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copperlion's comments:
on Finding Work
I have used a variety of sources to find employment. The most effective has been talking to the people I know in the field I'm qualified to work in. I have also used Craigslist, Jobdango, Monster, and other online employment sites. Craigslist and opportunity aggregators like Indeed.com tend to provide the most leads in my case. The "opportunity aggregators" as I call them basically draw job postings from several websites and provide filters to streamline the search.
This sort of job searching doesn't seem to work as well when one is attempting to change careers. I have spent 7 years repairing electronics in the narrow field of two-way radio. Lately I've been feeling that I need to shift toward either the medical field, or something outdoors that allows me to spend time around plants and animals. I would have to go to school for anything in the medical field, and I haven't had any direct experience in most outdoor jobs in the last 17 years. Unfortunately neither of these fields would allow me the kind of salary that would cover my expenses in the near term, so I stay with the job I'm currently qualified for.
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on Live from Salem
Could it possibly be because so many people want services, but don't want to pay for them? Many people want their government to spend money on the projects important to them personally, but don't consider where the government is supposed to get that money. All of the benefits with none of the sacrifice.
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on Live from Salem
That's not exactly the case. The budget is based on revenue projections- a best guess at how much money the state will take in. When the money brought in from taxes exceeds that guess by a certain amount, the state sends out kicker checks (which costs money for the physical checks, postage, envelopes, etc.). The state isn't spending the excess taxes- that isn't allowed.
The problem is that in bad years, we have budget shortfall and have to cut services. When we have good years, we can't use the surplus to restore services. This creates a downward spiral, where we don't have the means to recover from the bad years, and we don't have the means to blunt the effects of those bad years either. There is nothing in this issue that encourages overspending the budget.
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on Live from Salem
The kicker is a nice idea, but it needs to be modified. If there is enough surplus revenue to trigger a kicker, half of the amount should go to a "rainy day fund" which can only be tapped during years when revenues fall short of forecasts. The fund should not be considered during the budget process, and should only be drawn upon to cover the deficit between forecasted revenue and actual revenue.
As for corporate vs. personal kicker? All taxpaying entities should receive the same benefit. Any kicker sent out should be based on actual taxes paid- after deductions, charitable contributions, etc. have modified the amount. If people or corporations use charitable contributions, tax shelters, or other means to reduce the amount of taxes they owe, their tax kicker should go to the charities they support or into the rainy day fund.
On the topic of emergency preparedness, there are several agencies working on plans and holding drills on a more frequent basis now. Are there plans for a larger-scale rollout of emergency communications and public information sessions to clarify matters for the average citizen in Portland, Salem, Eugene, or other major cities in Oregon? Is the plan to manage the chaos when it arrives, or to provide a clear plan to the general public before it becomes chaos? How does one manage 75,000-1,000,000 people in a clear manner in the aftermath of an earthquake, volcano eruption, or other large-scale disaster? If we needed to evacuate an entire city, where would we send the people, and could it be done in an organized fashion? Most people have their own ideas, but I don't think there's a cohesive plan in place that could be considered common knowledge for the general population.
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on Complaining on FB
As I listen to the show, I wonder how many people are questioning whether the discussion should be happening, rather than if social media sites are an appropriate forum for such discussion. Shouldn't the same obligations and regulations one would apply to vocal or written discussions in a public forum also be applied to electronic discussions?
Also: Is it just me, or does it seem like social consciousness and courtesy are becoming less common? It seems to me that rudeness and narcissism are becoming normalized.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on Complaining on FB
There are definitely some issues for both employer and employee to consider. The more critical the person's position within a company, the more likely someone will be paying attention to what is posted, and the less likely what is posted will remain private. If what the employee is posting proves damaging to the company, the employer should have the right to terminate employment for cause.
I would consider it this way: posting on a social networking site, whether the profile is private or not, is a lot like standing in Pioneer Courthouse Square, shouting your comment through a bullhorn. Most people are going to ignore you, but you never know who is going to repeat your comments to someone that you didn't intend to hear it.
A person should show a little restraint, and a company should consider some context to the chatter that gets repeated.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on Islam in the Northwest
To look at it from historical precedent, 1000 years ago Christians were performing these acts and were called Crusaders. The weapons are different, the tactics have changed, and it's for a different religion, but the intent is the same: "Destroy the outsiders, so we may reclaim our holy lands for our people."
As we see things today, the destruction is taken to where the outsiders are strongest, and just as then, the religious followers are split over the use of violence. The only way to resolve the issue is to encourage non-violent behavior, and to accept the non-violent more completely into our communities. By learning more about the religion, and finding common ground, we can move forward in a productive way and meet the needs of all of our neighbors.
posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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on Compromise
I definitely agree- we no longer have politicians who are willing to work in a goal-oriented fashion, looking at what's best for Americans rather than what advantage they can gain for themselves or their constituents. I'm not sure that many of them understand what compromise really is, much less collaboration, even though I believe it is a necessary element of politics.
posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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on Compromise
I believe that most people want compromise. Compromise is necessary for any progress, and a series of compromises can lead to getting what you as an individual want. Unfortunately, the loudest voices- the ones that are heard over the din of general frustration- are the ones that refuse to compromise.
