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colleenj's comments:
on Local Library
well said scottmil
posted 2 years, 10 months ago
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on Local Library
Libraries are an important part of our society for too many reasons to write out here. They offer accessibility, community building, cultural literacy, exposure, learning development....... they are so vital!
I am shocked that Hood River had to close their libraries, that the commissioners allowed that. I can see not expanding, but closing altogether is a disservice to the citizens, the public servants operating them, and philistine!
I really enjoy our library system here in Portland and use it a lot, both as a parent and for myself as an adult. When I looked at my property taxes a few years ago and saw that I paid $150 a year for the library, I realized I should be using that for movies and books and activities that I otherwise spend elsewhere.
I have sweet memories of going to the library as a girl, and my kids will too.
And books will always be very relevant.
posted 2 years, 10 months ago
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on Getting Back to Work: Retraining
I worked in commercial fishing for 12 years but that is another industry that is shaky. I wanted to go to school for engineering, a 4-year degree, rather than a technical degree. Despite being able to prove that I was going from a declining industry to one that was in demand, I was not able to get training funds, but was able to finally find a program that allowed me to collect unemployment benefits for an extra year while in school.
I really wanted this for my future rather than a technical degree, so I borrowed the rest of the money I needed, worked an internship after the unemployment ran out, and had room-mates to make ends meet while in school. I did graduate with a lot of debt ($36,000) but am happy to be working now for 4 years in my new profession and being a contributing worker, tax-payer and consumer.
I'm grateful for the extra help I got from UI. The only thing I think they could have done since they didn't want to fund me for a 4-year degree, is allow someone leaving a declining industry to one in demand funding in their last one or two years of school.
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Rebroadcast: The Selling of Oregon
I really enjoy and appreciate many things about Portland; culture, amenities, attractiveness, friendly people, certain planning aspects and how they've panned out. When I moved here 9 years ago, though I was single. Now I'm married and have one child and another on the way. I now realize that this is not a very easy place to be a starting out family. There is actually a great culture for new families with small children, but I can see the culture is not so great for pre-teens and teens. And there is inadequate public infrastructure for young families. The daycare situation is really awful, it is too expensive and scarce to make it comfortable and convenient for median income families, and statistically one of the worst in the country. Activities at community places are totally overcrowded. The City does not have family friendly policies or development. I'm sorry to say I'd rather be raising my family somewhere else, and there's a good chance I will move before we get into this public school system. Academic development/rigor is not highly valued and promoted in this City, and that makes me sad, but I won't compromise that for my kids. If I thought that it was improving, or that parental involvement was making a difference, I would stay and be involved, but from what I'm seeing and hearing, it's not.
posted 3 years, 5 months ago
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on Driven to Distraction?
This is a good point. I think another solution to this type of abuse of exception to a law, would be to report the offender to either his employer or the police or both, and after a certain number of safety violation reports, his license to drive a tow truck would be revoked. And any accident (no matter whose fault) if the person with the exception were on the phone, the license would be revoked.
posted 4 years ago
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on Driven to Distraction?
this is fascinating. I believe it based on my own experiences. I feel better not talking on my phone while driving because I had this sense that I was not seeing.
posted 4 years ago
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on Driven to Distraction?
Thank goodness for this hopeful law. Although I rarely talked on my cell phone while driving, I quit completely when the daughter of someone I knew was killed by a driver using her cell phone.
I see people do terribly neglectful things while talking on their cell phone and driving, much more frequently than while eating, talking to kids, etc. On Wednesday I saw someone sail past a stop sign in the park blocks next to the farmers market (lots of kids and peds there), while on her cell phone. I've nearly been hit 3 times as a ped in a crosswalk by drivers using their phones. Other things I've seen drivers talking on their cell phones doing: turning wrong way onto one way streets and continuing on; hitting a car, realizing it and continuing on (we checked the parked car for damage); missing traffic controls, weaving into the wrong lanes.
I just don't believe the studies that say there's not significant distraction. I haven't read the conditions of the studies, but they are probably too controlled to show real behavior trends, and I completely believe that people are not admitting their cell phone use when they have violations.
posted 4 years ago
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on High Speed Possibilities
These are valid concerns for an individual. Both Seattle and Vancouver have great public transportation and it's pretty easy to get around as a visitor or business person. For expeditious business people, they have taxis. Also, I'm not sure about Vancouver, but Seattle has Zipcars, which are easy and cheap (rental by hour includes insurance and gas).
The safety issue is balanced out by collision reduction, and I've never seen or heard of attacks on inter-city Amtrak routes; I don't think the gangs are inclined to this kind of travel. In Los Angeles, personal crimes from gangs happen to people regardless of the lack of public transportation. The public transportation is not the problem. In fact, I feel safer at a stop where there are people around, rather than getting into a car downtown late at night. It's part perception, but it's also that crime finds places to happen, and eliminating the places doesn't reduce the crime, it has to be approached differently. Plus, I'm not going to let criminals control my choice to take public transportation.
I think there is a lot more support for good, high functioning public transportation than there is against it, but those against something really tend to howl.
For now, cars are more convenient and still cost effective, but I doubt they will be in 20 years, and that is what developing major infrastructure is about.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on High Speed Possibilities
thank you! All GREAT points.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on High Speed Possibilities
I also lived along the Interstate Max Corridor before the Max line was running. The increase in the number of people transported by the MAX vs. the No. 5 bus was immediate, and it is now HUGE, even though it isn't carrying the commuters from Vancouver like the 5 was.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on High Speed Possibilities
I love riding the train! I would take it everywhere if it weren't for the poor schedules. There are things that are hard to quantify with rail travel. It's hard to say how much more likely people are to go somewhere along a rail corridor if an easy access to a train trip were available rather than forcing people to go by plane or car. I think business travellers would be more likely to go by train than plane, because it's easier to access, more comfortable, and easier to get more work done on the way; and less expensive. I would take classes at OSU if there were a commuter train, but can't imagine driving there or taking a bus (ugh). For some reason inter-city busses just don't get people taking mass transit, but rail does. Also, when a rail corridor develops that will be well traveled, a lot of development happens along it, it was seen in the Portland Streetcar development. For reasons hard to articulate, people are more likely to take an available train than a bus, and people will be more likely to go somewhere if there isn't a lot of discomfort and hassle. I think more people would travel casually and for business between cities if there were more available trains at more convenient times, stops focusing on business, and with even slightly faster service.
