Monday, November 17, 2008

Bend -- A City in Tatters

A short little placeholder again, and I thought I'd post a story from The Bulletin that has a couple of breathtaking stats in it. It essentially confirms what has been said on this blog for YEARS: That Bend is essentially already broke, and cannot afford to upkeep or build STATUTORILY REQUIRED infrastructure. We're required to build it by law, and we can't.

Economic troubles push Bend plans back

By Erin Golden / The Bulletin
Published: November 17. 2008 4:00AM PST


From new roundabouts to sewer treatment upgrades and accessibility improvements, the ongoing economic slowdown is forcing the city of Bend to revise or hold off on plans for many large infrastructure projects.

Over the past year, as revenues from development-related permits plummeted, the city went through three rounds of budget cuts, laying off 44 workers and leaving another 55 positions unfilled. Officials have slashed costs across the board by reducing employee overtime and using more energy-efficient computer systems and vehicles, among other changes. The city has even dipped heavily into reserve funds to keep services running.

But for some projects, especially those with multimillion-dollar price tags, the cuts haven’t been enough.

The city is required by law to keep up with some work, including accessibility improvements and sewer system expansions, but it says other plans for wider roads, updated intersections and even a new City Hall are simply going to have to wait.

“As a result of revenue from the state going down, and on top of that, what our general fund is going through, we’re having to go through some reprioritization exercises,” said City Manager Eric King.

Water and sewer

After years of rapid growth across the city, many systems, from sewer to water to roads, are in need of upgrades and expansions. In some cases, the work is required so the city can stay in compliance with a variety of state and federal regulations.

Public Works Director Paul Rheault said his department recently completed work on one major mandated improvement — an $8 million headworks facility, where sewage is filtered before it reaches the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The city is required to increase the system’s capacity as the population grows.

Construction of the headworks project was supported in part by increased sewer rates, which went up by 14.5 percent in July.

Though Rheault said the new facility will help reduce the stress on the wastewater system, it’s not the only upgrade the city will need over the next few decades. Officials are currently working on a sewer master plan that calls for about $100 million in major pipeline projects that would allow more areas of the city to connect to the existing system. Rheault said the city will probably have to spend another $52 million to update and expand the treatment plant between now and 2030.

Though officials never planned to complete the work in the next few years, they say the budget cuts have pushed the time line even further. Now, City Engineer Michael Magee said the city will probably have to do the work in small sections. He said a project in southeast Bend to build an interceptor, or trunk line, will focus on the most problematic areas, one at a time.

“Typically, if you had the money, you would start at one end of the project to the other and work in phases, start at one end and work your way south to hook people up with the sewer interceptor as you go,” Magee said. “But with limited resources, we have to go at it differently, and look at the bottlenecks.”

The city is also working on a water master plan that would include about $100 million in upgrades to piping and treatment systems. Magee said plans for that work haven’t been narrowed down yet, but like the sewer projects, officials are looking at how to complete the upgrades in phases, rather than all at once.

Rheault said some smaller stormwater system upgrades are still on track, including a plan that would reroute water from flood-prone underpasses to a state-owned drainage area near the Colorado Avenue interchange with U.S. Highway 97. That project is still in the planning phase, and officials have estimated that it could cost around $500,000, money that will come from stormwater fees charged to residents.

Street upgrades and repairs

The building slowdown has created a dramatic drop in revenues generated by transportation system development charges — money that is used to fund a variety of large street projects. Transportation Engineering Manager Nick Arnis said the city expected to bring in between $4 million and $5 million in transportation SDCs this year, but has only received about $550,000 since the fiscal year started in July.

As a result, it might be awhile before a handful of major SDC-funded street improvements can get under way. Among the projects: a $20 million expansion and upgrade of Reed Market Road, which would include a roundabout at Reed Market and Southeast 15th Street, and $14 million in work along Empire Avenue, including a roundabout at Empire and Northeast 18th Street.

Arnis said the city is looking to start with small parts of the projects, some with the help of developers who agreed to chip in as part of their development agreements with the city. He said some of those partnerships have already been formalized for the Reed Market work, which was supposed to have been finished last year but was delayed because of the tight budget.

“I think taking the projects (and) phasing them is going to be really important; finding the partnerships with the state or private developers is going to be really important,” he said.

Arnis said engineers are currently working to get the plans for the Reed Market and Empire projects and others, including a fix for the congested intersection of Cooley Road and U.S. Highway 97 in north Bend, ready so they won’t have to wait to start building when the money becomes available. Arnis said the city is working hard to look for additional grants and private funding options, but it isn’t yet clear how long it will take to find enough funds to complete the majority of the work.

The tight budget situation also means smaller street projects will be tougher to finance.

Street Division Manager Hardy Hanson said his office lost about $50,000 for paving operations in the last round of budget cuts. After three cycles of budget adjustments over the last year, he said the city has about $1 million in its fund for patching and paving roads, down from about $1.5 million before the local economy started to slow down.

The division is funded with money from the city’s general fund, along with state grants and gas taxes. With fewer dollars coming in from all three sources, officials have dipped into the street operations reserve fund, which has dropped from about $1.6 million at the end of the 2006-07 fiscal year to a projected $613,000 at the end of the current fiscal year.

Hanson said those numbers mean the city will only be able to repave most streets once every 36 years. He said the industry standard is to do the work every seven to 10 years — a level the city was working toward before the economic downturn hit and created a hole in the Street Division’s budget. Now, Hanson said the city is spending its limited resources sealing individual cracks and holes in the roads, rather than repaving them altogether for a more lasting fix.

“A lot of what we’re doing is Band-Aids, where before maybe we could do surgical improvements,” Hanson said.

Other projects

Over the next few years, the city must also complete a variety of accessibility improvements.

As a requirement of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bend needs to make all sidewalks, curb ramps, parking spaces and government buildings compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act by 2014. In addition, the city must bring all of its Bend Area Transit bus stops into compliance with federal regulations by 2012 because of a separate settlement with Disability Rights Oregon, formerly called the Oregon Advocacy Center.

The city has made progress on some of the improvements, installing new handicapped parking spaces downtown and updating some bus stops. But there’s still more work to be done; officials have said there could be more than 1,000 ramps around the city that need to be fixed.

The city set aside $1 million for the work, but King said it won’t be enough. He said officials haven’t narrowed down exactly how they’ll pay for the upgrades but said debt financing is one of the options on the table.

“We’re under those settlement requirements, so we have to do our best to comply with those — we can’t not do them,” King said. “That’s something we’re going to have to figure out how to finance.”

Officials said a variety of other large projects up for consideration over the past couple of years — a new City Hall, a permit center, the Heritage Square downtown concept — probably won’t see the light of day for a while. But King said he wants to keep the plans for those projects up to date for a time when finances aren’t so tight.

“We definitely just aren’t able to move forward as quickly as we’d like. ... But that doesn’t mean that we’re completely abandoning those things,” he said. “We’re still trying to put ourselves in a good position so we’re ready when funding becomes available.”

What's amazing is that these people look at a 80-90% drop in SDC's to $550K.... but, by God, they still got their eyes on a $20 MILLION roundabout on Reed Market. And luckily they had the FORESIGHT to "defer" (ie cancel) all builder SDC charges to fight this housing glut.

Then there are the $250+ MILLION infrastructure required fixes. That's around $3,500 for ever person in Bend. And that's just to get sewer & water upgrades & improvements that we MUST HAVE right now!

And of course NO ONE at City Hall will even acknowledge that we're in the Worst Slowdown in a Generation. No, it'll all be alright. We'll return to the Hyper-Growth Bend of the Past 25 Years, cuz that's all I can remember.

Think again dumbshits. Businesses closing (Cessna, etc) and people LEAVING is going to be the DOMINANT THEME for the next decade, and almost certainly longer. These required fixes will probably go to $5,000 per capita at a time when incomes & profits are imploding.

