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Claytonx's comments:

on Making Public Records Public

As difficult as it is to exercise FIOA rights with State and Federal agencies, I am more concerned over the lack of any sort of FOIA right to access data held on me by private companies.

While I may have the right to view my credit report, I don't have an equivalent right to view (and challenge) data tied to me via Facebook, Amazon, Google, and other private entities.  Such data is often now used by prospective employers to pre-screen candidates.  Without FIOA-like access to these large, non-public databases, we all are at risk of being denied services, jobs, housing or other things due to potentially erroneous data contained in private databases.

posted 3 years, 5 months ago
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on Bottling It Up in Cascade Locks

Beer is a value add product.  Bottled water is not (at least not in a region where we have wonderful tap water).  All houses in the US already have potable water "on draft" for fractions of a cent per glass.

posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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on Raising Revenue: Corps and Brews

Great point.  Even the current tax should ideally be based on net alcohol volume of the product, not the raw volume of the product.  Sure, that means watery beers will enjoy lower taxes than some of the higher octane microbrews --- but it levels the playing field for all and puts for a disincentive for the makers of alco-pops and cheap malt liquor to crank up the alcohol percentages for the sole purpose of getting drunk.  The big downside would be a greater price per pint/bottle for most micro-brews and Belgian ales, but at least it would be fair.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Raising Revenue: Corps and Brews

It all comes down to the price elasticity for beer.  Alcohol, cigarettes and gasonline are all examples of products with pretty inelastic demand.  This means that a price increase usually has minimal impact on demand.  That said, a big increase in taxes will cause consumers to keep their alcohol unit consumption about the same, but they'll shift to cheaper brews --- slamming the craft brewing industry.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Raising Revenue: Corps and Brews

The tax proponent claims underage drinking is one of the big motivators.  If this is truly the nexus for the tax increase, then wouldn't you make a bigger dent by shutting down the alco-pops industry?  Those drinks are tailored for and marketed to underage drinkers, yet the segment seems to be operating with impunity.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Budget Cuts Are Coming

Here is how I would lower costs: Quit locking people up for marijuana crimes and release those already in jail/prison where the crime was only possession, sale, or cultivation of marijuana.  Implement a tax or fine system for possession of marijuana and lock up those who do not pay the tax.

And I would increase revenue by aggessively pursuing folks with outstanding fines, taxes, and the like.  For example, if someone convicted of DUII or DWS and has not paid their fines, the state should take their car.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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on Shovel Ready?

Why spend a dime fixing up public housing?  Instead, derelict public housing should be razed, with the occupants being relocated to bank-owned properties scattered throughout the area.  The government already effectively owns the banks, so they already effectively own the foreclosed houses...  Not only does it cost less money, it gives the poor a hand up by intermixing them throughout our communities.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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on Shovel Ready?

I am concerned that the national rush to do maintenance on the roadways will temporarily overwhelm surveyors, planners, engineers, staffers, and others.  Further, it will cause a HUGE spike in demand for materials (such as asphalt) and heavy equipment (such as graders).  This spike in demand will result in unneeded price increases as well as delays.  While there's a readily available supply of labor...How can we ramp up these programs so we don't over-whelm the available supply of materials and equipment?

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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on Measures 63 and 64

Requiring building permits help ensure safety and are HUGE sources of revenue generation for the municipality. I think we have strong support for the safety value of the building code & permit process, but the revenue issue is what most struggle with... By getting a permit for everything, I am forced to pay a fee AND I'm telling the tax collector about an improvement to my home (which may result in increased property taxes due to the improvement adding to home value).

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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on Fishing for Clarity

As a life-long sports fisherman, I learned many years ago that "the fishing is always good, but the catching is sometimes slow." We paid $800/day in March and again in April to try for Spring Chinook on the Columbia. We were skunked on the first outing and netted two on the second. I had given up on landing a "Springer" this year, but fish never cease to amaze me...

I ended up landing several Springers in June -- theoretically long past their return window. Local lore says the Springers were late this year due to high snow pack...

But the bottom line is that nobody, even our dedicated NOAA and DFW biologists, are still making educated guesses on the size, health, and timing of all salmon runs.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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