A 5% sales tax is not much to ask for

Eugene register guard --

Mayor Kitty Piercy and Councilor George Brown have asked City Manager Jon Ruiz to provide estimates on a local income or sales tax to help the school district shortfall.

estimates being asked for would be a 5% restaurant tax which would apply to all prepared food and drink within the city and two forms of income tax, a 1% flat tax and a three tiered approach depending on income.

first of all, in this economy any type of tax increase is totally a stupid idea and some might say that 5% is not much money.

if you don't have any money... it's a hell of a lot of money.

If the Eugene school districts are having trouble with their money because the budgeting, then let them close.

For as long as I can remember, we have constantly throwing money at schools and they have always had this budget problem. Perhaps, a little bit of bankruptcy would not hurt them.

As for the sales tax in Eugene... of course people are going to come to Springfield to not pay the tax. (of course Springfield would balance it out by having their own sales tax, and then the state sales tax would be next)

BUT LET ME REMIND YOU... A TAX NEVER GOES AWAY IT JUST OPENS THE DOOR FOR NEW TAXES!

Remember what they did as far as the local gas tax?

And don't forget that starting tomorrow, Oregon gas taxes go up six cents a gallon (without voter approval)

people like myself are struggling to make ends meet as it is and watching every penny that is spent... it's really past time that government starts doing the same thing.

LAPD DUI checkpoints unfairly targets illegal aliens

KABC--

the Southern California immigration coalition and the south-central neighborhood Council claim that the DUI checkpoints are strategically placed in and around Hispanic communities to "target working class people, undocumented immigrants, that do not have a license but are really just abiding the law otherwise and are not drunk."

"in one impound, four cars were impounded because of drunk driving and 60 cars were impounded because they lack of a license..."

The LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that the "DUI checkpoints are used to prevent people from driving under the influence of alcohol."

I would be very interested in seeing the actual numbers however, if their claims are true and 60 cars were impounded because of the lack of a drivers license... that sends a message right there.

however, as per the comment above from the coalition, I guess in their views we shouldn't have any laws because they just a meaningless inconvenience.

did you notice it? Christmas that is

Robin's commentary --

Was it just me... or did it seem like Christmas was just another day.

Christmas Eve, I took my family out to see the Christmas lights and decorations and I was extremely shocked on how many people didn't really decorate this year.

In fact, I don't think Eugene or Springfield really decorated much this year either.

Is it the economy or has the Grinch(PC crowd)finally stole Christmas?

This time they got caught

Oregon catalyst --

efforts to pass the $1.2 trillion 1900+ pages omnibus bill has been abandoned with more than 6000 earmarks in it after Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina planned to force the Senate to read out loud the bill in its entirety.

according to Oregon catalyst, some of the your marks include the "monuments to me" which includes $18 million for nonprofits dedicated to deceased lawmakers and $6 million for an Iowa school program named for Senator Tom Harkin.

kind of interesting that we have to treat our representatives like children when we rely on them to do their job and read or understand the bills that they are voting for.

However, if that's what it requires is to have each bill read aloud, then so be it.

The attitude of, "we have to pass the bill to know what's in it" is definitely not the type of representation that anybody wants.

We elected children to represent us

The Hill --

The Senate is about to vote on the US-Russian nuclear arms treaty and a $1.1 trillion 1900 page Omnibus spending Bill.


Congressman John Conyers asked the question, " I love these members that get up and say, Read the bill! Well, what good is reading the bill if it’s a thousand pages and you don’t have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you’ve read the bill? "

Good question -- despite the fact that it's your job and in a 2000+ document it's too easy to HIDE little things like the 1099 for purchases over $600 requirement...
sometimes we learn from our mistakes... especially when you have the attitude of Nancy Pelosi who says, "we have to pass the bill to know what's in it."

WRONG!

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has an idea,

If our respected senators won't or can't do their homework as Congressman John Conyers points out before voting on an issue then let's do like we used to do at school...

We will read the bill aloud before class err, I mean Senate by invoking senatorial privilege to ask that the text for both the new Start Treaty and the 2011 Omnibus spending Bill be read out loud on the Senate floor.

of course, that suggestion was met with overall enthusiasm...

" "This is a new low in putting political stunts ahead of our national security, and it is exactly the kind of Washington game-playing that the American people are sick of," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs shot back in a strongly-worded statement. "While some express concern that the Senate doesn’t have time to debate the Treaty, Senator DeMint wants to waste 12 hours to read the text of a treaty that has been available to every member of the Senate and the public for more than eight months."

that's the point Mr. Gibbs, they are NOT reading the bills and what the public is sick of is that WE ARE THE ONES WHO PAY THE PRICE FOR YOU NOT DOING YOUR JOB!

The White House of course strongly urges the Senate to ratify the START treaty before leaving for Christmas and has commented that President Obama will not leave for his [quarterly] vacation in Hawaii until the bill is ratified.

I don't know if this is possible but I would take Sen. Jim DeMint suggestion one step further and REQUIRE the Senate to be present on the floor during a reading to qualify to vote on either of these bills.

The DREAM ACT

Robin's commentary

Amnesty for illegals or righting a wrong?

Or, based on our government's history, it's or something else going on in the background is the reason why they are pushing so hard to pass this fact?

I have been following this issue for quite some time and reading comments from readers on news articles and I have to ask a couple questions.

For example...

Senate majority leader Harry Reid says that "the DREAM ACT is not a symbolic vote [and] we owe it to the young men and women whose lives will be affected by this bill, and to the country which NEEDS their service in the military and their skills in building our economy..."

Reid continues: "members on both sides of the aisle need to ask himself if we can afford to say to these talented men and women there is no place in America for you."

Okay... I can understand his reasoning based on the above comments. However... a couple of questions and issues come to mind.

What happens to the families of these children once they become citizens under the DREAM ACT?

Their families are still eligible for deportation, in fact, unless these newly legalized children have dual citizenship (or a passport) they will not be able to travel or even visit with their families if they are deported.

So to correct risk of "separation of the family" we offer a blanket amnesty to the families of the children under the DREAM ACT?

In various news photos of children pushing for the DREAM ACT, we see some (not all) waving the Mexican flag.

does that mean while there are pushing to become "legal" within the United States, that their loyalties are not to America but to the country that they supposedly "do not remember"?

Should as part of the DREAM ACT requirements they should be required to sign an oath of loyalty to our country?

To summarize my stand on the DREAM ACT, it is not the children's fault that they were brought over here at a very young age and are now forced to face the consequences that has been handed to them by their parents.

If you placed yourself into their situation... it's very scary.

Their parents however (the ones that consciously made the decision to cross international borders knowing full well the consequences) should still be held accountable.

The question is... how?

And what about the rest of us?

Spanish immersion is now becoming a requirement at all grade levels. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

After all, the undeniable facts are is that they are the ones from a foreign country. But I guess that doesn't matter anymore.

House passes DREAM ACT 216-198

the House of Representatives today approved a bill that would grant thousands of young, llegal aliens a chance to become citizens contingent on them completing two years of college or military service by a vote of 216-198.

Critics are calling the bill "amnesty" for illegal aliens while supporters say the measure would strengthen the US economy and boost military readiness.

the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the bill today (December 9) at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, however Republicans have said that they will block the bill.

Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)said: "Millions of illegal immigrants could attempt to become legal residents as a result of this proposal, according to some estimates, and it is incumbent upon the Senate to ensure our policies never again lead to a situation where we are confronted with upwards of 12 million illegal immigrants residing within our borders"



I have mixed feelings about the DREAM ACT as I have publicly stated that the children are the victims as a result of our government not enforcing our borders and immigration laws and greedy businesses who hire illegal aliens has created this mess that we are in today.

Should we show leniency to the children that were brought here at a very young age against their will?

Yes... but not without consequences.

What happens to the original offenders IP i.e. The parents who deliberately brought their children into a foreign country knowing full well the type of life that their children will face?

I'll tell you what will happen... NOTHING!

the parents should be held accountable because it is a clear case of child abuse.

In the meantime, our government is forcing OUR children to learn Spanish in our schools.

So if something like the DREAM ACT becomes law, I would add one more requirement to the college or military requirement, and that is English to the mix.

but then again...

From the Statesman Journal: Preschoolers Will Get a Chance to Learn Spanish

Eugene city sales tax for schools? NO but HELL NO!!!

