Free Republic

Oregon Attorney General John Kroger's vow to defend the national health care plan drew criticism Thursday from a leading Republican in the state House of Representatives.

SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline)-Oregon Attorney General John Kroger could be just days away from having the statutory authority to prosecute lenders under the Beaver State's consumer protection laws.

SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline)-Oregon Attorney General John Kroger could be just days away from having the statutory authority to prosecute lenders under the Beaver State's consumer protection laws.

State officials deliberately underestimated the cost of Gov. Ted Kulongoski's plan to lure green energy companies to Oregon with big taxpayer subsidies, resulting in a program that cost 40 times more than unsuspecting lawmakers were told, an investigation by The Oregonian shows. Records also show that the program, a favorite of Kulongoski's known as the Business Energy Tax Credit, has given millions of dollars to failed companies while voters are being asked to raise income taxes because the state budget doesn't have enough to pay for schools and other programs. The incentives are now under intense scrutiny at the Oregon...

Last Wednesday, conservatives held coast-t0-coast "TEA parties" designed to send the message to Washington and state governments that the partiers feel "taxed enough already." The exercise struck me as more than a little out of touch with the political realities of President Obama's America. The next day, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar held a public hearing in San Francisco on a Bush administration proposal to sell federal leases to drill for oil and gas off the California coast. The hearing became the Left Coast equivalent of the right-wing TEA party. The only difference is that the overwhelmingly anti-drilling crowd was in...

SALEM -- With the Oregon economy in shambles and drivers leaving their cars at home in record numbers, the state is trying to shore up a shrinking fund for new roads. Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s solution? Tax breathing. That’s right. While thousands of Oregonians are leaving their cars home and, instead, riding public transportation, joining ride-share programs, or just plain working from home, this personally responsible effort to free up more cash for the dinner table has produced two unintended consequences: The state’s transportation fund, which is based on a gas tax, could be facing a future shortfall (Oh, Dear!), and...

Eager to make Oregon paper more attractive to investors, state Treasurer Randall Edwards, a Democrat, wants lawmakers to divert nearly $300 million scheduled for return to C-corporations this year, and instead use the money to create a structural budget reserve.

THE GOVERNOR GAMBIT This November, as dozens of state governors ask for your vote, ask yourself this: Do they deserve it? In states like Wisconsin, Maine and Michigan, NEA members see their governors finding money for programs and salaries, protecting jobs from privatization, and making sure students get what they need. (Can your colleagues in California say the same? We think not.) Yes, governors do make a big difference. And so do you, when you say yea or nay.............. OREGON GOV. TED KULONGOSKI Two Words: Old friend. 1)Money, Money, Money. Too-short school years and too-big class sizes aren't a distant...

California Governor Schwarzenegger and Oregon Governor Kulongoski today directed their respective state agencies to organize a Klamath Summit to be held before the year ends. The governors have joined forces and are holding the summit to resolve a multitude of complex issues related to the health of the river that impact salmon fishermen, tribes, hydroelectric power and a host of environmental and habitat concerns. “We have the problems of water quality, water supply, listed species, energy generation, and agricultural sustainability expressed in countless ways in the Klamath Basin,” Governor Kulongoski said. “We must forge a consensus on a sustainable approach...

The battle between Democratic incumbent Ted Kulongoski and Republican Ron Saxton is essentially a dead heat, according to a new survey by Portland pollster Mike Riley. The same poll found just over half of likely voters supporting a ballot measure that would require parental notice before minors can have an abortion. It also found a plurality against a proposed state spending limit - although nearly half say they are still undecided. Lastly, support outweighs opposition for a measure to elect appellate judges by district, with 40 percent undecided. Riley's poll projects an unusually small turnout in November - 55 percent...

There's a long tradition of candidates releasing their own polls that show them - surprise! - running strong. Only time will tell if Republican Ron Saxton is really running even with Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski, as a new poll from the Saxton campaign shows. The survey, by pollster Bob Moore, shows the two candidates each with 38 percent of the vote. The Constitution Party's Mary Starrett is next at 3 percent. You can find a few more details on Moore's Web Site. The last published poll, by Zogby, showed Kulongoski with a seven-point lead. It was conducted at the beginning...

May 23, 2006--Conducted the night after the primary elections , the latest Rasmussen Reports election poll of the race for Oregon Governor shows Democratic incumbent Ted Kulongoski narrowly leading Republican challenger Ron Saxton 43% to 41%. Although the incumbent had faced a vigorous challenge from State Treasurer Jim Hill, he won with 54% of the primary vote (Hill drew 29%). Governor Kulongoski is viewed favorably by 52% of the electorate, unfavorably by 44%. Saxton is viewed favorably by 48%, unfavorably by 41%. Almost twice as many view the governor Very Unfavorably as view the Republican challenger that way. Forty-nine percent...

