Casting Blame for Oregon’s Demise

By Larry Huss,

“We’ve met the enemy and he is us.”
— Pogo

In Washington Boeing has left, Starbucks is leaving, Amazon is leaving. Other major corporations are expanding their operations outside of Washington which more and more appears to be a planned retreat. In Oregon, Jeld-Wen has left. Dutch Bros. has left. Tektronix has left. Intel, Amazon, and others have reduced or shuttered operations and are expanding instead outside of Washington and Oregon. Many anticipate that when Phil Knight (age 88) passes that Nike will move and that Columbia Sportswear will likely follow. Others have simply closed their doors when the founders pass and still others – particularly banks, utilities and insurance companies – have merged and migrated to the acquiring company’s location.

Oregon has been experiencing a net outward migration for several years and it isn’t the free loaders who are moving, Those leaving are taking their jobs, their incomes and their investments with them. And it isn’t people just like you and me, billionaire Howard Schultz – the past CEO that brought Starbucks to fame – has announced his intention to leave Seattle for Florida. And he is just the most notable – to some degree because he tried to run for President of the United States as a Democrat only to discover that the Democrats only wanted his money – not his knowledge, his experience or leadership skills. In other words, “Shut up Howard and send us another couple of million for our campaigns.”

And the reason is the same for all – high taxes, poor public schools and incompetent government. As quickly as they leave, their ranks are filled over flowing with more public employees, deadbeats, drug dependents and illegal aliens. It is a sharp U-turn from those who contribute to those who free-load. From those who pay to those who just take. From those who grow the economy to those who deplete the economy.

So who is to blame. Well, in large part the very people that are leaving. I’ve told this story before but it bears repeating. When I returned to Oregon in 1997 as vice-president of the telephone company I was accorded not only a membership in most of the business organizations of the state but also on their respective executive committees. At one of the early meetings I attended we were debating an agenda for the upcoming legislative session. After much discussion they began to move to simply adopt the current governor’s agenda – save the salmon, more money for schools and some other inconsequential matter. I objected and reminded them that this was an association of businesses and that we ought to be looking out for our interests; i.e. high taxes, burdensome regulations and economic growth. I was informed that Oregon had such a high quality of life that it did not need to focus on such things. When I suggested that quality of life started with a good job, others looked away and I discovered they were more interested in getting their phone calls returned by the governor than they were in real business issues. And it never changed while I was there and I doubt that it has changed since I left. These were the largest businesses in Oregon with the greatest incomes, assets and employees and they not only stood there and watched the decline of Portland and Oregon but they donated nearly universally to the Democrats who were responsible for the decline.

In large part they donated because they did not want the government to come after them, but they came anyway. Then they donated because they hoped that the repression would not be targeted at them and/or too severe, but it was anyway. Finally, they donated in hopes that costs and the repression would be limited to their businesses and not to them individually but now it has anyway. High income taxes with the threat of the new millionaire taxes. High estate taxes on wealth for which they have already paid income taxes. And soon enough high taxes on the unrealized gain in values of the wealth for which they have already paid income taxes. And all the while the increased revenue continues to be used by the government not for the benefit of the general population but rather for the public employee unions and the freeloaders. The general philosophy by the Democrats in Oregon is that your income is theirs for redistribution – of course after they take the vigorish whether for their campaigns or their personal use.

And yet hope springs eternal – but without good reason – that Oregon has had enough and will throw out the something-for-nothing Democrats, but they won’t. It is entirely possible that the Democrats have finally found a leaders who is so universally despised that either of the two major Republican candidates might beat her in the fall election, but the voter demographics coupled with the easy ability to cheat in the vote by mail process suggest otherwise.

In Oregon the major political forces are the Independents and unaffiliated, the Democrats and the Republicans. The Independents and unaffiliated constitute about five percent and twenty-seven percent respectively while Democrats represent about thirty-three percent and Republicans about twenty-four percent. The Independents and unaffiliated are largely made up of those who don’t think the Democrats are liberal enough or can’t stand the Republican label.

But even if they defeat Governor Kotek you will still have a legislature that is overwhelmingly Democrat and beholden to the liberal/progressive/socialist base in Portland and Multnomah County. Nothing will change because the legislature is likely to be veto proof and even if it isn’t the Democrats always seem to be able to entice one or more Republicans to vote for more waste and higher taxes.

So what will happen to Portland and Oregon. It will continue to hemorrhage businesses as it slides into the abyss while seeking a federal bailout that it will receive once the Democrats retake Congress. Its not pretty and I feel not an ounce of sympathy for those businesses that collaborated with the Democrats in creating this. I’ll save that for those who cannot escape.