Tuesday, June 30, 2009

We can breathe easier

From OFF:

Late last night, the Oregon legislature adjourned "sine die." "Sine die" is Latin for "let's take a few months off and then come back and raise whatever taxes and fees we overlooked since January."

Those Latins were very efficient with language.

This session is over. In normal times, Oregonians would not have to fear for a greater loss of money and liberty until 2011, but the days of our bi-annual session seem to be almost certainly, just a happy memory. The legislators will be returning to the Capitol in February.

No one is safe

Oregon Senate puts illegal workers, bosses on notice
Lawmakers are set to crack down on businesses that hire illegal workers, don't pay taxes, or otherwise make it harder for law-abiding employers to compete.

The Senate, in a marathon afternoon session on Monday, approved House Bill 2815, which requires the departments of justice, revenue, employment, and other agencies to work together to track businesses that pay employees in cash.

Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, said that investment should bring in an estimated $7 million this biennium in increased income, unemployment, and workers' compensation taxes.

Getting between The State and "it's money" is like standing between a mother bear and it's cubs. At this point your protected class status evaporates as the voracious appetite of the legislature will throw anyone and everyone under the bus to get another nickel.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Now we meddle... on the wrong side

Honduras Defends Its Democracy
Hugo Chávez's coalition-building efforts suffered a setback yesterday when the Honduran military sent its president packing for abusing the nation's constitution.

It seems that President Mel Zelaya miscalculated when he tried to emulate the success of his good friend Hugo in reshaping the Honduran Constitution to his liking.

But Honduras is not out of the Venezuelan woods yet. Yesterday the Central American country was being pressured to restore the authoritarian Mr. Zelaya by the likes of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Hillary Clinton and, of course, Hugo himself.

I have been watching this story over the weekend with absolute incredulity at the reporting by the mainstream press and the response from Obama and Hillary.

It seems that wherever the enemies of liberty rear their ugly heads our American liberals will stand in support of them.

Friday, June 26, 2009

When in Rome

In accordance with this 24 hour news cycle I'm only allowed to talk about Michael Jackson...

We can ignore the whole cap and tax vote going on today. The largest tax increase on the entire population of the United States just isn't as newsworthy as Michael Jackson.

Giving government the ability to control energy consumption, which all individuals and industry is involved with, isn't as important as Michael Jackson.

A sweeping change in American policy that is outside the constraints set up by our founding documents should not be discussed. Talk about Michael Jackson.

Just beat it.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

If it was so popular it would have already happened

Obama Moves to Push Immigration Reform Back into the Spotlight
President Obama is trying to put immigration reform back on the front burner as he plans a meeting with advocacy groups and key lawmakers this month and pledges his commitment to a fair and practical solution.

A key argument for Republicans to get on board with immigration reform is the Hispanic vote. Former President George Bush was competitive with John Kerry in 2004, but Latino voters supported Barack Obama by a wide margin over John McCain in 2008.

Remember when the key argument was "is this the right thing for America?" Now it's "can this demographic keep me in power?"

Poll question: Do you want something done about the 12 million (ha!) illegal aliens in this country?

If you said yes they probably put you in the "support amnesty" results.

But logic says that if amnesty really was supported by a majority of Americans we would already have seen it pass since the politicians all want it. The only thing that holds them back is fear of the voters. We stopped it before and we will stop it again.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater

Love Endures, But Green Cards In Doubt For Immigrant Widows
A different sort of immigration rally is happenined on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Tuesday morning.

It's organized by a Portland lawyer and a cohort of unlucky widows and in-laws. They're chipping away as what has come to be known as the “widow penalty.”

Who can resist a love story? This one begins in a club near a U.S. Army post in Korea. Rosalie Scrabeck had just started working there as a bartender and hostess when a certain soldier caught her eye.

She's describing infantry Sgt. Derek Scrabeck. He hailed from the small Willamette Valley town of Dallas, Oregon. Rosalie is a citizen of the Philippines. Soon they were dating.