Also, compromise seems to be a lost art. Too many people think that if they argue to a standstill, they can restart the conversation at a later date with a more extreme position so they have more room to draw the opposition toward what they want. This turns the compromise into an act of futility.
posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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on Kitzhaber Wins
I live in Portland. Many of my relatives live in rural Oregon. I know that my relatives are just as educated as I am, some of them even more so. We don't always see eye-to-eye, but we can at least respect each other enough to discuss issues and the consequences of decisions.
To paint the picture as black-or-white, urban-or-rural, or any other binary metaphor, is to oversimplify the issues. I understand that my cousin has to manage his time and money around his blueberry crops. I applaude his decision to grow his crops organically. I would not support legislation that takes decisions on farming practices out of my cousin's hands, unless that legislation is a matter of public safety. My cousin would probably support the public safety legislation as well, because he would more than likely be following the practices dictated already- he doesn't want to sell an unsafe, inferior product, even if it means he makes more money at it.
As for the urban majority running roughshod over the rural minority, it's not that simple. There are people in Portland who maintain small hobby farms that are subject to as stringent, or more stringent oversight than the massive farms of rural Oregon. There are other people like me, who appreciate the lifestyle differences and the different necessities of living somewhere other than a major city, thanks to friends and/or relatives. I know people who have lived in the city and made the choice to move away from the noise and stress in favor of the wide-open spaces of their farms or ranches. I know liberals, conservatives, and people in-between who reside in cities, small towns, and locations that most would consider the middle of nowhere.
Not all people in Portland voted for Kitzhaber, and not all of the people outside Portland voted for Dudley. The urban-rural divide is much more permeable- and it's more like a spectrum than a simple dividing line.
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Kitzhaber Wins
While I'm glad that Kitzhaber will be the next governor of Oregon, I think we need more moderate politicians in the legislature. I still hear too much of the stubborn, pig-headed rhetoric from people around town, as well as from those who won or lost in Tuesday's election.
It disturbs me that anyone would suggest that they have a mandate to push their agenda, and that they refuse to compromise. Compromise is the essence of politics. Without compromise, nothing gets done, and the city/county/state/country develops desperate problems that harm all citizens.
I look forward to hearing Mr. Kitzhaber's plans for how to work with all parties (not just Democrats and Republicans) for the greater good of Oregon.
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Election 2010: The Morning After
I understand that there are a lot of people upset and frustrated with our government such as it is. I think it's clear that many people were voting for something new, rather than specifically for one candidate or another.
I find the noise to be rather frightening, when candidates are saying that they have a "mandate" or that they will not compromise. If candidates refuse to compromise, nothing gets done- it means more of the same, rather than something new.
One of my apprehensions about Mr. Dudley is that he will spend his first year or two trying to figure out how to get anything done- figuring out how government in Oregon works- rather than dealing with the business of getting the State government on the right track.
Government is like a train, and policy generally has little immediate effect. It takes years for any real effects of policy to be seen, much less corrected. What we are seeing now is the result of policy decisions from several years ago, not policy that has been enacted in the last few months. If Mr. Kulongoski and the current Legislature have done their jobs right, we will see the effects of their policy decisions at the end of Mr. Dudley or Mr. Kitzhaber's newly elected term, and I suspect that they will be blamed/praised for those results, rather than the ones who made the decisions.
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Sex Ed
I agree with what you've said. My issue with the moral side of the debate is that one parent's moral value often is not the moral value of another. If a parent wants to direct their child's moral compass, and teach the child about sex according to the parent's values, the parent needs to understand that the child will probably get conflicting stories from school and their peers. It is the parent's job to make their position clear, without refusing to acknowledge that there are other ideas out there.
The schools need to be able to provide answers to any child's questions, and any questions the child may have, not just the ones that the parents have approved. Denying a teenager the ability to find answers is the fastest way to get that teenager to find out on their own- frequently from sources that will not meet with the parent's approval.
To get the moral lesson into the teenager's head, the parent needs to be involved in the discussion at home. Many parents don't feel that they have the time, or they have issues of their own with the subject. The best that these parents can hope for is an emphasis on the consequences of these activities. In that regard, schools need to include more real-world examples of what can happen, and do so in a clear way that teenagers will relate to.
posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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on Sex Ed
There are significant problems with what I'm hearing from the mother who called in:
Many parents do not have the discussion with their kids, regarding sexual activity, contraceptives, or abstinance until long after their kids have heard about it from other kids, or have had sex already.
Many kids will not talk to their parents about these issues anyway, because they don't consider it a safe topic.
posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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