Friday, June 30, 2006

Impressive Registration Push Among Hispanics

Today's Salem Statesman Journal reports on a major voter registration effort among Oregon's Hispanic population.

With the immigration debate expected to be revived in September, immigrant-rights groups in the Salem area will begin a naturalization and voter-registration campaign across the state Saturday.

[...]

The local effort is part of "Democracy Summer," a national campaign launched by the We Are American Alliance, a nationwide collection of labor, faith and immigrant-rights groups.

Its coast-to-coast goal is to have 1 million immigrants both naturalized and registered to vote in the November election. It also focuses on 18- to 24-year-old children of immigrants.
Mike would like to applaud the effort to register more citizens across Oregon and across the country to vote. There is no greater right or responsibility than that of voting, and any organized attempt to get more citizens voting -- regardless of their race or ethinicity -- should be fully supported by institutions both inside and outside of government.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

The New Website

Well, the website is up and running now thanks to the great volunteer work of one of the friends of the campaign. We'd love to hear any thoughts and suggestions you might have about it, so please feel free to send us an email under the subject line "Website" with any of your thoughts.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Riding the Bus

On Saturday night I joined countless young people and progressives alike at the Oregon Bus Project's semi-annual all-night party and fundraiser.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Bus Project, Wikipedia explains that "the Oregon Bus Project is a non-profit organization that engages young people in progressive politics and catalyzes action around progressive issues within Oregon."

The even was great -- lots of raucous fun -- and I had the opportunity to speak with a number of people about the campaign to send Mike to the state legislature. Needless to say, people were extremely excited to hear that we are putting together a strong campaign to take on Majority Leader Wayne Scott. The response was really positive and a number of people expressed their interest in getting involved in the campaign.

If you, too, are interested in getting involved, shoot us an email, give us a call at 503-557-1616 or send us a letter to the address on the right.

Soon to come on the blog: an update on the website, which is just moments from coming online.

Friday, June 23, 2006

This Week in the Campaign

With the end of the work week fast approaching, let's take a look back at some of the things going on in the campaign over the last few days...

This week has been chalk full of campaign-related activities. Mike and I met with key local politicians to get some tips from seasoned veterans of local politics, we interviewed a representative from a company interested in running our direct mail and advertising buys and met with a number of excited volunteers who are interested in helping out in any way possible. (Email us if you, too, want to become a volunteer.) We also ramped up our fundraising effort this past week to ensure that we can run the most effective campaign possible between now and election day.

Additionally, we have been working to put the finishing touches on the campaign website, which should be up and running any time now. Our efforts in this regard have included working with ActBlue.com to set up a means for accepting online contributions. For now, if you are interested in donating to the campaign, please send a check to

Committee to Elect Mike Caudle
718 Main Street
Oregon City, OR 97045
In your letter, make sure to include your full name, address, telephone number (optional), email address (optional), occupation, employer, and employer address as required by Oregon law. Remember, individual's campaign contributions of up to $50 will result in a tax refund of that same amount (Oregon Political Tax Credit).

But this week was not only focused on campaigning for the state legislature. Mike, who was student body president at Oregon State University, has been eagerly following the Beavers' impressive run in the College World Series and greatly looks forward to watching them in the championship series. (I'm a bit of a Johnny-come-lately to Beavers baseball, but I'm enjoying rooting for the home team, too.)

And on Wednesday night, after several weeks of lobbying by Mike and many others, the Oregon City commission unanimously passed a citywide ordinance reigning in the predatory payday lendors in the area. (You can read Mike's write-up of the vote here.) You can rest assured that when Mike is in the state House in January he will work hard to make sure that all Oregonians have the ability to escape from the cycle of debt.

Make sure to check in throughout the next week for more updates and news from the campaign.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Renewing the Voting Rights Act

The Associated Press is currently reporting that a group of Congressional insiders have come together to block the renewal of the Voting Rights Act.

In 1965, Congress passed this legislation to enfranchise African-American voters, particularly in the South, through abolishing poll taxes and literacy tests and requiring states and counties with a history of voter suppression to get permission before making changes to electoral law. While there are some who have criticisms of the bill, it is one of the most successful and important pieces of legislation in the last century, a landmark law that was extremely effective in allowing all Americans to participate in the electoral process.

Although state legislators do not play a direct role in the renewal of the law, Mike urges Congress to pass an extension to the Voting Rights Act to ensure that all Americans -- and all Oregonians -- can exercise their right to vote.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Rethinking Campaign Finance Law

This morning a jury found David Safavian, the former chief procurement official in the Bush administration, guilty of covering up his ties with one time superlobbyist and major campaign contributor Jack Abramoff.

Although the culmination of this trial shows that illegal activities will not go unpunished, it also underscores a need for more transparency in our campaign finance laws, both federally and here in Oregon.

Citizens have a constitutional right to make their voices heard in the political process through the first amendment's freedom of speech clause. But when too much money pours into our elections system, greed and corruption can ensue. One need only look to the convictions of Safavian and others like former US Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham for examples of when big money and politics have become too closely tied.