To make a long story short, they were married at the American Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. The couple moved to Oregon in December 2007.

The U.S. requires a two-year waiting period before an immigrant spouse can receive permanent residency. That's to weed out sham marriages.

In this case, tragedy struck 20 months into the marriage. Derek drowned when the small fishing boat he was riding in capsized along the Oregon Coast.

The Filipina discovered she was deportable because she's technically no longer married to an American.

It must be incredibly frustraing for the "60 to 70 other such cases in the western U.S." to be told they can be deported this way while watching people who broke the law from the begining being treated like victims.

I've heard of other stories where a legal immigrant makes a mistake on a document and is subsequently deported.

The difference here is intent. Rosalie did not come here illegaly, she intended to make America her home with her American soldier husband. She is an immigrant that we welcome and in this case she is the victim.

Rosalie is not currently breaking our laws by working illegaly and the law should be changed to allow her a green card as she is a true immigrant to the United States, not some greedy lawbreaker who doesn't consider this his or her true home.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The progressive agency

Bilingual Spanish S.H.I.B.A. Field Officer
$42,564 - $62,244 ANNUALLY

The Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) is a progressive business regulatory state agency dedicated to the mission of protecting consumers and workers in the State of Oregon.

The Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) recruits, trains and manages a statewide volunteer counseling network to help senior citizens in: Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare Supplement, Long-Term Care Insurance, and other types of health insurance such as Medicare Advantage and Stand-a-lone Prescription Drug Plans.

The successful bilingual Spanish speaking candidate will earn 5% more than the salary listed on this announcement.

When the going gets tough the tough start hiring Spanish translators to sign people up for government programs. I guess that's what makes DCBS so progressive...

Sunday, June 21, 2009

We've gone from bitter to angry

A tide of anger on immigration
They are angry. Angry at their government. Angry with the news media. Mostly, angry at illegal immigrants and the problems they believe are caused by people who live in Oregon without proper documentation. Some are even angry at what they perceive to be too-high levels of legal immigration.

Their e-mails, calls and online comments seem to skyrocket every time The Oregonian publishes a story that mentions "Hispanic," "Latino," "Mexican" or "immigrant," regardless of whether the subject's citizenship, legal status or national origin is mentioned or relevant.

One recent story about a legislative proposal to offer in-state tuition rates to undocumented Oregon high school seniors triggered 142 online comments and dozens of e-mails, phone calls and letters to the editor.

You angry ignorant rednecks. Frankly I'm amazed that you immigrant hating backwards hillbillies can even work a computer to leave these online comments.

Rest assured that the "expert" in this piece also identifies us as "fringe" because I guess nothing says "out of the mainstream" like an overwhelming response any time this issue comes up.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Who do they say works here?

Willamette Tree Wholesale Nursery in Oregon Sued for Sexual Harassment, Retaliation
Willamette Tree Wholesale, a nursery in Molalla, Oregon has been sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for violating federal law.

According to the federal agency's investigation, one worker, a 38-year-old Latina, was taken to remote areas of the farm by the company foreman and raped repeatedly over several months.

Another Latina co-worker, age 35, faced daily sexual innuendos and propositions for sex as well as grabbing and touching.

EEOC Regional Attorney William R. Tamayo said, "From California, where the fields were called 'field de calzon' (or 'field of panties') because so many supervisors raped women there, to Florida, where female farm workers call them 'The Green Motel,' and throughout the country, we have found women working in agriculture are often particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment.

No wonder Americans don't want to work there, they don't want to rape or be raped!

But let's stop and all act shocked that employers who will willfully look the other way when it comes to labor laws, ID laws and employment laws will then ignore the Equal Employment Opportunity laws.

It's also very puzzling that employees who break our immigration laws, labor laws, ID laws and tax laws also have a tendency not to respect other laws once they are in the workplace.

The nursery lobby and our lawmakers will all say that these workers are illegal aliens... how come this news report won't look into the matter?

