What's in Your Newspaper?

I have to wonder how the Oregonian chooses stories that are "newsworthy" these days.

Al Gore, my savior and preacher on the important issue of global climate change - for a week or more stories appear about how a local massage therapist claims she was sexually assaulted by him.

They print the seediest looking pictures they can find of the man. Oh, now it comes out that the woman, 7 years after the alleged act, had her story bought by the National Inquirer. Hmm, any chance she saw dollar signs and fabricated a story to match? Did the Oregonian do any fact checking before smearing a former vice president and Nobel Peace prize winner?

Now their favorite smear target, Mr Bill Sizemore, has a significant legal victory in a Marion county court. A judge, in the ongoing trials where unions have sued to shut down both his political and activist-initiative life, is taking an objective view of matters. He will allow discovery, which in this case turns the tables and allows Sizemore's PAC to sift through all the emails and evidence they can find in union archives. SEIU, OEA, it will all open up.

In both cases, Mr Gore and Mr Sizemore, when there is sensational news, the Oregonian sees this as fit to print. But when tables turn, as seems to be the case for Sizemore, all I read is - nothing.

So, I've quit watching CNN when it turns into People magazine, is this what is happening to our Oregonian as well?

The Law Allows for the Truth Sometimes

The large and powerful forces have met a new reality: the law.

Just when I was thinking that only corporations with lots of money can have legal victories, along comes an objective moment where truth matters. After literally decades of having his name trashed by the unions and other powerful forces in the state, a Marion county judge has decided to allow the truth to speak.

Bill Sizemore's case will allow discovery - the ability to cross-examine witnesses, scan emails, examine documents. Looking for a smoking gun that would show a concerted action to engage in lies to disable him politically.

Remember he ran for Governor as a Republican this past spring. Prior to that his opponents engaged in direct mailings which included false statements such as "Sizemore is a convicted racketeer" which were patently false.

What is the penalty for false political statements with evil intent? I will be watching to see how this plays out. More details can be found at: http://nwrepublican.blogspot.com/2010/07/breaking-hard-judge-guimond-rules.html

Flypaper and Legislation

I was reading through what I thought was the "War Supplemental" bill (aka Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010) just yesterday. It contained many things that you might not expect a war supplemental bill to contain.

Just a few - recissions of Stimulus funds (the Rs got their way, I thought, how interesting). Recissions are reductions - you know those unspent Stimulus funds. Funding for program integrity activities. My favorite was the REA program, where people collecting unemployment are mandatorily invited in for a review to see if they still qualify to receive unemployment, also to see what assistance they need in finding a job or training.

Then there was a unique carve-out for the State of Texas. I wonder if they really feel like part of the union? This was in the section offering $10B worth of funding to local school districts. And pointedly to the Governor of Texas, it stated that he would have to provide assurances that the money would be used to supplement and not supplant funding.

But what does this Texas stuff mean? It became clear when I looked up Governor Perry of Texas, who is a Republican trying to derail various Democrat agenda items. So in federal legislation he is singled out.

Fascinating stuff. Oh and the recissions to EPA and Energy programs as well.

But - psyche! That was the wrong version of the bill. The correct one, which I found today, that actually passed the House and Senate (same version) only contained military and State-department funding.

Now for flypaper and how this relates.. I lived in a house once in Beaverton. For some reason flies would come and fly around the living room. Very annoying. I was told to hang flypaper, which I did. The concept is you have this long extremely sticky paper hanging in the middle of the room. Flies fly around at random (so the concept goes, I did not interrogate them), and the thought is at some point they will smack into the flypaper. From which they are not able to escape.

It seems federal legislation these days has an element of randomness in it. I've heard managers talk about "throw lots of stuff out and see what sticks". Maybe that is where it comes from. Throw all the random stuff you want into legislation and see if it can survive.

Another day, another cspan lesson. Cannon courtesy of Congress Park in Saratoga Springs, New York; and was constructed at Rock Island Arsenal in Rock Island, Illinois.

Restaurant reviews of Troy, New York

Big Apple Pizza = 10. Pizza - yum (eggplant Parmesan, ricotta,
basil). Greek salad - mostly yum (iceberg lettuce, not well
integrated).

Java++ = 10. Double espresso - yum (no complaints). Nice comfy chairs & AC.

Plum Blossom (Chinese) = 9. Kung Pou tofu -yum! Spring rolls - yum!
Atmosphere - nice - calla lillies in large vases, various Asian buddas
and artifacts.

