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TOL Our Town
- A tumblr site dedicated to the people and places that make up Oregon and Southwest Washington.
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rain2fall's comments:
on Immigration Law
(1) -- Anti-foreigner sentiment always skyrockets in economic hard times. In some countries, it skyrockets after natural disasters, as well.
(2) -- Arizona shootings and crimes come from drug runners, not from illegals already in the country. The law will not address crime.
(3) -- China is not a shining example of the kind of country or society we Americans should aspire to become.
(4) -- Being stopped for being white in China, or as I was, for being white in Japan, starts to be no fun after a while. Many legitimate American citiziens will be targeted by the Arizona law. They will suffer harassment and discrimination.
(5) -- Laws change. Laws are not always right. We don't need to toughen enforcement of dumb laws.
(6) -- Illegals pay taxes, but do not receive social security.
(7) -- Illegals are here because businesses want them, and the government knows that our food prices would skyrocket if we clamped down hard. They form a convenient low-paid labor pool that can be abused if need be for the better-off of us to reap the benefits. Want to toughen up? Go after the businesses, not the illegals.
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Failing Graduation Rates
Why in God's name would the state survey graduation rates after FOUR years when the school system allows FIVE years to graduate? The survey is flawed and does not indicate failure or success.
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on When Unemployment Benefits Run Out
I'm a 58 year old woman who finished college a two years ago. I haven't been able to get work, and I'm not eligible for unemployment because I was a student. I keep applying for work -- anything I can do -- but so far, no luck. My only option to pay the rent, food, and utilities is to take money out of my IRA. Unfortunately, I now have to pay taxes plus a penalty for doing so. Now I'm facing a tax bill, and the only way I can pay the taxes is to take more money out of the IRA ...
The IRS allows early withdrawals from an IRA if there is an emergency. Unfortuantely, the IRS says that having no income is not an emergency. Only paying for college, buying a home, or paying medical bills is an "emergency."
posted 3 years ago
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on Primary Conversations: Metro President
Great show! It's helped me to decide who to vote for -- and NOT vote for. Tom Hughes would be a BIG MISTAKE! Do not vote for him. He will undo and ignore the most important development principles that we have worked so hard to implement.
KEEP HIM OUT!
posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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on Where's Your Money?
Recently, a friend was denied an auto loan by a local credit union. She had been a member for 20+ years, with large sums on deposit for most of that time. She had $15,000 on deposit at the time of her request, and she requested a $7,000 loan. The credit union refused to loan to her because of her credit report. Her credit report was clean -- never any problems. She has always paid cash, and had paid off her house mortgage several years ago. THe credit union refused to consider those factors.
I cannot understand why, when credit unions are having difficulty finding people to lend to, that they would turn her down and refuse to consider the circumnstances. She could have pledged part of her deposits as collateral.
Any ideas why this happened?
posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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on Rx: The Final Health Care Bill
The problem I have with the OHP is that the lottery isn't fair. People who live alone are less apt to get coverage. Two to three times less likely. That's because the OHP makes a lottery entry for each individual, but if the individual is chosen, they provide OHP coverage to everybody in the household. In effect, each person in a 4-person household gets 4 chances to get health coverage. A person who lives alone only gets one chance. Since there isn't enough money to cover everybody, the people who live alone are left out. The lottery is rigged!
posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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on Water: From the Bottle or the Tap?
I can't help but wonder what the Tea-Partiers would have to say about the campaign to get rid of bottled water:
it's socialist to think that water belongs to "everybody"
it's socialist to prevent private businesses from selling water
the bottled water business employs lots of people; getting rid of the bottled water would add to unemployment
etc etc
posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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on Religious Clothing in the Classroom
It troubles me that the Legislature amended the law to PROTECT employees from being discriminated against for their religious clothing, but gave the schools the right to DISCRIMINATE against teachers, and get away with it without the teacher having a chance to test their action in court.
It seems clear to me that the legislature intended to keep Muslim women out of the schools.
posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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on Religious Clothing in the Classroom
This law would prohibit the married Old Believer women in Woodburn from teaching in public schools.
posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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on Religious Clothing in the Classroom
NOTE that this issue reared its ugly head last year when a different part of the law was being revised. The legislators made it clear then that no employee should suffer discrimination if they wear religious clothing at work.
At the same time, they oddly voted to make the law stronger *against* the teachers. Their law provided that a school that took action against teachers for "religious clothing" could not be sued--were immune.
This law started in the 1920's when the KKK was active in Oregon.
The whole thing reeks. What's worse is that there has been no problem with "religious clothing."
Lift the immunity; lift the ban.
Rain2Fall
posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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