Why don't we enforce ALL our laws to ensure a safe workplace for everyone.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Musing of the day

A conservative will give you the shirt off of his back if he thinks you really need it. A liberal will give you the shirt off of the conservative's back and try to make you think you really need her.

Perhaps they could open a coffee shop next to Starbucks

Oregon community's 5-year muni-fiber plan struggling
Sherwood, Ore., a small city southwest of Portland with about 16,000 residents, is knee-deep in cost overruns and service shortfalls after five years of trying to launch its own fiber-optic network. The city promised residents the service would give every home and business high-speed Internet access, and that the service would pay for itself and even create a revenue stream for the city.

In Sherwood, to date, taxpayers have laid out more than $1.55 million for a service that is anything but complete. One official called the 60-mile network a "significant money loser."

I have Verizon FIOS (excellent service by the way) and not a week goes by that Comcast and Qwest don't contact me in some way to see if I would like to switch to their fiber-optic service.

But for some reason government thought it should do what the private market was already doing so well and these idiots will insist until the day the stupid thing gets shut down that it will "soon" be viable.

But the fact that it can't make money is not the issue, if they were hauling in cash hand over fist I would still oppose this because IT'S NOT THE CITIES JOB TO PROVIDE INTERNET ACCESS.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Some animals are more equal than others

Anti-bullying, sex-ed bills become law
It prohibits bullying based on membership in a protected class, such as race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, familial status, source of income or disability.

Are you a favored class in Oregon? Will your kids get the special treatment? And if you are one of the preferred class, would you rather be judged by the content of your character?

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Let's see how the people feel

Let's give Oregonians a chance to vote on the latest tax hike. Make sure you are paying attention to Freedomworks in the coming weeks.

Most of us are tired of government's mission creep and waste.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Chaos chaos chaos

Oregon Democrat Hass derails tax-increase bill
Plans to raise taxes on Oregon corporations and upper-income earners, which seemed to have all the momentum of a moving freight train, crashed in dramatic fashion late Wednesday when Senate Democrats failed to muster enough votes from their own caucus.

The derailment tore a $733 million hole in a tenuously balanced state budget and sent legislative leaders scrambling to find a compromise that would let them adjourn as planned by the end of the month.

"I implore you," Bates repeated three times, looking directly at his longtime colleague. "The state will go into chaos without these bills."

That's $733 million that private citizens get to spend as they see fit. It's a good day for Oregonians. The sick thing about politicians is that some truly believe that without them and their precious programs the state would really go into chaos when in fact most of us just want to provide for our families and don't enjoy the limited interaction with government that we are forced to have.

Imagine a world without public art, needle exchange programs and diversity administrators.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Prisons are for prisoners

To pay for prisons, Oregon might release some prisoners
Faced with a $78 million hole in the state public safety budget, lawmakers are proposing to save money by delaying a voter-approved measure requiring longer sentences for property thieves. Also, they want to release prisoners early for good behavior and ease penalties for people caught with small amounts of drugs.

Lawmakers have spent months negotiating how Oregon might hold down prison costs while honoring the intent of voters who last year endorsed Measure 57, which slapped tougher sentences on property and drug crimes.

I'm positive that in the months of negotiations they discussed firing the Department of Corrections Cultural Awareness and Diversity administrator Carolyn Schnoor until they realized that the threat to public safety was just too great.

I can't explain what the specific threat might be because she is the only administrator on the org chart that doesn't have defined duties.

I'm also positive that since our lawmakers were sooo thorough that they did consider turning off the cable tv or taking away the prison recreational activities like:

Aerobics
Yoga
Stationary bicycles
Bingo
Karaoke
Numerous board games and other indoor activities (cards, chess, etc.)
Current-run movies are shown nightly

And I'm so glad that our crack reporters at the Fishwrapper can't bother to question these things but just blindly accept the fact that our legislators want to ignore the will of the voters and spit in the face of public safety.

