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I sympathize with Arizonans, but their law is not the proper tool, is likely unConstitutional, and will inevitably lead to profiling.

The better approach, imho, would be to strictly enforce the laws that are already on the books - going after the employers who illegally employ illegal immigrants.

National immigration reform is needed YESTERDAY if not sooner: providing a pathway to legal residence for people 'already here and situated,' and providing for reasonable immigration statutes for others.

Illegal immigrants are NOT 'stealing our jobs.' How disingenuous it is to even suggest that. More often, they are simply taking the jobs that 'we' are too proud to take. By the way, I'm a 59 yo white guy, just fyi.

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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I moved to Portland from the east coast, via Denver and Seattle, in 1985, and was immediately struck by how racist it still was - and that was before I learned about the Sundown laws, Vanport, and the then still extant real estate covenant regarding sales to minorities (I'm a middle aged white guy, btw).

Over the years, there has been some improvement, but to my pedestrian perspective, Jefferson High has often been the focal point for however subtly continuing a sotte voce racist agenda. 

Yes, PPS badly require a revamping and upgrading. So does the racial environment; and maintaining Jefferson, and (finally) providing to it the level of resources and supports that have always been denied to it, would be an appropriate first step. It is far too central, both to Portland, and to the overall State community as a whole.  

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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I've been a vocational counselor for 30 years, and have been through several cycles of downturn, though none so severe as the present - and this time, I'm among those affected, now on unemployment for over a year. The Workers' Compensation system has been gradually shrinking and shifting over the years, with an inevitable attrition in the demand for counselors.

I've worked with people who ask this very question: relocation / retraining? ... and now, entertain that same choice. 

It does not need to be an 'either / or' dilemma. One can approach both, methodically, simultaneously. 

The key is to do the research. Research the labor markets through classified ads, labor market statistics and informational interviews.

An information interview is exactly that: calling employers in the industry and asking specific questions about the field, openings, qualifications, competition, how one will 'measure up' with an entry level qualification, advancement, and so forth. One should undertake at least a good half dozen such in each field, or location, one is considering.

It is critical to know what employers in a particular field want, and what your competition is, or will be. It will do little good to retrain for an entry level certification or Associates Degree, into a field in which employers are looking for, and finding, applicants with advanced degrees or experience. It will do no good to relocate to an area in which the competition is more highly qualified.

I am currently working on computer certifications, while maintaining my professional qualifications - and I have been and continue applying for jobs, nationwide. The other key is to 'knock' on as many doors as possible - and see which one (s) open.

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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Thank heaven, or the fates, or whomever, whatever; our parents raised us to be aware that 'what we did,' did not define 'who we were.' I've been a vocational counselor for thirty years, though now have been on unemployment over a year, with few prospects in sight. I'm not optimistic about having a job by the end of the year, nor about returning to work in 'my chosen vocation.'

I continue sending out applications and resumes, but am also exploring other options, trying to think 'out of the box.' 

I never anticipated anything like this, and am, certainly, daunted at times, but never defeated - one way or another, I shall still be here when this is over - whatever I happen to end up doing....

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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I moved to Portland in 1985, from the east coast, with a side jaunt through Denver for graduate school. I was taken aback at how racist Portland still was, and even more so, how hypocritical people were about it - back east, everything was pretty 'in your face,' while in Portland, it was always the subtext. I'd asked my coworkers to be where I should live, and everyone said 'Southwest,' and definitely 'NOT North or Northeast.' When I asked why, I was told because of the mixed neighborhoods - which they then went on to insist was NOT racist, but only due to 'Real Estate Values.'

O - K!

I settled in the Northeast, thank you. Fast forward to now, and I would say that certainly substantial progress has been made, both in Portland and the U.S., but in spite of the election of Barack Obama, there is still a strong undercurrent of racism, alive and well, and we still have far to go. I, for one have long been a supporter of Reparations to African Americans, to help offset the huge disadvantages that were forced upon them by generations of slavery, then Jim Crow, and finally segregation. I feel this way even though, now, as a 58 y/o white guy who has been unemployed over a year, and who isn't getting hired largely due to my age and previous income, I've still had years of relative advantage - which will enable me to survive until I figure out my next schtick.

posted 3 years ago
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I'm a 58 y/o white guy, having been employed as a vocational counselor for thirty years, and just exhausted my first year of benefits; next week, I get nothing, then begin my first extension. Single, I'm using COBRA benefits - for which the premium relief only last nine months (runs out in July). I've had perhaps nine or ten interviews over the past year, but inevitably find myself competing with people a third my age, who have salary histories far below mine.

