Not Spam

According to Blogger, this site has been identified as a "potential spam blog."

Well, yeah, but only if you read it.

I'm not really sure what I was to have made from this explanation, but it is obvious I can still post. If I could figure out what I did to receive the attention I would attempt to attenuate whatever that would have been. Not knowing, I can only assume that the "bots" are working.

'Sides, I could use some time away from this darned machine!

"TARP": It's Not As Bad As You Thought

It's worse. Read the story at Powerline. (Click pic for larger image.)

Change!™

Republicans Attempt Work Restoration; Democrats Build toys

There is no more stark a distinction as the one that exists between Republicans and Democrats in our Oregon legislature.

With the house on fire, Democrats are worried about whether or not to remodel the den.

Oregon has the 2nd Highest Unemployment Rate In The Nation.

And still, the Left persists. Green technology. Light-rail. Stuff that increases costs, throws money down the toilet, and still they insist that they are being Progressive. More drunk sailor than idiot. And all that money in their pockets isn't theirs.

It's ours.

But the Left has a lock on the Oregon Legislature. Democrats have 36 votes to 24 Republican votes in the House. In the Senate the vote is Lefty 18, Republican 12. Throw in a Lefty Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer and Attorney General, and we're pretty much screwed.

Earlier this week, Democrats killed several bills that would have created jobs. Of course, these jobs would have been in the private sector. Democrats are working hard for Change!™ They are creating public sector jobs. Health care sector jobs. Private business around the back.

The bills they killed were SB704, HB3095, SJR24 and HB3469.

The Democrats (Change!™) wouldn't even allow the bills to advance in committee. That is, they never saw the light of day.

What to do? In the House Republicans decided to take HB2469 to the Floor. It's time Republican Leader Bruce Hanna gets a little pissed. While Democrats are busy building toy trains and toy energy systems, Republicans are getting serious about doing something about the job crisis. It's real, folks. It's real. And take a look at the last line of this press release. What Democrats did work on:

"SALEM—House Republicans today brought legislation to the House Floor that would provide tax relief to low-income Oregonians and working families, create new jobs, and put more money back into Oregon’s economy. Despite an nonpartisan estimate suggesting the bill would create 20,000 new jobs, Democrats voted to keep HB 3469 locked in a committee that never granted it a hearing.

“'With Oregon having the second highest unemployment rate in the nation, the Legislature must immediately act to create jobs and reverse this economic recession,' said House Republican Leader Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg). 'HB 3469 would increase Oregonians’ purchasing power, restore confidence in Oregon’s economy and provide tax relief to those who need it the most.'

"HB 3469 would provide tax relief to low-income Oregonians by doubling income levels connected to Oregon’s 5 percent, 7 percent and 9 percent tax brackets. According to the Legislative Revenue Office (LRO), changing the brackets would give taxpayers earning less than $30,000 immediate tax relief of 22 percent. With more dollars flowing into Oregon’s economy, LRO estimates this provision alone could create over 19,900 new jobs.
"In addition, HB 3346 also includes a provision to increase the child tax credit to help working families cope with the costs of maintaining a home and securing a better future for their children. Specifically, the bill establishes a personal income tax credit of $500 per dependent child.

“'These pro-family tax reforms would enable more working Oregonians to meet their basic needs during this economic recession,' said Rep. Vicki Berger (R-Salem) a HB 3469 co-sponsor. 'HB 3469 would save families hundreds of dollars every year, and pump millions of dollars into our stagnating economy.'

"HB 3469 remains in the House Revenue Committee, which today considered a bill to limit the medical expense deduction for Oregon’s senior citizens."

UPDATE: Had to add this video. The Left wants to protect government jobs. Public jobs. The very idea of reducing the size of government is anathema to the Left. Just watch the vid. Found on NWRepublican.

Pitfall for Pacific Power?

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is looking for a partner for it's Smart Grid project. My hope is, Pacific Power takes a pass.

From BPA:

"Smart Grid technology includes everything from interactive appliances in homes to substation automation and sensors on transmission lines. It is a system that uses various technologies to enhance power delivery and use through intelligent two-way communication. Power generators, suppliers and users are all part of the equation. With increased communication and information, Smart Grid can monitor activities in real time, exchange data about supply and demand and adjust power use to changing load requirements. "

What I do with my power and when is my job. I don't want my energy use monitored, thank you just the same. I write you a check, you provide the juice. That's my relationship with you.

Governments want to increase its monitoring of you, how much you drive, where, how much energy you use, when, how.

Why do they need to know this? To help manage the grid. Why do they need to micro-manage the grid? Because there hasn't been enough increase in base load generation to keep up with demand. And Oregon's Green Governor has blocked efforts at increasing base load production within the State of Oregon. Coal, nuclear, even LNG is hated by the Left. Monitoring and regulating your use is perfectly acceptable, though. It's what Big Government (Brother?) loves to do.

