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Since arriving in Oregon from the NYC/NJ area, I have to admit Oregon is a mixed bag tax wise: way cheaper to  live here tax wise than in NY and NJ. As a small business (one person LLC) I am not getting hit with all the crazy taxes I did back there (NY state tax, NJ State Tax, NYC tax, Fed Tax, and fees fees fees.) So quite frankly I see a lot of the complaining about taxes here as small minded whining.

But that being said I also thinking the Oregon state legislature is probably the most idiotic set-up I've seen. What state in their right mind only makes a budget every two years? And there definitely is lack of creative thinking in terms of bringing in new revenue to the state. Have the leaders here ever heard of economic incentives for businesses?

posted 4 years ago
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I can't believe that this ridiculously outdated farming procedure is still allowed here. This is crazy. Epecially considering the brush fire dangers inherent to the Western States.

I moved here recently from the East coast and this practice has been banned in most states there becuase it's ineffective and mainly just adding to air pollution.

Word up to farmers: Travel back East and learn some newer agricultural techiniques.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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The one thing that The oregonian and other newspapers need to consider is to make an edition readable by PDAs: iphones, cellphone etc.
Those devices are the future of the internet and are  already the majority surfing device in places like Japan.
Learn how to utilize this avenue and how to monetize it (via micro payment subscriptions possibly) and this could be an another way to reach more people and also pull in money in ways that Google and craigslist can't.

posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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What I want to know is what are people who don't have a computer or access to one (especially now in this depression) are supposed to do to get news, job ads, etc.?
Doesn't this further aggravate the growing digital(and economic) divide in this country?

posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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What I would like to see with all these companies laying off people, is to watch the CEOs suffer equally and refuse their exorbitant overblown pay bonuses for what is obviously failed job performance.
Unfortunately, the greed at the top suffers little in times like these.

posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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I'll take a horny openly gay Dem as mayor any day over a closeted self loathing phoney fundamentalist Republican.
The only thing Sam really screwed up in is doing this and then moving into politics. He had to have know that skeletons always come out of the closet when you step into the public'e eye.

posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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I just moved here from New Jersey and this craziness over a dusting of snow and the insistence on snow chains cracks me up. I assume that the driver's Ed classes here don't teach people how to drive in snow?

When I told me friends back east about this "snow dust" panic, they laughed. They then told me that for all the bragging I did about the Oregon not having any sales tax, that maybe a a sales tax to go out and buy portland a snow plow or two might be helpful!

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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