Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Economic Illiteracy at the Oregonian: What's new?

You probably read the recent news about Oregon's lagging per-capita income. Despite a strong national economy, Oregonians' wages just aren't all that robust, running at 93% of the national average.

The Oregonian today explained why this has happened, and managed, in their explanation, to avoid entirely any mention of business environment, regulations, capital formation, taxes, transportation, or anything else related to encouraging and growing the private sector.

No, viewed through the lens of the Oregonian's editorial board, the reason wages have lagged is because troglodyte Oregon voters have repeatedly failed to sufficiently fund government programs (except jails, which they think shouldn't be funded.)

They trot out all the usual bugaboos as causes of the low per-capita income, and use the list to scold us for being so short sighted: Measure 5, Measure 47 and 50, Measure 11, lack of spending on higher ed and community colleges, and lack of government funded job training, plus their holy grail: our refusal to add a sales tax.

Nowhere in the editorial is there a SINGLE mention of anything that has to do with business environment. They didn't swerve anywhere close to discussing what Oregon just might be doing to discourage high-wage jobs from being created here.

It's amazing. Can they truly be such socialists?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Uh, yes, Rob the not only CAN be such card carrying socialist, they indeed ARE socialists.

How many times lately have they written that private property is really "our" land?

They think government creates wealth. They are idiots.

Anonymous said...

Just when you think they cant get any worse, they prove that it is worse than you think.

Anonymous said...

It would be hilarious if it weren't so dangerous. I don't think the editorial board is smart enough to be embarrassed by their own ignorance.

Anonymous said...

They live in their own little dream world -- remember the Govs new motto -- where private enterprise is entirely unwelcome and taxes are king.

Anonymous said...

Great comment re. Portland Tribune paen to a Portland Marxist today ... would have applied here.

Re: In black and white, a lot of red

NOW I realize why Portland is referred to as "the people's republic of Portland". Having been unfortunate to have had to fight communists during the last century I have always wondered why I really hate traveling through Portland and feel the hairs on the back of my neck go up. It's all the socialists still living there and having an inner feeling about some of those around me wanting to do me in. The feeling is in the air, on the news, and is very obvious to someone that knows what communism, or socialism as it is called now, is all about. Trust me, it is not paranoia on my part.
"Dave"

(Not verified)

Fri, May 04, 2007 at 07:42 AM