I am nevertheless aware that I am one of the lucky ones, who actually has some liquid savings and little debt; having what I regard as a fifteen year work horizon remaining, I may be able to recoup my losses - if and when I finally find a job. From my unique perspective as a Vocational Counselor, this is the worst I've seen within my lifetime. It is ugly, and will get unfathomably worse, should there be a second shoe to drop.

posted 3 years ago
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One of the first science fiction books I ever read was 'A Wrinkle in Time.' I've actually re-read it several times over the years (now being 58 years young), and each time have taken something new from it. I am eternally grateful that it exposed me to the genre, and authors such as Ms. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Andre' Norton, Arthur Clarke and others, too numerous to count.

I very much doubt that I will ever buy a Kindle or other 'e-reader;' Books are irreplaceable!

posted 3 years ago
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As you note, recent, in-depth polling reveals that the 'tea party' is simply an amalgam of mostly far right, older Republicans, who are wealthier than most of us, and for sure, more ignorant in spite of supposedly being 'better educated.'

Ignorant? Anybody who could possibly take Sarah Palin seriously as a candidate - with her outright lies, distortions, inaccuracies, deceptions and incompetence ('death panels,' the United States as a 'Christian' nation, taxes being raised.... ad nauseum) - obviously needs to retake a serious civics class or two to be re-educated about how our government functions.

Sarah Palin is, arguably, the single most inept political figure on the American national stage during my life time (me being a 58 y/o middle-aged white guy with a Masters' Degree).

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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My Father was a professional Scout Executive, back east, for over thirty years, and my brothers and I were all vigorous participants, my elder brother achieving the rank of Eagle; I left the organization after accomplishing all the merit badges needed, but prior to achieving the rank, after the National Organization came out publicly in support of the Vietnam War.

The organization lost me, the second time, when they barred Gays from membership, using the utterly implausible argument that 'morally straight' implied a state of heterosexual orientation.

They have just lost me again, with this utterly unacceptable shielding of pedophiles.

I'm sadly certain, that my Father, who died in 1975, is turning in his urn.

For an organization whose primary purpose is to serve and provide tutelage and guidance for youth as they grow to adulthood, the Boy Scouts are, tragically, blind and without a moral compass.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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I'd never been a green grass lawn fanatic, never thatching, aerating, fertilizing etc., letting nature take its course.... Several years ago, I went further, and let the front yard just go natural with shrubs and volunteer trees fortuitously including what seems to be a Red Pine, courtesy of some migrating bird,  putting up bird feeders and a bird bath, and getting it certified as a NWF 'backyard habitat' site. Additionally, taking these steps has allowed me to cut the use of a mower (no pun intended) substantially.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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Obama's healthcare reform is a beginning step in the right direction, far too long delayed. One of the primary reasons that our healthcare is so expensive is because of the huge number of uninsured people; they delay care until the care they require becomes far more extensive and expensive (i.e., emergency room care) than would otherwise have been the case - and those costs are shifted to the rest of us in higher prices for virtually everything, including premiums. Another reason for higher costs is that too many people become sheep to advertising, insisting that their doctors prescribe the latest drug or medical test, even though it may not be the most effective in that circumstance. The public needs to be much better educated about healthcare facts (such as antibiotics not working against viruses, the safety of vaccines), the economic functional underpinnings of healthcare, and the basic functioning of government, in general. We are becoming a nation of illiterate ignoramuses.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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I concur that both the federal and the state stimulus packages have worked, and alleviated the worst of what could have been Great Depression II. Unfortunately, neither has benefitted me, directly; I've been on unemployment for going on 11  months, and will exhaust my benefits, the end of April, at which time I will have to file for an extension. The only way that I have been able to maintain health insurance is through the COBRA premium reduction program that was part of the stimulus.

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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Having lived in Portland for almost twenty five years (being a 58 y/o white guy, professional, who happens to have long hair), I've long been convinced that Portland police tend to be be over-testosteroned, macho and far too quick and ready to use force. I live in the Parkrose area, and have been stopped and (I felt) harrassed while walking my dog at 3:45 AM by police asking me with very apparent suspicion ... 'What are you doing,' with spotlights shining in my face (well, duh, I was walking my dog within blocks of my residence). To me, the incident was utterly out of line.

