I grew up on the west side of the state, but my family spent a lot of time in central and eastern Oregon... thus, I see the state in total as it stands today. While I understand why the other side feels like a stepchild, it sometimes reaches ridiculous levels.

Let's see if the economic engines that are Portland, Salem, Eugene and Medford (not to mention the ports, tourism and timber industry) are expendable to Eastern Oregon government. Also, what happens to the OSU campus in Bend? Or OSU extension services that work with the farms and ranches? We could go on...

Don't laugh. I think the idea has merit. As someone recently said something is "coming home to roost". I could add many items to the "something" list like TKrueg has his other list.

More of our own tax money back and less water to share in the future. Hmmm, who seems to be getting the better deal here?

The idea has been around since the 1940's when a push was underway to create a new state - the State of Jefferson - from a conglomeration of southern Oregon and northern California counties. The effort was doomed from the start, as while the U.S. Constitution clearly permits a new state to be created from an existing state, doing so requires concurrence by both the state legislature and the U.S. Congress. In the case of the State of Jefferson, this requirement would have involved securing assent both in Salem and in Sacramento, as well as Congressional approval.

And while the present incarnation - dividing the state along the Cascade Range - is gaining interest in Eastern Oregon, the same hurdles make it unlikely to succeed. Their best option is to direct their energy toward persuading the folks who make all of the rules for the state of Oregon that it is in their best interest to secede from the state, creating a new 51st state to be known as Portlandia.

While folks in Portlandia may be unwilling to permit eastern separation, they are much more likely to support a Willamette Valley separation.

It's a waste of time. We need to focus upon separating Cascadia from the US and Canada, not creating more states for the juggernaut of illicit death and invasion.