President Obama Speaks out regarding the Trayvon Martin Case

The White House Press Briefing--

President Obama in a surprise appearance during a news conference told the audience that after watching the debate over the course of last week that "I [Obama] thought it might be useful for me to expand on my thoughts a little bit."

The president commented that in a case such as this, reasonable doubt was relevant and they rendered a verdict, and that's our system works however, expressed concern about how people have responded to the verdict in how they are feeling.

"You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that could have been my son.  Another way of saying that he is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago." Pointing out that "There are very few African-American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing loss click on the doors of cars..." that has happened to me -- at least before I was a senator."

The president's comments won praise from Benjamin Todd Jealous, the president and chief executive of the NAACP, who called it a powerful moment.  "That our president has been profiled should encourage all Americans to think deeply about both the depth of this problem and how our country moves beyond it."[The Daily Caller--]

An interesting point is that reviewing the transcripts, I will give the president credit that what he said and how news services interpreting it are two different things.

but despite the "vigils" and people feeling that justice was not done by Zimmerman being acquitted, I have a few questions to ask.

#1 would we even be talking about this at all if the president had not [inappropriately] first spoke about this case on national television and continues to do so?

#2 what is Martin had actually killed Zimmerman when he was beating Zimmerman's head against the concrete, would we still feel the same way?

#3 our justice system whether you approve of the verdict or not has ruled in Zimmerman's favor.  Do you agree with Eric Holder contacting the NAACP and wanting to now go after Zimmerman for civil charges?

#4 do you agree or disagree that the media was biased on this case?

let's help the world and screw everybody else

Robin's commentary --

it seems like we don't have any problems at all when it comes to giving foreign aid or helping other countries however, when it comes down to helping US citizens [where the money for foreign aid originates from] the government intern basically says, "screw you."

What I am referring to is the proposed cuts in the food stamp program otherwise known as the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" or SNAP.

According to one article, "most conservatives have said that the food stamp cuts do not go far enough... contending the House plan could take as many as 2 million recipients off the rolls."

[and this is coming from people in Washington, DC that can't even balance their own budget ?]

US Representative Peter DeFazio on Monday in protest of the cuts,staged a shopping trip in Springfield to demonstrate just how little you could buy with food stamps.

In this recession, yes I said it... recession that we've never been out of... times are tough and jobs are hard to get.

I can speak about the latter by experience, plus, I also know what it's like to not be able to afford food.

Food stamps, just like unemployment assistance should only be used as a temporary means and not as a lifestyle however, speaking from experience I am very thankful that the program is there.

speaking of programs... the Work Source Network at Lane community college, a program created to assist job seekers will be closing at the end of this month [June] due to lack of funding.

The Oakmont Way Center will still be opened.

Big Brother Is Watching at Delta highway

it may have been there for awhile and I may not have noticed it until recently that there is a strange CCTV cameras at the intersection of delta highway and beltline which is not the typical cameras used for controlling the traffic lights as it has night vision capability.

Being curious, I started searching the Internet and even though this information may be a little bit outdated and I apologize for that, what I stumbled across one to was the LCOG proposed ITS earmark project [unknown date] for Eugene/Springfield  which happened to talk about CCTV cameras at the Delta exchange,

The proposal also includes the traffic metering devices to regulate traffic coming onto the freeway as a solution to the congestion and the higher rate of rear end collisions in this area.

However, anybody who has lived in this area long enough has noticed that the congestion is not caused by people trying to get on to beltline [yes, it will always be Beltline to me.  Sorry Randy.] in my observation, the congestion only occurs towards the off ramps. but what do I know?  I'm not an expert. however, I'm going to bet that installing metering lights is not going to solve the problem in fact, I think it's going to cause what I've seen in Portland, a domino effect by backing up traffic onto the freeway.

and a footnote... a notation on the Oregon Transportation Commission's Agenda [see link below] "with the installation of the new ramp metering at River Road eastbound on-ramp,... buses would no longer have the bus only lanes the past the queue and would be significantly delayed at peak hours... [creating] a growing need to move the station." estimated cost for the project, $3 million.

anyway, back to the Camera.

