SALEM -- Democrats have rolled the dice in a big way by approving more than $1 billion in tax increases in the waning weeks of the legislative session, gambling that Oregon has undergone a profound political change since the days of property tax limits and income tax rejections.

The new taxes -- on upper earners, corporations, hospitals and gasoline -- help balance a shaky budget and offer an exit strategy that sends lawmakers home by July. But it could be a short vacation.