By Tim Duy, Oregon Economic Forum The University of Oregon Index of Economic Indicators™ fell 0.5 percent to 90.5 (1997=100) in June 2011, compared to a revised 90.9 the previous month. This is the third consecutive monthly decline.  Highlights of the report include: • Labor markets remained weak. Initial unemployment […]

NLRB Ramps up Pro-Union Rulemaking on “Quickie Elections” By J.L. Wilson Associated Oregon Industries Some AOI members may be aware of the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) current “quickie election” rulemaking, but for those of you who aren’t, we’d like to offer you a summary of the NLRB’s proposed changes […]

Wyden, Hoeven, Begich Introduce TRIP Bond Program to Help Build Transportation Infrastructure — TRIPs will inject $50 billion in Private Investment into Transportation Projects By U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, Washington, D.C. – Looking to leverage private investment and an untapped market for tax credit bonding to rebuild America’s transportation infrastructure, […]

By Patrick Emerson Oregon Economics Blog . I direct your attention to an excellent article from the Financial Times (whose pay wall seems to allow access) about the affect that growth has had on Brazil’s middle class. Last fall I wrote about the dizzying sensation of coming from an economy […]

By NFIB WASHINGTON, D.C., — In testimony today before the House Small Business Health Care and Technology Subcommittee, Senior Research Fellow William Dennis detailed the initial toll of the health care law on small-business owners and their employees a year after becoming law. Dennis recently conducted a new study of […]

Business video of the week: The town of Scenic South Dakota is offering itself up for sale.  It is a small town of only 8 residents, but it shows that in the down economy anything can rock bottom.

A key element for attracting and keeping jobs faces difficulties Article by John Ledger By Associated Oregon Industries Oregon’s largest business advocate Environmental permitting times and predictability are critical elements in a business’s decision to expand or locate in Oregon. Often, the ability to predict how long it will take […]

Privacy concerns versus huge time saver benefits add to debate over Portland’s parking pay-by-phone meters By Oregon Small Business Association Beginning in August, the Pearl District will become the first local community to experiment with a mobile parking solution that allows customers to pay-to-park via their cell phone. Some have […]

Could a Bailout Save the Postal Industry? By Oregon Tax News, A 2010 GAO report detailed that the U.S. Postal Service is on the brink of an economic meltdown. There have been serious calls to save costs by ending Saturday service and to close nearly 2,000 office. Oregon has over […]

No Vacation for Timeshare Owners By Oregon Better Business Bureau Listed as one of the top 10 schemes of 2010, “Timeshare Resellers” are still among Better Business Bureau’s most commonly reported scams. Consumers who own vacation properties or timeshares are contacted by resale companies promising to market and sell properties […]