RECENTLY ON TOL:
TOL Our Town
- A tumblr site dedicated to the people and places that make up Oregon and Southwest Washington.
TAGS:
Desolation's comments:
on The Future of Retirement
Interesting, I think the radio show was seriously disconnected from out here in the world.
It feels like there has been a paradigm shift and the establishment is still trying to hold the old line... Maybe the establishment can turn.
What I'm actually seeing is decidedly not what the state and federal leaders are mouthing in the press!
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context
on The Future of Retirement
WOW!
The workforce Pipeline theory is some of the best delivered BS since the campaign ended!
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context
on The Future of Retirement
Long time ago I looked at retirement and realized that you have to get to retirement to retire and there were at least 5 decades to get through first. I went to the financial planners, etc and the advice was all similar. The problem was that the amount that I was supposed to save was larger then the amount that I had left after paying the basic bills. You have to get there to retire…
Then we had the recession of the 80’s and I did not lose my house but I did clean out my retirement to provide for my young family.
Watching this current crash coming I sold that house, I liquidated my retirement out of range of the impact and yes I paid the penalties. Compared to many of my friends I retained more of my savings. You have to get there to retire…
I have learned and today’s economy confirms to me that only a fool invests in non-tangibles.
If you do not own something physical you are gambling. There is no difference and just as with any casino the house wins or the house fails. Yes, you could lose the tangible; however that usually occurs because of something that you did rather then someone doing something to you! There is always a risk to life.
At age 50 I have seen the common investment system falter or fail twice in my working lifetime. I have friends that have investments that are now worthless, thus they now have retirement funds that equal my simple savings account. That has to sting.
I have no illusions of ever being able to retire; I never planned on it, nor do I want to!
I will not deliberately put a dime into the stock market gambling machine; unless I want to gamble, not invest. What then besides real estate (which I have yet to lose on) and a savings account at my LOCAL bank will provide a relatively safe stable and sustainable return?
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context
on Not At School
If the students have the drive to put the play on and succeed in doing so in the face of the school board then I doubt that any of the curriculums that society thinks is important will have taught them ANYTHING nearly as profound and life changing! That is what High School should do rather then what it does.
To the students/actors who are reading this I can only refer you to a line from a popular song that perhaps your administration remembers clearly from the day…
“When I think back on all the crap I learned in High School, It’s a wonder I can think at all.”
Go for it! If you can succeed publicize it because this old conservative SOB will drive HOURS to support you and see the show!
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context
on The Art of Hard Times
You gave money to the State of Oregon. A Voluntary TAX.
You are outraged that the state "used" the money?
Do you really trust your government? Do you still?
They need your money so that they can spend it the way they see fit because they are much smarter then you!
Me? I just buy the Art, a far better value!
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context
on Soccer City, USA?
Hilarious! Here you go again! LOL! PDX will never learn; but then ya'll need a distraction! "Portland is the unhappiest city in America, according to a ranking published in Business Week."
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context
on Green Collar Jobs
Green Jobs? Definition please...
Frankly I am tired of Green as it generally indicates bogus science and politics of feel good!
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context
on Green Collar Jobs
Many good points!
I am currently building and Oregon's building code is a farce!!
It is apparently written by completely out of date morons that are on building material manufacturers payrolls!
For example, the code has required that I unnecessarily waste many hundreds of feet of copper wire that will never be used in this structure and yet must be installed into my house that I designed for me!
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context
on A Route to Rural Broadband?
Why are we paying again?
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
on Cows v. Elk v. Wild Horses
The irony here is priceless!
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
on A Homeowner Bailout?
Millions of people ARE homeless. I have volunteered weeks working in homeless shelters in Oregon; so tell me of what I know.
Millions of people do not have medical insurance I have spent over a decade thus.
I have scraped for food, worried about providing for my family.
I have lived with a mortgage rate over 15% and watched the value of my home fall to 1/2 what I paid for it.
I got out of the inflated PDX housing market before it tanked because this depression has been visible to anyone paying attention for years!
Politicians... I absolutely can blame them and I can (& do) just as easily shoulder my portion of the blame IF I voted for them!
I have no need to look up fascism; I fully understand the definition of it. I also understand the definition of Socialism and I further understand the definition of capitalism and it is interesting that the latter has outlasted the former, in every iteration of these uniquely human experiments.
