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$140 - $150 Billion Economic Stimulus
It looks like the U.S. House of
Representatives and the White House have
come to agreement on an economic
stimulus package, somewhere in the range
of $140 to $150 billion. This package
is now in the Senate and it’s anyone’s
guess what the final package might look
like or what it will mean to the average
taxpayer.
You might recall this sentence from a recent headline,
“$460.5 million or a 9.4 percent refund
-- will be the largest personal income
tax kicker in terms of dollar amount in
the history of the kicker, and the
fourth highest in terms of percent
refunded.” Yes, thousands of Oregonians
received a check from the state, so what
did we do with all those millions?
An unscientific survey of bankers, investors,
restaurants, and retailers seem to call
into question Washington’s assumption if
the U.S. Government refunds 1% of our
over $14 trillion economy, we’re going
to go out and make a purchase. Again, my
unscientific survey told me, with a few
exceptions, we did not spend our kickers
on new clothes, cars, investments, add
to our savings accounts or even
celebrate by taking our spouse out to
dinner. So given our recent kicker
experience, it should be interesting to
see what we do with the $800 per
individual and $1,600 per couple when
checks start arriving from the temporary
economic stimulus.
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100 Bills
The Oregon Legislature convened
its first ever annual session
this Monday. The session will
last thirty days, and since it’s
an election year, we can look
for Republican and Democratic
lawmakers to find ways to
capture some headlines. This is
a test run of a potential annual
session; Oregon is only one of
six states whose legislature
only meets every other year.
Lawmakers have agreed to cap this session at 100
bills. The slate of bills
includes expansion of the Oregon
State Police, bans on driver’s
licenses for illegal immigrants,
and mortgage lending reforms.
For Eastern Oregon, the
Legislature will discuss if it
should spend money for land use
and water shortage studies,
along with looking to strengthen
oversight for foster homes and
increase penalties for property
crimes.
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County Employees Rated High
During a recent survey of 400 Deschutes
County residents, county employees
received an 80% ranking as “excellent”
or “good” in six survey categories.
These included courtesy, responsiveness,
knowledge, availability, ability to
answer questions and problem
resolution.
Overwhelmingly, county residents rated individual
County services with the Deschutes
County Fair and Expo Center as the
top-rated service at 81%, telling
surveyors the Fair and Expo Center
ranked as “excellent” or “good.” The
Fair and Expo Center is also the
Chamber's February Salute to Commerce recipient.
Congratulations to the dedicated men and
women who work for Deschutes County.
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EDCO’s
entertaining economist?
We know economics is vitally important.
So, you can count on Alan Beaulieu,
economist with the Institute for Trend
Research, to make economics relevant,
actionable and fun! Beaulieu is a rare
creature—an economist with an engaging
sense of humor. He brings a national and
global perspective to Central Oregon,
presenting major economic trends which
will impact your business between now
and 2011. Beaulieu also offers insight
into our local situation as well.
The Institute for Trend Research has an enviable track
record and a reputation for no-waffling
straight talk. Alan's twin brother,
Brian, received rave reviews at EDCO's
2003 annual luncheon, where he
forecasted worker shortages at a time
when Oregon was still recovering from a
recession and led the nation in
unemployment. Reserve your spot today
by contacting Dayna Dudkowski or calling
EDCO at 541-388-3236. When: Thursday,
February 14, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
(registration at 11:30 a.m.). Where: The
Riverhouse Convention Center
Cost: $45 for EDCO members and $55 for non-members
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Web
Marketing 2008.0
Opportunity Knocks offers a review of
what’s working for businesses on the
Internet. You will learn from online
marketing professionals, who will
discuss trends, web strategy, search
engine optimization (SEO), social media,
micro sites and other web marketing
strategies. This excellent opportunity
to fine tune your Internet marketing
skills is set for February 13, 2008,
from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the
Central Oregon Association of Realtors
office, 2112 NE 4th St. in
Bend. For more information contact
Opportunity Knocks at 381-4650 or via
e-mail at
info@opp-knocks.org. Register online
at
www.opp-knocks.org at OK Events
registration.
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It’s Cold Out There – You can
Help!
For the poor and homeless, this winter
is especially hard. But for Lyle Hicks
from Jake's Diner this challenge is
another opportunity for business people
to show how they can help those less
fortunate. Jake's Diner and the
Salvation Army are collecting coats,
jackets, blankets, and sleeping bags to
help the needy. Please make sure they’re
clean and in good condition. Bring your
articles to Jake's and place them in the
boxes provided in the lobby. All
proceeds and items collected go directly
to the people who need them through the
Salvation Army. Lyle welcomes any
business wishing to participate. To get
involved, contact Lyle at 419-6021. So,
go through your closets and beds and
drop off some needed items today.
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Coming
events
Feb
15, 2008: Second Community
Affairs Council (CAC) – Town Hall
Luncheon - February's Town
Hall will explore what effect ODOT's
Madras decision is having on Central
Oregon's economic development. Is a
state agency interfering with individual
property rights and cities abilities to
expand their local economy or is ODOT
just protecting a state asset by
controlling the number of new trips
allowed on a state highway? Bob Bryant,
Region 4 ODOT Director, will be joining
us, presenting ODOT's view, and
answering questions. Join in on the Q &
A and discussion. Is this a property
rights issue? Should a state agency have
the ultimate word on local highway
access? Is economic development in
Central Oregon going to be subject to
who can afford to pay for transportation
studies? Let your voice be heard at the
Bend Chamber Community Affairs Council
Town Hall. The CAC Town Hall luncheons
are held at Touchmark at Mount Bachelor
Village in the Terrace Lodge Forum
Theater from noon to 1:30 p.m. To join
the CAC Town Hall luncheon series,
register online:
www.bendchamber.org or call
Lindi to reserve your spot: 382-3221.
Feb 25, 2008: Real Estate
Forecast Breakfast – This year's
speakers are Sandy Garner of The Garner
Group Realtors and Development, Dana
Bratton of Bratton Appraisal Group, and
Stephen Trono of The Trono Company.
Please join us to hear these experts
talk about the pulse of the residential
and commercial real estate markets and
marketing trends as they relate to
Central Oregon. Where is your real
estate investment headed in 2008? Be
sure to attend to hear the latest
predictions. Register online:
www.bendchamber.org/REFB or
call Lindi at the Bend Chamber,
382-3221. Corporate Tables ($595) offer
reserved seating for ten and are the
best way to ensure that you and your
co-workers sit together. Individual
seats are just $45 and are first-come,
first-served, open seating.
March 11, 2008: Business
Showcase - Once a year, the Bend
Chamber offers the opportunity for small
and/or home-based businesses to co-host
a Business After Hours. These extremely
successful events "showcase" small
businesses that would otherwise be
unable to "host" a networking event due
to the size of their facilities. This
event gives great visibility as well as
an opportunity to highlight their
products and services while networking
one-on-one with potentially 200+ new
clients. The next Business Showcase is
coming up on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, at
Bend Golf & Country Club, and we have
openings for hosts. The cost is $125 for
new Chamber members or non-profit
organizations, and $150 for all others.
We have a limited number of booths, and
we're filling up fast, so if you are
interested in participating, please
contact Lindi DeWolf at lindi@bendchamber.org
or 382-3221.
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