In this explosive episode of Oregon D.O.G.E., Senators Mike McLane, Diane Linthicum, and Bruce Starr deliver a scathing critique of the state’s latest legislative session. Oregon’s supermajority Democrats pushed through a historic $11.7 billion tax increase without bipartisan input—hitting working Oregonians with higher fuel, vehicle, and payroll taxes.
💥 Gas tax jumping from 40¢ to 52¢ per gallon
💥 Vehicle title fees increasing by $200
💥 “Privilege” tax on vehicle purchases rising to 2.25%
💥 Payroll tax tripling from 0.1% to 0.3%—$450M pulled from working-class paychecks annually
The result? Oregon is on track to become one of the highest-taxed states in the nation. And for what? Not better roads, not safer communities—but to fund a growing laundry list of government programs, many of which didn’t exist a decade ago.
The legislators also dig into:
- The quiet march toward universal healthcare, done “one slice at a time” through endless bills expanding government coverage.
- Oregon’s bloated Oregon Health Authority, with a biennial budget of $42 billion and mounting costs for covering undocumented immigrants—$1.5 billion per cycle.
- The breakdown of legislative process, where dissenting voices are silenced in committee, and rural Oregonians are left unheard.
- Mission creep at ODOT, which has veered far from its core role of maintaining roads and infrastructure.
This episode is a powerful reminder that Oregon’s crisis isn’t just financial—it’s philosophical. Are we funding the state’s essential services, or are we bankrolling a broken ideology?