Comment Archives: stories: News
Re: “In the Crosshairs”
Gee, if only someone would give the not-for-profit medical care pimps, like Legacy, the same treatment.
Re: “In the Crosshairs”
The reason credit unions are not taxed the same as banks is that since they are Not-For-Profits, taxing the credit union would lead to a double tax on the customers who are also the Member-Owners. Since credit unions are not profit driven the money they make goes towards being a successful business and any surplus is returned to the Member-Owners, often in the form of service benefits and lower fees as well as through dividends payed.
Customers of a bank are not affected as directly by the taxes placed upon the banks profit, which is not returned in order to work for the customers but rather paid out in dollar amounts to Share/Stockholders.
Re: “Mandatory Confusion?”
This article reminds me of a 30-year-old's birthday! Swag!
Re: “Waiting for the Dough”
Something about this article reads, "Birthday Swag!" ...grown enough not to put rims on it!
Re: “Wait, Never Mind”
I don't believe the author can report the news impartially given that it is...his BIRTHDAY!! DIRTY 30!!
Re: “Waiting for the Dough”
Lastly: whatever they do... try what is called "rapid prototyping".....test the concept on a tiny scale in one area. Make it really easy for people. My guess? The bikes will just sit there. They will have to advertise frequently to get anyone to actually use the bikes. Why? Again.. people who ride a bike tend to OWN ONE. Another obvious solution: for what PLand is paying consultants, they COULD SIMPLY SUBSIDIZE THE PRIVATE-SECTOR BIKE RENTALS! (!) Simple to put vouchers online, at the airport, all the hotels, etc, etc. Anyone can bring the voucher to a bike rental shop and the shop owner submits them for reimbursement with signed receipt of renter and a copy of their ID attached. I am surprised the bike rental concerns don't arrange that with Pland.
Re: “Waiting for the Dough”
Regarding the bike rental biz competition and the trimet concerns... unrelated and completely made up fears. Here in Eugene the bus system went NUTS. They have these giant 'flex buses' now. Whoever signed THAT contract got a good payday. To artificially boost the ridership #, there is no charge on the express buses. They took out a lane of traffic and then the city put bike lanes BETWEEN the bus lane and the traffic lanes when nearly un-used streets are a short block away. Then.... unless you live along the routes...the feeder system is barely functional. I conjecture based on what I see here: Bus system is an example of what happens when government gets involved in such basic functions... it is an example of the waste and bloat a bike swap program would induce.
Re: “Waiting for the Dough”
Typical govvy program. Spend the money on consultants. They work with companies and deliver the most expensive solution possible or...just consult forever. Instead.... go to all the second hand shops and buy up all the used bikes. Spraypaint them orange or whatever, put them all over town. If used bikes are short supply in pLand, go to thrift shops in Vancouver for example :) see, people who ride a lot buy their own bike so .. public bikes do not need to be so fancy, the stations and controls cost more than used bikes.
Re: “Hall Monitor”
I'm not sure I believe that Griffin-Valade has any particular agenda, but I do agree with PDXWiz's other point.
For a very long time the City of Portland has reaped the benefits of a skewed tax structure. The County has had to make deep cuts almost every year, while the City has gotten off relatively lightly. Add to that the urban renewal system that takes money from the County and the school districts and hands it to whatever pet project the City Council feels like funding that day, and there's been a significant imbalance in the relative burdens and benefits between the two governments.
Now that the City has budget problems of its own, suddenly there's criticism of the City-County MOI --but the City ignored the issue when it was just the County and all the social services it operates taking the serious hits.
The COP thought everything was groovy when they got the advantage, so their griping rings hollow now.
Re: “Hall Monitor”
Very interesting, and suspicious timing on Griffin-Valade's part.
I remember vividly that she left her elected position as County Auditor midway through her first term. I note the the County Auditor position has a current salary of $91,560.00 per annum, while the City Auditor position has a current salary of $103,524.00--a difference of $11,964, or more than 7.65% higher, a pretty substantial pay increase. While it is possible she has a larger department to direct, and more responsibilities---she's also making more than the four County Commissioners. I never heard how her performance at the County was, but I honestly don't recall that there were any suspicious audits performed under her watch.
