My apologies for the long hiatus. I have been intently talking with many Oregonians these past weeks and integrating the various views, concerns and possibilities about our collective future.

Our future as a state can be bright, but we are at a decision point. Our fiscal approach has created a financial situation that is both serious and unstable, made more obvious by the most recent national financial crisis. Our financial liabilities for health care and prisons grow while our ability to pay for them shrinks. Our desire to create high-value jobs is inconsistent with our commitment to funding education at all levels. We have a rich natural resource base, but we have limited our imaginations on how to innovatively use it consistent with our shared environmental values.

I submit we are at threshold of a generational rethink of our priorities and approaches as a state. This is a comprehensive rethink; it is not single-issue oriented nor is it incremental. It has its core in a significant reinvestment in education tied to both short-term and long-term economic vitality. It depends on making our tax system work for us during down cycles rather working against us. It fundamentally requires repositioning Oregon to lead rather than react to the opportunities and changes of the 21st century. I believe this is the path Oregon must take. I believe the next governor can make this happen. I believe I have exactly what it takes to be that next governor. In coming posts I’ll talk more about my vision for the future.