STATEMENT OF MISSION:
BUILDING AN ONLINE COMMUNITY TO CHAMPION THE PUBLIC INTEREST

WE VALUE

• Civic Consciousness
  • Helping citizens recognize their role in the larger community.
  • Inspiring citizens to get involved by presenting opportunities for civic participation.
  • Fostering an enduring culture of civic responsibility and engagement.
• Grassroots Democracy:  People Power
  • Convening dialogues among citizens to facilitate greater understanding.
  • Mobilizing collective action to impact the political process.
  • Fostering a statewide network of citizens engaged in public interest politics.
  • Entering into genuine partnerships with organizations that share similar values.
• Public Policy for the Common Good
  • Advocating sustainable policies that promote fairness, justice and prosperity.
  • Protecting the electoral mechanisms essential to genuine public participation.
  • Providing accurate fact-based information to citizens and policy makers.
• Leadership Development
  • Providing access to the political process and opportunities to participate.
  • Encouraging citizens to take public leadership roles.
  • Fostering community support for citizen leaders.
• Innovation
  • Creatively using internet tools to amplify the public voice.
  • Constructing a successful model of citizen engagement in the political process.
  • Providing a forum for public interest policy research and innovation.

Onward Oregon works to fulfill the promise of Oregon by reconnecting people to each other and to their communities.

We do not use dishonest, disrespectful, fear-inciting talk to divide one American from another. Instead, we recognize that, while we may be different from one-another, we have more in common than not. We all want freedom, fairness, security, prosperity, health and well-being. And we want to provide these things for our children, the most precious resources we have.

We expect that hard work should result in a decent standard of living; that we shouldn't have to sell our homes or mortgage our future to pay for health care in the event of a crisis; and that our aging parents shouldn't have to live in poverty.

We do not want our tax dollars to be used to subsidize wealthy corporations or individuals nor to be wasted by government pork projects. We expect our tax dollars to be managed prudently as we would manage our home budget. We expect our tax dollars to be wisely invested in the infrastructure and institutions that sustain us. We expect that publicly-owned assets such as roads, parks, medical research institutions, schools, police and fire services and natural resources such as rivers, lakes and forests be protected, cared for and maintained for the benefit of the taxpayers who support them. We expect our children to be able to breathe clean air and drink clean water and to be protected from the harmful effects of chemicals and other hazards. We expect our democratic institutions to support our right to elect our representatives, to enable all our voices to be heard and to enable us to shape the neighborhoods and communities in which we work and live. 

We believe that local businesses, farms and ranches sustain the economic well-being and life-quality of the community. We believe that state and local government should be more supportive of our local enterprises and more willing to appropriately restrain the corporations that move into our communities without regard to us or the well-being of our neighborhoods. We are concerned about the eagerness to sell off our publicly-held assets to corporations. This 'new ownership society' enhances corporate ownership but diminishes community ownership. Our resources are mined and accountability is severely diminished.

At Onward Oregon we believe we can create a better world by reclaiming our neighborhoods and communities and working to understand each other better.  We believe we can learn a lot from each other. We believe people are creative and resourceful and can remake our communities in ways that are more satisfying and enjoyable. Our quality of life must be the driving principle in local, state and national politics. We want our communities to be clean, attractive, safe, peaceful places where we can farm, ranch, work, create businesses, enjoy recreation and raise families. We believe that only we, the people, can make this happen. OnwardOregon will help connect you to your neighbors by providing accurate, evidence-based and fact-based information and a respectful forum in which to meet and exchange ideas.