Universal, free, high quality, early childhood education. It's a known predictor of more success in life and equality in society. Of course it must be followed by high quality public education--in which children with early learning are more likely to succeed as well.
1) YES to universal, free, high-quality early childhood education for all 3- and 4-year-olds! This will help solve so many other problems, including unemployment, underemployment, and low high school graduation rates.
2) Subsidized child care for all children with working parents from birth through kindergarten, on a sliding scale dependent upon household income.
Kevin- there are several missing that aren't necessarily "acute" issues to create fast/knee-jerk reactions but lingering and growing problems. Such as:
1) Urban/Rural divide- metro v rest of state. Portland sprawl- meaning what Portland thinks is important, the rest of the state must adopt through forced legislation.
2) Taxation- Measure 5/50 has created an imbalance in how local gov'ts are funded and also created an animosity between home owner and the local districts servicing those home owners. How do they balance the growing list of demands with decreasing revenue streams?
3) Forest health- I would rephrase wildfire. We have seriously neglected our state and federal forests for decades now.
4) Housing- could be one title for houseless, affordable and all others. Because we've again underbuilt housing since the great recession. How are some communities doing better at this than others? How do we maintain costs that keep people housed and affordable.
1. Represent all Oregonians - govern from the center, avoid picking winners and losers, and seek compromise solutions.
2. Identify key needs of both rural and urban Oregonians and aggressively push the legislature to pass practical, non-partisan solutions.
3. Provide the resources required for all Oregon children to grow into responsible, successful adults, including publicly funded education beginning with pre-K, affordable childcare, and health care.
4. Work with local/regional leaders to develop programs and funding to reduce long-term unemployment/underemployment.
5. Ensure all Oregonians enjoy the personal freedom to live happy, productive lives unencumbered by their religious beliefs, political affiliation, ethnicity, race, or sexual orientation.
6. Aggressively address homelessness by providing affordable housing for all who need it – integrated public and private approaches are necessary.
7. Tackle drug abuse and addiction by addressing root issues (e.g., poverty, mental health, education)
8. Ensure law enforcement works in support of the entire community they patrol. Ensure sufficient funding for the many legitimate needs for good policing while removing the ability of police unions to protect bad apples.
9. Rid the state of violent extremism.
10. Support energy sources that use Oregon’s own natural resources versus fuels imported from outside the state.
11. Improve forestry practices to ensure long-term sustainability and ensure forest harvesters pay their fair share to local communities.
Universal, free, high quality, early childhood education. It's a known predictor of more success in life and equality in society. Of course it must be followed by high quality public education--in which children with early learning are more likely to succeed as well.
1) YES to universal, free, high-quality early childhood education for all 3- and 4-year-olds! This will help solve so many other problems, including unemployment, underemployment, and low high school graduation rates.
2) Subsidized child care for all children with working parents from birth through kindergarten, on a sliding scale dependent upon household income.
This is a good list of challenges, but I'd add education from pre-k through tertiary education. We can do a lot better there.
Thanks, Nick! I appreciate the feedback. We hope to have a finalized list soon -- hoping to continue to solicit ideas from folks.
Kevin- there are several missing that aren't necessarily "acute" issues to create fast/knee-jerk reactions but lingering and growing problems. Such as:
1) Urban/Rural divide- metro v rest of state. Portland sprawl- meaning what Portland thinks is important, the rest of the state must adopt through forced legislation.
2) Taxation- Measure 5/50 has created an imbalance in how local gov'ts are funded and also created an animosity between home owner and the local districts servicing those home owners. How do they balance the growing list of demands with decreasing revenue streams?
3) Forest health- I would rephrase wildfire. We have seriously neglected our state and federal forests for decades now.
4) Housing- could be one title for houseless, affordable and all others. Because we've again underbuilt housing since the great recession. How are some communities doing better at this than others? How do we maintain costs that keep people housed and affordable.
5) Infrastructure investment- transportation, water/waste water, electrical grid integrity/safety, broadband
6) Mental Health- so many of our homeless and social services needs are due to a poor performing and insufficient resource of mental health services.
7) Education- Prek-16. How are we going to fund and make accessible a high quality education for everyone?
8) Economic Development- How will Oregon work with it's business partners to create a more welcoming state to grow or want to start a business in?
Here's my input:
1. Represent all Oregonians - govern from the center, avoid picking winners and losers, and seek compromise solutions.
2. Identify key needs of both rural and urban Oregonians and aggressively push the legislature to pass practical, non-partisan solutions.
3. Provide the resources required for all Oregon children to grow into responsible, successful adults, including publicly funded education beginning with pre-K, affordable childcare, and health care.
4. Work with local/regional leaders to develop programs and funding to reduce long-term unemployment/underemployment.
5. Ensure all Oregonians enjoy the personal freedom to live happy, productive lives unencumbered by their religious beliefs, political affiliation, ethnicity, race, or sexual orientation.
6. Aggressively address homelessness by providing affordable housing for all who need it – integrated public and private approaches are necessary.
7. Tackle drug abuse and addiction by addressing root issues (e.g., poverty, mental health, education)
8. Ensure law enforcement works in support of the entire community they patrol. Ensure sufficient funding for the many legitimate needs for good policing while removing the ability of police unions to protect bad apples.
9. Rid the state of violent extremism.
10. Support energy sources that use Oregon’s own natural resources versus fuels imported from outside the state.
11. Improve forestry practices to ensure long-term sustainability and ensure forest harvesters pay their fair share to local communities.
12. Increase the states fire-fighting capability.
Bill Clendenen