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PRAY FOR ELECTION VICTORY! Limbaugh: GOP will hold the House: https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/10/18/limbaugh-gop-will-hold-house-increase-senate-majority-in-midterm/

 

TRUMP Accomplishment List in two short years: http://www.magapill.com/

 

100,000 Texans RSVP to TRUMP-CRUZ rally: https://www.breitbart.com/midterm-election/2018/10/22/texans-camp-out-24-hours-before-trump-cruz-rally-houston/

 

They will say and do ANYTHING to get it and keep it.  To the Democrats, it (illegal immigration) is all about POWER: https://www.prageru.com/videos/illegal-immigration-its-about-power

 

Meanwhile in Democrat –controlled LIBERAL LAND (Both Left Coasts), as the “caravan” marches north through Mexico, the homelessness crisis is exploding: https://www.infowars.com/more-than-half-a-million-people-americas-homelessness-crisis-is-rapidly-exploding-on-both-coasts/

 

Black Americans, in growing numbers, are finally beginning to turn their back on the Democrat Party here: https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/10/27/watch-candace-owens-rallies-black-conservatives-in-front-of-white-house-this-is-our-time-maga-is-for-us-too/ and HERE: https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/10/26/watch-president-donald-trump-to-young-black-conservatives-you-refuse-to-be-told-how-to-think/

 

WE CAN’T GO BACK! https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/10/29/watch-donald-trump-launches-midterm-ad-featuring-cnn-report-on-strong-economy/

 

Why vote Democrat – just ask Obama: https://www.gocomics.com/michaelramirez/2018/10/24

Do we want to call Pelosi “Speaker” again? https://www.gocomics.com/michaelramirez/2018/10/29

Open Borders hypocrisy: https://www.gocomics.com/michaelramirez/2018/10/27

Here come the silent TRUMP voters again J: https://www.gocomics.com/michaelramirez/2018/10/26

 

Americans for Liberty PAC

Upholding the Constitution in the Tradition of our Founding Fathers

Executive Director Lanny Hildebrandt

1615 4^th Street

La Grande, OR  97850

(541) 963-7930

TOP STORIES

 

Judge Sides With Gov. Kate Brown’s Administration on Public Records Lawsuit

Willamette Week

The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that the Portland law firm Davis Wright Tremaine cannot get a look until after the Nov. 6 election at the draft 2019 legislation it sought. In a lawsuit filed in September in Marion County Circuit Court, Greg Chaimov, a DWT lawyer, explained he and his firm had routinely requested drafts of legislation state agencies submitted pre-session in order to keep clients posted on what laws might be changing. This year, however, the state took a different position than it had in the past, rejecting the firm’s request for such information. The state said in court filings that that the draft legislation was covered by attorney-client privilege, and therefore exempt from the Oregon public records law. Chaimov, who formerly served as the legislative counsel, the Legislature’s attorney, disagreed with that assertion. He argued through his colleague and attorney John DiLorenzo, that only the Oregon Department of Justice could serve as the state’s attorney and thus the state’s claim that draft legislation was attorney client privileged was incorrect. A Marion County Court judge initially ruled in favor of Chaimov and DiLorenzo, ordering the state to turn over the bill drafts by Oct. 26. The state appealed and on Friday, the Court of Appeals stayed the order to disclose, which means Brown’s administration can withhold the drafts until the date they proposed for disclosure, Nov. 30, three weeks after the election.

 

Editorial: Gov. Brown trips up on transparency

The Oregonian Editorial Board

Earlier this year, Gov. Kate Brown’s chief of staff proclaimed in Trump-like fashion that Brown has had “the most transparent administration in memory.” Which raises the question: In whose memory? Her mixed record just took another dive this week when the Brown administration sought to delay releasing key information in two separate incidents – school performance ratings in one case and 2019 legislation proposals in the other – until after the Nov. 6 election. Such secrecy for documents that the government has routinely released in the past hardly seems to be the mark of a leader who prioritizes open government. Nor does it square with the image Brown has sought to cultivate as a governor whom Oregonians can trust to do what’s right for the public.

 

Oregon governor changes tune about Indian gambling after campaign contributions

The Washington Times

When Oregon Gov. Kate Brown opposed the idea of a small Indian casino for the Coquille Tribe in 2016, she told the Bureau of Indian Affairs that she believed it “essential that the state ‘hold the line’ in the number of casinos within her border.” The bowling alley in Medford near Interstate 5 that the Coquille wanted to use for electronic bingo machines could spell big trouble, Ms. Brown argued. “I believe the state should, as a matter of policy, resist the building of additional casinos because state support for even a single, modest, additional casino is likely to lead to significant efforts to expand gaming across Oregon to the detriment of the public welfare,” she declared in an April 2016 letter. Two years later, casino expansion no longer bothers the governor so much. Indeed, Ms. Brown’s administration has reached an agreement with the Cow Creek Tribe, which has poured at least $115,000 into her political war chest, to expand gambling in a kind of joint venture between Oregon and the Indians, records show.

 

GOVERNMENT

 

Permanent director announced for state benefit board

Portland Business Journal

Interim PEBB/OEBB Director Ali Hassoun has accepted an offer to become permanent director, Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen announced. Hassoun previously served as director of operations for PEBB and was part of the team that stood up OEBB. He has served as deputy director of both boards since July of 2017 and interim director since May, when Kathy Loretz retired, Allen said in an announcement to all OHA staff. Before coming to OHA, Hassoun worked for nine years in the state budget office. More recently, he helped implement Senate Bill 1067, which merged the two boards. Hassoun led two successful open enrollments this year, Allen said. “Ali brings to this role many years of experience in state government finance, health care and benefits,” Allen said.

 

New Oregon guidelines take aim at prescribing opioids for acute pain

Portland Business Journal

The Oregon Acute Opioid Prescribing Guidelines urge doctors and dentists to avoid prescribing opioids for mild to moderate pain. If they do prescribe, the guidelines say to start with the lowest effective dose of short-acting opioids for no more than three days, or no more than seven days for more severe acute pain.

 

Poll: Oregonians love Voters’ Pamphlet, vote-by-mail

Portland Tribune

Oregonians have more sources of information than ever for deciding how to vote. They include traditional and alternative news media, exclusively online sources like political websites and blogs, and information spread through the growing forms of social media, including Facebook and Twitter. So it may seem surprising that an overwhelming percent of Oregon voters say they spend a lot of time with one of the most old fashioned sources of ballot information, the Voters’ Pamphlet produced and distributed by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. The thick paper booklet with information on candidates and ballot measures is nearly 115 years old. it is specialized for each county, mailed to every voter, and distributed through public locations. According to a new statewide poll by DHM Research, a full 63% of Oregon voters says they typically read about all the candidates and measures in the pamphlet if they appear on their ballot. Another 32% say they typically only read about candidates and measures if they are confused or uncertain about how to vote. Just 5% say they don’t typically read it at all. “Comments from voters show the pamphlet appears to not only be helpful but to have a cultural role in voting in Oregon. Among likely or very likely voters — who tend to be more informed about the issues and follow a variety of sources — most still rely on the pamphlet to read about the candidates and measures that appear on their ballot,” says DHM founder and principal Adam Davis.

 

CAMPAIGNS

 

In Oregon House Contest, a Candidate Spots Racist Overtones in Mailer

Willamette Week

The Republican challenger for House District 49 in east Multnomah County says the Democratic incumbent is using coded anti-immigrant language to hold onto his seat. “Chris Gorsek understands,” the mailer says, “because he is one of us.” Gorsek is white. Hwang is a Korean-American immigrant. In a statement Thursday, Hwang says he’s “saddened” by the mailer. “As a Korean-American who legally immigrated to this country nearly 25 years ago, I have heard the phrase ‘one of us’ used many times,” Hwang says. “I know what it means.”

 

The New York Times Highlights the Perplexing Oregon Governor’s Race

Willamette Week

The close race between incumbent Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat and her Republican challenger, state Rep. Knute Buehler (R-Bend), has piqued The New York Times’ interest. “Ms. Brown’s vulnerability in a divided but decidedly Democratic-leaning state has puzzled voters on both sides of the political spectrum, and especially women,” the Times writes. “The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan political analysis group, recently reclassified the governor’s race from leaning Democratic to tossup.” That’s not something Democrats want to hear but it has been a consistent theme in this year’s general election race.

 

Knute Buehler Stakes Out a New Position on the Personal Kicker, Now Says State Should Keep It

Willamette Week

In previous years, state Rep. Knute Buehler’s position on Oregon’s personal income tax kicker was clear: The state should keep its paws off the money and return it to taxpayers. In 2015, when the state announced a $349 million personal kicker, for instance, Buehler issued a statement. “These tax refunds are the people’s money not the politicians’,” Buehler said then. “Every dime should be returned for Oregonians to save, invest or spend. This money belongs to the hard working Oregonians who are driving our economic growth.” But in an interview today with KGW at Beaverton High School, Buehler changed his tune, saying that when personal income tax revenues exceed the state forecasts by more than two percent, triggering the personal kicker, the state should hold onto the money until savings hit a certain threshold. “A great way to fill the rainy day fund is to deviate the kicker until we get an adequate rainy day fund,” Buehler told KGW.

 

Buehler calls Brown’s offshore drilling ban a ‘distraction’

The Daily Astorian

Buehler, a Republican, said he is against offshore drilling but raised doubts about whether it would even become an issue in Oregon. No one has attempted to drill off the coast since 1964, and little was recovered. “I’m certainly against drilling offshore, but that is more about distraction, and the governor is trying to distract people’s attention from the big issues in Oregon,” Buehler said. “No one’s going to be drilling off the Oregon Coast. It’s very expensive. It’s very risky, and there’s lots of very inexpensive places to drill for oil right now, so it’s more political theater than actual, real policymaking.”