What she has not bothered to tell you, and what you haven't mentioned, is that the Urban Renewal Districts have been giant quagmires that do not produce any tax revenue for the county, only the city, and that the URDs have been directly impacting County revenues for many years---far more than the $25 million city higher-ups have been whining about---and further, the compression that the budgets of the library levies have been forced to undergo over the last several years is well over $25 million combined as well.
If you are going to keep spreading the lies that the budget deficit are caused by the library district, think again. Contact County Auditor Steve March---he's a nice guy, and he'll give you the facts that you need to properly report on this subject.
Thank you.
Re: “Covering with Fewer Cops”
I see cops constantly and I've been pulled over for driving without a seat belt TWICE. I think we have more than enough cops.
Re: “Covering with Fewer Cops”
I wonder if Chris Humphreys is having trouble finding scared men to kick to death or 12-year-old girls to shoot with bean bag rounds at out there in tiny Wheeler County?
Re: “Hall Monitor”
Poor city, county and state leadership has played an important role in the lives of Portland’s homeless. With high unemployment and jobs leaving the city it would be a shame if city leadership would pull the rug out from under these poor folks to save their pet peeves.
Re: “Covering with Fewer Cops”
Those fired cops will become the biggest criminals on the street. Nobody will hire them for anything useful, so they will have to continue mugging people, fencing stolen cars, and selling dope. Citizens will need to buy more guns to defend themselves from gangs of ex cops.
Re: “Covering with Fewer Cops”
To save money, how about just quit harassing innocent citizens for walking after midnight and start finding stolen cars? No more crackdown on victimless crimes, like jaywalking and sleeping on dog shit in the park?
Either that, or else come up with some new laws to enforce, such as speeding tickets for pedestrians, or perhaps toll sidewalks and/or pedestrian permits.
Re: “Mandatory Confusion?”
If the developers put in a 40 unit or larger apartment complex in your neighborhood without providing any parking, you can become a capitalist and start renting out your driveway, after donating your present vehicles to a tax-deductible "charity."
At any rate, if a big apartment, sans parking, comes to your neck of the woods, there will BE NO "city subsidized parking" to be had. Think New York City.
Re: “Hall Monitor”
I work with Solidarity Against Austerity Coalition. We want City Council to discuss ways we can avoid cuts and provide local stimulus by raising revenue from those who can afford it and from big corporations and banks, instead of discussing ways to best cut city programs that affect working and low income people.
We should not be pitted against each other. Tell the City Council to search for revenue-raising solutions. They can look at tax breaks instead fo telling us to fight over crumbs.
http://www.solidarityagainstausterity.org/
Re: “Waiting for the Dough”
Sam Adams committed this City to dozens of new programs in his rush to build a "legacy" as he was on his way out the door.
The new Mayor and Council are bearing the weight of that legacy now --as it falls to them to untangle all of these half-baked projects.
Re: “Mandatory Confusion?”
Why is the city subsidizing private car owners with free on-street parking?
Until the public right of way is managed via neighborhood permits and meters on commercial strips, our streets will continue to be used by local residents as "free warehouse space" for their personal cars.
I and many of my neighbors park on the street for free while our driveways are empty. If we needed a permit (and were charged a fee) to park on the street, many of us would park our cars in our driveways instead, and there would suddenly be more parking available on the street.
Others who rarely drive their cars might well decide to sell them, and instead rely on transit, bikes, their feet and a car-sharing service.
RSSGoing to Seattle?
Re: “In the Crosshairs”
Legacy is a non-profit. Very different than a co-op which is a not-for-profit. Co-ops are community owned businesses, they need to meet thier bottom line but the profit gets returned to the member-ownership who are often defined by thier relationship and use of the business.
Non-profits are benevolent organizations that rely heavily on grants & donations aside from the revenue they generate from thier services or product. Not to mention that the ownership is often not those who use or interact directly with the services or product of the organization. As a result of not being owners they also have no democracy, the users of the organization rarely elect the board or have representation on the board.