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...
8 September 2021
Finding the Right Balance
Having completely failed to address the homeless crisis in any meaningful way, Portland politicians have concocted another way of dealing with it. This mostly involves passing legislation telling every other city throughout Oregon to take care of the problem while...
4 August 2021
Another Attack on Rural Oregon
One of the biggest problems we face in Oregon is the growing divide between those in the urban and rural areas. And despite all that they might have in common, public policy issues often come up that remind them that...
30 April 2021
The Perils of Government Overreach
Last fall, I made some public statements that caused quite a stir. Fed up with the government-forced lockdown of COVID restrictions, I simply said that I was going to have family and friends over for Thanksgiving and that our governor...
28 April 2021
Tootie Smith demands Gov Brown return public health authority back to the counties where it is mandated by Oregon constitution.
The Governor’s new lockdowns are unacceptable. Her plans for over the last year have been an abject failure, driving businesses to bankruptcy, people to unemployment lines and harming the mental health of adults and children alike. Its time for new...
23 November 2020
Tootie Smith Boldly Defends Clackamas County Against Oregon COVID-19 Measures on National Stage
Published on OregonLive.com Tootie Smith, Clackamas County's Commissioner, asserts her stance against Oregon's COVID-19 restrictions during her appearance on Fox News. Despite Governor Kate Brown's orders, Smith remains resolute in her decision to host a Thanksgiving gathering. Read the full...
