I would feel safe cutting this from the budget

Program # 40038A - Health Promotion Coordination & Capacity Building
Priority: Basic Needs

This Program Offer covers the work currently being carried out by the Community Capacitation Center (CCC). The CCC assists constituents both internally and externally to develop their capacity to promote health in an empowering way across all levels of the socio-ecological model, models empowering health promotion in particular communities, and coordinates this work on a Departmental level.

"Basic Needs" must now include: food, water, shelter and a government worker to empower you regarding your health care. Someone tell Maslow.

We also model what it means to address the social determinants of health by actively promoting health in specific communities, including (but not limited to) the disability community, the Latino immigrant community, and the Maple-Mallory neighborhood in NE Portland. The CCC is currently the only Health Department program with the capacity to respond to particular health promotion needs as they arise, for example, the challenges to health presented by the immigration raids carried out in the summer of 2007.

Program Total: $393,746

The fact that this is "the only program" that can respond to the needs of illegal aliens after an ICE raid only makes me want to eliminate it that much more. Keep in mind that they don't actually provide any real health care, they just "promote" health.

Cut.

Because they know better than us

A Google news search for "Oregon" this morning reveals the following in the legislature:

A bill for banning "puppy mills" (read: commercial breeding)
Oregon mulls tobacco tax hike
Senate to vote to restrict dishwasher soap (it's for the planet)
Bill for calorie counts at fast food restraunts
More regulation on tax refund companies
Bill to restrict fire retardents in upholstery

Now ask yourselves, how on earth did our civilization survive up until this moment being able to buy puppies, smoke tobacco, wash our dishes, eat at Burger King, get a "rapid refund" and sit on furniture that is resistent to flame?

Thank goodness we send our best and brightest to Salem.

Save the planet by giving up your freedom

The "green" nonsense has gotten out of control. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the secrets to saving the planet just happen to be the same thing that liberal facists have always wanted: higher taxes and absolute government control of our lives.

When Oregon's Global Warming Commision has an action plan called "Land-use planning to reduce VMT" that can be translated into "government telling you where to live."

Higher-density, mixed-use developments are much easier to serve with transit and reduce the distances between residences and destinations, making bicycle and pedestrian trips much more feasible.

Government will save the planet by making sure you can't have a backyard and you can bike to work.

But if cramming the population into sardine cans isn't enough they establish "Pricing policies to reduce VMT" which means that the government will make it too expensive for you to drive.

These liberal facists want "modified rate designs to reflect others to install advanced two-way daily and seasonal peak demand" electric rates to force you to sit in the dark. The two-way system allows the government to have control of your electric box.

I spent a few minutes reading the A Framework for Addressing Rapid Climate Change and I'm convinced that unless we push back hard our God-given liberty will be lost.

Why most of us roll our eyes at horror movies

Oldie but goody

Today's recycled post is timely. Directly from a DHS newsletter in 2004:

This month’s accuracy tips have to do with how the application should be filled out by an applicant. The application (DHS 415F) was designed to capture the information of clients who apply for benefits and those who live in the same household but do not seek benefits for themselves. Civil Rights regulations prohibit us from requiring clients to disclose their SSN or citizenship when they are not applying for benefits for themselves. Therefore, in filling out the application, clients who are not applying for themselves should list their names under thesecond section of #3 on page 2 of the DHS 415F, where it says “List all other people living in your home.”

Example: Mom comes in to apply for food stamps for self and her three children. Mom lists the three children on the application as the people she is applying to receive benefits for. She lists herself as another person in the HH, and does not want benefits for herself. There are a few reasons Mom might not want benefits for herself; one might be that she is an ineligible non-citizen, and does not want to disclose her status, and does not have a valid SSN.

In the FS Chapter, Section D.6, it states that only those persons who want benefits are required to provide their SSN. Other persons living in the household are not required to provide their SSN. You will not pend the application for the SSN or citizen status of the person that does not wish to be in the benefit group.

And there you have it folks. Imagine that you are an American citizen who was just laid off from work. You are in line behind these folks.

Provoke an appeaser? No...

North Korea preparing to launch a missile that could hit United States soil... who would have thought that tin pot dicators would get tough the minute we got an appeaser in the White House?

Then don't build it

100 Day Plan Update - Transportation from The Office on Vimeo.

They are going to "review" the performance of the bridge to say "greenhouse gas emissions are too high, so we need to adjust how people travel across the bridge. Or, there's too many cars coming across to downtown Portland."

