Jeb Bladine: ‘Facts’ categorized as election casualty
A television comedy skit this week began with organ music and a sober-faced minister intoning, “We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of our dear friend, Facts.”It was humorously ...
Jeb Bladine: Local sunshine on tax-hike strategies
A mass of campaign finance numbers is available online for anyone caring to analyze the politics of Oregon. Meanwhile, even a cursory look at those figures reveals a fascinating story of tax increase efforts ...
Jeb Bladine: No bets, Bernie, on Clinton-Trump vote
I missed Sunday’s party, when McMinnville Area Habitat for Humanity celebrated the organization’s new Aspire subdivision and 25 years of contributions to Habitat by co-founder Bernie Turner. News ...
Jeb Bladine: A local campaign in Trump-like style
For the record, I’m not a registered Republican, and not a member of the News-Register editorial board that endorsed Ron Noble for the Legislature. Further, if Noble and the Republican Party were ...
Jeb Bladine: Time to finish what Obamacare started
There’s a sense of desperation — even a dangerous threat of revolution — in the air swirling around Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Meanwhile, both Trump and Hillary Clinton ...
Jeb Bladine: Paying the piper for health insurance
In nearly three years since the January 2014 launch of Obamacare, so many chickens have come home to roost that they probably would qualify for a group health insurance plan. In a February 2013 commentary ...
Jeb Bladine: Election without bumper stickers
How strange is this year’s presidential election? Let me count the ways. It’s no secret that candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have the highest combined unfavorability ratings of ...
Jeb Bladine: Like giving drugs to Oregon addicts
In February we asked: “How long will Oregonians allow the excessive cost of PERS to drive our ship of state?” It’s time to change that rhetorical question to something slightly more impudent: ...
Jeb Bladine: Consider who gets Measure 97 billions
An attorney from Portland and a citizen-politician from Klamath Falls win this week’s nod for thought-provoking commentary about state financial management and the call for an unprecedented tax increase. James ...
Jeb Bladine: Countdown starts for another election
Counting this week, there are 10 Viewpoints sections before election day, so get ready for a steady stream of letters, editorials and commentary about candidates and issues on the November 8 ballot. When ...
Jeb Bladine: Marijuana stories populate the news
Who would have thought, a few short years ago, that marijuana would become one of the most prominent 2016 story topics in the News-Register? After Oregonians voted in 2014 to legalize recreational marijuana, ...
Jeb Bladine: It’s tough to have an original thought
I don’t know why anyone tries to write creative commentary about Donald Trump — it’s all been written before. This week, The Donald couldn’t stop himself from wondering aloud if ...
Jeb Bladine: Revisiting choice to avoid tweeting
Communication technology passed me by as I avoided joining Twitter — a choice I reconsidered while watching the 2016 presidential campaigns. (Point of reference: That opening paragraph is exactly ...
Jeb Bladine: Pokemon game has political connections
It seemed necessary this week to read up on “Pokémon Go,” the game that suddenly exploded into international prominence. Locally, some urged businesses to use Pokémon to lure ...
A quest to improve public records laws
Legal issues involving access to Oregon public records are complex, often contentious and sometimes subject to costly appeals and litigation. Last year, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum formed the ...