Again, not to rub salt in the wound, but THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR BLOWING THE LARGEST SURPLUS WE WILL EVER RECEIVE AS A TOWN, AND DOUBLING DOWN ON REd OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER...!

It should NOT SURPRISE ANYONE that this has happened. This city's infrastructure is IN TATTERS because we spent every fucking cent we got on PR & MARKETING and RE WELFARE, and NOTHING on infrastructure.

"How could anyone have predicted...?"

Right. That's like asking a slot-jockey if they think they'll lose everything. There's a difference between PREDICTION & MYOPIC OPINION OF THE DELUDED. Of course a gambler THINKS they'll win, that's why they're there. And of course, overall, they NEVER DO. THIS is why no one at City Hall could have predicted this slowdown: THEY'RE STUCK IN A GAMBLER MENTALITY. Always THE NEXT HAND is going to BRING ME BACK. The End Game of this mentality is ALWAYS THE SAME: 100% CRACKER ASS CRACKER BROKE.

This is why almost everyone in City Hall is 100% unqualified to hold their position. "Cut SDC Charges" = DOUBLE DOWN on 12. Whn you're flat ass broke sitting at the blackjack tables, PR & MARKETING ain't going to do SHIT.

But that is what we will do. See, they aren't betting THEIR MONEY. They are betting OUR MONEY. They are betting OUR TOWN. They have NOTHING TO LOSE. They'll just lose their jobs. WE WILL LOSE OUR TOWN.

We're going broke. And it's because NO ONE CARES. COAR & COBA bought City Hall.

Don't think they'll push us RIGHT INTO THE ABYSS?

Where's marge? Why is she GONE? Yeah. Free Speech is the sworn ENEMY of the characters who have BOUGHT & PAID FOR our City Councilor WHORES. RE has tapped into a multi-hundred-million dollar kitty... for LESS THAN PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR. They bought their City Councilor WHORES for next to nothing.

They have zero incentive to save this place, and 100% incentive to enrich themselves as much as possible, before BK-ing this place. And when it goes BK, YOU & I will pay. For DECADES. They are lining their pockets, getting dollars for less than a penny, and you & I are supplying the dollars & taking the pennies.

So I apologize to Buster & BEM regarding their optimism that Bend "can be saved". I don't think it can be saved. We've elected THIEVES to office, and their puppeteers DO NOT CARE about anything but lining their pockets. No COCC expansion. No road improvements. No statutorily required sewage improvements.

We're already in hock for 10-20 years. And with our recent elections and the economic implosion, it's going to get worse. We're down to our last $100 (started with $100 million) at the blackjack tables, and we're going to go into PR & MARKETING OVERDRIVE (asking the dealer for money), and we're claiming that "we couldn't have possibly known THIS was going to happen".

Really? Didn't think you were going to lose? Didn't think the dealer would tell you to FUCK OFF? You're surprised?

Yes, this is exactly what we are being told. And most people are swallowing it whole. No questions asked. Kool-Aid mania still running strong.

WE'LL BE BK WITHIN A YEAR, 80-90% REVENUE REDUCTION, AND NO ONE AT CITY HALL ACKNOWLEDGES ANYTHING BUT A TEMPORARY SLOWDOWN.

THIS is why we are doomed. This town is being 100% DESTROYED BY our elected officials. Why? They are WHORES for local development interests who BOUGHT them for pennies on the dollar. WE ARE DOOMED.

360 comments:

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tim said...

WTF with the roundabout on Reed and 15th? Sure, that intersection sucks, but there are worse.

Watch Brookswood (and no, I don't live in SW Bend, so I'm not self-interested here). People are going to start dying on Brookswood if it's not addressed.

That park needs an overpass so kids aren't run down, or else you need a real speed bump there. People blow through there at 40mph.

And Brookswood/Powers needs SOMETHING. Light or roundabout. People get all itchy from waiting and make crazy moves.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Classic Gambler Statement:

Officials said a variety of other large projects up for consideration over the past couple of years — a new City Hall, a permit center, the Heritage Square downtown concept — probably won’t see the light of day for a while. But King said he wants to keep the plans for those projects up to date for a time when finances aren’t so tight.

“We definitely just aren’t able to move forward as quickly as we’d like. ... But that doesn’t mean that we’re completely abandoning those things,” he said. “We’re still trying to put ourselves in a good position so we’re ready when funding becomes available.”


Well... I'm down from $100 MILLION to $100, But The Sun Will Come Out! Finances will LOOSEN UP, and By GUM, we'll be back to $500 MILLION in NO TIME!

tim said...

Note "when funding becomes available." Classic bit of passive voice.

It's as if the city's choices have nothing to do with the funding situation. Things magically change. There's no money now, but we know how to spend it when it shows up.

Anonymous said...

So I apologize to Buster & BEM regarding their optimism that Bend "can be saved". I don't think it can be saved. We've elected THIEVES to office, and their puppeteers DO NOT CARE about anything but lining their pockets.

*

The grifters will quickly move on when there is nothing left to steal. The carpet baggers will move on when all the carpet is gone.

It's coming, and that is when we 'fix' Bend.

Anonymous said...

“We definitely just aren’t able to move forward as quickly as we’d like. ... But that doesn’t mean that we’re completely abandoning those things,” he said. “We’re still trying to put ourselves in a good position so we’re ready when funding becomes available.”

*

With Friedman & Johnson gone, there is no 'creative accounting', now its back to cash-based accounting, spend what you earn in revenue, and of course this city has been spending ten's of million per year on Knife-River, Brooks, Compass, ... They have kept the owners of city-hall cash flushed.

Now with this phase-2 cut-back, even Brooks, Compass, Hap-Taylor ( TaylorNW ); Will have to ask for FED bail-outs.

Anonymous said...

Homer,

One thing its clear to me that you still don't understand is SDC deferral, I thought to when announced it was about builder's building with no up-front $12k/home cost, ... deferred, and the BULL wants permanent.

But that is NOT what SDC deferral is about. It was created by Friedman, and what it is, is an accounting mechanism to treat the DEBT on JR-BURA as a deferred ASSET, on the books JR has no debt, and the SDC 'deferral' is BOOKED on the city books as a deferred asset of future collection. Trouble of course is these $24M to date in JR-BURA DEBT will never be collected by anyone.

The the current SDC deferral in the past few months of a few dozen homes time $12k, is not even $1M in deferral.

Note the reason that the BULL ( HOLLERN ) is demanding for permanent SDC deferral is so that these assets can be FOREVER posted on the books as ASSETS.

I'm trying to explain what's going on.

Then the recent Suterra sale, they double booked the income on BOTH books as an increase for the JR-BURA budget, and the general fund budget. The city spend the $2.5M from Suterra to pay the bills, and then used its line of credit from BofA to pad the JR-BURA account,

Every year the JR-BURA debt has gone up 240%, today its $24M, and the city expects on its book in 2008/2009 to sell $24M of land in JR, future expected land sales is a FRIEDMAN gimmick to balance the debt. The books show NO loss to date, as all the DEBT to BofA is booked a deferred 'SDC' asset.

Anonymous said...

Can't you old retired fuckers fix the town? I don't have any time.
- apu
*

I think Lava brings up Sizemore time to time, you got to give him credit for sticking to it for 30+ years, but for him his business to putting measures on ballots.

I put in my time at city-council years ago, and I know quite a few ex-mayor's and councilors in this town, and talk all the time, their attitude is that the current people running this town will 'blow away' soon enough when there is no money to steal.

Friedman had better much scrapped the meat off the bone, there is nothing left to steal.

We need young kids, under 40 to get involved, a new wave,

Smither's is a self promoter, we all know that, that's why I have quit calling him 'bruce'. He's never taken one fucking piece of advice given.

It's a rare bird that can put in his whole life and fight 'city-hall' in any city, at some point you have to move on and find a life. Everybody in BEND that is involved in the machine is so for personal money.