Eugene Registerguard --

Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy concerned about the recent school closers in the 4-J school district is looking for new ways to fund money for the schools.

"Eugene voters already support Eugene School District 4J through a local option levy renewed two years ago. "

Her proposal would call for a new sales or income tax.

" What I am trying to do is provide a forum for people to understand how we got in the situation we are in, for them to understand the impact that a good education system has on our community, and to look at some local funding options, such as a local income or sales tax,” Piercy said Monday "

A sales tax!!! Oh my god... she is got to be kidding to even suggest that!

Measure 66 & 57 was supposed to be the "cure all" to the school's financial problems however, the fly in the ointment was that there was not enough "tax base" to generate the estimated income that they predicted.

Why is that? Because of high unemployment and people and businesses leaving the state.

1 am getting very sick and tired that they never seem to have enough money for schools yet we can come up with money for the EmX which people especially in West Eugene do not want and LTD has yet to explain why it needs special buses for that run, the construction of a very expensive bike bridge over the Delta highway (although it does look unique with its glowing red highlights above and below the bridge) and other low priority investments in a high recession era.

I would also site just how out of touch the mayor is when you can't drive down almost any Eugene downtown street anymore (and some in Springfield too) without seeing somebody begging for money.

As to the mayor's comments about "to provide a forum for people to understand how we got in the situation we are in..." I can tell you exactly how they are in that problem and it's called... spending more than you have.

Even if we were not in a recession I would not personally vote for any increases in any school budgets until the school districts conduct a serious audit and publish the results.

and finally, take a clue from the comments posted on both the register guard's and KVAL's website about the story were the majority the people pretty much feel the same way I do.

Les Schwab Tire Center the Springfield experience (part two)

Robin's commentary --

This experience is a little out of date roughly 3 years ago but still I feel worth mentioning.

It has not been very often in my lifetime when I could actually afford to buy a full set of brand-new tires, in fact, I think this was the only time in my lifetime that I had only been able to afford a full set of brand-new tires...

... and of course... it was a pain in my ass.

This time, I went to the Les Schwab tire Center in Springfield off Main Street and purchased a brand-new set of four Toyo tires.

Everything went smoothly as far as getting the car in and getting the tires put on. The problem arose when I was driving away noticed that the car pulled horribly to the right.

So I immediately turned around and took the car back and informed them about the problem.

Les Schwab solution... swap the front tires and see what happens.

Okay, I will agree with that. It was a good diagnostic call.

Now, the car pulls the left.

Now being a technician, it made sense to me that looking at the facts...

#1 -- the car drove evenly before new tires are put on

#2 -- the car pulled hard to the right after new tires were put on

#3 -- after swapping the front tires, the car pulls to the left

Probable cause...

According to Les Schwab, the front end is out of alignment.

(Okay... my personal diagnosis would have been a bad tire, but I'm not tired expert)

So they play around with the front-end alignment and get the car so what drives straight down the road and call it good.

Not being convinced that this was the proper solution to the problem, I took the car down a company that I have used many times in the past and trust who specializes in front end alignments Jerry & Walt's Alignment Services 107 Van Buren Street, Eugene, Oregon

Within minutes of having the car on the rack without knowing anything else other than that I just bought a new set of tires they diagnose the problem to be twofold...

#1 -- the toe in on the alignment is seriously out of adjustment (most likely due to Les Schwab's playing around with the front end alignment)

#2 -- one of the tires was defective with a condition known as "conicity" which means that in radial tires it is a factory defect where the cords are not perfectly aligned thereby causing a tire to pull to one side. This problem is not visible to the naked eye.

So I pay Jerry & Walt's $35 for a front end alignment and make a beeline back Les Schwab tire Center in Springfield where I point out to the person behind the counter the situation who thereby informs me that there is nothing that they can do about it.

So after "patiently" speaking with the manager, I finally convinced him to replace the bad tire.

So here's the point...

I acknowledge that Les Schwab had no control over the manufacturing of the tire that was defective. It happens.

They did have control of how they handled the situation.

Their diagnostic steps were good (switching the tire to the other side) their mistake started when they started to try to compensate for the bad tire by adjusting the car's alignment and then refusing to gracefully replace the defective tire when it was determined that was the underlying cause of the problem.

Leslie Nielsen dead at 84

MSNBC-

Actor Leslie Nielsen, star of such comedies as "Airplane" and the "Naked Gun" series, died Sunday of complications from pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale with family and friends by his side.

I loved this guy.

Nielsen as Dr. Rumack in the movie: Airplane,

"Dr. Rumack:This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.

Elaine: A hospital? What is it?

Dr. Rumack: It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now ..."

"Surely,you can't be serious.

I am serious and don't call me Shirley."

Sigh...Another great gone and will be missed.

Les Schwab Tire Center Eugene (part one)

Robin's commentary --

As a rule I normally don't focus on any particular company or individual outside of the normal political arena (except for Lane community college because I have a dog in the fight and I think that they're the biggest rip-off in local education)

But I'm going make an exception regarding a local tire company in both Eugene and Springfield because I have NEVER had a good experience with them, and the more that I think about my recent experience, the more pissed off I get.

Part 1 -- the Eugene Les Schwab tire Center.

Several weeks ago in West Eugene I picked up a nail in my tire on a Sunday and of course therefore had the customary "flat" that goes along with the said nail.

Okay, nothing unusual about that.

These are virgin (non-recaps) Toyo tires that were purchased from Les Schwab in Springfield (which I will talk about in part two) with about 50% tread left on them.

Anyway, in order to make the tire hold air, I put a "plug" in the tire which I have done many times before with both bias ply and yes, radial tires with great success.

It was lunchtime when I "plugged" the tire and when I got off work at 4 p.m., the tire was still holding pressure with no air loss.

When I got off work... I decided that I would wander down to my nearby Les Schwab tire Center located on West 11th in Eugene Oregon and have the tire patched.

I arrived at Les Schwab roughly 4:10 p.m.. They were a little bit busy so I expected somewhat of a delay before they could get to my tire. I inform the person at the counter that I did not have a lot money and I only want the tire patched.

After waiting approximately 30 minutes, they pulled my car in and about five minutes later, the mechanic wants to talk to me about my tire.

So I go to the area where the mechanic is working on my car and noticed that he had pulled the donut out of the trunk (making a huge mess in the trunk by the way) and thereby informed me that my tire was ruined and could not be patched.

(remember, it only had a nail hole it.)

The mechanic had already removed the "plug" from the tire leaving me with no choice but to leave with the donut in place.

I asked if he would patch the tire anyways and I would not hold them to a warranty, and they still refused.

I returned to the front counter to finish up the paperwork where at least they did not charge me for the mess that they left me in my trunk but did give me an estimate of $338 to replace all my tires and I guess forgetting that I mentioned earlier that I didn't have any money to buy a single tire so they figure that I must have enough of money to buy a full set of four.

what an insult!

My main bitch and moan in this particular case is twofold...

#1 when I went into Les Schwab, I had four tires.
When I left Les Schwab I had three tires and a donut.

#2 my trunk is a mess. I was not asked if I was interested in using the donut, I did not give permission for the mechanic to go into my trunk and he could have at least put everything back where he found it instead... I felt like I was treated like a person who was a total inconvenience to them because I was not interested in buying a full set of tires when all I needed was one tire repaired.

if you have had a good or bad experience with Les Schwab tire centers, I would like to hear it.

I also would like to give the opportunity for Les Schwab to comment on my complaint.
By the way, I would be directing my complaint directly to the corporate office of Les Schwab tire Center except they do not have on their website any way to contact them directly.

Oh yes, what happened with the tire... I hobbled my way home from West Eugene to East Springfield and grabbed a unmounted spare tire and took it over to the Tire Factory 4157 Main Street in Springfield where I was in and out with a mounted and balanced tire placed on the vehicle in under 15 minutes. The people there were friendly and I felt like they appreciated my business.

ICE enforces Internet regulations, HUH???

The New York Times --

Immigrations and custom enforcement (ICE) seized the domain names of three file sharing websites and redirected visitors to those websites to its own takedown notice.

The file sharing website that were seized were torrent-finder.com and three music file sharing systems onsmash.com rapgodfather.com and dajaz1.com.

