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Soggy_Portlander's comments:
on Live from Salem
Not smart at all.
Unfortuantely, there are a large number of voters that seem to be averse to having a real discussion about revenue AND spending.
Fact: The State of Oregon Biennial Budget has grown from $41 billion in 2005-07 to $61 billion in 2009-11 - a more than 49% increase in just 4 years.
Fact: Our 2 recent democrat governors, Kulongoski and Kitzhaber have admitted that the growth of state government has reached unsustainable levels.
In a perfect world, our representatives would be able to scale back the actual scope of state government. Unfortunately, rather than targetted cuts, about all that we can accomplish is accross the board cuts and attempts to restrict the growth of revenue. This is simply reality.
posted 2 years, 1 month ago
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on Live from Salem
So we should just blindly pay our taxes without any consideration of government efficiency or even necessity?
Sorry, most of us are not sheep.
Even the most progressive of our Oregon politicians have recognized that the size of our state government has grown to an unsustainable level.
posted 2 years, 1 month ago
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on Live from Salem
You are undoubtedly correct about that copperlion.
And it really isn't a partisan observation, especially on a federal level. There, both sides of the aisle are equally guilty in participating in this mass ostrich exercise when the completely detach from considering how they are going to fund our government. Probably more annoying from Republicans, where on one hand they preach fiscal responsibility, but on the other hand are busy supporting military incursions on foreign soil and fighting for unfunded tax cuts.
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on Live from Salem
50% increase in spending in 4 years. Hmmm, wonder why they don't have enough?
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on Live from Salem
Pets in shelters is an awful idea. Besides even considering the potential for some very serious allergic reactions, it just leads to all kinds of hygiene problems in an already challenging environment. And the proliferation of some potentially dangerous dog breeds certainly could lead to additional problems.
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on Live from Salem
I'd agree to kicker reform as soon as there is spending reform. If it were not for the runaway spending increases (a 50% spending increase in just 4 years, from 2005/2007 - 2009/2011), we wouldn't be in this current crunch. Legislators who cry for revenue are demonstrating some extreme negligence if they don't recognize how unsustainable the current situation is.
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on Live from Salem
Concerning the Sobriety check points. Fortunately, I have complete confidence in Oregon voters on this one. We have consistently voted down attempts to infringe on the state constitution. Fine, put it on the ballot, but it is going down. I would have hoped that Senator Monroe would have been a little more insightful about this.
And enough with the statistics, figures lie and liars figure.
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on The Role of Protesting
I don't know why people get so worked up about the tea party. They are an extreme minority that are getting smaller all the time based upon the bozos who are trying to paint themselves as party leaders. Yes, they had a role in influencing the last election. People who believe in fiscal responsibility will have a bigger role in the future, but I doubt it will fall under the label of the tea party. People love to define their opposition, but I see it as being more of a futile effort.
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on The Role of Protesting
You are incorrect in trying to simplify the protests in the Middle East as being rallies against conservative regimes. I can’t even fathom on what basis you are trying to make this overreaching argument. Social issues? In Egypt, you aren’t going to find much difference on either side regarding social issues. In Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah is actually a moderate compared to his conservative opposition.
It is mainly about individual rights versus a strong federal government. It would actually be easier to make the opposite point than what you are trying to claim.
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on The Biomass Question
Solar and wind are good for maybe 20% tops, what do you suggest for the other 80%?
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on The Biomass Question
Nice idea, but unfortunately, humans are not that efficient. Any gains based upon excercise are going to be more than exhausted by the higher nutritional intake requirements you are going to create.
Now if you could somehow do this using only really fat people and control their caloric intake so that they are actually converting their stored "weight", you might have a chance!
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on The Biomass Question
Probably slightly inflammatory for me to term it by saying the "fix was always in". Let me explain. I think PGE is a fine company. They have great service, a reliable product, always striving to be an excellent corporate citizen, and they treat their employees very well. But at the same time: 1) they are somewhat a protected monopoly, 2) are guaranteed a fixed rate of return, and, 3) they can pass off their capital investments to the rate payers. Because of these characteristics, they are incredibly "risk averse". There is no incentive for them to even touch newer technologies, no matter how attractive. They also do not have to be concerned with lower cost options.
