Oregon — The Cascade Policy Institute recently released a statement criticizing Governor Tina Kotek’s newly unveiled Oregon’s Prosperity Roadmap, arguing the plan relies too heavily on government-driven solutions at a time when Oregon’s economic outlook is worsening.
The critique follows earlier reporting by Right Now Oregon, which detailed mounting pushback against the Roadmap from business leaders, economists, and Republican lawmakers amid warnings of economic decline across the state.
Governor Kotek released the Roadmap in early December, outlining a strategy to raise Oregon’s projected real annual economic growth rate from 1.7 percent to 2.2 percent by the end of the decade. According to the Governor’s Office, that increase could generate an additional $4 billion in General Fund revenue during the 2029–31 budget cycle. The plan proposes new coordination structures, regulatory streamlining efforts, and targeted investments to improve competitiveness.
Key elements include the creation of a Chief Prosperity Officer within the Governor’s Office, establishment of a Governor’s Prosperity Council, accelerated permitting timelines, and a proposed FastTrack Program modeled after the federal FAST-41 process to coordinate large-scale development projects.
Cascade Policy Institute acknowledged the administration’s recognition of economic challenges but argued the Roadmap reflects a familiar pattern in Oregon policymaking. The organization cited an essay by economist Eric Fruits, Ph.D., noting that Oregon governors have cycled through state-led economic campaigns since former Governor Neil Goldschmidt launched Oregon Shines in 1989, with limited long-term success.
In its statement, Cascade contrasted the Roadmap with the economic philosophy of Oregon’s 22nd governor, Charles A. Sprague, who in his 1939 inaugural address emphasized individual freedom as the foundation of prosperity. A line from that speech—displayed at the Oregon Historical Society—declares, “In the long history of humanity, the most precious spark is that of individual freedom.”
According to Cascade, Sprague warned against expanding government control and argued that long-term prosperity depended on productive enterprise rather than permanent public support—an approach the institute says contrasts sharply with the current Roadmap’s reliance on new bureaucratic structures.
The institute’s criticism comes as business leaders have raised alarms about Oregon’s economic trajectory. As previously reported by Right Now Oregon, Oregon Business & Industry (OBI) issued an Economic Emergency Declaration in November, citing deteriorating conditions across multiple indicators.
OBI pointed to lagging GDP growth, manufacturing job losses, an estimated 25,000 jobs lost between July 2024 and July 2025, rising unemployment, and a sharp increase in Oregon’s effective business tax burden. The organization also noted Oregon’s fall from 7th to 35th in the Tax Foundation’s State Tax Competitiveness Index and ranked the state among the most heavily regulated in the nation.
Republican lawmakers also criticized the Roadmap upon its release. Sen. Christine Drazan (R-Canby) described the plan as a “so-called Prosperity Roadmap,” arguing that previous tax increases, regulatory mandates, and transportation policies contributed to Oregon’s current economic struggles.
Economic concerns have also centered on Portland’s fiscal health. Days before the Roadmap’s release, economists warned the city may be entering an “urban doom loop,” marked by a shrinking tax base, high-income taxpayer flight, job losses in high-paying sectors, and declining commercial real estate values—trends that could ripple through state and regional budgets.
Supporters of the Roadmap, including Representative Janelle Bynum, argue those structural challenges justify coordinated state intervention. Cascade Policy Institute, however, contends the state’s economic problems will not be solved by expanding the same systems it believes contributed to the decline.
In its statement, Cascade called for policies that focus on removing barriers to growth, including tax complexity, regulatory burdens, rigid land-use rules, energy constraints, and deteriorating infrastructure. The organization also cited ongoing outmigration of capital and talent as evidence that current policies are failing to inspire long-term investment.
“All roads have off-ramps,” Cascade said, referring to businesses and workers leaving Oregon. “The on-ramp to prosperity is the ‘precious spark’ of individual freedom.”
The Kotek administration plans to advance Roadmap-related legislation during the 2026 and 2027 sessions. With business leaders declaring an economic emergency and policy groups sharply divided, the debate over Oregon’s economic direction is expected to intensify heading into the next legislative cycle and the 2026 elections.
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It’s easy to tax the piss out of your citizens, there are just so many of them! They wouldn’t mind if you taxed them just a wee bit more! It’s just a little sacrifice that will solve all of your problems. Said the Grinch.
Kotek is Portland’s buffoon. The idiot democrats won’t be happy until they run every business out of the state.