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Caller David says that highly educated people aren't necessarily ambitious here because they favor quality of life. My experience is that even if you are ambitious, you end up butting your head against a wall. I have a J.D. and two masters degree and have not been able to get a job practicing law. The market is flooded, in my opinion, with overly-educated people who move here because they want to live in Portland (quality of life) and are willing to, or forced to, accept a lower salary than comparable cities around the country. I feel like the pool of overly-educated people keeps expanding, and those people, myself included, are chasing fewer jobs. More competition in the workforce necessarily drives down wages. This should be examined at the higher ends of the education and income contingents. In short, we are chooosing to make a sacrifice to live in the place we love. Several years out of law school I am working in a temporary job, for decent wages, but with no job security and no benefits, and not in the type of job I'd like to be working. These outcomes also seem to be hallmarks of our region. Everyone here seems to be cobbling together their income from numerous sources...perhaps because they want to practice their art/craft such as music, and choose to have a day job to supplement their income. But overall, I tell people who are considering moving here that it's very hard to find a job, and don't expect to make a lot.

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
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I have enjoyed the interviews with political candidates, and I believe this information is absolutely critical to voters. This is particularly the case as we are bombarded with out-of-state mystery money funding attack ads that drown out other sources of information. OPB and Think Out Loud are providing an essential public function. However, I really wish the candidates would not speak over each other and the moderator. I get that there is a lot of emotion in campaigns, but it is hard to listen to people talking over each other, or in a previous interview, the political sniping. Unfortunately this is what turns off voters and makes people turn the channel. Our political climate is very polarized and highly charged. Let's have a rational discussion of issues that is respectful...that is the unique nitche of OPB. On another note, what role does the Treasurer play in making policy recommendations or advocating for fiscal models that make our state's revenue model more stable, adequate and fair? Seems to me that the kicker is a major destabilizing force in our state's budget and that getting rid of the corporate kicker is low hanging fruit.

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
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This past June I traveled with 16 other folks, mostly from the Portland area, to Peru to put on a spay and neuter clinic for street dogs in Huanchaco and Trujillo Peru with the Perros Project (perrosproject.org). Portlanders Courtney Dillard and Matt Webber started this effort after a trip to Peru opened their eyes to the high number of street dogs. They, like many Oregonians, wanted to do something to help improve the quality of life for others. One Portlander, Holli, saw a Perros poster in Starbucks and signed up for the trip on the spot. Combining travel and service has great appeal for people. Once we were there it was clear there was an overwhelming need and many of us worked harder and longer than we expected. We plan to return in 2012, and to encourage other spay/neuter organizations to return to the same town in 2011 to continue the work we started and build upon the relationships and skill transfer that we embarked on this year. Recently Courtney and Matt were asked to have dinner with other non-profit leaders in Portland who are helping Peru in various ways. There were many folks on the list...very impressive. And I believe this speaks to something recently mentioned in the New York Times. If your focus is less on consumption and more on creating meaning, and if you feel you already have adequate resources to meet your daily needs, you have more left over to give to others. I believe this spirit of community and service is more widespread in Portland than other cities and regions. Which is why I love my town...my values are supported by others. Incidentally, I had a fundraiser to support my trip with Perros and was amazed by the outpouring of generosity from others who wanted to help the animals of Peru but themselves were not in a position to undertake such a trip. One last thing, myself and another volunteer (veterinarian) brought home two animals...a kitten, and a street dog, who will definitely have a better life here, and will keep our memories of our great trip to Peru alive in our minds. Thank you for exploring this important topic. Kim Upham

posted 2 years, 10 months ago
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One of my friends got two different DNA test kits to test her mutt dog.  The test promised to tell you which breeds your dog is.  The test results came back and of the two tests, each had different-- and mutually exclusive--results.  My friend was planning a "who's your daddy" party for her dog and make it a game to guess the dog's background.  However, with the results so inconclusive, she had to nix the theme of the party.

posted 2 years, 10 months ago
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PRIVATELY OWNED BRIDGE:  The railroad owns the Steel bridge!

Surprised you would say no one knows the answer...you read the blog as you are on the air, yes?

Some of us can't call because we are at work.

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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While I was in between jobs I pieced together my income from three sources: doing legal research, walking dogs and promoting films. Technically I was a lawyer, but not working full time in that field. When people asked me what I did, I had three choices I could have offered. It depended upon the context, of course, but most often I found myself saying "dog walker" because that's generally a job that has a positive connotation. My friends, if present would out me by saying, "oh shut up...she's a lawyer." Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud to be a lawyer because of the hard work and hurdles one has to get past to achieve that goal. But people attach their own assumptions to that profession, which are sometimes easier to avoid. I do derive some of my identity through my work, but I often focus on other aspects of it such as working for the government or working in the environmental field and chose to forefront those aspects and downplay the legal aspect.

posted 3 years ago
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A friend of mine just bought a bike via a bike loan from a credit union...I believe On Point.  I think this is a great strategy to get money circulating in the community.  This is exactly the size of purchase that one might put on a credit card if a person didn't have the cash on hand.  This helps people develop or rehabilitate their credit score such as teens, college students, or those who have had some black marks on their credit history in the past.  With this type of economic uncertainty, people are sitting on the cash they do have, for fear of losing a job.  This type of small dollar loan helps everyone by getting cash flowing again.  With all the uncertainty in credit cards these days, it is important to have an alternative, and especially one that can benefit the community as a whole.

I am a credit union member at First Tech.  Have not applied to them for a loan, but I am very satisfied with my fee-free accounts, and knowing that my money stays local.  I have had an account with Wells Fargo since 1984 and was paying $15 a month or so with checking fees and bill pay.  Now I pay zero fees and I love that.  The network of credit unions here makes for easy access to ATMs...I know where they are and have not had problems accessing cash.  This was one of my biggest fears when considering changing from WFB.  When I walked in to close my WFB account they *then* and only then offered to waive my fees that I had been paying for 25 years.  That irked me even more...I will never go back.

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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In speaking to the backlash against government spending, mostly at the national level, I believe we not only need more civics education, but also economics education.  This should be part of a complete education.  The Great Depression was ended because of stimulus spending in the form of the WPA. 

People are right to be concerned about defecits, but historically speaking, the government needs to "prime the pump" during the inevitable economic downturns since consumer spending drops to nil.  Consumer and business spending is 2/3 of our GDP, so when this part of our economy drops off, the only spender left is government to keep our economy afloat.  We have always grown our way out of the defecits we're incurred once the economy bounces back, and hopefully that will continue to be the case.

Hard for people to truly appreciate how essential this government spending is to prohibit truly catastrophic results.  We don't have unemployment rates in the 30 to 50 percent precisely becase the government did act quickly to prime the pump.  Perhaps not enough, and that's an ongoing debate, but people do need to understand that this type of emergency spending is not optional, and is the action that returns us to a functioning economy.

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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