Koch Bro's Think Tank Says Oregon Has Below-Average Freedom

Center says Oregon should legalize weed

Image Courtesy of http://lsatsensei.blogspot.com/
By ANDREA DAMEWOOD

Right-wing think tank Mercatus Center gave Oregon the 28th spot in its ranking of Freedom in the 50 States.

In a YouTube video posted today, the center says that Oregon fell from No. 12 to No. 28, the farthest any state went down since its last list in 2009.

On its site, the Mercatus Center bases freedoms on—as expected—freedom from taxes, regulation and government interference on personal freedoms.

Low taxes equal freedom, the formula goes. The center, a nonprofit based at George Mason University in Virginia, relies heavily on donations for its funding. Among the top donors are libertarian lighting rods, the Koch brothers. Charles Koch is member of the all-male board of directors for think tank.

Looking to up our rep in the eyes of the Koch boys? Here what the center recommends Oregon do:

  1. Cut spending in order to reduce public debt. Reducing outlays on public safety, government employees’ retirement benefits, health and hospitals, and public welfare would bring these areas down to national averages.
  2. Eliminate occupational licensing for massage therapists, funeral attendants, pest control workers, agricultural product graders and sorters, and other occupations.
  3. Legalize “low-level” possession, cultivation, and sale of marijuana.

WWeek 2015

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