Portland’s new city budget office this morning has released copies of every city bureau and office’s “requested” budget—the starting marks in a long race for cash that ultimately will be decided by Portland City Council later this spring. The city’s budget deficit, so far, is $25 million. As I noted last week, every bureau has […]
$$$
Posted in$$$
The Money You’re Spending On College Tuition?
You might want to do something else with it—like, oh, invest in a marijuana grow-op. Something that’ll make you money, not leave you bankrupt: The American system of higher education is increasingly becoming a fiscal disaster for ever-larger numbers of students who move through it. That disaster is being caused by a combination of terrible […]
Posted inCity Hall
Portland’s Budget Morass, By the Terrible Numbers
The number, by now, should be drilled into each and every one of our pretty little heads: To balance Portland’s general fund budget over the next five years, city council, this spring, must find $25 million in spending cuts. (Or in new revenues, too. Technically. But who the hell are we kidding here?) To get […]
Posted in$$$
What Are the Five Most Hated Companies in America?
The list is highly subjective, obviously, but here’s the thinking behind it: 24/7 Wall St. editors reviewed a variety of metrics measuring customer satisfaction, stock performance, and employee satisfaction. This included total return to shareholders compared to the broader market and other companies in the same sector in the last year. We considered customer data […]
Posted in$$$
All the Single Ladies Make $260,000
Progressive watchdog group Defend Oregon pointed me to this absurd Wall Street Journal graphic that illustrates an article about upcoming tax increases. Their idea of what constitutes a typical income are a little off. The median income of a single mother is actually $32,500.
Posted inPortland
Portland Made
You are probably already familiar with Supportland (if not you can read up here—don’t skip the comments, which both raise and answer questions that didn’t make it into the main article). Up until now it has largely functioned as a local business-specific rewards card, but its potential has always held more. In the next few […]
Posted inFood and Drink
If You’re Not a Hip New Restaurant, You’re Probably in Trouble
Josh Ozersky at Time says last year was a tough one for restaurants: It’s been a rough stretch for restaurants. While gastrocrats continue to support supper high-end tweezer-food palaces, the middle-of-the-road places have been hit hard by the recession. According to the market research company NPD Group, restaurant visits in the U.S. fell from 62.7 […]
Posted inPolitics
What Do You Think of the Trillion-Dollar Coin?
Last Thursday, a new whitehouse.gov petition urged President Obama to mint a trillion-dollar coin to avoid the next debt crisis: With the creation and Treasury deposit of a new platinum coin with a value of $1 trillion US Dollars, we would avert the absurd-yet-imminent debt ceiling faceoff in Congress in two quick and simple steps! […]
Posted in$$$
How to Lay Down Some Serious Scratch and Still Feel Like a Million Bucks
After spending all last week proofing and fact checking like a whirling word dervish, I ran across a ton of worthy causes that wanted my money. And so I found myself giving $5 here and $10 there, then this Sisters of the Road email dropped in my inbox and there went $50. The reason I […]
Posted in$$$
I Only Shop Where the Spice Girls Shop
Still doing your last minute shopping? Shop where the Spice Girls shop… at Tesco! (Waaaaaitasecond… I think this may be in England. QUICK! TO THE AIRPORT!!)
Posted inCrime
Bushmaster’s Wall Street Owners Now Want to Get Rid of the Company
If you are looking for signs that things have changed since Newtown, here is a big sign: The private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management said on Tuesday that it would sell its investment in the gunmaker Freedom Group in response to the school shootings last week in Connecticut.Cerberus acquired Bushmaster — the manufacturer of the […]
Posted inPortland
Like So Many Logs on the Fire, the Holiday Shopping Season Burns On and On
Not one, not two, but three additions to our weekly roundup of notable shopping events: 1) Palace is having their first annual December shopping event this Sunday, with DJ MSG, Sweedeedee pies, bubbly, and special guests Red Clouds Collective, OLO Fragrance, and Wolf Honey. Plus, past season merch (Karen Walker, Baggu, Cheap Monday, Butter London, […]