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Curtis Whitton's comments:
on Candidate Conversation: John Kitzhaber
Both Candidates are for some degree of big government and spending. Jobs are generated when someone purchases something or does something that they can not do for themselves. The state can really do anything for itself. Thus tax and spend is a necessity.
Corporations are granted charters with a promise of perpetual life and limited liability. Corporations then organize around a set of objectives and organizational structures. Corporations can not do anything for themselves either
50 years of tax cuts and 30 years of Capital Gains adjustments have yet to produce a sustainable economy.
The Enron Energy Bubble, the Technology Bubble, and now the Housing Bubble and Recession lead me to conclude that Wall Street can not meet Wall Street's expectations for growth without electronic irrational exuberant title transfer commissions. Vapor profits.
Tax Cuts did not work. Our top ten exports during the Bush administration were composed of used clothing to the third world, scrap metal to China, and used paper. What isn't but should be listed are US TREASURY NOTES owned by foreign countries. The Dow Jones lost over 100 points when China raised its Interest Rate by 1 %.
President Clinton on the David Letterman labeled the cause of the economic crisis as a " failure to invest in the REAL economy".
Promises, Promises , BromiseS
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Candidate Conversation: John Kitzhaber
Corporations are artifical enties birthed(?) by State Charters. Delaware and North Dakota could take on that issue for many of the Financial Service Corporations by revising the powers granted to them. Expand what is required within the context of decisions made regarding underfunded Research & Development vs Political contributions which in theory have no expected return on investment while the prime directive of the corporate bonus babies is to maximize Shareholder return on investment.
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on 66 and 67 Have Passed. Now What?
Where would that be?
posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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on Rx: Personal Values
Tell me how someone accesses an alternative Emergency Provider? All direction signs on the streets and highways are blue Hs with arrows. Remember that some of the ER costs are availability costs and would be there even if the day were prove to be uneventful.
posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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on Rx: Personal Values
Our family has two members with preventive and routine care which covers the majority costs at a fixed monthly rate. Unfortunately these plans are for the dog and cat. When our daughter still lived at home we had major medical/life insurance for a small annual fee.
I am for freeing our businesses from the burden of staffing their Human Resource offices with experts in these areas. Insurers and Employers negotiate with an eye on their bottom lines. The shift to Co=pays is an example of said concerns.
I had hand surgeies where the net paid by insurance company was less than a third of the costs(?) charged. If I were a Self-pay patient would I have been billed for and sent to collectiion for the full amount?
I am for a public option because I can't see any way to rely on family, church, or friends to provide for Primary Health Care.
posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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on Rx: Role of Employers
I was involved as a staff member in the negotiations for Health Care in the 1980's and 1990's. Intially the available insurance companies consisted of Blue Cross, Kaiser Permentte, Capitol Health Care, and several east coast based Insurance firms. By 1990 Capitol Health Care had been swalled by Blue Cross and the East Coast firms had exited our market.
As a small business we made use of a Broker who took on the tasks of searching for suitable insurance providers. I assme that a profile of our staff by sex and age as well as the nature of our business. Over the years irealised that the methodolgy for determining premium ampiunts varied. One used age and gender while most used categorical distinctions (ie self, self & Spouse, self & children, and family)
From the point of view of a small business you must face the fact that you have no purchasing muscle.
I think we would all be better off with a comprehensive system that emphasized health not cost control. If one totals the membership of Medicare, Medicaid, State Welfare Programs, State employees, Local Government Agencies and Institutions employees , prisoners and the Veterans Administration Goverment is already a significant entity in providing health care.
Business is burdened with excess Human Resouce staff, Insurers are tempted to drop individuals or reduce coverage, Congress passed a law against using DNA information, individuals can attempt to premium payments until they are sick.These are just some of the problems of the current structure.
I actually think that all the fear of change problems being highlighted can be fixed if we have the courage to deal with the problems & solutions rather than preserving the status quo of the big health care industry lobbyist.
posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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on TOL Remote in Newport: Wave Energy
When wandering around the web, there was a photo of wave energy generator off the coast of Portugal. Truth or fiction?
posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on Closer to Cuts
Same old same old - borrow from Trust fund leverage with federal funds to once again mimic CCC,CETA,YCC jobs programs.
I would prefer to move to a budget system where the spending is much more correlated with a given revenue source ( Police and Fire for homes and personal property based on sales/insurance insurance premium values). Actual cash collected would be reserved until released to State agencies at a future date certain and thus extending spending authority.