BPA is a regional gem. It is a brilliant power producing company. It has done laudable work on mitigating concerns about salmon production. It has given Northwest residents an incredible renewable energy source that makes sense. And cents.

Why the push for Smart Grid? It's a part of the Stimulus Package. You know, the trillions that are sending us off a cliff? They have the money, and they are going to spend it.

But I hope my private provider says, "Thanks, but no thanks."

We are aware of problems with the Grid. We are aware of the unique problems of the Smart Grid. Let's fix the Grid. And leave the Smart Grid alone. Please.

Cheap Smokes

If you smoke, mebbe it's been a while since you enjoyed the flavour of your tobacco.

When the Legislature--the people who babysit you even when you wished they'd just leave you alone--passed a law requiring cigarette manufacturers to put chemicals in your smokes so that "unattended" cigarettes would self-extinguish, the flavour of your smokes changed. Me, I acquired a hacking cough. Forty years of smoking and now I develop a hack.

Well, thanks to increases in federal and state taxes, finding an affordable alternative to branded cigarettes led me to a solution that both beats the price of branded cigarettes, and has opened up an old world of flavour. Cigarettes that taste good again. Amazing.

The pic above is the tobacco. The pic below is the rolling machine. When you buy the bag above, you get a box of tubes for your tobacco. The cost of the bag? $16.00. Two-hundred cigs for a dollar sixty a pack.

This is the machine. There is an "automatic" machine, but talking to a guy that had bought one, both he and I bought the one in the pic. The automatic machine requires you to continually monitor the settings, since the tobacco on the bottom of the bag has a different consistency from the tobacco on the top. The manual machine allows your fingers to do the monitoring for you. It rolls the tobacco and injects it into the tube. Amazing.

Plus, I've found that the amount of tobacco you put in changes the burn rate. I can actually increase the flavour by lightening the amount of tobacco I put into my smokes. The only tip I can give you is make sure you put tobacco on either end of the tobacco shute. You don't want voids next to the filter or at the tip.

So, head off to your local tobacconist and get this stuff. Enjoy cheap smokes before the legislature strikes again.

Happy Earth Day!

(Links fixed.)

The IPCC.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

A political creature. Of the United Nations.

As an American, how can I be entreated to give anything that comes out of the U.N. any kind of serious treatment? The heavy lifting of the U.N. comes out of the Security Council. And the power of the Security Council comes out of it's five permanent members; China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. If you watch the United Nations, most of what comes out of the General Assembly is best described as a mockery of a sham of a mockery. Petty potentates and dictators standing up to deride the imperialism of the West, while suppressing economic and political freedom in their own countries. Sham. Mockery.

But the Presidential loser, Al Gore, picked up the mantel of Important Guy by adopting the issue identified by the IPCC and promoting it. With a movie that is itself a sham of a mockery of a sham. That issue, that political issue, is the creature of that sham organization, the United Nations. Man Made Global Warming.

I do remember the first Earth Day. I was a sophmore in high school when half the school went missing. A friend of mine was arrested by Portland police and was freed from that arrest when another "marcher" broke the window of the police car he was in and helped him escape. I pointed out that the lessons of Walden's Pond had been lost on him. But he got away before he was identified. I guess that means he wasn't guilty.

Earth Day has been ever so entwined with the issues promulgated by the Left. Anti-war, anti-imperialism, and globalism. If you have a word ending in -ism, the Left is probably warring agin' it. For much of our society, we run on emotion rather than sober analysis. And those who take the emotional path and forego sober analysis probably wouldn't have it any other way. I find the pleasures of life are in the pursuit of my own happiness; the success of my family, the success of my business, the success of my friends, mowing the lawn, improving my golf game. The Left is in pursuit of Social Justice and Fairness. They get emotional about their beliefs and then attempt to impose their beliefs on the rest of us. Earth Day is just one of the bellweathers of that quest. How can one chose anything less but full support for Earth Day?

Simple.

Know what it is.

It is a day dedicated to the silly, naive worship of a new religion. And what's a new religion without a little sacrifice?

So, on the Green Alter of Earth Day we come together to worship Mother Gaia, the new goddess of this new religion. For those of us who view her rainment as rather thin and threadbare, we are dismissed as skeptics. Well, Duh! Of course we're skeptical. Because with a little sober analysis, not only are the goals of this new religion silly and puerile, the path chosen by its acolytes is driving us down a road to financial ruin.

