In 1955, a Detroit factory worker earning about $5,000 a year could support a family of four on a single income. He could buy a new house for $7,000, a new car for $2,000, put food on the table, save money monthly, and still ensure his wife never needed to work outside the home. This wasn't a rare success story—it was the norm. That era defined the American middle class...

As a former Clackamas County Commissioner who consistently supported our Sheriff’s Office while championing smarter, more efficient government, I view the recent budget challenges not as a crisis of despair but as an opportunity for innovation and renewed commitment to the safety of our families and communities. The defeat of the public safety levy in May underscores the very real pressures facing taxpayers rising costs, economic uncertainty, and skepticism toward new tax bur