A long-term effort against online piracy, John T. Morton, the assistant secretary of ICE and representatives of the Motion Picture Association of America said "American businesses under assault from counterfeiters and pirates every day, seven days a week. Criminals are stealing American ideas and products and distributing them over the Internet."

The seizure were also covered under a new bill known as Combating Online Infringements and Counterfeits Act which was approved by a Senate committee last week which would allow the government to shut down sites that are "dedicated to the infringing activities."


okay, first of all, what the hell is the immigrations and custom enforcement agency doing in going after file sharing websites and set up after illegal aliens?

Secondly, while file sharing can be a violation of copyright law, however, the implications of this new bill along with the net neutrality act could be a Pandora's box that could have long-term implications.

Got into an accident in the recent ice and snow on I-105 or I-126...

Robin's commentary

If you have driven between Eugene and Springfield on I-105 or I-126 anytime during the last year you would notice that the condition of the roadway is in really bad shape with a combination of micro-trenches and potholes.

Instead of properly repaving the freeway, the road has been "patched" only where the tires would hit the road, leaving this little roller coaster rocking back and forth roadway similar to a carnival ride.

While this is a money-saving half-assed effort and would suffice as a temporary repair when road conditions are favorable, however, during icy conditions where your car will slide easily into a ditch given any excuse, it did not surprise me at all when we had that freeze the other day that there is a line of cars and lots of accidents on this roadway.

So in my opinion, (if it is even possible) anyone who had an accident on I-105 or I-126 should sue the state of Oregon who is responsible for maintaining the interstates for the damages to your vehicle or at the very least, a complaint should be filed.

The money for the roadway repair comes out of our tax dollars and road taxes, and by doing the repairs cheaply only cost more in the long run.

Just my opinion... and I could be wrong.

TSA public relations blog

Robin's commentary --

The TSA is in the news everywhere... and I thought it was interesting that they now have their own "blog" to respond to the public's concerns.

here is another video in the series...



and TSA blogger Bob's explanation

TSA national opt out day November 24

"Good, but they're not going to touch women's breasts or genitalia!"

That was a comment from my roommate made when we were discussing the TSA searches as she was assuming (as a lot of women do) guys being inherently evil that it's okay to submit them to the searches and that they would not touch women's privates.

"Ooooh….That's where you're wrong Bunkie."

When I explained to her what they are ACTUALLY doing including GROPING children, her jaw drop down to the floor in total disbelief that our government would actually go as far as it has without someone being arrested.

By now, I am assuming that most people are aware of what is actually going on during these pat downs.

That somehow the government has decided that it is okay for government officials to fondle your genitalia areas in order to board an aircraft.

But let me throw out a little reminder... IT DOES NOT STOP THERE!

If you travel by train or bus you are also subject to security checks, although they have not gotten as elaborate as air travel yet.

ONCE SELECTED FOR A PATDOWN... DO YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALK AWAY? NOT!

John Tyner at the San Diego airport going through security when the TSA decided that Tyner required a little bit more of the "personal touch." The TSA agent explain to Tyner what he was going to do and Tyner informed the agent "you touch my junk and I'm going to have you arrested"

Tyner had the forethought to switch his cell phone to record and recorded the whole incident. (See video at the bottom of this post)

After Tyner informed the agent that he would be arrested by touching him only where his "wife or doctor are allowed", the agent got his supervisor who later got his manager who then took down Tyner's personal information and informed Tyner that he would not be allowed to board the aircraft without being searched however, he would be allowed to leave.

Tyner still refused the pat down and chose to leave. As a police officer was escorting Tyner out of the boarding area, Tyner went over to the ticket booth to see if he can get a refund, which he managed to do.

Thinking the incident was over and that he could go home, Tyner was stopped by two other agents who informed him that "once you begin the search, you have to complete it. Failure to comply would result in a civil suit and a $10,000 fine."

That was the first time that I've heard about the fine for refusing to go through any of the security checks.

And here is some other food for thought...

What if during a TSA patdown, they decide that they suspect they found something in your privates?

Are you going to be taken into some back room (hopefully) and strip-searched?

How about a cavity search?

us women have this little extra convenient storage area where we can hide combustible objects you know.

The whole point of it all is that enough is enough. If we give in to this type of humiliation just to travel than the terrorists have won. If the government gives into excluding Muslim women wearing burqas based on religious reasons alone, there should be an outcry from citizens that the government has ever heard before.

Representative Ron Paul has introduced HR 6416: the American Traveler Dignity Act In Congress {LINK} which basically says that the idea which is common practice in Congress to pass laws for which they are not subject to that his legislation that he is introducing will change that.

"My legislation is simple. It establishes that airport security screeners are not immune from any US law regarding physical contact with another person, making images of another person, or causing physical harm through the use of radiation-emitting machinery on another person. It means they are subject to the same laws as the rest of us. 

Imagine if the political elites in our country were forced to endure the same conditions at the airport as business travelers, families, senior citizens, and the rest of us. Perhaps this problem could be quickly resolved if every cabinet secretary, every member of Congress, and every department head in the Obama administration were forced to submit to the same degrading screening process as the people who pay their salaries.

Lars Larson claims that we do NOT have a constitutional right to travel on an airplane, which is true, we don't.

However, WE DO HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF FREE TRAVEL!

Right now, today this type of indignity only affects air travel...

But what about tomorrow?

Think about it.

ODOT' S Camera fetish

Robin's commentary

Okay, to be honest with you, I'm not 100% sure that what's going on is actually a representative of the Oregon Department of Transportation, but what has been going on has been extremely weird.

So far, this is happened to me twice.

As most of you know who know me, I've had to take into driving a semi truck because the economy is so bad in Lane County there are not any jobs that I can find for an industrial technician.

Anyway, several weeks ago traveling on 28th Street in Springfield I come up to the stop light at 28th and Olympic on the truck route. I'm driving a three axle semi truck pulling a 28 foot trailer. When the light changes, two gentlemen standing on the street corner both are displaying badges on their chest, one of them pulls out a Camera and takes my picture. okay, that is kind of weird. I'm not doing anything wrong that I know of and I didn't see him take pictures of anybody else.

anyway I did not give it much more thought until Last week, (driving the same vehicle) I'm eastbound on 126 from Veneta going by Perkins Peninsula through a work zone, and just as I'm coming out of the work zone standing next to one of the flaggers, who I think was the same guy in Springfield, pulled out of Camera and took a picture of me again.

why?

I went through the work zone at 25 miles an hour, so I'm not speeding.

I mean what's going on? This guy has some fetish for female truck drivers?

I'm wondering if anybody else had any similar experience.

Reminder Sunday morning to set your clocks back an hour

This Sunday at 2 a.m. local time

this is also the time year when you realize just how many things have a clock in them and also how many digital items simply just can't go back one hour at a quick push of the button.

Something to ponder --

In a digital world... which direction is clockwise?

blogspot Spam control

Robin's commentary

Not too long ago, blogspot (owned by Google and hosting of this blog)started their anti-spam moderation program called "automatic spam detection for comments."

Great idea except the it is still in the "fine-tuning stage" which requires your host (me) to periodically go into the settings portion of the blog and confirm that a post did not get tagged as spam.

If your comment did not immediately appear after you posted, please post an additional note in the comments section as I do read all comments that your post failed to appear and I will confirm whether or not it was tagged by blogspot as spam.

I do apologize to those people who have commented on this site whose post have not been posted as it is currently out of my control and if there is any way that I could turn off this new feature, I would.



-- Robin

"no real" identification required for registering to vote...

Robin's commentary --

During my brief travels today I was listing to the Lars Larson show and he was talking about the requirements for voting in Multnomah County and when he found out when called the registrar's office.

From their website...

" Do I need to provide identification?

* New laws require that people must provide identifying information to register to vote.
* If you have a current, valid Oregon DMV Driver's License/ID, you must provide that number.
* If you do not have a current, valid Oregon DMV
Driver's License/ID, you must provide the last four digits of your Social Security number.
* If you do not have a current, valid Oregon DMV Driver's License/ID or a Social Security number, you must affirm this and if you are registering by mail, you must provide a copy of one of the following:
o valid photo identification
o a paycheck stub
o a utility bill
o a bank statement
o a government document
o proof of eligibility under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) or the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (VAEH)"

there has already been allegations by callers to Lars's show where ballots had been "pre-marked" or "smudged" which would have invalidated their return.

now I am not saying that somebody is purposely going through and trying to commit voter fraud... what I am saying however is that it just would not surprise me.

