Another Silly Idea By Oregon Economics California Lutheran University Louisiana Congressman Charles Boustany has introduced a bill banning withdrawals of welfare funds from ATMs at liquor stores, casinos, and strip clubs. Politicians do this sort of thing every now and then. It wasn’t that long ago that California’s leg
By Free Enterprise U.S. Chamber of Commerce While nearly all Americans felt the squeeze of the economic downturn, certain pockets of the United States remained prosperous. USA Today reports that median household income actually rose in 12 states and the District of Columbia between 2005 and 2010: •Texas, Iowa, and Hawaii
See who owns Facebook with new IPO documents
New study: A right-to-work law in Oregon would give a big boost to employment and incomes By Dr. Eric Fruits, Oregon economist EconInternational In Oregon, employers can have an agreement with unions that make union membership—and the payment of union dues—an employment requirement. Refusal to stay in the union or to pa
Statewide business and business labor organizations endorse Oregon Investment Act Oregon State Treasurer Statewide business and business labor organizations have endorsed the Oregon Investment Act, the bipartisan strategy that will prioritize state resources to help the private sector create jobs.The list of organizations a
Oregon Law FrimIs Super Bowl Protected by Trademark or Copyright Law? Try Both By David Silverman Davis Wright Tremaine, One of the questions we commonly get from broadcasters and others around this time of year is whether and/or how they can use the term SUPER BOWL. Some refer to it as a trademark while others [...]
Huge Price Drops for Tablets, TVs, Travel & Super Bowl Tickets. By Oregon Small Business Association While the cost of essential items like gas and food will continue to rise, analysts predict that current economic trends favor lower prices on tablets, televisions, and travel in 2012. Big screen TVs If the past few year
Report: Portland has 5th highest water and sewer rates in the U.S. by Eric Fruits, Oregon economist Econ International Blog A recent study from Nus Consulting Group revealed that the average business district/commercial water user saw rates rise 5.5 percent in 2011 when compared to 2010. However, in several cities, water an
by Patrick Emerson Oregon Economics Blog Yet another sign today that the US may be on the road to recovery: the US grew at an annualized rate of 2.8% last quarter. This is good news considering where we have been these last few years, but not good enough to may anyone feel good about the [...]
Bill Gates Speaks on State of the Union, Buffet Rule, Taxes on Rich Video of the week: CNN interviews Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, on the tax debate coming right out of President Obama’s State of the Union. See Bill Gates interview below.
Europe, America and the Crisis of Capitalism by Albert Gallatin Guest Opinion, Since the financial crisis of 2008 western economies have been in a continual state of crisis. In Europe one sovereign nation after another has faced the prospect of significantly reducing government spending or defaulting on its debt. So deep is
Google has made a bold step in changing their privacy policy which includes using more of the information it gets from its users. Congress is already complaining.. Below is the video Google is using to promote its new controversial privacy policy and it strikes gold for creativity over a dangerous and complex subject.
Oregon Employers: Mandatory Union Notices Delayed Again Until April 30 By J.L. Wilson Associated Oregon Industries Oregon’s Largest Business Advocate Late last year, AOI advised its members that they needed to comply with new National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rules – slated to go into effect on January 31 – th
Better Business Bureau, In 2011, Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington provided 2,975,099 BBB Business Reviews on local companies Top 20 Complaints 1. Cellular Telephone Service & Supplies 2. Internet Selling Services 3. Internet Access Provider 4. Computers Software & Services 5. Trav
Ninth Circuit rejects nationwide class action for false advertising from by Lori Bauman Ater-Wynne:, Oregon Law Firm The Ninth Circuit continues to grapple with the standards for certifying class actions following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, 131 S. Ct. 2541 (2011). Last week, a divided panel of the
In Portland, road maintenance takes a backseat to bikes and streetcars By Dr. Eric Fruits Econ International Blog Following up on a previous article, the figure below shows that as Portland’s road paving backlog has grown, the city has expanded bikeways and streetcar lines. Yes, yes, I know, correlation is not the same as
U.S. Chamber Pledges to Continue to Find Effective Solution to Foreign Rogue Websites The Right Solution is Good for Jobs, Consumers, and the Internet BY U.S. Chamber of Commerce WASHINGTON D.C.—David Hirschmann, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center, released the follow
Video: Groupon CEO faces 60 Minutes
Oregon Court: Good News – Businesses Can Offset Corporate Minimum Tax with Credits By Associated Oregon Industries In a key court decision that flew under the radar during the Christmas holiday, the Oregon Tax Court sided with Con-Way, Inc. in its dispute with the Oregon Department of Revenue. At issue: Con-Way’
New Ballot Measure Says “NO” to Double Taxation of Property By Oregon Prosperity Project Already nearly 100,000 Oregonians have signed the petition to stop real estate transfer taxes in Oregon. Over 116,284 signatures will be needed to put this measure on the November 2012 ballot. The measure, Initiative Petition 5, pro
By Dr. Eric Fruits Econ International Blog If you have ever visited Portland, it’s fairly certain that someone will proclaim that the city has more strip clubs per capita than any other city. Indeed, Portland’s reputation is international. Earlier this year, the UK’s Guardian newspaper dropped the factoid in its revie
Chevrolet Volt Energizes the Rich Jose Mesa José Mesa Auto Wholesale, LLC The Chevrolet Volt is far from being the everyday driver for the average American. In fact only 7,671 were sold in 2011 which is just short of General Motors goal of 10,000 vehicles. It has an average price of over $40K which immediately [...]
Latest viruses exploit Facebook, Twitter By Oregon Small Business Association, A new form of virus—dubbed social media virus or social spam—has companies like Facebook and Twitter working around the clock to prevent hackers from exploiting their social networks. Hackers have become adept at creating fraudulent profile a
Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber State of the State Address Portland City Club – 1-13-12 I’m proud of the progress we have made during the past year. We have not shied away from tough decisions – on the budget, education and health care – to put Oregon on a more sustainable path. And it’s been refreshing [...]
Best & worst of the 2012 tech products and gadgets CNN does a review of the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show with some very exciting and otehrs very odd tech products.
By Heritage Foundation Economic freedom declined worldwide in 2011 as many countries attempted — without success — to spend their way out of recession, according to the 18th annual Index of Economic Freedom, released today by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. The average economic freedom score
By Tim Duy, Oregon Economic Forum The Oregon economy lost momentum in November. The three-month moving average of the Oregon Measure of Economic Activity was -0.93, largely unchanged from October. The University of Oregon Index of Economic Indicators™ slipped 0.3 percent to 88.8 (1997=100) in November. Further comments:
Pop-up shops’ sales jump 53 percent, retailers report growth in sales By Portland Business Alliance This year’s holiday season was a jolly one for downtown retailers. Many retailers are reporting at least a 10 percent increase in sales over last year, and the über-popular pop-up shops rung up more than $225,000 in sale
by Patrick Emerson Oregon Economics Blog The report out from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is excellent. 200,000 net new jobs is not just a good number but a great number. As a rule of thumb, you need at least 100,000 new jobs a month to keep up with population growth, so double that is [...]
By U.S. Chamber of Commerce There’s much to do. For starters, Congress should take another crack at bipartisan negotiations to reduce the deficit following last year’s failure by the deficit reduction super-committee. The $1.5 trillion in automatic spending cuts scheduled to begin on January 1, 2013, does not address th