Here's a pretty good exigesis of the current trend toward Greening America. Written by some pretty impressive thinkers: Andrew P. Morriss, H. Ross and Helen Workman Professor of Law & Professor of Business at the University of Illinois; William T. Bogart, Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Economics, York College of Pennsylvania; Andrew Dorchak, Head of Reference and Foreign/International Law Specialist, Case Western Reserve University School of Law; Roger E. Meiners, John and Judy Goolsby Distinguished Professor of Economics and Law, University of Texas-Arlington. From the Abstract:

Myth: Everyone understands what a “green job” is.

Reality: No standard definition of a “green job” exists.

Myth: Creating green jobs will boost productive employment.

Reality: Green jobs estimates include huge numbers of clerical, bureaucratic, and
administrative positions that do not produce goods and services for consumption.

Myth: Green jobs forecasts are reliable.

Reality: The green jobs studies made estimates using poor economic models based on dubious assumptions.

Myth: Green jobs promote employment growth.

Reality: By promoting more jobs instead of more productivity, the green jobs described in the literature encourage low-paying jobs in less desirable conditions. Economic growth cannot be ordered by Congress or by the United Nations. Government interference – such as restricting successful technologies in favor of speculative technologies favored by special interests – will generate stagnation.

Myth: The world economy can be remade by reducing trade and relying on local production and reduced consumption without dramatically decreasing our standard of living.

Reality: History shows that nations cannot produce everything their citizens need or desire. People and firms have talents that allow specialization that make goods and services ever more efficient and lower-cost, thereby enriching society.

Myth: Government mandates are a substitute for free markets.

Reality: Companies react more swiftly and efficiently to the demands of their customers and markets, than to cumbersome government mandates.

Myth: Imposing technological progress by regulation is desirable.

Reality: Some technologies preferred by the green jobs studies are not capable of efficiently reaching the scale necessary to meet today’s demands and could be counterproductive to environmental quality.

Do yourself a favour. Print the article. Keep it in your reading room, your car. If you have five minutes, read a page. When you get to this paragraph

"To attempt to transform modern society on the scale proposed by even the most modest bits of the green jobs literature, such as the Conference of Mayors report, is an effort of staggering complexity and scale. To do so based on the combination of wishful thinking and bad economics embodied in the green jobs literature would be the height of irresponsibility. We have no doubt that there will be significant opportunities to develop new energy sources, new industries, and new jobs in the future. Just as has been true for all of human history thus far, we are equally confident that a market-based discovery process will do a far better job of developing those energy sources, industries, and jobs than could a series of mandates based on imperfect
information."

you're done.

The sales job--con job--of Green is amazing. Why is it that we so often hear the words "those who fail to study the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them"? We've endured social movements in this country before. From the myth of the purity of the agrarian, to the mysticism of the Christian Science Movement, to today's Gaiaists, no social movement can make sense without appealing to the worst that is within us. It is our weakness to respond to crisis with an emotional reaction, rather than with sober analysis. The goal of the Green is to have us join Abraham on Mount Moriah to sacrifice our sons.

I am not Isaac. Nor are my sons. I will not be bound.

We have done incredible work cleaning up from the polluted days of the sixties. Time to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done and move on to creating new wealth, new opportunities. You won't find those opportunties in the Green movement. Politicians need to learn what we already know: markets are more powerful than governments. Those that seek to control the market, destroys it. Money moves on. Wealth moves on. It settles where it is prized most. If we don't prize wealth, we simply destroy it.

Have a Happy Earth Day!

UPDATE: Jeff Merkley is such a tool. Here's a link to a video with him saying "cool". Here's a couple of other links that talk about the problems associated with this coolness. Like, how many hours do you want to spend re-charging that coolness? Morons.

A Brilliant Post By Terrance

I've heard it said again and again that "Republicans" are just as guilty as Democrats when it comes to government spending. That's the new mantra of the Left. "We're not any worse than what we replaced!" This is the campaign motto for "Change!™"? We are not worse than the other guys?

There are significant differences between Republicans and Democrats. This post at "Terrance This Is Stupid Stuff" is worth reading. Look at the picture above. This is how the Left demonstrates.

Think about the images from April 15th's Tea Party demonstrations. The image below comes from Port Townsend.

Notice any difference?

Next time you get into an argument with a Leftist, thank them for the chance to set them straight. And then remember to tell them that you love them. It will drive them crazy.

Radical Nurses and Conservative Values

Florence Nightingale is a part of the curriculum.

If you're going to be a Registered Nurse, somewhere along the way you're going to read about her. At least, that was the case 30 years ago. The history of nursing suggests a bonding of nurturing and mothering that approaches the iconic, if not the archetypal. The first nurse I was ever introduced to was my family GP's nurse. A big, brunette woman with what can be described as having a Rubenesque figure. Hair up, white uniform with a nurses cap. When I was in pain, and you're in pain with a broken arm, her looking into my eyes and telling me that she knew it hurt, but that I'd be okay, was all the assurance I needed to increase my fortitude and resolve. And on those one or two occasions where I needed to expose myself to the prying eyes of the medical community, I had less embarrassment having her view my exposed body parts, than I was being exposed likewise to my mom. Mom hadn't made her career looking at human body parts. This nurse had. Ipso facto, being naked in front of a nurse was a normal thing. Being naked in front of one's mother was not.

