Oregon

The ‘Oregon Plan’ For Affordable Housing: Kicking the Working Class While They’re Down

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By Dave Hunnicutt The American Planning Association (APA), the national organization for state and local planners, recently published a brutally honest assessment of the impact of residential upzoning (i.e. increasing housing density) on low-income households and low-income neighborhoods. While the APA’s conclusions shouldn’t surprise anyone, their honesty and willingness to acknowledge problems that are taboo subjects in Oregon planning and …

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Teaching Oregon Students to Read and to Work

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By Dr. Noah Robinson Oregon public school quality comes in last or almost last in the nation depending on what metric you use. That’s pretty bad. The nationwide average is extremely poor. After my mother died when I was 10, our family developed a self-teaching methodology that worked extremely well. All six of us (I have five brothers and sisters) …

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Ballot Measure 114 Ruling Highlights Wisdom of 1857 Oregonians

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Last month’s ruling on Ballot Measure 114 was a wonderful reminder of the importance of having written Constitutions (state and federal) that are understood and applied. This historic ruling gets right to the point and hits a bull’s eye: “The Harney County Circuit Court is issuing a Permanent Injunction under Oregon Revised Statute 28.020 declaring 2022 Ballot Measure 114 unconstitutional …

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Editorial: Paying for Progressive Dreams

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Progressive politicians dream of solving social problems with new government programs. The bill for these programs must be paid regardless of whether or not the program actually solves the problem and even when it makes the situation worse. How does this happen? When the economy is rolling and tax receipts rise, progressives add new programs and increase spending for all …

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What We Must do About HB 2002 and Returning Sanity to Salem

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By Sen. Art Robinson HB 2002 is the worst bill I have ever seen. The most shocking sections are laws relating to and promoting “gender affirming care” for children. This is simply irreversible child mutilation hiding behind a fancy-sounding phrase. The original form of HB 2002 allowed this type of mutilation of children without their parents even being informed. The …

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Does Measure 113 Wording Give Senators 4 More Years?

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On May 30, Attorney John DiLorenzo Jr. of the Davis Wright Tremaine law firm sent a letter to Acting Secretary of State Cheryl Myers to seek a ruling on when Measure 113 takes effect. He represents State Sen. Tim Knopp, State Sen. Brian Boquist and the Oregon’s 13 Constitutional Defense Fund. (Oregon’s 13 is a reference to the senators who’ve …

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Is ‘Paid Leave Oregon’ Too Good to be True?

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On Jan. 1, Oregon’s “Paid Leave Oregon” program went into effect. Employers and employees began contributing 1% of wages up to $132,900 into the Paid Leave Oregon fund. Employees contribute 60% of the 1% and employers contribute 40% of the 1%. Eligible employees will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave per 52-week period beginning Sep. …

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Editorial: A New Direction for Oregon: Vote Christine Drazan for Governor

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Back in August, Republicans were excited to learn Christian Drazan would attend the Josephine County Fair for a meet and greet. One Republican leader suggested we form a circle around Christine to protect her from overzealous Republicans. That was a needless worry. Christine heard strong, informed and sometimes heated concerns about the SB 762 Wildfire Risk Map and other hot …

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Should Homelessness be Escaped or Enabled?

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By Ron Strom and Mary Lou Thomason Editor’s Note: This column first appeared in the Eagle in 2021. It has been updated for today’s ongoing debate over homelessness in Grants Pass. The Grants Pass Gospel Rescue Mission has helped people leave homelessness behind and become contributing members of our community since 1984. Today, we are fully committed to continuing this …

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The SB 762 Wildfire Map Could be the Least of Our Worries

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By Bob Hart It seems like wildfires during the summer have become a way of life in Southern Oregon. But an unexpected “wildfire” was lit in the summer of 2022 with the arrival of letters to thousands of property owners informing them that they were high or extreme risk for wildfires as shown on a newly published map from the …

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