What I was surprised at however is what Lars pointed out on his show today about the requirements and or lack of to register to vote.

If this is true throughout the state of Oregon, you can imagine the can of worms that it would open.

Arizona 1070 -- federal court appears willing to reinstate

San Francisco Chronicle --

a three-judge panel of the ninth US circuit Court of Appeals indicated its willingness to reinstate parts of Arizona's SB-1070.

"The court indicated that it would authorize police to demand papers from those they reasonably suspect of being in the country illegally, however, would not allow authorities to arrest and prosecute them under state law.... however those suspects would be referred to the US authorities for deportation"


the panel agreed with Judge Bolton's argument in supporting the injunction on Arizona's SB 1070 that a state law against illegal immigration would conflict with federal authority, however they saw no conflict in requiring police to seek documentation from suspected illegal aliens.

In short, if reinstated, Arizona police would be limited to ordering a suspect to produce a driver's license or other documentation, including inquiries to immigration officials.

while it apparently looks as if the law (SB 1070) might be reinstated in some form, I am quite certain that the federal government and President Obama will object 100% to anything that would detour the colonization of the United States by the "new Americans."

beware of politicians who try to use "schools" to get your vote

Robin's commentary --

With the November elections around the corner the political ads trying to earn your vote are starting to become more hot and heavy.

If you listen to John Kitzhaber ad is touting the old line of it's all about schools and our children.

our future is our children... we need education for a future... we need education for jobs.

PLEASE DO NOT FALL FOR THIS!

sure, education is a good investment unless you go to Lane community college, but either way, your return on your investment is not going to be immediate and unless there are businesses to employ graduates, those graduates will move out of the area and therefore still not help the local economy.

also remember that they tend to use "schools & children" to try and coax you into voting for whatever it is that they want.

If you remember measure 66 & 67 they were really pushing that it's "for the children" and look what happened.

For me, any politician that starts using the it's for the... schools... children... public safety... quickly run and hide.



But this seems to be the year that we are recycling the politicians and personally, I think this is one time that we should forget about recycling, do away with the old and bring in the new.

President Obama was correct in the fact that we need "hope and change", however, not in the way that Obama was planning... but in a way that it's really time to clean house and literally "throw the bums out."

Tom Bosley 83 and Barbara Billingsley 94

Tom Bosley, star of the longest-running 1970s television series happy days died today of heart failure at the age of 83.

Barbara Billingsley otherwise known as June Cleaver on the TV series "leave it to beaver" died at her home in Santa Monica October 17 of a rheumatoid disease. She was 94.

just more of the television greats that can't be replaced.

Rest in peace

would you go along with banning all cell phone devices including hands-free while driving?

Bloomberg --

US transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is calling for an all-out ban on all communication devices including hands-free while driving.

"I don’t want people talking on phones, having them up to their ear or texting while they’re driving,” LaHood said in an interview this week. “We need a lot better research on other distractions,” including Bluetooth-enabled hands-free calls and the in-car systems, he said.

LaHood is also calling on limiting the growth of vehicle features such as Sync.

I will agree with LaHood on a few things...texting
while driving is a big one, and optional devices that require thumbing through a menu to activate, and this includes some car radios.

Other than that... stay out of my car!

now I know that there are some people they can't walk and chew gum at the same time and a very easily distracted, but I am one of those people that have been using communication devices for really long time back in the days when you had a cord connected to a microphone, and trying to talk and use a stick shift.

Now that took a little bit of coordination.

I guess my point is... as soon as they started getting one law passed such as the hands-free law, I kind of figured that it would not be long before that somebody would try to ban communications altogether.

today date is relevant to the answers of life the universe and everything

Robin's commentary --

Today's date, October 10, 2010 is very unique in the fact that when you spell it out it is

10/10/2010

Or broken down to...

10/10/10

Combine together equals a binary number...

101010

Which equals the decimal...

42

which by the way also happens to answer the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything.


and here you thought it was just another normal day...

President Obama to head to Oregon to support John Kitzhaber and friends Do you really care?

The Statesman Journal --

October 20, 2010 President Obama is scheduled to come to Oregon on behalf of Dr. John Kitzhaber and other Democratic candidates.

and did you notice that Vice President Joe Biden was also a recent visitor to Portland on July 8 for a fundraiser.


I don't know about you, but I think if I was as John Kitzhaber that I would ask the president to stay home.

However, I am pretty certain that President Obama's visit to Oregon will be quite memorable, in fact, he might even join our last sitting president whose visit was so memorable, that he gave Portland a nickname to remember us by.

Although, I'm still a little confused on how being known as "Little Beirut" was a compliment...

And as far as Obama's visit... I wonder if he's coming here to congratulate us on our efforts of being a "green state"? After all, we are recycling our candidates this year.

1 thousand postings!!!

POSTING #1000 -- WOW!!


it's hard to believe that this is posting #1000 and it all started in June of 2005 about the state wanting to put GPSs in cars and the registered guard felt that my letters to the editors regarding this issue was less important then articles about left-handed golfers and whatever religious save the world message that somebody sent in today.

To the register guard... I say thank you for snubbing me.

as for my readers... I wanted to say thank you for making this blog what it is today and I'm hoping and praying that SOMETIME in the near future that the job situation will become more stable and I can get back to doing daily postings again.

Trust me, it is very frustrating with everything that's been going on with EmX and west Eugene and I haven't had time to jump on the bandwagon as my regular readers know exactly how I feel about the project. (sigh!)

so again I just want to say thank you for your comments and your participation on this momentous occasion.

-- Robin

PS -- I apologize for the word verification system being turned back on again in the comments section, but apparently there are some spammers who really feel that my sex life needs improvement. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Stephen J. Cannell dies at 69

la times--Stephen J. Cannell, the prolific television writer and producer who co-created "The Rockford Files" and "The A-Team" Cannell also created or co-created more than 40 TV shows, including "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Baretta," "The Greatest American Hero" and "21 Jump Street.and later became a bestselling novelist, has died. He was 69.

while the name to me is not all that familiar, his shows are.

What is really going to be missed is ORIGINAL programming versus re-cycling of old shows as an excuse to make a totally different show to attract any audience.

as an example the remake of the 1965 Get Smart TV show totally bombed because the only thing that they used that was even close to the shows original concept was the name of the characters, a few thrown in well known catch lines and a cameo appearance Bernie Kopell who played Kaos Agent Siegfried.

Even Kopells name sake in the new movie (2008)played by Terence Stamp was not even close to the original as Kopells character spoke with a fake German accent.

The list goes on of "copied" shows and movies, but it takes real talent to make an original.

Defazio campaign versus Robinson

Robin's commentary --

One thing I can definitely say about the elections this year is that they are very entertaining.

Once I particularly enjoyed are the ones from Peter DeFazio against Independent Art Robinson. For example at the following website "who is Art Robertson?",

"I think public schools should be abolished... "

Public education is "child abuse" and should be abolished...

Doesn't like plans to reform Wall Street...

People calling for financial reform are "making a mistake"

What I think is funny... is that everything that the DeFazio campaign is trying to put down regarding Art Robinson, I totally agree with.

"I don't think public schools should be abolished"... I think they should be overhauled and that there should be an audit of their finances because they never seem to have enough money and quite frankly, I don't think were getting our money's worth.

"Education is child abuse"... yes in a way it is. If you read the report by 20/20 and if you look at what is being offered in schools and how many students are dropping out... then yes, I would say that instead of preparing the student for the future, then yes I would say very much so that it would be child abuse. While it is exactly been a while since I've been in public schools, if I compare them to my recent experience at Lane community college, then yes I would have to agree that it is child abuse because they are definitely doing a disservice.

"Doesn't like plans to reform Wall Street" well, neither do I. There are systems in place (or least there were) to prevent the Dow from crashing known as circuit breakers. The economic meltdown in which they are blaming on Wall Street is simply because the price of futures raised fuel costs so high that it triggered a series of events that were just waiting to be triggered.

The government was continually raising the interest rates in addition to high taxes and unemployment and the catalysts that broke the camel's back was when gasoline was five dollars a gallon for some people to decide between food and putting gas in their cars to go to work. But that didn't stop the cities from continuing to raise the gas tax either such as what is happening in January in Oregon when gas tax goes up six cents a gallon.

