Oregon Politics & News
Oregon politics from The Daily Signal, examining progressive policies in Portland, rural county concerns, drug decriminalization debates, and the stark political divisions shaping the state.
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Portland’s Journey From Symbol of Chic to Shabby
In December, bestselling author and humorist David Sedaris wrote a New Yorker magazine essay about a recent trip to Portland, Oregon. While on a walk to a donut shop, he “lost count of the strung-out addicts I passed on my way” before eventually encountering four homeless people huddled around an empty baby carriage and smoking drugs…Mark Hemingway -
Democrats Push ‘Oregon Way’ for Nationwide Vote-at-Home Initiative
Democrat Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley want the entire United States to adopt the “Oregon Way” for mail-in voting and have 11 other senators backing them. The Vote at Home Act would provide prepaid envelopes to return ballots for every registered voter, and requires automatic voter registration in states. “I’m not sure you want…Fred Lucas -
Boy Dominates Girls Race at Oregon State High School Championship
A male athlete took first place in a race for high school girls over the weekend at an Oregon state championship. Sophomore Aayden Gallagher, who identifies as female, beat seven girls in the 200-meter dash at the Oregon School Activities Association 6A State Championships, held at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Gallagher also took…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
Oregon Decriminalized Hard Drugs in 2020. You Won’t Believe What Happened Next.
Editor’s note: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, and other Oregon leaders declared a state of emergency for downtown Portland on Tuesday owing to an explosion of fentanyl use in the city. The state of emergency will last at least 90 days. According to The Associated Press, city, county, and state authorities will…Jarrett Stepman -
Oregon Decriminalized Hard Drugs. You Won’t Believe What Happened Next.
There’s a price to be paid for bad policies divorced from human nature. The Associated Press reported Sunday that Oregon’s first-in-the-nation law to decriminalize hard drugs is finally facing serious backlash. This may come as a surprise, but according to AP, the state has seen an “explosion of public drug use fueled by the proliferation…Jarrett Stepman -
Oregon Training Teachers to Dismantle Racial ‘Systemic Inequities’ in Math Classes
The Oregon Department of Education is instructing teachers on the keys to dismantling “systemic inequities” in the math classroom. High school math teachers should “support equitable discourse and foster positive mathematical identities,” according to a series of teacher training slideshows from the Department of Education reviewed by The Daily Signal. The Department of Education’s Math…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations: Oregon Joins List of States Dumbing Down Education
The Oregon Board of Education on Thursday voted unanimously to remove requirements for students to be proficient in reading and writing in order to graduate—joining the long line of ill-advised moves to cut academic expectations for American students. The Oregon Department of Education released a statement calling the reading and writing proficiency standards “burdensome to…Tony Kinnett -
Christians Must Take Children to Transgender Procedures or They Can’t Adopt, Oregon State Law Says
The state of Oregon refused to allow a Christian mother of five to adopt two children after she said her religion would not let her take a young minor to receive cross-hormone injections—a policy that could prevent up to 78% of Americans from adopting children. Requiring adoptive parents to facilitate transgender procedures acts as a form of…Ben Johnson -
Oregon Voters Narrowly OK Restrictive Gun Control Measure Creating ‘Database’ of Gunowners
Oregon voters approved a ballot question that is considered one of the most restrictive gun control measures in the country. Known as Measure 114, the ballot question was approved 51% to 49%, with 77% of the vote counted, The Oregonian reported early Wednesday. Though the results were close with just over three-fourths of the vote…Bronson Winslow -
Democratic Candidate for Oregon Governor Turns on Ally Over Homelessness Crisis
One Democrat is accusing her fellow Democrat and ally of failing to address the homelessness crisis is Oregon. “Nearly three years ago, I called for a homelessness state of emergency here in our state,” Oregon Democrat gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek said during a debate Wednesday, adding that outgoing Democrat Gov. Kate Brown “did nothing.” Brown previously…Virginia Allen -
Striving for ‘Menstrual Equity,’ Oregon Puts Tampons in Men’s Bathrooms at Public Schools, Colleges
According to a new poll, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, is officially the least popular governor in America. And considering the law she just signed, it’s not hard to see why. Thanks to the Menstrual Dignity Act that just passed, local taxpayers are now on the hook for thousands of new tampon dispensers in…Tony Perkins -
Oregon Fails Disadvantaged Students With Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, discreetly signed a bill in July dispensing with the requirement that high school students must prove they can read, write, and do math before graduating. Although Brown signed Senate Bill 744 with little fanfare on July 14, she neglected to log the law into Oregon’s legislative database until July 29. The delay coupled with her departure from the usual bill signing ceremony indicated Brown wanted to keep Senate Bill 744 quiet. When it came…Douglas Blair -
Power-Hungry Oregon Politicians Ignore CDC Guidance, Stalling Return to Normalcy
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidance three weeks ago advising that fully vaccinated people could largely resume normal activities without masking, many saw it as the light at the end of the long tunnel of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the CDC’s May 13 guidance is just that and, thanks to…Jason Dudash -
Woke Math Spreads to Oregon
“Woke” education is not just coming to history, social studies, and the humanities. A recent report by Fox News explained how the Oregon Department of Education encouraged teachers to take “ethnomathematics” training to aid in “dismantling racism in mathematics.” Oregon educators did the training, called the “Pathway to Math Equity Micro Course,” in partnership with…Jarrett Stepman -
Oregon Capitol Staff to Get Pay Raise for COVID-19 ‘Inconvenience’
An early-December memo from Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek outlined state lawmakers’ budget for the six-month legislative session that kicks off this month. That budget should prioritize helping Oregon families and businesses safely resume their livelihoods, their educations, and their well-being, while recognizing the need to pare back on unnecessary…Mike Nearman -
In Oregon, Drugs Are Legal and Thanksgiving Is Criminalized
In Oregon, you can have cocaine, but not cranberries. Heroin, but no ham. Meth, but not mashed potatoes! Amazingly, a state that just legalized drugs wants to criminalize Thanksgiving! Talk about a double helping of hypocrisy—just in time for the holidays. Of course, Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, wasn’t exactly winning any popularity contests as it was….Tony Perkins -
Oregon Votes to Decriminalize Certain Amounts of Meth, Heroin, Cocaine
Oregon residents on Tuesday voted to decriminalize certain possession amounts of hard drugs. Roughly 60% of Oregonian voters favored making it no longer a crime to possess a “non-commercial” amount of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine, among others, according to The Hill. Those caught with the specified amount of narcotics face a $100 fine, but the penalty can be avoided…Jake Dima -
Border Chief Rips Media, Oregon Politicians for Anti-Law Enforcement Rhetoric
A top homeland security official is calling out leaders in Portland, Oregon, as well as the mainstream media over criminal rioting and the smearing of federal law enforcement there. “This is really about politics over public safety,” Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said Monday during a virtual event held by…Fred Lucas -
Oregon Forced Us to Close Our Cake Shop. Here’s What the Masterpiece Decision Means for Us.
We are thrilled for our friend, Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop who recently won his case at the Supreme Court. Like Jack, we know what it is like to be treated unfairly by a state agency and mocked, threatened, and abused by critics. We can only imagine the relief Jack is experiencing. At…Aaron Klein -
Oregon Lawmakers Vote to Bail Out Planned Parenthood
The demand for abortion in Oregon is going down, so why do pro-abortion lawmakers there seem so determined to increase it? From 2011 to 2014, Oregon saw a 15 percent decline in the number of abortions. It also saw a 7 percent decline in the number of abortion providers. But, apparently that isn’t a trend…Genevieve Wood