A few days ago we learned about another troubling wrinkle of Obamacare. From Washington, the Associated Press reported that people who get federal tax credits to help them buy private medical coverage may face higher tax bills. It comes about this way: Federal subsidies for buying insurance starting in 2014 will be based on income […]
Writers run the risk of going overboard now and then, or of using words that give the wrong impression. Albany City Manager Wes Hare knows all about this. He writes a weekly column and publishes it on the city’s website. During the last week in March he wrote from Afghanistan, where’s he’s doing an assignment […]
Oregon legislators are doing the right thing by allowing residents of Oregon to get a four-year driver’s license even if they can’t prove they have the right to be in the country. This would be allowed by Senate Bill 833, which has just been introduced by Democrats and Republicans, two of each in the Senate […]
The United Nations General Assembly has voted for a treaty to regulate the international arms trade, giving defenders of American gun rights another thing to worry about. Worry? Why? Because gun-rights defenders have learned that their opponents are devious and can’t be trusted. They say they respect the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms but […]
In Salem, the House Agriculture Committee spent a long public hearing Tuesday beating what appears to be a dead horse — or in this case, the issue of hunting mountain lions with hounds. Then the chairman, Democrat Brad Witt, closed the hearing without giving any indication if there will be another, or a work session […]
What’s it worth to make a mistake and park your car in a slot reserved for the disabled? According to this sign on a wall in downtown Albany, this particular offense could cost you not just the price of having your car towed and then bailing it out but also a fine of up to […]
Gun hearing: Did testimony matter?
You almost have to feel sorry for legislators when they have to sit through endless public hearings even though their minds are made up on the issue at hand. With rare exceptions, witness after witness says pretty much the same thing, and legislators have to sit there and pretend to look interested. Friday’s four-hour hearing before […]
Tags: gun control, Oregon Senate