Oregon Politics

This is the second half of a one hour program that examines the types of minerals found in Oregon, their importance to our economy and in our daily lives, and the impacts of state and federal regulations and land withdrawals on the mining industry. In Part 4, an ex-Navy SEAL who has been instrumental in developing the suction dredge technology for placer mining in river beds talks about the environmentalists’ litigation against mining and the recently passed law that bans suction dredging in California. Then the state geologist from the Josephine County office of the Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries discusses how the ... Read Full Story

This is the first half of a one-hour program that examines the mining industry in Southern Oregon. (The second half hour of this program will be posted next month.) In the first segment, a gold miner shows us the adit of a gold mine in Josephine County, Oregon, where there’s still plenty of gold in the ground but the challenge is getting it out. He also shows us one of the best places for gold panning along the Rogue River, but cautions about running afoul of the new regulations. Then a retired state geologist discusses the different types of minerals found in Southern Oregon, ... Read Full Story

This is the first part of a two-part series focusing on the timber industry in Oregon. This one-hour program looks at how responsible forest management is important for healthy forests, and examines the negative impact of federal regulation and environmental litigation on the timber industry and on local economies in rural Oregon. These three videos make up the first half hour of the program, which includes interviews with people working in forestry, logging, trucking, and sawmills. The second half hour, which includes interviews with representatives of county, state, and federal forest programs, will be published next month. In Part 1, a forester explains the ... Read Full Story

The Josephine County chapter of Americans for Prosperity sponsored a Tax Day Tea Party in Grants Pass on April 15. There were 12 speakers, three singers, and over 1200 attendees who turned out to protest excessive taxing, spending, borrowing, bailouts, and overregulation of individuals and industry. This 3-part video shows highlights from the Tea Party. In Part 1, Lorrie Ahrens opens with the national anthem, and Pastor Tony Russo gives the invocation. Richard Burke, of AFP Oregon, talks about why we’re attending this event, and Jean Sweat talks about our Republic. Jack Swift discusses the economy and the message we want to send to ... Read Full Story

Amricans for Prosperity is a national organization dedicated to limited government and free markets. It operates at the grassroots level, with chapters in 23 states. This program explores how Americans for Prosperity is making an impact at the national, state, and local levels. In Part 1, Jeff Kropf, director of the Oregon chapter of AFP, discusses the national organization, what it stands for, how it operates, and some of the successes of AFP chapters in other states. In Part 2, Jeff discusses the Oregon chapter of AFP, and Jack Swift talks about the local subchapter in Josephine County. In Part 3, Jack interviews Jerry ... Read Full Story