Poll: Portlanders say all is OK (yet NY Times front page says disaster)

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

A Portland City survey showed that on the question of livability that almost half of the Portland respondents (48.3%) reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with Portland as a place to live. Only 35.8% said they were either Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied.

At the same time, the New York Times ran a massive front page photo and story profile with the headline “The struggles to save Portland”.  The sub-headline said Portland was facing “a challenge to the city’s progressive identify”

How can a national progressive newspaper say Portland is in dire chaos while nearly half of residents within the city say everything is fine?

We have some insights:

Oregon may have experienced a crime wave of historic proportions, but it impacted neighborhoods differently.  If you look at a recent death map of where Portlanders are being murdered you will noticed some places are over-run with homicides while others are untouched.

The Oregonian stated “…101 people killed in Portland in 2022, making it the deadliest year in the city’s history.It surpassed the record of 92 homicides set only the year before … More than half of Portland’s homicide victims in 2022 were people of color, mostly Black men – the same breakdown as the year before. That’s far disproportionate to the 6% of Multnomah County’s population that identifies as Black…”. 

As you can see, Portland is experiencing a massive historic crime wave and some Portland demographics are experiencing a living hell while others are not noticing it as much.   This is one reason why many Portlanders say everything is fine because they live in safer neighborhoods.

Portland’s problems (drugs, crime wave, homelessness, high taxes, etc..) hit vulnerable populations harder than others.  This is why Portland young residents are leaving and why Portland families with children are leaving.   The data shows that replacing these families/younger citizens are older and retired people who have the resources to withstand elevated levels of crime, can afford higher security systems than the average American has, and have more resources to deal with or clean up the problems of homelessness.   Sadly, the end result is that Portland is becoming unsafe for children.

The fact that Portland and the County has become one of the most highest taxed areas in America is also a problem.  This is why nearly $1 billion in income tax revenue has left the City area in just two years since the County and City raised taxes even more.   Those taxpayers who can’t afford to live here have left and those than can afford it have stayed.  Those older incoming residents we talked about earlier include many people who are retired and avoid most of these high taxes.  For many progressives, they are fine with higher taxes because they are not paying it.

Many Portlanders enjoy all the free stuff. Free tents (22,000).  Free crack pipes (50,000).  Free housing programs.  Free $500 gift cards randomly handed out.  Free $364 gift cards if you promise to use it for the internet.  Free $50 business shopping gift cards.  Free gift cards if you took the vaccine.  Free bus ride vouchers. Free chapstick.  Free pre-k schooling for kids.  Free welfare benefits extended beyond normal state limits.  (Soon to be added is Kotek’s new statewide free rent help program).

Only a quarter of Portlanders said in the poll that Portland City government is effective.   This means that liberalism itself has failed in the City.

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