Is anyone asking the right questions?

Salem, OR, January 13, 2024—Earlier this week, when I was asked to comment on a  Republican representative’s endorsement of one of the presidential candidates, I found myself  dumbfounded at the nature of the question I was being asked. 

Does the media think that Oregonians really care only about superficial “gotcha” news rather  than weightier matters like holding the leaders of Oregon accountable for the deterioration we  see all around us? Democrats have been in control of Oregon state government at all levels for  years, and their failed policies have caused untold suffering for Oregonians. 

Where are the questions concerning the effect on Oregonians of the Governor’s proposal to  levy $3 billion in additional taxes? And how will Oregonians pay the tax bill with the rising cost of  groceries? Where are the questions about Oregon’s deteriorating school system that graduates  kids without basic math and reading proficiency? Or how about the three potholes I hit on my  drive home over crumbling roads and bridges? How about the failure of Measure 110 or  concern about the open air drug markets and overdose deaths ravaging Portland, while crime  drives businesses and tax dollars out of the city? Where are the questions about the shortage of  ambulances, hospital beds, and police officers to keep Oregonians safe, especially with our  current mental health crisis? Or how about the elephant (or should I say “the donkey”) in the  room—our disheartening homeless problem and lack of urgency over tearing down the barriers  that stand in the way of building the affordable housing that Oregonians desperately need? 

I hope that this is the year the voters of Oregon will finally recognize that Democrat policies  have led this state to the brink of ruin. 150,000 Oregon residents fled the state in 2022. I wonder  how many fled in 2023 and how many more will give up on Oregon in the year to come. I am not  giving up. I am looking for those who will work with me in 2024 to steer a course away from the  failed policies of the current establishment and toward a brighter future for all Oregonians. 

So no, I do not have a comment on whom a congressman chose to endorse for president, but I  am happy to comment on how we can right the ship of our beautiful state. 

Justin Hwang 

Chairman of Oregon Republican Party