Bill Sizemore's Ballot Measure 59 would give the richest 1% of Oregonians an average tax break of over $15,000 a year while middle-income families would get the impressive sum of - are you ready for it? - two bucks.
Blog
Furniture Wars: The Merk Strikes Back
Jeff Merkley, stung by Gordon Smith ads attacking him over the purchase of new furniture for state legislative offices, has hit back with a tough ad of his own linking the Republican senator to our $9 trillion national debt.
Sweating it Out at R3: And why Vengeance Creek rules the local metal scene
Sound Check drove the dreaded 32 miles down to LaPine Friday night for
the R3 Festival and learned three very important things; Vengeance
Creek are Central Oregon's metal royalty, clever beat-boxing can steal
the show and you can three-person sandwich grind to metal.
As the
sun set on a triple-digit August night, band after band played to a
half-interested crowd switching between the two trailer truck stages.
The crowd grew as the sun descended and the local rap group Povciti
took the stage giving the crowd its promised dose of local rap and
properly woke them up. Sound Check learned from this set that you can
apparently find Povciti's Epic and H@ze in the Old Mill District and
that they're established local celebrities. Well, if they weren't local
celebrities before then they are now. The duo laid their underground
hip-hop routine on thick and brought the crowd to its feet with their
finale - a freestyle rap accompanied by master beat boxer Dain
Strothoff. The kid can beat-box like nobody's business to every kind of
beat imaginable and stole the show from right under the duo. Whoever
this kid is, Sound Check contemplated that he could give Person People
(keyword "could") a run for their money if accompanied by the right
freestyle artist. Maybe it was the possible heat stoke, but our thirty
bucks entrance fee was justified right then and there.
But He Didn’t Inhale
Mike Erickson, a Republican running for Congress in Oregon's 5th District over by Portland, is trying to defend himself against charges that a "humanitarian" trip he took to Cuba in 2004 was mostly a partying, sightseeing, cigar-smoking junket.
Blowin’ in the Wind?
T.A. Barnhart of the BlueOregon blog made the daring voyage over the hill to Bend with The Bus Project last weekend to ring doorbells for state legislative candidate Judy Stiegler, and says he saw signs of encouragement for the Democrats: Tibetan prayer flags.
Merkley vs. Smith: The Mud Thickens
Republican Sen. Gordon Smith is out with another ad hitting Jeff Merkley for redecorating legislative offices - prompting a counterattack from Merkley accusing the Smith campaign of "hypocrisy" and a counter-counterattack from Smith's side accusing the Merkleyites of "flat-out lying."
In Paradise, the Puffery Never Stops
Yawn … Bend and Central Oregon are the subject of yet another glossy puff piece, this one in the latest issue of World Golf magazine.
Thrown Under the Straight Talk Express?
John McCain has announced his list of honorary co-chairs for his campaign in Oregon and Sen. Gordon Smith isn't on it.
The Fine Art of Pooh-Poohing the Polls
Politics 101: When your guy is ahead in a poll, trumpet the news. When your guy is behind in a poll, either (a) question the value of the poll or (b) say the other guy should be FURTHER ahead or (c) both.
Well-Upholstered Politicians
Those Gordon Smith ads chiding Jeff Merkley because the Oregon Legislature spent millions on redecoration during his tenure as House speaker prompted a snarky editorial from The Oregonian yesterday.

