Readers Respond to Oregon’s Stagnation

The late Gov. Tom McCall famously wanted people to visit Oregon but not stay. It took a while, but his wish came true. In an interview with the Oregon Journalism Project, economist John Topogna described a state whose good looks reliably attracted newcomers, but is lately finding that its mountains and forests don’t rate compared to high housing costs and poorly performing schools ( “Hotseat: John Tapogna,” OJP, Sept. 10 ). Topogna argues that Oregon is stalling out in part because that’s exactly what its leaders wanted: to control growth. But with those pretty forests catching fire, maybe it’s time to stop playing hard to get. One-night stands are no way to build a home. Here’s what our readers had to say:

Mike Thelin, via LinkedIn: “This is a fascinating and sobering interview wi