Who do you want to be the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election?
Ron DeSantis
Nikki Haley
Vivek Ramaswamy
Tim Scott
Donald Trump
Northwest Observer
Subscribe for Free Email Updates
Name:
Email:
Search Articles
       






On this day, December 8, 2005, federal prosecutors announced six arrests of eco-sabotage suspects following a nine-year investigation in four arson cases in Oregon dating to 1998 and 2001 and a toppled power line in Bend, Oregon in 1999.




Post an Event


Wes Knodel Gun Show
Saturday, December 9, 2023 at 10:00 am
Wes Knodel Guns Show
December 9th-10th
Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center 3800 SW Airport Wy Redmond, Oregon



Washington County GOP 3rd Annual Christmas Party
Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 6:00 pm
Washington County GOP 3rd Annual Christmas Party The deadline to purchase tickets is 12/6!!
King City, OR



Christmas Day
Monday, December 25, 2023 at 11:59 pm
Christmas Day
Merry Christmas Oregon



New Year's Day
Monday, January 1, 2024 at 12:00 am
New Year's Day
Oregon



Oregon Legislative Committee Days
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 8:00 am
Oregon Legislative Committee Days January 10th-12th
Salem, Oregon



Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, January 15, 2024 at 12:00 am
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Federal holiday



WLN's Fourteenth Annual "TAKE THE OFFENSIVE!" Leadership and Activist Training Conference
Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 9:00 am
"TAKE THE OFFENSIVE!" Leadership and Activist Training Conference
Portland, Oregon



Oregon 2024 Legislative Short Session
Monday, February 5, 2024 at 8:00 am
Oregon 2024 Legislative Short Session February 5th-March 11th, 2024
Salem, OR



Oregon March for Life
Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 9:00 am
Oregon March for Life
Salem, OR



Portland International Auto Show
Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 10:00 am
Portland International Auto Show February 22nd-25th
Portland, OR



Oregon Festivals & Events Association Annual Conference
Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 10:00 am
Oregon Festivals & Events Association Annual Conference
February 29 - March 2, 2024
Seaside, OR



ORTL Together We Advocate Conference
Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 8:00 am
ORTL Together We Advocate Conference
Tualatin, OR



Last day for major party or nonpartisan candidate to file declaration of candidacy or nominating petition.
Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Last day for major party or nonpartisan candidate to file declaration of candidacy or nominating petition
Oregon



Dorchester Conference 2024
Friday, April 26, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Dorchester Conference 2024 April 26th-28th
Welches, Oregon



Memorial Day
Monday, May 27, 2024 at 11:00 am
Memorial Day
A federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving.



Juneteenth
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at 12:00 am
Juneteenth
Celebrated on the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when in the wake of the American Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas.



Independence Day
Thursday, July 4, 2024 at 11:59 pm
Independence Day
USA


View All Calendar Events


Economic Recovery?
“The State is a lousy parent, a terrible landlord and a bad boss.”

The New Year’s Eve brings out what people want to remember or what they want you to remember. House Democrats tried their best to make lemonade out of a year that was more destructive than good. They claim the COVID-19 vaccinations are bringing some normalcy and stability while Governor Brown extends her emergency order and wants to make masking permanent. They have to divert any success from the economy since Oregon ranks in the bottom ten of U.S. States for after-tax personal income per capita.

House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner said, “Oregon has been able to weather the COVID storm better than most states, and that’s because we’ve all come together to do what’s right.” She is referring to legislating “to prevent thousands of Oregonians from getting evicted, provide drought relief to rural communities, and fund services for Afghan refugees.”

Former House Republican Leader, Christine Drazan reflects on 2021 as a tough year. “Mandates impacted schools, youth sports and businesses. Illness, whether it was COVID related or delayed access to care, impacted families and health care settings, while so many of our friends and colleagues left the state this year in search of more opportunity, greater affordability and a culture of state governance that has integrity with reasonable limits in its scope and purpose, that doesn’t crush hopes and dreams. For those of us who have chosen to stay and fight the good fight, we have seen firsthand that the State is a lousy parent, a terrible landlord and a bad boss.”

Smith Warner lists eleven bills they claim has rebuilt Oregon’s economy in a way that ensures that everyone is able to prosper. It might be helpful if she were to define “everyone,” but one thing is for sure, they do affect everyone. If you aren’t on the receiving end, you are on the giving end. Nearly all have a General Fund appropriation attached whether it is a direct allotment or growing government. Reading through the list one has to remember how many billions the state received in federal dollars that is still waiting to be distributed. She contributes a good economic forecast to these bills:

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Perhaps trying to make positives out of negatives works for those receiving handouts, but for a real look at how well the economy is thriving requires a look at the giving end. Two factors contributed to a good forecast that has nothing to do with legislating funding. The reprieve for the economy in 2021 can be attributed to the number of people that are ignoring mandates. The stores and businesses that are thriving are those that may post a sign of the mandates, but leave the choice to the customer.

The second factor is that added operating costs to businesses are passed through to consumers. Oregon’s inflation rate with rising costs of about 8% over a year ago eats up a lot of the extra money and in recent months inflation has begun to outpace wage gains, resulting in less earnings. As long as consumers can support inflation, the economy forecast will likely be positive, but that seems to be changing.

Representative Drazan gives a brighter outlook, “The good news is that we have made it through the worst of it—jobs are plentiful, schools are open and medical innovation has resulted in approved therapies to treat COVID-19. There is light at the end of the tunnel.” Jobs being so plentiful, what was the reason for funding a recovery that doesn’t appear to exist?


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-01-07 06:20:41Last Update: 2022-01-06 20:41:08



Read More Articles