So is financial reform "a mistake?" Time will tell... but from what I have seen of it, personally I think it is.

So basically my point is, every time I hear a DeFazio attack at against Art Robinson, it just makes me more in favor of Robinson.

But just remember folks... even though Peter Defazio for years has done Oregon well, HE DID VOTE IN FAVOR OF OBAMACARE which for me, is enough not to give him my vote.

Chris Dudley and John Kitzhaber -- what I'm really getting a kick out of them, is the "dueling point plan" that they are bouncing off each other.

Chris Dudley has a 20 point plan

John Kitzhaber has a 26 point plan

Personally, I don't think we need any more recycled candidates, in fact for that matter, I think it's time to just "kick the bums out" and start over.

This has nothing to do with bipartisanship... it had more to do with "taking back America" and reminding OUR EMPLOYEES that they are there to represent us, and to work in our best interest... not the other way around.

Mexico -- doing the jobs that Americans won't do

Fox news --

Mexico has started construction of its own fence on its southern border to try and reduce or stop illegal immigration from Guatemala.

"According to the head of customs for Mexico’s tax administration, Raul Diaz, the Mexican border state of Chiapas is constructing a wall along the country’s southern border with Guatemala, along the river Suchiate which divides the countries. Diaz says the purpose of the wall is to prevent the passage of contraband, but admits, "It could also prevent the free passage of illegal immigrants."

Mexican President Calderon recently stood before Congress and called us a bunch of racists for wanting to construct a fence along our southern border and to increase enforcement against illegal immigration, because his people are coming here to seek a better life.

However, now Mexico is constructing a fence along their southern border in order to keep Guatemalans from entering their country even though they are crossing their border for the exact same reason.

Gosh Mr. Calderon, I don't understand it. You criticize us for not welcoming criminal aliens with open arms, and now you're doing the exact same thing?

So how does it feel to have the shoe on the other foot Mr. hypocrite?

is Congress supposed to be dealing with civil penalties?

Robin's commentary --

now I am no expert on the Constitution, but for some reason I kind of thought that it was Congress's job to... oh, I don't know... run the country?

So why is Congress spending our tax dollars and their limited time holding congressional hearings whether or not a a baseball player took performance-enhancing drugs.

I mean, wouldn't that be more of a Justice Department inquiry instead of Congress?

I was really shocked the other morning when I was listening to Glenn Beck when he mentioned that one of the sponsors, Gold line international was being called before a congressional hearing.

"Goldline rips off consumers, uses misleading and possibly illegal sales tactics, and deliberately manipulates public fears of an impending government takeover,"

Isn't that what just about every candidate says to get elected?

like I said... I'm not an expert on every government function, but on the surface it just seems that there are a lot of things that Congress is having hearings about that really should be left to the lower courts.

Just my opinion

Chris Dudley and the 20 point plan to create jobs

Robin's commentary --the Oregonian --


Chris Dudley and the 20 point plan to create jobs [sounds like a Disney movie]


The short story is, Chris Dudley would like to cut capital gains taxes, give businesses tax credits for hiring unemployed, promote the state's natural resources and overhaul schools and universities.


Sounds good doesn't it?


Well it's the same old bullshit that we've been hearing every election.


Now to be honest, given the choice between John Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley, I'll take Chris Dudley.


Either way, the governor is only just a small part of the problem.


Here is my suggestion for how to get the economy back on its feet...


#1 -- lower taxes. For the government, it will be painful at first. They'll cry and moan and threatened to cut essential services and tell you that, "it's for the children" however, if you make it less expensive for businesses to operate and place more money in the consumer's hands, the end result would be more money flowing in the system and therefore generating more government revenue. E.g. simple economics.

#2 -- freeze school funding at current levels. Schools will NEVER have enough money. So if you freeze the funding at the current levels and tell them to live within the budget, which they would be easily able to do if they know that they have a stable income source.

#3 -- PRIORITIZE -- we have to make a decision, especially in a RECESSION, what is more important to the infrastructure. Going out and spending enormous amounts of money on Art and other feel-good projects when our streets are falling apart and we are cutting essential services such as police and fire? They tell you that it's all in the budget, or required by the city charter. BS. It is still right pocket, left pocket, it's all the same pair of pants. The feel-good projects can wait until we financially recover.

I don't run my household that way. We are running on a very reduced budget and sure, it would be nice to be able to go to the movies or eat out once in a while. But we don't. sure, I can say that I could budget entertainment all I want... but the reality is, we prioritize our spending. For example, we are saving every penny just so we can pay property taxes this year.

#4 -- IT'S NOW UP TO US -- we need to NOT reelect any incumbents, even if you like them and think they are doing a good job. Reelect them next time. This is the only time that we can really send a message that we are fed up with the status quo.

Because for all the BS that they say to get elected... (remember, they'll say anything to get reelected) this is REALLY the ONLY time that they really care about our opinion.

And if we don't act now, if we don't send a message, I predict that we are going to be in worse shape than we are now.

One final thing I want to mention...

EVERY REPRESENTATIVE WHO DID NOT READ THE BILLS BEFORE SIGNING DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE REELECTED.

The attitude such as Nancy Pelosi's who feels that "we need to pass the bill so that we can find out what's in it" is DEFINITELY the wrong attitude. That would be like going and buying a house and signing your mortgage contract without reading it and then being surprised about how much the payments are.

Most people that I know would not do that. They would read the contract first before signing.

We should not expect any less from our representatives.

Ray Stevens says it .

more reason why Oregon is chasing jobs out of the state

ODOT --

under DOT phase 2 plan,effective October 1, 2010 -- for trucks weighing 80,000 pounds, the weight mile taxes will increase 24.5% going from 13.16 cents per mile to 16.3 eight cents per mile.

Certain carriers may elect to pay an annual flat rate fee for reach 100 pounds of declared combined weight of of $7.59 up from $6.10.

and according to the natural resource report phase 3 adds another 25% hike on January 1, 2011 raising both fueling gas taxes about seven cents per gallon at the pump.

Oregon Department of Transportation website says that this bill is "estimated to create thousands of jobs in the next 10 years and sustain the momentum of previous funding bills known as the Oregon transportation investment act."

yes, like the way measures 66 & 67 were supposed to be the cure-all for schools...

Except they miscalculated one little minor detail...

There are so many businesses and individuals that are leaving the state... that there was not enough "sources of revenue" to generate the money that the estimated.

so why should I care if the price for operating a truck goes up?

I can tell you from my own experience that operating a commercial vehicle is not cheap. With the new regulations from the FMCSA and CSA 2010, including new "green" emissions regulations, has already forced numerous companies out of business.

The larger companies that can afford to hang on, are simply going to pass along the increased fees to the consumer.

I tell you, whoever it is that thinks that curing the recession and creating jobs by raising taxes is a complete idiot.

remembering the victims and the heroes of 9/11

KRBN Internet news talk radio --

today is a day that we should never forget.

The day that our country changed forever.

Our hearts go out to those men and women, the heroes and the victims of the terrorist attacks.

And I don't know what they're teaching in school these days regarding this event nine years ago, I would be very interested in your comments if you have school-age children and how the information of this event is being presented. Are they actually showing the videos and exactly what happened such as they are doing this weekend on the history Channel or is it some watered-down version.

I'd be very curious to know.

because I don't want to ever have somebody tell me like one of my coworkers told me regarding Labor Day, "why should I care? How does it affect me?"

the topic of my show this week was a tribute to this day. archives of the show are available to download any time at the above link.

I talk here on this blog a lot about illegal immigration and securing our borders. Remembering this day, the ninth anniversary of 9/11, should remind people just how important border security really is.

Not only just keeping the large number of invaders out, but how easy it is that a large number of ARMED invaders could come in and devastate this country.

and we would be powerless to stop them before they could do large amounts of damage.

I'm asking people to take a moment to stop for a minute and remember this day, think about what happened and what might have happened.

-- Robin

Chris Dudley understands high taxes in Oregon... he moved to Washington state to avoid them

Willamette week --

former Portland trailblazer's now candidate for governor Chris Dudley acknowledges that in 1993 to 1997 he lived in Camas, Washington to avoid paying Oregon taxes, since Oregon has the highest personal income tax in the nation.

of course the Democrats are hammering Dudley over his actions.