It is this iconic, archetype of the "mythic" nurse that we all project whenever we are in contact with the medical arts. Florence Nightingale. The woman moving from bed to bed, relieving the pain of the wounded, the sick. A motherly woman who yet is not your mother. She can look into your eyes, place her hand upon your brow and with a look and a touch relieve your pain and anxiety. Unfortunately, with the rise of unionization, nursing becomes less a medical art, and more a measured labour input.

Whenever large amounts of cash are involved, the nature and purpose of a labour input changes. So the decision to leave the AFL-CIO and the American Nursing Association in favour of a new, more radicalized labour group should raise the eyebrows of those of us living in the states of Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Washington. What is the major "plank" of this new nurses' group?

" Founded and run on principles of democracy, inclusiveness, social justice and equality"

Why would a registered nurse want to spend his or her time making sure that the professional association that represents them spends a nickel on "democracy, inclusiveness, social justice and equality"? Because in Oregon, those are the features of a political advocacy that has meant major cash benefits to registered nurses. They have been effective in getting beneficial legislative changes in state law to their members. They have a narrative story and a political agenda. That translates into political capital.

When the lines are blurred between a professional association--the Oregon Nurses Association was founded in 1904--and a politicized labour unit, it isn't "just" the members of the organization that are harmed. You as the consumer of their services will be harmed as well. Nurses start the journey to their careers with the model and image of Florence Nightingale. That is quickly replaced with the labour notion of "fairness" and "communication". The biggest chip on the shoulder of these radicalized nurses is in the statement, "they're just nurses." They aren't doctors. Doctors have the real knowledge. You don't ask a nurse. You ask a doctor. Nurses don't want to "just" serve patients. They want to run your local clinic. Your local hospital. And they outnumber the doctors. Through legislative fiat, through increasing politicization of the workplace, they can bring our healthcare system to it's knees. Because it's no longer about moving from bed to bed, relieving pain and giving encouragement. It's about control. It's about cash. It's about making sure that people don't view nurses as "just nurses." Is $30.00 per hour enough? Why not $45.00? Or, $70.00?

Healthcare is a labour intensive industry. The Oregon Nurses Association is dedicated to increasing the costs of delivering healthcare. Do they want socialized medicine? Sure. That way they can get their checks from the government, which in Oregon is run by the unions. For them, increasing radicalization and socialization is a win/win.

Mebbe they'd be happier if we referred to them as Health Technicians. Like "IT" professionals, they would become "HT" professionals. Nobody argues with their IT guys. Who would argue with their HT guys?

Change!™

Are We Condemned To Repeat?

This current economic downturn is the result of federal policies that encouraged home ownership for folks who couldn't make good assessments on the amount of risk to which they were exposing themselves.

The policies of our governments--federal, state and local--are important. And typically bad. Government doesn't create a lick of wealth. Not a lick. But it can make dumb affordable.

Tax policies that drive over-investment into housing will inflate the cost of housing. But does it actually increase the value of that housing stock? And this rush to Green Tech. I guy I've known for 35 years told me back in March that he was getting into a "green" project after the government agreed to pay for 70 percent of the investment cost. It's the only thing that greenlined the project. Seventy percent. There are lots of things that will pencil out with that kind of subsidy. When the bubble bursts on Green, my bud will still be able to walk away whole. Because the projects value is only 30 percent of the total cost of the project. The problem is, the state is out there pushing green projects with our cash. Somebody was going to take the cash. My bud did.

Years ago, while working my way through school, I landed a job with huge sales commissions. I was making as much in a month as my dad made in a year. It was a machine job. By that I mean that if one took mechanical steps toward closing the deal, the deal was closed. It took a while for me to figure out that long after I had made my commissions, that the customers were still going to be dealing with the payments on those deals. But it was so easy.

What one sales manager said--who I credit to this day for explaining the way to close a deal--was that if I didn't close the deal, the next guy would. This is, in the parlance of sales, the dilemma of "leaving money on the table." The car guys I've talked with over the years view this as their primary task; getting as much money out of the pocket of the guy they're dealing with as they possibly can. How do you do it? How can you lay somebody away?

By giving them what they want.

