While attending a conference in Portland, I walked over a mile each way from my hotel to the convention center, passing the seemingly overwhelmed Portland Rescue Mission. I heard about Portland’s crisis of unhoused individuals, but witnessing it firsthand was a stark and sobering experience. It underscored a deeper national issue: our collective indifference to those most in need.
We live in a country where economic policy often resembles socialism for the ultra-wealthy—through tax breaks and lax enforcement for evaders—while the rest of us are left to navigate a harsh version of free enterprise. That system rewards those with time, talent, and resources, yet for many, careers drain the very creativity and resilience needed to thrive.
Portland, notably, has no sales tax on retail transactions. One wonders whether a modest, targeted tax could help address the emergency. The phrase “affordable housing” rings hollow when the median monthly rent for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house is approximately $2,600. For many, the cost of shelter alone is a barrier to stability.
The city claims to protect its unhoused population, yet over 7,000 people in Portland and more than 15,000 in Multnomah County remain without stable housing. Seeing someone asleep, lying face down on one of the many beautifully kept bike paths, tells a different story. It’s a painful contradiction.
“Access to justice” is a popular rallying cry, but like “affordable housing,” it often lacks substance. And access to dignity? Simply rebranding "homeless" with "unhoused" does not restore an individual's dignity. This country's promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness remains even more elusive.
Portland, with all its progressive ideals, falls short. To borrow from Morrissey: Life is a pigsty—and in Portland, that truth is hard to ignore.
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