days of naze

turn of the tide
10:26 PM

It is time for the majority of Oregonians that have suffered under the tyranny of the radical right to take heart. Queen Minnis and her ilk respond to the facts - highest classroom sizes and shortest school year, education funding below that of 15 years ago - with a self-satsified sneer. Lowest business taxes in the nation? Unrestrained glee.

Now the battle is brought to her doorstep: 1) Her opponent has far more integrity and feet on the street than she ever will; 2) A coalition of powerful Portland attornies and Oregon school districts have filed a class action law suit against the Oregon Legislature for failing to meet the state constitution requirement to fund a quality education (2/3 of such suits across the U.S. have succeeded - this is a lock); and now a ballot initiative petition, the Corporate Accountability Act, is gaining steam with a massive signature gathering effort and incredible polling (60%+ approval).

It's simple: Oregon corporations with 250+ employees or $10 million or more in annual revenues must make public their tax documents. What's the big deal? Credible estimates show that nearly 2/3 of Oregon corporations pay $10 - yes $10 - in income tax. When citizens that now shoulder almost all of the tax burden in the state find that highly successful companies are getting a free pass...well, they ain't gonna be so happy.

Sign a petition. It's fair that corporations that receive the lowest tax rate in the nation and multiple privileges relating to incorporation, should show us what they pay. Oregon corporations: we're all in - now show us your cards.

Sign a petition.

jonathan swift incarnate
10:01 PM

"So, Mr. President, please, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. 32% means the glass -- it's important to set up your jokes properly, sir. Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash."

-Stephen Colbert dismembers George the Fool. It doesn't get any better than this.

April 26, 2006

hear him
09:52 PM

"Instead of smiling warmly and giving Gilad a congratulatory kiss on the cheek as I'd expected, his eyes welled up with tears and he turned on his heel and strode quickly away towards the corner of the parking lot where his car was parked. As I watched him stand there next to his own car with his back to us, it was obvious to me that he was sobbing uncontrollably."

-David at treppenwitz

April 24, 2006

it actually works
10:58 PM

"Congress is now pushing a law that would end the free and open Internet as we know it. Internet providers like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality, the Internet's First Amendment. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more."

It may seem simplistic, but when lots of people sign a petition, corrupt Congressmen and Congresswomen actually pay attention.

April 21, 2006

joyeux anniversaire
09:20 PM

Happy birthday to me!

And Iggy Pop, Queen Elizabeth II (80), Robert Smith (The Cure), Elaine May (of the brilliant comedy team, Nichols and May), Charlotte Bronte, and Catherine the Great.

Local entertainment, my first P3 player arriving this afternoon via UPS (charging as we speak), an embarrassingly good time watching America's Funniest Accidents with the children, and calamari from Alexis have made this a delightful evening.

April 13, 2006

damn good brew
07:23 PM

My daughter, Elizabeth, is fearless. She insisted we yank off her training wheels and she's been hankering to hit the sidewalks every afternoon after school. Spotting the neighbor girl up the street, Elizabeth implored me to take her on a visit.

The girl's father was bent over a manual lawn edger, a tool I noted that I owned, yet hadn't made use of for many moons. We talked about their massive home remodeling on their 1900 house. As I turned green with envy at their compact, skylighted upstairs bathroom, he offered me a beer or a glass of wine.

My neighbor happens to be a veteran brewer at Widmer, one of Portland's (and the Northwest's) most respected craft breweries. So when he gives me the choice, I'm going for the beer. He pulls me a pint of draft (refrigerated) Northwest Red.

Damn! That's good beer. Big nutty flavor with a good kick. It reminded me of what a Sam Smith's might taste like if Sam Smith had lived in the Beaver State. The irony is that I've been making a concerted effort to buy local. I'd passed by the very beer in the market because of its unfortunate brand name: W'06.

(Widmer Seasonal 2006, not the Texas bastard.)

April 10, 2006

naze meets kos
10:11 PM

2006 0407 christopher meets kos at kennedy school.jpg

Me to Markos: "I want to thank you for everything you are doing."

Markos with a wicked grin: "You mean neglecting the website? [1 million hits/day - a certifiable Internet god] Leaving my family for weeks on end?"

Me: "Well, not so much that, but for getting people to stand up and kick ass."

And we talked. A small circle of us in one corner of a large room full of Oregonians fed up with 16 years of the radical right ruling the Oregon House and slowly dismembering our beautiful state. Markos seemed like a guy who would be really good to drink a beer with.

Jerome, co-founder of MyDD, was very cool. Our daughters are the same age, we both went to Portland State University for our graduate degrees, and he has family that lives in Seaside.

In 2004, Rob Brading was outspent by the queen of corporate welfare, Speaker Karen Minnis, and lost by only 6 percent. She's running scared now with more money from big tobacco, big pharmaceuticals, and enemies of the minimum wage.

All you have to do is look at the campaigns of the two candidates to understand their values. Brading is all about shoe leather and motivating good people to do the right thing. Minnis is all about intimidation and fear of democracy.

Raising 3 young kids on a new teacher's salary, I didn't have a lot to spare, but I tell you, I was very happy to part with a little bit of it to take back my state. We need only 4 House seats to take it back. If you believe in the Oregon that led the nation in innovation and common sense, the one that took care of business and made sure everybody paid their fair share, send a few bucks to the Rob Brading campaign. This is a race we can win.

April 06, 2006

this is what happens when the bush reich allows citizens to speak
09:55 PM

“I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration,’ Taylor said, standing in a balcony seat and looking down at Bush on stage. ‘And I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and grace to be ashamed of yourself.”

-Harry Taylor of Charlotte NC

Bless you, Harry Taylor. A large slice of citizens of the South have worked hard to cultivate their well-earned stereotype: ignorant, jingoistic, and sanctimonious. But it is absolutely critical to remember that good citizens are everywhere in this country.

April 02, 2006

failure from the start
03:24 PM

"George Bush, without Bin Laden, would almost certainly never have been reelected president in 2004. With the passage of almost five years since 9/11, and the calming of emotions from 2001, the American people are beginning to view the Bush presidency for what it really has always been - one of the most inept and feckless presidencies since that of Millard Fillmore."

April 01, 2006

the trouble with oregon
10:29 PM

"Sales tax. Oregon’s tax structure, as is, doesn’t work, and you’ve been squirreled away in a hole in the ground if you missed that. There are plenty of ways to make a sales tax less regressive – even Texas has figured that part out. It can also be tied to a reduction in income tax. It would mean constant stable revenue for the state, which is exactly what we need. Props out to Sen. Frank Morse for sacking up and saying so in public."

Ann Martens lays it out.