1+ day, 9+ hour ago  (442+ words) Governor Tina Kotek is right to celebrate Oregon's increased minimum wage:" Minimum wages, not tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy, are what matter to prosperity. Minimum wages make low wage workers better off in Oregon." Thanks in major part…...

1+ week, 13+ hour ago  (433+ words) As Harvard economist Ed Glaeser succinctly puts it: "At the local level fundamentally the most important economic development strategy is to attract and train smart people." The data on educational attainment (the fraction of adults wit at least a four…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago  (176+ words) To the extent you've heard substantially higher numbers, those are not our numbers, and I continue to say those will never be our numbers," Thomson said. So we're in the 5-billion-ish range." The state is moving to terminate'in its words…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago  (723+ words) The Myth of the "Slap-Dash" Estimate." ODOT Deputy Director Travis Brouwer recently implied the Abernethy project was greenlit based on incomplete, "back-of-the-envelope" math provided during the 2017 legislative session. This is simply untrue. The Detailed Directive: The 2017 Legislature did not fund…...

1+ mon, 6+ day ago  (259+ words) Other problems with the US way of life " like our lack of walkable cities, access to public transportation, and feasibility of living without a car " are harder to summarize with simple numbers. But they are real failings. Gross domestic product…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago  (614+ words) The Interstate Bridge Replacement project's investment grade analysis traffic and revenue analysis shows the $15 billion project will be a waste of money that will serve fewer vehicles in 2050 than use the bridge today." And it will cause tens of thousands…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago  (393+ words) Oregon ranks 29th among US states in per student spending on higher education." National average spending on higher education is about $9, 700 per student, Oregon spends about $8, 100, according to data reported by the National Science Foundation. Neighboring states all spend more per…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago  (608+ words) The proposed $15 billion I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) Project will be paid for in part by $2. 00 to $4. 65 tolls. "These tolls will cause tens of thousands of vehicles per day to stop crossing the I-5 bridge; and most traffic will divert to the…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago  (616+ words) What Oregon's Prosperity Council can learn about economic development from America's best performing mid-sized metropolitan area." Governor Tina Kotek's "Prosperity Council" is on a mission to figure out what it takes to have a successful economy. If we want to…...

2+ mon, 1+ day ago  (973+ words) Here's a statistical fact:" According to the Oregon Department of Employment, metro Portland ended 2025 with about 8, 800 fewer jobs than it started." To some, that's a symptom of a failing economy and justification for radical changes to local and state policies....