The fabled city of Portland, Oregon, has been the focus of intense media coverage for over a year. It is well deserved as the city has become the poster child of a dysfunctional municipal operation. What began as protests over the police killing in Minnessota(a large midwest city few from the West Coast would even think of visiting-think Prairie Home Companion) turned into an ongoing anarchy that rolled out of control in no time. The staggering incompetence of Mayor Ted Wheeler was on view from the beginning. His monumental leadership failure will grace the pages of Public Administration textbooks for generations. This particular Democrat has made every effort to placate even the most outrageous demand from critics and involved citizens.
And then: the locals reelected him. And now they want him to change into something he will never be: a competent leader. Poor Portland. How will the city recover? Hmmmm. Will it ever? Average citizens recognize the changing situation and the poor results of efforts to corral anarchy in their midst. Average citizens are selling their homes and moving. Nearby residents in the state of Washington are laughing outloud at the situation and watching closely for spillover into their communities. The federal system that allows freedom of movement between and among the states has been one reason that Portland has lost control. Perhaps the time has arrived for internal passports to control anarchy.(just kidding!) Our trading partner, Communist China, is a textbook example of internal movement control. Want to live somewhere else? Want to move? Ask your provincial population committee, and apply using the rules established in Beijing. Maybe rules established by Washington are necessary to control the spread of anarchy. Hmmm.
Portland needs help; it can't, obviously help itself.
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