Cascade CounterPoint

Full-text: “3000 SE Powell Boulevard” is the name of Home Forward’s 6-year-old low-income housing development with a massive expenditure: $87 million, $75 million of which came from government tax credits and bond monies. Burdened by building height and design constraints, soil contamination worries, and delayed materials delivery, the expected opening date has been pushed back to next winter.

But perhaps the most distressing thing about 3000 Powell is parking, which seems tragically inadequate. Just 31 parking spaces will accommodate 206 housing units. Comparatively, the 90-unit Sunshine Portland Apartments, directly behind the complex, offer 34 parking spaces. Home Forward has made improvements to its parking plan, but the lot can only be accessed through a narrow road likely to be bustling with commuters.

With extra space reserved for a playground and a smoking shelter, parking is not a high priority here. Yet cars remain a crucial source of transportation for the poor. Counterintuitively, roughly 8 in 10 low-income workers have cars to drive; because they have less mobility and job stability, they must rely on them to commute.

If Home Forward’s “urgent” humanitarian aid includes accessible housing, shouldn’t it also include a convenient spot to park a car? For their safety, the poor cannot afford to miss the latter.

Full-text: Most Republican members of the Oregon Senate have refused to participate in floor sessions since May 3, in a show of opposition to Democratic leadership. As a result, hundreds of bills are waiting for floor votes, which may never be taken before the mandatory adjournment date of June 25.

While this is frustrating for legislative insiders, the average Oregonian probably doesn’t care. Most people have no idea what is going on in the Capitol, for good reason. Bills are usually introduced for the benefit of narrow interests. If passed, they would eventually raise taxes for voters. Only on rare occasions does legislation actually benefit the public.

Some political analysts are focused on how future legislators can be compelled to show up, but perhaps the real lesson is how useless the legislature is.

This may be the Wally Pipp moment for politicians, a nod to the New York Yankees first basemen who sat out a game in 1925 and was replaced by Lou Gehrig— for the next 2,129 consecutive games.

Legislative arguments about the walkout sound like kids arguing in the sandbox. If politicians can’t do better, they should all go home, where they won’t be missed.

Full-text: “More money, same result” is what Oregon’s Senate voted for this March. Now, the bill enters a different chamber, but faces a similar fate.

If passed, Senate Bill 442 allows government contractors to grant preferences to in-state bidders if the “goods or services cost not more than five percent more than [out of state] goods or services.”

Normally, when the government uses taxpayer dollars to purchase goods or services, it grants favor to the lowest bidder who offers an acceptable quality. This is similar to different retailers competing for your business. When faced with two equal-quality goods, you will usually choose the “lowest bidder.”

But sometimes, you might buy local to “help the environment” or “support local businesses.” That’s fine; it’s your choice. But when the government is spending your tax dollars, their main concern should be maximizing benefits while minimizing costs, not some version of their arbitrary goals. Under this bill, bureaucratic preferences triumph. The government is forcing you to buy local.

If the state government wants to prove they have Oregonians’ best interests in mind, they should vote ‘NAY’ on Senate Bill 442.

Full-text: The Oregon Senate has come to a standstill over the past several weeks. Most Republican Senators are boycotting floor sessions due to objections about both policy and process.

Media accounts have portrayed the missing Senators in a negative light, but voters should ask why the majority party has driven Republicans to such extreme measures. Democrats hold all the power, so only they can broker a compromise. They’ve been unwilling to do that.

One of the most basic rules of political leadership is to treat minority members with respect, because you won’t always be in control. Democrats have been unwilling to do that since they became the majority party in 2013. Their abuse of power has only grown, leading to repeated walkouts by Republicans.

Last November, voters passed Measure 113, which limits legislators to 10 “unexcused absences” during a session. The punishment for going past 10 is the loss of eligibility to run for a legislative seat in the next election. Most of the Republican Senators have already missed more than 10 days.

I respect that they are willing to pay the price, but it doesn’t bode well for the institution.

Reaching a compromise is possible, but the majority caucus has to play the first card.

Full-text: Over the next five weeks, the Oregon legislature will decide whether to make a down payment of $1 billion to replace the I-5 Interstate Bridge connecting Portland with Vancouver, WA. The total cost of the bridge is unknown, but is estimated to be at least $6 billion.

The legislature should reject this request.

There is no immediate need to replace the Interstate Bridge. It has decades of useful life remaining. The much bigger need is to accommodate growth by adding two new bridges - one upstream from the Glen Jackson I-205 Bridge, and one downstream from the I-5 Interstate Bridge. The new crossings would eliminate most congestion on the existing bridges, while providing essential redundancy in the event of a catastrophic earthquake.

We especially need a new Columbia River bridge with a direct connection to Highway 26 near Hillsboro. Not only would this reduce the total amount of driving for thousands of motorists, it would provide much-needed congestion relief at three current bottlenecks: the Sylvan hills tunnels on HW 26, the Fremont Bridge, and I-5 in North Portland.

Planning for a new Interstate Bridge began under Gov. Kitzhaber in 1997, and 25 years later we have nothing to show for it. We should stop fighting the last war. The region needs several new Columbia River crossings, not a single replacement bridge.

Full-text: Two more states recently expanded their school choice programs, bringing the total number of states with universal or near-universal student eligibility to seven.

