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"... People would not have to rely on charity if they had sufficient opportunities to conduct their lives in a predictable manner more insulated from the vagaries and vicissitudes of boom-and-bust cycles."

This is only one type of charity. There are other charities out there that don't just help the poor... like charities that help abused children (see the Oregon Network of Child Abuse Intervention Centers), or nonprofits that provide education and services or conservation (Nearby Nature in Eugene, Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah)... then there are arts organizations and nonprofits working to increase sustainability in our communities (Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts, and the Eugene Symphony Guild.) 

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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I'm guessing even with the downturn, your city-center property is worth a lot more than $95,000. I'm sure when you choose to sell your property you'll make a pretty penny and somehow be able to afford those $8,400/year taxes. Considering a 100% mortgage on $95,000 would be something like $400/mo, the $700/mo ($1,100/mo) you are paying in taxes doesn't get much sympathy from me as my mortgage is more than that for a home that is only worth twice as much as yours was in 1986 (so it's probably worth about 1/5th or less than what your property is worth today).

posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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I think cfbednarek pretty much sums up the uphill battle Kitzhaber was fighting. Experience cuts both ways, and moderates and independents may not have been able to support him after the last eight years of Kulongoski (who I personally would NOT support or vote for again). 

Also, Dudley's attack ads were pretty effective even if they were total hyperbole. 

Kitz was good. The legislature during his last term was impossible. Thus, his record looks worse than it should if you don't have good historical memory and are willing to be swayed by soundbites and attack ads.

posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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I'm so relieved DeFazio won!

I'm not surprised about the medical marijuana measure failing. I was in favor, and I think dispensaries would have had a better chance, but the part of the measure that provided for assistance to low income card holders made some liberal-minded voters think twice. Hand-outs for pot heads?!

Fingers crossed for Kitz!

posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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I was educated in our public schools and attended a State University. My summer job through college was as a Wildland Firefighter for the Oregon Department of Forestry. I have benefited directly from taxpayer dollars in Oregon.

My Grandmother survived in her last decade on Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. My Aunt lives on Social Security Disability because she is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. My dad worked for the US Forest Service. My mom accepted WIC when my brother and I were little and my dad was unemployed. My family has benefited from Federal Government programs.

Every day I drive on public roads. My neighborhood is protected by our local fire department and police departments (and jails and prisons that keep criminals away from my family). And, to some extent, I am safer when I fly because of the TSA and FAA, FBI, CIA, etc. Our community is safe from invasion by foreign governments because of our military.

Do I think that there is waste in government? Yes! But I happily do my taxes each year and look at the amount I pay as my fair share for these services. I then take very seriously my civic duty to engage my politicians and to vote to change the system to eliminate waste in government where I see it.

posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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One of the problems that a caller touched on was the organization of fire resources with contract crews. Contract engines and crews are private businesses and depending on the fire season, these organizations may not make enough money to pay the bills and then "go under." In the past, all fires were fought by agency resources, but over the years the taxpayers have cut funding from these agencies and made them rely more on contract equipment and resources.

The dark side of this relationship is that employees of contract crews have an incentive for wildfires to happen... most of our fires are human-caused.

Do the math.

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
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I believe this is a problem in Oregon communities, but I think we prefer to think of our state as a pristine place that isn't affected by ugly crimes like this.

In Eugene, I've seen quite a few articles over the years about runaway/homeless teen girls getting into prostitution and the sex trade - often because of drugs.

Here are some links to these articles to illustrate the issue:

http://downtowneugene.kval.com/content/vice-detective-honored-rescuing-girls-prostitution

http://www.kval.com/news/local/83966797.html

http://search.kval.com/default.aspx?ct=r&q=%22Eugene%2C+Ore.%22+and+%22prostitution%22

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/07/wyden_more_needs_to_be_done_to.html

This problem is one of my main concerns when working with a 16-year-old youth through a mentorship program. The youth has experienced sexual abuse in her past and has now left home because she didn't like the rules and attitude/treatment of her step-father. On the streets, she is a prime candidate to be pulled into this type of activity. From her low threshold for understanding the risks/vulnerabilities of sex, to her need for shelter and desire for attention. It frightens me, and I just keep doing what I can to help her find healthy and safe alternatives.

posted 2 years, 9 months ago
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Please ask your guest about the Obama tax cuts for the middle class. If the Tea Party is all against taxation, what's their issue with Obama? He's cutting taxes for the middle class!

posted 3 years ago
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It's obviously not JUST about government spending, otherwise the Tea Party would have existed during the Bush administration... remember, he got us more in debt as a nation than any other President in our country's history.

posted 3 years ago
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I'm glad the Tea Party exists - hopefully they will pull votes away from mainstream GOP candidates and give them to their Constitutionalist and Libertarian candidates. But really, the Tea Party is a Fox News invention. Interview after interview with attendees at Tea Party rallies proves this, as the uninformed masses spew Fox News talking points and lack any substance to back up their claims.