There needs to be close and authoritative oversight by citizens' boards, and police should have to go through substantial in-depth training on 'how to' deal with mentally ill citizens, or those suffering from serious illness, such as an insulin reaction or diabetic coma, both of which can cause apparent and extreme confusion, agitation and anxiety which can be misinterpreted all too readily as 'being on drugs,' with the all too tragic conclusion.

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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Ok, I'm a 58 y/o 'middle-aged' white guy *though still a kid at heart,* but I think I can add something valuable here. I am currently taking online classes at PCC, now being in my third term of same. It is an inherently different learning experience than a 3 D classroom. It requires computer literacy, which is a good thing - people who refuse to 'get with' the technology are going to be woefully left behind. You want to apply for jobs? Many, if not most, require applications to be filed online.

With online learning, one has to take more initiative, be 'more assertive' about 'raising your hand' and asking questions. These are skills that are good to be developed. There is more freedom since you can work at your own speed, in your own rhythm: want to take the exam at 3 AM? You can do that.

Of great importance is that many jobs in the future will be web-based, working from home via computer.

If one wants to compete in the future, taking online classes is a good way to prepare. It will force one to develop independence and time management skills.

Adapt or perish.

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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People need to stop drinking the kool aid. A society, nation, state, county, city - has two primary obligations to the respective constituent public: to provide essential protection, and assure a reasonable distribution of necessary goods and services to all constituents, regardless of Income level. That is why we have a tax base: to assure that we all get to share the benefits of roads, schools, the fire department, water and sewage and other public services that are essential to a reasonable standard of living for everyone. Without this, there would be no cohesiveness, and anarchy would result. The wealthy - individuals and corporations - have been reaping oodles of money since Reagan's ... and then Bush's huge tax cuts for the wealthy, and the burden of taxation has fallen increasingly on the middle and lower economic rungs. These measures will, at last, at least at the State level, begin to remedy that.

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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Absolutely, the measures need to be passed. People who blithely and continually insist that taxes need to be cut, and 'there's too much fat,' need to stop drinking the kool aid. YES; unequivocally, everyone is responsible for contributing to the best of his or her abilities, and no one should receive a 'free ride.'

HOWEVER; a government's responsibility is to provide for security, AND a reasonable level of services and resources - sufficient to sustain essential comfort and care - to EVERYONE, including those who are NOT so fortunate as to be able to successfully fend for themselves. This requires a TAX BASE such that those who are able to pay more, do so, in order that the less fortunate be able to benefit from necessary public services (education, law enforcement, firefighting, roads, and, I would argue, basic healthcare). 

A cohesive society is a conglomeration of individuals of varying capabilities and needs. Ultimately, the entire society either floats or sinks as an entirety. By taking an attitude of 'Well, if they can't afford it, they don't get it,' these tax-whiners would ensure our eventual demise.  

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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I've been laid off, and have been on unemployment since June; additionally, because I was working (though drastically reduced hours), I was NOT eligible for the 65% premium reduction for COBRA. I am fortunate - I have sufficient, liquid  cash and equity assets such that I am able to ride this out for a short while - which many people do not. I've been sending out resumes and applications, nationwide, since April (I knew in advance that lay off was pending), but have heard essentially nothing, in response.

I am spiritual, but think religion is a joke - a man made construct that ridiculously attempts to define the infinite as something finite, which is impossible. I do not believe in a personal god that answers our individual prayers. 

I believe in the strength and critical thinking ability that my parents and peers taught me, and the lessons I have learned, along the way. I am capable, and will find a way to survive, as me.

posted 3 years, 5 months ago
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I got married in 1976, fully intending, with my then wife to have a family. Graduate school interceded, resulting in divorce in 1981, and life brought me to now, being 58 years young, with no wife, no family. Not exactly happy with that outcome, and sometimes would still hope to change it, but life does have unanticipated twists. 

posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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Agreed. If some of the more drastic projections are borne out, kiss 'life as we know it' bye, bye, baby. Then, how important will cost be?

posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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First off, we need to recognize, that if we do not get this done, now, we will collectively face catastrophic consequences - consequences that would do far greater damage to our 'economy' than will making the changes necessary to avoid those consequences. The other important note is that the U.S., using 2005 as a benchmark, is still far short of what the European community is doing, using 1995 as a benchmark. We need to do more.

posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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