Project #ES-TM-02B otherwise known as the "Beltline Highway Freeway Surveillance and Management" which includes metering lights, VMS signs for real time traveler information AND CCTV cameras and system detectors to collect volume, speed and OCCUPANCY INFORMATION.

Roughly translated... this Camera is looking inside your vehicle and counting heads.

WHY?

The estimated total of the LCOG project is $5 million which by the way coincides with the city of Eugene's debt.

Take that and a $2 million for the new downtown skateboard park [definitely thinking of the over 30 crowd] plus the $3 million to move the bus station, and I think we just gave the City of Eugene and a surplus.

And before you start screaming at me that it's all budgeted... in reality, it's all "right pocket, left pocket... it's the same pair of pants."

but some would argue that Eugene is growing, and we need the EmX and these type of systems to adjust to the growth.

Really?

Doesn't seem like it to me... so I looked it up.

according to the city Eugene, from 1983-2010 Eugene's population is only grown by 50,000 and is on the slight decline. <source = city of Eugene's population growth data>

but I could be totally off-base as I'm sure the City Council has delusions of what they're doing is actually going to attract business and growth.

But I could be wrong.

my point... money is tight for both people and governments... and I think they have better things to do than counting heads inside cars with a permanent mounted camera.

additional information...
ODOT-- Delta highway I TS
Oregon transportation commission agenda April 17, 2013

by the way... I went to Junction city yesterday and speaking of cameras, why are there two cameras on each side of the freeway looking directly into the cab of your vehicle?

personally, I think there should be a law requiring any type of public CCTV system to be labeled as to its owner.

But that's just my opinion.

freeway metering comes to Eugene -- they don't get it!

Robin's Commentary -- There's been more and more CRAP going on in Eugene area, so much so, that despite my busy schedule I decided to restart this blog because I can't be silent any longer.

I have a couple issues that I wish to address and I will do them in multiple blogs.

One of first things I want to address is the $2 million project to install ramp metering devices on the Beltline road [sorry Randy... it will always be Beltline road to me]

The Oregon Department of Transportation [ODOT] is installing what they call Intelligent Transportation Systems [ITS] which according to ODOT in the January 8 register guard "ramp metering devices... are a low budget [$2 million] quick fix to an often sluggish roadway"

Ramp metering devices such as the ones used in both Portland work by putting a "gap" within the traffic trying to merge onto the freeway.

This is assuming that the freeway traffic itself remains "linear or a constant" and freeway traffic itself allows the cars onto the freeway.

Anyone that has lived here for any length of time and has traveled westbound on beltline towards Delta Sand and gravel for example understands that it's not the traffic merging onto the freeway that's the problem, it is the freeway traffic itself as people for God knows why are slowing down for the off ramp going over the river even if they're not taking the ramp itself.

In short, Oregonians don't know how to merge.

I have on countless occasions gone down that road where traffic speeds of drop down to 20 to 30 miles an hour and on rare occasions have actually come to a stop only to see the bottleneck is not traffic trying to get onto the freeway but rather traffic trying to get off the freeway.

Also, in my opinion and unless you have lived around metering ramps, I'm speculating that traffic is not going to stop on an on ramp at least in the beginning to wait for some stupid light simply because were not used to it, IN ADDITION, traffic WILL start backing up on the main arteries to the on ramps, causing congestion there.

here's my speculation about what's going to happen once the metering lights become active.

First, unless you have lived in an area that uses metering ramps, people are not going to know how to respond to them or they're going to be so focused on trying to get on the freeway they're not even going to notice them at all.

Secondly, [and I speak from experience] the on ramps themselves and the arteries feeding the on ramps become congested because the smooth flow onto the freeway has been interrupted by a stop light and cars waiting their turn.

My suggested solution... extend the off ramps allowing cars more space to get off the main road which in itself will make a major reduction in the bottleneck.

From ODOT, is the Beltline ITS ramp metering comparison video, showing their computer model of Coburg and Beltline with and without ramp metering.

For more information... see the ODOT page unfortunately... it doesn't matter what we say because the "experts" [who probably don't even live here that made this decision] knows what's best for us.

More blogs to come... please leave your comments below.