I concur if you have kids and biz, stick to that.

Once the money is gone, the town is BK, all these current parasites will be gone, and clean people will come forward and get stuck with 'fixing' the town, sadly as long as there is money to steal, or STD's to build Brooks&Compass will keep running the town, when Knife-River starts seeing a month going without $5M, they'll be gone.

It's all going to come to a grinding halt, look to date, Hummel left, aber-pussy, its not fun anymore they are leaving.

People who were mayor in the 80's & 90's don't want to do it again, the kids are just disgusted and don't want to bother.

We're going to so a complete fucking power vacuum in the next few years, if Chamber-of-Commerce can pull its head out of its ass it might put some Ned-Flanders(dunc) type folks in power. That's the best we can hope for.

In the meantime, the population will collapse of earners and explode with transients ( homeless ), the cops&fire will get fucked ( pay cut ), the city-manager Eric will give himself a raise, the new lawyer will get $500k/yr for protecting city-hall from the masses.

Anonymous said...

Another stupid fucking Smither's strange fucking 'obfuscation'.

Smithers first reported on the Suterra meeting (oct22,2008 smithers-jr-info), and mentioned the LBAM spraying, and then he said that he was the first ever to discover the connection!. Whatever.

Then last week Smithers called anyone who has followed the Suterra Spraying as a 'Suterra Hater'.

It never fucking ends, his flip flops, he gets the troops all riled up, and then he jumps over to the other team, once the enemy becomes defensive.

This is why BP is no longer a pussy, cuz he ain't a pussy. Since day-one when Smithers showed up last fall here, I said he was an agent provocateur.

Smither's has had every opportunity to put his name on the ballot in the so called three years he has claimed to be here, but given that he is on somebody's ( Mr. Burns ) payroll he doesn't run for office. He just continues to obfuscate, and flip-flop.

Like this past week, Smithers initiates the post about the dentist, and then runs with the theory that it was suicide, and then family members show a back-lash, and then Smithers condemns those that defame the dentist. Like I said the minute Smithers posted this story, I ASKED what the fuck does a almost getting nearly killed on a HWY have to do with the RE bubble??

Smither's recurring theme is to initiate debate's and then distance himself, then flip-flop to the other side, its not a happenstance, its a recurring theme.

Lastly, lets remind ALL for the benefit of Smither's you post a RUMOR, you have one hour to prove the RUMOR, otherwise its assumed to be BULLSHIT. There is NO proof that the dentist accident was a suicide ergo that issue is dropped as BULLSHIT, unless Smithers can prove otherwise.

If you continue to initiate RUMOR's that have no validity then you will be ignored.

Even our Marge started a rumor a few weeks ago, and it turned out that the developer was not dead, and marge apologized.

Another recurring thing about Smithers is HE NEVER APOLOGIZES for his error's, he is always non-apologetic, which is in itself very strange.

Anonymous said...

My thoughts on Marge,

Days after asking her to enable anonymous comments she deleted her blog.

I think she posted something that told too much, and rather than knowing how to delete the individual post, she deleted the entire blog.

Anonymous said...

. The books show NO loss to date, as all the DEBT to BofA is booked a deferred 'SDC' asset.

*

In summary SDC DEFERRAL was never about keeping BEND running so a few builders didn't have to upfront $12k/home for crap-shacks.

SDC Deferral is a Friedman accounting gimmick to make the city budget General & JR-BURA balance, by treating the SDC as deferred asset rather than a LOSS or DEBT.

Anonymous said...

Note "when funding becomes available." Classic bit of passive voice.

*

FUNDING is fucked, the City Municipal BOND is fucked.

Right now the city can ONLY borrow money on its line-of-credit via BofA at high interest rate justified for SDC's @ JR-BURA, when that BofA line run's dry, then the city will have NO source of funding.

The city will BK, and cancel all its DEBT, the $24M got passed to Knife-River&friends, via public works projects, the debt will be concluded a loss. The city's credit will be fucked, the city cuts everything, except the city-manager, and new city-lawyer who get raises, cuz of the stress.

This is how all the city BK's in Cali are playing care to think it work out here any different??

Anonymous said...

Bend commercial real estate is being bashed around like a pinata over at The Source.... by our own pussy, HBM.

Anonymous said...

Let's get Sarah Palin in here... she'll fix everything.

Anonymous said...

BETCHA, you whiners

Anonymous said...

I deleted the blog..get over it.
I am too addicted to this one to leave.

Stats are pucking this month. Someone was recently quoted as saying Bend will continue to have sales in the 90 to 100 a month this winter and 2009 will look better..HUH !!

Lookie: Bend MTD sales as of today. 31 sold @$260k median.
October same dates sold 58 @$299k median. If we hit 70 sales for the month it will be a miracle. This is the end the complete END.

Anonymous said...

On the Subject of SDC's, lets NOT forget that while Sebastian came to Bend from Wilsonville, there it was $60k/home for SDC's and today Wilsonville has roads, schools, flush with cash,...

Then BEND in order to be the favorite BUILDER's center of the universe was charging less than $12k/home,

Billions of dollars were lots in low-balling SDC's 1998-2008, just so HOLLERN & Friends, could build tens of thousands of crap shacks, at minimal upfront costs to builders.

Who would have guess that today we would be short of $250M minimum, and have a glut of crap-shacks??

Who would have guessed that have HOLLER&Friends save over $2Billion in SDC costs, would not have trickled down to the city infrastructure?? Biggest boondoggle in BEND history.

Anonymous said...

There is good news at the end of the tunnel. I see 1 or 2 homes selling a month, that aren't NOD's or foreclosures.

I see almost all of BEND's REHO's doing tricks on I97.

Cheap Pussy, House Cleaning,... you name it.

Anonymous said...

I saw a state cop on 9th street today and he had a white sign on his door that stated "city services". The town is running out of money what's next the national guard.

LavaBear said...

Spider Humor

Anonymous said...

Yet Bend votes in all the counselors paid for by the development and real-estate biz. Expect more of the build it without any offsite infrastructure requirement to continue.

tim said...

>>Yet Bend votes in all the counselors paid for by the development and real-estate biz

A good indication that the city is still happy to choose the path of the most pain.

Anonymous said...

A good indication that the city is still happy to choose the path of the most pain.


...


FUCK all of YOU, Bend has chose the path of MOST Palin.

Anonymous said...

"Transportation Engineering Manager Nick Arnis said the city expected to bring in between $4 million and $5 million in transportation SDCs this year, but has only received about $550,000 since the fiscal year started in July."

"What's amazing is that these people look at a 80-90% drop in SDC's to $550K"

the city expected $4 to 5M over 12 months and so far has $550K over 4 1/2 months. isn't that more like a 65 to 70% drop so far? still very severe but not quite 80 to 90%.

Bewert said...

And the BULL makes the case for Don Leonard, because Jodie Barram actually (gasp) signed the toothless Infrastructure First initiative petition:

Council must focus on qualifications

We’ve received several letters supporting the appointment of Jodie Barram to the seat held by the late Bill Friedman. Whether this outpouring is part of a letter-writing campaign or the spontaneous work of supporters acting independently, Bend’s city councilors should prepare themselves. They could be in for some serious pressure.

A good case can be made for Barram, of course. She did take the trouble to run for a seat on council this fall, losing by 1,125 votes to Jeff Eager. She is, without a doubt, a serious candidate. She’s also a vice chair of Bend’s Planning Commission, so she’s already familiar with a significant chunk of the material a city councilor must master. Finally, she received more votes this month than Don Leonard, the only other person to apply for the council opening as of Monday morning. The city will continue to accept applications until 5 p.m. Wednesday.

