Most Oregonians — most people — want pretty much the same things. Access to a world-class education. An economy that rewards hard workers and innovators and provides jobs, and also has opportunities for the less lucky. An environment that makes people want to live here, and lasts for future generations. Equality, freedom, and safety. Access to decent and affordable health care. And a fair election system that promotes these aims and responds to the people’s wishes. We shorten this by talking about our “Six E’s”…

• Education
• Environment
• Economic Strength
• Equal Rights
• Election Reform
• ‘Ealth Care

Education: Nothing is more important to prosperity and true equality of opportunity than access to an excellent education. While Oregon’s schools close early, conservative voices point fingers at teachers and citizens. Let’s invest in our schools, ensuring a quality of education that will keep our state and country great for generations to come.

Environment: The new frontier for the public interest is figuring out how to protect our natural environment in the face of growing population, pollution, and extraction. And the environment can be protected in a way that respects and fosters rural communities, natural resource economies, and general prosperity.

Economic strength: We have had both (1) a shrinking economy and (2) a growing disparity of wealth. Since 1998, the gap between the richest 10% of Americans and the bottom 20% has grown by 71%. Economists often justify wealth disparities by citing advantages of overall growth. But we’ve lost more than 2.4 million jobs since the 2000 election and tax cut. We need an economy that is both strong and fair. Visionary ideas like a sustainable economy and the open source movement can help take us there.

Equal Rights: Our country has been defined not by accident of birth but by something we’re willing to call merit. Ideas over identity. Freedom. Choice. Equality.

Election reform: Money creates an unequal discourse when it’s the driving force in elections. If “one person, one vote” is to be adhered to, then we need to equalize the debate. Right now, wealthy interests have the opportunity to speak far more than non-wealthy interests. We need an election system that responds to the public interest.

‘Ealth Care: We have the richest country in the world, and yet millions of American children lack health insurance. Let’s build a system that uses health care dollars efficiently, providing (as much as possible) affordable prevention-based health care, rather than an economic discouragement of early treatment that leads to expensive and resource-draining “sick-care.”

… and our silent “P”… Peace / Public Safety: We once felt like the untouchable stronghold of liberty, we now debate how much liberty we will trade to once again feel like a stronghold. The basic case: Each of us is safer if fewer people want to kill us; and each of us is safer if there are others who will help keep us safe.