" His choice impacted the education and public safety of the Oregonians who paid to watch him play basketball,” said Janet Van Wess, a Hillsboro teacher who spoke at the event. [and that has what to do with this? plus, if you follow that logic... then forget about ducks games.]

The DPO also estimates that Dudley may have shielded millions in income by claiming Washington residency."

Kitzhaber released a TV commercial last week stating Dudley " has never managed anything, never tried to create jobs, and never shown much interest in Oregon because [he] lived in Washington to avoid paying Oregon taxes."

I think the fact that Chris Dudley went to Washington to avoid paying taxes in Oregon shows that he personally is well aware of Oregon's high tax issues and that should be considered a positive thing.

Versus others who have their head in the sand and think that taxes are the answer to Oregon's economic issues.

vote the bums out

Robin's commentary --

The other day, I was listing to Coast to Coast AM and George Norrie's guest [unfortunately I cannot remember his name] was talking about what we could really do to send a message to our representatives that we are tired of the political games that they are playing in Washington and at home.

He said that the best way to send the message would be to vote all the incumbents out.

Every last one of them.

Even if you really like them and think that they are doing a really good job, still vote them out and you can reelect them again next time.

I got to thinking about the idea, and the more that I think about it and listen to the political commercials, and all the BS that they are spilling thinking that in this day and age of computers and blogs, that we have really short memories...

The more I really like the idea.

So that makes it a lot easier when it comes time to cast your ballot.

If they are an incumbent... don't vote for them.

Just that easy.

I mean think about it folks, the only way that they even care what we think is when it comes time for elections.

They have proven that they will say and do anything to get reelected and once elected; it's business as usual.

Don't forget... it's these representatives that are taking away your tax refund in 2014, the ones who voted in favor of the "comprehensive" health care reform.

So let's really send them a message this November, one that they would be talking about for a very long time.

you could be using an illegal showerhead

Wall Street Journal --

What has a 24 inch surface

358 no clog nozzles

Triple massaged option

Sells for as much as $5,000

Feels really great in the morning

And the Department of Energy wants to make these illegal?

You guessed it.

The multiple showerhead.


In fact, there are so evil that the Department of Energy's general counsel, Scott Blake Harris, fine four showerhead makers $165,104 in civil penalties for not complying with the 2.5 gallon maximum per minute regulations.

The new regulations affect most multiple head showers to include handheld sprayers and even a type of showerheads used in the school's locker room.

while I will agree that the "non-water saving" showerheads, do waste water, it is almost impossible to get all the shampoo out of your hair with those dribbles style shower heads.

When you think about it, a shower in general waste water unless you can find some way of recirculating the water in the shower which I think would have its advantages and disadvantages.

Oh yes, and regarding the showerhead as described above... I would love to be in a position where I could afford a showerhead like that...

But I'll just have to settle for my $15 Wal-Mart special.

Ron Wyden on health care reform... can we have a do over?

The health-care reform act otherwise known as "Obama care" which forces Americans to buy health care insurance or pay a penalty was voted in with the help of Ron Wyden,Blumenauer, DeFazio and Schrader.

Now, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden says he would like Oregon to opt out of the federal mandated healthcare.

"They [the states]can go off and do their own thing," said Ron Wyden in a telephone interview. -- the Oregonian

the power of the vote.
I believe that Ron Wyden's flip-flop on the health-care issue which he contributed and probably did not read...

["Read the bill... read the bill... why read the bill, its 2000 pages long..."]

was due to the anger from the voters regarding this issue and now he wants to opt out of the federal plan?

I feel that part of the problem stems that when you have high ranking government officials such as Nancy Pelosi who believe that "... we have to pass the bill so that you could find out what's in it" is a horrible and dangerous method of running the country.

In my opinion, it just reinforces just how out of touch our government is.

While the universal healthcare in some respects may have good intentions...

I have to ask the question that don't you think that the American people would purchase health care on their own without legislation forcing them to do so if we could actually afford it?

just remember this folks when it comes November that maybe it's time to "opt out" a few incumbents and send a message that we are tired of their games..

how they voted... CBS news

showing your"green card" when applying for a job is too much work according to the feds

the Washington Post --

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit filed on behalf of Zainul Singaporewalla, a U.S. permanent resident who applied for a math teaching position at Glendale Community College stating that the network of community colleges are acting illegally by requiring noncitizens to provide their green cards before they could be hired for work.

[you know that annoying little I-9 form that we are all required to fill out to prove that we have the RIGHT to work in the United States]

The suit against the Phoenix-area Maricopa Community Colleges claiming that the colleges discriminated against nearly 250 non-citizen applicants because they had to provide more documents than required by law to prove their eligibility to work.

"That violated the federal Immigration and Nationality Act," Justice officials said.
The law's antidiscrimination provision "makes it unlawful to treat authorized workers differently during the hiring process based on their citizenship status," said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for Justice's Civil Rights Division. He said the government "is acting now to remedy this pattern or practice of discrimination."

Singaporewalla after filling out the federal I-9 form and presenting a drivers license and Social Security card, was also asked to produce more documentation including his green card, which he did not have.

remember a drivers license in some states is not proof of citizenship and unless you have an original Social Security card, that also is not proof of citizenship.

The government is asking a judge to order the Maricopa colleges to pay an $1100 civil penalty for each of the 247 non-US citizen job applicants.

according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services , the definition of a permanent resident "is someone who has been granted authorization to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis. As proof of that status, a person is granted a permanent resident card, commonly called a [green card]"

A couple questions arise, if Singaporewalla is a permanent resident, then he should have been given a green card to prove that, and therefore that verifies that he has the right to work within the United States.

While the law does state that it is unlawful to treat authorized workers differently based on their citizenship status, which is the point that had to be proved by a valid and appropriate documentation.

Secondly, Singaporewalla's has to remember being a noncitizen, that he may be required to fill out an extra form or two as compared to other applicants who are US citizens.

In short, if he would've been carrying the required green card in the first place, I don't believe that this would've been an issue.

I did something really stupid... can I sue somebody for not stopping me?

the Houston Chronicle --

the place, Dover New Hampshire high school.

A student got an a electrocuted in class so severely that his heart stopped is suing the teacher for not warning him of the consequences.

The student, Kyle Dubois [being the brainiac that he is] attached an electrical cord to his nipples and had another student plug-in the cord. [gosh, and guess what happened...]

The lawsuit claims that Dubois suffered permanent brain damage as a result from the incident.

if you ask me, the brain damage happened way before this incident.

But then again, the MTV cartoon show, Beavis & Butthead had to place a disclaimer at the beginning of their shows...
"Beavis and Butt-head are not role models. They're not even human, they're cartoons. Some of the things they do could cause a person to get hurt, expelled, arrested, possibly deported. To put it another way: Don't try this at home."Wikipedia

because yes, there were some kids that were trying to mimic some of the things that this cartoon show did.

and it really makes me wonder, because I grew up with Yogi bear... and I never had the urge to steal picnic baskets.

Labor Day event 4,5,6 th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nick and Lynn of BlogTalkRadios' Nick & Lynnes Politics Conservative Corner will be hosting a Labor day marathon September 4,5,6 broadcasting live from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific time along with 20 plus BlogTalkRadio Hosts nationwide to bring awareness of the issues that seniors, and less fortunate face today and what we could do to help in the future.

Nick and Lynn will be hosting the event from the senior building at 24950 E Hawkstone Loop, liberty Lake Washington with room up to 200 people. All are welcome to stop by during the three-day event and are encouraged to call the supporting shows with their stories and suggestions.

For more information may be obtained by contacting Nick or Lynn at dstarnaud@yahoo.com, or visit their website http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nicklynnes-political-corner, by phone (509) 474-1239 or 24950E Hawkstone Loop apt 103 Liberty Lake WA

About BlogTalkRadio: BlogTalkRadio allows anyone, anywhere the ability to host a live, Internet talk radio show. BlogTalkRadio with an audience of over 2.4 million listeners each month and growing offers a wide variety of live shows hosted by ordinary people to celebrities. Guests have included politicians from John McCain to famous celebrities, including well-known talk show hosts such as Glenn Beck with his Morning Prayer show.

Washington Post article--

this event is totally being funded by Nick & Lynn out of their own pockets.

They spent lots of hours putting this event together and organizing and coordinating with other BlogTalkRadio show hosts in order to bring issues regarding seniors and the less fortunate out to the general public.