Whether you view it as a sales job, or as a con job, the key is to get people what they want. And the more emotionally attached they are to whatever it is your hawking, the more cash you can get out of their pockets. Realtors in the past few years have been swimming in gelt. There was no such thing as a dog. "Simply hold onto it for two years, flip it, and move on up!" Who wouldn't want such a thing? The federal government made buying and flipping one of the most lucrative past-times in America. Can you afford the payments? Who cares! You're only going to have to make those payments for two years, then you flip! And, voila! you're a millionaire!

Speculation driven pricing is cool, if you know you're engaged in speculation. Meaning, when it's time to take a trim, you know you're going to get a trimming. Not so in the current bubble deflation. Government is working to re-incentivise home purchases. They're pouring more incentive cash into the market to re-ignite the housing market. But like any Ponzi scheme, it's going to crash again. Because value is often different than price.

We're getting creamed by Leftists currently. The product? Global Warming, carbon dioxide and green technology. The green tech doesn't pencil, so what to do? Get emotional. Carbon dioxide and Global Warming. Who wants these things? Who actually knows that we each create carbon dioxide with every breath we exhale? Better to point to power plants than people. The important thing to remember is, after you've got them hooked, there's no sense in leaving any money on the table. Sales job or con job?

Imagine, getting cash from folks for the air they breathe. Amazing, innit?

Astoria's Amazing Tea Party

This video is from North Coast Oregon. I didn't take any pictures. A lot of these folks have never done anything like this before. This was a pretty big step to take for ordinary folks. And what a crowd! Astoria is a tiny city of less than ten thousand, and yet there were about 300 people who showed up to let our politicians know that we're going to be holding them accountable for their piracy.

Pretty impressive, really.

Tea Party Today In Astoria

What was started by an angry comment by CNBC reporter Rick Santilli has turned into a national movement. If you know what a trillion is the amount of money being spent to bail out people who took advantage of the free market, lost and now are being bailed out by the federal government is staggering.

The free market is being blamed by Congress and our President. Actually, if the market rules had been followed we would be seeing gains in the Market by now. Not just the short-term bear market rallies. Real economic growth. The fundamentals are, or were, in pretty good shape. Now those fundamentals are gone. When the reality sinks in on just how bad hugely expansive intrusion into markets by the federal government is and is going to be we can still make changes. But for those of us who can do the math the programs by this Congress and our President are excruciating.

In Oregon we have extremists increasing government spending and taxing at horrendous rates. It is possible that Oregon now has the highest unemployment rate in the country. Between the harsh investment climate--run into the ground by environmental rules--unbearable energy mandates and ridiculous minimum wage rates there are some with a background in economic science that could have predicted this outcome. But the Unicorn believers don't understand inputs and no grasp on how businesses decide to employ those inputs. It's tough building an Utopia. Some prices must be paid.

So join me today at the Courthouse in Astoria. Five o'clock. You don't have to bring a sign or chant. Just be there. You can even pretend you're going to get your mail.

Unemployment In Oregon

The Change!™ folks have to be excited.

Oregon's business policies are in Epic Fail mode, and our legislature is worrying about the major issues. Like putting a spike into the back of energy production under the heading of Cap and Trade. Oh, and making cigarette butt's a major felony. These people lack gravitas.

They already passed a law outlawing novelty lighters. They already voted for a law eliminating our vote for presidential candidates. Really. Under this new law our election results will be determined by the outcome of races in other states. Brilliant minds these Change!™ people.

The reassurance provided by the Unigovernor Ted Kulonzinski is provided below. Oregon could have the highest unemployment in the nation, but the national figures won't be out until Friday.

At 12.1 percent, Oregon's unemployment rate is the highest it has been since records started being kept. Before the Great Society, in Oregon if you wanted to feed yourself and your family you worked. Now, in Oregon, you go to the food bank, I guess. Getting a menial job and paying your bills just isn't done any more. Thank God we have illegal aliens to do the messy jobs.

It's easier for us to target rich, successful guys than to do any type of work ourselves. Why should the corporate bigwigs get big paychecks, when the little guys--with no job skillz and an outhouse attitude--get little paychecks? The answer? Tax the rich guy! Change!™

Oregon's business environment is horrible. A resource rich state, we keep those resources under an environmental lock and key, all the while talking about mandating cars that run on batteries made from good intentions and fairy dust. And the future of Oregon under Cap and Trade? My electric bill has already gone up about 20 percent. I'm sure larger users of electricity have seen their rates go up even more. The outlook for increases in baseline electricity for Oregon? Well, we've already been told that the Boardman coal plant has to go. That's part of the Governor's energy policy. We've already lost the Trojan plant in Raineer...that produced at one time 25 percent of the state's electricity. What will we replace this with? Windmills and solar panels? You have got to be kidding me.

