The extreme right of the MAGA movement and the extreme left of the Democratic Socialists of America have both built their followings rallying against the existing political establishment — “the people against the entrenched elite.” MAGA views government institutions as the enemy, while the DSA opposes the capitalistic, corporate empire they believe feeds off the sweat and blood of the working class.
The road to transportation funding was washed out in a major political tsunami this past year, leaving legislators with a major task to repair the damage in the upcoming legislative session. One of the lead engineers in the rebuilding project, Sen. Bruce Starr ( R-Dundee), sat down with me to talk about how to get Oregon back on the highway to success.
Today in Federal Court, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken made it clear that America still has a long road ahead to fulfill that promise. In a strong rebuke, Aiken chastised a lawyer for the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments for firing Beth Schmidt, the former Safe Routes to Schools Coordinator, who embraced her responsibility to honor Ruby Bridges during a walk to school event for Salem-Keizer students last fall.
Five changes the Legislature might consider to lift Oregon schools out of the nation’s basement in school performance. None will be easy. The status quo is a formidable opponent.
Rick Metsger dives into Oregon education issues with Jim Green, former Executive Director of the Oregon School Boards Association, in this month’s Political Center video podcast.
The ODOT director called it quits at the end of last year and two interim directors have warmed the chair since. Sources familiar with the search say finding a permanent replacement has been — to be kind — challenging.
Neither the Legislature nor the public have a clue what goes on behind the closed doors of the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability (CJFD). In the last 10 years, more than 2,000 complaints have been filed with the Commission charging some form of judicial misconduct, though not a single public hearing has taken place on any of them.
Oregon’s education system is spending more than ever, yet student outcomes continue to fall behind. We examine Gov. Tina Kotek’s appointments to the Quality Education Commission, the growing influence of teachers unions, and the widening gap between school funding, labor costs, and student achievement.
In this podcast, Steiner sits down with political analyst Rick Metsger to pull back the curtain on the sometimes opaque world of the Oregon State Treasury. They discuss a new savings plan for Oregonians that Steiner plans to introduce in the next legislative session, and Metsger even floats a novel idea for eliminating the state’s multi-billion-dollar PERS debt.