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billedell's comments:
on TOL in Salem
Now the legislature has an opportunity to spend money intelligently instead of just paying off political debts.
Education in Oregon has plenty of money if we look at what is spent in other parts of the country per student to produce better results. As schools are closed and teachers are cut we should look where the real unnecessary money is being spent. Look at how many administrators are being eliminated. I was visiting San Diego a few years ago and one high school district had just refused to increase teacher salaries but then granted the administrators a 20 % increase. These administrators were making the equivalent of 7 teacher salaries and had $300,000 public relation people on their staff. Look at how the diocese of New York runs the parochial schools in New York City with far fewer administrators than the public schools less cost better education should be the goal.
Redistricting. reject racial and ethnic based districts or make a white district state wide, a black district state wide etc. Sounds pretty racist to have a "Hispanic" district. Let people live together and have the same goals opportunities and educational excellence.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on One Year Later: Aaron Campbell
Innocent until proven guilty applies only to the people that commit the crimes. The policeman was exonerated by the grand jury and yet lost his job. Portland doesn't deserve a good police department as the police receive no community support. The press and the "Black "Community" are allied against law enforcement. Stories are universally slanted against the police. The "ministers" quoted use these incidents for political gain. Law abiding citizens are at risk while criminals become the oppressed. memo
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on Measure 66
What are you doing in Oregon? 11States beckon and you can move your employees too.
posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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on Measure 66
highest taxes California, worst education California, I know I went to school there 20 years from first grade to University. Problem Shit government and illegal immigration
posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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on Measure 66
Merit pay six weeks summer break and better education all are needed if we are going to compete with the world teachers unions are against education and for incompetent teachers continuing to ruin the US
posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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on Measure 66
To increase taxes in Oregon and not balance budget by reducing government size and spending is INSANE
posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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on Algae and Seabirds
This reminds me of the debate over the demise of the kelp forests off the Southern California coast back in the late 60's. It was that mans influence was at fault or change in ocean temperatures. It was proven by Dr Wheeler North that the actual cause was the loss of the sea otter population and the susequent explosion of the sea urchin population. After years of commercial fishing of the sea urchins for the Japanese market they are now endangered.
It is prudent to go slowly and get the right answer before making big plans like carbon credtits.
posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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on Rx: Medicare Reimbursement
What can you say to a journalist who doesn't understand that Florida is more expensive than Oregon? You did not address the huge number of foreign students in medical schools. OHSU has foreign students taking the place of Oregon residents who want to go to medical school but have to go out of state. My dental school has 38 percent foreigners and mostly Egyptians, who is treating the Egyptians. Where are the docs coming from who will treat the 40 million new patients, have you seen any mention of measures to increase the supply of health care workers?
posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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on Rx: Medicare Reimbursement
Dear Think Out Loud
Why don't you do a story on what happened to the Tobacco Settlement money Oregon received and still receives I believe?
This was supposed to go to anti smoking campaigns and programs to treat smoking related illness. A huge scandal will be found.
Have you seen any programs financed by this money except a few lame commercials?
Truth is the state squandered this money instead of investing it, even in the money markets it would never run out by judicious investment. It went for anything but tobacco problems.
posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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on Rx: Medicare Reimbursement
Desolation,
The answer is in your question it is the word government it is not ever efficient. One example is the use of the Tobacco settlement money. The physician complained that no one is available to give anti smoking advice and that this could be handled by non MDs.
The state of Oregon received some 5 billion dollars in total settlement to be used for anti smoking education and treatment of smoking related illness. Did they invest the money to make a perpetual money screen? Nooo they squandered it on their pet programs an efficient money manager would have had the state rolling in money. Even worse in California they borrowed against future Tobacco Settlement payments assuming the revenue would stay the same but people smoke less, guess what? They received less money. The problem is stupid people interested in their own interests and being reelected. The over 400 attorneys in congress and nearly 100 in the senate will never decide anything to your or my benefit unless we run a huge interest group.
Who told you that Medicare is efficient?
posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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on Carbon Offsets
How about some more programs like Al Gore's pushing of ethanol subsidies which has raised the price of the staple of the Americas tortillas by several hundred percent. I suggest you read Dead Aid by a former member of the world bank from Namibia on the negative effects of do gooder programs in Africa especially electric guitar aid which has been disasterous to local economies. Hunger is a PROBLEM! It is not a debatable issue.
posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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on Carbon Offsets
Carbon offsets remind me of the old Catholic church in the times that one bought dispensations for their sins by giving money to the church, it did not reduce sin and I suspect that it was a failure with the Lord. Carbon offsets are in my opinion just a giant fraud and will be unsucessful and very expensive as most government programs are.
What about the CO2 given off by trees at night is this accounted for?
What about the photochemical smog produced by pine,(fir) forests the presence of which can be seen over pine forests here in North America and the Amazon due to a project to reforest the Amazon basin in a paper making project?
What about managing forest fires by removing brush to prevent the environmental disasters that these fires are?
I always have wanted to ask about these issues.
Bill Edell DDS
posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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on What's an Uncut Forest Worth?
posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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