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FredPDX's comments:
on Our High School
I guess i'm something of a rarity: I'm retired, college educated and an alumnus of Jefferson HS, Portland Oregon, I'm also 44, class of '83.
It seems to me that there's too much emphasis on treating students as "unique and special snowflakes" I think before someone gets into high school or gets a high school diploma, they have to pass comprehensive tests, not just be advanced too keep up with kids their age. Way back the peer pressure helped get me through school. We need as a community to hold kids and parents not just teachers accountable.
posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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on The End of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"?
Thank you Mr. Beady [apologies if I miss-spelled your name] for your service, but... As a Colonel and an instructor you were out of mainstream military service, and I think that is something that you should be disclosed, as it's a lot harder to have your finger on the pulse of what's going on in the enlisted ranks today.
I retired a few years ago, enlisted, and down in the navy berthing compartments all of us gay guys and strait guys got along and talked about our boyfriends and girlfriends. It's changed alot for those of us who don't have the privlege of "Officers' Quarters"
posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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on Public Nudity
Can we ditch the Victorian era sensibilities?
If children are inadvertantly exposed to adult nudity, then it's the responsibility of parents to use that as a teaching moment.
posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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on Measure 66
I have to say that the anti 66 & 67 folks have yet to craft an argument rational enough to convince me to vote against them. There's a lot of "I assume", "I feel" and "this might" arguments. No real hard facts.
The last two decades have seen a lot of tax cuts for people earning a lot more than the median income, which is way below the single or family threshhold so 66 & 67 do a little bit to fix this imbalance. I mean really, if you got a "hummer tax break" i'm not sure I can empathize with your pain for paying a little more when when people who don't live such a privleged life are having a tough time of it.
posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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on The "P" Word and Climate Change
Your comment is biggoted, racist and culturally insensitive. Your argument would have weight if you had better tools with which to make your point.
posted 3 years, 5 months ago
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on The "P" Word and Climate Change
What I've never understood is why do people want more than one or two kids?
Since we don't live in an agraian society where you need a large family to work the farm, what's the actual benefit?
Do you see it as prestige to have and support a large family?
I think it's really silly that people who've had or would like to have are reading these facts and then are acting all defensive. Is this your gut reation to seeing what you did or what you plan to do is bad?
posted 3 years, 5 months ago
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on Stuff
I feel good about my stuff this week: I bought a pair of long needed tires for my bike. I also accidently broke an old coffee mug from my navy days, but just threw it out.
I have learned that I have to ACTIVELY tell myself that i don't need more stuff, and dream of a truly minimalist and spartan lifesyle.
Ironiclly, my favorite thing now is my iPhone, which pretty much owns me, with it's data plans, the cool new apps for it. It's aptly named "The Precious" after the one ring from "The Lord of the Rings".
posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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on Urban Chickens
I don't have chickens, but my neighbor does, and I love to wake up in the summer to the sounds of them clucking.
posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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on Legislating from Home
After Listening to the show, I have a couple more thoughts.
I like the idea of a disbursed legislative body more, especially if it was some combination of:
- Legislators telecomutting Most of the time.
- Some face time for committies in Salem (maybe quarterly for a week)
- And some way for citizens to be come more involved with state government.
I apoligize to Jim Davis. In my original post I used the word "Lobbyists" in the most disreputable sense of the word, I was thinking of corporate "Lobbyists". From what Mr. Davis said, he sounds like he's doing an important job for people who may not have access to government.
I'm interested though, if a legislator was local, and had an office in a county or other municiple building and held "office hours" on a regular schedule, or like Mr. Buckley, met with contsituants at a coffee shop, would citizens need lobbying groups as much as they do now?
I still think the idea of Legistators working from their districts most of the time is stlll a great idea and perhaps another downside from them not being in a spot where citizen advocates and EVIL CORPORATE LOBBYISTS can have easy access is that it requires us to be more active as citizens in our government.
Yep, the "ancient" ideas in the Oregon Constitution from 1879 made sense back then, but now with the advent of technology, we could go back to the even more ancient ideas of Classic Greek Democoracy (as in government by the "Deme" or Neighborhood) and have a much higher participation from citizens.
Except without the togas and sandals, unless, perhaps you live in Eugene and like that kind of thing.
posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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on Bottling It Up in Cascade Locks
Since when is it such a hardship to drink tap water? I know it has a nasty flavor in California, but there's filters and stuff for people who live outside of Oregon.
Bottles of water are nice, but they seem to be over used and some kind of silly status marker, though it says to me "I was to dumb to buy a plastic bottle, remember to fill it and bring it with me".
posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on Left Behind
It saddens me when I hear about the state of public education in Portland for two reasons, I graduated Jefferson HS and I know it's just not that hard AND because now my tax dollars are funding.
When I went through school, kids who failed a class or a grade (like I did with PE Class) made it up by paying for summer school. We also had to pass tests to proceed through school. What ever happened to that?
It seemed back in the seventies, that there was a much higher level of "fluff" but there were also higher expecatations of students and a higher graduation level.
Whatever happened to those standards?
posted 4 years ago
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on Paying for Family Leave
oh, yeah, and I'm also gay and a veteran, so the bill probably wouldn't apply to me, being a second class citizen, even though I've put my life in harms way for this country and it's people.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Paying for Family Leave
Actually yes, my parents are both dead, I'm divorced, no children, so the bill doesn't or wouldn't apply to me.
So, I'm all for the common good and giving the a parent's or parents' children good health care, good education.
But the trade off is that I don't support huge families that use state funds to get by - excepting those familys that truly embody Christian chairty and expand their family through fostering or adoptiing. If these families adopt high needs or special needs kids more power to them, and I'd willingly kick in more tax out of my check to give those kids, the kids who otherwise woudn't have a home, a loving family.
Apologies for the last 'off topic' paragraph.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Paying for Family Leave
I think it's a great idea, to have paid leave to care for a family member, BUT I'm also a great advocate of zero population growth.
I'm Single, have no children, by choice, so I can't say that I'd like to see my money going to a family who already has a couple kids, or worse yet, a family who seems to be bent on re-populating the earth.
After two children I think you should give up any pay to have more kids, and have sufficient money on your won to fund your fruitfullness.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Total Tax Makeover
So what Senator Morse seems to have sucessfully demonstrated is the biggest problem with politicians: they forget that they are elected representitives of the people, not sent to Salem to "do what they want"
I'm having my own "budget shortfalls" and I solve the problem by spending less - now that's a lesson that Senator Morse should learn.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Soccer City, USA?
REMEMBER THE K I N G D O M E.
Demolished before it was ever paid off. Re-inventing sports complexes that never get paid off just doesn't seem like good financial success.
If Mr. Paulson can back the bonds, why not just leas him the land build it himself. If he's a true beliver then he'll have no problem in getting the new stadium paid off.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Soccer City, USA?
now there's an idea: putting in a few cricket pitches in Portland Parks, and maybe some ajacent gazebos for tea service.
That's so much more refined than "football hooliganisim".
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Coastal Exercises
David.
Awesome sound clip, but i didn't see if those were breaded or pan-fried shimp. Hope you and the signifcant other are enjoying the XC skis. (yep, I'm that Fred, the one in the kilt)
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Coastal Exercises
oops. double post. apologies ;)
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Coastal Exercises
Jeff,
I don't doubt that, but I'm guessing that may have been in the 80's. and a very dated practice.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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