Taking Real Oregon Back

I want the Real Oregon back.

Sometimes I don't recognize my state any more. The mess that's Portland and how it is spreading to Salem and other cities. The way we neglect our forest lands, leaving them as tinderboxes. The treatment of the mentally ill. The dismal public school performance and infringement on parents rights. The list goes on.

What we see today isn't the Real Oregon. Not the Oregon that enamored me when I made it my adopted state in the 80's.

What we see today doesn't represent who we are or what we are about.

I want the Real Oregon back. And I know you do too.

And this isn't some call to go back to "the good ole days". It's not a point in time. Rather, it's how we made decisions together and improved our lot, as a community. It was called the Oregon Way, because it was pretty unique to Oregon. We worked to find common ground. Sadly, we've lost our way, and too often calls to find common ground are ignored.

On issue after issue, the majority leadership in the Oregon legislature is not representing the will of the people. The majority of Oregonians, including Independents, Democrats, and Republicans, do not agree with the big policy positions we are seeing out of Salem. There are a lot of examples.

The Legislative stance on Ballot Measure 110 is a glaring example. The majority of Oregonians desperately want change on this issue. They either want BM110 repealed, or radically changed to re-criminalize hard drugs, compel treatment, and offer evidence based, long-term treatment and recovery programs with the goal of getting people clean. But instead, the legislative majority blocked BM110 reform bills, and continued down the current ineffective and fiscally wasteful path.

As another example, the majority of Oregonians want Education Savings Accounts, where public school funds follow the child, so that parents can choose the right school (public, private, or homeschool) that best suits their child's unique needs. Yet the legislative majority blocked a bill that would have done just that; it wasn't given a hearing much less a vote.

And, the majority of Oregonians understand that leaving the mentally ill on the streets is a travesty; it is the opposite of compassion, it is gross neglect. Yet the legislative majority has blocked attempts to make it easier to civilly commit those incapable of helping themselves, as a result leaving them on the street and self-medicating.

There are many more examples: the approach to the homeless crisis, opposing school resource officers, slack crime enforcement, granting the Governor broad executive authority - in each case, the legislative majority position stands against the interests of voters.

I believe Oregon voters are finally waking up to this, and they are changing their vote accordingly. They want Real Oregon back. They want an Oregon legislature that represents them, that seeks common ground. They understand the need to restore balance.

The legislative majority in Salem has moved far to the left of the mainstream, guided by progressive interest groups instead of the will of the people. And on these big issues, even moderate Democrat legislators will not step out of line and vote against the extreme left agenda. As a result, many mainstream Oregon voters are not being represented by the people they voted for.

Oregon, if you want different outcomes, you need to change how you vote. Join me in fighting to bring balance back to Salem.

Let's fight for the Real Oregon!