Another great way to travel between the bigger cities is to go by rail, and then pick up a Zipcar once you're there.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Paying for Family Leave
Maybe people can afford the children once they are working again. That is the point of the insurance.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Paying for Family Leave
This is about workers taking responsibility for access to insurance funds. We as a workforce want an insurance program that is independent of our employer, but funded by our pay.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Paying for Family Leave
Well, simply, everyone benefits from an educated society. Also, you had the opportunity to attend public school paid for by people who did not have children. Your social security will be paid by other people's children. You drive on roads that are paid for by other people's tax money. If you have a catastrophic medical event, your support will be paid for by other people and their children. Would you really want to live somewhere that school is not paid for?
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Paying for Family Leave
This is not a safety net program. This is like unemployment and social security. It’s something we fund with minimal personal contributions to use if/when we need it. Is the guest also against social security and unemployment? Some people never use those, either. This is part of progressing our rights and standard benefits as a workforce. It alleviates pressure for us personally and also on the employers who can’t offer benefits.
Why should I have to be an unsupported, drug-using teenager to get support for time off with my new baby? I work, pay taxes, support the economy. I want to have a fund to pay into to support this benefit. I want my son to be able to feel he can take a couple weeks off to take care of me when I’m old and sick.
How does the guest think that we can go to a one income model?
In Europe, which has better insurance programs for things like this, in my experience more women are working careers than here. I lived in Germany for 6 months and never met a stay at home mom, unless she was on family leave. Insurance promotes the ability to work and have a healthy family. Out of a 45 year career, they might be taking off 2 years.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Total Tax Makeover
I favor a blend of income and sales tax. It is the only way to get people who don't pay income tax (because of not living here, or have tax income loopholes) to share the cost of running the state and providing infrastructure and services. It is also a way to "luxury tax."
People should do some numbers. Say my adjusted gross income is $30,000, I pay 7% state income tax on that, $2,100. 8.5% sales tax would mean that for $2,100 I spent $24,705 on buying stuff. No Way do I spend that much money on taxable items (since grocery food items are excluded)!!!!!!!!!!! But, my income tax is paying for people to come and shop and shop and shop tax free.
From what I understand, Washington state has a lot of different business taxes that Oregon doesn't, and one is a transaction tax. Even if we didn't have a sales tax per se, a transaction tax would be a good place to start.
Oregonians would get a tax break, because they would have others sharing the burden. Especially since there are a lot of business travellers coming to Oregon.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Local Lunch
I'm a parent of a toddler.... I would seek out a school that had a program such as this, and be willing to pay extra for my child's lunch in order for all the kids to have this available. It is so important for kids to have healthy fresh food, and there are many testemonials on how much of a difference this makes in just the attitude, behavior, and awareness of children, let alone the health benefits. On top of that is an educational and civic involvement experience for the children, and the educators and staff.
Of course this is going to start out more expensive than the conventional supplier programs, and staff will have to work differently. But those costs will even out after a few years as the programs evolve and stabilize. This invests in Oregon/local businesses, which is a great use of public/personal money. Kids will learn to eat more variety of foods as well. This is a commitment and investment, and it might not seem perfect overnight, but it is definitely the best thing for everyone, and sooooo good for the kids!
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on A Route to Rural Broadband?
Well, I don't think we would have what we have now, if previous generations hadn't invested for us. Things develop so rapidly now, that I will benefit from my taxes much more quickly than they did. I'm OK with making the investment.
My mother grew up on a farm with no running water and no electricity. That was not that long ago! I'm not even middle aged. Because of that generations investment, we have sources of power and water that serve many more (and better) than then. We have come a long way because of wise infrastructure investments.
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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on A Route to Rural Broadband?
Yes, I agree. And power and other utilities provided to rural communities are also more expensive to provide than for dense communities, but the cost is spread out because we know that we are all connected, and we need them as much as they need the costs spread out. Is she off the grid or something? Does she realize that much of Eastern Washington and Oregon didn't have power until the dams were built (I struggle with dams, but in the end I'm happy for people to have power that was clean and state of the art at the time)?
I'd be interested in seeing her survive in a "community" of her design, where everyone built everything for themselves, or paid obscene costs and rates so that capitalists can profit for providing them. She should visit countries like Russia where they had to rely on private capitalists for development, basically in the end, middle class get nothing, and are hungry. Literally hungry.
Our forefathers/(mothers!) would be proud to know that we were offering this as a public utility in which we share costs, just like they were proud to offer public schools and postal service and roads and other basics that we've been building on as our society changes. We all benefit from making these available to everyone. And healthcare too!!!!!!!!!
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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on A Route to Rural Broadband?
Can someone please point out to that woman all the things that others have paid for that she has benefitted from, will benefit from, and will be able to benefit from if she needs it? Say, her house is affected by natural disaster, even though she isn't in a flood plain, or how about the goods and services that she recieves because of those located in the flood plain? How about the utilities that she takes for granted that were laid 100 years ago?
Internet is already almost essential for many services, and is becoming more so, and is intentionally becoming more so, and the sites are more complicated requiring more bandwidth. It should be a public utility.
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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