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portlander34's comments:
on State Elections
Republicans act like there are no liberal small business owners. They need to start paying attention to how Oregon is changing rather than just talking about the same old trickle down economics from Reagan's era.
posted 2 years, 7 months ago
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on Global Trade in the Northwest
posted 2 years, 8 months ago
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on Global Trade in the Northwest
posted 2 years, 8 months ago
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on Suggest a Show
I would like to hear a show about earthquake preparedness. I just sat down to try to put together an emergency kit and I realized how many things I don't have-- shut off wrench for natural gas line? Do I need one of those? How many days water supply? What kind of food to put in it?
And then there's insurance-- like many people, I have an older home, and in order to get earthquake insurance I have to strap the house to the foundation. It would be great to hear from contractors about how to get this done and what to look for in a contractor.
I've been thinking about doing this for a while but was encouraged to actually do it by the article in WWeek.
posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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on Animal Assistance
I think the guest who just spoke about allergies "not being a big deal" needs to talk to more people with allergies! If she wants other people to be sensitive to the needs of people with service dogs, then she should be equally empathetic to those with allergies.
For one thing, the person with the allergy is not necessarily going to be able to go up to her to ask her to remove the dog. Most likely they will remove themselves from the store or situation, as happened in our situation, even though we were the ones asked there to perform.
In the future I will leave with her, because obviously more awareness needs to be raised about the number of people with severe allergies to animals.
Several people have raised the point that you can ask the person what services the dog has been trained to do. If they cannot answer, you should be able to politely ask the person to leave. However, given the sensitivity to this issue I can imagine that a store or church might hesitate to make a scene.
posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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on Animal Assistance
You have to consider the effect of service animals on people with allergies also. One of the members of my choral group is severely allergic to animals, and at one of our performances someone had brought a "service dog" (quotes applied because it did not appear to be a service dog.) She could not perform with us, and had to leave because of the severe allergic reaction she had.
Is an allergy considered a "disability"? How can we balance the needs of the dog owner with those who cannot be in the same space with their animals?
posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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on Police Matters
I am shocked every time I hear a commentator state that "a teenager was shot" by a police officer in this case. The bean bag part of the story is only explained later. It implies that she was shot with a bullet firing gun. There is a huge difference between being shot with a bean bag vs. a bullet, and this should be stated up front: a teenager was shot with a bean bag gun.
As far as I can tell the argument is about whether he should have stood back further from the girl when he was firing. This is one of the few stories I've heard where I agree the police are being unfairly criticized. As a Max rider I'm glad the police are controlling unruly teenagers and a bean bag gun does not seem out of line for dealing with a girl who was punching a police officer and had stolen purses previously. I want public transportation to be kept safe so that I can ride without worrying about being accosted by people who think there are no repercussions to disrespecting the people around them.
posted 3 years, 5 months ago
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on No Place to Call Home: Rural Homelessness
As a person who has lived in a tent for many months camping on my own dime, I have to admit I was shocked that the man who has chosen to live in a tent admitted to using not only his own food stamps, but also his mother's. Water, power and trash services are expensive and require workers to build the services as well as keep the facilities clean. Anyone who has used a rural campsite or even a rest stop knows that just one rude person can mess up the facility for everyone else who uses it.
As a landlord, I know first hand the costs of providing shelter for people who take no responsibilities for their own actions. I have had Section 8 renters who have no where else to go, are getting most of their rent paid by the government, and still trash the place they're living in. The cost of repairing a neglected home is very expensive compared to the rent, but if a person does not recognize that and respect their home then how can you truly help them?
I think education and personal responsibility has to be a big part of helping the homeless and people in poverty. Places like Dignity Village at least give people a community and the responsibility to build and maintain their own houses and take charge of their own community. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignity_Village
posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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on Tax Referrals
He just said that Oregon businesses pay 43% more in taxes than they receive in benefits. Since when are we only supposed to pay taxes when they directly benefit us?
I don't consider my taxes going to the war in Iraq to benefit me, but I still have to pay them.
posted 3 years, 8 months ago
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on Racial Profiling
Yesterday at the beginning of the show you stated that contraband was found 33% of the time when searching cars that belonged to white drivers. You then said that "the number is lower" for minority drivers, but not by much, but you didn't want to bog us down with numbers. In the time it took to say that you didn't want to "bog us down" with the numbers that are the basis for the discussion on the air, you should have"
1. Given the number
2. Told us whether it was found to be statistically significantly different from the percentage given for white drivers.
If you're going to talk about the numbers at all, you should talk about ALL the numbers.
In my personal experience, I have found Portland Police to be unfriendly and rude. I generally only run into police on the job when I'm at community events like Bikeways or Bridgepedal, and I find it sad that they are not able to be more positive when interacting with the public. The one that I personally know talks constantly about how no one understands how hard their job is, no one appreciates them, etc. Well, maybe if you all weren't acting so negatively towards everyone around you, the public would think more positively about the police!
