Who Is Lying Here?
In the past week Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) stated that Pres. Barack Obama is holding border security hostage to immigration reform, and a middle-age Portland masseuse accused former Vice-President Al Gore of demanding sexual favors and attempting to force himself on her when she declined.
President Obama denied Kyl’s accusations, using his press secretary to accuse Kyl of lying. And while Gore has remained silent his minions in the mainstream press have accused the masseuse of lying. In both instances only the accused and the accuser were in the room and we are left to determine whom to believe.
Media quotes show timeline of labor cost debacle
HOUSE DEMS DEFEND STATE LABOR COSTS AS SCHOOLS CUT DAYS, TEACHERS, PROGRAMS By Oregon House Republicnas
Governor Finally Acknowledges Impact of Labor Costs on State Budget…
“‘I'm just going to rip the Band-Aid off this one and say it: Increasing labor costs will be a big contributor to future deficits if we do not change the way we budget and provide compensation for public employees.’
“The costs to the state for the Public Employees Retirement System will increase by more than $350 million in the next two years and by almost $1 billion more by 2017, he noted. And health care costs are rising more than 10 percent a year.”
(Gov. Ted Kulongoski says recession forces Oregon state government to rethink how it operates, The Oregonian, Michelle Cole, 6/26/2010)
…Something Republicans Have Been Saying for Years.“‘You have to go where the money is, and the money really is in the cost for payroll,’ said Rep. Dennis Richardson, R-Central Point. Richardson said he's been warning for years that the state was spending -- and hiring – ‘at a pace that made no sense given its revenue stream.
“Lately, he said, the state has relied on one-time federal bailouts and a tax increase on businesses to stay afloat. Now, he said, others, including the governor are coming to the conclusion that that's no way to budget.
Shedding Light on Solar Subsidies
By Andrew HillardIf all goes as planned, July will be the start of a sunny future. Next month, Oregon Public Utilities will offer feed-in tariffs, or subsidies, for solar power. Under House Bill 3039, homeowners will be eligible to receive 55 to 65 cents for solar energy, compared to the usual cost of 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. The pilot project intends to boost jobs and clean technology by subsidizing 2,500 homes over 15 years.
However, legislative forecasts, like weather predictions, are often wrong; and in this instance, the sunshine will be short lived. The feed-in tariff has been tested in Spain and Germany. The result was, well, economic thunderstorms. Spain is now cutting 30% of solar incentives to prevent a Greek-style meltdown. Every subsidized “green” job cost Spain 2.2 jobs elsewhere in the economy. Germany’s experience is no different. After 19 years of subsidies, solar only accounts for 0.5 percent of Germany’s total electricity.
Lars Larson: Disturbing allegations surrounding Al Gore
There is something deeply disturbing about the allegations surrounding Vice President Al Gore and it’s not just the sexy part.The documents are out there. Police reports say that a woman has now accused Vice President Al Gore of attempting to sexually assault her in a hotel room almost four year ago.
Legislative leaders making budget crisis worse by inaction
By Dave ListerGuest Columnist for The Oregonian
Imagine your boss calls you in one day and tells you that, due to the recession, all employees are going to have to take a 10 percent across-the-board cut in pay. Imagine that you then go home and draft a letter to your mortgage holder, your telephone provider, your electricity provider, your home heating provider and your cable company telling them that, until further notice, you will be short-changing their monthly bills by 10 percent. Sound ridiculous? Of course it does. Faced with that situation, you'd have to prioritize. Short-changing your mortgage is not an option. Your utility bills have to be paid in full. What you'd do -- and what many of us have done -- is forgo vacation, or dine out less often, or drop the premium channels on your cable bill, or maybe even drop the cable altogether. You'd go through your budget, item by item, and you'd prioritize.
Portland woman charged Al Gore on sexual harassment. What next?
Question of the week:
In 2009 a Portland massage therapist talked to police in detail about a sexual harassment encounter with former President Al Gore as reported in The Oregonian. Police did not continue the case because there was not enough evidence. The painful dilemma of any sexual harassment case is that it comes down to two conflicting testimonies among an incident occurring in private. Every American is innocent until proven guilty -- including your political opponents. On the flip side, a serious crime may have occurred and can this woman receive the justice and healing she deserves or will victims always be left behind in light of the nature of the crime and the celebrity status of the criminal.
What can be done? What should be done? Where will this go?
POLICE REPORT HERE
Why The Portland Tribune passed on the story 2 years ago
Lars Larson: Wasted school supplies
Have you heard about all the school supplies they were wasting in Gresham?I think waste is wrong any time. But, waste by government institutions is doubly offensive because they demand that taxpayers pay taxes at the point of a gun. They take our money and when it’s wasted, it’s really wasted.
I’ll give you an example from this week. At a Gresham elementary school parents found a dumpster full of wasted supplies. In many cases simply unused supplies brought in by the kids and paid for by their parents. Some of it may have been paid for with taxpayers dollars. It certainly all came from families in the northwest.
Who Will Redraw Your District in 2011?
Petition 50, which would allow Oregonians to decide who will redraw Oregon’s legislative districts in 2011, has gained strong last-minute support. More than 100,000 signatures have been gathered to date, but they need your help to gather more than the 110,000 valid signatures needed before July 2. Whether or not you have decided who would be best suited to draw Oregon’s legislative districts, your signature is needed on Petition 50 (sign a petition here), so that Oregonians have the opportunity to further vet the issue. For more information about Petition 50, go to www.petition50.com or visit Cascade Policy Institute.Karla Kay Edwards is Rural Policy Analyst at Cascade Policy Institute.
Kulongoski New Found Fiscal Responsibility: Fact or Fancy
Oregon’s private sector employment numbers continue their slow slide toward a California style abyss. While the Oregon Employment Department reported no gain or loss in total employment from April to May, the numbers actually show that government employment increased by 6,800 while private sector employment declined by the same 6,800 positions.
Not surprisingly, of the 6,800 government jobs created in May, nearly 4,500 were census workers. That added to the nearly 2,000 census workers already employed in Oregon spells big trouble in the coming months as the census taking is complete and these temporary jobs end.
Congress Shock Poll: Wu 46%, Corniles 40%
Three polls have Dudley tied or ahead in Oregon Governor's race
Here are three recent Oregon polls have Chris Dudley ahead of John Kitzhaber, or tied in the race for Oregon governor. Rassmussen Poll - June-21
Dudley 47%
Kitzhaber 45%
Hibbits Poll 6/21
Kitzhaber 41%
Dudley 41%
Survey USA Poll
Dudley 47%
Kitzhaber 40%
Wilson 6^