 

Oregon campaign finance IT problem limited to Knute Buehler

Oregonian/OregonLive

Oregon elections officials say the state’s campaign finance reporting system had a problem earlier this week that caused it to stop processing transactions for just one campaign: Republican governor candidate Knute Buehler. At this point in the election cycle, campaigns must report contributions and expenditures within seven days. Buehler’s campaign had scheduled transactions to be processed Monday through Wednesday in order to meet the deadline, but the ORESTAR computer system stopped processing them, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Secretary of State Dennis Richardson is the only Republican in statewide elected office in Oregon. The Secretary of State’s office said in a news release that it discovered the problem on Thursday. The Democratic Party of Oregon had filed a complaint about the late filings, according to Democratic Gov. Kate Brown’s reelection campaign spokesman, Christian Gaston. Debra Royal, the agency’s chief of staff, did not explain in a news release why such a problem would only affect one political action committee out of hundreds active in the November election, and she could not immediately be reached for comment. No other details of the technology problem were provided.

 

Knute Buehler calls for tougher memory care rules after Oregonian investigation

Oregonian/OregonLive

In an interview this week, Buehler said the state should impose precise numeric hiring standards on memory care facilities, a move that advocates say is essential to limit abuse but that the industry says could drive up costs. “Clearly, there needs to be changes and improvements made,” Buehler said in response to the findings. Buehler’s opponent, Gov. Kate Brown, said in a statement that “we need to continue to enhance care and strengthen regulations” beyond what she said she has accomplished as governor. Brown didn’t offer specific proposals.

 

Mitchell has fundraising edge for state House campaign

The Daily Astorian

More than $230,000 has been spent so far in the campaign between Democrat Tiffiny Mitchell and Republican Vineeta Lower for state House District 32. Mitchell, a state child welfare worker in Astoria, spent $133,782 between the end of the Democratic primary in May and Friday. Lower, an online schoolteacher from Seaside, spent $98,453. The campaign spending has largely focused on television advertisements, mailers, door-to-door contacts and social media outreach.

 

INITIATIVES

 

Michael Bloomberg Gives Biggest Individual Contribution in Oregon Political History

Willamette Week

Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s gotten a lot of ink for his extraordinary support of state Rep. Knute Buehler (R-Bend) in the current governor’s race. Knight has given Buehler $2.5 million directly and also given at least $1 million to the Republican Governors’ Association, which has given $2.46 million to Buehler. But late Friday, the Vote No on 103 campaign, which opposes a ban on grocery taxes, disclosed a $1.5 million check from Michael Bloomberg, the former New York mayor and founder of the media company that bears his name.

 

Backers of the Oregon Affordable Housing Measure Turned Down Their Largest Donation (Sort Of)

Willamette Week

Backers of Measure 103, the Oregon constitutional amendment that would ban taxes on groceries, last week notified another campaign to expect a donation worth $75,480.69. That would be the largest donation yet for the Affordable Housing for Oregon PAC, which backs Measure 102, a constitutional amendment that would allow public affordable housing bond dollars to be leveraged with private resources to build more housing. The large donation was “for Printing ‘Say Yes’ postcards,”  according to an Oct. 19 email sent by Trudy Macadam, who is affiliated with the Northwest Grocery Association, the Northwestern Food Merchants, Inc. as well as the Yes Keep Our Groceries Tax Free campaign. Presumably, backers of the anti-grocery-tax amendment have decided that packaging their pitch for a yes-on-103 vote with a yes-on-102 vote would be advantageous. (There is no organized opposition to 102 and it is polling well.) A representative for the Affordable Housing for Oregon PAC responded to the email by suggesting the “in-kind” donation wasn’t appropriate way to report the donation. “We have discussed this email with the Affordable Housing for Oregon team, and they have let us know that they did not have advance knowledge of your expenditure, nor did they coordinate with you on this effort,” wrote Tammy Lewis, a compliance officer for C & E Systems. “Accordingly, it might be more appropriate that you report your expenditure as an independent expenditure, rather than an in-kind contribution. Of course we’d suggest consulting your attorney or the Oregon Elections Division to be sure.”

 

Anti-105 rally draws dozens in Hermiston

East Oregonian

Roughly 100 people participated Saturday at McKenzie Park, Hermiston, in a rally urging locals to vote no on Ballot Measure 105. Organizers said they put the word out starting last weekend. The event drew a few local elected leaders, including Hermiston City Councilor Lori Davis. Her challenger in this election, Mark Gomolski, who serves on Hermiston’s Hispanic Advisory Committee, was not present. The organizers also pulled in Jamie McLeod-Skinner, the Democrat challenging incumbent Republican Greg Walden to be the next U.S. representative for Oregon’s Congressional 2nd District.

 

HOUSING

 

​Landlords push up US retail rents to post-crisis highs

Portland Business Journal

Landlords have pushed up rents for US retailers to new post-crisis highs in spite of the competitive onslaught from Amazon, with asking figures in the hotspots such as Miami rising more than 10 per cent in the past year. The 4 per cent average rise, to be disclosed by property broker CBRE this week, is the latest sign that confidence in bricks and mortar stores is recovering, especially in better-off parts of the country, ahead of the crucial Christmas shopping season.

 

EDUCATION

 

Education officials make effort to reduce school absenteeism

The Associated Press

Oregon education officials are launching a campaign to reduce school absenteeism, which is considered a significant reason for the state’s low graduation rate and unimpressive standardized test results. Carla Wade of the Oregon Department of Education said the “Every Day Matters” campaign will help schools work with families to get kids to class. Obstacles for students include “economic barriers, health including mental health or disability issues, transportation problems — streets that don’t have proper crosswalks or sidewalks, or infrequent bus service,” Wade said. The Education Department is paying to help half the state’s school districts with the biggest absenteeism problems. Money goes for education specialists to help schools diagnose what’s causing absenteeism. Additional obstacles, Wade said, can include cultural differences — school schedules might not correspond with important ceremonies or events — and bullying. Money also will go toward coming up with regional strategies and funding professional development for teachers.

 

MARIJUANA

 

Colorado trial: Does nearby pot business hurt property values?

The Associated Press

The trial set to begin Monday in Denver is the first time a jury will consider a lawsuit using federal anti-racketeering law to target cannabis companies. But the marijuana industry has closely watched the case since 2015, when attorneys with a Washington, D.C.-based firm first filed their sweeping complaint on behalf of Hope and Michael Reilly. One of the couple’s lawyers, Brian Barnes, said they bought the southern Colorado land for its views of Pikes Peak and have since built a house on the rural property. They also hike and ride horses there. But they claim “pungent, foul odors” from a neighboring indoor marijuana grow have hurt the property’s value and their ability to use and enjoy it. “That’s just not right,” Barnes said. “It’s not right to have people in violation of federal law injuring others.”

 

States with legal marijuana see rise in traffic accidents

The Bend Bulletin

While the studies couldn’t prove the accidents were a direct result of legalized marijuana, a growing amount of evidence has led officials to conclude the relationship exists. The studies underscore concerns in Oregon that the state has struggled to adapt to the challenges of identifying marijuana- impaired drivers, leaving citizens at greater risk for traffic accidents and fatalities.

 

LOCAL

 

A Rural Community Decided To Treat Its Opioid Problem Like A Natural Disaster

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Rural Americans say drug addiction and abuse are the most urgent health problems facing their local community, according to a new poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In the poll, 48 percent of people said opioid addiction has gotten worse in their community in the past five years. “It took becoming the sheriff to see the impacts inside the jail with heroin abuse, to see the impacts in the community across the entire county for me to realize that we had to change a lot about what we were doing,” Trenary says. Last year leaders declared the opioid epidemic a life-threatening emergency. The county is now responding to the drug crisis as if it were a natural disaster, the same way they’d mobilize to respond to a landslide or flu pandemic. Snohomish County is the first county in the country to treat it this way. Now, the response to the opioid epidemic is run out of a special emergency operations center, a lot like during the Oso landslide, where representatives from across local government meet every two weeks, including people in charge of everything from firetrucks to the dump. They talk through PowerPoint slides and rattle off numbers like 7.5 and 6.1, which refer to items on their to-do list. Seven big, over-arching goals, which include reducing opioid misuse and reducing damage to the community, are broken down into manageable steps, like distributing needle clean-up kits, and a project to train school teachers to recognize trauma and addiction. This to-do list is over one hundred items long. “Some of these goals are really long term,” Ireton says. “I mean they’re going to take years, decades.”

 

Local schools attempt to close student-teacher color gap

East Oregonian

The wide disparity between the students who go to public schools and the educators who teach them isn’t restricted to Eastern Oregon. According to the Oregon Educator Equity Report, there’s nearly a 28-point gap between students of color and minority teachers across the state.

Oregon has seen the percentage of teachers who identify as “ethnically diverse” rise six points from just 3.9 percent in 1997-98. But nonwhite students have grown at a much faster rate, creating a stubborn gap in a state where more than a third of the student body are now children of color. Creating a more diverse faculty isn’t just a feel-good move — academic studies show that students that are demographically matched with their teachers perform better in school, are less likely to drop out, and bring higher morale to the classroom.

 

OPINION

 

Selma Pierce shows support for building third bridge in Salem

Selma Pierce

I’m Selma Pierce, and I’m running for state representative for House District 20 to continue giving back to and to better my community. I’ve worked with, and supported, groups that helped children, strengthened families, prepared students for career and college, provided scholarships, promoted respect for people of all backgrounds, and set up free dental clinics for those in need. I’ve logged many miles, personally going door to door, meeting thousands of people whom I will be working for. I run to be your voice and to take your concerns to the Capitol.

