Portland has a housing problem. When there’s not enough houses to go around, even as more people flock to the city, rents skyrocket. Now, the state of Oregon thinks it has a solution: rent control. In the long run, that’s only going to make the problem worse.

The problem in Portland is one replicated in growing cities across the country. As new jobs in existing metropolitan centers attract new workers, existing housing supply can’t keep up. With higher demand, rents necessarily rise. Those higher rates leave renters unable to afford a place to live.