In March, Florida became the fourth state this year to enact a universal school choice program for K-12 students. All Florida children now have the option to choose an Education Savings Account (ESA) funded at about $7,500 per year. Families who want to opt into the program may use ESA funds to pay for non-public-school tuition, tutoring, or other education services.

Last week, Indiana expanded eligibility for its school choice programs. According to the American Federation for Children, Indiana’s voucher program is now available to any family with an income below 400% of Free and Reduced-Price Lunch levels ($222,000 for a family of four). Income eligibility for Indiana’s tax credit scholarship and ESA programs also increased to the same level. This means that about 96.5% of Indiana families with school-aged children would qualify for one of the state’s educational choice programs.

Arizona, West Virginia, Utah, Iowa, and Arkansas also have enacted universal school choice laws. Oregon should join these education pioneers, so families can match their children’s needs and goals with the school environments that will serve them best.

Full-text: If you’re a Multnomah County homeowner, business owner, or have a retirement account, watch out for the May election. There’s a measure on the ballot that’s coming after you.

Measure 26-238 imposes a capital gains tax on Multnomah County residents. If you sell your home, you will pay the tax on the increased value since you bought it. If you sell your small business, you will pay on the gains from that sale. If you have a retirement account, every time you withdraw money, you will pay on the amount your investments grew over time.

Proponents say you don’t have to worry because the tax is based on the IRS definition of capital gains. But that’s not the whole story. That’s because Measure 26-238 does not include any of the IRS exemptions from capital gains. Under this measure, Multnomah County will put you on the hook for all of it—even if the Feds don’t tax it.

To make matters worse, Measure 26-238 clearly states that the tax rate is “adjustable.” Most of us have been around long enough to know that when a tax rate is adjustable, the only way is up.

To make matters even worse, the money will be used to fund lawsuits by evicted tenants against property owners. Think about that: Landlords will be hit with a tax to fund lawsuits against themselves.

Multnomah County has the second-highest marginal individual income tax rate in the United States after New York City. Measure 26-238 will push us over the top.

Full Text: Earlier this month, Oregon lifted its mask mandate for hospitals and other health care facilities. For many, it’s one of the last steps indicating the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us. But, it’s also a reminder that one state policy caused so much damage during the pandemic.

That policy is Oregon’s “Certificate of Need” laws. If a health care provider wants to open a new facility or significantly expand an existing facility, the provider must get permission from the state and demonstrate that there is a need for more facilities. As part of the process, competing providers can weigh in and provide evidence that current capacity is sufficient. This imposes a huge roadblock to expanding health care services in the state.

As governor, Kate Brown imposed one of the most stringent and long-lasting lockdowns of any state. She stated time after time that these lockdowns were necessary to avoid overwhelming the state’s limited supply of hospital beds. 

Oregon has the lowest number of hospital beds per capita in the country. There was a real risk that hospitals would be overwhelmed. That’s because our Certificate of Need laws stifled the construction of new hospital beds. 

Now that this pandemic is over, we should begin preparing for the next one by repealing Oregon’s Certificate of Need laws so we can have enough hospital beds to avoid future long-running lockdowns.

Full-text: While Oregonians are filling out their tax returns, their elected legislators are lining up some blow-out spending.

Last month, the Democratic co-chairs of the Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee unveiled a budget “framework” that proposes more than $6 billion in new general fund spending—a 24% increase from the last budget. The biggest increases are in K-12 education and human services, which includes Medicaid. 

Even though Oregon public school enrollment has dropped by 30,000 since before the pandemic, the co-chairs are proposing a stunning $1.2 billion increase in school spending. That’s an increase of more than $2,000 per student. 

Over the years, Oregon has added more and more people to its Medicaid program. Now, about one-quarter of the state’s population is enrolled in Medicaid or similar programs. Many of these new enrollees are not eligible for federal matching funds, so Oregon must pay 100% of the costs. As a result, human services spending has grown from one-quarter of the general fund budget to more than one-third of the budget. Even so, Oregon has the highest rate of addiction in the U.S., but ranks at the bottom for treatment facilities.

In addition, the co-chairs are earmarking more than half a billion dollars for salary increases and employee recruiting and retention. 

Over the past years, the state’s general fund spending has doubled. But, it seems the more they spend, the worse things get. Think about that when you’re paying this year’s tax bill and turning in your May ballots.

Full text: Oregon’s economic engine is losing steam. For the second year in a row, Multnomah County lost population. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the county now has 21,000 fewer people than in 2020. In contrast, Clark County, Washington added more than 11,000 in population.

It’s not an accident and it’s not a mystery. Over that time, housing prices in the Portland region have increased by 30%. But, it’s more than just housing prices.

Portland now has the second highest tax burden of any major city in the U.S. Only New York City has higher taxes. If you can save thousands of dollars just by crossing the river to Clark County, you might just cross the river.

For decades, Portland coasted on its reputation of being one of the most livable cities in the country. But those days are over. Crime is rampant, and much of the city looks like a waste heap. Last month, my car was stolen and used in a shooting. A day after that, my neighbor’s car was broken into. Just this week, my other neighbor’s house was burgled and their car was stolen. All that happened on one block in the space of one month.

It’s no mystery why people are leaving Portland. They are voting with their feet.