 

House District 20 lawmaker prefers substance over smears in campaigning

Representative Paul Evans

Campaigns should be about the “how” as much as the “what, when, and who.”  Voters have a right to know how a candidate plans on keeping faith with promises made during the campaign. It is one thing to say something should, or should not, be done; it is quite another to share the steps of making it reality. For the past 30 years I have done my best to put the needs of our nation, state, and community ahead of my own.  And over the course of that time, I have learned the value of service, leadership, and results.

 

Incumbent Bill Post says he’s true to his word in Legislature

Representative Bill Post

I feel my most important role is that of being your voice in the Legislature. I’ve spent my entire career speaking. Long before I was elected, I spoke for you on my radio show and I am honored to speak for you now in the Legislature as most of the time you aren’t heard by those in leadership. Since you first elected me, I have worked hard to bring your ideas, values and voice to the Capitol. If you re-elect me this November, I promise to continue to be your voice and to propose legislation that might make our schools safer, our children healthier, our seniors better cared for, our veterans honored as they should be, our farms have more opportunities, our small businesses prosper and make our state better.

 

Passing legislation that helps Oregonians is a priority for Boles

Representative Denyc Boles

I’ve been serving as your state representative since January of this year and I look forward to continuing to advocate for this community.  Strong and fully funded schools that are responsive to local needs and priorities. Increased investment in career and technology education options for our students, moving away from a one size fits all approach to public education.  We need to be good stewards of the resources we are trusted with from taxpayers. Making sure government is lean, responsive, and produces the results intended. Decreasing the regulatory burdens that hamper our businesses and farms so they can continue to provide jobs and supports for our community.  These are some of my priorities going forward. Government isn’t always the solution to problems, but with the right leadership, it can be part of the solution. It can play a key role in bringing people together to address issues. I am good at building partnerships. As state representative, I will be an advocate and a catalyst for change in our community.  I am asking for the opportunity to lend my skills and experiences to make our community stronger.

Democrat Party False Ads Against Mayor Chavez-DeRemer Slammed By Oregon GOP Chair

Repeating Refuted Falsehoods Is New Norm For Today’s Dishonest Democrat Party

Wilsonville, OR – The Chairman of the Oregon Republican Party, Bill Currier, himself the small town Mayor of the City of Adair Village, near Corvallis, slammed ads being paid for by the Democrat Party of Oregon (DPO) which are attacking Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the candidate for House District 51 and current Happy Valley Mayor, using false statements about her handling of city funds.

The DPO ads claim Mayor DeRemer “spent our tax dollars on herself to play golf, ride in limos and take trips to places like San Francisco, Austin and Nashville,” generically citing the City of Happy Valley as the source of the information.  However, these claims are not backed up by any council minutes and were proven false by the City of Happy Valley in 2016, back when the Democrats first made the claims.

“The allegations made in the ad by the Democratic Party of Oregon have been proven false by the City of Happy Valley.  It is beneath even the DPO to engage in such outright slander just to win an election,” said Oregon Republican Chairman Bill Currier.  “Sadly, such prolific spreading of falsehoods to try and destroy good, honest public servants is the new normal for the Democrat smear machine.  The DPO ads should end, corrections should be issued, and an apology should be issued by the DPO to Mayor DeRemer.”

As reported in the Oregon Catalyst, a bipartisan coalition of over 16 mayors from across Oregon signed a letter denouncing the false ads and calling for their removal from the airwaves.  Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway stated, “Simply put, these ads are false and misleading.  As Mayors, we work hard every day to hear the issues and concerns of our citizens. Deceitful attacks like these have no place in politics, and it insults the intelligence of voters.”

“As a small town mayor myself, I know just how important it is for everyone to rely on facts to deliver results for our constituents,” added Chair Currier.  “The DPO’s false ads are a clear sign that the dishonest Democrat power brokers don’t think Representative Bynum can win reelection on the issues or compete with Mayor Chavez-Deremer’s strong record of results in Happy Valley.”

“Voters now have the perfect opportunity to hold the DPO and Representative Bynum accountable for their blatantly dishonest ads by electing Lori Chavez-Deremer as State Representative for House District 51.”
The Oregon Republican Party is the state’s arm of the Republican National Committee. Its Chairman and officers are dedicated to promoting Republican principles within the state of Oregon and to improving the lives and livelihoods of Oregon’s working families through economic freedom and equal protection under the law.

Link to Online Posting:

https://oregon.gop/orp-chm-slams-dpo-false-ads-against-deremer-2018-10-24
The Oregon Republican Party is the state’s arm of the Republican National Committee. Its Chairman and officers are dedicated to promoting Republican principles within the state of Oregon and to improving the lives and livelihoods of Oregon’s working families through economic freedom and equal protection under the law.

 

###

TOP STORIES

Mail-bomb scare widens as packages to Biden, De Niro seized

The Associated Press

The mail-bomb scare widened Thursday as law enforcement officials seized three more suspicious packages — two addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden and one to actor Robert De Niro — as part of a sprawling investigation into a plot that appears to be aimed at targets of conservative anger. The new devices were described as similar to crude pipe bombs sent to former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and CNN. They brought to at least 10 the number of suspicious packages intercepted by authorities this week. Each was addressed to a prominent critic of President Donald Trump.

 

What we know about the 10 potential pipe bombs sent to De Niro, Biden, Clinton, Obama

USA Today

Two weeks before national midterm elections, a series of suspicious and potentially explosive packages addressed to high-ranking Democrats were intercepted. And early Thursday morning, New York Police were responding to a “suspicious package” that was sent to the building that houses the Tribeca Grill, a restaurant started by Robert De Niro, and his Tribeca Film Center. Two similar packages addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden were intercepted in Delaware. At least seven bombs were sent to various locations and intercepted since Monday. The FBI said that number could grow, as they investigate other suspicious packages Thursday, including the one addressed to De Niro’s restaurant and two addressed to Biden.

 

Pipe bombs again raise question of whether Trump has fanned political passions to dangerous levels

Coos Bay World Link

Coming two weeks before midterm elections, the thwarted attacks Wednesday caused renewed soul-searching — and finger pointing — about whether President Donald Trump has fanned passions to dangerous levels. Democrats swiftly pointed to his remarks seeming to condone violence against reporters and belittling political opponents, including some apparently targeted by the devices. Trump decried all political violence and issued a broad call for unity. “It almost seems like we’re in the middle of a civil war without the shots being fired,” said Bobby Dietzel, a 45-year-old information technology worker from Kansas City who is registered with neither party. From a Denver coffee shop, he said he watched the political conflict with alarm. “It’s almost scary to talk politics with people.”

 

Judge orders Kate Brown’s administration to make 250 proposed bills public

Oregonian/OregonLive

Gov. Kate Brown’s administration has until 5 p.m. Friday to release roughly 250 bill proposals for 2019, a Marion County judge ruled Wednesday. “I do know that this is time sensitive,” said Circuit Court Judge Audrey Broyles, referring to the fast-approaching Nov. 6 election. “There is a significant public interest in the documents being disclosed.” The case centers on whether Brown and the state agencies she oversees can keep bill proposals confidential while legislative lawyers are drafting legislation. With Brown in a tight reelection race against Republican Knute Buehler, she has avoided stating how she would pay for several of her policy proposals and whether she wants to raise taxes in 2019. The bill requests could shed light on that.

 

Secretary of state: Oregon AG tried to sway probe of deal by Kate Brown, Nike

Oregonian/OregonLive

Secretary of State Dennis Richardson has accused the Oregon Department of Justice of trying to unduly influence a civil investigation into a political deal between Gov. Kate Brown, labor unions and Nike. An unsolicited letter of advice about the case from the deputy attorney general prompted Richardson to criticize the letter as inappropriate and “unprecedented” in a missive he sent Tuesday to Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. Richardson, the only Republican in statewide office, criticized the “apparent eagerness to influence this case” by the Justice Department and reminded Rosenblum of their collective duties to “rise above the political fray” and look into election complaints “without favoritism.” “Your conduct appears inconsistent with our shared task of impartial investigation, and we respectfully request that it never be repeated,” Richardson wrote.

 

Oregon school ratings released after announcement of delay sparks backlash

The Bend Bulletin

After initially deciding to postpone the release of Oregon school ratings until after Election Day, Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill abruptly released the school and school district report cards Wednesday afternoon. Gill, who was selected by Gov. Kate Brown, said Tuesday he’d delay the ratings’ release from Oct. 25 to Nov. 15, adding that he was “not comfortable” sharing the reports with the public until there was a “complete package of supports ready for both parents and for educators and districts,” according to The Oregonian newspaper. Department spokesman Marc Siegel also said the release was pushed back so the agency could launch a chronic absenteeism campaign Tuesday. The move created political backlash. Knute Buehler, the Republican challenger to Brown’s governor seat, tweeted Tuesday that hiding the scores “is another broken transparency promise.” Education is seen as an important campaign issue in the governor’s race. In an email sent to The Bulletin, Brown’s office sent a statement from the governor, confirming that she told the Department of Education to release the data. “We should all remember that at the end of the day, this data is not about an election or politics,” Brown said in the email. “It’s about improving our schools. My top priority as Governor is to give Oregon’s students the tools they need to succeed.”

 

Oregon releases school scores in aftermath of accusations about timing with election

The Register-Guard

“The governor has asked me to release these at-a-glance profiles and the accountability detail sheets today,” he said. “The governor has clearly seen from the community that people would like to see these reports now.” The data, released just a few minutes after the press conference, only allowed users to view details for a single school at a time and did not allow school-to-school comparisons, unlike previously. The information also did not reveal many new details, as graduation rates presented in the report were released in December and state test result data were made public last month, Gill said. And, data about chronic absenteeism was included in the report released Wednesday, but it lacked details that could provide context about what the numbers meant for each district compared with others.