But some of those advantages disappear upon closer examination. Leonard, too, ran for a council spot this fall, losing to Jim Clinton by 8,514 votes. Advantage Barram, right? Not exactly. Clinton happens to be a well-known, popular incumbent. Barram and Eager ran for the seat currently held by Mayor Bruce Abernethy, who decided not to seek re-election. Races against incumbents and races for open seats are different animals entirely. Had Barram run against an incumbent mayor, who knows what the results would have looked like?

Leonard, too, served on Bend’s Planning Commission. In fact, he chaired the body for two years. He also can claim experience on Bend’s budget committee and the city’s affordable-housing committee. Leonard, it seems to us, is better grounded than Barram in the full range of issues confronting City Council.

And then there’s Barram’s “Infrastructure First” problem, which the council would be irresponsible to ignore. Barram was the only candidate for council this fall to sign the Infrastructure First initiative, which is the product of a thinly disguised — and often nasty — campaign to complicate development in Bend. Bill Friedman, whose seat Barram seeks, said back in August that “this initiative is not as it pretends to be but is something that is incredibly destructive to the city.”

Why did Barram sign it? Because, she told us this fall, she believes in public process. While she said she wouldn’t vote for the initiative’s requirements, she did argue that they ought to be on the ballot. This explanation is unconvincing. People simply don’t sign petitions they oppose, unless, of course, they’re too weak to say “no” to signature-gatherers. Maybe Barram’s different, but somehow we doubt she’d sign a petition, say, to overturn Bend’s equal rights ordinance or build an oil refinery in Drake Park.

Councilors might be tempted to shrug off the Infrastructure First episode, but doing so would violate their obligation to serve their constituents responsibly. Barram’s decision to sign the petition suggests a very restrictive view of urban development that her interview with our editorial board this year did nothing to dispel. She told us she’d prefer a much smaller urban growth boundary than the one favored by the existing council. She says she likes relatively high density and more “infill” development, both of which would prevent what she considers sprawl.

There’s nothing outlandish about restricting developable land in the way Barram and many others would prefer. It’s even a good thing to the extent that it preserves open space and reduces the distance people need to travel to get from one place to another. Recent history has shown, however, that reducing land supply also has negative effects, from pushing land prices skyward to reducing options for people who don’t want to live cheek-by-jowl with their neighbors. That’s why the sitting council directed the planning commission to recommend a large expansion of the urban growth boundary.

As we’ve said before, Jodie Barram is certainly qualified to serve on the City Council. But she isn’t the best-qualified applicant, not by a long shot. Don Leonard is. Aside from his substantial public service, Leonard has an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He’s a very smart, accomplished guy.

Yes, Leonard lost badly to a popular incumbent. But he better embodies what voters this month said they want from their councilors: the efficient, no-nonsense provision of core services. It’s good to have enthusiastic supporters, as Barram does.

But the City Council’s job now is to pick the best-qualified candidate to fill Bill Friedman’s position, and also the one whose views best match the clear preference of voters. That candidate is Don Leonard.


Quite the fascinating piece...especially since the other article sitting on my desk is yesterday's about the lack of needed infrastructure built in the past bubble days and the $100M+ it will cost Bend taxpayers now.

The no-holds barred slant of the BULL is stunning at times.

And the best part is that even though there is a comment submission form under this editorial, it is just for show. You can't actually type in it and leave a comment.

Really.

And yes, Buster, I'm working on my application right now.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

more like a 65 to 70% drop so far? still very severe but not quite 80 to 90%.

Look at the time period covered, and marges' post of recent sales...

From July to present covers the "hot" selling season. We're hitting the dry period, which portends to be so much worse than anyone thought possible.

Bewert said...

We don't have much money, but we sure can spend it.

From tomorrow's CC agenda:

C. Consider a roll call vote on a Resolution for a sole source contract with Infor Global Solutions in the amount of $480,813 Three years ago Public Works staff embarked upon an extensive search for an asset management system that would serve the needs of all its divisions. After numerous meetings with various firms and discussions with the City of Redmond on their selection, Public Works purchased asset management software and services from Infor Global Solutions. The main reason for the selection of Infor's product over others evaluated is that it has the capability of managing linear, fixed and mechanical assets. Other software evaluated by Public Works staff did not contain the ability to manage these assets on its own; to do so additional software would have to be purchased to supplement it. Buying multiple software packages was an option Public Works staff felt increased the risk of poor functionality. Purchasing Infor met our infrastructure needs and allows Public Works to encompass over one billion dollars of assets in one single software database. The Infor Global Solutions product allows City staff to plan, organize, track, and make informed decisions as well as improve efficiencies.

Bewert said...

Re: From July to present covers the "hot" selling season. We're hitting the dry period, which portends to be so much worse than anyone thought possible.

###

What scares me is property tax collection "season".

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Barram was the only candidate for council this fall to sign the Infrastructure First initiative, which is the product of a thinly disguised — and often nasty — campaign to complicate development in Bend. Bill Friedman, whose seat Barram seeks, said back in August that “this initiative is not as it pretends to be but is something that is incredibly destructive to the city.”

This is fucking incredible.

This woman had the gall to actually want to put INFRASTRUCTURE FIRST! WTF is she thinking? Doesn't she know that a little PR & Marketing will put out that fire?

Beware my friends: this BARRAM character cannot be trusted. Next thing she'll do is insist that we collect on the "deferred" SDC charges we've been granting! What's next? Streets & sewers built in accordance to the LAW! OH NO!!

SHE IS DANGEROUS!!! She actually wants to BUILD stuff INSTEAD OF MARKET MT BACHELOR!!! SHE'S A NAZI!!!!

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Councilors might be tempted to shrug off the Infrastructure First episode, but doing so would violate their obligation to serve their constituents responsibly.

Make up your mind Costa: Is this thing a clusterfuck or not?

Yeah, I know. You're too busy sucking Hollern's mega-cock to answer.

Anonymous said...

Let's NOT forget what 'infrastructure first' wanted to do, they said that ALL building of new home should cover the cost of infrastructure!!!!!!!

COMMUNIST I KNOW,

Imagine that actually paying for schools, water, sewer, roads, who but a fucking commie would want that???

The trouble of course is that HOLLERN owns the BULL, and the ONLY reason HOLLERN makes a profit in BEND is because he don't have to pay for 'infrastructure' if builder's in BEND had to pay the actual cost, instead of deferring, then there would be no profit.

WE MUST ensure profit for HOLLERN, this is why BEND exists.

Anonymous said...

Councilors might be tempted to shrug off the Infrastructure First episode, but doing so would violate their obligation to serve their constituents responsibly.

*

This isn't COSTA this is Smither's talk. First call 'infrastructure first' vindicative, and then suggest it might be responsible to provide federally mandated public services.

Typical 'Smithers Talk' having it both ways, appeasing all party's.

Anonymous said...

http://www.bendinfrastructurefirst.com/


Above is the vindicative website regarding 'infrastructure', nasty people think we need schools, sewers, roads, power, .... curbs, ... nasty nasty hobbits.

All the Goblins, and ORC's at city-hall, and the SORE, & BULL, know that standing in shit knee deep is BEND.

Anonymous said...

More good news today.

The insurance company's are going to be buying all the regional banks, so they can get the Paulson $700B cookie-jar.

Who would have guessed?

"Regulators declare the bail-out is working" ...

"The Surge is working" ...

It's all working, BUSH will save us!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Mean, Vindictive, commie hobbits, ..

