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pdxcitizen's comments:
on Compromise
This is the last thing I saw Obama doing. Just a less than a month ago he said he wasn't willing to compromise on this issue and forfeit 700 billion dollar in taxes and now he is? As one of the previous commenters mentioned, how's 30 billion in unemployment equal to 700 billion in tax cuts?! I couldn't agree more.
And what is all this BS about cutting taxes leading to more jobs? Republicans throw that statement around as if it is self-explanatory. Well it is not. As a matter of fact, it is absolutely outright bogus and deserves no compromising with. I absolutely do not believe a word of it. Here's some info to question those claims:
http://www.laobserved.com/biz/2010/07/why_tax_cuts_dont_wo.php
http://www.tax.com/taxcom/taxblog.nsf/Permalink/CHAS-89LPZ9?OpenDocument
http://www.truth-out.org/tax-system-favors-wealth-over-work64768
What also really bothers me is how neither party, especially Obama since he has the power, has clearly laid out on paper the implications for the rest of us if these tax cuts were to expire. There are schools that say taxes will go up for everyone and other's that say they won't.
Now which is it dear Obama, Congress and every cheating and power hungry politician out there that we need scores of lawyers we can't afford to keep track of where your filthy financing money is coming from? Why is there such lack of transparency in these measures before they are implemented? It's the lack of finer details that leaves people confused and makes their political mood swing like a pendulum.
American politics has become a room full of smoke and mirrors with complete and utter disregard for the will of the majority of the population.
posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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on Frashour Fired
The Portland police union needs to realize that police officers are not above the law and that it is normal for them to suffer the repercussions of their actions. They also should not forget that firing the officer had the backing of a lot of Portland citizens. Instead of appearing partial with the old "defending one of us" adagio, the union needs to stop taking this personally, respect it and work towards making sure that this never happens again.
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Frashour Fired
Very true. How often do you hear of a cop being treated with the same harsh penalties as everybody else? What happened to fairness? It's interesting how cops like to back one another when there is serious wrongdoing involved (i.e. police union) when the rest of us go through our lives tiptoeing so we don't go 2 miles over the speed limit? If we have to fear the law, then the cops need to do so as well. They are no better and no worse then every other citizen. Everybody is equal. If you ask me, getting fired is a pretty light sentence for killing somebody.
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Frashour Fired
I respect your answer. However you are speaking with the distant calmness of somebody who has not been affected by a loss of a loved one due to somebody elses lack of judgement. This somebody else happens to have legal backing, a deadly weapon and a flawed judgement. Who cares about the legal recourses after the fact? The loved one is gone. Nothing will bring them back whether "justice" (if there is such a thing) is done or not.
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Frashour Fired
No. They should be able to shoot if they deem the suspect dangerous at multiple levels irregardless of their own personal feelings. According to your logic, if an ordinary citizen raises their voice at a cop and the cop feels threatened, the cop has the right to shoot? Wow. Anything can make the cop scared. Heck, you looking at him funny can make him suspicious and scared. What if you had an itch of all a sudden and have to scratch your privates while he/she is telling you to not move, that will make them scared thinking you're reaching for a gun. And you want the response to that to be bullets?? Your lack of logic is apalling. The cops are not out there to respond to their feelings. They are out there to resolve a situation using skills in situations that most of us are not trained for. If they cannot hadle a situation professionally then they should not have that job.
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on A Mighty Wind in Union County
Yawn.
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Kitzhaber Wins
Kitzhaber has nothing to be proud of. The only reason people elected him was the same reason that the Republicans stole the senate back. Just to make a statement about the current direction. How sad. I was truly hoping for a fresh face and direction in the Oregon politics. And no, I don't mean Dudley as the automatic "other" choice. This isn't an "either or".
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Kitzhaber Wins
Maybe the last question should be "Are you maybe better at being a doctor?"
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Election 2010: The Morning After
You're right on Scott! Ignorance seems to be the number one trait of American voters. I hear left and right how people were not sure what most of the items in their ballots meant. Well, guess what? You don't know what it means? Then DON'T VOTE! Stop voting for my future with your ignorance.
I was disgusted with the Dudley vs. Kitzhaber campaign. Not a single shred of transparency from either side. Shame on OPB for not pushing the candidates to have more on air debates. As a matter of fact, we should make it MANDATORY to have candidates face each other a minimum number of 4 times so that everybody has a chance to throw a pie in their face. This should be a law.
Both parties do nothing but profit from the mood swings of the public.
We also need more candidates in every single election. What is up with just having two run for governor? Are we that lame and lacking in educated and intelligent people that we have to choose between a failed former governor of 8 years or a basketball player with not much experience? Just wow!
And look where we are. Same people, same issues and same debate. Now Republicans are all gloating because they think people really endorsed them. I hope you are not believing that for a second! That was another mood swing of the "free" american voter. That's a commentary that shouldn't be done with votes but with constant daily scrutinization of the political agendas of both parties. Scott is right. We have left our future to chance.
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on Private vs. Public Liquor Sales
Exactly! Echolynch is right. If minors have access to alcohol more than anywhere else, despite the draconic control the state has on alcohol sales, then it sounds like it has utterly failed with the current approach and it therefore needs to be revamped.
posted 2 years, 8 months ago
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on Private vs. Public Liquor Sales
Nice try with fearmongering there Mary Ellen Glynn.
One alcoholic drink does not equal a drinking problem. Look at Europe and how much lower their fatalities are because alcohol is introduced there in small amounts to teenagers so they don't revert to binge drinking once they become of legal age. This is an educational problem as much as it is financial. And please stop quoting research like we're supposed to take your word for it as soon as you or anyone else tosses it out.
Research suggests that all research is biased and you shouldn't trust it until you evaluate it.
You don't want children to have access to alcohol? Become more involved in their lives. Have the state educate parents and provide incentives for them to make alcohol look less appealing at home. If the state is so concerned with how bad alcohol is then maybe they should ban it altogether. Now wouldn't that just be the ultimate solution? It is hypocritical that the state insists on this so called "responsibilty" and yet they are the ones supporting this vice and profiting from it. Some people have an alcohol problem and the state should help alleviate that instead of feeding the habit and ripping people off in the process.
As far as state liquour employee jobs goes, it would be unfortunate if they had to lose their jobs, but perhaps the state can reallocate them elsewhere. Or have them become compliance inspectors once the private sector deals with retailing alcohol.
posted 2 years, 8 months ago
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