 

GOVERNMENT

 

Claim: Former top official destroyed public records

Portland Tribune

A top Oregon official routinely and unlawfully destroyed public records, according to a new federal court filing that asks for the state to face heavy sanctions for the “intentional destruction of relevant evidence.” Lynne Saxton, who was the head of the Oregon Health Authority from early 2015 to August 2017, admitted in a recent deposition that she destroyed text messages on her state-issued cell phone on a routine basis, according to a motion filed by FamilyCare Inc. The Portland-area nonprofit is suing the state over what it says were unfair Oregon Health Plan reimbursement rates. And it has asked federal judge Michael Mosman to sanction the state over what it says are at least 78 missing texts, saying they could shed light on the rates as well as a state plan to secretly plant negative stories about FamilyCare.

 

Smith talks PERS, carbon tax with Hermiston City Council

East Oregonian

The representative for District 57 spent an hour with the Hermiston City Council on Monday, answering their questions about the upcoming legislative session and how the League of Oregon Cities’ six legislative priorities might fare. While cities would like to see more money spent to address issues such as mental health care and homelessness, Smith said the state’s $22 billion obligation to PERS presents some challenges. The state has a bill due, he said, and it’s time to pay. Smith said he believes the best way is to issue pension bonds, which would stabilize the bill for government entities such as schools. He likened it to a family that gets in over its head in credit card debt and goes to the bank to refinance their debt into a single payment. The refinance may make it easier on the family to get a handle on their problem, but they still need to figure out a way to either increase their income or cut their expenses to free up money to start paying off their debt. In practical terms for the legislature, that means raising taxes or cutting spending. Voters won’t be happy about new taxes, but they also won’t be happy about cuts to public safety, health care or education. “It’s going to be hard,” Smith said. “The question is whether the Legislature has the fortitude to make those hard decisions.”

 

CAMPAIGNS

 

In Endorsements, Oregon Newspaper Editorial Boards Disagree on Whether President Trump Should Factor Into Governor’s Race

Willamette Week

The state’s major newspapers disagree about who should be elected governor. Willamette Week believes incumbent Democrat Kate Brown is Oregon’s best bet at resisting the Trump presidency. The Oregonian’s editorial board says national issues shouldn’t factor into the race, and that GOP Rep. Knute Buehler deserves your vote. “I think it’s more dangerous for Oregonians that we have so many problems in our schools. We have, you know look, if we had kids graduating, more of our kids graduating; if we weren’t at the bottom of the heap when it comes to high school graduation rates; if we had PERS under control, the $22 billion unfunded liability; if we had programs in place that we knew, especially if we were facing a recession, that that was going to be under control; if we had fewer general fund dollars going out the door to pay for PERS, meaning that we won’t have money for addiction services, mental health services, affordable housing; if we had all these issues tied up better with a little red bow, sure. Great. Kate Brown, go out and deal with these. But we don’t. We need to focus on Oregon. We have congressional leaders who can do more at the federal level to address these problems. No I think that whoever is the leader of Oregon should be focused on our state. We have so many problems right now. We can’t afford to look outside.”

 

Oregon House District 9: McKeown, Grier talks Jordan Cove, PERS, public schools

The Register-Guard

What is the most important issue facing the Legislature, and how would you address it? McKeown: Our highest priority must be funding our public schools so that our students can be successful. I’m looking forward to seeing the recommendations that are coming out of the Joint Committee on Student Success and will fight to improve the quality of our kids’ schools. I’m also deeply committed to continuing the work around the quality of care in long-term care and memory care facilities. Our seniors and loved ones deserve the best possible care we can give them. Grier: We must fix the Public Employees Retirement System. The financial chokehold it has on our state prevents us from implementing real solutions to the issues that plague our education and infrastructure problems. We must implement a defined contribution that can be matched to a certain percentage, cap the payout, and allow full bargaining for payment of employee PERS contributions and limiting agreements to negotiated periods.

 

TRUMP

 

When Trump phones friends, the Chinese and the Russians listen and learn

Portland Business Journal

Trump’s aides have repeatedly warned him that his cell phone calls are not secure, and they have told him that Russian spies are routinely eavesdropping on the calls, as well. But aides say the voluble president, who has been pressured into using his secure White House landline more often these days, has still refused to give up his iPhones. White House officials say they can only hope he refrains from discussing classified information when he is on them.

 

OPIOIDS

 

President signs Walden’s bill to fight opioid crisis

East Oregonian

Oregon Rep. Greg Walden’s sweeping bill to combat the nation’s opioid crisis is now law. President Donald Trump signed the 660-page SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act at a ceremony Wednesday at the White House. “Seldom can you say that a piece of legislation will save lives,” Walden said. “This will save lives.” Walden said the law includes safeguards to ensure the funds do what the law intends. The act allows for reauthorization of the grants every two years, he said, providing time to determine whether programs are working. “We’ll be keeping a close eye on that as well,” he said. The crisis, to some degree, is a monster of our own making, he said. People for years obtained drugs to treat pain, even the kinds of aches that are part of normal human experience. “We went so far down that path of alleviating pain, so now we’re backing up and saying what else works here,” he said.

 

TECHNOLOGY

 

Here’s what happens when police pull over a driverless car

The Washington Post

In their recently updated “Emergency Response Guide,” Alphabet’s Waymo — which has hundreds of autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans on the road in Phoenix — provides a protocol that may offer some glimpse of what is to come. “The Waymo vehicle uses its sensors to identify police or emergency vehicles by detecting their appearance, their sirens, and their emergency lights,” the guide says. “… If a Waymo fully self-driving vehicle detects that a police or emergency vehicle is behind it and flashing its lights, the Waymo vehicle is designed to pull over and stop when it finds a safe place to do so.” Once it has come to a stop, a Waymo vehicle can unlock its doors and roll down its windows, allowing someone from the company’s support team to communicate with law enforcement, according to the guide. If there are passengers in the vehicle, the guide states, Waymo’s “Rider Support specialists” can communicate with them via speakers, displays and “in-vehicle telecommunications.” If necessary, a Waymo employee may even be dispatched to the scene. The company says employees may be sent to the scenes of wrecks as well to interact with police and passengers.

 

HEALTHCARE

 

What some CCOs do with their profits may surprise you

Portland Business Journal

As the Oregon Health Authority embarks on the largest procurement process in state history — $5 billion to manage 1 million Medicaid recipients — the current contractors’ corporate structures are back in the spotlight. Two Oregon lawmakers recently expressed concern over the lack of transparency over how the state’s for-profit CCOs are distributing profits to their owners. Five for-profit CCOs and two tax-paying nonprofits paid out $166 million to shareholders and owners from 2014 to 2017, according to their financial statements. “When you’re for-profit, you’ve got shareholders and that’s money that needs to go to shareholders,” Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, a Gresham Democrat, said at the State of Reform health care conference last week. “Because of the transparency issue we’re having, I’m very concerned about where the money is going.” But leaders of those CCOs say that’s not the case. They contend that funds paid to shareholders aren’t pure profit-taking, but capital deployed for necessities like taxes and IT upgrades. The confusion, they argue, comes in a reporting system that doesn’t allow them to clarify how shareholder payments are disbursed.

 

ENVIRONMENT

 

Invasive tsunami seaweed fails to take hold on Oregon coast

Oregonian/OregonLive

Soon after the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, debris from across the ocean beagan washing up on Oregon shores. A large concrete dock floated ashore near Newport. A derelict fishing boat washed up north of Lincoln City. Other, smaller debris showed up all along the coast and much of it was coated in potentially invasive species of algae, seaweed and other microorganisms. But now, more than seven years after the quake, experts from Oregon State University say the Pacific Northwest dodged a bullet and none of the invasive species have gained a foothold in the waters off Oregon’s coast.

 

LOCAL

 

Costs pile up for school employees on paid leave

Portland Tribune

Though some of the longest individual cases have been resolved, Portland Public Schools is still paying for a lot of no-work days for its employees on paid administrative leave. In fact, according to an analysis of public records by the Portland Tribune, the district so far is seeing twice as many total paid administrative leave days this year than it had in 2017. For cases resolved or ongoing by Oct. 23, the district had made a total of 49 employees stay home for more than 5,300 days, combined. For cases resolved in 2017, it was a combined total of 2,385 days for 39 employees.

 

OPINION

 

Editorial endorsement: Walden for the Second Congressional District

Oregonian/OregonLive

Walden, as the lone Republican in Oregon’s Congressional delegation, has been in a position to either curb or carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda. That has both helped and harmed the Oregonians he represents in a massive district that covers two-thirds of the state, including parts of 20 counties. McLeod-Skinner offers a compelling message matched with a respectful approach that has resonated with voters across this massive district with varied priorities. She has a political background, having served two terms on the Santa Clara, Calif., City Council, and has put in solid time getting to know the issues and the district. Hopefully, she will attempt to bring that that knowledge and skill to statewide office. But voters should stick with Walden for his experience and his valuable role on a powerful committee. Oregonians stand to benefit with at least one member of our congressional delegation in the other party. That’s true, at least, as long as Congressman Walden remembers that he comes home to Oregon.

 

Viewpoint: Measure 105 is bad for business, bad for Oregon’s economy

Portland Business Journal

Oregon has long been a place where entrepreneurs from all walks of life can bring their dreams to reality. Our state’s welcoming reputation attracts diverse talent from across the globe. Oregon is a place where people are eager to live, raise families, work, start businesses and innovate. Measure 105 threatens this welcoming reputation. Measure 105 would throw out a three-decade-old anti-racial profiling law that was passed through the Oregon Legislature with near unanimous support from both Republicans and Democrats. When the law was passed, it wasn’t controversial; it was recognized as simply a good, common sense idea. The idea that people should be protected from racial profiling made sense to lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle, which is why they came together to pass it. And the law has been working as intended ever since.