1. What city requires a master plan before annexing land? NOT BEND. Bend won't even purchase rights of way in areas to be annexed. Take a look at Bend's unfixable SE street mess. (Redmond will soon require a master plan.)
2. What city requires infrastructure, including schools and parks, be installed concurrently with new development? NOT BEND! (Wilsonville has done it for 20 years.)
3. What is the purpose of this initiative? To seek a better Bend by combining growth with long-range planning through cooperation between the city and developers. Since Bend has become one of the fastest growing cities in the country, infrastructure has not kept pace with growth, and the quality of life for Bend residents has suffered. The initiative requires the city not to approve new developments unless the infrastructure for these developments is in place or under construction.
4. What is infrastructure? Transportation facilities (roads), water, sewer and storm water facilities, electrical power, parks and schools.
5. Who pays for infrastructure? Current residents pay through property taxes and assessments. These tend to increase significantly as infrastructure becomes inadequate due to growth. In fact, Councilor John Hummel warns the Council will soon hit voters with a monster tax increase for infrastructure. While the true demand every new home places on infrastructure approaches $50,000, each new home is assessed impact fees (also called System Development Charges) totalling only $12,500.
6. Will the initiative drive up the price of housing? Bend has already surpassed Portland in housing costs. Bend’s average home price is nearly $400,000, almost double what it was four years ago. Market forces rather than building costs drive housing prices. Like the current $12,500 impact fee on new homes, this initiative will have very little effect on housing prices.
7. How will the initiative affect growth? It will allow Bend to maintain an improved level of livability as it grows, which currently is not the case.
8. Is it realistic to expect the initiative will work? Yes. Wilsonville, a fast growing Portland suburb, has had such a plan in place for twenty years. The result is infrastructure needs are met as development occurs, and livability for the community is maintained in spite of its rapid growth.
9. Is Bend's City Council capable of planning infrastructure first? Yes. Click to HERE see the city's $100,000 Juniper Ridge plan for empty desert not even part of Bend. Now that the Council has given land to Les Schwab for less than the cost of running in infrastructure, we'll all pay, and pay, and pay!

Anonymous said...

Who would have guessed?

.......

The Poor are Leaving Bend
11/17/08 Bend
KOHD News

By Doug Johnson

Last year Kayla Casey, and her three-year-old daughter Emily, wanted to move into the East Lake Village apartments on 27th street in Bend. Casey liked the affordable housing units, because they were close to China Moon Restaurant, where she's a waitress, and across the street from the Forum Shopping Center.


"You know there's shopping and stuff, and it really looks nice on the outside, a lot better than the other apartments I've lived in," Kayla Casey says.

After being on the waiting list for ten months, she got a call saying an apartment had opened up. One resident, who has lived at East Lake Village since it opened seven years ago, says there have never been so many openings. It's the same situation at Summit Park Apartments, also affordable housing, on Full Moon Drive in Bend. Housing Works, part owner of the apartments, says the turn over rates for affordable housing is higher than it's been in the last five years. Those moving out have said there's not enough work here, so they're leaving to find jobs elsewhere.

"The consensus is mainly financial, so people are getting reduced hours, job loss, we're seeing a lot of people leave Central Oregon for better job markets," says Keith Wooden, Director of Housing Operations at Housing Works.

Many affordable housing residents are also down sizing to smaller apartments. The newest affordable housing project, the Lava Court Complex in downtown Bend, is scheduled to open next April. The sudden vacancies give an opportunity for others.

"Gives us some extra money to save for a bigger house down the road," Casey says.

Comments
Mon, 11/17/2008 - 22:14 — Old Timer
How can anyone "wonder" why people can't afford "affordable"

I watched the report on this and was amazed by the apparent confusion as to why people were moving out of this area. Here's a clue LIVING WAGES! Too many in this area think the minimum wage is the maximum benefit they can afford to pay those who keep their companies running. And, FINALLY things are beginning to show. People can no longer afford to pretend this area is "worth the hassle" of working here and trying to make ends meet. "Affordable housing?" Really? $700 and up a month to live in a place when you make just over $1000 a month with NO, zero, benefits? How is a person supposed to get a car loan in order to get to the jobs that "can't afford" to pay them TO get to work? Young people, the "future" here, have no chance and as I have said for decades, the service industry is now leaving due to lack of wages, benefits and any real commitment by those who run their businesses. Now what? How are those who've been so miserly going to continue when they no longer have anyone to hire who will accept the pittance they offer? The "chickens have finally come home to roost" and those who've refused to treat their neighbors fairly and honestly for so long only have themselves to blame.

Anonymous said...

Forever people who worked in Bend, had two jobs, and most commuted to LA-pines, or Redmond.

Today with no public transport, and fuel costs high, and mandatory auto-insurance, ... It's impossible to Live in Bend as Ass-pen, and its impossible for the poor to even live in Redmond.

Guess? It will soon be very hard to fill BEND's shitty low end jobs, as nobody can afford to work then, other than forty year old 'kids' living at home.

Bewert said...

You know how the council just approved a $3.5M expenditure for Suterra infrastructure?

From last August 8th CC Work Session:

Mr. Garzini believed the city reach an agreement with Suterra. The preferred site identified is to the north of Les Schwab in the Juniper Ridge Partners (JRP) option area. In and around the Les Schwab is where most of the businesses want to go and it is the most economical for the city. A sale price of $7/sf has been quoted to Suterra. He suggested that Suterra pay $6000 and the city pay $3000 towards the impact fee. The $3,000 would be taken from the proceeds. Suterra will pay for everything within the property, any off-site expenses (half million in sewer upgrades) and some street improvements. ...
In round numbers the road improvements are less than a million dollars and the sewer is half a million. These improvements open up other lands for other development.


The deal in the end was sure different from what was first represented, eh? That's what I mean by John and Jerry parsing information.

And the deal still isn't done, although Suterra continues to press forward on the ground.

This place is so mickey mouse sometimes it's breathtaking.

Quimby said...

>> The "chickens have finally come home to roost" and those who've refused to treat their neighbors fairly and honestly for so long only have themselves to blame.

Where do I start?

Employees exist in my business for one purpose and one purpose only. TO EARN ME A PROFIT. They are to be paid the lowest wage possible in order to keep them coming to work and performing to MY expectations.

Did they scrimp and save throughout their lives, delaying gratification, in order to gain capital, to risk said capital? Did they turn off their TVs and read books on business or a skilled trade night after night? HELL NO they didn't. Most (97% Buster?) are interested in the HERE & the NOW.

Any other thought of owing employees something is socialist/communist gobbledygook.

If they want to earn more than minimum wage doing a commoditized job that anyone with a breath can do, then go get some skills or education and improve your VALUE TO ME, the employer.

The world doesn't owe you SHIT.

Anonymous said...

Fuel costs are low again now. Just bring Palin to Bend. She can fix everything in a jiffy! She doesn't "pal around". Betcha she can!

Anonymous said...

Hey quimby, you sure sound like an a-hole. I've worked for people before who considered their employees to be stupid and unmotivated before just because they weren't after a six figure job (which I have now). That crappy attitude probably affects the results of your employees & their loyalty etc.

Anonymous said...

quimby's attitude toward his employees says more about him than it does about them. Can you imagine wanting to work for such a selfish boss? It's a huge demotivational factor... leading to the "don't ask me I just work here" syndrome.

Anonymous said...

Most (97% Buster?) are interested in the HERE & the NOW.

Any other thought of owing employees something is socialist/communist gobbledygook.

*

Think NYcity, rent-control, min-wage $20/hr, ... This is Bend our people 'deserve'.

The 97%? In Bend its probably like 99.7%, where 0.3% have any intention of any thing other than suck a tit for life.

The odd issue is for 3+ years the pol's have been crying for 'affordable housing', and now that shit can't be rented, ah yes, in Bend affordable is $200/mo, reminds me of the 1970's, where you made $800/mo, but rent was $200/mo today these people make $1600/mo, but rent is close to $1k/mo, and they have to have insurance, and a new SUV, ... Simply CANNOT be done.

No simple solution, sure put them in manufactured homes in Tumalo, Sisters, LA-PINES, Redmond, ... trouble still is their is no subsidized computer buses linking the dead-zone city's.

BEND is going to be classic this cycle, no matter how rich you are, there is going to be NOBODY to do you shit work.

