Southwestern Oregon’s public services are rotting away or shutting down due to voter unwillingness to pay dues to keep them running. The New York Times looks at the collapse of the commons in an often-ignored area of the Pacific Northwest.
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Offering asides, recommended links, blogworthy quotations, and more, In Brief is the Northwest Progressive Institute's microblog of world, national, and local politics.
Southwestern Oregon’s public services are rotting away or shutting down due to voter unwillingness to pay dues to keep them running. The New York Times looks at the collapse of the commons in an often-ignored area of the Pacific Northwest.
Launch“Ranked second from the bottom in a new report, the state’s tax system makes it tough for taxpayers to find out just how much they’re coughing up to the government. Oregon’s system ranks as the most transparent of all,” writes The Seattle Times’ Gene Balk.
LaunchSuzan DelBene lambastes Trumpcare in blistering House floor speech TRANSCRIPT: If Republicans crafted legislation that lived up to the promise of ‘insurance for everybody,’ they’d
LaunchA spokesperson for Dave Reichert has told The Seattle Times’ Jim Brunner he is not yet committed to voting for the Trumpcare bill being pushed
LaunchU.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene and Pramila Jayapal have been forcefully speaking out against the House Republicans’ extremely destructive Trumpcare bill as it has speedily made
LaunchI have to say, I find it a little beyond comprehension that Lloyd Blankfein would lecture our campaign about “dangerous moments” after Wall Street received
LaunchDrill, baby, drill. For years, that silly slogan has been a part of the Republican lexicon. But now, with global oil prices tumbling due to excess supply (caused in part by the North American oil boom), fossil fuel-dependent Alaska finds itself in a huge fiscal morass. Independent Governor Bill Walker, a former Republican, has proposed reinstituting a state income tax to ensure that the state can continue to provide public services to its citizens.
LaunchWashington State ranks second in the nation for corporate subsidies Seattle Times columnist Jon Talton discusses data from the Good Jobs First initiative, which shows
LaunchTo understand Mr. Ryan’s role in our political-media ecosystem, you need to know two things. First, the modern Republican Party is a post-policy enterprise, which
LaunchI was so tired of partisan politics. It was all Tim Eyman and no new taxes… That’s not me. I’m interested in community building. —
LaunchJohn Boehner was a terrible, very bad, no good speaker of the House. Under his leadership, Republicans pursued an unprecedented strategy of scorched-earth obstructionism, which
LaunchCBS’ JOHN DICKERSON: Four days, the government runs out of money. Is there going to be a shutdown? JOHN BOEHNER: No. The Senate is expected
LaunchThe only thing weaker than sweatshop-king Nike’s empty promises is the White House’s willingness to hype them as a victory in its push for a
LaunchBad things will happen to good ideas, and vice versa. So be it. Elections determine who has the power, not who has the truth. —
LaunchRepublican priorities: Cripple Medicare, spend more money waging war Budgets are moral documents that speak to a nation’s priorities, and it’s pretty clear what Republicans
LaunchMost of what political pundits focus on day-to-day is meaningless. Obama can’t get Republican cooperation by calling Boehner on the phone more often, or playing
LaunchThis is a war within the Republican Party… You can shade it any way you want, but this is war. — Senator Lindsey Graham, speaking
LaunchThere’s never been a time when we’ve taken progressive action and regretted it. — Former White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer, speaking to New York Magazine’s
LaunchWe really don’t have 218 votes to determine a bathroom break over here on our side… So how are we going to get 218 votes
LaunchThrough it all, Nancy Pelosi keeps sway over House Democrats The New York Times files a fresh profile of House Democratic chief Nancy Pelosi, who
LaunchIf Senator Hoeven wants to play more hostage politics with the Keystone pipeline that simply revives the two big failures of their disastrous first two
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