Obama care -- the details

Robins Commentary --

The Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to enact Obama care by changing the classification of not having insurance from being just a fee or fine to being a tax which in several years could cost you $695 in penalties for 2.5% of your income whichever is greater.

Below, I have included the actual ruling from the Supreme Court and the Obama care act itself [you know the one that nobody has read and Nancy Pelosi said that you have to pass a to know what's in it]

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-393c3a2.pdf

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr3590enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr3590enr.pdf

this opens up in my opinion a Pandora's box which allows the government to set a new set of rules that directly affects our lives.

At the very least... those of us who cannot afford healthcare and who do not meet the low income disqualification for the penalty [tax] are now placed in a financial situation that we may not be over get ourselves out of.

In later commentaries... I'll go into more details however, I encourage you to read for yourselves the facts and decide for yourselves the long-term consequences of what just happened this week.

More later...

employee rights in the "at will" state

Robin's Commentary --


you don't really think about these issues until it becomes an issue to similar about what's going on at my workplace where the company is asking its employees to comply with an issue that will permanently affect their lives outside of the job itself, and the more that I dug into this issue has brought up some pretty surprising results.

Recently, in e-mail exchange with the Oregon Bureau of Labor, I Asked the Following Question...

 A company requires you to have a tattoo which is a permanent marking or alteration on your body  that will stay with you after the job?

You're given the choice to have the tattoo or be fired.

as an individual, you have the right to say no to the tatoo but keep in mind that if you're an 'at-will' employee since the employer can terminate an 'at-will' employee for any reason or no reason at all, then the employer could terminate you for your refusal to get the tatoo.-- Oregon Department of labor

so if your company asked you to get a tattoo... would you do it?

Sleep apnea -- the new fad?

There is a new buzz word out there... it's called sleep apnea and some employers are requiring employees to submit themselves to sleep apnea testing which may result in be required to use CPAP Machine or lose their jobs.

Think this won't happen to you?

There is a wide variety of "visible" conditions that may cause an employer to suspect that you may be suffering from sleep apnea even if you are not falling asleep at the job.  Some of those conditions ranged from being overweight, having a thick neck to even have in a small jaw.

Once diagnosed with sleep apnea, you may be required to wear a CPAP machine for the rest of your life.

Refusal to comply [as these machines keep a record] may be grounds for termination.

In some states, if you get into an accident [both commercial and noncommercial driving] may cost you your license if you are not using your machine.

Personally, I think it's bull shit, and although I have not been diagnosed with sleep apnea... I've already made it very clear with my employer that they can take the job and shove it and I think more people should do the same because just like with any new "fad" this can be taken to the extreme.

they just don't get it! WE ARE BROKE

Robin's Commentary --

in a recent article in the Statesman Journal about Lane County officials due to dwelling of federal timber payments is considering asking voters to raise local taxes [again] even though according to the article, voters voted down the last 14 property tax increases.

THEY JUST DON'T GET IT!

As a result, the county plans to make cuts backs in public safety...

[Gosh, like that's never been tried before]

... such as cutting the Sheriff's patrol force from 24 deputies to six, with cuts to the Attorney General's office, eliminating the Medical Examiner's Office, etc.

This seems like a never-ending battle... the city of Eugene and Lane County can't manage their money, they spend money on frivolous feel-good items and forsake the primary goal of local government and which is the protection of its citizens and the maintenance of its infrastructure.

[somehow I think the police fall into that category somewhere]

We all know that the ONLY reason why they do this is because this is what directly hurts the citizens and makes the biggest impact.

Speaking for myself... because jobs are so available in Lane County and they pay so well [not]... that for the first time in my life being a lifelong resident of Lane County, I almost didn't have enough money to pay my property taxes...

... which by the way went up again this year even though the value of my property dropped.

So if you're expecting a boo-hoo moment from me...

FORGET IT!

There's money to be had... all you have to do is to change the philosophy of, "it's budgeted for this and not budgeted for that attitude."

Because in reality the way that we the citizens have to run our budget in our household follows this rule,

"RIGHT POCKET, LEFT POCKET, IT'S ALL THE SAME PAIR OF PANTS."

