Commentary
U.S. Supreme Court justices take lavish gifts — then raise the bar for bribery prosecutions
Justice Clarence Thomas might be the most egregious when it comes to taking gifts and not disclosing them, but he’s not alone. His colleagues on the U.S. Supreme Court also haven’t been shy about taking fancy freebies from rich people — many of whom have an interest in the actions of the court. The justices […]
Legislators should give consumers a choice on pumping
In the grand scheme of things, giving drivers the ability to pump their own gas may not seem like the most pressing issue facing the Oregon Legislature this year, but for small businesses like ours, it’s a matter of survival. House Bill 2426 would let drivers statewide pump their own gas – a choice already available […]
Natural climate solutions are a win-win
Doing the right thing can cost so much money. It took 16 years of farming on our little piece of a river island in the Willamette River before I planted our winter cover crop with a no-till drill, despite growing a cover crop every year on our ecologically-focused, certified organic vegetable farm. I couldn’t justify […]
Gun violence is a proxy war on the American public
As the riot of gun violence in America produces fresh massacres by the day, firearm fundamentalists refuse to acknowledge the blood on their hands, and their suicidal stance in the face of escalating carnage is that more guns are the answer. But it’s worse than that. Take a close look at the arguments that gun […]
Oregon must commit to the early literacy success initiative
‘H’ goes “huh” ‘A’ goes “ah” ‘T’ goes “tuh” Huh-ah-tuh…hat! Teaching kids to read is about connecting sounds to letters, letters to words, words to meaning. The last decade of brain research has taught us that when kids learn these connections, they have a better chance at learning to read. However, in many Oregon schools, […]
Supporters for open primaries already campaigning for 2024 election
The 2024 campaign has begun for at least one item that may be on next year’s general election ballot: a constitutional amendment that would change the state’s primary election of 2026. I saw the early shot in this campaign in my email in-box, in a missive from the group All Oregon Votes. The “Big endorsements […]
Should Oregon’s population decline concern us?
State economists sounded the alarm recently about a slight but sudden decline in Oregon’s population, warning of a potential drag on an economy that has benefited from steady in-migration for more than three decades. For business leaders in Portland and budget watchers in Salem, this decline was another warning signal that Oregon should get its […]
Chavez-DeRemer appears ‘moderate’ but she’s anything but
Oregon’s newly-redrawn Congressional District 5 has a new representative, Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who has started to cultivate the image of a reasonable, moderate member of the Republican party. She is trying to reflect the “toss-up” character of the district, as Randy Stapilus said in a recent commentary. But anyone who closely follows both her statements […]
Elected leaders need to do more to protect children from gun violence
Carol Bellamy, former UNICEF executive director, said, “When the lives and the rights of children are at stake, there must be no silent witnesses.” Most of us agree that kids need adults to be their voice when they cannot speak for themselves, and this is especially true of kids who are exposed to and/or killed […]
Oregon needs to approach children’s behavioral health care with sense of urgency
In the fall of 2021, on the heels of a joint declaration of a state of emergency in children’s mental health by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children’s Hospital Association, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a public health advisory regarding the “looming […]
U.S. Rep. Chavez-DeRemer treads careful path in tough district
In 2022, Oregon’s 5th Congressional District race was the least predictable major contest in the state, and now it looks much the same for 2024. Both the national Cook Political Report and the Sabato Crystal Ball already label it a toss up – a rarity for a contest in which an incumbent is expected to […]
Despite attempts to kill it, Affordable Care Act turns 13
Thirteen years ago to the day, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. And five years ago, my oncologist told me my stage 4 cancer was in remission. As a small business owner, my health insurance is through the Affordable Care Act. So these two dates are inexorably linked in my mind: the insurance […]