The state of Oregon used to be a marvelous place, what many considered a state of progressive thinking, where we had learned from the actions and mistakes of the East. Oregon, a jewel in the crown of the West.
What a beautiful image, right?
Now look at and compare it to the Oregon of today. Shortest school year in the country, highest unemployment rate, four-day courthouse workweeks and blah blah blah blah. Who hasn’t heard all of this before?
Oregon is now the “me first state,” the “hey I want something for nothing state,” or, hey, it’s also the “boo hoo I can’t carry anymore responsibility, so you guys down in Salem need to fix it and no good telling me how the state will fall apart cause I don’t care state.”
Is there overspending in our state capital that needs to be addressed and ratified, changed and restructured, with the “excess fat” cut away from the budgeting table? Of course!
It’s always good to clean house once in a while. Throw out the things that are broken, don’t work and are outdated, and make way for the future. Is there enough “fat” to cut a way to make up for the MILLIONS and MILLIONS of dollars that the capital is short of to run the state? NO.
It is so amazing that there are so many experts out and about who believe they have the plan to save Oregon. It’s amazing because you’d think with that many people working on it that eventually the right answer would come out and a plan would be formed and Oregon would be saved.
That Democrats, Independents, Republicans, Libertarians, that all walks of political groups would come together under the realization that more often than not that when it comes to solving a problem the answerer never really exists in an extreme left, right or high north but somewhere in the middle.
A little of leftist views with a dash of right, being whole, balanced, using whatever mix of characteristics is required from the two or three or five parties out there in order to solve the problem.
Oops, I was daydreaming there for a sec, sorry. Besides, how can it be expected to do all these things, budgeting, restructuring all that without funds? If you have a business and you want it to run better, look nicer and attract more customers (basically what is known as remodeling), you have to invest money into it so that later it will run more efficiently and smoothly, and any person with some sense that this is something that needs to be done every so many years or things will start to fall apart, become outdated and then business and function ability will be lost. HEY! That’s a new one for the collection of possible new state mottos, the “I want something for nothing state.” Yup, kinda liking that one.
Our state is crashing. Not only does it not have enough to make the changes that we all would like to see, it doesn’t even have enough money to stay afloat.
The “threats and scare tactics” that certain members of certain political groups warned us about? The ones that wouldn’t actually happen? Are happening right now. In a BIG way.
Now doesn’t that tell us something?
So in this next vote, read both sides of the issues, THINK about what is truly best for your fellow man and the state of Oregon. Then vote your conscience, and vote your hope for the future.
Come on, Oregon, prove me wrong.