(budgeting examples made simple)

government -- money for fire and protection [no money in the budget]

                  -- money to subsidize a bus, add artwork on the streets, new buildings [money budgeted]

end result... a pothole filled street leading to the brand-new piece of art on the sidewalk that nobody can figure out what it is.

Citizenry -- money saved for a trip to Disneyland

              -- vacation to Disneyland money used to pay mortgage

end result -- no vacation trip to Disneyland in the near future.

Set your priorities, forget about the EmX expansion, put art aside until the economy gets better, live within your means like the rest of us and show us that you know how to manage your money and maybe will try to scrape a little bit extra for you.

Until then...

WE ARE VOTING NO ON ALL NEW TAXES!

of course this message is all a waste of space if Congress is a typical example of people in government.

Congressman John Conyers, "why read the bill?"

Proposed Nationwide Cell Phone Ban

Reuters -- in an effort to combat distracted driving, US transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is calling for a federal law that would ban ALL CELL PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING ANY TYPE OF A VEHICLE ON ANY ROAD IN THE COUNTRY."

LaHood calling this a "national epidemic" at a summit in San Antonio Texas commenting that we need tough federal legislation to deal with this problem.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 3000 fatal traffic accidents nationwide last year were the result of distracted driving and that using a cell phone while driving reduces the reaction time to the same amount of having a blood-alcohol concentration of .08%.

just like the recent proposed farm bill which would put strict limits on the family farm by increasing the child labor laws to the point that even using any type of power device such as a screwdriver could be illegal and the child would have to attend 90 hours of government training was quickly put on hold due to the public outcry within DAYS OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT is what we need to do in this particular case.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) calls on a ban for all PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES (PED)while driving. This would include ANY use of a cell phone, GPS, I Pad, or any other electronic device that was not installed at the factory.

IF RAY LaHood IS SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING IN BANNING CELL PHONES, BANNING EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FOLLOW.

more and more people are finding out that we actually have a voice and can make a difference just like with the proposed farm bill, we need to let the government know that we're not going to tolerate any more interference and you're not taking our phones away from us.

admittedly, 3000 traffic fatalities is 3000 too many however when you look at the big picture, compared percentage wise to the millions of vehicles that are on the road today, that's not even 1% that were trying to change the rules for.

don't let the government take away any more of our freedoms and rights. Express your voices now!

Remember, as Bill Engvall is known to say, "you can't fix stupid!" well you can't fix stupid either through legislation either.

Also I wanted to point out that while reading comments on the DOT's [moderated] website, there are supporters of this bill thinking that it is a good idea because of what they've seen on the road. DON'T BE BLINDED BY THE PROPAGANDA AND LOOK AT YOURSELF AND YOUR OWN PERSONAL SITUATION.

By that I mean, yes there are people out there that can't walk and chew gum at the same time. There are people out there who walk across the street without looking to see if traffic is coming. There is been people who have been killed by trains while texting and listening to music at the same time [seriously].

So the next time that you're thinking that, "yes... we need to pass this type of bill" stop for a minute and think how such a bill would actually impact YOUR life by having THOSE RESTRICTIONS PUT ON YOU!

Zimmerman is condemned even if he is found innocent

Robin's commentary --


I think that everybody is aware of the Martin/Zimmerman case without having to recap here what happened and I hope that everybody agrees that one of the most important facts that we have is that we don't know exactly what happened.

And that's one of the reasons why we have a legal system and courts to weigh the facts and evidence.

In theory, our legal system is supposed to assume that somebody is innocent until proven guilty however there's been a huge dust storm which was stirred up by Obama by irresponsibly commenting on a local case which in a sense he threw out the racism bone and these idiots blindly ate it up and now they're out for blood.

"It's a disgrace that man [Zimmerman] hasn't been dragged out of his house and tied to a car and taken away. Forget about him being arrested—the fact that he hasn't been shot yet is a disgrace. That's how I feel personally about it."-- Mike Tyson

Is this the type of America that we have resorted to?

Where are courts have been replaced by Jesse Jackson, Reverend Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, Mike Tyson and the new Black Panther party.

Sadly, the list of Judge, juries and executioners seems to be growing. so even if Zimmerman wins the case in a court of law, he still loses.