John Mc Cain suggested that a retreat format - be used to solve problems. Might I suggest a Cruise Ship with no cell phones and no lobbying. The Biennium budget cycle is at best always based upon a guess. A box that the Legislature/Govenor Can't escape. My impression is that nuisance issues have gotten far too much press so far.
posted 4 years ago
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on Powerful Combination
More Thoughts
Trojan probably has left behind a re-useable portion of the infrastructure. Can the nuclear plant reseach of OSU be turned into a demonstration project?
The are hundreds of miles of infrasture used to distribute irrigarion water. Can't water go up-the down staircase?
posted 4 years ago
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on Powerful Combination
In the 1970's I was a Jesuit volunteer at St. Mary's Mission/Paschal Sherman Indisn School. The Washington Public Power Supply System was in the process of constructing five Nuclear Power plants. One day on Omak Lake Road valley an engineer and BIA superintendent arrived. The idea was to pump water upstream whenever the supply side of the electric utility market exceeded the demand. Most evenings were seen as potential events. Nuclear power are more or less constant on-off without a dimmer switch. The concept of utilizing the Columbia River Dam system thus becomes a battery, as well as a generator. O Yeah this would require a very Smart Grid not just a sales gimmick for ENRON part II.
An I-5 bridge drawing proposed including wind turbine in the bridege structure. Very Interesting ) "Artie Johnson/ Laugh-In "
posted 4 years ago
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on Left Behind
This is quite an interesting wide ranging set of comments. Both my parents were high school (10th)or earlier(8th) grade dropouts. As a youth, I believe that school attendence was mandatory until age 16. This was in the WWII years and thus jobs were probably plentiful. My father served in the military. Wether voluntary or not, I don't know. The society of that era did not stigmatize the lack of a high school diploma. On the other hand I never observed my parents working in jobs that would require more education. I have no idea if this the result of educational achievement or lack of ambition.
As far as I know or remember, I started my education as a kindergarten dropout. I was supposed to take a city bus several blocks to a Catholic Parish Grade Schhol. I skipped the bus and played in mud puddles.
posted 4 years ago
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on Raising Revenue: Corps and Brews
The problem witj both the Corporate Minmum and home brew beer tax is that the legislature has allowed the issues to stagnatefor decades. Thus the fix seems overdramatic. Fairness and appropriatess are seperate concerns.
Modernization of the Oregon Tax Code is a great idea. I don't think that a legisalture caught up in the chicken little search for revenue is the best choice to accomplish that task.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on The Art of Hard Times
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Making Taxes Sing
Thoughts on Soccer / Baseball
Perhaps the Soccer and Baseball fans could contribute monthly to fund a credit default swap to protect Portland and Oregon taxpayers.
Can a plan be developed with a single site serving both sports?
Could the defunct Multnomah Kennel Club serve as a viable site?
Building a Stadium large enough to accomodate a major league baseball team might just offset the idea that Portland's fan base is not large enough. Build it and they will come! Well maybe.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Making Taxes Sing
I think it is time to take a closer look all the unfunded and under-funded mandates that we have lobbied our Federal and State government officials to legislate As I see it, enthusiasm for adequate funding wanes rather quickly. Road construction, prison operations, etc. are rarely sustained. I have been led by Hollywood to believe that even in the best of times ex-cons have difficulty finding gainful employment. Why are our legislators considering releasing prisoners in order to save money? What’s an unemployed homeless ex-convict to do?
I think we could use technology to revise the Oregon Tax structure. The mileage tax plan is one example (I am one who believes that a Weight factor should also be included). Another might be a tax on personal property, renter‘s insurance, and auto-value insurance as a means to partially fund fire and police services. My point is that we can now improve the correlation of a tax and the government services provided. I would hope that such a plan would limit the range of services eligible to be funded by a given tax.
The problem revising the tax code is that age old dilemma – Where in the World do you go to find the honest fair minded persons required?
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Presidential Candidates Face Off
All the negative ads in the Merkley/Smith race make me think a write-in of almost anyone else would be an improvememnt - suggestions?
posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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on Assessing the Assessment
My key to the state of the economy was the announcement that "women's apparell" sales had declined. Our family life cycle involved having young children during the early 80's. I used to tease my wife that she deserved a medal for single handily stimulating the Reagan Recovery. Things are bad when moms cut back on spending on themselves.
posted 5 years, 2 months ago
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