From Portland’s empty storefronts to shuttered mills in rural counties, the symptoms are now impossible to ignore. Oregon isn’t collapsing because its people stopped working hard. It’s collapsing because policy after policy, year after year, has made it harder to build, invest, hire, and stay.

The tipping point? We’re living in it.

A Decade of Disincentives

The 2010s began with optimism. Oregon’s tech sector was rising, tourism was booming, and new businesses were putting down roots. But while the surface shimmered, state leadership began layering on policies that slowly choked the environment that helped those successes grow.

Land-use restrictions, rising corporate taxes, ballooning minimum wage mandates, relentless environmental regulations, and a hands-off approach to growing public safety concerns began to compound. Instead of adapting to the needs of a modern economy, Oregon doubled down on bureaucracy.