The legacy technology is basically a multi-stage process (electrostatic precipitator (ESP), flue gas desulfurization unit (FGD) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR). The newer technology utilizes different chemical reactions (proprietary) and offers an economy of scale because it can occur in a single stage process. Basically, more efficient and cheaper. The economy of scale is quite simple: You further cool down your discharge stream before cleansing (cooler air = a lower volume) and you do it in one stage, not 3. You therefore are investing in a smaller solution. It does necessitate more “resident” time, but you are still far ahead of the game because of the cooler air and single stage solution. But again, based upon the characteristics of PGE, they won’t touch this because there is no incentive (which is completely understandable on their part).
This is the type of green technology that I would like to see Oregon involved with.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on The Biomass Question
The conversion of heat to power is nothing new, but it has been refined to allow for much greater efficiencies.
Where there have been technical advances is in the processes for cleaning the discharge stream. What PGE had "floated" in regards to the pollution controls proposed for the Boardman coal plant was based upon legacy technology first introduced in the 70s and 80s. The new technology available, and this is where Oregon is completely missing the boat in regards to developing real green jobs, allows for closer to a zero emission environment where you deliberately design for the emission levels that you want to achieve.
And if the issue really is producing less carbon, nuclear is the obvious solution.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on The Biomass Question
Truer words have never been spoken. But until we don't have so many people responding to the nuclear issue based upon emotion, and not reality, I am not optimistic that anything is going to change.
And what the so called "friends of the earth" will not own up to is the fact that this complete avoidance of new nuclear power sources is directly causing the continued discharge of tons and tons of radioactive uranium and thorium, not to even mention the CO2, because of the necessity of relying on these old school coal plants.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on The Biomass Question
Yes, biomass is one of the solutions to our problems. But it should be located in Portland, not Boardman. It makes no sense to truck our garbage up the gorge when a gasification plant could be located at one, or both of the metro transfer stations. We would reduce our waste volume by 95%, while also generating additional power and reducing the unnecessary resources devoted to trucking our waste.
Boardman should have remained as a coal plant where we really could have had a substantive impact in developing a real green industry in cleaning up coal. The proposal that PGE was pushing on cleaning up the coal plant was based upon technology developed in the 70's and 80's. It would have been very attainable to convert Boardman to output levels that would be lower than the gas fired plant that is going to take its place. The fix was always in on this one, PGE was just going through the motions in letting us think that we actually had any choices here. A completely wasted opportunity that will of course be funded by the rate payers. And the value of the PUC is?
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on Closing & Consolidating Schools
Politically impossible to have public safety as a lower priority than education. Everyone is interested in public safety, the involvement with education is simply not as universal.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on Closing & Consolidating Schools
Absolutely unworkable to phase out all federal and state income tax credits/deductions/dependencies.
On a federal level, we are already operating on a deficit basis, so it would be bordering on gross negligence to simply freeze a revenue/spending scheme. Additionally, sending dollars up to the feds, to be returned for local spending in schools isn't a very efficient process to begin with.
On a state level, my concern (based upon repeated demonstrations of this), is that the pols in Salem will simply play shell games, which they have anytime revenue streams are identified as designated for any given purpose.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on TOL in Salem
hbkcdd? Don't hold your breath for that 15% sales tax. I'll also assume your commute doesn't include the Vancouver-Portland traffic flow. When you were younger was also before the government grew out to an unsustainable level.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on TOL in Salem
That 8% guarantee has to go down as one of the worst contractual obligations ever agreed upon.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on TOL in Salem
I don't disagree, but isn't this simply going to result in large layoffs? There definitely will be less money to go around, so it seems like they can all agree to share in a cut, or hold the line and let go of the most recently hired. I don't see any other options since there is not going to be any large increases in revenue.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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