These are the people who want to run your life.

Brave new world

Studying on the edge
You don't need superhuman powers to skim textbooks from cover to cover, camp out in the library long after regular hours or work on final papers in marathon-length stints - but you might need drugs.

The trend of using the amphetamine-based drugs to enhance study sessions with increased energy and focus has been reported steadily over the past few years, and during final exams, the illegal sale and use of the medications tend to skyrocket.

"When I lived in the dorms, I heard more about Adderall than any other drug," she said. "It's bigger than weed."

This is a very well done article from a college newspaper. I hope that the medical marijuana folks notice that when a drug that is perceived to have a legitimate use through prescription, it increases the abuse of it as well

Who here thinks that Adderall would be used illegaly in these numbers if it had the stigma of meth? Students who see their classmates using drugs as a crutch ask "why not me" and simply get the pills from their dormmate.

Señor Ronaldo Wyden

At a town hall meeting held in Salem on Saturday, February 21, 2009 Senator Ron Wyden stated that he supported the E-Verify program.

On Tuesday, March 10, in the U.S. Senate, Wyden voted to table Senator Jeff Session’s amendment 604 that would have extended E-Verify for five years. Maybe in Washington DC that is not considered lying, but to regular folks there is no better term to describe what Wyden did.

Let Senator Señor Ronaldo Wyden know what you think!

http://www.deportronwyden.com/

In amnesty news

Obama to address immigration reform in coming months

President Barack Obama will present plans for immigration reform this year, Hispanic lawmakers said Wednesday after strategic talks at the White House.

Obama "was clear and eloquent and determinate to let us know that we are all together in the route of comprehensive immigration reform," Democratic lawmaker Luis Gutierrez told reporters after the discussion between the president and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).

I think that taxing people to pay for needle exchange programs is un-American. I think that requiring a building permit to construct a new deck is un-American. Can I stop paying taxes and asking daddy gov's permission for everything?

University of Oregon: let Mexico annex it

How did Oregon get so lucky? Our very own Unviversity of Oregon is hosting this years National MEChA conference this weekend. What is MEChA you ask? According to the U of O page:

Chicano is our identity; it defines who we are as people. It rejects the notion that we are an insignificant minority group that should assimilate into the Anglo-American melting pot of materialism, greed, and intolerance upon us. It is a symbol of Resistance as well as a symbol of Unity amongst Mexicanos, Salvadorenos, Chilenos, Puerto Ricennos, Cubanos, and all other Raza.

It became synonymous with the vast territories of the Southwest, brutally stolen from a Mexican people marginalized and betrayed by the hostile custodians of the Manifest Destiny.

But will the conference at our state University be all about racism and taking back the American southwest? Hardly. Imagine these exciting speakers:

Paulina Hernandez is a queer femme cha-cha girl, artist, political organizer & trouble-maker-at-large from Veracrúz, Mexico.

Anita Tijerina Revilla is an assistant professor in Women’s Studies at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Butchlalis de Panochtitlan is a trio that has emerged from community based activist spaces to create visibility . They explore identity and its consequence while mapping the city we live in on the brown female masculine bodies they walk in...

But I'm sure that this conference will involve reputable people who are intent on following the law right? According to the official Principles of Unity for the conference:

We realize that the use of alcohol and drugs outside of conference activities is the responsibility of each individual and their pertaining chapter. However Aztlan del Noroeste asks that you maintain respect for our community and others.

So make sure that you are "respectful" if your particular chapter enjoys recreational narcotics.

I'm glad that everyone has the freedom to assemble in this country. I don't care if these people want to get together and hate American materialism. I just wish that there would be some public scorn directed towards this racist and revolutionary group.

Instead the university and local media will give them a pass.

Single parenting: like child abuse but with a government subsidy

This is from a BlueOregon post and there is no source link but I'm taking these numbers at face value:

While TANF is primarily a program for children in single-parent households, there is a small program for children in two-parent households (TANF-UN) where the parents are unemployed or seriously underemployed. In February 2009 there were 2,539 families with children being helped in the two-parent program, compared to 20,966 single-parent households in the regular TANF program.

I'm always dismayed that the stigma of single motherhood has gone by the wayside. Now it is something to be celebrated and considered "brave" or a badge of honor. There are 8 times as many single parents needing this welfare over the two parent households.

Men: if you get her pregnant you need to marry her. Take care of your obligations.