So, who would buy land in Oregon to build a business? Someone who can't read the economic tea leaves. It's not going to get better until it gets a lot worse. But the residents of the Marble Nuthouse in Salem are doing just fine, thank you for asking. Here's the compassionate statement of your governor:

(Salem) – “The employment statistics released today are staggering, representing the many families across the state struggling to make ends meet during this recession.

“While national economists are noting positive signs, today’s numbers also tell us that we have entered uncharted territory – that this recession is not comparable to the recessions before that we remember or read about in history books.

“We still have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us to make sure we make smart investments in policies and programs that create jobs, open doors to new economic opportunities and put Oregonians back to work quickly. That means investing in our roads and investing in our schools. It means continuing to enact policies that advance Oregon’s leadership position in renewable energy. And it means making sure we have adequate safety nets for our most vulnerable in need of assistance.

“I know that tougher days are still ahead but I also believe that brighter days will return. Together, we can weather this storm, and together, we will see economic hope and opportunity return once again to citizens across this great state.”

Since when did the State become the provider of "smart investment policies"? Only under the Unagovernor. Previously the job of the state was to provide an encouraging environment for private business decisions.

Read it again:

"That means investing in our roads and investing in our schools. It means continuing to enact policies that advance Oregon’s leadership position in renewable energy. And it means making sure we have adequate safety nets for our most vulnerable in need of assistance. "

Change!™

Now the Unagovernor gets to decide what is, or isn't, a smart investment. Those of us in the private sector need not apply.

Have a nice day.

Jobs versus Jobs

Just watched Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-Michigan) on CNBC.

What is it about Democrats? How do they look at jobs they create with public money and congratulate themselves for "creating" jobs"? When the funding runs out, what happens to the jobs? Well, according to the good governor, governments will have to spend even more public money. The money being spent by government on jobs aren't creating jobs that have any long-term value. These are all short-run, make work jobs. They are, in fact, unsustainable.

There are still states that are working to create an investment environment that encourages job creation. Oregon does to an extent. If you have a crazy scheme to create Green Jobs Oregon has plenty of incentives for you to do business here. It's a mix of direct investment of public funds, tax credits and eased regulation.

But no such incentives exist if you are a regular brick and mortar business.

The latest unemployment numbers are due out today. Last month Oregon's unemployment rate was the third highest in the nation.

Will Governor Kulongoski figure out a way to congratulate himself in the face of higher unemployment numbers? Sure. He'll point out all the dollars coming in from public coffers and the jobs that will be created by those bucks. Our bucks. That we'd love to have to spend on our own businesses, but because the economy is in the doldrums, the pirates are going to suggest we're better off taking private dollars and spending them on public projects.

Oregon is being run by pirates. Congress is dominated by pirates. The president is a pirate.

Time to fight the pirates, laddies.

Comfort Ye

Recitative
Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably toJerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:1-3)

Air for Tenor
Ev'ry valley shall be exalted, and ev'ry mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain. (Isaiah 40:4)

My father was a tenor. I was a tenor. This music was one of the reasons why tenors put up with their high voices. Listening to my father sing this was a singular joy. My mom was a soprano, and Handel made sure that she had some beautiful solos as well.

Most people associate The Messiah with Christmas and the Hallelujah Chorus. If you have a chance, listen to the complete work.

For most, religion is an activity. I doubt that many have read the Bible. Sure, passages. But read the Bible, to understand the Bible. And I'm not aware of any religion that requires one to prove that a member has actually read the entire work. Which is too bad. In the Bible lies most of our Western literary tradition.

One of the strongest, most meaningful passages in the Bible is John 3:16. You see the sign at sports events. You may even have said "3:16" at some point in your life. But have you ever asked why 3:16 is such a powerful statement?

You have to look to Genesis and the story of Abraham. It's in Chapter 22:

"Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.'"

Without knowing the story of Abraham, the offering of John 3:16 isn't fully in context. The sacrifice that God was unwilling to demand of Abraham, He willingly gave to us. If you're unfamiliar with the word "covenant" you may not appreciate fully what is explicit and what is implicit in John 3:16. Do you remember the covenant God gave us in Genesis 9?

"...and I will look upon it that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creatue of all flesh that is upon the earth."

It is God's covenant to man that is stated explicitely in John 3:16:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

What God did not compel Abraham to do He required of His Son. This is the Covenant of God this Easter weekend. You can take comfort. It was freely given.

Happy Easter.

I Am Fundamentally Optimistic

How else could one describe oneself?

I believe in the fundamental goodness of Man. That he operates in his own self-interest in a way that benefits himself, his family and his friends. It is this basic trust in my fellow man that makes it possible to create the highest standard of living ever found in the history of Man.

Obviously, there are those who wish to hijack that standard of living and put our wealth to use for their own goals. We should ask ourselves when we elect a representative to our state, local or national legislature, whether that person is with us, as individuals, or part of the pirate crowd that wishes to take from us to further their own goals.

