Maybe you should just stick to state politics. Your "progressive" state is on fire - and we haven't even started the coming economic downturn yet.
https://summit.news/2023/03/10/retailers-sound-alarm-bell-over-huge-spike-in-organized-shoplifting/
https://www.oregonlive.com/data/2023/07/multnomah-county-lost-record-1-billion-in-income-in-2021-as-residents-moved-away.html
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2023/06/20/oregon-lawmakers-put-more-than-1-billion-toward-last-minute-budget-needs/
Progressive Portland you mean. Most of the state which is rural is conservative. It is Oregon's largest cities that are progressive. This is where the majority of the states population is. You'll find large cities all over the U.S. are liberal.
Shop lifting in Portland is a problem or so that's what retailers claim. The responding heightened security at some stores in the city, makes shopping at these stores an annoying chore.
Last week when in Portland for a doctor's appointment I decided to buy a $3. protein drink at a nearby Fred Meyer. What a fucking hassle. Their self-checkout system requires you use a Fred Meyer membership card, key in how many bags you used (none in this case) before you can pay (I paid using my phone 'wallet' which links to my bank account) and get a receipt which must have because a security person 20 feet away checks before you exit the store walking through the scanners in case you stole something and stuffed it up your ass. LOL!
I am relatively sure that shoplifting isn't a problem unique to Portland. My guess is that it happens in most major cities all over the country. Also, have you ever seen the videos of the Walmart Superstore's clientele? A lot of these folks are not the crème de la crème of customers (yes, I am a snob).
Most of Portland is in Multnomah County. Housing costs in Portland are ridiculously high. Anyone who earns a modest salary is likely to not live in Portland unless they live in a tent on the sidewalk. The average rent on a 1-bedroom apartment is $1,500 a month. Although real estate has leveled off and even in some cases decreased in price this year, the current median home price is $560K. Real estate in neighboring counties is generally somewhat less than it is in Multnomah. This depends of course on what city you live in. West Linn, a small suburban city in Clackamas County where I live has a current median owner-occupied housing price of $698K. Houses around me are on the market for a week or two before they sell.
Oddly enough, when the Oregon legislature starts a session the budget news is not great. Somehow by the end of the session, they find money and balance the budget or have a surplus which is paid back to the taxpayer in the form of a 'kicker'. At 10.8% Oregon's 2022 total tax burden was in the middle of all the states.
