OUR POLICY BEACONS

Oregon Freedom Coalition is guided by six beacons of sound policy. The beacons seek to ensure the policy positions taken by Oregon Freedom Coalition lead to a better Oregon for all Oregonians. The six policy beacons should not be thought of as distinctly separate or leading to different visions of Oregon’s future. Instead, the policy beacons frequently compliment and accentuate each other with several having many shared policy solutions guiding one vision for Oregon. Oregon Freedom Coalition envisions a better Oregon created from policy solutions that promote accountability, affordability, better education, business-friendliness, healthiness, and safety.

Accountable

Accountability ensures that elected officials and public servants are held to the standard of working for the people of Oregon. Too often, Oregon’s elected officials and public servants have become beholden to interests that are not aligned with the common Oregonian. Part of the problem of four decades of progressive governance is that policy decisions have largely focused on pleasing special interest or radical fringe groups. These groups make a profit from the abuse of the Oregon taxpayer brought on by these terrible policy choices.

Real accountability puts Oregonians first. It means that Oregon taxpayer dollars are being spent effectively, efficiently, and responsibly, preventing waste, fraud, and abuse in the process. Policies guided by the accountability beacon should:

  • Create greater transparency and accuracy in government accounting;

  • Reduce wasteful spending;

  • Foster meritocracy in hiring and promoting civil servants;

  • Eliminate corruption;

  • Stymie government overreach; and

  • Promote equality under the law in government programs and proceedings.

Affordable

Affordability ensures that the cost of living in Oregon is well aligned with what Oregonians earn. Currently, the cost of living in Oregon—be it grocery costs, housing costs, or energy costs—is a massive burden upon the average Oregonian. What’s worse is that Oregonians are far too overtaxed, meaning that what they earn from their hard work ends up being pilfered by the state at the end of the day.

Creating an affordable Oregon means bringing down the cost of living while bringing up the growth of wages. The best way to do this is not through the interventionist policies of the last four decades but through a hands-off approach to the economy. Policies guided by the affordability beacon should:

  • Naturally lower market costs;

  • Focus on free market solutions to supply problems; and

  • Allow Oregonians to decide how their money is best spent.

Better Educated

Better education ensures that the next generation of Oregonians is well equipped to lead our state. Whether as entrepreneurs, doctors, or lawyers or as farmers, electricians, or plumbers, the Oregon education system should be training young Oregonians to be the next carriers of prosperity in our state. The Oregon education system is currently failing students and parents in public schools and universities across the state. Oregon has some of the highest spending per student in the United States, yet Oregon has some of the lowest testing scores in the nation and some of the highest rates of illiteracy. Oregon schools are plagued by misguided priorities in both curriculum and spending, leading to a generation of students that may not be well prepared for their futures.

By providing a better education for Oregon students, we can ensure that Oregon’s future is one of hope and prosperity instead of despair and poverty. Policies guided by the better education beacon should:

  • Give more power to parents, who know what’s best for their children;

  • Set a high bar for education standards and work to bring every student up to that bar;

  • Implement curriculum that prepares students for their future, promoting virtuous curriculum rather than curriculum that is harmful to students;

  • Prioritize funding for the benefit of students rather than education workers; and

  • Provide for safe learning environments.