John Gray relates an interesting story in one of his lectures on "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus." It's about a woman who takes her purse with her to the bathroom when visiting her friend's home. What it reveals is this woman's fear that others would go through her purse if she weren't there to keep watch. Curiously, the woman admits that she was wont to go through others' purses if left unattended.

I've written before about projection. It occurs when we believe that others will behave as we would when faced with similiar objective facts. If you are a thief, leaving five dollars sitting on your desk is irrational...since you would yourself steal that five bucks. For most of us, this pirate behaviour is itself irrational. Because we are independent, self-reliant and self-assured we simply don't need the kind of collective decision-making that is eminating from the seats of power in our local, state and national legislature. We prefer to be left alone, thank you. And your five dollars is safe wherever you leave it. It is not mine, so why should/would I take it?

The political pirate acts, therefore, not so much in any way to oppose his own sense of "good." It is just that he views others as having the same moral compass as his own, and works to eliminate the types of social moral temptations that they view as reprehensible. That they themselves would commit if there weren't a collective authority to keep tabs upon them. While vilifying greed, they advance their notion of fairness and justice. To protect the world from environmental collapse, they must mandate the future of investments and expenditures.

To avoid a certain moral hazard, they unwittingly create a new moral hazard. We move from well-intentioned ideas to political piracy to bureaucratic kleptocracy. All of these innovations in governance countenanced by their fellow pirates/kleptocrats as necessary to avoid the evils of self-interest. The tragedy of the commons extended into any and all actions of any independent economic actor. And it is simply their ability to identify evil that motivates them. It leads to a government that parodies itself with such landmark legislation as banning novelty toy lighters. And it exhibits itself every day. If on the surface a "thing" is good, it is what we must do. If, on the surface, a thing is "bad" then it must be condemned. Without any examination about the silllyness, triviality or more importantly, the cost associated with the good or bad thing.

People, as individuals, rarely do bad things. But what the pirates can't stand is our own assertion that we must be trusted. That we trust ourselves. Even when we do something that is risky. Like riding a quad. Or, having our children riding a quad. Or duck-hunting. In a boat. On a lake. Bwaaa-ha-ha-ha! Scary stuff.

Do I want my sons to ride motorcycles? Nope. Did I ride a motorcycle when I was their age? Yup. Did I always wear a helmet? Nope. Did I wear a helmet out on the road for a road trip? Generally, yes. And I was wearing a helmet when I had my first oncoming auto pull a lefty in front of me without much warning. Did it save my life? Prolly. The rest of me was pretty dicey, though.

It would take two more such instances to lead me to re-think my commitment to motorcycles. And there's still that interior cowboy that advances the notion that I shall, someday, ride again.

But that is my choice. Until the pirate/kleptocrat outlaws that choice. Just as smoking is my choice, until outlawed by the pirate/kleptocrat. They take from us choice and give us back a world with reduced risk. Hosanna!

The American vision of independent self-reliance is being steadily replaced by the pirate vision of distrust and mistrust. It is fear-driven, readily identifying greed and self-interest as the threat to their pirate world. I suppose this is in part due to a belief that if they were only to decide to take the bull by the horns and start their own business, to begin their own enterprise, they would themselves wound, rob and steal from their clients. They view advertising as a corrupting influence--driving demand for unneeded and unnecessary consumption--rather than as a benefit that lets consumers know that they have, indeed, choice.

It is true that a majority of government employees, whether elected or appointed, have no experience in the private sector. They have cloistered themselves from the dirty temptations of self-reliance and independence. Like medieval monks, they spend their time determining and thence expunging the deadly sins they identify, all from within the walls of their own self-doubt and hatred of sin. Hatred of self. And the current deadly sin is carbon. The essence of life on this planet, itself. No greater self-hatred has ever existed in our collective world history. But the results of this self-hatred have been and are being evidenced throughout the world.

So I give you this to read. As pirates and kleptocrats shlepp off to Cuba to meet the genial dictator, read the words of a woman who has lived under the umbrella of the pirate/kleptocrat. We can break the back of the selfish, the self-interested, the individual.

But, at what cost?

Scott Bruun: Gubernatorial Caliber?

Scott has his admirers. But little sense.

The state faces record level unemployment, and he introduces this bill(pdf).

Rising energy costs? The legislature's promise to return greater control over development to counties and local governments (the Big Look)?

Nothing.

But Scotty scored big with this one.

Well done, Governor. Good sense of priorities.

Life is Hard...Get Used to It

I sometimes shake my head when I read about things like this.

