Oregon Discussion
Oregon Discussion is a no-nonsense podcast that pulls back the curtain on Oregon’s government, policies, and spending. With a rotating cast of legislators and policy experts, this podcast exposes wasteful spending, bureaucratic overreach, and hidden inefficiencies that impact Oregonians every day.
From the state budget crisis to agencies creating rules without oversight, Oregon Discussion takes a deep dive into the policies shaping Oregon’s future. Whether it’s out-of-control taxes, reckless regulations, or the growing power of unelected bureaucrats, we ask the tough questions and hold government accountable.
Episodes
42 episodes
Dorchester Special: Oregon Voices on the Future of the State
Recorded live at the Dorchester Conference in Welches, Oregon, this special long-form episode of Oregon Discussion features conversations with leaders, candidates, grassroots advocates, staff, authors, business voices, and young conservatives f...
The CAT Tax: Promises vs Reality in Oregon
This episode of Oregon Discussion examines Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax and the Student Success Act. Lawmakers discuss education funding, business impacts, and whether increased spending has led to better results for students and communities...
Why Oregon’s Business Climate Is Falling Behind
Mike McLane and Shelly Boshart-Davis are joined by Angela Wilhelms of Oregon Business & Industry to discuss Oregon’s declining business climate, rising regulatory burden, and the policy choices shaping the state’s economy. This episode look...
Public Safety Decline and Policy Failures in Oregon
This episode of Oregon D.O.G.E. focuses on public safety challenges across the state, including declining state police staffing, homelessness policy, and controversial legislation in Salem. Lawmakers discuss how these issues are impacting commu...
Top 10 in Spending, Bottom in Results: How Oregon’s Education System Failed Parents and Kids
Oregon ranks top-10 in education spending — but near the bottom in outcomes. In this episode, Senator Mike McLane, Representative Shelly Boshart Davis, and former State Representative Tracy Kramer examine why Oregon’s education system continues...
The $13 Billion Bridge Boondoggle
Oregon’s Interstate Bridge replacement has surged to $13.6 billion — without expanding vehicle capacity. In this episode, lawmakers and industry experts examine the cost escalation, political gridlock, and economic risks of continued delay. Is ...
Gang Ties, Suspicious activity, and Stonewalling: What Oregon Isn’t Telling You
Investigative journalist Jeff Eager joins Senator Mike McLane and Representative Shelly Boshart Davis to expose disturbing Medicaid allegations involving Oregon Health Plan reimbursements, criminal gang ties, and a lack of transparency from sta...
The Forecast They Don’t Want You to See: Job Losses, Budget Games, and Oregon’s Real Crisis
Senator Mike McLane, Representative Shelly Boshart Davis, and Alex Lopez walk through Oregon’s fourth-quarter revenue forecast and the shocking budget-cut proposals coming from state agencies. From manufacturing job losses to population decline...
Cost of Living Collapse: Why Oregon Is Becoming Unaffordable, and How Voters Can Take the State Back
Representative Shelly Boshart Davis hosts Senator Christine Drazan and Representative Lucetta Elmer for a deep dive into Oregon’s affordability crisis. They break down the state’s collapsing housing production, burdensome regulations, tax hikes...
Oregon’s War on Agriculture: IP 28, Farm Losses, and the Fight to Save Rural Oregon
Senator Mike McLane and Representative Shelly Boshart Davis talk with Greg Addington, Executive Director of the Oregon Farm Bureau, about Oregon’s war on agriculture — from the ag overtime crisis to the radical IP 28 animal-rights initiative an...
Broken Roads: Oregon’s $4.3 Billion Tax Hike and the Death of Bipartisanship
Oregon’s $4.3 billion “transportation package” raises gas taxes, DMV fees, and payroll taxes, but leaves roads crumbling. Senators Mike McLane and Bruce Starr, along with Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, expose how Governor Tina Kotek has abandoned b...
Gen Z, Free Speech, and the Future of Oregon: Honoring Charlie Kirk
Senator Mike McLane sits down with three members of Gen Z to talk about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the culture war on Oregon campuses, and why faith, family, and freedom still matter. They explore cancel culture, housing costs, taxes, a...
