What is the downside to living in Oregon? (Portland, Eugene: homes, neighborhoods)

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by heavens54

So, the colleges in OR are not impressive?

No they (the public universities) are not. Not even close to the top California public universities.

USNews rankings for national universities:

University of Oregon is #112. OK, but nothing great around the 50th percentile.

Oregon State is "Tier 3" (out of 4 tiers).

PSU is "Tier 4" (bottom 25%)

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by jjpop

I believe Larry is only referring to public universities. UO, OSU, PSU, OHSU and OIT have great reputations, but the public university system suffers from chronic underfunding. Researchers and professors have to secure funding via grants from the federal government or from endowments or foundations, and part of the grant money is earmarked for the university as kind of "overhead" so that the professor can have an office and help pay for department staff. Even with funding problems, the universities are top-notch in some subjects.

I don't know as much about the other public universities (SOU, WOU, EOU), but I have a relative who teaches at one of them and she is grossly underpaid.

That's precisely the problem. The faculty at Oregon state universities is compose of people who either have some other reason for living in Oregon, or who can't find a job anywhere else. There are many places where it is cheaper to live, but they pay their faculty members much better.

Of course, when a researcher gets a grant, he can pay his research assistants a pittance, which some might see as an advantage.

[pw72]

IMHO, it is the Oregon state income tax. It is one of the highest in the country. I've heard the arguments..."yes, but no sales tax!", but unless you are a frequent big-ticket purchaser, it doesn't help the average resident. I also think Oregon misses out on a lot of the transient (vacationers) potential tax revenue with this system. I would prefer to see Oregon go to a lower percentage income tax, and add a modest, (MODEST!) sales tax.

[SailingPDX]

Originally Posted by pw72

IMHO, it is the Oregon state income tax. It is one of the highest in the country. I've heard the arguments..."yes, but no sales tax!", but unless you are a frequent big-ticket purchaser, it doesn't help the average resident. I also think Oregon misses out on a lot of the transient (vacationers) potential tax revenue with this system. I would prefer to see Oregon go to a lower percentage income tax, and add a modest, (MODEST!) sales tax.

Look at the facts. Just because we have no sales tax that doesn't mean all of our taxes are higher. Taxes overall in Oregon are pretty cheap.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/335.html

CNNMoney.com: Taxes by state 2005, by rate

[M TYPE X]

Democrats and taxes suck, and you can't even pump your own gas.

Seattle > Portland, even on Seattle's bad days when it resembles a dirty hippie.
ok, so Portland's Japanese garden is nicer.

[norm]

Originally Posted by mdvaden

Democrat Governor and state goverment leadership if you are a Republican

Environmentalists if you are in the logging industry

Maybe, just maybe.

OK now name some downsides.

[mrkool]

Originally Posted by norm

OK now name some downsides.

Those *are* pretty big downsides for normal people.

[manzanita]

Mr. Caldwell apparently does not know much about the state of Oregon other than from a rural perspective. Unfortunately, as in most states, cities have their own dynamic. There is always a conflict with the countryside.

And like in other states with one large city and a lot of rural, most of the state services are paid for by the taxes of that large city. Without Portland, there are no decent schools throughout the state, nor roads, nor clean water.

A good deal of rural Oregon is subsidized by the US Forest Service, USDA, BLM, State Highway, Fish and Wildlife...in fact, without markets for their products and the taxes to support them, there is no business in rural areas.

Portland is cleaning up its water with a huge sewer system. It is a 20 year process and very expensive, but it is being done. And while rural Oregon apparently hates land-use planning (except for many farmers), it really benefits all. The alternative is a free for all.

Rural areas always complain about why things are never better, but when it is explained that someone has to pay for services and improvements, taxes are always the bugaboo...noone wants to pay them, but everyone wants what they produce.

[norm]

Originally Posted by mrkool

Those *are* pretty big downsides for normal people.

And after the next election, as the winning majority, WE will be the normal people.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by mrkool

Those *are* pretty big downsides for normal people.

After what is widely regarded as one of the most productive legislative sessions in recent memory, let's hear it for abnormality!!!