024 by building upon the successes that Speaker Johnson has achieved.
Below is the information on what conservative groups rallied behind:
A coalition of more than 40 conservative movement leaders released a today urging the House to oppose a vote on the motion to vacate the chair or any effort in which Republican lawmakers would vote with Democrats to remove Speaker Johnson.
We the undersigned conservative organizations and individuals write to oppose a vote on the motion to vacate the chair or any effort in which Republican lawmakers would vote with Democrats to remove Speaker Johnson.
Maintaining the Republican House majority is vital to any organization or individual focused on advancing conservative policy priorities and delivering wins on the Reagan-Trump agenda. We are just one House seat away from united Democrat rule in Washington and an unchecked return to the disastrous policies of the Biden administration. This cannot be allowed to happen.
Vacating a Republican Speaker distracts and undermines all progress on conservative issues while weakening the Republican majority in the House.
We therefore urge you to reject any vote on a motion to vacate the chair.
Onwards,
Grover Norquist
President, Americans for Tax Reform
Newt Gingrich
Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Bob McEwen
Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Marty Connors
Meeting Chair, Alabama Center-Right Coalition
Phil Kerpen
President, American Commitment
Thomas Pyle
President, American Energy Alliance
Lisa B. Nelson
CEO, American Legislative Exchange Council
John Mize
CEO, American’s United for Life
Ryan Ellis
President, Center for a Free Economy
Star Parker
President, Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE)
Sandra Hagee Parker
Chairwoman, Christians United for Israel Action Fund
Penny Nance,
President/CEO, Concerned Women for America LAC
Hon. Ken Blackwell
Chairman, Council for National Policy Action
Nathan Leamer
Executive Director, Digital First Project
James Erwin
Executive Director, Digital Liberty
Kris Ullman
President, Eagle Forum
Cleta Mitchell
Founder, Election Integrity Network
Ralph Reed
Founder/Chairman, Faith & Freedom Coalition
Tony Perkins
President, Family Research Council
Jody Hice,
President, Family Research Council Action
George Landrith
President, Frontiers of Freedom
Ray Chadwick
Chairman, Granite State Taxpayers
Daniel Perrin
President, HSA Coalition
Heather Higgins
CEO, Independent Women’s Voice
John Dodd
President Emeritus, Jesse Helms Center Foundation
Ginni Thomas
President, Liberty Consulting
Aidan Chao
Los Angeles Taxpayers Association
Gene Mills
President, Louisiana Family Forum
L. Brent Bozell III
Founder and President, Media Research Center
Dan Schneider
Vice President for Free Speech, Media Research Center
Tim Jones
Chairman, Missouri Center-Right Coalition
Doug Kellogg
Executive Director, Ohioans for Tax Reform
Tom Hebert
Executive Director, Open Competition Center
Matt Brooks
CEO, Republican Jewish Coalition
Kerri Tolockzo
Meeting Chair, South West Florida Center-Right Coalition
Kristan Hawkins
President, Students for Life of America
Marjorie Dannenfelser
President, SBA Pro-Life America
Jason Williams
Director, Taxpayer Association of Oregon
Kevin Riffe
Chairman, West Virginia Center-Right Coalition
James L. Martin
Founder/Chairman
60 Plus Association
Saulius “Saul” Anuzis
President, 60 Plus Association
The prudent person principle should be applied to all publicly funded projects
Earlier this month, Cascade Policy Institute provided suggestions[18] to the Board of Portland Public Schools to reduce costs on the Jefferson High School modernization project. The project is paused due to the budget ballooning from $311 million (approved by voters in a 2020 bond issue) to $491 million.
Cascade’s primary advice for the PPS Board can be applied to all publicly funded projects: practice common sense prudence.
The prudent person principle provides perspective on three cost-prohibitive aspects of public projects:
Building above code requirements;
Energy efficiency expenditures with payback periods exceeding 20 years;
Overbuilding
To meet building code requirements for seismic resilience, Jefferson must be designed as a risk category III structure. Current plans call for building to the costly and unnecessary standard of risk category IV.
The state mandates 1.5% of most public buildings’ budgets be allocated to green energy technology. Agency managers of four other Oregon school districts have refused to comply due to the excessive length of the pay-back period.
Finally, building realistically sized projects is key. Jefferson’s current enrollment is below 500 students yet the rebuild is planned for 1,700, a flagrantly excessive size in a school district with declining enrollment.
The areas of excess in the Jefferson High School re-build are common in public projects. A prudent person would rein in this spending.
Karen Rue is Executive Assistant at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization.
Independent journalist and homeless advocate Kevin Dahlgren shows what it is like to go under a Portland underpass where homeless have taken over. It is unreal.
I walked through the sketchiest pedestrian underpass I have ever seen. Every inch of the ground was covered in broken tile or trash. In the middle was a man talking to himself. pic.twitter.com/7myn7wmj6L[21]
— Kevin Dahlgren 🥾 🥾 (@kevinvdahlgren) April 17, 2024[22]
— Was this helpful? If so, Contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com[4] (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction[4] or Political Tax Credit[4] options to promote liberty).