Friendly's = 1. If that. Service, food, selection = all bad. Don't go there.

Mostaciello's (Italian) - on the edge of town or even in East
Greenbush = 8. Linguine with white clam sauce - yum. Homemade soup -
yum. Salad - yum. Fresh bread & real butter - yum. Too much food I'm
sure. This restaurant we found on Sunday night thru Urban Spoon on my
iPhone. Our destination was El Porto - closed Sunday night apparently.

The Candy Shop (in Saratoga Springs) = 8.5 . A good old-fashioned
candy store, as good as Bruce's Candy Kitchen in Cannon Beach, OR. Our
favorites : dot candy (a good deal I am told - $2.50 for a largish
bag), cordials (raspberry - yum, tiramisu - mostly yum), fudge - ok
but did not melt in our mouth.

Lemonade stand (in Saratoga Raceway Park) = 9. One real lemon combined
with mucho ice and water with sugar. Delightful with a New York
pretzel, salted. Especially delightful when the sun has come full out
after a rain shower. It will revive you.

Old Judge Mansion B&B = 8. Good hash browns and meat. Great selection
of bagels. Wonderful community activist hostess Tina who has lived in
Troy her entire life and is taking back the neighborhood, without any
assistance from Shirley Ann Jackson (university president of RPI),
thank you very much. Not much to offer vegans but worth it in any
case.

EWR, aka Liberty airport

I guess it is different for Oregon types to adapt to Newark humidity
in July. It envelopes you. Like being in a tropical country, without
the tropics. Only city grit (I still I like it).

A city that works. Maybe. I have nothing but respect and admiration
for Mayor Cory Booker. Two shuttle buses later and I'm at the right
place finally. I sense they don't like outsiders. Living on the west
coast for - 20 years - has I guess has made me too friendly and
approachable.

The good old Star Ledger. I do not understand how Mr Christie got
elected here as Governor. I always thought of NJ as a complete melting
pot, as diverse as it gets. He seems completely intolerant. I guess
here, as at the national level, fiscal austerity has become Job 1.

It makes sense to me to fly to Newark

No matter where you are going it makes sense to fly through Newark. I
remember the old days before Continental, when there was People's
Express. My aunt would brag, "it's like a bus, you pay on the plane".

Guess they went out of business. But it was like an old fashioned bus
station, give me your huddled masses and all that. People would camp
out and nap, huddled in the gate, they were never on time.

Today it's more modern. Kids in retro tye-dye tshirts. Smart phones.
I've never flown red-eye before so this is sort of a test. If it
doesn't destroy me for the next few days, which is the extent of my
short vacation, then it can be an economical way to travel.

Tonight I signed something as Harriet, ok it was a guest book at the
new restaurant at PDX, Beaches, which has really great fish tacos.

Everything I need to know I learned in the widget factory

In manufacturing when product fails in the field we look for root cause.

Lets apply that to initiative petitions. Why are whole subassemblies (pages) tossed out for a few faulty components (duplicate or illegitimate signatures)?

The process of paper signature gathering was probably great in the 70's. Can we evolve? In Oregon we have a progressive vote by mail system. Word has it that turnout is up, fraud is down.

The next step I believe is online voting. Security needs to be worked out but if I can file my taxes with the IRS why can't I vote by mail? I refuse to believe the massive federal government is more technically adept than us Silicon Forest types.

How do you go from collecting voter signatures from a shopping mall to getting signatures by email, you may be thinking. Lets look at the next generation (for some the current generation): smart phones. There are African nations whose people conduct 100% of their banking transactions by smart phone. Again, I refuse to believe that Burundi is more technically adept than us Silicon Forest types.

Maybe an entrepreneur is listening and wants to be part of our evolution. Till then, the 70s had its fine points - I love my Eagles records.

Twas the Night Before the UI Extension Vote..

and not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Reprinted my philosophy on endless unemployment benefits (originally posted April 30, 2010):

Workfare

The prospect of long-term employment is real.

People have currently been on unemployment for 12 months and longer.

There are currently 5.5 people in line for every job (this statistic is oft-quoted of late).

People out of work for longer than one year have a tougher time getting back into the job market (at all).

Proposal

Workfare is a concept that has traditionally been used for welfare clients.

The proposal is to apply this to long-term unemployed claimants.

Operations

Do a lottery of people who have been unemployed for one year (random selection).

Those selected are obligated to perform workfare.

Workfare would require them to work for 20 hours a week – at community service, or for a nonprofit, or a public agency, or be enrolled in qualified training.