Beware QUIM, BEWARE, .... I got rid of my last employees in 911, I have been telling DUNC for 2+ years to get rid of his employees, ... They're going to create an artificial min-wage in Bend, its coming, ... Employment taxes are killing DUNC, and he still doesn't get it, ...

I honestly think the way to survive is be your own boss, and if you have family, have them help, as it can be legally under the table. Pay your self ZERO, ... and just fucking live.

Anonymous said...

Sounds to ME, that EITHER HBM or Smithers is here posting today as anonyMOUSE.

Cold day in HELL before Smithers or HBM ever had their own company and made payroll.

I'll just say ONE fucking thing, an employee knows how much up front he'll earn, if he don't like it, then find another job, or another town. That said, most will be doing the latter.

For years here in this region, folks worked to shitty shifts in BEND washing dishes, and slept in a trailer in LA-PINES or REDMOND, that lifestyle is returning except this time it will be van or camper on the side streets of BEND.

HEY SMITHERS, you know your wifes BIKE shop?? EVERY fucking night there are two vans parked in the alley behind her shop with power cords running to the bike wall to run their space heaters, and charge their TV & Computer this is how BEND will live.

Anonymous said...

You know how the council just approved a $3.5M expenditure for Suterra infrastructure?


*

FUCK YOU SMITHERS, the city OK'd $4.3M for Suterra Infrastructure, credit as a deferred SDC, that will never be paid, a month ago.

Note that today there is exactly $4.3M short from the general-fund, who would have guessed?

To date for every $3M land sale, it has cost the city over $10M, currently JR-BURA today is $24M in the whole, and that is after making a whopping $5M in land sales.

What a way to do business, but the good news is that Knife-River got $24M worth of biz, to keep their heads above water during the BEND depression.

Anonymous said...

Most (97% Buster?) are interested in the HERE & the NOW.

*

QUIM,

LOOK at this board, its like 99.7%, hell HOMER is a renter, smithers, ... they're all fucking renters, even in their middle age.

Don't expect anything from the people on this board, or the people of BEND.

The good news is all these KUNTS will be gone in one year.

Sorry HOMER, ... BEM&BUSTER will still be here, and we'll be cleaning up your mess.

Quimby said...

Ahole? Nah, just calling them as I see em.

>> quimby's attitude toward his employees says more about him than it does about them

Let em guess, you're an employee...

The resentment is strong with this one.

My employees are my employees and not my friends. They know where they stand with me, we have a good "friendly" working relationship, but the when the moment comes that they start COSTING me in lost profit, they are gone.

Never forget, employees exist for one purpose only in for profit enterprises, to amplify earning potential for the owner/shareholders. Nothing more.

Why would I want to put up with such pain-in-the ass situations if it didn't benefit me? For fucking charity???

Anonymous said...

>Never forget, employees exist for one purpose only in for profit enterprises, to amplify earning potential for the owner/shareholders. Nothing more.


And never forget that happy employees work harder, stay employees longer, and fuck over the boss less.

I luckily work for a boss who understands this, pays well,and has profit sharing.

No way would I work for a boss like quimby again. It happened for about 4 weeks in 1998. Before then - same employer for 7 years, then I moved here. 10 years at my current job.

Maybe if quimby paid better and was nicer to his employees they wouldn't be a "pain-in-the-ass" situation.

douchebag.

Anonymous said...

Happy employees are more efficient and make the owner more profit.

It's like the disconnect people have about paying less for you shit at Wal-Mart, which causes the locally owned store that payed your neighbor better to close, which means the neighbor can't go out to dinner, which causes the waitress to not have the money to buy the product you sell, which makes you less money, so you have to shop at Wal-Mart.

Quimby said...

>> Maybe if quimby paid better and was nicer to his employees they wouldn't be a "pain-in-the-ass" situation.

You're assuming A LOT with this statement.

Anonymous said...

One of the coffee shops last summer had the quality go downhill noticeably. Baristas were quitting to go work elsewhere because the boss was not giving raises and treating them poorly. The new baristas were not as skilled and didn't give as much a damn. I stopped going, as did others I know.

The cost to pay the baristas more per hour most likely would have been more than offset by keeping us as customers.

Disconnect.

Quimby said...

Sorry I was gone the last hour and couldn't respond until now. I had to fire someone.

Seriously though. We can talk all the nice warm fuzzy bullshit about profit sharing and this and that but at the end of the day, you have to agree with my definition of the purpose for employees, right?

If not, lets just cut to the chase and have the Gubbmint deliver food and cargo to "the people's" front door. Why bother with the exercise?

Quimby said...

>> they wouldn't be a "pain-in-the-ass" situation.

OK, somebody WHO OWNS A BUSINESS, tell me ,with a straight face, that employees are not a pain-in-the-ass.

Quimby said...

no matter how much they're paid BTW.

It is rare, and it CAN happen, but rarely.

Anonymous said...

OK, somebody WHO OWNS A BUSINESS, tell me ,with a straight face, that employees are not a pain-in-the-ass.

*

SHIT QUIM, I could write a book, done a dozen high-tech start-ups.

My favorite quote comes from my accountant of 40+ years he says ... "If you find ONE GOOD employee in your lifetime, your fucking lucky".

This guy also says "If it were easy to be rich, everyone would be rich".

EMPLOYEES SUCK, I'll tell you what buster says about employees.

"Employees are like children, but children grow-up and eventually leave the house and quit sucking the tit. Employees never grow-up, and whine and beg, and parasitically suck you dry until you die. The difference between children and employees, is that employees never leave the nest, they stay in dependent mode forever."

Don't make any traction with Smithers or HBM QUIM, 99% of the people on this board are lazy stupid fucking renter losers,

Anonymous said...

Well,
I'm part owner of a business, and I don't find my staff to be a pain in the ass.
We have turnover of about 2% a year. I don't rent their backs - I want their minds. I want them engaged.

Anonymous said...

Happy employees are more efficient and make the owner more profit.

*

MOST PEOPLE are not happy, THOREAU & EMERSON long ago said that most people lived lives of quiet desperation.

True then & now, a BOSS can't make anyone happy.

'Happy Employee', what a fucking oxymoron, a fucking employee is a slave, a min-wage slave, who is so fucking desperate must sell their fucking life hours and toil, a fucking happy slave, you fuckers are so self deluded ain't even worth the effort of showing the light.

It's like DUNC ( ned flanders ) allegory of cave the other day, go read employees never leave the cave, how do you make someone who will NEVER see the light of day (BEND's 99.7% )?? You don't you can't.

YOU CHOOSE to be a slave 'employees', and your happiness is your fucking business.

Anonymous said...

We have turnover of about 2% a year. I don't rent their backs - I want their minds. I want them engaged.

*

Here's a fucking MGR not an owner, a REAL fucking owner is paying salary 100% out of his own fucking pocket, with his own fucking money.

Like HBM the other day who said he knew what it was like to be a owner cuz he worked at the BULL.

If your not 100% owner, and you never had to load your credit cards personally and be the 100% obligatory party for tons of mouths to feed, then you are full of fucking shit.

Sure with OPM ( other peoples money ) employees are fine, but if its YOUR $100k/month on the line, and 50% of the people are playing with their dicks ( playing windows solataire ), .... Employees must be watched like a hawk. By the owner, finding a good manager is almost impossible.

QUIM, this debate is futile I don't think you'll find anyone in this forum that has ever made payroll, and was the 100% OWNER.

Anonymous said...

I work for city-hall, and I make payroll, and all the employees are happy, so you people don't know what your talking about.

Happiness is the most important thing for an employee, a giddy feeling all day, while we dance to taxpayer tunes, its like perpetual orgasm to be working for the City of Bend.

Anonymous said...

The cost to pay the baristas more per hour most likely would have been more than offset by keeping us as customers.


*

Barristas get 100% of their pay from TIPS, the boss doesn't have a fucking thing to do with a coffee shop other than paying the bills.