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-OR, is thrilled with President Biden’s actions cancelling student loan debt. She shouldn’t be.
Even though she has a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Oregon, it’s clear she’s no economist. And even though she’s a member of the House Progressive Caucus, her support for student loan forgiveness suggests she’s no friend of working families either.
That’s because, for one, the billions in student debt aren’t, in fact, being cancelled. The loans will still be paid off. The issue is by whom?
“The idea that the government is footing the bill for this policy is a bit misleading,” the American Institute for Economic Research[24] points out. “The cost of the program does not fall on the government. It falls on those who miss out on expenditures that would have otherwise occurred, those who pay higher taxes as a result of the program, those who pay higher interest rates or are crowded out due to additional government borrowing, or those who see the purchasing power of their dollars reduced more than usual.”
Even though the Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in 2022 when it announced that it would cancel up to $400 billion in student loans, Biden has since been rolling out a series of debt forgiveness alternatives using a variety of executive actions.
Biden’s ingenuity in coming up with more loan repayment exceptions seems to have no bounds.
On April 8, 2024, the White House announced an initiative that would:
forgive interest balances built up to date for 25 million borrowers, with 23 million likely to have all of their balance growth forgiven.
automatically cancel debt for borrowers eligible for loan forgiveness under several loan programs.
cancel student debt for borrowers who entered repayment over 20 years ago.
cancel student debt for loans associated with institutions or programs that lost their eligibility to participate in the Federal student aid program or were denied recertification because they cheated or took advantage of students.
cancel student debt for borrowers experiencing hardship paying back their loans.
While there’s no question student debt has become a burden for many Americans,Biden’s escalating efforts to relieve borrowers of obligations to repay student loans will add to the government’s annual deficits and the national debt. In other words, current student loan holders may escape repayment, but future taxpayers will have to pay the bill since Biden isn’t proposing any new revenue collections to cover the cost.
On April 11, the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model[25] estimated that Biden’s April 8 plans, if they are implemented, will cost the government $84 billion, in addition to the $475 billion that Penn Wharton previously estimated for Biden’s plans.
Rep. Bonamici must not care about that.
Biden’s student debt forgiveness policies also raise serious questions about fairness. For example, according to Penn Wharton, eliminating student debt for borrowers in repayment for more than 20 years (or for more than 25 years with graduate debt) will provide debt relief for about 750,000 individuals residing in households that, on average, earn $312,977 in annual household income.
There’s also inequity in Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in interest for borrowers who have accrued or capitalized interest on their loans since entering repayment. Low and middle-income borrowers enrolled in the SAVE Plan or other income-driven repayment (IDR) plans would be eligible for their entire interest balance since entering repayment to be cancelled if they make:
$120,000 or less per year individually or as married filing separately
$180,000 or less per year as a head of household, or
$240,000 or less per year as married borrowers who file joint taxes.
Real median personal income in the United States was only $40,480 andthe national median household income was just $74,580 in 2022. In other words, many college educated borrowers in Bonamici’s district who are eligible for relief under Biden’s plan are hardly struggling. And despite her assertion that she’s “standing up for working families,” many of her constituents with much lower incomes will end up covering the bills of their better-off neighbors.
Then, of course, a lot of Bonamici’s responsible working family constituents have probably made sacrifices to pay down their student loans, foregoing vacations, nice cars and restaurant meals. They will get no benefits at all from Bonamici’s generosity.
Tough beans for them, I guess.
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Oregon’s top firms, Nike and Intel in mass layoffs
NIKE is cutting 2% of its worldwide workforce. At home, 740 employees at their headquarters are being laid off.
As for Intel, they laid of 7,000 employees nationwide last year, and just announced a new round of layoffs this April. Intel is one of Oregon’s largest private employers.
This is troubling news for some of our State’s most flagship businesses.
At this juncture, the recent policy of higher taxes, higher fees and more regulations that Oregon has been on may prove to be damaging to the health of businesses already under siege from bad economic conditions. Now would be a good time to cut taxes, cut fees and reduce regulations.
3 new Ukraine developments make case for YES to aid vote
By Jason Williams Williams is a researcher, writer and founder of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon.
Speaker Mike Johnson is bringing a Ukraine funding bill before Congress. This should be a YES vote.
Here are three new reasons why:
— Helping Ukraine helps Trump help Ukraine: Trump cannot make a grand deal, for which he promised, if he is dealing with a collapsed Ukraine at the time he is inaugurated. If Trump is elected this November, his ability to end the war depends on the strength of Ukraine he inherits. The stronger Ukraine is in 2025 the more and better choices the new President has. Biden on the other hand, if elected would watch all the gains be lost in epic fashion. Biden has done next to nothing to communicate the war to the public nor work with both parties on solutions. The Biden policy is simply, throw out a funding number and tell everyone that they have blood on their hands if they don’t fund it.
— Russia has called up an extra 100,000 troops[26] this year. Russia suffered a staggering 87% causality rate with some 315,000 soldiers so far (includes mercenaries). The latest call-up is a extremely risky and unpopular move for Putin. He is risking it all which means he is closer to turning the tide of the entire war or losing it all. Retreating from Ukraine at this crossroads would be foolish.
