The Election

For the crew here at Stumptown Printers the results of yesterday’s presidential election is undoubtedly one of the most challenging moments of our lifetimes.

It’s also a reminder to become more of who we all are, and to continue to strive to do the good work.  

We, the print community, and our friends who are makers of all sorts- machinists, teachers, carpenters, electricians, luthiers, musicians, planners, designers, social workers, metal fabricators, and everyone else who day after day engage in honest work- have built this country. We fought to learn our trades and to do the best work we can. Not because the government tells us what we can or can’t do, but because we know it’s what we all need to do to be active citizens.

We value liberty and equality for all, marriage rights for all, civil rights for all. We respect and listen to our natural environment. We embrace diversity, always welcome new friends from beyond our country’s borders, learn and innovate from those who are different from us.

We pay our fair share because we know it’s necessary in a truly democratic and forward moving civilization. We look after each other and our neighbors. We are curious, respectful, engage in mutual aid and invest in our communities, love our public lands and strive to keep them free for EVERYONE. We know democracy is work and we work hard. We don’t blame the government for our problems and then expect the same government to fix our problems- we fix our problems ourselves. Progress is an adventure. It’s a celebration of what we’ve learned- not a wall of fear. 

We forge business relationships on trust and what is good for our neighborhoods, communities and environment, even if those choices aren’t as good for the bottom line. And we remain accountable for the choices we make.

These are the values that we have been working for and continue to do so, even if our politicians choose to look backwards. As Americans and Portlanders, we are grateful for our community whose reach of inspiration is far greater than political slogans and sound bites. Keep up the good work, friends.