 

Editorial: How soda pop helped put the fizz into Measure 103

Albany Democrat Herald

Soda taxes have been enacted in just a handful of communities across the nation. The basic argument for them is that sweetened beverages like soda pop play a huge role in contributing to the nation’s obesity epidemic — and obesity, sooner or later, results in big costs in terms of health problems and medical bills. No one in Oregon appears to be talking right now about enacting a soda tax — although a group in Multnomah County (of course) last year indefinitely shelved its plans to push for one. (For the record, we think the idea of a soda tax isn’t a particularly good one, but we’ll leave it at that for now.) But grocers continue to worry about the possibility of a soda tax, and there’s a reason why: In a business with notoriously low profit margins, soda is a reliable money-maker. And studies have suggested that soda taxes can hammer grocery store revenue. Here’s why: Customers simply start to frequent stores in locales that don’t impose a soda tax — and then buy all their groceries, not just pop, in those stores. So you can see why grocers find the idea of a pre-emptive strike on potential soda taxes appealing: In some ways, it’s easier to rewrite the constitution once and take the idea off the table than it is to fight numerous local battles over soda taxes wherever they might arise.

 

Curb rent control impulse

The Bend Bulletin

There’s talk of limiting landlords’ ability to run criminal background checks on would-be tenants, capping the size of security deposits and ending no-fault evictions. Each of these has real downsides, however. So what’s a state to do? Lawmakers must take a good, hard look at what economists say about rent control. Though it may help some people some of the time, they say, in the long run controls not only reduce the number of rental units available but take a toll on surrounding neighborhoods. Those finding were reiterated recently in an article published on the Brookings Institution website. It’s also time lawmakers studied land use laws that make it difficult and expensive, at best, to expand city boundaries. Where land supply is limited, prices for everything from office space to apartments to owner-occupied homes go up. Surely the Legislature could find ways to increase land supply without creating urban sprawl from Portland to Pendleton or Bend to Burns. No one thing caused Oregon’s current housing problems, and no one cure will turn the situation around. But paying attention to research and re-examining our current laws could put the state on track to much-needed change.

 

 

Folks: It is a good time to update citizens on the status of Senate Bill 1528B in the Oregon Tax Court given oral arguments last Friday, remind everyone after East Coast hurricanes & the Substation Fire about emergency preparedness, and point out the likelihood of a December Special Session in Salem.  If you are not interested in all the topics you can scroll to bolding to see an individual topic, or just hit the delete key as the State does not have the resources to save everyone anyway.  Just kidding, but be prepared yourself as the cavalry is not coming for weeks. SB 1528B Update. I believe everyone on my Legislative email list knows the majority socialist Democrats passed a $1.3 billion dollar tax increase on Oregon small businesses in SB 1528B earlier this year.  SB 1528 disconnected with the federal tax code opposite of the intent and purpose of Ballot Measure 2 adopted by the people of Oregon.  It was passed in violation of four clauses of the Oregon Constitution but Portlandia does not care about the law.  If you got $1.3 billion it would be a revenue increase to you.  If you spent $1.3 billion without getting the vote of your wife, husband, or significant other, then you’d be in the dog house too.  Then if you did an automatic withdraw from you bank resulting in an overdraft you could not argue it did not count until payday next month.  Well that is what happen in the Oregon legislature without a single minority vote.  Not one.  So Senator Baertshiger and I filed  lawsuit against the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, and the Oregon Department of Revenue to stop the small business tax increase.  Note big corporations got a free ride by the socialist Democrat majority.  Remember, minority Republicans supported small businesses in opposing SB 1528.  Remember, socialist Democrats supported big corporations with NO tax increase along with wiping out small business market shares in our local communities. This past Friday, October 19th, were oral arguments in the Oregon Tax Court on the lawsuit.  As a Legislator, my reaction was more than negative.  In fact, it appears to me the entire Judiciary has no interest in the people of this State, only the views of fellow lawyers.  Since I have seen this elsewhere in the Circuit Courts, and federal Courts, this was really just a confirmation, no citizen should expect anything good to come of their experience with the civil courts in Oregon.  The Legislature created the Oregon Tax Court to be easy for citizens to navigate without quarter million-dollar lawyers.  It is quite apparent the elite lawyers want to remain the aristocracy.  While a few counties have Judges who try to represent the common people most only want to talk to other lawyers as us commoners are simply peasants to be avoided.  No wonder Judges get elected with 18% of the vote on average.  And yes, I am certain my newsletter will be used against me but somebody has to push back against the destruction of the State of Oregon.  Yes, we can all sit back and watch Portlandia meltdown in riots and mob rule but that does not represent the rest of rural Oregon.  Yep, the deep state goes to every city in Oregon, every County in Oregon, not just Portlandia and Salem.  Though good people exist everywhere too, regardless of party affiliation, however, “evil prevails when good men do nothing … as you will ultimately be judged by what you do or failed to do.” We have prepared a list of items we thought key from the lawsuit oral arguments that maybe were not apparent or maybe we should have done better.  We have done this as the total filings from both the state proletariat and our side exceeds a thousand pages last count. Here are my SB 1528 highlights: Since Oregon and Indiana share constitutional revenue origination clauses, Indiana case law is important in that it points out the revenue origination cause in our matching State constitutions has not been breached in Indiana, as claimed by Legislative Counsel in Oregon.  Any Indiana bill that even has a dollar value originates in the Indiana House Assembly.  Indiana’s 2018 matching Internal Revenue Code (IRC) connection bill to the Federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act was House Bill 1316 originating in their House of Representatives. Legislative Revenue Office originally, and currently, even in the reports at the oral arguments, list SB 1528B as a revenue gain not a loss.  Legislative Revenue Office (LRO) does prepare session ‘tax expenditure report’ in coordination with the Office of Economic Analysis (DAS) that terms all changes in loss terms.  Any actual or proposed addition subtraction deduction or credit is deemed a ‘tax expenditure’ meaning it is characterized as the State owns 100% of your income within the boundaries of the State of Oregon.  Guess the state proletariat thinks they should get 100% of your income then give you crumbs back. The Office of Economic Analysis (DAS) is required by law to prepare quarterly economic revenue forecasts.  The legislature branch and executive branch are required by law to balance the budget based on these revenue forecasts.  They are not estimates but requirements under the law to include kicker repayments.  That the state proletariat claim these estimates do not matter is simply ridiculous. SB 1528B requires an above the line amount to be added back to the Adjusted Gross Income in Oregon.  It is not a normal tax ‘deduction’ as used in the course of Oregon law.  The federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act interchanges deduction with reduction to establish adjusted gross incomes.  This is properly explained in the LRO Revenue Impact Statement and the federal code explanations. The federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took effect January 1, 2018.  At that moment, Article IV Section 32 of the Oregon Constitution made IRC 199A(a) an integral part of Oregon law.  No action was required by the Legislature.  Ballot Measure 2 made any legislative tampering a second step after automatic connections to the federal code.  State’s argument to the contrary saying the federal laws is not effective until April 15, 2019 violates Priest v. Pierce, and any Ballot Measure 2 review by the court.  If a taxpayer does not pay their quarterlies the IRS and DOR will fine the taxpayer for failure to pay.  The State’s argument is simply a bold face lie is the face of these facts.  Try telling a cop the speeding laws do not apply to you until next year … see how that works out! The State’s argument that the ‘word of the law’ does not matter only the purpose as determined by the court is blatantly false.  From 2005 until the replacement of Chief Justice Balmer, every Chief Justice has clearly stated the ‘common word of the law’ is the law.  The Judiciary’s Priest v Pierce doctrine is based on examining each word of the very law the State proletariat claims does not matter now.  This sounds like the state proletariat believes politically appointed judges should legislate from the bench to the benefit of the Governor. The Priest v Pierce doctrine sets precedence for prior court rulings.  An application of the pages 25 to 55 in Senator Boquist’s original filing sets out exactly how the OTC can apply the court’s doctrine in reaching the conclusion SB 1528 is a revenue bill that did not originate in the house chamber and failed to receive a super majority, and violated the true meaning of the constitutional automatic rolling reconnect. In previous court cases, if one applies Justice Kistler’s written opinion in Bobo, along with Justice Kistler’s later written opinion in Seattle, an obvious path to overturning SB 1528B is realized.  In fact, applying the Priest doctrine would dictate a reversal of SB 1528B as contrary to Bobo and Seattle.  Justice Kistler outlines a process to define ‘revenue’ bills in Bobo on pages 6 and 7.  SB 1528B meets Justice Kistler’s definition of a revenue bill.  Bobo is about mixing federal funds into the general fund then wrongly thinking somehow federal medical funds are state revenue.  Justice Kistler correctly opines on page 8 of the ruling SB 963 in Bobo is not a new tax, a tax increase, or even a fee.  In Seattle, Justice Baldwin makes the argument correctly the issue in Seattle is the application of an existing tax as to whether both taxpayers must pay the same tax.  Justice Baldwin cites equity between two similar taxpayers.  SB 1528 has no two similar taxpayers, no existing tax, and no equity between two types of businesses, as small businesses are taxed while c-corporations are not.  Hence, SB 1528 is inequitable as it creates a new tax applied to the disadvantage of one business type over the other.  However, Justice Baldwin cites Bobo, only once in determining the formula established by Justice Kistler in Seattle.  Justice Kistler then opines in part and judgement in Seattle by clarifying his rational from Bobo in applying it to Seattle.  By applying Justice Kistler’s opinion, with Justice Landau, in Seattle it is easy to conclude the differences of indirect taxes, direct taxes, income taxes, the existing property tax issue in Seattle, verses the difference in SB 1528 creating a new revenue and tax in SB 1528.  The way forward for the court is not around Bobo and Seattle but through both cases by analyzing the common characteristics then applying them to the income tax in SB 1528B.  This might not have been conveyed as well as needed in the courtroom last Friday. Lastly, failing to mention the State proletariat position that legislators who vote against a bill adopted by the majority should have no consideration or merit before the court is unconstitutional in itself.  The notion a ‘no’ vote by a Legislator eliminates their standing is nothing more than tyranny.  That a bureaucrat of the state proletariat would say this in a courtroom, clearly means Oregon faces taxation without representation.  The Deputy Attorney General no doubt represents the views of Governor Brown, Senate President Courtney, and House Speaker Kotek.  The whole basis for the American Revolution is put before the people of Oregon just like in 1776.  Tyranny of the state proletariat is a greater threat than even SB 1528.  If Legislator’s representing their constituents and districts should be given no consideration or merit then there is no need for the Legislature at all.  The court needs to consider whether it will consider the voices of all the people, or only the ruling elite in the state proletariat.  It has come to this. None-the-less in regard to the afore-mentioned highlights, we are hopeful the tax court judge will see through the smoke screen of the state proletariat in applying the Oregon Constitution fairly in this case.  Constitutional court opinions say even if a doubt exists, the law should be applied in favor of the citizen not the government. You can see our various filings on SB 1528B on the links on my webpage: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist/Pages/revenue-activities.aspx# Emergency Preparedness. Now something that should interest everyone. The Substation Fire in July and August started just outside of The Dallas next to the Cello Switch Station & Big Eddy Transformer site in tall dry farm crops.  It easily could have damaged the substation or power grid in a very detrimental way.  Hurricane Florence on the East Coast last month could have put power out on the East Coast for weeks.  We should all be reminded of Ted Koppel’s bestselling book ‘Lights Out’ as he describes how a cyberattack or other similar event could easily cut power for weeks if not months to large parts of America.  Such an outage could be caused by cyberattack, simple computer failure, sabotage, environmental or other terrorism, foreign attack, or the Cascadia event.  This Summer’s wildfire should be a wakeup call to everyone to be prepared for at least 21 days without power.  Also of note, the gas price spike the past two weeks after the natural gas line explosion in British Columbia cut production supplies and slowed road construction in Oregon.  Again, plan for at least 21 days without power. What does 21 days without power mean.  No electricity.  No heat.  No refrigeration.  No computers.  No game stations.  No social media.  No cell phone service after a matter of hours.  No working gas pumps.  Only the fuel in your car.  No water once gravity runs out.  No sewer service in some areas.  No stores open that use electricity.  No truck transport.  If this is coupled with an earthquake like Cascadia or even a foreign attack then all these impacts could be doubled or tripled quickly.  While the state and federal governments, with volunteers too, have developed some plans, the fact is locally nobody may be able to reach you, your family and your community for weeks.  Recall the closest petroleum sources are in Utah but they only have 5% excess capacity.  Salt Lake City is 765 miles away with little in-between that will not be impacted. What can you do.  Prepare a little every month.  Preparing is not costly.  Start by making a list of what you have on hand even if only a mental list of clothing, blankets, water containers, medicines, flashlights, candles, pots, and other common items.  Look in the cupboard for types of food that would last weeks if not months.  Maybe a trip to the Dollar Store would give you good ideas.  Think how you will cook or heat your food.  Maybe a camp stove from Walmart, or the house’s wood stove.  Or an outdoor tripod over an open fire, my wife calls this enhanced camping.  What about sanitation without water.  Like handy wipes and toilet paper.   Surprisingly, most items you might need for 21 days to a month without power are pretty common and inexpensive.   The Red Cross has lists of good ideas online but my favorite link is below. Good link:  http://www.polkio.com/news/emergency-preparedness/ Last time I raised emergency preparedness with constituents many folks said it was alarmist or would never happen.  If you did not see Hurricane Florence on the news google it.  Or google Ted Koppel’s Lights Out.  You should think about security too.  If you do nothing to help your family or yourself it will simply increase the weight on others.  Indeed, you could help others. Special Session. Nothing like an emergency to cause a special session of the legislature.  We have an emergency clause in the Oregon Constitution but that is not the type of special session or emergency I’m talking about today. The U.S. Congress generally has a lame duck session in December every two years in the nation’s Capitol.  If we have a lame duck Governor then the only way the Portlandia based majority can pass its environmental agenda, carbon tax, corporate tax, your personal taxes, and anything else they want on pure party lines is to have a special session in December.  The Portlandia leftist majority can do this around December Legislative Days then have Governor Brown sign the bills before she leaves office. Also, if the Portlandia majority is worried about the courts pushing back on their unconstitutional passage of any tax bill on a vote of 16 Senators and 31 State Representatives verses the constitutionally required super majority, they could easily want a December special session to pass their bills  before the court rules on SB 1528.  Simply pointing out the sort of political shenanigans that could happen before Christmas.  Fine lumps of coal. Be safe, serve your family and neighbors.  Be aware, as my wife says ‘stay alert, stay alive’ as Oregon needs all of you. Hope this update helps you a little. Sincerely, Brian J. Boquist District 12 Oregon State Senator Follow us on Facebook