Women: stop having sex with men that you aren't married to or intend to marry.

Government: stop rewarding single parents.

Anything else and you are condemning kids to a rough childhood.

Hell freezes over

I actually agree with an Indymedia post. They have come out in opposition to HR 875 which I also think is a terrible freedom abridging idea. The federal government has no bussiness restricting "backyard farming."

Unless of course they enjoy us being completely reliant sheeple who need FEMA when something bad happens. Water and food are actual needs, for the government to say that you can't be self sufficient and provide for yourself is scary beyond all belief.

But at least you could look at taxpayer funded art

So I heard some people making fun of WES the other day and thought that I would do the "transit versus car" comparison.

Plugging in the exact same address to Tri-Met's tripcheck and Mapquest gives me this result: (I actually used WES transit stop addresses to give it a fair shot, obviously if you work/shop/live several miles from a station it gets to be less fun)

WES
Travel time: 37 minutes (including 10 minutes walking)
Fares: Adult All Zone ($2.30)

Driving
Total Estimated Time: 21 minutes
Total Estimated Distance: 15.89 miles

$2.30 will buy you a tank of gas and most of us have a vehicle that gets at least 16/mpg. You can save time, save yourself the walk in the rain and still be able to pick up some groceries on your way home if you take your personal vehicle.

On the other hand, you can view some taxpayer funded sculptures if you ride WES...

"The project has allocated $500,000 to fund the WES Public Art Program based on 1.5 percent of eligible project costs."

I was WONDERING where I put my cocaine...

Cocaine seized in Gresham traffic stop
Special investigators pulled over two men in a Ford Taurus near Northeast 191st Avenue and Glisan Street. When the passenger, 37-year-old Javier Luciano-Ramirez, got out of the car and raised his hands, a half pound of cocaine with a street value of $100,000 tumbled out of his shirt, said sheriff's spokesman Deputy Paul H. McRedmond.

Luciano-Ramirez and the driver, 32-year-old Alfredo Lugo-Velez, were arrested on drug allegations and jailed in Multnomah County Detention Center. Both men are Mexican nationals and in the country illegally, McRedmond said. They have been place on immigration holds.

Now who amongst us doesn't occasionally have a half pound of cocaine tumble out of their clothing? Especially when we are illegaly present in a foreign country.

Actually, can you imagine what would happen to you in any other country if caught with distribution amounts of narcotics and were there illegaly. I'd hate to have that happen to you in Mexico.

All the efficiency of the DMV

It almost makes me want to support the state growing marijuana when I see the Oregon NORML boys oppose it. They recognize that our current situation is a big free for all. There is no regulation or oversight of the supposed "medicine" which means that it is simply an avenue to distribute recreational drugs.

Now imagine the bumbling state trying to efficiently distribute anything...

I know that real numbers are liberals strong suit...

Are 'Hope' And 'Change' Still Tax-Deductible?
While liberals love being praised for their looks, their style, their brilliance and their courage, the one quality they don't want talked about is their money. To the contrary, Democrats are constantly boasting about how poor they are -- as if that's a virtue in a capitalist society with no class barriers.

At the Democratic National Convention, for example, there were heartfelt tributes to the daunting self-sacrifice of both Barack and Michelle Obama for passing up lucrative jobs to work in "public service" -- which apparently is now defined, such as in Michelle Obama's case, as "working as a 'diversity coordinator' at a big city hospital for $300,000 a year."

It's impossible to argue with Ann Coulter because she's right. I mean, I suppose you could argue but you'd just look foolish.

Giving away someone elses money to "the poor" is not charitable or a virtue, it's theft.

Money to burn

City of Portland Street Renaming Process
FAQ
Has this street renaming process ever been used?
No. Portland City Code Chapter 17.93 has never been used to rename a city street. The
Portland City Council has the legal right to waive many provisions of the City Code, and it has renamed two streets without using this process.

Does the City of Portland have any pending street renaming requests?
Yes. The City of Portland has received one completed application to rename a street after César E. Chavez (1927-1993), a Latino civil rights and labor leader. (who opposed illegal immigration)

How much will this process cost the City?
The City has budgeted $150,000 to cover the entire cost of renaming a city street, including new street signs, public notices, and independent consultant staff to facilitate the application process and make recommendations to City Council regarding any changes to the current process.

Couldn't that 150K better be used to hire another diversity manager or two?