You have made no point because your projections of me are nearly 100% off the mark.
Better luck next time!
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
on A Homeowner Bailout?
None of these “bailouts” is going to work.
All of them are too little, too late.
There has to be a realization that the paradigm has shifted and trying to resurrect the consumer based economy is not going to happen; and there are going to be a lot of unavoidable casualties. Until that simple fact is recognized and tactics are changed all that is happening is we are prolonging and deepening this Depression!
The roots of this depression predate the last administration and the one before that. The roots of this Depression can not be blamed on something as laughable as liberal -vs- Conservative; the roots of this Depression can only be blamed on EVERY politician everywhere, and the consumer!
That is all history, TODAY; Washington must stop this short term bailout foolishness and immediately start working on the survival and exit strategy.
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
on Nuclear Northwest
So please take that out of the discussion.
There is no such thing as “Low Cost” power generation.
Again please take that out of the discussion.
Rational people will agree that power is necessary for our society to function.
So, the real question then becomes how clean of a power source regardless of what it is, are you willing to pay for?
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
on Our Slice of the Stimulus
Good Show overall.
I notice there is a ton of skepticism, the politician said nothing he can be held to, and the people have little confidence. That is a bad omen.
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
on Oregon: The Next 150 Years
It is apparent that the principals of progressive stewardship of our environment created a revolutionary understanding of the various ecosystems, which allowed Oregon to clean up the mess of “Portland land” when it was allowed to rejoin Oregon. Indeed Oregon has became the development center for transportation, silicon based machinery, non-emissive energy sources, total life emissions and energy recovery technologies for global manufacturing. These developments occurring only after the effects of “The Ted” had been repealed and reversed starting in about 2010. Interestingly the pronoun Ted becomes a particularly derogatory barb and thus sadly the pronoun falls completely from polite conversation.
The economy of the state evolved rapidly to its current state shortly after it was acknowledged that creating an education system that sustains a rate of completion of 97% and where the 3% have resources to facilitate their ability to function in the Oregon economy. This revolution in education starts in the depths of the “Two-oh-nine Depression” when educators and the administrators were forced to change teaching methods recognizing that the majority of students did not successfully complete higher education. The old paradigm of Higher Education; yet another failed model that was discarded. The average baccalaureate program now takes two years and the graduate on average enters the work ford with no debit, this due largely to the reduction of time to complete the program.
Finally of interest to you here, it was somewhat shocking to the denizens of “Portland Land” when OPB relocated to the City of Bend and by doing so found them selves after a bit of evolution fully funded without pledge drives. OPB goes on to playing a major part in facilitating the public discourse necessary to the society that became the leaders of the United States.
Yes, there was a great revolution that historians now can date it’s beginnings to the “Two-oh-nine Depression”.
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
on Greenwashing
How dare you bring LOGIC into an Environmental discussion!
Next there will be REAL SCIENCE rather then the pseudoscience that is promoted by the "enviroeletest cults" that are profiteering off this easily manipulated subject. (The web is there follow the money.)
Don't get me wrong I am all about profit and if you can shear the sheep that want to be green by making "Feel Good" motions, then more power to ya! Further, if you can profit from being actually "sustainable" and “environmentally conscious” that is a plus!!
It is when some misguided sheep that wants to have a personal legacy; a fool, such as say the Governor of Oregon; starts legislating politically motivated environmentally and economically counter productive measures, that action needs to be taken to protect society from these environmentally illiterate do-gooders! Example? H.B. 2186
As for us, we only drive recycled vehicles; we only generate about 30-pounds of non-recyclable material a month and have been living “simply that others may simply live” for well over 3 decades…
Green is NOT new, but the marketing is. I question the productivity and certainly the honesty and integrity of it, et al!
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
on Greenwashing
Greenwashing...
The concept of "spending marketing dollars" in and of itself is not green, and that should tell you something!
This is going to be fun to listen to!
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
on Gambling in the Recession
Many areas of the state currently are meeting the common definition of an economic depression.
Is the Gambling industry viable in a Depression?
Is it smart for the state to be relying on a "Voluntary Tax" which is all the State lottery operation is.
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
on Gambling in the Recession
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context
