You’re probably asking yourself, what the hell does that even mean? The Venezuela of Oregon? Fair question. So, let’s start with Venezuela itself.
Venezuela is known for its dramatic geographic diversity—towering Andes Mountains, vast plains, dense Amazon rainforest, and a long Caribbean coastline. It has a rich cultural heritage shaped by Indigenous peoples, Spanish colonization, African influence, and waves of immigration. Spanish is the official language, and Caracas serves as the nation’s political, economic, and cultural center. Clearly, none of that sounds like Josephine County. So, where’s the comparison? Stay with me.
For decades, Venezuela was defined by its enormous oil wealth. In fact, it holds the largest proven petroleum reserves in the world. That oil once made Venezuela one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America, funding infrastructure, social programs, and a strong standard of living. But heavy dependence on a single resource, combined with gross mismanagement, corruption, declining production, and later international sanctions, triggered a massive economic collapse starting in the 2010s. While there have been small signs of stabilization, Venezuela remains fragile—crippled by inflation, widespread poverty, and a hollowed-out economy.
Sound familiar yet?
Now let’s talk about Josephine County. This county sits on some of the richest land in all of Oregon. Timber blankets the landscape, and minerals fill the mountains, plains, forests, rivers, and streams. For decades, the timber industry made Josephine County wealthy. There were years when property taxes weren’t even collected because timber receipts paid for everything. Jobs were plentiful. The economy was strong. Life was good.
Then came mismanagement of the forests, the rise of extreme wildlife activism, government overreach, and local corruption. The result? Economic collapse. Mills shut down. Jobs vanished. Tax-funded programs disappeared. Law enforcement was defunded. The backbone of the county was ripped out.
In Venezuela, that collapse opened the door wide for corruption. Corruption has plagued Venezuelan leadership for decades, but under Hugo Chávez—and especially Nicolás Maduro—it became systemic. Venezuela consistently ranks among the most corrupt nations in the world. Billions of dollars were misappropriated, particularly within state-run industries like oil, with little to no accountability. The judiciary and oversight institutions failed, allowing corruption to flourish unchecked.
Now look locally.
In Josephine County, controversies often appear on the surface as “process issues”: lack of transparency, procedural misconduct, internal political disputes, decisions made behind closed doors, and questionable adherence to public records and meeting laws. But dig just a little deeper and a troubling pattern emerges. When law enforcement is gutted, who holds anyone accountable? This county is sitting on incredibly valuable land—so who’s benefiting from it? Not the citizens. Not the taxpayers. A small handful of people, along with their political cronies, continue to hold power and profit while everyone else pays the price.
One example says it all. During a public hearing at a Weekly Business Session of the Board of County Commissioners, a local mining company applied for a lease on county-owned land. The company met every requirement under County Code and provided proof of gold. By law, the lease should have been approved. Instead, the current commissioners—following the same path as their predecessors—denied it anyway, in direct contradiction to the code. During public comment, a citizen spoke about a mining operation tunneling in from adjacent BLM land and stealing gold. That’s not rumor—that was said on the public record. This is just one small example of the appearance of corruption in Josephine County leadership. There are many more, enough to fill an entire book.
So yes, Josephine County and Venezuela share something in common. Both are rich in natural resources. And in both places, leadership and powerful influencers grow wealthier while citizens slide further into poverty. Public services shrink, government programs disappear, and communities suffer—all while untapped or mismanaged resources lie right beneath their feet.
That’s the comparison. And it should alarm every single person who lives here.