While it is not necessary or constitutional to take away citizens' ability to participate fully in the political process, common sense steps must be taken here in Oregon to clean up our campaign finance laws to help make Salem smarter and more accountable. Secretary of State Bradbury has made some good first steps, including requiring candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically. But if we truly want to ensure that Salem is accountable to Oregonian voters and not outside interests, we must begin to seriously consider changes to our campaign finance laws.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Oregon Clamps Down on Meth

From the Associated Press today:

White House drug czar John Walters announced today large drops in the number of meth labs siezed by police, and credited tougher laws and increased awareness of the hazards of methamphine.

[...]

The drop was steepest in Oregon and other Western and central western regions of the country, particularly states that were among the first and hardest hit by meth abuse and the dangerous makeshift labs where the drug is made from pseudoephedrine — found in many store-bought cold medicines — and household chemicals.

Oklahoma, for example, saw a drop of 68 percent, while lab busts in Montana fell by 66 percent and Oregon declined 60 percent. Missouri, which leads the nation in lab seizures, saw a 22 percent decline.
Oregon and a number of states are making great headway in combating the corrosive effect meth has on our communities, but more can and must be done. That's why Mike is calling for the hiring of 50 new state troopers to deal fight meth and identity theft.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

More on Payday Loans

Last night Mike and I went to a meeting on a proposed payday loan ordinance at a local church in Oregon City and I have to tell you that the issue has been on my mind ever since.

This morning while driving to work I counted close to a dozen payday loan/title loan/cash checking stores along McLoughlin. Perhaps this shouldn't have come as a surprise as there are actually more payday loan stores in Oregon than McDonald's (a statistic we learned last night), but nevertheless I had never noticed just how many of these effectively unregulated stores dot the landscape.

So what will this proposed city ordinance do? And why is Mike, a candidate for the state House, getting involved in a local issue?

You can take a look at the draft of the ordinance online, but quickly, the proposed regulation would mandate that the five payday loan stores in Oregon City -- each of which is owned by an out-of-state corporation -- would:

  1. Allow borrowers pay back principal in addition to interest (like a home loan or most any other loan).
  2. Allow borrowers to have a payment plan if they are unable to pay back the loan when it comes due (so people are not forced into bankruptcy -- or into more loans -- just to pay off a payday loan).
  3. Allow borrowers to return the loan within 24 hours (which is just good common sense).
The purpose of the ordinance, and indeed all proposed regulations of the industry in Oregon, is not to punish the people who own payday loan stores. In fact, each of these regulations -- which are common in many other states around the country -- would still allow the industry to be profitable.

As to the second question -- why Mike is getting involved in a local issue when he's running for the state legislature -- the answer is simple. As a lifelong resident of Clackamas County, Mike cares deeply about the vitality of the community. And whether action is needed in Salem or here in Oregon City, Mike will stand up for the people of this district.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Regulating the Payday Loan Industry

Next week city commissioners in Oregon City will hold a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would regulate the payday loan industry beyond the legislation signed into law by Governor Kulongoski in April.

Tonight Mike and I will be attending an open meeting at the Prince of Life Lutheran Church in Oregon City (13896 S Meyers Rd) at 7:00 to discuss the public testimony in favor of the ordinance and how to ensure the ordinance is in fact enacted.

If you're interested in the issue, you should definitely think about attending, and if you do indeed attend, make sure to come over and introduce yourself.

If you are unable to attend but still feel strongly about the issue, please contact the campaign either through email or telephone (503-557-1616) to get more information or to get involved.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Welcome to the Mike Caudle Blog

“I am going to keep my eye on the issues important to voters.” -- Mike

As a lifelong Clackamas County resident, I am passionate about seeing our community thrive. For this to happen, our elected representatives must see things from OUR PERSPECTIVE and take actions based upon what’s best for our community.

But too often, the politicians spend their time playing political games. I’m running to make sure that our community finally has a representative who sees things from OUR PERSPECTIVE.

Here are my priorities:

PUT KIDS FIRST

  1. Increase education spending so that all kids get in a full school year.
  2. Eliminate the corporate kicker and funnel that revenue into reducing class sizes
  3. Protect our kids from sexual predators:
    • ID bracelets to constantly track repeat child sex offenders
    • Increase punishment for child sex crimes and online solicitation of kids
    • Ban paroled sex offenders from living within 3 miles of a school
  4. Ensure that all children have access to insurance and quality healthcare

PROTECT AND SUPPORT WORKING FAMILIES

  1. Reign in predatory payday loan companies outrageous interest rates
  2. Add 50 state troopers to combat meth and ID theft crimes
  3. Increase the “$10 Corporate Minimum Tax” to ensure that huge corporations pay their fare share
  4. Establish public hearings for approval of health insurance company rate hikes
  5. Increase short term training and technical career education opportunities

SMARTER MORE ACCOUNTABLE SALEM

  1. Give state agencies monetary incentives to find savings in their budgets…put savings into healthcare and education
  2. Open up public debate on the issues…follow the money
  3. Encourage realistic campaign spending $100,000 to much to spend in an unopposed primary campaign