Oregon’s Urban Growth Boundaries Have Deepened Economic Chasms
The very thing that set Oregon apart now seems to be tearing it apart. As Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Legislature meet to wrestle with the state’s most intractable problems, a clear pattern has...
View ArticleOregon Should Bridge Its Digital Divide
Oregon prides itself — and rightfully so — for its ability to color outside the lines. The lines that divide modern Oregonians are dotted, but very real. Our leaders should be thinking about ways to...
View ArticleThe Children Are Getting Restless
Don’t look now, but the children are getting restless. News reports from Eugene, Washington and New York City show young people are taking matters into their own hands. Combatting climate change is...
View ArticleOregonians Are Sturdy
Oregonians are a sturdy bunch. During the flash floods this week, how many strangers appeared with a winch, ready to pull somebody away from peril? The snowstorms in late February left many without...
View ArticleAlley Valkyrie: Where is She Now?
Alley Valkyrie left Eugene five years ago this week, shortly after the homeless camp Whoville was shuttered and dismantled. Five years can pack plenty of changes into a 30-something’s life, so where is...
View ArticleCosta Rica’s Coasts Are Flipped
You know how they say you never really understand grammar until you learn a second language? Your first language comes naturally, so you don’t learn until later that there are rules you’re following....
View ArticleOlympic Dreaming is Coming True
I try hard never to repeat myself. There are too many stories to be told all around us every day. It has never made sense for me to cover the same ground a second time. But rules are made to be broken....
View ArticleCalifornians Can’t Turn Left Like We Can
A good friend of mine drove up from the San Francisco area this week. Ehab’s perceptions of Eugene surprised and refreshed me. I hope my retelling gives you some of the same feelings. He drove...
View ArticleWhat Kate Brown Could Learn From Roger Sherman
How will Gov. Kate Brown and her Democratic allies in the Oregon legislature react to the hard line taken by Republicans against a statewide response to climate change? The visceral response would be...
View ArticleHow Will Democrats Respond When Republicans Don’t Fight Fair?
Maybe this will be the year that Democrats recognize that Republicans won’t hesitate to bring a gun to a knife fight. Ideological battles between the parties have become alarmingly asymmetrical, and...
View ArticleSome Workers Deserve Their Robot Replacements
Americans are becoming increasingly concerned that their jobs are at risk. Immigrants are less to be feared in this regard than robots. Automation and artificial intelligence are poised to disrupt our...
View ArticleEnjoy Yourself, But Mostly Enjoy Each Other
The Oregon County Fair did something unusual last month. They offered what amounted to a preview of their annual event, which kicks off today for the 50th time. It’s the golden anniversary for the...
View ArticleOregon Could Attract Influencers With Incentives
The best time to suggest even the slightest tweak to the state’s tax code is immediately after a legislative session ends. Lawmakers need time to internalize the suggestion. Once a legislator takes...
View ArticleOregon Democrats Should Meddle More
Oregon is a blue state. All but one of our Congresspeople are Democrats. Every statewide elected office is held by a Democrat, except one. The state hasn’t given its electoral votes to a Republican...
View ArticleIs the Earth’s Largest Living Organism Here in Oregon? Maybe
Scientists believe the planet’s largest living organism lives in eastern Oregon. It’s not Bigfoot, but that was a good guess. It’s a mushroom, or a fungus that’s related to the mushrooms you buy in the...
View ArticleEugene Should Host an Abundance Swap in 2020
You may not have even sorted out your holiday wrapping and cards, separating those with glitter and foil from your recycling pile, but the outcome from the year-end celebration is already obvious. What...
View ArticleSolution From 1787 Could Save Oregon Cap-and-Trade
Lawmakers in Salem are struggling to rewrite Oregon’s version of a cap-and-trade program in time for their short session, which begins in two weeks. HB2020 was designed to reduce statewide emissions....
View ArticleAsk Boeing About “Efficiency”
Efficiency is overrated. It really doesn’t apply to human communications, and it’s dangerously irrelevant when it comes to building trust and respect. Just ask The Boeing Company. They moved their...
View ArticleAccepting Cash May Soon Be Required in Oregon
Oregon’s retail landscape has long resembled the land that time forgot. Prices posted and prices paid are almost always the same, thanks to Oregonians’ refusal to consider a sales tax. And soon,...
View ArticlePresidential Campaigns Test What Changes Minds
Most of the time, I wish Oregon’s presidential primary was scheduled for earlier in the year, because I’d rather we have a significant voice in the outcome. But there may be an upside to being invited...
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