It's up to the barrista to make the place cool, have tunes, and kiss the customer ass, if a place fails its because the customers have moved on to a cooler more hip coffee shop, or the baristas are ASS-HOLES.

Almost all the coffee shops in BEND suck dick.

Quimby said...

>> QUIM, this debate is futile I don't think you'll find anyone in this forum that has ever made payroll, and was the 100% OWNER.

You're right, I'm likely pissing into the wind.

tim said...

I don't think what Quimby is saying about employees is incompatible with the idea that employees that are happy with their job do a better job.

It doesn't really take away from Quimby's truism, does it? People who talk about "happiness" at work are really just bringing up another reason that employees are a pain in the ass.

It just adds another layer of what you have to do to get your employees to make you money.

If you guys are just talking about attitude, then fine. Maybe Quimby's attitude in front of his employees is different than what he says here.

Quimby said...

>> Maybe Quimby's attitude in front of his employees is different than what he says here.


Uhhhh, yeah. For sure! I have to play nice games with them just like they play nice games with me. My goals and their goals are diametrically opposed. It is the nature of the relationship and anyone who says differently is full of shit and doesn't know what they're talking about.

This forum doesn't tolerate bullshit (and neither do I).

And...no one has provided me with an alternate reason for a business owner to take on employees.

Quimby said...

and thanks for the support Tim.

Quimby said...

and of course Buster.

Bewert said...

Re: Sounds to ME, that EITHER HBM or Smithers is here posting today as anonyMOUSE.

Nope. Been doing the Grand Jury Foreman thing all day. Learning even more about just how much crime is in this county.

Bewert said...

Oops. Please imagine a ### between the above two paragraphs, for Buster.

Bewert said...

Re: Cold day in HELL before Smithers or HBM ever had their own company and made payroll.

Been there, done that. Just figured out the Fed deposit for yesterday for NWA.

Bewert said...

Re: FUCK YOU SMITHERS, the city OK'd $4.3M for Suterra Infrastructure, credit as a deferred SDC, that will never be paid, a month ago.

###

Mike, please cite your source. Ranting is useless.

Bewert said...

Re: HEY SMITHERS, you know your wifes BIKE shop?? EVERY fucking night there are two vans parked in the alley behind her shop with power cords running to the bike wall to run their space heaters, and charge their TV & Computer this is how BEND will live.

Hmmm...haven't seen those guys. The owner is building the house right behind, and they all live with Eddie, a trust funder, at the moment.

I'll have to ask Norway about that.

tim said...

>>Nope. Been doing the Grand Jury Foreman thing all day. Learning even more about just how much crime is in this county.

Are there crime stats to tell us whether crime has really picked up or if it is just a perception we have?

Anonymous said...

Like HBM the other day who said he knew what it was like to be a owner cuz he worked at the BULL.

I didn't say I knew what it was like to be an OWNER; I said I knew what it was like to be MANAGEMENT.

I had some employees who were pains in the ass and a couple I had to fire. Some people are just pains in the ass. It's their nature.

But I have to wonder about employers who say ALL employees are pains in the ass. Either they're making an awful lot of bad hires or they're doing something that turns their employees into pains in the ass.

Maybe their employees are pains in the ass because the boss is a pain in the ass. I've generally found that if you're a pain in the ass to people they often will be a pain in the ass right back.

I can tell just from his comments here that quim is a pain in the ass to everybody. Buster likewise.

Quimby said...

>> I can tell just from his comments here that quim is a pain in the ass to everybody.

Ha ha, HBM. You don't know me very well :)

Besides, even as a manager, you're an employee in an employee mentality and I view your comments through that filter. Nothing personal.

Anonymous said...

quimby says his goal are diametrically opposed to those of his employees? WTF type of business is this? My goal is that the company that employees me continues to be wildly successful (as it is right now) and I can keep my cushy 6 figure salary. I am quite motivated because I am well paid and pampered and because I have get equity compensation.

Anonymous said...

I guess I'm forgetting the target audience of this blog: those who believe that it's impossible to be doing fine in Bend or that anyone has a good job. I do live in somewhat of a bubble as a software developer.

Quimby said...

>> My goal is that the company that employees me continues to be wildly successful (as it is right now) and I can keep my cushy 6 figure salary. I am quite motivated because I am well paid and pampered and because I have get equity compensation.

Sounds like you work for Google. Is your employer's company publicly held? If so, its easy to pay big w/ OPM.

Besides, if you make $100,000+, you're doing alright. But if they could do without you or you were unprofitable for them, you'd be out of a job (unless this is a public entity such as a govt).

Anonymous said...

Different poster, but I too work in software, make decent money and have full equity sharing. We (200+ of us) get profit sharing, as well as partial ownership. It is a privately owned company that has been around for 25+ years. The head of the company is looking to retire (he's in his 60s), so the company is for sale. If it sells, each of us gets a piece of the sale.

I can't imagine working for someone who saw me as an adversary with diametrically opposed goals.

Anonymous said...

partial ownership

*

Partial pregnancy is also very good with salted pork.

I love this a 'partial owner' knows all about making payroll.

Partial ownership, is just a nice way of telling employees, that they don't have a right to a paycheck.

YOU ALL BE DUMB FUCKING KUNTS.

Anonymous said...

>Partial ownership, is just a nice way of telling employees, that they don't have a right to a paycheck.


Wow. You really have no idea about a lot of things.

Anonymous said...

I said I knew what it was like to be MANAGEMENT.

*

Please go away you fucking CUNT, when the FUCKING SORE starts right articles about SUTERRA show your fucking face. When you quit deleting all the fucking posts at YOUR SORE, then show your face.

You are no different than Rush Limbaugh. In fact HBM is Rush Limbaugh.

No, HBM you said you knew all about ownership, and being a boss because you were a big HUNCHO at da-BULL, BULL FUCKING shit, you probably didn't have the authority to change your own diapers.

Anonymous said...

Nobody said you have to be 'poor' to live in BEND,

YES, bamboozled there are lots of $100k software-game jobs in BEND at least a couple dozen of those jobs I know of, the good news is that genre will not survive the depression.

Bewert said...

Re: Are there crime stats to tell us whether crime has really picked up...

Good question. I'll try to find out.

Anonymous said...

>Partial ownership, is just a nice way of telling employees, that they don't have a right to a paycheck.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that a company that has been run with profit for 25+ years and has 200+ employees is a bit better run than yours. Never missed a paycheck.

Anonymous said...

You're right, I'm likely pissing into the wind.

*

There are some debates that you cannot have in this forum and intelligent money making and risk management is one of them.

When we talk about Dildos, and renting we can talk a thread.

But talk about Palin, or Employee rights, and all of a sudden you got HBM&SMITHER's 24/7 doing their dog&pony show.

If your middle age, and still a fucking employee, YOUR FUCKED.

I'll say one other thing on this subject, start your own biz in your 20's and be retired by your 40's, cuz by the time your in your 40's or 50's, it ain't going to be fun any more.

Like talking about real estate investment with this group of loser renters.

What we do best is watching the SORE&BULL and writing blogger-fodder therein, any attempt of rational conversation on wealth in this group has always been a dismal failure.

Like our 3%(97%) figure from richest man in BABYLON, I'm convinced the stupid fucking day-to-day paycheck-to-paycheck crowd in BEND is 99.7%, this fucking group has always proved that BEND is retarded, the scary thing is that this is the 'best of Bend'.

So Quim, or Lava, ... go to it time to time, or APU(TT), but don't fucking think for a second that any of the loser KUNTS will know what your talking about.

'Happiness' Like I quoted today go read Thoreau or Emerson from the 1800's the greatest US writers in AmeriKKKan history, then & and now they made the observation that MOST ameriKKKan's lived a life of 'quiet desperation', and Tocqueville made the same observation.

