Many of the most important public policy debates these days are the result of fundamental disagreements on what, exactly, rights are. Some people are quickly to declare everything they want to be a “right,” meaning that the rest of society...
7 September 2022
All About the Economy
This has been a rough year for households all across the United States, Oregon and Clackamas County. Reckless federal spending policies have reduced the value of the dollar and caused the worst inflation in four decades. The results are hitting...
10 August 2022
Holding ourselves accountable. An 18 month check-in.
Long before I ever served in any public office, I believed in holding elected officials accountable for upholding the promises they made while campaigning for their positions. All these years later, I still feel the same way. This is especially...
27 April 2022
The Perils of Progressive Policies
As of right now, so-called progressives have been in charge of Portland for decades, the Oregon Legislature for years, the U.S. Senate and Congress and the White House. So what, exactly, do we have to show for it? We are...
13 April 2022
Upholding the Social Contract
There are certain expectations that come from living in a free society. The most important is that, as long as you work hard, obey the law and don’t hurt anyone else, you’re generally free to go about your business peacefully....
23 March 2022
All Eyes on Clackamas
Even though much of Clackamas County is rural in nature, it’s considered part of the Portland metropolitan area. The “tri-county area” consists of Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah counties. Those three jurisdictions are also part of Metro. Due to the close...
16 February 2022
Of Results and Intentions
If it’s true that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then it must not have very many potholes. Time and time again, we find in the public policy arena that decisions are often based on stated intentions....
2 February 2022
Fleeing from a Free-for-All
Over the past year, I’ve written about the decriminalization of two of the biggest problems facing the residents of the Portland metropolitan area and Oregon—drug use and homelessness. Now, some people are hoping to add prostitution to the list of...
17 November 2021
Truth and Consequences
Headlines all across the United States have declared for months that our hospitals are completely at capacity. This has been done largely for the sake of shaming people into getting the COVID vaccine. But the reasons for the strain on...
6 October 2021
WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR BELOVED OREGON?
“THERE’S A TRICKY BALANCE BETWEEN WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE OVERALL PUBLIC HEALTH OF SOCIETY VERSUS AN AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENT TO IMPOSE ITS WILL ON ALL OF US.” For many of us, it seems like the last year and a half...