This is one of my favorite examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbyFeFhUTmI&feature=player_embedded

They deny the tax cuts, contradict themselves, and say things like they stand for "freedom."

posted 3 years ago
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The difference is that the deaf community can read... so they can read the letter in the mail, read the newspaper articles, television advertisement closed captioning, etc. Foreign language speakers may not be able to read English.

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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$15 million... wow. Well at least now I know how much money was spent. Not sure I buy the argument that it saved over $500 million by increasing awareness. If people saw it and were cognizant enough to open it, why wouldn't they just open the ACTUAL census form when it arrives?

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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I really think that the letter that was sent that says "look for the census next week" was a total waste of money. With all the other ads and the door-to-door coverage for homes where the form is not filed, I don't see why they needed to print and mail this "informative" document.

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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I personally welcome a ban on plastic bags. These items of "convenience" were created without a thought to their disposal and are now so ubiquitous after 40 years of use that commenters here don't seem to think twice about what we did before its invention.

Three years ago I hand-made 24 canvas bags and gave them away as gifts for Christmas. My timing was spot-on, as that year stores started carrying reusable bags and encouraging shoppers to bring their own bags. In Eugene, the PC Market of Choice chain has banned plastic bags in their own stores and encouraged shoppers to bring in their own bags.

The most annoying feature of plastic bags is that it seems that no matter the quantity of your purchase, store clerks are happy to put it in a bag. Whether you're buying a single bottle of Advil or prepackaged food item, they tend to put it in a bag without thought. I often find myself in these situations standing in front of them, removing the item from the bag in silence and walking away, leaving the bag behind. Seriously, I can't carry a single item out of the store without a bag?! It's just so wasteful.

And despite a move to offer reusable bags at cost at all the stores I shop in, I find myself in a minority group that remembers to bring reusable bags. I have a small, foldable reusable bag that I keep in my purse (my mom has one that I gave her that she clips to her keychain), so that for small trips to the grocery store I always have my own bag. On weekly trips, I always stuff the canvas bags into one and bring them in the store with me - enjoy the minor rebate given by the store for bringing my own bags - and leave, unlikely to see more than one other customer who did the same.

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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"High-income groups would see their taxes rise on average by a small fraction. However, they still would pay a smaller share of their income in state and local taxes than would middle- or low-income households."

Register Guard Guest Viewpoint: Weighing Measure 66 & 67

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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The Yes camp's fear mongering?

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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But when someone makes a mistaken assumption, it is the responsibility of the police officers to be objective in their investigation. As soon as they arrived at the "unrented" apartment and noticed that the students had laptops and student equipment they should have stopped in their tracks. They could have visually communicated to ask to see a key or retreated and checked back in with the landlord before proceeding. Instead they blindly assumed the worst despite evidence to the contrary. Then they used a taser to top it off.

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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I don't have a problem with Tasers as an alternative to guns in non-life-threatening situations. But I think the bar needs to be raised as to when the Taser is used. In the cases in Eugene, this same officer has used the Taser in two very public situations where this use of non-lethal force was not warrented. The fact that the Cheif of Police found that the officer acted within the department's policies whereas the police auditor found otherwise demonstrates the problem. The police are too into "protecting their brothers," and not enough into being fair to the public.

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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I think the investigation will show that this exact rule was part of the problem in DHS's handling of this case. Sad...

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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Thank you Steve!!! John Chandler keeps skewing how S-corps work and misrepresenting how this tax would affect small businesses. I am involved in a family business that is an S-Corp in Oregon. We offer consultant and freelance services. We bill for our services and pay our wages and the associated social security and business side of our income taxes out of the billed money received. We also pay for our business expenses (equipment, gas, etc.) out of the corporation's income. At the end of the year, any additional profit (which we aim to have very little of) is paid to us as a one time "bonus," which we are then liable for personal income taxes on. To say that taxing people's personal incomes above $125,000 would hurt business is a ridiculous anti-tax scare tactic, not reality.

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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