Moda Center Funding

[Got an anonymous confession or rant you just have to share with the world? Submit it to I, Anonymous HERE!—eds]

Why won’t the local news media tell the whole story of this dumpster fire?

In a nutshell this is how the citizens of Portland are going to be on the hook for close to 800 million dollars. Yes 800 million. The estimate is 350 or so million dollars, but that is not correct. The labor costs will skyrocket with prevailing wage and the 350 is a estimate, materials will cost way more.
So the Trailblazers used to have the lease on the building but it expired 2 years ago (approximately). The last mayor of Portland bought up the lease for a dollar, maybe this should have been watched because this was idiotic to do. This gave the Allen family an easy sale, great deal for them. New owner buys the team but claims the arena must be updated or he could pack up the team and leave. The new owner got a great deal here. Now there is a WNBA team using it and that is another reason it needs to be updated.

So now Portland has a new owner of team with a outdated small arena, but its not his financial responsibility. Oregons witless Governor has jumped on board to pay it, the useless Mayor is on board with paying it, but the people are the ones who get screwed on this. This did not go to vote. The people want schools and roads, but roads are broken and school have no funding. 
Enjoy your outdated soon to be over budgeted arena Portland. Tell the Mayors office thank you for the big old EFF you.

This information should be put on billboards so the public knows what is happening.—Anonymous

Culture vs Cost of Living

[Got an anonymous confession or rant you just have to share with the world? Submit it to I, Anonymous HERE!—eds]

My company, a well-known premier outdoor sports gear brand, just announced then quarterly profits and high-level actions and events. A slew of execs from the parent company came to our HQ for meetings. We know this by the paid breakfast buffet and lunches that were ordered for them, and the invitation for the rest of us to eat their leftovers. Always a special treat to nibble at their scraps!

I have to say that with only a little sarcasm, because we are paid only a little more than minimum wage, and $7/hr under a living wage in Portland, which is $27/hr according to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator. I actually need that food.

Our company’s profits rely on everyone on my team having a second job, a dual income household, or financial help from their families. We work a 40 hr week, managing the feels of rich people whose sense of entitlement, were we able to harness it, would power the whole city for a year. We are the front line of customer 
service, every bit as much a brand ambassador as the marketers who make double our salaries.

Our labor is skilled, despite being labeled otherwise. We use a dozen active and reference tools. We are expert communicators for a broad variety of demographics, translating our communiques into French and Spanish using AI tools. We decipher the most convoluted requests into plain, actionable language. We have to grok a massive product catalogue that is constantly updated. 

At any given moment, we act as investigators, therapists, instructors, and subject matter experts.

It is absolutely infuriating that we are not shown the respect we deserve through our compensation. I spend 60% of my take-home pay on rent. I spend 28% of my gross pay on taxes. I have to take LIHEAP for my energy bills . My copay for a dr appt is $50, or about 4 hrs of net-pay. 

THEY ARE NOTHING WITHOUT US, AND THEY DO NOT GIVE ONE S*** about how we struggle, daily, especially now.

The “culture” is so inclusive. except when we have to pay the bills.—Anonymous

It’s the Men…

[Got an anonymous confession or rant you just have to share with the world? Submit it to I, Anonymous HERE!—eds]

Maybe 4 out of the hundreds of men I have met in my life have not been assholes. Like why are y’all assholes? Chill on your egos and just be decent human beings!! Like from childhood to mid adulthood meeting men in various settings and levels of involvement in my life …like y’all suck. Love always, females/femme bodies everywhere.—Anonymous

RFK Jr. thinks we aren’t depressed!!

[Got an anonymous confession or rant you just have to share with the world? Submit it to I, Anonymous HERE!—eds]

I wrote to Congress: Please oppose almost everything Robert Kennedy Jr. does and support efforts to remove him from office. Of concern lately: censoring positive covid vaccine reports, only sporadic issuance of the important public health document of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (with hantavirus outbreak!), and now going after the prescribing of anti-depressants. As a clinical social worker who worked at the VA for 20+ years in Mental Health, I cannot express my concern in how this may lead to an uptick in suffering and possible self-harm or suicide. It may be like what happened with the 2025 flu vaccine–my insurance wouldn’t pay for it–will such reduced benefits occur with more drugs? 
My long-term friend had chronic suicidal ideation for some time, and his mental stability could erode in a matter of days when he was out of his anti-depressant. I also knew many patients like this at the VA, but I luckily worked in Portland’s small intensive treatment option where we could notice increases in suicide risk sooner and respond more quickly. Please oppose these disastrous proposals of RFK Jr. He is just going to make people sicker, and we will see the suicide rate increase of recent years accelerate.
As you well know, our state and the country overall have poor mental health coverage for our population, especially for those uninsured or under-insured.—Anonymous