It's bad enough I have to hear it everywhere else

Say it with me now: MAN DOES NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DESTROY THE PLANET THROUGH GLOBAL WARMING. Don't make me cut off your fingers.

Please stop ruining my show.

Support legal workers

OFIR members and supporters:

Numbers USA reports great news: Senator Jeff Sessions' amendment to extend E-Verify for another five years has made the cut of amendments that will be voted on before a final vote on the Omnibus Appropriations bill. Thursday, Senator Harry Reid blocked a vote on Sessions' amendment, but because the Senate was unable to get the 60 votes required to end the debate, he's been forced to open the bill back up. It is likely that Senator Session’s amendment 604 will be voted on Tuesday.

The E-Verify program is the most effective tool available for controlling illegal immigration. Along with building the border fence and stopping attempts to grant amnesty to illegal aliens, there is no other issue right now more critical to true immigration reform than extending the federal E-Verify program.

Call (202)224-3121 and ask for your Senator/Representatives office. E-Verify works, it simply allows employers to make sure that they are only hiring legal workers.

And please keep in mind that the comments about "it's not accurate" will be left by people who seem to think the government can't match a name and social security number but is perfectly capable of handing their retirement, health care and personal well-being.

And many more

I've said this before Mr. Bruin...

It seems I will have to copy and paste this every legislative session.

No I would not trade a reduction in the state income tax for the addition of a sales tax. Here is why:

The money gets taxed when I earn it and then it gets taxed when I spend it. If only they could figure out how to tax it while it's in my checking account the circle would be complete.

There would have to be a brand new "State of Oregon building for the Implementation and Collection of the Sales Tax" created. It would be filled with PERS recipients with job titles like "Sales Tax Cultural Competency Coordinator" and "Sales Tax diversity Manager." This grows government. Now if the proposal is "revenue neutral" meaning that the state would collect the same that they do under the current plan we will simply get less service because they will be spending more on state payroll.

It would be like switching from one 40-hour a week job to two 20-hour a week jobs at the same salary. You are worse off because you now have increased commute time and generally made things more complicated.

Next I would like to point out that the proposal to lower the income tax but add a sales tax operates from a position of weakness. It says that government isn't too big. It pretends that the government has multiple revenue streams when there is really only one source of money: US!

If we have identified a tax that is too high, like the income tax, then let's float a proposal to lower it. Why would a conservative pair that up with a proposal to raise another tax? To make sure that public art doesn't take a hit? To keep the needle exchange programs running on weekends? To make sure that we can hire more Art Therapists?

Government doesn't need more money and it doesn't need the same amount it is getting now, it needs LESS. If you need any evidence of this just look at my "50 cuts" posts.

Drug user? Get out of jail free!

We should all be nervous at the cavalier way that our government puts our safety at risk with their social experiments. Take the Josephine County drug court for example: (page 4 & 5)

"In contrast to the practice in Marion County, the Josephine County program targets relatively high level offenses and the defense is continually pushing to broaden the list of eligible offenses."

"The most common reason for termination from drug court is a new person or property offense in which there is a victim."

"Participants who have dropped out and resumed drug use are not necessarily terminated."

"Some clients drop out more than once."

So let's make sure we are clear. Instead of convicting and sendign criminals to jail Josephine County tries to get as many people into their alternative "drug court" as possible. Once in this program the criminals frequently commit a new person or property crime or drop out and if you resume drug use it's ok.

And here is the kicker:

"With respect to participants who are not U.S. citizens, the current drug court attorney, Joe Maier, tries to work with the district attorney’s office to modify the charges so that the defendant’s immigration status is not negatively affected."

Keep demanding guys

Immigrant Action Day attracts 400 people
Wanting to send a message to the Obama administration and Congress about the need for comprehensive changes to the nation's immigration system, more than 400 people showed up Saturday to Immigrant Action Day at Chemeketa Community College in Salem.

Protesting the event were about 25 to 30 members of the Oregon Chapter of the Minutemen and Oregonians for Immigration Reform. An e-mail written to those members and forwarded to the Statesman Journal by OFIR vice president Rick Hickey about the groups' plans to protest the event read in part: "This is all about helping illegal aliens. Your college and your legislators are harboring, assisting and using your tax dollars to enable Illegal aliens. This is wrong, and you should let them know that."

The criminal aliens are tireless in their demand for amnesty. You don't need amnesty if you haven't broken the law. CAUSA can keep holding their little rallies but we all know that the general public is not on their side.