Oregon lawmakers approve money to buy an iconic waterfall listed on Redfin

Commenters focused on Oregon lawmakers approving roughly $2.1 million to buy Abiqua Falls from a nonprofit tied to Benedictine monks. Some, like toomuchtodo and Aboutplants, called it a reasonable public purchase to protect access and preserve a scenic site, and lukeinator42 and noumenon1111 noted the monks had historically allowed public access. Others, notably cucumber3732842, expressed suspicion that the sale was tacitly arranged beforehand and that the state rarely “just” buys waterfalls without off‑record planning. Hadlock and bombcar pointed to common patterns - nonprofits holding land because regulators or budgets prevent state acquisition - and suggested bureaucratic dynamics often shape how such transfers happen.

Debate split sharply over priority and perception. Bitbasher and others criticized buying a waterfall while citing low education rankings, crime, homelessness and budget shortfalls; satellites and cloverich countered that funds are often earmarked and that rankings and school problems are more complex, citing rural demographics, strikes, and funding choices as contributors. A side thread devolved into regional sniping - BeetleB, mrnotcrazy and several others joked about the Pacific Northwest vs Texas, while vips7L and noumenon1111 defended the region’s weather and natural appeal. Overall opinion divided between conservation/public‑access supporters and skeptics concerned about process, transparency and broader fiscal priorities.