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OregonSean's comments:
on Sentencing and Spending
ju9piter,
I agree wholeheartedly. It seems that in some form or another the public's anxiety has been exploited in order for one group or politican to increase their own power by being "tough on crime".
I think the questions we need to ask ourselves are simple: Is our current justice system reflecting our moral priorities--is this really how we want to treat people?--and is it reflecting our economic priorities--do we really want to spend all this money on locking people up?
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on Sentencing and Spending
I was very disappointed when voters were given this "false choice" of measures 57 and 61. I had planned to vote no on both, but was advised that one of them will pass, so I'd best choose the one I prefer (57).
Currently, nearly 1/3 of the state budget goes toward public safety. It just doesn't make sense that much of this money needs to be wasted keeping people incarcerated. It would be a better investment to devote more of the budget to education and social services. This is shown to reduce crime and also give a return on the investment in the form of increased citizen productivity and independence.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on Canada-US Relations
I think that many of these border crossing issues are related to the security of Canada and, specifically, a response to what happened on 9-11. While I'm sure that Canada trusts 99.9% of U.S. citizens, they just don't want to risk allowing terrorists to penetrate their borders.
It's interesting that so many commentators here have "simple" solutions to most of these problems, but seem to miss the big picture. The problems they are describing are caused--and need to be cured--by political decisions in Canada, and politics is rarely simple, especially on a nationwide scale.
Ultimately, the citizens of Canada (the business people who rely on trade, tourism, etc) will need to take action if they want things to be easier. In the meantime, for those of us who wish to visit, a passport is probably a reasonable requirement. It's not very difficult to obtain and it lasts for 10 years. Some states even have a special kind of drivers license that is sufficient for ground travel to Canada.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on Closer to Cuts
I believe that the corporations are laughing all the way to the bank as we fight our class and culture wars. They're the ones who seem to be taking rational steps toward protecting their interests and do so in an organized way that they fund directly because they see the benefit (e.g.: money spent on lobbying gets laws past the increase profits).
Until the public chooses to become more rational and organized we will continue to be a step behind the influence of business and will only be able to vent our outrage after they've brought the ecomony to its knees--in other words, too late.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on Closer to Cuts
fmwwg,
Publicly traded corporations can have investors from all over the world that share in that income. We have no way of ensuring that we get a fair piece of it unless we tax the corporation directly. Investors that don't live in Oregon don't pay income tax here.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on Closer to Cuts
I would say that government is only as good as the people it represents. I'm not sure why everyone demands such a level of perfection as individuals we aren't able achieve.
Furthermore, I would encourage anyone who feels angry or frustrated to focus that energy on solving the problem. I would suggest joining an organization that champions a cause you are passionate about, meet with your representatives when they put on public forums (I've been to two already this year with a third coming up), and not only vote, but become educated on who and what's on the ballot.
Maybe we don't feel like we should have to make this effort, but if everyone tried a little harder to be engaged it would make a significant difference.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on Closer to Cuts
I agree. The kicker needs to be modified. We need an effective rainy day fund, just like any household would.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on Closer to Cuts
Although I think that what we are doing in Afghanistan is important to our security, I don't believe we need expensive war machines, such as the bombers, to accomplish our goals.
For too long, money has been funneled toward "defense" and we now spend more than the rest of the world combined. Give me a break, that can't be necessary.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on Closer to Cuts
I tend to agree. Corporations have too much influence over politicians through the money they or do not contribute. They are also well organized and could possibly take steps to refer any tax increase to the voters, postponing the law.
Perhaps it's time to think about publicly funded elections in Oregon.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on Closer to Cuts
I think a tax that is mandatory, rather than something voluntary--such as buying an expensive car and waiting for what little stays in the local economy to trickle down--is a more simple and direct way of achieving increased revenue. It would solve the problem of the people who are sitting on their money and wouldn't buy that Ferrari in the first place, also.
As I implied in my original comment, the Ferrari buyer will probably still by the car, the tax may just delay the purchase, and then we have the benefits of both.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on April Show Ideas
I'd like to suggest credit unions vs. banks. Both in terms of their ability to meet customer's needs, and in the context of the current economic crisis. I've heard repeatedly that although banks are not lending very much these days, that credit unions have continued to lend without missing a beat.
posted 4 years ago
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on Judge a Book by Its Pixels
This is an interesting point that hadn't occurred to me. I love my library and seeing the people who work there a couple of times a week when I go to pick up items.
What will happen when our pool of human interactions becomes stagnant? The internet still isn't an efficient way to meet new people to interact in person, only to "chat" our time away.
On the other hand, if libraries could deliver electronic content in a similar scheme to that they use for hardcopy books, dvd's, etc, it might draw more people into the system by virtue of it's convenience and efficiency.
posted 4 years ago
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on Powerful Combination
You have my vote.
posted 4 years ago
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on Powerful Combination
Here's a link to the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanadium_redox_battery
posted 4 years ago
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on Powerful Combination
What I've heard seems to agree with Steve. For example, while everyone is at work, those with batteries in their cars could be recharged by the excess solar during the day and then that energy could be used by their homes when the car is in the garage at night.
posted 4 years ago
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on Powerful Combination
Thanks Steve. It sounds like we have reason to be optimistic.
posted 4 years ago
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on Closer to Cuts
I hope that in the future we can use the rainy day fund effectively, so that we can avoid the kind of shortfall we're experiencing right now. Just like many households, the state needs to save for the downtimes that are inevitable. I do not agree that a sales tax is the answer. It is regressive and wasteful to implement.
In the meantime, I've noticed an increase in the number of truly expensive cars I see on the road these days, Ferraris and Maserati. Although I don't object to people spending their money as they wish, in the face of the current shortfall, I would rather see someone have to wait to buy that expensive car than to see others go without essential services such as healthcare. Does Salem have the political will to tax the wealthy in a resonable way at a time like this?
posted 4 years ago
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on Powerful Combination
Wind and hydro both rely on limited resources whose availability is either seasonal (hydro) or difficult to predict (wind).
We need to devise a way to adequately store the energy from these resources and make sure they are available when needed. Additionally, it is predicted that within 5 years solar will be ready for "prime time" and that stands to be a game changer as well.
In the meantime, it's best to look at what resources we have available and utilize those that are most economic and least polluting to supplement hydro and wind. From what I've heard, that means natural gas, provided that the capital costs of constructing the plants aren't prohibitive.
posted 4 years ago
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on Rural Recession
Although the voters in rural areas may have made bad decisions, there is no point in punishing them for it on principal.
Their circumstances affect the rest of the state and how we choose to help them should be looked at from a humanitarian prospective, on one hand, and as an economic investment on the other. We need to be sure that we are investing wisely.
posted 4 years ago
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on Rural Recession
What about shipping our call center jobs to rural locations instead of other countries? The wages would probably be lower than in metropolitan areas which would be good for business, and the jobs aren't location specific.
posted 4 years ago
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