Oregon nearing ‘budgetary cliff,’ Gov. Ted Kulongoski warns

In his departing State of the State http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/speeches.shtml speech, Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski warned Friday that state government must "dial back" what it offers the public if Oregon wants to survive 10 years of looming budget deficits.

Kulongoski, addressing a friendly, invitation-only crowd of about 200 at Portland State University, said the state has relied too heavily in the past on one-time bailouts and other temporary fixes that now threaten to undermine its financial stability.

"Anytime you start by asking, ‘How much revenue do we need?’ the answer has always been: ‘More.’" Kulongoski said, sounding a bit like some of his toughest Republican critics. "That’s when we need to dial back the starting point."

By Harry Esteve, The Oregonian