Benefits

Individuals would benefit by being engaged in productive work.

They would not be isolated, checking the job boards online in futility, in their homes.

They would be engaged in the community.

The community would benefit from services performed.

They would have an opportunity to network with others in the community, who could lead them to new career directions or possibilities.
They would have something to show for their time of unemployment besides paying the bills.

Options

The program would require workfare for those selected; it would optionally be available to others on a voluntary basis.

Sources

• Economist magazine – long term unemployment could become a reality – after 1 year of unemployment, 1 of 3 workers do not go back to work (ever).
• NY Times article – story about an artist – be willing to be engaged with people, and work for free. It could lead somewhere, network you, and it does keep you engaged and doing something useful for society.
• Neighborhood association in Beaverton – a group of unemployed individuals offering their house services to shut-in seniors.

On Person One Idea

Republican candidate for Governor Dudley & Zero Based Budgeting, against the entrenched constituency groups.

Is this David vs. Goliath, or will he amass armies to his side in the name of "fiscal discipline for the State of Oregon"?

Well it was fun to think about ZBB as a public administration student. Refreshing, almost. Compared with looking at the massive Washington County budget, and deciding where to make 10% cuts and how to implement the changes and still carry out mandated programs - like collecting property tax.

Or examining the CAFR (Consolidated Annual Financial Report) of Metro, the regional government, which was enlightening really. Enterprise operations such as the Zoo or the Expo center "share" in taxes collected by Metro as a taxing district. Not truly enterprise operations after all (that was in 2003 - maybe things are different now?)

But this is reality, not a student exercise. Can Mr. Dudley take a clean sheet of paper and build a state budget from the ground up?

I am skeptical. For starters, does he even know the mandates state government is bound by - both in terms of state law and also federal law? Um, if you forget to include some things, like say paying matching funds for Medicaid, will the feds forget to fund us?

Is it even possible to do this?

I will watch the rental ads in Salem. I would expect there to be influence peddlers of all stripes descending on the Gov come January. Right now the horse race is 50/50. So there may be groups making "donations" to both sides. As a down payment. Space could be at a premium in Salem. No my cubicle is not for rent!

... But wait - I remember a discussion with our Deputy Director about entrepreneurial government. Maybe I could rent it out, auction it even, online (social media?!). Since from 5pm to 8am I am not occupying it.

Secrets from inside the State Capitol

(a photo gallery)
Peaceful basement plaques in honor of groups past. And secret gardens you can only get to if you are able to get back in (not for me).

1935 Special Session declaration of the new capitol building, since the old one burned down - pictures of this are in the Cafe in the basement. So -- special sessions *can* accomplish something. The building was opened to the public in 1938.

Buildings have memories. Even the ground has memory of what was there before.

Marble-lined hallways. Silence of time "between sessions".

Running fountains are a joy for kids of all ages. A new espresso purveyor with a new umbrella.

The halls, waiting to envelop a new governor and his administration in 5.5 months' time. And the same lobbyist administration.

What Does Money Buy?

Oregon teachers' unions spend $347 per teacher for union activities such as combating ballot initiatives that would weaken their stance or cause a reduction in their benefit packages. This compared with the national average of $22, we are #1 on this measure!

This is more than the $250 tax credit permitted teachers for purchase of classroom supplies. I suppose people make choices with their discretionary income.. Or do they?
* A lack of resources combined with a commitment to your students, results in buying classroom supplies (I would too).
* Union pay - well ok fair share (where you don't have a choice in paying union dues if your group is represented), and the CAPE (additional political action contributions you can sign up for).

Lets compare these choices: one is constructive participation in the learning process. One is purely political - protecting the status quo: tenure not merit pay, endless ESL at the expense of other academic programs. So my kid, going to public school (unlike candidate Kitzhaber's son..), is not able to take Calculus BC AP, so that my landscaper's kid can get several years of ESL math.

Is this the way to build our economy? What does money buy you = lobbyists lobbyists lobbyists. They don't always look like the well-heeled fast-talking types lining the hallways of the Capitol building in Salem. Sometimes they look like your kid's classroom teacher. But the effect is the same. Money buys influence.

I wonder - if I was a landscaper would I want my kid to have 3 years of ESL math - or a chance to take more AP classes as a senior. These aren't even choices that parents are making. Money seems to be making these choices.

Eating off the Land (homage to Y2K)

Survival instincts, in the suburbs..
Back in the advent of Y2K I wondered if I could live off my property. In summer there is a (sort of) bounty of food.