Ballots are out in Oregon.  Please vote for the Republican candidate and vote YES on the ballot measures.  PLEASE VOTE soon and get your friends, neighbors and relatives to vote.

 

Dilbert author, Scott Adams, predicts that Republican candidates are going to Win Bigly: https://www.breitbart.com/midterm-election/2018/10/19/exclusive-scott-adams-predicts-greatest-turnout-by-republicans-maybe-ever-in-midterms/

“Adams predicted in August 2015 that Donald Trump would win the Republican nomination for president, based on his analysis of Trump’s persuasion skills. He also suggested that Trump had a chance of defeating Hillary Clinton”.

 

JOBS NOT MOBS: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/laurettabrown/2018/10/19/trump-releases-jobs-not-mobs-video-condemning-leftist-calls-for-violence-n2530171

 

Are Democrats the Party of Antifa Fascists?: https://townhall.com/columnists/pauldriessen/2018/10/20/the-party-of-antifa-fascists-n2530342

“If you’re worried too (and you should be), get inspired and involved. Above all, VOTE! Vote to preserve our democratic Republic, our freedoms, our booming economy, reliable and affordable energy for all Americans – and equal justice for all, based on the presumption of innocence until proven guilty”.

 

Americans for Liberty PAC

Upholding the Constitution in the Tradition of our Founding Fathers

Executive Director Lanny Hildebrandt

1615 4^th Street

La Grande, OR  97850

(541) 963-7930

GOVERNMENT

 

Brown plans order to block drilling off coast

The Daily Astorian

Drilling for oil and gas off of the Oregon Coast has long been seen as a dicey proposition — filled with potential pitfalls, and without certainty that there’s much to find in the first place. That’s not stopping Gov. Kate Brown from making it a campaign issue. In an announcement short on details and long on promises to stand up to President Donald Trump, the governor said Monday that she’s planning to sign an executive order in coming days that will “permanently ban offshore drilling along the Oregon Coast.” “The executive order will make it very clear to the oil and gas industries that Oregon is not for sale,” Brown said during a press conference in downtown Portland.

 

Oregon Department of Revenue unearths new call center in Fossil

East Oregonian

The Oregon Department of Revenue will be holding a grand opening ceremony for its first standalone call center in the town of less than 500 people on Tuesday. Wheeler County Economic Development Director Greg Smith said it was a “game changer” for Fossil and akin to Nike making a major expansion at its headquarters in Beaverton. Smith said that he and then-Rep. John Huffman, who represented Fossil in the Oregon House of Representatives, began talking about decentralizing state jobs with Wheeler County Judge Lynn Morley and former Rep. Cliff Bentz, who represented neighboring District 60 in the House. “Why can’t we divest some of these jobs from Salem and move them to frontier counties like Wheeler County?” Smith said.

 

CAMPAIGNS

 

Capitol roundup: Buehler tops Brown in fundraising

The Bend Bulletin

Republican Knute Buehler has pulled ahead of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown in fundraising and money left to spend. Campaign finance reports lag by a week, so the latest numbers available Monday were as of Oct. 12. Republican Knute Buehler has raised $14.1 million since January 2017, surpassing Democratic Gov. Kate Brown’s $13.7 million. Buehler has $3.9 million cash on hand, while Brown has $3.5 million. Two key numbers: the Republican Governors Association has given Buehler just under $2 million, while the Democratic Governors Association has given Brown just over $900,000. Overall, Brown and Buehler have raised $27.8 million, smashing the 2010 record of $17.7 million for most expensive governors race when Democrat John Kitzhaber beat Republican Chris Dudley.

 

Brown, Buehler take liberty with the truth in late ad pushes

East Oregonian

“What we are seeing now is the candidates trying to define who their opponent is,” said Jim Moore, director of the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation at Pacific University. “It is not so much lying, but the context is completely wrong.” Brown, for instance, released an ad Oct. 16 that ties Buehler to Donald Trump, flashing images of the president and U.S. Supreme Court appointee Brett Kavanaugh. But last year, Buehler disclosed in a Facebook post that he didn’t vote for Trump. Instead, he wrote in the name Ohio Gov. John Kasich for president. Buehler’s campaign, meanwhile, in an ad earlier this month, claimed that revenue from a new payroll tax to fund mass transit services — which Brown supported — forces workers in the rest of the state to pay for Portland service. “Kate Brown has always been a politician who thinks about Portland first and the rest of Oregon last,” Troutdale resident Kelly Fisher says in the ad. “Why else would Brown raise a payroll tax on a working person like me to pay for Portland’s mass transit system?” Christian Gaston, Brown’s campaign spokesman, said the ad on the transit tax is “completely false” and “based on a lie.” In fact, the taxes paid by employees in densely populated areas, such as Portland, help pay for transit services in sparsely populated areas such as Gilliam and Harney counties, said Karyn Criswell, a state transportation project manager.

