Free Enterprise

Oregon’s economy is made of businesses large and small, providing valuable services and products delivered and created by workers. A worker can’t have a job if a business doesn’t employ them, and business can’t employ workers if they can’t make a profit. That’s free enterprise, and Oregon must be a place where businesses can succeed, because when they succeed, workers benefit. Together, businesses and workers generate the revenue that fund our public education system, law enforcement, and other critical public services.

Healthcare

Every Oregon worker should have access to affordable health care. Health care providers should have to compete for customers. When that happens, the cost of health care goes down, and the quality of health care goes up. Laws that increase competition in health care delivery, preserve the doctor-patient relationship, and lower monthly premiums are what is needed.

Housing

The cost of housing in Oregon has skyrocketed. This has strained family budgets and reduced the purchasing power of workers. While home ownership is the cornerstone of the American dream, home ownership is further out of reach for too many Oregonians. Housing production is far behind of what is needed to meet current demand. Building more homes will lower home prices and rents and allow workers to keep more of their heard earned money during challenging economic times.

Agriculture

There are an estimated 60,000 workers on Oregon’s farms, laboring to grow the food that we all eat. Agricultural workers are unique: they work in a seasonal business climate that is sensitive to commodity prices, trade agreements, and other challenges. The family farms where many workers labor is the backbone of communities across Oregon, and every effort should be made to make it easier for them to succeed.

Education

Education changes lives and takes many forms. Education can be a high school diploma, an associate’s degree, a trade certificate, or a bachelor’s degree. Social mobility is strengthened when there’s an education system that meets unique needs of every worker.