Monday, June 08, 2009

Hispanic DOES NOT EQUAL illegal

Hispanic council aids cultural integration
The growing Hispanic community on Oregon's north coast and the well-entrenched Anglos are getting pointers in cultural differences intended to help each understand the other better.

For example In Mexico, many arrive late for a doctor's appointment, firm in the knowledge that they would just have to wait if they didn't.

That doesn't work here.

"It's just not knowing these little cultural things," said Norma Hernandez of the Lower Columbia Hispanic Council.

Before I go on with the news article let's look at who the Lower Columbia Hispanic Council is:
Deductibility Status - Contributions are deductible

Foundation Type - Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public

So moving forward we are now aware that this racist group is gets most of their money from the taxpayers whether directly from government or through tax deductability.

It operates programs providing cheap car loans, migrant programs, immigration attorneys and contact with the Mexican Consulate.

Stop again. Loans are supposed to be given without consideration of race, nationality or country of origin. This group redlines everyone but hispanics.

The community lives frugally, she said, with many fearing deportation and the subsequent loss of their savings.

This is another article that treats all hispanics like they are illegal aliens. It is insulting to lump my wife into the same "community" as criminal aliens. The "hispanic council" is really the "illegal alien" council as they could care less about American citizens who obviously don't need contact with the Mexican consulate or fear deportation. This garbage infuriates me to no end.

Imagine how many racist groups like this will be funded with your tax dollars to help all our newly legal residents if an amnesty goes through. It will bankrupt this country.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

I spilled my drink... quick, send someone from the state

NOTE: I am not actually typing this post because the government has determined that I could get carpal tunnel syndrome. Therefore a state worker is taking dictation.

Tonights wind knocked down a neighbors tree and it ended up laying across our residential street. Several of the menfolk went over to remove it when city workers pulled up and said that they would take care of it.

I imagine that folks in New Oreleans were so accustomed to this phenomenon that when daddy government wasn't there for five minutes to hold their hands it put them in a state of shock.

What ever happened to people helping each other out, taking care of each other and their neighborhood?

When the sheeple learn to be dependent of government they make themselves slaves. I'm almost looking forward to the apocalypic scenarios when the stores have no food, there is no electricy or running water and bartering replaces our paper currency. There won't be three city trucks and four workers coming to clear the brush out of your way then.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Is smoking in bars popular?

Popular Sauvie Island event site could be in jeopardy
In recent years, Kruger’s Farm on Sauvie Island has hosted many popular cyclocross and mountain bike events.

But now those events are in jeopardy as Kruger’s Farm faces a permitting hurdle with Multnomah County’s land use planning department. The County is making Kruger apply for a new permit (that would allow the events) after a complaint was filed by one of Kruger’s neighbors.

In the meantime, the County has forced him to suspend all public events (they call it a “voluntary compliance agreement”, but Kruger pointed out that it wasn’t voluntary at all).

He estimates that one-third of his net income is on the line. Kruger says the loss would mean he couldn’t “continue to make the farm a public gathering place.” “That’s the irony,” he added, “I’m doing what people want, but the codes sometimes just don’t keep up with it.”

I hunt Sauvie Island and there sure were a lot of "Yes on 49" signs up there. I'm going to have to assume that Mr. Kruger supports a bar owners right to allow customers to smoke, that he supports his neighbors right to build houses and supports a landowners right to harvest their timber.

If that's not the case then what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

I personally think that the county and Kruger's neighbor have no business telling him that he can't have people riding bikes on his property. But it's disturbing to me that until it comes down the the PC crowd complaining our "land use" policy is treated like it was written on stone tablets.

Monday, June 01, 2009

We'll just sell to ourselves!!!

This morning I heard a news anchor question whether or not people will buy Obama designed cars. My first thought: Multnomah county will. So will the state of Oregon. Add Portland and Salem to the list.

Government doesn't care if their fleet is overpriced, they will spend our money to buy vehicles that were produced with our money and all in the name of public service!