Enough to live on?
Blackberries
Blueberries
Crabapples
Thimbleberries
Filberts (potential)
Cherry plums - yellow
Cherry plus - red











And apples, and a well with water.

Exercise for the reader - which one is not native this year?

Today I am an organ donor

The stress and time of waiting at the DMV to renew my license, acc to
the "new" rules. But I am good at following government instructions
and at waiting in lines.

Today I said "yes" to being an organ donor. So - if I get into some
horrible fatal car crash , someone will take a look at my driver's
license and see that there are organs for the taking. Though, the
nice people at the DMV- somehow I can't imagine them heading out to
the crash scene, carefully ripping me open to preserve those vital
organs for someone needy across the country. Must be some interesting
cross-training they are getting these days.

Politics Platforms and Policies

Politics - individuals
Platforms - strategies for political parties
Policies - where they meet

I was worried for a moment that diplomacy was similar to politics but its not. This week I have decided to be objective. I've only said that about a dozen times to half a dozen people. What does this mean?

Trying to be factual. Not political. This does not rule out diplomacy, which is required to keep everyone, well, from fighting and from getting pissed off at each other (and entering the political domain).

That is the view from the trenches of Salem today.

Also, I think now that I have been officially labeled a cspan junkie by my colleagues, it is finally getting to me. Watching the continual standoff between Rs and Ds in the Senate over passing an unemployment extension and no possible solution. And the pending change-in-rulership in Salem over state government.

Why am I a Democrat again? Hmm, random acts can change a life. I saw a poster at PSU for the Progressive Party - if they get 1000 registered voters by August 1, they can become a Real Party in Oregon. Look at their website: progparty.org. I didn't see anything to disagree with - clean energy, gay marriage, single payer health care, oppose use of military mercenaries, oppose civilian spying - those were the "strongly agree" ones for me, there are others. Check it out. I was the 401st registrant so they only need 600 more in the next 3.5 weeks - this can happen!

Born in the USA, and everywhere else..

Portland Blues Festival
Ever feel like the only normal person in a crowd? I guess there are always other parts of the crowd where you can fit in, that is the point of it being a "crowd".

Up front by the stage where endlessly dancing people, alone, together, whoever shows up, I guess this is not our crowd. But it did make us feel normal.

I have not ever been asked "where is the beer garden" during a singing of the national anthem before, but there is a first time for everything (like last night). Maybe they just didn't know the words. And anyhow after 10 the beer garden is closed; they were disappointed. I don't even think there was a beer garden, in any case.

The metal man from Pioneer Place was there. I never noticed before his menagerie of little metal animals (in front), cute!

This time I had a decent cell camera to take pics of the fireworks (decent for me, I am a blogger, not a photographer). Right smack over the Hawthorne Bridge!

Still close enough to the stage where KINK was blasting out a soundtrack to the fireworks - cool! I would have to say that Bruce Springsteen in his "Born in the USA" was *the* *most* popular song, everyone knew the words. Rah!

On the way home our MAX strategy worked (shhh..), go to a stop or two earlier than where you would usually get on, when there are less people and get on there. Yes! After that it was near bedlam as each stop was met with hundreds of zombie-looking people (definition: people not on the train and we weren't letting them on) who were denied entrance. Somehow we survived and by the time we got to our end of the line it was all families with small children, maybe they were all born in the USA, but we were all Americans in any case.

Trading Face Masks for a Day

An elephant and a donkey meet in the road..

"No I won't budge", they each say.

Donkey - The sky is falling, its an emergency!
Elephant - Pay for it! You must pay to reconstruct that sky!

An intractable problem - what if they change sides?

Donkey (playing he's an elephant) - Right, its an emergency, but it can't go on forever, or does it? Well there is some urgency, so maybe we can pay for some of it..

Elephant (playing he's a donkey) - Some do need out help right now, so maybe help them..

Each budges just a little bit. Then a little bit more.. (iterative)

Suppose they show up with face masks and try to play each other's role - for one day.

Budget choices are hard. Why is there outcry over sending our dollars to the Middle East for oil, or over an imbalance of payments to China (Yet - we do those things anyhow..)

Yet - for something both sides feel we need - a federal unemployment extension - they hold fast to their positions. Is it political platform flag-waving (yes). Should they get over it and do what's right for people (yes).

Postscript: Friday's jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor:
+83,000 private sector jobs created in June
-220,000 jobs lost overall in June
=> net 125,000 jobs lost in June
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Obama - nobody's listening to you about immigration - this is a diversion. Please pay attention.