Eugene Register-Guard reporter David Steves writes this in today's paper:

The economy is recovering and tax dollars are coming into the state at a brisker rate than they were a year ago.
But the budget crisis that arrived with the 2001 recession is still here. And with the Nov. 2 election behind them and the Jan. 10 start of the legislative session looming, Oregon's political leaders are gearing up for another year of tough decisions as they try to stretch tax and lottery dollars for education, health care and public safety programs.

As they prepare for the rough trip ahead, lawmakers and the governor are trying to bring ordinary Oregonians along for the ride.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski has launched a new section on his Web site (governor.state.or.us), intended to give residents an unfiltered look at the complexities, costs and trade-offs of paying for government services, along with the efforts his administration has made to increase efficiency. The information won't be complete until after the Nov. 23 release of the latest revenue forecast and the Dec. 1 unveiling of the governor's spending proposal for 2005-07.

"When we put the numbers onto the budget, they're going to see the tough choices we're making," Kulongoski said.

There is also this nifty chart from Stephanie Barrow:

It looks like we're out of one time fixes and we're actually going to have to do something about the fiscal mess in Oregon. I'm not optimistic that the Republicans are going to look at this realistically and be willing to raise taxes so I am highly concerned at this juncture. Kulongoski is popular and the Democrats gained three seats in each house of the state legislature, so maybe it will all work out in the end...