Category: The Hard Truth

By the Toledo Tribune. There was a time when a man’s word was worth more than gold, and a handshake could bind stronger than any lawyer’s ink. A time when breaking trust earned you something more than a slap on the wrist—something closer to the business end of a dueling pistol. Or, if you were…

By the Toledo Tribune I got a call the other day from a reader, I like talking to my readers,—an older gentleman, a Vietnam veteran. In fact three tours as Marine Force Recon. He mentioned it casually, the way a man might say he used to work construction or coached Little League. But I know…

By the Toledo Tribune  LINCOLN COUNTY, OR – There’s an old saying in these parts that when the mills are humming, the towns are thriving. And if Washington’s latest decree holds true, we just might hear that familiar tune again. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production,” has set its sights on…

By The Toledo Tribune  Now, I ain’t one to throw a fit over a government decision, mostly because I’d wear myself out before lunchtime tryin’ to keep up with ‘em all. But I reckon when Washington starts talkin’ about cuttin’ funds for school meals, it might be worth leanin’ in to see just what brand…

By the Toledo Tribune There’s a wind blowing through the rustbelt, and for once, it ain’t the whistle of another factory shutting down. No sir, it’s a different tune this time—one of humming machines, returning shifts, and big names putting stakes back in the American ground. Nissan, for one, scrapped its plan to cut a…

By the Toledo Tribune I reckon I’ve spent the better part of my life viewing the world through the lens of a businessman’s eye, seeing everything as an opportunity for profit, efficiency, and accountability. It’s the way my mind works, and it’s served me well enough, at least when I’ve been able to avoid the…

By the Toledo Tribune Now folks, when a prairie boy slaps a grizzly bear, he’d best have a faster horse than conscience or pride. And Canada—humble, quiet, reasonable Canada—has gone and slapped a bear. Not just any bear, but that red one in the East that eats steel, breathes fire, and owns half the globe’s…

By the Toledo Tribune Oregon has always been a land of opportunity. The pioneers who crossed the Oregon Trail saw it as a place to build, to work hard, and to create something better. It was a land of timber, industry, and innovation. The Oregon of the past was strong—its people rolled up their sleeves,…

By the Toledo Tribune. An update tonight from the coastal hills of Oregon where the trees are tall, the moss is thick, and the questions are heavy. On April 3rd, the United States Department of Agriculture declared a state of emergency across 113 million acres of national forest land—nearly sixty percent of the federal forest…

 By The Toledo Tribune  The welfare of Oregon is a phrase that sounds noble enough to print on a bronze plaque. We use it to mean the health of our people, the stability of our families, the condition of our land. But like many words that get passed around too often, welfarehas come to mean many…