Local Economy Remains in High Gear
Local economist Ed Whitelaw and two of his cohorts at ECONorthwest (Philip Taylor and Bryce Ward) have unearthed an amazing and important statistic about Lane County’s economic landscape. In an essay...
View ArticleEarth Day Gets Personal
Monday is Earth Day. My first visit to Oregon gave me my most intimate encounter with the earth. One May night in 1979, I experienced how cradled we are in this world. I came to Oregon that spring to...
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How to Win at Rock, Paper, Scissors
Our nation has proven that Rock, Paper, Scissors should and will be won by Paper. The Rock of military might and the Scissors of economic efficiency cannot compete with the Paper of enumerated rights...
View ArticlePortland Leads With Their (Skeptical) Noses
Portland citizens this week went to the polls and came to their senses. The rest of the country should follow their lead. They turned their noses at fluoridated water. But the lesson is not about...
View ArticleEugene Cultivates, Reno Extracts
Tom Ward and Scott Clarke met when they were students at the University of Nevada in Reno. Although (or possibly because) Clarke worked for a company that serviced photocopiers, he found himself drawn...
View ArticleLooking for Eugene Under Every Boulder
I stood at the corner of Broadway and Pearl, watching people duck in for their midday coffee. Caffeine could help me accomplish my mission. I was looking for an answer to my question. I trudged across...
View ArticleSummer’s Here, But Where Are the Bugs?
Eugene offers several shots from the starter’s pistol, declaring the official beginning of summer. By any measure, the race has now begun. For almost a generation, the Willamette Valley Folk Festival...
View ArticleOregonians Already “Pay It Forward”
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley wants to change how Oregonians think about financing higher education. He wants to institute a program where students “pay it forward.” They would receive free tuition in return...
View ArticleFighting for Basic Needs or Basic Rights
On Saturday morning, the stage was set at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for a battle of titans. If it had been promoted like a professional wrestling match, it would have been billed as “The...
View ArticleWyden Knows More Than He Can Say
I feel sorry for U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. His position on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence gives him access to classified information that is not available to the general public, or even to...
View ArticlePresident Needs More Vacation, Not Less
Please, Mr. President, take a real vacation. I’m sure you’ve had time to relax on the golf course and enjoy an evening or two with old friends during your couple of weeks at Martha’s Vineyard....
View ArticleOregon’s Democratic Prospects May Rise if GOP Wins
Assuming U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley wins reelection in November, there are five reasons for Oregon Democrats to feel encouraged, even though Republicans seem likely to gain control of the United States...
View ArticleVetoes Clarify Issues, Strengthen the Party
Oregon Democrats did not suffer the drubbing that the party took nationwide on Tuesday. In fact, Democrats could find a silver lining in this week’s red horizon if they look at Oregon’s recent...
View ArticleWe’re in GMOvertime
If I were an executive for Monsanto or Dupont, I wouldn’t be feeling very good about Oregon right now. After pumping millions and millions of dollars into a campaign to defeat a statewide referendum...
View ArticleFound on my Rooftop: Naughty and Nice List
It was dark. It was late. What I remember most was the clatter. I sprang from my bed to see what was wrong, but on the roof remained only sleigh tracks and hoof marks. I was glad I bought...
View ArticleCelebrate a Tiny Treasure on Friday the 13th
Today is Friday the 13th, and a month from now, we’ll have another. Two days of superstition rarely fall so closely together. Let’s Seize the Day(s) and consider how lucky we are — granting that luck...
View ArticleDraining Traditional Distinctions Creates Modern Perils
We’re in the midst of a profound unraveling. I’m not thinking about the upheaval we’ve been watching at the Oregon governor’s mansion, but even that is part of the civic centrifuge we’re witnessing....
View ArticleFilibuster Talk Won’t Work Unless Senators Listen
Oregon Senator Bob Packwood led the news on February 25, 1988. Democrats in the United States Senate wanted to pass some campaign finance reforms. Republicans were opposed. The Democratic leadership...
View ArticleEastern Oregon: Our Nearby Nowhere
Oregon may soon lift its ban on motorists pumping their own gas in the state’s least populated areas. Legislation would allow for the first time counties with fewer than 40,000 residents to keep...
View ArticleBottle Returns Can Help Our Homeless
Oregon is losing its love for bottle returns, but Lane County can lead the way to something better. Collecting cans for extra money has supported the homeless for decades. Isn’t it time we formalized...
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