Today's News: March 25, 2011

It's Friday!

As the Ways and Means Committee prepares to release its proposed budget, it's becoming increasingly clear what an all-cuts budget will mean to schools, senior care, and public safety: devastating losses that will impact school children, seniors, and the middle class.

The Senate passed a bill requiring free, all-day kindergarten. Because of its $100 million price tag, the bill wouldn't mandate full-day kindergarten until 2015. Notably, that's only $7 million more than the $93 million in business tax breaks approved by the legislature two weeks ago.

The Oregonian editorial board continues to print false claims about Measures 66 & 67--this time claiming that businesses have closed or left because of the measures (among many other bogus claims). Their very own newspaper has yet to report on even one business closing or leaving because of 66 & 67. We get that it's the "opinion" page, but shouldn't "not printing verifiably false information" be a priority for the ed board?  

The "Hardest Hit" program takes an unexpected turn as homeowners facing foreclosure who were expecting the state mortgage help they applied for are still waiting -- many banks aren't interested in taking the state's money and would rather foreclose their homes.

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