Business Unfriendly From the Oregonian today... "Gov. Kulongoski has eye on corporate tax kicker Rebate - Business leaders will consider plans to pump cash from the $205 million tax break back to the state" Again, government, and in this case, the governor, wants to steal $205 Million dollars of corporate tax surpluses, to fund myriad of dreamt up State programs. Oregon law requires that any surpluses over 2% be returned to the taxpayers…now the governor is eying the corporate portion of the excess to fund his liberal agenda. What bothers me most is that the law is part of the...

Gay couples would get benefits similar to those of marriage and gain protection against discrimination in jobs, housing and public accommodations under a bill approved yesterday by the Senate Rules Committee. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure next week in the first vote in either chamber of the Legislature on creating a civil-union law giving same-sex partners virtually all the legal rights available under marriage laws. Such rights could include inheritance benefits, like entitlement to pensions or to other property when a partner dies, and the right to make medical decisions for a partner. The bill also...

SPOKANE, Wash. -- With drought and the threat of catastrophic wildfires facing the Northwest this summer, the governors of Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho were meeting in Spokane on Wednesday to share information on how to deal with the problems. The governors also planned to discuss issues related to the Columbia River, which drains portions of all four states, and economic development, said Kim Contris, a spokeswoman for Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat elected in November. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne will also attend. "They'll be talking about cooperation," Contris said....

Tuesday, June 15, 2004 Oregon governor denies he knew of sexual abuse Kulongoski denounces paper's charges By CHARLES E. BEGGS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SALEM, Ore. -- Gov. Ted Kulongoski yesterday vehemently denied allegations that he knew for at least 10 years that former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt had sexually abused a 14-year-old girl. "I never heard anything about Neil and any underage girl" until Goldschmidt revealed his sexual misconduct last month, Kulongoski told The Associated Press. It was Kulongoski's first direct comment on a report in The Oregonian on Sunday in which a former speechwriter to Goldschmidt said he and Kulongoski...

A former confidant of Gov. Ted Kulongoski says he discussed Neil Goldschmidt's sexual abuse of an underage girl with Kulongoski years before the governor named Goldschmidt to run Oregon's university system. The account by Fred Leonhardt challenges Kulongoski's assertions that he was unaware of the abuse until the day before Goldschmidt publicly revealed it on May 6. The governor has since stated that he never would have chosen Goldschmidt for the higher education job had he known of the abuse. Kulongoski declined to be interviewed for this story, and his office disputed the account of Leonhardt, who was a speechwriter...

Gov. Ted Kulongoski would prefer Oregonians' questions about food stamps and welfare benefits not be answered by workers in India. So he's asking state agencies to avoid outsourcing work to foreign countries. "If you're spending taxpayer dollars, you should spend the money to create jobs here in Oregon," Kulongoski spokeswoman Mary Ellen Glynn said this week, according to The Associated Press. Drawing the governor's attention was a $24 million state contract with an Arizona-based company to administer the new Oregon Trail debit card program that disburses food stamps and welfare payments. As part of the contract, the company, eFunds Corp.,...

NARAL Pro-Choice America Announces Endorsement of Kerry; Plan for Aggressive Campaign Effort Includes TV Ads, Online Campaign 3/30/2004 1:47:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk, Political Reporter Contact: David Seldin of NARAL Pro-Choice America, 202-973-3032, Web: http://www.ProChoiceAmerica.org WASHINGTON, March 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- NARAL Pro-Choice America, the leading national advocate for personal privacy and a woman's right to choose, today announced its endorsement of John Kerry for President of the United States and unveiled its aggressive plan to protect the future of choice by defeating George W. Bush. The pro-choice group will work to activate pro-choice voters in key states...

PORTLAND, Ore. - Benton County will become the second county in Oregon to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples, County Commissioner Linda Modrell said Tuesday. The county, home to Oregon State University, follows in the footsteps of Multnomah County, the state's most populous, which has issued over 2,200 licenses to gay couples since March 3. Licenses will be available in Benton County starting on March 24, at 9 a.m., Modrell said. The motion was passed by county commissioners by a 2-1 vote, with Modrell and Commissioner Annabelle Jaramillo voting in favor, and Commissioner Jay Dixon voting against it. Modrell...