The Josephine County Republican Party 2014 Election Guide is now available online. Please feel free to print these, fold them, and distribute them to friends and neighbors.
We will also have some printed and available at our Republican Campaign Headquarters soon.
Allen Alley has announced that he will not run for re-election as chair of the Oregon Republican Party. We appreciate all that Allen has done for our party and wish him well in whatever he decides to pursue next.
Our own Art Robinson, from here in Josephine County, has decided to run for the postion as chair of the ORP. Art ran a good race against U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio in this last election, but was unable to carry the liberal counties that are so firmly devoted to big government. But he won big here in Jospehine County, and we hope and expect that he will win big across the state of Oregon running for chair of our state Republican Party.
Please give your full support to Art Robinson for Oregon Republican Party chair!
Unfortunately, this event had to be canceled due to the pilot getting ill. We wish him a speedy recovery, and hope to see James Buchal soon!
Republican candidate for state Attorney General, James Buchal will attend a fly-in meet & greet rally at the Grants Pass Airport in Merlin this Sunday. His arrival is scheduled for 4:30 PM, the rally will begin at 4:00 PM.
Come and hear Buchal’s ideas on how state agencies that regulate our growth and development can be reined in. He also has exciting ideas on how the state can help with out of control federal resource agencies. This is a great candidate with great ideas and presenting a great opportunity. You won’t wan to miss this!
Signs and bumper stickers will be available.
The Grants Pass Airport is at 1441 Brookside Blvd in Merlin. Take exit 61 and continue North on Monument Dr to Brookside Blvd. Turn left on Brookside.
See you there!
This information is being sent to several thousand Republican primary voters in the state by the Oregon Republican Party. If we all work together, we can make sure we have Republican nominees for our Party this Fall.
ACTION REQUESTED:
Republican Write-in Candidates
The following are Republican write-in candidates for Attorney General and State Treasurer. You will not find them on your May 2012 ballot. If you want Republicans on the November general election ballot please write them in on your primary ballot now.
PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS INFORMATION TO OTHER REPUBLICANS YOU KNOW.
Your action today will ensure that we have Republican choices on the ballot in the general election for these two important statewide offices.
The Josephine County Republican Party held a Tea Party on April 16, in front of the courthouse. If you missed it, you can watch it here.
Representatives Greg Walden (R-OR), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) have proposed a bill to take all O&C Lands and divide them in half, setting aside half of them to be permanently withdrawn from timber management. The other half would be put in a forestry trust, administered by the state of Oregon, for the benefit of the O&C counties.
This is theoretically supposed to increase timber production and jobs in the forest, but the trust lands would still be subject to environmental regulations, and the environmentalists would no doubt continue to litigate any and all timber sales on them. The trust would be managed according to the Oregon Forestry Practices Act, rather than NEPA, but it’s not hard to imagine how long it would take the environmentalists to start targeting the OFPA, once half of the O&C lands are under its jurisdiction.
What is the up side for the O&C Counties? We lose all economic benefit from half of the O&C lands forever, and the rest is potentially not much better off than it is today. Your congressmen want to hear your comments on this. Please let them know how you feel about it by visiting their Web sites and posting a comment.
The O&C lands are a small portion of all the federal land in Oregon. And this small portion was dedicated by Congress in the 1937 O&C Lands Act to be used for permanent sustained yield timber production for the benefit of the O&C Counties. The reason for that designation was because most of the land in these counties is owned by the federal government (70% in Josephine County) and the counties receive no tax revenues on federal land.
In the 1990s, as part of the Northwest Forest Plan, the O&C lands were declared critical habitat for spotted owls, and since then nearly every timber sale has been litigated into oblivion by environmental activist organizations, decimating the local economies of the O&C Counties.
Our Congressmen apparently believe that by ransoming half of the O&C lands to the environmentalists, they’ll back off and let us use the other half the way all of these lands were mandated to be used by Congress in 1937. That is a pipe dream. The environmentalists are already claiming that this trust doesn’t provide enough “protections” for the half of the O&C lands that are not being handed over for permanent preservation. There is no reason to doubt that they will continue to litigate every significant sale on the remaining lands.
Far from creating more jobs and helping our economy, it will cut in half the little that remains. This is a bad idea!
The Josephine County Republican Central Committee adopted a resolution on January 31 officially opposing the Rogue Wilderness Expansion, which is part of this bill. Please let your congressmen know that you oppose this misguided plan to sell the O&C counties down the (Wild & Scenic) river!
To learn more about the Wilderness Expansion proposal, please attend the Wilderness Expansion Town Hall, sponsored by the Joesphine County Republican party on Thursday, February 23, at 6:00 in the Floral Building at the Josephine County Fairgrounds.
SALEM— House Republicans today announced a detailed, two-part policy agenda for the 2012 legislative session. The agenda offers solutions to promote private-sector job creation while limiting government spending, as well as reforms to reduce red tape, improve classroom funding and make health insurance more affordable.
“House Republicans are returning to Salem with an aggressive agenda that empowers the private sector to create jobs and boost our economy,” said House Republican Leader Kevin Cameron (R-Salem). “Our agenda recognizes that without business growth in the state, there won’t be tax revenue to fund the government and its programs. Our solutions will create a better climate for Oregon businesses, while putting more money in the pockets of Oregon families.”