"The Time to Care for Oregon Families coalition will come together to urge the passage of SB 966 in advance of a hearing of the bill in the Senate Committee Commerce and Workforce Development. Prior to the public hearing, coalition members will be available in the press room for questions and comments."

The time to care for Oregon families coalition. Like, fer shure.

You've got a serious problem with your family, you take time to take care of your family. No employer is going to get bent unless you have a track record of missing work.

But if you don't work, you don't get a paycheck. It's that simple. Friends or family steps up and helps out. But a job is not a ticket to independence from the realities of life. Sidling your employer with your responsibilities is not a way to gain greater independence and authority. SB 966 is a daydream of well-intentioned people who don't actually have to work for a living.

How dizzingly stupid is this bill? Here's a confused woman who purportedly has her own company. How to pay? Make your fellow employees pay for it. Of course this will work. It would be law.

We are facing severe job losses during the next two years, with huge increases in energy costs and taxes. Another tax to pay for "family leave"? Show me that you've funded the programs that we need, then ask me if it's time to create a new job "right." Right now, no.

Have a nice day.

Oregon Nurses Seek Handout

In an industry dominated by women, I suppose there's no surprise that when faced with a need for cash, the put their hands out.

Rather than spending their own money, the latest from the Oregon Nurses Association is a plan for you to bankroll their change in career(pdf).

And don't forget, this is a labour union. Need to clarify? Scroll down to the bottom of their webpage and you'll see the hairy-muscled union thug issues prominently displayed. The nurses for years have used union contracts and state legislation to limit entry into the field of nursing, and now they want you to pay for the outcome of rigid work-rules and limits to entry.

Solution? They want your money.

That's easier than healing their own "profession". It's not a profession. It's a union job.

The High Cost of Cigarettes: Solution

The price of smoking is pretty ridiculous. Without all the taxes, a carton of smokes would cost you about $14.50. Buck forty-five a pack. So, how to adapt in a world driven by people who want your cash?

Last week I bought my first carton of smokes across the river. I paid more than I would have in Oregon, but here's the kicker...

After a week of smoking Washington cigarettes, that annoying "hack" cough is gone. Washington smokes don't have the "self-extinguishing" chemicals in them that cigarettes in Oregon must have--by law. Of course I'm going to die in a house fire. But from what I understand about house fires, that method is preferable to the terror you'd undergo seconds from colliding with a tractor-trailer at 60 miles an hour.

And, until I die from burning down my house, I won't have that disgusting "hack" cough from "safe" cigarettes. I'm still going to be a burden on the health-care system in Oregon. (How is it again that I'm going to be a health-care system burden?) But, until that day--or night--that I succumb to smoke-inhalation, I'm smoking better cigarettes.

Overall a win/win. I don't hack, and Oregon gets stuck with the bill. (How does that happen, exactly?)

Anyway, some good news on the common sense front. Representatives Bruce Hanna and Tim Freeman have offered a bill to remove the ethanol mandate for premium grades of gasoline. Which is brilliant.

Before the ethanol mandate I always purchased premium gasoline. And a tank of gas would move my iron down the highway for 350 miles before I needed to fill-up. That meant that I could leave the house, head to Corvallis, do a little "dad" stuff--you must feed the beast--and then head home. Without having to stop for gas.

After the State--the Governor and the Democrats in the Oregon Legislature--mandated that I could only buy ethanol gasoline I can now only travel 300 miles. So I get 6/7ths of a tank of 9/10ths gasoline.

Which is bigger? 1/7th or 1/10th?

Let me put it this way: if you were really hungy, would you rather have 1/7th of your wife's seafood casserole, or 1/10th?

When the denominator is a smaller number, the portions are larger. Think of pies, one cut into seven pieces, one cut into ten pieces. Which pie has the larger pieces?

So, for more than a year I've been buying more gas, just as gas, not counting the alcohol I've also purchased at the same time, than I did before the mandate. Which was passed to reduce gasoline consumption.

And these Greeniacs in Salem seem to be oblivious to the fact that ethanol produces more "greenhouse gas" than good old gasoline.

What an example of epic fail. Oh. By the way...

If you're heading over to Washington to buy some smokes--to avoid the hack?--you can pick up real gasoline at the Chinook Store. So if you're buying what I buy, a carton of smokes a week and a tank of gas a week, you actually come out on top. Real supreme grade gas, real smokes.

I suppose some day the state will put up an agricultural inspection station at the south end of the Megler Bridge to stop the importation of decent cigarettes and gas. For now, the trip is a reason to get out of the house a little bit, mebbe have a beer in Ilwaco.

Tip to Oregon drivers: the reason Washington drivers drive so slowly when they visit is that the WSP is quick to take umbrage at speeds exceeding that which has been posted. When in Rome, observe the speed limit. They don't have a sense of humour.

Enjoy your Washington daytrip.