It'll be worth checking out, and I deftly encourage anyone, especially seniors with stories to tell regarding health care, Medicare or Medicaid, or just how they were treated from their family doctors to call the shows and to share their stories and suggestions on what they feel that help improve the system.

Mercy Flights out of Medford, Oregon fined $30,000 over use the word "OUR" by US Department of Transportation

ABC news --


Mercy Flights of Oregon was fined $30,000 for referring to a helicopter owned by BTS LLC, which purchased the helicopter for exclusive use by Mercy Flights with an agreement that the nonprofit pays for all operating cost as "ours."

The complaint by the US Transportation Department claims that Mercy Flights, referred to that helicopter as "Our" Emergency Medical Transport Helicopter Ambulance in the Mercy Flights newsletter that Mercy Flights according to Deputy General Counsel Rosalind "Lindy" Knapp, of the Transportation Department broke the law prohibiting unfair and deceptive practices of sales of air transportation by using the personal pronoun "our" while referring to the helicopter.

Mercy Flights will only have to pay half that amount if it avoids more pronoun violations for a year.

I reread this story several times and the way that I understand it, the helicopter is not up for sale (only its services) and its use is being donated by BTS LLC.

And yes, looking through their website I did see several times were there was references to "our helicopter pilots..." & "our service", etc.

Big deal!

It's just like my house for example; I referred to it as "my House" or "our house" even though technically until it's paid off the bank still owns "the House."

So if I was to use this example that the US Department of Transportation is using against the Mercy Flights, then when it comes time to sell "my House", I would have to in the advertisements referred to it as, "their house" so I do not get fined for not using the proper pronouns.

Mercy flights is a nonprofit organization, and to be honest, who really cares who owns the helicopter if the helicopter is not up for sale, and when that time does come... since BTS LLC currently holds the title for the aircraft, I am very sure that point will come out.

I'm just glad that Brim Aviation, Timberland and Siskiyou Transportation formed the company BTS LLC and acquired a helicopter for Mercy Flights use.

As for "Lindy" Knapp, I think she needs to get out of the house more often.

Would you break the law if it meant your health or your life?

KRBN

Would you break the law if it meant your health or your life?

How about trying to sleep in a room that is 115° and knowing that you have an air conditioner available but BY LAW YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO USE IT.

Most people are unaware that this unhealthy and totally avoidable situation is what thousands of truck drivers are faced with under the new EPA's anti-idling regulations that prevents drivers from idling their trucks during times of extreme weather conditions.

Violators of these regulations in some areas risk fines up to $10,000 per day and one year of imprisonment.
Here is an example of some of the rules and penalties compiled by state
If you have any stories to tell regarding these anti-Idol laws, we would love to hear from you.

please call the show this Saturday 10am PT 646-721-9887 or send us an e-mail at talk@KRBNradio.com and we'll read them on the air.

this is a very important issue that needs to be brought out to the public's attention... hope you can be there.

"Danny" Quayle's son, Ben running for Congress is a little bit more straightforward than his father.

former Vice President Dan Quayle who served under George H. Bush (1989-1993), was the butt of many jokes during his term.

His son on the other hand... seems to be a little bit more direct and to the point.

the federal government says that he discriminates against Hispanics So we're going to sue him

The Washington Post --


Department of Justice officials in Washington are threatening to sue Sheriff Joe Arpaio a.k.a. "America's toughest Sheriff" it does not cooperate with investigations of whether he discriminates against Hispanics.

additionally, a federal grand jury in Phoenix is examining whether the sheriff has misused his powers to investigate and intimidate political opponents including misappropriation of government money.

"...Arpaio has in recent years become a kind of folk hero to those who favor his heavily publicized "crime sweeps," conducted mostly in Hispanic neighborhoods. But civil rights groups accuse the 78-year-old lawman of racial profiling..."

so he only discriminates against Hispanics, eh?
Okay, what the federal grand jury is actually saying is that he should discriminate against more races. [Just kidding]

I mean give me a break... if I was a detective working for the police department in the alcohol and drug division and I'm looking to nab a drug dealer... where would I start looking?

More than likely I would start with where known drug dealers hang out. [Nope, can't do that, that would be profiling.]

While I was in the suspected neighborhood known for drug dealing, I would look for somebody "suspicious" or that would "fit the typical description of a drug dealer." [Nope, once again can't do that, that would be profiling.]

Maybe I would set up a sting operation and try to buy drugs from the dealer. [No way, can't do that either. That's profiling and entrapment.]

So what's a sheriff to do?

let's analyze Sheriff Joe's situation and see if it actually passed the tests for profiling against Hispanics.

Fact: the largest and fastest-growing population of illegal aliens in the United States is from Mexico.

Fact: Arizona has an unusually high number of the illegal aliens in their state from Mexico.

Fact: most Mexicans are Hispanic.

Therefore... if I was looking to catch the largest number of illegal aliens in one raid, logic dictates that I would probably focus on the white, black, senior retirement neighborhoods or Chinatown [if Arizona has one].

NOT!

Update -- seven-year-old girl gives lemonade stand a second try

OPB --

Portland radio station KRSK and Les Schwab Tire Centers helped Julie with her second lemonade stand and managed to raise $1838.31, enough to send both her and her mother on a trip to Disneyland.
it is a shame that it had to make nationwide attention over this issue, however, kudos to the community for stepping in and local businesses for helping out.

I just have a gut feeling that the IRS and Oregon will now be asking for their share of the proceeds.

Inspectors shut down child's lemonade stand in Portland Oregon

Robin's Commentary --

There's been quite an uproar over a seven-year-olds lemonade stand in northeast Portland at a monthly neighborhood event called "Last Thursday" which appropriately named is held on the last Thursday of every month on Alberta Street Arts District located along NE Alberta Street, where artists can come and display their arts and businesses stay open late to accommodate the function.

The back story is when seven-year-old Julie Murphy along with her mother Maria Fife had set up their lemonade stand and within 20 minutes, they were approached by the Multnomah County health Department inquiring if Murphy had a $120 temporary restaurant license to sell lemonade.

When they were informed that they could be facing a $500 fine, Julie and her mother started to tear down the lemonade stand.

People staffing the booths next to them started telling the inspectors that they had no right to kick them out of the neighborhood gathering and suggested that Julie and her mother give away the lemonade for free and only accept donations. Shortly after, two inspectors came back and according to Fife, "it was a very big scene."

Eric Pippert, manager for the state's public health division said, "when you go to a public event and set up shop, you're suddenly engaging in commerce... the fact that you are small-scale I don't think it's relevant"

The news of the event went national.

Chairman Jeff Cogan, Chief Diversity and Equity Officer commented that the inspectors were "following the rule book," however, should've taken into consideration that the food safety laws are primarily aimed at adults engaging in a professional food business, not kids running lemonade stands.

Cogan later spoke with Fife to apologize.

Michael Franklin, the man next to the lemonade booth, who also has his own blog talk radio show, Bottom-Up Radio Network (B.U.R.N) and who interviewed Fife on his show regarding the incident, is organizing a "lemonade revolt" for the last Thursday event in August. He is calling on as many people as he can to grab space for lemonade stands on Alberta between Northeast 25th and Northeast 26 streets.

Links to information --

Multnomah County chair Jeff Cogan

Portland lemonade stand runs into health inspectors -- the Oregonian

Multnomah County Chairman Jeff Cogan apologizes -- the Oregonian

Why there is high unemployment

Community Service Officer A - City of Eugene
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One year of experience providing public assistance in a social service and/or criminal justice environment.


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High school diploma or GED.

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YOU DON'T SPEAK FOR ME!

KEZI --

Members of the Oregon human rights commission appealed to Eugene city Council to boycott All-City business with Arizona.

"Eugene City Councilor Andrea Ortiz said, the council will look at passing a resolution, though it would likely be more moderate than other that have been passed by other cities."

According to numerous polls taken all over the nation by a variety of polling organization, the MAJORITY of the citizens polled approve SB-1070; in fact there are approximately 20 other states that are considering similar legislation.

In my own opinion, I think that before the city Council or any other type of governing body that makes a determination that represents my city and state, they should take it to a vote of the people FIRST!

Because I know for a fact that you don't speak for me when it comes down to boycotting Arizona, in fact, not only do I applaud Arizona, I would like to see a similar ordinance in Oregon. [not that that whatever happened, but it would be interesting to put it to a vote]

I also give Governor Jan Brewer kudos for having the guts to go up against the federal government for something that she believes in and what the people wanted her to do.

