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aplambeck's comments:
on Candidate Conversation: John Kitzhaber
Dr. Kitzhaber, one of your core passions and issue areas throughout your career has been river and wildlife habitat restoration.
From one fisherman to another, what does Oregon need to do in the next ten years to bring salmon runs back to sustainable levels?
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Candidate Conversation: Chris Dudley
In the televised KGW/Oregonian debate, you started nearly every answer with "as I've traveled around this state...." However, when asked to provide an example of an area of development you would have done differently, you could not think of a single one.
My question is, how can Oregonians trust that you know or care about Oregon when you seem to lack such basic knowledge about our state and the ability to make decisive statements?
posted 2 years, 7 months ago
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on Day After the Debate
Caller Jim was mistaken. Kitzhaber did know which board he was on. He was on the board of the nonprofit, and not on the board of Cylvia's LLC after it was formed.
The media have been out-to-lunch on dispelling absurd campaign claims like this that bring us back to Kitz' Pynchon quote.
posted 2 years, 7 months ago
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on Day After the Debate
Dudley is an embarrassment. His lack of historical knowledge of Oregon's people, places and politics, along with his complete disregard for our environment and natural resources, makes him a potential catastrophe as Oregon's governor.
Dudley's intransigence in agreeing to debate the important problems facing this state is likewise disappointing. People should have been seeing these guys on stage together since the summer in from Astoria to Ontario and Brookings to Joseph.
Quite frankly, Oregon deserves better.
posted 2 years, 7 months ago
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on Primary Conversations: Metro President
@Rex,
You continue to support a large, expensive plan for the I-5 bridge, and renewed that support with a blog post last week.
In that post, you said this bridge will reduce congestion, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and provide new options compared to doing nothing.
Should Metro region residents really be forced to choose between a widely panned and unfunded bridge project and doing nothing at all? Please explain this false choice and any other alternatives you see as worth discussing.
posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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on Bike Plan 2030
Oh, scottmil, you just made my day with your factless reasoning, wild assumptions and wonderful glibness, Smuggy McSmuggerton.
There are statistics to back that up, as evidenced by a Toronto study on this very issue.
You continue to say things I've written are "irrelevant," "meaningless" and "absurd," without giving one ounce of rebuttal to actually say why.
That said, my arguments have actual facts, economic data and years of empirical evidence (as a transportation geek and active citizen) behind them. Your "arguments" are the specious ones, my friend, as proven by your lack of warrant, rampant dismissal of real details and ridiculous name-calling.
posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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on Bike Plan 2030
I understand what you're saying, but I would answer that increases in bike commuting benefits auto drivers very directly through decreased congestion and less road wear.
And as for cleaner air and a healthier community, promoting cycling improves each of those in spades. It's not a panacaea, but it's a very important (and fun!) element of getting us toward the collective goals I mentioned above. I never said it should be our number one goal, but it's certainly an expansion on an existing trend that will significantly benefit our way of life.
posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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on Bike Plan 2030
Bike infrastructure is just better than auto infrastructure. It's better because people who come on bikes stay to shop around and spend more dollars in the economy. People who come on bikes are healthier, physically and emotionally. People who come on bikes take a car off the road, reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
That said, it's great that we have an ambitious bicycle master plan. Unfortunately, since its release I've heard a number of rumblings amongst cycling/bike community friends that ours is milquetoast compared to the truly dynamite bike plans in other cities.
Wasn't the goal to be the best bike city in North America forever? Weren't we shooting for platinum? I understand that our bike-friendly mayor has been politically shortchanged as a result of his missteps, but transportation, jobs and education are the issues that will define his time in office. Bikes benefit all three in numerous ways.
With all of this comes a question: I'd like to hear Jonathan Maus offer up his proposed improvements for the plan. Politics, ideas of what's "realistic" and cost issues to the wind. What would the ideal Portland bike plan look like? What do we, as citizens and cyclists, need to do to push our actual plan closer to that ideal?
Ernest Callenbach once wrote a famous novel touting this part of the country as "Ecotopia," seeing the fervent planning, environmental protection and connection to the natural resources and beauty that can be found here. Let's not forget why we were his starting point.
posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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on Town Hall 2.0
Ted Wheeler is right to try and diversify his outreach beyond news releases and traditional media.
Just as there are folks who don't own computers and rely solely on newspapers, there is a growing bunch of constituents that never check any news source and rely only on the information available through Facebook and Twitter.
As part of a broader outreach and communications strategy, social media can be invariably helpful in reaching and engaging constituents.
In additon to being easier to access (and free!), social media provide round-the-clock access for both producers and consumers. It also opens a two-way connection between elected officials and constituents, providing an easy medium for an ongoing dialogue about issues of public importance.
I hope that Chair Wheeler continues to broaden Multnomah County's communications strategies and I'll be on the other end to continue the conversation!
posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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on July Show Ideas
Once Congress finally gets health care figured out, they'll be moving on to climate change. There are a lot of efforts being made in Oregon to mobilize everyone from schools to businesses to churches for climate action.
Why not do a show highlighting the individual and collective steps to lowering Oregon's carbon footprint?
posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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on Tuition Equity?
Because that student will have grown up in Oregon, and will therefore be going to an "in-state" school.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Tuition Equity?
House Bill 2939 is long overdue. Students can be born in Oregon, go Oregon schools for twelve years and then have to pay out-of-state tuition to attend an Oregon University System institution.
This is an egregious injustice. It's not an issue of immigration status. It's an issue of equitable access to higher education. Legislators need to treat it as such and prevent a large number of students from being priced out of an education.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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