 

Lake Oswego Senate Race Features Crooning Candidate, Misleading Mail

Willamette Week

A conservative political action committee called Capitol Watch, run by former state Rep. Jeff Kropf (R-Sublimity), recently sent mailers to Wagner’s district. The mailers suggest voters add Wagner to the list of longtime elected officials who voters tossed out of office—such as U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.), who lost his seat earlier this year after 19 years in Congress, and U.S. Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Mass.), who also lost this year after an identical tenure. Capitol Watch is targeting others, including Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem). Courtney is the state’s longest tenured lawmaker, who first won election to the House in 1980, so he might have something in common with Crowley and Capuano. Wagner? Not so much. He’s a rookie, who was appointed in January to replace former state Sen. Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin), who resigned.

 

Dark money shades Senate race

Mail Tribune

Dark money from an unknown political group has also cast a shadow over the race, with one mailer attacking Golden for being “Wrong on women,” based on what he describes as out-of-context quotes from his book, “Watermelon Summer,” depicting his 1971 summer on a black cooperative farm in Georgia. Southern Oregon Priorities PAC (a political action committee) came out with a mailer over the weekend attacking Gomez’s record on “a woman’s right to choose,” indicating she doesn’t support a pro-choice agenda. Southern Oregon Priorities couldn’t be reached for comment Monday. Both Gomez and Golden have condemned the mailers, which have been distributed without their knowledge or approval. “We don’t need that kind of stuff in this race,” Gomez said. “Those kind of materials don’t belong down here.” She said numerous mailers have been sent out on Golden’s behalf. “They’re essentially running a campaign for him,” she said.

 

MEASURE 103

 

Opponents of Grocery Tax Ban Accuse Supporters of Misleading Public About Taxes at Food Pantries

Willamette Week

In TV advertisements, the backers of an Oregon constitutional amendment to prohibit grocery taxes argue that Measure 103 would help food banks and pantries by making sure they wouldn’t be taxed. Opponents say that claim is deceptive, and that advocacy groups have asked the campaign backing Measure 103 to take it down. “[Measure] 103 ensures food banks and food pantries will remain tax free,” the ad says. Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon and Oregon Coalition of Christian Voices, two advocacy nonprofits, urged the yes campaign to pull the ad, and say that food pantries and food banks as nonprofits would remain tax-free. The groups expressed concern that people needing assistance would not understand that food at pantries is free and will continue to be.

 

JOBS

 

Alcohol and Cannabis Have Created More Oregon Jobs Than Tech in the Past Decade

Willamette Week

That’s good for Oregon’s well-established beer, wine and spirits makers and the rapidly evolving cannabis industry. But the large discrepancy in pay between tech jobs and the industries where Oregon is booming is not such good news: State figures show high tech workers on average earn more than three times their counterparts who work in booze and weed.

 

RESEARCH

 

Oregonians Lead Search On New Drug To Solve Malaria

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Ten years ago, Portland State University chemistry professor David Peyton was troubled by news that the malaria drug Chloroquine was becoming less effective. So he worked with his students to brainstorm possible fixes and then attended a tropical medicine conference in Miami. “On the way back, on the plane, I sketched out the first design of the molecules that eventually became DM11-57,” he said. That’s the name the lab uses for the drug. DM11-57 works by helping Chloroquine do its job. Chloroquine was becoming less effective because malaria parasites had mutated to expel it. On a very basic level, Peyton added a new molecule to Chloroquine that prevented that. “It worked even better than Chloroquine, so we knew at that point that we were really on to something,” he said.

 

ENVIRONMENT

 

Faults discovered on Mt. Hood could trigger 7.2 earthquake, researchers say

KGW 8

Researchers have discovered active fault lines on Mount Hood that could potentially trigger a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, devastating communities and infrastructure as far west as Portland. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake is larger than the 1989 earthquake near the San Francisco Bay Area. Streig said the faults on Mount Hood are closer to Portland that the epicenter of the 1989 earthquake was to San Francisco. “This would be a crustal earthquake as opposed to the Cascadia subduction zone earthquake Portland has been bracing for,” Streig said. “Subduction zone quakes are deeper below the surface, they last longer — as long as seven minutes — but they are lower in amplitude. The kind of quake we would get from Mt. Hood would be shorter — 20 seconds to less than a minute — and would be strong enough to knock you off your feet.”

 

LOCAL

 

Coos County Election’s Office responds to ballot error

Coos Bay World Link

Clear Ballot is the system used by Coos County to format election ballots and is what Heller says is to blame for the font error on Congressman Peter DeFazio’s name, which appeared smaller than others running for his seat. “We’re working with the other counties that use Clear Ballot, utilizing user groups and putting office notations to always make sure that formatting is correct and the system doesn’t auto-adjust,” said Debbie Heller, county clerk.

 

Salem City Council poised to ban plastic shopping bags, give businesses time to adapt

Statesman Journal

The Salem City Council is poised to ban plastic shopping bags citywide and give businesses deadlines in April and September 2019, depending on their size, to fall in line with the rules. The council voted Monday to send the bill to a second reading, where they’ll vote on whether to formally adopt the ban. Deputy City Attorney Natasha Zimmerman said she anticipated the ordinance would go before councilors at a November meeting.

 

OPINION

 

Editorial: Legislative endorsements for Gelser, Jaffer

Corvallis Gazette-Times

House District 23 is an odd beast of a district, wrapping around rural areas of four counties, Benton, Polk, Marion and Yamhill. Most of its voters are centered around the Independence area, and so the district leans decidedly to the right — as does its current representative, Republican Mike Nearman. Nearman has easily bested challengers in the past, but faces a vigorous challenge this year from Democrat Danny Jaffer. We believe Jaffer has the potential to develop into an outstanding legislator; the Gazette-Times endorses Jaffer.

 

Activists preventing conservative viewpoints

Herald and News

Recently I attended Jamie McLeod-Skinner’s public forum in Condon, well-attended by local citizens. The meeting was informative, with several subjects discussed with respect from both sides of an issue. I attended a similar meeting last fall at Arlington to hear Republican congressman Greg Walden speak. What a contrast! Local citizens were soon outnumbered by people from as far south as Medford. These activists were not there to hear Congressman Walden speak, but to harass, interrupt and jam a bunch of cameras in his face with their sticks.

 

TOP STORY

 

No leadership = no endorsement for governor

Mail Tribune

In the race for governor of our state, neither the incumbent nor contender has demonstrated the leadership to win our endorsement. We are not discouraging anyone from voting. We urge you to vote. We are putting the eventual winner on notice: You will be held accountable by one of the oldest news organizations in the state, and we expect you to lead us to our potential. We are weary of the lack of leadership we see through the fog of wildfire smoke ruining our summers, damaging local businesses, and most importantly, impacting our health. We’re using our front page to hold power accountable.

 

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

 

Oregon lawmakers offer preview of health care legislation

Portland Business Journal

The 2019 Oregon Legislative session is just around the corner, and once again, health care policy and financing will take center stage. The session opens on Jan. 22. Lawmakers will be tasked with filling an $830 million Medicaid budget hole for the next biennium. They may also need to pass legislation related to the Medicaid contracting process, which will unfold starting in January. The state’s 15 locally-based coordinated care organizations are anticipating submitting letters of interest for “CCO 2.0” in February. At the 2018 State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Portland on Tuesday, Republican and Democratic legislators who sit on the House and Senate health care committees gave a preview of upcoming policy debates and their own priorities for health care-related bills and funding.

 

Oregon Treasurer’s Office Raises Question About Secretary of State Dennis Richardson’s Ability to Delegate Authority

Willamette Week

State Treasurer Tobias Read’s office has asked the Oregon Department of Justice whether the Oregon’s second-ranking elected official, Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, can legally delegate his position on the State Land Board. Late Monday afternoon, as WW first reported, Richardson informed his land board colleagues, Read and Gov. Kate Brown, both Democrats, that he’d be unable to attend the Land Board meeting scheduled for 10 am Tuesday in Salem, due to his ongoing treatment for brain cancer. Right after receiving Richardson’s email Monday afternoon, Dmitri Palamteer, the chief of staff for Treasurer Read, sent a quick email to Matt DeVore, the Oregon DOJ lawyer who advises the Land Board. WW obtained the email through a public records request. DOJ spokeswoman Kristina Edmunson declined to share her agency’s response to Treasury’s query, saying it is protected by attorney-client privilege. (Palmateer says his agency will make the response public when it is received.)

 

CAMPAIGNS

 

Oregon Environmental Group Putting Record Resources into Governor’s Race

Willamette Week

This week, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters recorded a $250,000 contribution from its national affiliate, by far the largest check the organization’s political action committee has ever received. OLCV executive director Doug Moore says his group will spend the money on a digital campaign highlighting shortcomings his group sees in Buehler’s record. (On OCLV’s legislative scorecards for his two terms in the House, Buehler got failing grades, although he was among the highest scoring Republican House members.)

 

Upstarts challenge Gelser for Senate seat

Corvallis Gazette-Times

The District 8 race for the Oregon Senate pits an incumbent with a lengthy political resume against a pair of political newcomers making their first bids for public office. Sara Gelser, a 44-year-old Corvallis Democrat, is seeking a second four-year term as the state senator for District 8, a politically diverse district that includes the Corvallis and Albany areas. The seat was in Republican hands before Gelser wrested it from Betsy Close in 2014. Prior to that, Gelser served from 2005 to 2014 as the District 16 representative in the state House. She was first elected to public office in 2000, when she began a six-year stint on the Corvallis School Board. In the Nov. 6 election, Gelser faces two opponents: Republican nominee Erik Parks and Bryan Eggiman, the Libertarian candidate.

 

Three contend for House District 15 spot

Albany Democrat-Herald

Republican Shelly Boshart Davis said two issues have stood out as she campaigns door-to-door. “I’m amazed at the encouragement I am receiving and that includes how many comments I’ve heard from people who want me to continue the bipartisan leadership that Andy was known for in Salem,” she said. “And Andy has helped open my eyes to the severity of our foster children’s programs and the need to support those who work in the system, as well as foster parents. The need is amazing.”

