Here they come (maybe)


Here's a silly story from the O: They take some numbers from the DMV and draw some wild conclusions from them. Because there's been a recent upsurge in the number of out-of-state driver's licenses being surrendered in Oregon, they suggest that yes, people are moving here again, and everything's going to be peachy any day now.

Come on. First of all, data from the DMV? The DMV was effectively shut down for a year or more during the pandemic. As a result, a lot of traffic laws were basically suspended. You didn't even need a license plate on your car for the longest time, much less a license to drive. And in Portland, with the cops "quiet quitting," you probably still can get away without having one. 

Even when the DMV is open, you're going to trust their computers to give you accurate information? State of Oregon computers? Earth to the O! Earth to the O! Come in, O! No, to try to draw any kind of trend from changes in DMV data points over the past three years is a bit of a joke on more levels than one.

Besides, there's no data on how many Oregon driver's licenses are being surrendered in other states. For all they know, we could be losing more folks than we're gaining. Meanwhile, more people are dying in Oregon than being born. That's never happened before.

The editors at the O are always eager to tell us that "there are signs" that Oregon is making a comeback. For more than a year, they've been noting "signs" that downtown Portland is becoming "vibrant" again. They've got to be kidding with all that rah-rah stuff. I'll say this for them, though: Seizing on suspect DMV numbers to lead another inane cheer is consistent on their part, at least.

But boy, if it's true that people are flocking here, think of how bad it must be wherever they're coming from.

Comments

  1. Don’t know what it means.

    But, I see a lot of expired license plates from other states

    ReplyDelete
  2. Newcomers to Oregon are filling apartments in the Valley faster than developers can build them. Good luck finding space in self-storage.

    ReplyDelete
  3. They may not be coming to Portland, but out of staters have been arriving in a big way this summer in the Salem/Keizer area, Eugene area, Central Oregon, and even in places like LaGrande. It’s really surprised me here in the Salem area.

    ReplyDelete

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