Oregon’s One-Party Rule: Taxes, Gerrymanders & Culture Wars
In this episode of Oregon D.O.G.E., Senators Mike McLane and Daniel Bonham expose the ugly truth of Oregon’s 2025 session: gerrymandered maps, DEI waste at ODOT, $15M for illegal immigrant legal aid, climate change indoctrination in sc...
The Ugly Truth: Oregon’s Budget Gimmicks, Taxes & Union Power
In this episode of Oregon D.O.G.E., Senators Mike McLane and Daniel Bonham reveal the ugly side of Oregon’s 2025 legislative session. From bloated DEI programs and fake “cuts budgets” to giveaways for striking unions and $15M fo...
Oregon’s Budget Battle: Taxes, Wolves & Wildfire Fallout
In this episode of Oregon D.O.G.E., Senators Mike McLane and Leader Daniel Bonham unpack the 2025 legislative session’s biggest fights—blocking a $15B tax hike, repealing Oregon’s flawed wildfire risk maps, and exposing taxpayer funds ...
Oregon’s $11.7 Billion Tax Bomb: No Debate, No Vote, No Breaks
In this episode of Oregon D.O.G.E., Senators Mike McLane, Diane Linthicum, and Bruce Starr break down the largest tax increase in state history, without bipartisan support. From a ballooning gas tax to universal healthcare expansion, they expos...
Timber, Taxes & the Truth: Who’s Killing Oregon’s Forest Economy?
Senators Mike McLane, Daniel Bonham, and David Brock Smith sit down with legal powerhouse John DiLorenzo to expose Oregon’s forestry crisis. Learn how secretive deals and the controversial Habitat Conservation Plan are stripping millions in rev...
Oregon’s Failing Schools: What the Bureaucrats Won’t Tell You
Oregon ranks near the bottom in K-12 education, despite spending more than ever. In this episode of Oregon D.O.G.E., Sen. Daniel Bonham, Rep. Christine Drazan, Rep. Boomer Wright, and Alex Lopez break down what’s gone wrong: too much bureaucrac...
Oregon’s Dirty Laundry: Billions Wasted, No One Fired
In this episode of Oregon D.O.G.E., Senators Daniel Bonham, Mike McLane, and Bruce Starr, and Senate staffer Tanner Elliott expose Oregon’s “dirty laundry.” From the Capitol construction boondoggle to the Travel Oregon scandal, this conversatio...
The True Cost of Oregon’s Immigration Policies
Senators Mike McLane and Daniel Bonham join Rep. Werner Reschke and analyst Alex Lopez for a candid look at Oregon's rising expenditures on undocumented immigrants. With Healthier Oregon and housing grants taking a major chunk of the budget, th...
Portland’s Doom Loop: Can Oregon’s Engine Be Restarted?
Portland's economic decline is more than a headline—it's a cycle of policy failure and population loss that threatens the entire state. In this episode, Senators Daniel Bonham and Mike McLane unpack the data behind the “doom loop” and examine w...
Oregon’s Crisis of Compassion: Addiction, Homelessness, and Government Failure
Oregon has poured billions into tackling addiction and homelessness, but what do we have to show for it? In this episode, Senator Mike McLane is joined by Representative Darcy Edwards for a brutally honest discussion about where Oregon’s polici...
Sanctuary Chaos: Crime, Cartels & Oregon’s Public Safety Crisis
Oregon ranks near the bottom for law enforcement, yet crime is soaring and cartels are thriving. In this episode of Oregon D.O.G.E., Rep. Jeff Helfrich, Rep. Alex Skarlatos, and Sen. Kim Thatcher discuss the consequences of Oregon’s soft-on-cri...
The Budget Game: How Oregon Grows Government — Then Cries Broke
In this episode of Oregon D.O.G.E., Senators Daniel Bonham, Mike McLane, and Rep. Werner Reschke break down the May 2025 economic forecast and expose the game being played in Salem.Despite record tax revenue and a doubling of the general...
The Swamp in Salem: How Oregon’s Government Avoids Accountability
This Oregon D.O.G.E. episode is a behind-the-scenes exposé on how laws are made — and twisted — in Salem. Senators Daniel Bonham, David Brock Smith, and Mike McLane reveal how placeholder bills, gut-and-stuff amendments, and quiet conflicts of ...