I also have to disagree with city Councilor Andrea Ortiz in regards to "There are multiple, on a daily basis, anti-immigration laws going around all through the United States." Because apparently she is confused on this issue.

First of all, let me point out that they are NOT anti-immigration laws.

NOBODY is trying to pass any laws against immigrants.

They ARE trying to pass laws to enforce those who violate immigration laws.

By definition,

Immigrant -- a person who has entered the country legally through proper channels.

Illegal alien -- a person who has entered the country ILLEGALLY without proper authorization to be here.

Simply put, the so-called "anti-immigration laws" as Ortiz puts it are the states that are trying to enforce the laws that the federal government fails to do.

However, if you want to talk about discrimination or racism...

how about the fact that citizens are being forced to become bilingual within our own country in order to find work. This is another example of something that would not even be an issue if our immigration laws were followed and enforced.

the "memo" for alternatives to comprehensive immigration reform

ABC news --

In a memo from the US citizenship and immigration services, subject: ADMINISTRATIVE ALTERNATIVES TO COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM,

"this memorandum offers administrative relief options to promote family unity, foster economic growth, achieve significant process improvements and reduce the threat of removal for certain individuals present in the United States without authorization...

…To promote family unity, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) could interpret two 1990 general counsel options regarding the ability of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applicants who enter the United States without inspection to adjust or change status. this would allow thousands of individuals in TPS status to become lawful permanent residents... where no relief appears available based on an applicants employment and/or family circumstances, but removal is not in the public interest, USCIS could grant deferred action. This would permit individuals for whom relief may become available in the future to live and work in the US without fear of removal… "

it sounds like that no matter what the people want, the government is going to do what it wants to do regardless.

I am still baffled at why the US government is so adamant to not expel people who have entered this country illegally.

If you listen to the talk shows, they're stating that it's for the Democratic vote.

I'm not buying that excuse. I think that there's something more behind it that they're not telling us. Why else would they be defending it so heartily?

If it turns out that the whole reason for selling out our country is solely to try and gain the Hispanic vote for the Democrats, then we have a real serious problem on our hands in which case we need to SERIOUSLY think about dissolving the two-party system altogether as it has become detrimental to the health of our country.

If the security and sanctity of our country solely depends on elected officials trying to get reelected, then that would definitely lead to the downfall of our country in my opinion.

As the old rule of thumb says, "follow the money" there needs to be some serious investigation.

"Immigration-gate" might be the new word for congressional inquiries to the traitors of the US in the U.S. Constitution as well as our security.

government once again thinks it knows what's best for you

Herald and news --

ORS 471.403 is having an effect for a local home brewers of beer and wine. Under the new ordinance, home brewers are allowed to "brew" their own beverage however, you are not allowed to take it outside of your home unless you have a license.

"Earlier this month, the Oregon State Fair had to cancel their decades-old beer and wine home-brewing competition after the Oregon Department of Justice deemed the competition violated an 80-year-old liquor law."

with everything that's going on in the state of Oregon, including the recession... when and why did this become major concern?

one of the things that I really love about our glorious state... is that instead of addressing issues of more importance such as, oh I don't know, creating jobs in a recession may be... they spend their time on stupid issues like this and making the Dungeness crab the State crab.

In Oregon, as Ray Stevens puts it in his music video, we need to "throw the bums out" and get people in office that will actually help the state instead of hurting it.

We also [as I've been preaching] we need to put a system in similar to Parliament whereby the legislature can get rid of a governor or other elected official simply by a vote of no confidence.

I feel that having such a system would make our elected officials more accountable to the people and get rid of the attitude of saying anything to get elected without any consequences after being elected.

Federal program expanding fingerprinting of illegal aliens

AP --

467 jurisdictions in 26 states have joined a federal government program called Secure Communities to identify illegal immigrants using fingerprints from arrests for anyone who was booked into a jail for a crime and compared with FBI criminal history records and the Department of Homeland Security immigration records to determine their immigration status.

"It has the potential to revolutionize immigration enforcement,said Sunita Patel, an attorney who filed a lawsuit in New York against the federal government on behalf of a group worried about the program.

ICE will be using biometric identification technologies currently in use by the FBI and other parts of DHS which is designed to accurately and efficiently identify illegal aliens and to prioritize them based on the severity of their crimes.

"
The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition said in its letter to the governor that the Secure Communities is "inherently flawed and should not be implemented." CIRC said one of its main concerns is that in cases of domestic violence, where both parties may be taken into custody while authorities investigate a case, victims may feel reluctant to report a crime out of fear that their illegal status will be discovered."

... "inherently flawed and should not be implemented." Am also a 100% sure that by checking EVERYBODY that the system is also a racist.

Thanks to judge Susan Bolton, illegal immigrants are temporarily claiming a victory

US District Judge Susan Bolton issued a temporary injunction to halt key parts of Arizona Senate bill 1070 that would have required police to check immigration status of anybody suspected of being an illegal alien if they are stopped by police.

"the number of requests that would emanate from Arizona as a result of determining the status of every arrestee is likely to impermissibly burdened federal resources and redirect federal agencies away from the priorities they have established," Judge Bolton wrote

"... burdened federal resources and redirect federal agencies away from the priorities they have established."

What the heck does that mean? I mean I am "assuming" that their PRIORITY is the protection of the United States and its citizens. But I digress.

What the judge is basically saying is that we do not have enough resources to protect our own country from foreign invaders.

Think about that statement for a moment before you make your decision about this issue. Even the Secretary of Homeland security has indicated that Arizona's borders are too "big" to protect.

Now doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside as you think about the security of our country against foreign invaders.

consider this...What if every one of these people that cross the borders were actually armed and their primary purpose was to take over this country by force? Think about it.

In my opinion, I think the judge's decision has opened up a Pandora's box because it will literally come down to a battle between "them" and "us".

The federal government's argument against the Arizona law is that [listen carefully] "states are not allowed to go beyond federal law."
If that were true, then there are other issues ranging from college requirements on the administrating student loans to California going beyond the EPA requirements on emissions.

But for those who are jumping up and down with joy over the judge's decision, don't break out the champagne just yet. This is ONLY a stay of execution and this issue will be challenged all the way up to the Supreme Court.

Although the judge put on hold the major portions of the Arizona law, one provision that she is allowing is penalties permitting civil suits for sanctuary cities.

For a list of the judges determinations can be seen here at Fox news.

I also have to admire Arizona Governor Jim Brewer for sticking to her guns and standing up to the federal government for what she and the people of Arizona believe in.

It's 137° outside and no air conditioningCould you work and sleep in these conditions?

Robin's Commentary --


Would you work in an office when it's 137° outside with no air conditioning?

How about sleeping in those conditions?

More than likely not.

Most people are unaware or even care that for the over the road truck driver, these are the type of unhealthy living and sleeping conditions that the driver must endure almost every day.

The no idle rule.

Every truck driver knows what it is.

It is a law that was enacted by states in order to cut down on air pollution and limits idling no matter how hot or cold it gets. Violation of the rule could cost the driver $100 to $300 in fines depending on the state. (Some cities and counties in Colorado the penalty is fines up to $1,000 and/or 1 year imprisonment.)

In addition to these laws, some companies have enacted their own anti-Idle rule in order to save money. Violation of the rule differs from company to company. Some companies make the drivers reimbursed the company for the fuel used; others threaten to write up the driver with threats of termination.

One option for driver relief was a company called IdleAire that offers an in-truck climate control alternative located at most truck stops which provides both heating and air-conditioning, plus electricity through a large tube with an adapter that attaches to the passenger side window for $20-30 dollars a night. Spendy, but worth it on those hot nights.


Unfortunately, IdleAire went out of business this year leaving drivers with no other option for relief from the weather.

You would think that OSHA or other work force protection agencies would be there to protect the driver's health from these type of working conditions. Unfortunately, most OSHA regulations do not protect the driver from heat exhaustion or heat stroke, and lack of sleep also contributes to driver fatigue.

For more information on anti-Idle regulations, please check out the information below.

EPA anti-idle regulations by state
idling laws by state (full page)
idling laws by state (Card)

update on IdleAire -- July 12 2010, IdleAire is making progress to restart services in the near future. More information, go to their website at www.IdleAire.com.