Highlights of the “50,000 Jobs in Five Years” agenda include:
“According to nonpartisan analyses, the plan’s $3.97 billion investment over five years would generate an estimated 50,000 jobs and generate $7.89 billion in personal income growth,” said Deputy Republican Leader Matt Wingard (R-Wilsonville). “The Legislature can pay for this entire plan by simply limiting new government spending to the rate of inflation. We believe Salem can meet this challenge, and put 50,000 Oregonians back to work in the process.”
Highlights of the “Reform Oregon” agenda include:
“House Republicans are offering solutions to grow Oregon’s economy, but it is not a partisan agenda,” Rep. Cameron said. “We intend to work with Democrats, just as we did in 2011, to pass measures such as these to improve our state’s business climate and generate the private sector jobs many Oregonians need.”
Salem, OR – Senate Republicans announced a set of policy proposals for the upcoming legislative session on Wednesday morning. Republicans have dubbed the five concepts a “Blueprint for Prosperity,” and believe the ideas represent a long-term vision for the state that is filled with opportunity and success for Oregon’s working class families.
The agenda contains five planks that Republicans believe will make Oregon a place where families can thrive. The first three pieces of the “Blueprint for Prosperity” focus on job creation:
1. Enact a two year rules moratorium and give legislative committees veto authority over existing and future rules.
2. Give local jurisdictions power over their economic destiny by granting an exemption from Oregon Land Use Zoning laws if a county with less than 50,000 people has not seen an increase in population over the last 10 years.
3. Refocus priorities on job growth by generating job and business impact statements for major new regulations and bills. Establish the Small Business Services Division to serve as a proactive advocate of individual small employers, helping them navigate the regulatory environment and creatively look for ways to help up-and-coming Oregon job-creators succeed.
“We want to create an ecosystem in Oregon where businesses can germinate and grow, where Oregonians can find jobs that hold opportunity for long-term advancement,” said Senator Alan Olsen (R-Canby). “In order for that to happen, we have to remove the toxins and contaminates that kill the success of Oregon employers, like run-away red tape and one-size-fits all regulations.”
The fourth piece of the Republican agenda aims to cap excess government growth while increasing stability:
4. Establish a state spending cap and reserve fund. Benchmark state spending to personal income growth and enforce regular savings to build a safety net for core services. When tax collections exceed the spending growth rate allowed, excess revenue cannot be spent but will be put into a rainy day fund. Once the reserve fund is filled, excess tax collections will be returned to taxpayers.
“For too long, government spending has chased unsustainable spikes in revenue, leading to a boom-bust cycle of spending and higher taxes,” said Senator Frank Morse (R-Albany). “This proposal sets boundaries on government spending growth while filling a safety net account with excess revenue. We can protect classroom, prison and healthcare funding in future economic downturns without raising taxes.”
The final plank of the “Blueprint for Prosperity” agenda increases government accountability:
5. Set sunset dates for all major agencies, programs, boards and commissions and establish the Joint Oregon Sunset Committee to perform a careful review of each sun-setting state agency, program, board or commission. The goal of the committee is to evaluate whether an entity is still necessary and still fulfilling its original purpose.
“We believe that Oregon families have a common dream for the future of our state,” said Senator Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day). “Part of that dream is an Oregon with an ample supply of family wage jobs, where a family’s earnings grow faster than government spending, where classroom funding isn’t a victim of economic squalls, and a place where government at all levels is accountable to voters. Our February agenda can help make this dream a reality.”
The Senate Republican agenda document can be read and downloaded at http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/senaterepublicans/Blueprint_for_Prosperity.pdf.
The Oregon Republican Party State Central Committee will elect one National Committeeman and one National Committeewoman at our meeting on Saturday, February 4th, 2012 in Albany, Oregon.
Candidates for these positions must have been a registered Republican in Oregon for at least 180 days prior to the May 15, 2012 Primary Election (by November 17th, 2011) to be eligible for these offices.
These elected National Committee Representatives will serve a four-year term from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017. Attendance at all Republican National Committee meetings is expected of the man and woman elected to these positions.
If you want to file for one of these positions please click here to print and fill out the Candidate Filing Form.
Applications are to be submitted to the ORP Headquarters by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 21st.
| Mail to: Oregon Republican Party P.O. Box 1586 Lake Oswego, OR 97035 |
or | FAX to: 503-697-5555 |
or | E-mail scanned document to: Greg@orgop.org |
The election will be held at the Oregon Republican Party State Central Committee meeting, which will be held on Saturday, February 4th, 2012, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the Linn County Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road, Albany.
Early Registration for the meeting is $45. Late Registration (after 5pm on January 15th) is $55.
Application for National Committeeman or National Committeewoman
Official Call to the State Committee Meeting
Proposed Changes to Bylaws and Standing Rules
For more information: Greg Leo (503) 804-6391, or e-mail him at Greg@orgop.org.
OREGON HOUSE REPUBLICANS
2011-13 Budget By the Numbers
New Budget Numbers Highlight Republican Efforts to Bring Spending Under Control
Source: Legislative Fiscal Office’s Highlights of the 2011-13 Legislatively Adopted Budget
Josephine County Republicans 