17 Comments
User's avatar
Jeff Zekas's avatar

All legislators in Salem should be required to take a basic economics course.

Expand full comment
Jan Kitchel's avatar

The laws of economics don't matter if you just believe strongly enough. Socialism looks so fun, fair, and kind. I can fly if I just hold this feather in my trunk.

Expand full comment
CharP's avatar

🤣🤣🤣

Expand full comment
pogi's avatar

And a drug test plus background check.

Expand full comment
Jan Kitchel's avatar

A couple of thoughts:

1. To deal with unintended consequences before you jump, you need to be smart enough to see them ahead of time. You need to make them not "unforeseen."

2. You have to care enough to avoid them by changing your actions, or by not acting. This is the same as not being so motivated by a second agenda that you are willing to risk the unintended consequences.

3. As a subcategory of number 1, you need to operate from a shared set of facts and true assumptions. E.g., you have to believe in gravity to avoid the unintended consequence of jumping off a cliff.

I could apply this analysis to the facts at hand, but we're all smart enough to realize what I'm talking about without me drawing a picture.

Expand full comment
Theresa Griffin Kennedy's avatar

The Democrats have failed this country in so many ways. The party is unrecognizable now. It is a joke. I was so glad when they ended up with egg on their face. They deserve it. They are not doing right by the working men and women of this state.

Expand full comment
Kent's avatar

Democrats in Oregon don't understand the basics of Capitalism or how the economy works. Let's see how well the PERS ESG investment funds do now that Trump is in office. I guess that was an Unforeseen circumstance. They thought he might be in prison by now. DOT has about 5000 employees? That seems like a lot of union dues. However, do the dues paying union members know that they can drop out given the Supreme Court's Janus decision back in 2018. I did it immediately. Still had those great benefits though. Yeah me.

Expand full comment
JR's avatar

5,000 ODOT employees? I just saw 9 of em watching the 10th with a shovel filling a pot hole.

Expand full comment
BackDoor's avatar

The Dems in Oregon BELIEVE they understand the economy despite contrary information when things go south. They believe it is not their principles that are wrong, it is the greedy corporations and wealthy taxpayers. If only we Dems could make it difficult for the wealthy, then things will turn out alright because we will have more money to spend.

The focus of budgeting in Salem has been wrong for a long time. The Legislature begins by soliciting spending desires from the agencies and fellow legislators, then try to figure out how to increase revenue. Budgeting should focus on how much revenue we can expect, and then how should we prioritize spending it without seeking more revenue for higher levels of desired spending.

The question during Session seems to always be, "how do we raise more revenue?" Rather than "how do we prioritize spending?"

If we want to prioritize $15B for transportation, instead of new and higher taxes/fees, where else do we cut? If we can't get it from cutting, then lower the $15B.

Expand full comment
William MacKenzie's avatar

Mark: Re. SB 916, this bill giving cash to striking workers was a major mistake by the overly ambitious Democrats. It's going to come back to haunt them. Maybe a public referendum is in order.

Expand full comment
James Lyon's avatar

what's the problem? the state already pays its employees not to work (effectively).

Expand full comment
James Lyon's avatar

the health provider scarcity is already here. you have to wait 6 months for an appointment to see a local ENT and you have to go out of state to find a neurologist who can diagnose a debilitating nerve condition.

Expand full comment
Randall Murray's avatar

But UK and Canada healthcare systems are the greatest. Oh wait. BC couples kid being denied life saving medication. Canada residents come to US for care. UK cutting services. Geez Democrats oligarchy do you not have enough examples of what not to do??

Expand full comment
Kendall's avatar

I am old enough (alas) to remember the much ballyhooed SB 100 and the claim that the rest of the nation would follow suit. Well the rest of the nation looked at it and essentially said "Y'all nuts but bless your hearts". I suspect SB 916 will get the same warm "no thank you". As an aside has anyone in the Legislature on the Dem side run anything besides their mouths, at least anything they actually have some skin in ?

Expand full comment
David Gulickson's avatar

“Oregon, Oregon…where fore art thou, Oregon?”

Expand full comment
Gemna's avatar

I think the most effective response to SB 916 is to get school choice referendum on the ballot and passed.

I wasn't aware of the Oregon owned health care provider law, but it explains why Walgreens doesn't have nurse practitioner clinics like in Illinois.

Imagine if that law applied to pharmacies, we'd have at least 70% less and none open evenings and weekends.

Expand full comment
Richard Cheverton's avatar

Terrific analysis...and I'll bet Mr. Hester is one of the happiest journalists in Oregon, now that he's out from under the thumbs of the Big Girls running the state's biggest newspaper.

Expand full comment