— Ukraine is limiting ammunition. Right now, frontline soldiers are limiting their ability to fire back due to an ammunition shortage. Supplying something as essential, transparent, trackable and financially low-cost (by comparison) as ammunition is common sense. The United States is now, not even doing the bare minimum of restocking ammunition to help an important democratic ally that we have supplied for two years against one of our deadliest adversaries. There are not realistically other democratic nations that can provide the volume or ramp-up in ammunition production like the United States is able to do. Ammunition is our strength and Ukraine’s vulnerability at the moment.
House and Senate Republican Women Send Letter to OSAA Calling for Immediate Protection of Girls in High School Sports BY Oregon Senate GOP & House GOP Caucus,
SALEM, Ore – The women of the House and Senate Republican Caucuses sent a letter to OSAA Executive Director Peter Weber urging the OSAA Board of Directors to take immediate action to protect equal rights of women in high school sports by only allowing biological women to competing in girls’ sports. The letter reads as follows:
Dear Mr. Weber,
We write to you today as women who have had the honor of making significant achievements in our respective lives and who use those achievements to serve the people of Oregon. We have worked to live up to the examples of the women who came before, and we strive to be an example to the young girls who will be here after us.
It is in this context that we bring to your attention the unfortunate situation that transpired at McDaniel High School in Sherwood this past weekend. Ayden Gallagher, a male student, competed in the Sherwood Need for Speed Classic in the girls’ division, placing top ten in three competitions.
Policy 38, “Gender Identity Participation” (Page 80) of the 2023-2024 OSAA Handbook says that your gender identity rule “promotes harmony and fair competition among member schools”.
Sadly, this policy has precisely the opposite of its stated effect. Instead of promoting harmony, it has sparked outrage. Instead of ensuring fair competition, a biological male has found a place in the female sports record books. Any girls’ title held by a male is not a girls’ title at all.
This policy leads us to conclude that the OSAA and the State of Oregon do not deem girls and girls’ sports worthy of protecting and that the records they set are not meaningful. Additionally, this policy creates opportunities for male students who are unable to compete at the highest levels against their male peers to compete instead in female sports and break records that are rightfully held by girls.
We hope that you can provide a solution to the families seeking answers about why the OSAA doesn’t feel girls’ sports should be a safe space for biological females to compete and succeed.
In the meantime, we are left with no choice but to pursue the following actions:
1. Seek a statutory change via legislation in the 2025 Session to remove all records set by male students allowed to compete in girls’ sports and award those achievements to the biological female student(s) who should have received the record or award. This will include a special report OSAA will be required to issue recognizing these corrected achievements.
2. Encourage parents and girls in Oregon to stand up to your miscarriage of duty by withdrawing from competitions in which male athletes are allowed to participate until such time as the OSAA rescinds its unfair “gender identity” policy.
It brings us significant pain to see girls’ achievements go unrecognized because of your policy. We hope that you will not only join us in finding a solution to this matter, but also see the need to protect girls’ spaces and accomplishments.
Signers included:
Senator Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer)
Senator Suzanne Weber (R-Tillamook)
Representative Christine Goodwin (R-Canyonville)
Representative Anna Scharf (R-Amity)
Representative Bobby Levy (R-Echo)
Representative Emily McIntire (R-Eagle Point)
Representative Kim Wallan (R-Medford)
Representative Lucetta Elmer (R-McMinnville)
Representative Jami Cate (R-Lebanon)
Representative Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Albany)
Representative Tracy Cramer (R-Gervais)
Representative Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville)
Some examples of inner-conflict within the Oregon Democratic Party.
— The biggest Oregon Democratic fundraiser of the year, the Wayne Morse Gala, in Portland was met with 50 angry anti-Israel protesters who demanded yanking U.S. support for Israel and for an extended cease fire. Protesters agitated both entrances so no one could escape according to FB News (4/15/24). This Oregon example is similar to when President Biden was interrupted by the same pro-Hamas protestors in North Carolina[35] and in New York[36] during the glitzy fundraiser with Obama and Clinton. It is all building up in intensity before the Chicago convention.
— This week it was discovered that former Oregon State Representative Brian Clem has raised[37] $1 million in a Political Action Committee called Oregonians are Ready which is dedicated to electing moderate Democrats to Oregon’s State Legislature.
— Possible target races for the new Brian Clem PAC are 6 contested State Representative Democrat Primary battles this election (District #8, #16, #33, #35, #37, #46).
— The Oregonian has endorsed[38] former City Councilor Jeff Gudman over former State Senator Elizabeth Steiner and for Congress District #3 sided with lawmaker Maxine Dexter over the more radical Multnomah former chair Susheela Jayapal. These picks reveal big tensions between two entrenched sides within the Oregon Democratic Party.
Portland has been suffering from street takeovers where mobs of people show up in the middle of the street to watch vehicle stunts.
Portland Police reports[39], “Officers spent hours each night disrupting street takeover events in all corners of the city. The mission resulted in 12 arrests and numerous citations. Additionally, one firearm was recovered and 33 vehicles were towed. Six of those vehicles were forfeited as a result of the passing of Oregon Senate Bill 615.”
