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Andy Louden's comments:

on An Educated State

I believe that income dose correlate with education but I don't believe productivity does. Our society has been convinced that a four-year degree makes you a better employee. I am not so sure. I am an adult student (51) working on my bachelor degree as part of my "professional development" as a manager. I am nearly done as I need only 7 additional credits to graduate. I already have two associate degrees in a related fields. My previous experiences at  the community college level compared to my university experience is completely different. I found the education offered at the CC level to be focused on outcomes and taught by highly skilled instructors. I can't say the same for my university experience. The classes are hit and miss on their value and quality, instruction in most case has been marginal, and the atmosphere of the institution is just that, institutional. I feel less like a student and more like a source of income for the university. More importantly, my productivity / skills at completing my job have not been enhanced by my university education. One could argue it has been more of a distraction than a help. To sum up my argument, I believe we are being sold an expectation that a four-year degree will lead to increased economic productivity. I believe it is a panacea that I don't think is proven in many cases. I would suggest that our focus and funds should be at CC level, not the university if want our economy to thrive.

posted 4 years ago
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on To Burn or Not to Burn?

This is clearly an economic issue. Mr Bowers has pointed out propane burning was ineffective due to too low of a temperature. This  could be resolved with better engineering of the equipment. The lack of a market for straw may better be stated as there is no profit in dealing with the straw. I would suggest if there is such a tight margin on annual rye grass, perhaps a different crop (grass or other) should be grown. As the acres of rye goes down, the price will go up and thus the ability to pay for the elimination of the open burning practice will occur and the crop will still be profitable.

posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Measures 63 and 64

As a firefighter and former contractor I see both sides of the issues. The code is there for a reason, life safety. Unfortunately, the permitting process is difficult and expensive. Local government uses permits as a source of revenue. Their cost are based on the value of the work, not the actual cost incurred by government to perform the inspection. As an example, I paid over $600 for a permit to install solar panels on my home due to the cost of the panels. The actual inspection took less than 15 minutes. If we are truly concerned about safety, make the process easy to navigate and reasonable in cost.

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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on Washington Initiative #1029: Homecare Workers

How does this issue apply to assisted living and foster care homes? As an EMS provider, I have seen a huge increase in the number of facilities providing services to the elderly and disabled that are not considered "skilled care" as a nursing home is. Some of these facilities are run well with caring skilled employees. Some are not. While the employees seem well intended, the skills they sometime possess do not meet the needs of the patient. I would suggest that this type of service has become "big business". The cost of theses services are relatively high, from $2500 to $5000 per month in group settings. Individual care is much more expensive. We arranged for 24 hour in home care for my great aunt in her last months and it was over $11,000 a month. We went through several services before we found a provider that had both had the skills and the compassion to do the job. It should be noted that the actual provider made about $10.00 per hour. Fortunately, she could afford the cost of spending her last days at home. I feel it would be prudent for government to examine this industry as it currently has very limited oversight.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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on Cops, Laws and Videotape

I work in public safety, a fire fighter, there are times when I need to protect my patient/family from the public; somethings are private, no matter where they occur. In those cases I either move the patient or ask the public to move back. That said, I find the argument by the police captain as weak. If the officer is conducting an interview that is private, move it to a private spot. In the case given as an example, the officers could have moved the conversation elsewhere. It appears Portland PD has found a way to use a law in a manner not intended by the law makers when written. This only adds suspicion as to the police motives/actions. As a public servant, I act as if every action I take will end up on the front page of the paper.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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on From The Conventions: Undercurrents and Issues

I would like to hear a discussion regarding the role model influence of a possible VP's daughter being a teen mother. Will the Republican party reaction of turning her pregnancy into a "positive" affect other young women's thoughts being pregnant at 17: it is not just OK, but desirable?

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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on The GOP Parties On

I am a life long Republican. My views are more in line with Tom McCall than the current far right that seems to dominate the party. There are good moderate republicans out there, such as Frank Morse but the leadership of the party seem to pay much more attention to views of the extremist of the party. The party has pushed moderates out... with our votes and money.

posted 5 years, 2 months ago
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on The U of O's Bank Shot

Just a slight correction: the teaser before the show stated U of O is the states largest university. I believe PSU has the greatest number of students in the state.

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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