When I lived in Oakland 10 years ago the police that I ran into were downright friendly, and definitely thrilled to be working the University rather than downtown Oakland. I can only assume that the culture of the Police here is one of self pity.
posted 3 years, 8 months ago
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on Grants Pass Recall
As a person who hasn't heard about this situation before, I'd like to know:
What specifically is the recall effort being accused of lying about?
I've heard the recall effort guy say generalized things about how he didn't like their process, but I haven't heard him say anything specifically about what they did.
I heard the city counselor state that the closed meeting were requested by the city manager.
Can we get more specifics about what specifically they did, according to the recall campaign, and have the counselor respond?
posted 3 years, 8 months ago
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on Timber Investment Management
I used to be a forester in California, and the paperwork required to complete a harvesting is much smaller for Oregon than for California. However, the paperwork requirements would be the same for either an investment firm or a timber company. The only time it is much easier to harvest is if you want to build a house, unfortunately, which causes a state of permanent deforestation.
I am glad that the land will still be used as forest land. That is preferable to selling it off for development into "ranchettes", or vineyards, as has happened in California. There are always arguments about the best way to manage a forest, and that would be an interesting and contentious show.
I'm curious about how seedling survival has changed with new management and less weed control? Usually weed control = pesticides and people get very upset about that too. I'd love to hear a show discussing how people would manage their own forest if they had to tackle the challenges faced by forestry managers in today's reality (with neighbors living out in rural areas, getting trees growing faster so more quickly regenerate a forest vs. allowing weeds to compete which results slower regeneration.)
posted 3 years, 8 months ago
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on An Educated State
By trying to get a higher college graduation ate we are actually lowering the level of education in college and high school and making it more difficult for motivated students to get a quality education.
My mother has only a high school education, and her grammar and writing skills are much better than most of the people I met in college. One of my friends asked her to proof read his Masters thesis. His grammar is terrible-- it makes you wonder what exactly the meaning of the degree is.
I think that we need to increase the difficulty of getting a high school diploma, not lower the standards just to get people through. That's why it's gotten more diffucult to get a job with a lower education, and people are forced to go to college and rack up loans just to learn what used to be taught in high school.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on High Speed Possibilities
While we're talking about other transit, I really miss the Green Tortoise commuter bus that went between Vancouver and LA. It was on time, affordable, and there was a salmon dinner at a beautiful camp half way through! I think we need to expand our vision of transport beyond big budget projects like trains that require so much infrastructure investment.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on High Speed Possibilities
I take Amtrak to Eugene all the time, though usually they end up putting me on an Amtrak bus because the trains are constantly delayed. The Amtrak buses are much cleaner and more pleasant than Greyhound, and I would gladly take bus or train as long as they are safe and clean.
I have travelled all over Europe, and public transport there is convenient, affordable and pleasant, something public transport here in the US generally lacks.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Tuition Equity?
My cousins had to pay thousands of dollars and jump through all the INS hoops to come over as legal refugees of war to the US. While the immigration system may be inefficient, it is something all immigrants should have to go through equally. I don't understand why this girl's parents were not able or willing to get that process going after 18 years of being in this state?
There are programs in Oregon that give tuition help to international students, but you have to make sacrifices-- one of my cousins went to Eastern Oregon University (not his first choice) and became a nurse because that was the program that gave him the best tuition. He then worked in Boise for years to earn his green card from the hospital he was working at. There are ways that she could get ahead and get an education without just handing the priviledge handed to her.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Healthy Choices
I just want to respond to the restaurant owner:
I'm not sure what healthy options you're offering that people aren't buying, but from my experience with chain restaurants, their "healthy" options are crafted just to fit a low calorie niche in their menu. They don't take the time to make the food taste good, and they don't care about making sure the vegetables in it are fresh. Restaurant owners need to actually bring new ideas to their menus rather than looking at them like a formula.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Healthy Choices
I travel for work quite a bit and was in a situation where I had to eat out all the time. I would go online to try to find nutritional information about chain restaurants, and was frustrated to find that some of them seem very secretive about this information.
I think that if restaurants are forced to make this information public, they will have greater incentive to offer healthier meals.
Culturally, the foods we're used to eating are low in nutrients and high in fat. It is incredibly difficult to find places to eat that provide nutritious, delicious food, and that has to change in order to help change our food culture. For example, I wish Laughing Planet were available in the midwest-- it would make my life so much happier. Thank you for the brown rice!!!
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on No Cash Allowed
I disagree with the statement that bartering isn't efficient. If used as a supplement in the larger economy, it makes us extra efficient by allowing us to get what we need using the skills and infrastructure we already have.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Total Tax Makeover
Regarding people who live in Washington and work in Oregon: Every day when I come home I have to fight Wa. traffic to get to my house in NE portland. Either pay for Max to go to Vancouver, or stop complaining about tolls. I'm already angry that my tax dollars are going to fund a huge bridge to an ungrateful bedroom community that's too cheap to fund public transportation for its citizens.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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