Over the past decade, Oregon has earned a reputation—one not built on innovation or resilience, but on slow decline. What began as subtle warning signs has become a full-blown unraveling of the state’s economic foundation. From Portland’s empty storefronts to shuttered mills in rural counties, the symptoms are now impossible to ignore. Oregon isn’t collapsing because its people stopped working hard. It’s collapsing because policy after policy, year after year, has made it harder to build,...