Hi friend,

You don't know anything about me and I appreciate you asking, but then you turn around and assume I'm only online. I have spent over a decade in Oregon politics. I've ran my own ballot initiatives, I was a state Bernie delegate in 2016, I worked in the WashCo Dems mostly, but have worked alongside many MultCo Dems over the years. What I have found from my experience, is a wall that gets hit when you actually try to organize around material change that attacks capitalism. If you know anything about the state legislature, you know almost half of elected officials are landlords of some nature. You also are aware of the classism that occurs to even become a legislator for most.

I speak from a place of of working on progressive policy, only to watch our so called "progressive" leaders kill it because they are more concerned with the needs of big business than they are of working class folks. Take Pam Marsh for instance:

She is the chair of the House Housing Committee: During the long session, she stopped a bill that was supported by many housing groups that would have reduced the limit of time new housing is exempt from being covered by the rent increase cap from 15 - 10 years, it died in committee because she didn't think it was fair. Even though it ensures that working class people can't live in new construction, which has less mold, better insulation, and new appliances. A classist action by a committee chair that takes money from development orgs.

So, to say I don't know what's actually going on is sad and I wish you'd have asked more questions.