 

Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon faces school board member Marty Heyen in House District 22

Statesman Journal

After hearing what her constituents have to say, Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon, D-Woodburn, believes one of the most important issues of the day is affordable health care. She is seeking her second term representing House District 22, focusing on issue such as education, small businesses and protecting seniors. Her Republican challenger, Marty Heyen, has served on the Salem Keizer School Board since 2015. Heyen, a stay-at-home parent with an IT background, is focusing her campaign on improving education, senior citizen welfare, health care and the economy. Alonso Leon had about $47,100 on hand for her campaign as of Oct. 16, according to campaign finance filings. Contributors include Oregon AFSCME Council 75, Oregon Nurses PAC and the Oregon Education Association. As of Oct. 15, Heyen’s campaign had raised about $23,000, according to filings. Most contributions have come from individual donors. House District 22 covers a wide swath of the Willamette Valley, including northeast Salem, Gervais, Brooks and Woodburn.

 

Clear differences in House District 6 race

Mail Tribune

In an effort to prevent House and Senate Democrats from gaining a supermajority in the legislature, Wallan’s campaign has been fortified with a $5,750 in-kind contribution from the No Supermajorities PAC, $3,626 from Promote Oregon Leadership and $7,000 from campaign funds of Republicans running in races in neighboring districts. The Committee to Elect Mike McLane alone pumped $5,000 into Wallan’s campaign. McLane, the House majority leader, represents District 55 which includes a tip of northern Jackson County, along with Deschutes, Crook, Klamath and Lake counties.

 

INITIATIVES

 

Measure 104: Will it force bipartisanship or create gridlock?

Salem Reporter

Anthony Smith, state director at the Oregon chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, said that a non-controversial fee increase likely would pass even with a supermajority requirement. And Smith thinks such a requirement will force legislators to work together to reach a consensus on the more controversial fees — which he would see as a positive change. “More debate, more consensus, more coalition building is probably a good thing for the state,” Smith said. Meanwhile, state Sen. Mark Hass, chair of the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee, opposes the measure because he thinks tax policy shouldn’t be written into the Constitution. He said including fees in its provisions could affect the overall budget process. Budget bills often include fee increases. “I think it’s not out of the question, it could have an effect,” Hass said. “Now you’re giving decision-making on day-to-day operations to a small group of people, 12 to 13 people, on a fee, whether it’s necessary to a particular group or to run a state agency.”

 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

 

Trump administration may end legal recognition of transgender Americans, NYT reports

Statesman Journal

The Trump administration may move to rigidly define gender as a fixed status determined biologically by the genitalia a person is born with, reversing Obama-era policies that granted federal recognition to transgender individuals, according to a Sunday report from The New York Times. The paper said it obtained a memo detailing how the Department of Health and Human Services plans to create a legal definition of gender. The definition would be implemented under the Title IX law, which bans discrimination based on sex in federally funded education programs, the Times reported. The HHS memo said that gender should be defined “on a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable,” the Times said. A person’s gender would be strictly male or female and it would be unchanging.

 

HOUSING

 

Portland rents drop 2.7% in steepest decline across US

Portland Tribune

It’s good news for renters — though perhaps a bittersweet moment for the landlords out there. The price of rent in Portland, Oregon has declined 2.7 percent on average over the last year, according to a report by Zillow, the real estate website. Zillow’s experts found declines in annual rental prices in more than half of nation’s 35 largest markets, but the Rose City lead the way — with the biggest decrease between September 2017 and September 2018. Seattle ranked second, with an annual decline of 2.2 percent. “Rents remain high by historic standards, but September’s modest annual decline in rents should ease some of the pressure pushing higher-income renters to buy,” Zillow senior economist Aaron Terrazas said in the report.

 

LOCAL

 

PSU cancels campus event so Lars Larson can’t bring a gun

Portland Tribune

Guns just don’t belong at Portland State University, according to the school’s leaders. PSU administrators were so concerned about the presence of dangerous weapons on campus that they apparently canceled an event planned by the Portland State College Republicans club. The dust-up began after the collegiate members of the GOP invited local radio host Lars Larson to broadcast live on campus during club programming on Monday, Oct. 22. A producer with the nationally-syndicated program and a student organizer informed PSU that Larson planned on bringing a concealed firearm to the campus event, which celebrated the beginning of Second Amendment Week. Nevertheless, a Portland State University policy bars all students, event attendees, workers and contractors from possessing firearms on campus, regardless of whether they have a concealed carry license. The policy approved in 2012 contains carve-outs for law enforcement officers and allows the school chancellor to make “temporary exception” based on “good cause or necessity.” “PSU has a very strong interest in preserving the safety of our campus community and in applying our policies uniformly,” wrote Cynthia J. Starke, general counsel for the school, in a letter dated Oct. 17. “We are requiring you to affirmatively state that you do not intend to and will not carry a firearm on PSU’s campus.” Larson apparently did no such thing. He says the College Republicans even lost access to funding because of the consternation.

 

Eugene elementary employees say principal ignored reports of sexual harassment for years

The Register-Guard

A group of about two dozen staff members at Bertha Holt Elementary School say complaints of sexual harassment and bullying by a fellow employee were ignored by the school’s principal for several years — and they want to know why. That’s according to a letter written to the Eugene School Board and presented to board members Wednesday night by two Bertha Holt workers. The letter was signed by 22 employees at the school. In the letter, school employees said they brought their concerns about the alleged behavior to the principal several times over “an extended time period,” but that the “offensive behavior continued unchecked.” The letter, which does not identify the employee, the principal or anyone else by name, states that the situation was “further complicated by conflicts of interest with high-level district administration charged with enforcing sexual harassment and bullying policies.” The principal referenced in the letter no longer works at the school. It’s unclear for how long the alleged harassment and bullying took place.

 

OPINION

 

Opinion: Rep. Reschke lays out his platform for re-election

Herald and News

It has been an honor to serve as your State Representative in the Oregon House of Representatives for the past two years. My goal is to give southern Klamath and Lake Counties a strong voice in Salem and to promote rural Oregon values. I am pro-life, pro-liberty, pro-Second Amendment, pro-small business, pro-hydropower and pro-agriculture. I have been nominated to represent the Republican Party of Oregon, the Independent Party of Oregon and the Oregon Libertarian Party for the general election in November. The Oregon Legislature is one Democrat away from a super-majority in the House and in the Senate. This would give Democrats total control over all policy as well as the ability to create multiple new taxes to fund their goals of utopian socialism, while further burdening all Oregon taxpayers. It is important to vote this November. We must send a message to Salem that they have enough of our money. New majority leadership is required to solve the problems our state faces. I urge you to vote Republican from top to bottom on your ballot. Also vote yes for Ballot Measures 103, 104, 105 and 106 to put restraints on the Portland politicians that desire to take away more of our freedoms in southern Oregon and place mandates on our way of life.

 

H&N Editorial: Our view on several ballot issues

Herald and News

If you’ve taken a glance at your election ballot for Klamath County that should have arrived in the mail late last week, you’ll notice that beside the big, important races, there’s eight ballot initiatives, measures or petitions. The Herald and News Editorial Board sat down to review the measures and ticked off up or down votes on each of them. Of course, don’t take our blanket word for it, read the ballot measures and pros and cons for yourself. But here’s how the edit board came down on those issues.

 

Guest column: Measure 102 means homes for families

The Bend Bulletin

Working hard should mean you can afford to live in your community and keep a roof over your head. But in communities throughout Oregon — and particularly Central Oregon — rent and housing costs have gone up much faster than wages, and people and families are struggling to make ends meet. Here in our area, we’re still experiencing a huge shortage of homes that people can afford to either rent or buy. Measure 102 is a small change to our constitution that will allow local communities to respond to the housing crisis.

 

Editorial: Oregon’s super-secret gas tax

The Bulletin Editorial Board

Better known as the Clean Fuels Program, Baby BETC is designed to reduce the “carbon intensity” of Oregon’s motor fuels by 10 percent between 2015 and 2025. Lawmakers passed the underlying legislation back in 2009, but the program wasn’t fully implemented until the beginning of 2016, thanks in large part to its bewildering complexity. Carbon intensity, the heart of the program, is a measure not only of the global-warming gases produced by a fuel’s consumption, but also of those released during its production, transportation and storage. Thus, two gallons of gasoline, ethanol or whatever may have different carbon intensities depending upon their heritage. The law gradually reduces the acceptable carbon intensity of road fuels. As it does, importers of the fossil fuels most of us put in our cars and trucks will find themselves increasingly on the wrong side of the state’s global warming ledger. To maintain compliance with the clean fuels law, they’ll have to buy more and more credits generated by businesses and other entities that produce and sell low-carbon fuels, most notably electricity. The cost of buying the credits is passed along at the pump. This is, of course, a gas and diesel tax by another name. Instead of using the proceeds to pay for roads, though, Baby BETC transfers the money to low carbon-fuels industries and other “credit generators,” including public transit districts and even state agencies such as the Department of Administrative Services.

 

Guest column: I’m ‘blue,’ but voting ‘red’ in District 54

The Bend Bulletin

As a lifelong registered Democrat, I am voting for Cheri Helt, Republican candidate for House District 54. Having worked in the Oregon State Elections Division, and as a lobbyist at our State Capitol, the biggest successes I’ve seen have been brought about by moderate, consensus-building legislators — regardless of party affiliation. Central Oregon has sent some of the best of these community and legislative leaders to the House and Senate over the years, including Lynn Lundquist, Neil Bryant, Ben Westlund and many others. Their ability to reach across the aisle to find real, workable solutions for Oregon’s challenges has served us well. Cheri Helt is a leader in the same mold, and should receive your vote in November. Endorsed by the Independent Party of Oregon, she is an inclusive and moderate candidate who believes that the best solutions come through consensus and collaboration.