You can bitch slap these KUNTS like Smithers & HBM all you want, but they're like those punching bags that bounce up, and bags retain the same amount of memory. Both HBM&Smithers are Nihilists, they don't believe in anything, other than their own self-importance, which ain't worth shit.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that a company that has been run with profit for 25+ years and has 200+ employees is a bit better run than yours. Never missed a paycheck.

*

This company doesn't exist in BEND? A company of over 200+ and 25+ years? What st-charles? Brooks? Bend Research?

There aren't that many companys that were around here 25+ years ago with 200+ employees fucking name the company??

My guess is that once again, we're talking about a CALI company, but NOTE KUNTS, the debate is about BEND.

p.s. I never missed a payroll ever.

Anonymous said...

Talking about lazy fucking employees, I remember in the 50's at Tektronix VOLLUM used to say when folks said 'how many work at tek', Vollum would always say 50%, ...

Years later at Floating-Point when Winningstad was asked 'how many work at FP?" ditto W, would say 50% ...

From a principal point of view what do say? If there are 1,000's of employees its easy to have 1/2 not working, or in government its easy to have 90% not working.

I have found that optimum, IMHO is to have a couple dozen high-tech people and pay them what WANT. Brooks Man Month Mythology wrote a lot about critical number on a team, and the failure of adding warm bodies to a project.

Show me a place that has 200 people, and I'll show you a kluster-fuck.

Most of the high-tech companys in Bend are a few dozen, hell this months cascade business news has a list of all high-tech in BEND and the avg employee count was ONE, which means the avg company was just one guy!!! YES, BEND land of the BIG-TIME.

I think if you look at the list, there aren't two on the list over 200.

Anonymous said...

Good question. I'll try to find out.

*

Ya, leave it to Smithers for fucking factual INFO, like the $400k/yr legal-beagle for BEND, every day Smithers gives us new info, but the fact is the city approved it back this summer.

Yes, just wait for Smithers, and he'll find out, nobody here dare find out anything on their own, just wait for Smithers, he'll tell you.

Anonymous said...

On a please NOTE, Eric Holder will be OREO's AG, Senior Holder also an OREO, best known for getting the Marc Rich pardon for ISRAEL.

Yes, we got change, coming to OREO land.

NOTHING better than an OREO owned by AIPAC, the press is already calling Holder a 'black jew'.

tim said...

In my experience, when a tech company has a tough time and they can cut and survive, what they count down to is 15-25, so I always figured that's the right number for most tech outfits.

foz said...

I think that if you are morally and spiritually bankrupt, you probably shouldn't be in a business that has employees, your business will soon be bankrupt too. You will end up hating your business and blaming your "pain in the ass employees" for all your problems. I was the soul owner of a successful business for 26 years. We had very low employee turnover. I always looked at anyone who worked there as an asset. In the end I sold the business to the employees and it is still going strong 11 years later

Anonymous said...

I have to wonder about employers who say ALL employees are pains in the ass.

*

Jeebus XMAS, other than sucking COSTA dick at the BULL, or CHAMBERS' dick, or whomever, what the fuck do you known about being a EMPLOYER??

Given the laws, most people just use what they have like the military, all grunts are cannon fodder most CEO's take the same approach, ...

But here were talking about the small biz on less that 100 people owned by ONE person, who has to make the payroll twice a month. You simply can't afford to have anyone NOT pulling their own weight, me thinks that concept is impossible for a parasite like HBM to fathom, I mean hell in the newsprint biz, you only have to show up, and the SORE, you just have to write SHIT, like they say a COLUMN of SHIT, is a COLUMN of SHit.

foz said...

it's impossible to have an average count of one unless a lot of those company's had an employee count of zero

tim said...

foz,

Doesn't it still come down to you wouldn't have employees if they didn't make you money?

Not quite sure what this fight is about.

tim said...

>>it's impossible to have an average count of one unless a lot of those company's had an employee count of zero

Or if they round down to integer.

Or if the average is not a mean, but a median.

Anonymous said...

. I was the soul owner of a successful business for 26 years. We had very low employee turnover.

*

Foz, where the fuck have you been?

Nobody here is advocating TURN-OVER.

Success in BIZ is survival, given the implicit fact that your business has now gone tits-up, you are in fact NOT a success.

Taken what you say literally, 'we had no turn-over for 26 years, then one day I let go of everyone', yeh a real fucking success.

I think the point today we were trying to make is that EMPLOYEES are a pain in the ass. If you thought your employees were your pride and joy, then you must have been fucking them in the ass, ...

Employees are just fucking wage-slaves, to assume their happiness is bullshit, to assume they love you is bullshit,

Success in Business is survival, but most genres never last because of fad-dism.

Lastly, the 'foz' is the guy that's the fucking stock broker here, that works by himself, now all of a sudden we learn he had a successful biz for 26+ years, and he lived in cali, the foz doesn't live in BEND, what the fuck does any this have to do with anything??

EMPLOYEES EAT SHIT, nobody advocated high turn-over, ....

This entire debate is pissing in the wind, must have been initiated by Smithers.

Quimby said...

>> Not quite sure what this fight is about.

I think its mainly a reaction to me laying it on the line in my brash style.

Sorry for the brashness all. Just the truth.

foz said...

yeah after getting sick of having employees I went to work as a broker in TX (not Cali)then after that I moved to Bend and went to work for myself running a small hedge fund. Now I'm living in the NW still doing the same thing. I check in with this blog because I still have a lot of connections in Bend. Plus it always reaffirms my decision to get out of Bend.

Anonymous said...

Not quite sure what this fight is about.

*

It's not about anything APU, HBM baited QUIM, ...

The happiest day in MY LIFE is when I got rid of my last employee, I will never again have employees, did that for 30+ years.

That said, employees do let you travel, it was nice to go spend months in Europe, and have a business make you money in Absentia, thus from that point of view, ... but the problem is when-ever I wasn't there to crack the whip, I lost 4X, 2X for not being there, and 2X for spending on the trip.

Since I have no longer have employees, I find no longer desire to escape business, I would dread coming to work when I had tons' of employees everyday was like 'what have they destroyed today', what fuckup will there be today, ...

Like I said Employees are just children that NEVER GROW UP.

An Employee like HBM, or SMITHERS, ... or +90% of the KUNTS here are exactly these kinds of people, in the days of old, say in CHINA you would just take BP out and cut his head off, and then for a few weeks the other BP's would tow the line.

Anonymous said...

Plus it always reaffirms my decision to get out of Bend.
-foz

*

Your a good man, sorry to be hard on you, I think thats why you like this group.

Where in the NW?

p.s. Bend is actually getting better, they're starting to leave, ...

The best days ( think 1983 ) are starting to return.

Anonymous said...

I think its mainly a reaction to me laying it on the line in my brash style.

*

The problem is +90% of this group are employees ( wage slaves ), and thus it is impossible for them to participate in the debate, they are the children, we are the parents, ...

Children someday grow up and say, mom/dad I must have been a real pain in the ass.

An employee never grows up, and employee never has that conversation with the boss, the employee just keeps blaming his company and looks for his 'happiness'.

Real happiness is found in doing what you love. If you happen to get paid, all the better.

Pissing in the wind is trying to explain to wage-slaves how masters think.

foz said...

""Doesn't it still come down to you wouldn't have employees if they didn't make you money?""

Well in most cases that answer would be yes but there are times when you go through hard times and have to make the decision to carry good employees till the good times return, even if it means increasing losses. Other times you hire someone who just needs help. They often turn out to be the best employees.

foz said...

""Your a good man, sorry to be hard on you, I think thats why you like this group""

Sorry I didn't realize you were being hard on me :-)

I'm up on an Island north of Seattle.
I can really be anywhere now as long as I have a high speed connection. But I will be in Bend for Thanksgiving!

Bewert said...

Re: Ya, leave it to Smithers for fucking factual INFO

Yeah, you are a font of factual INFO, asshole.

Why not back up your ranting with actual fucking documents.

The last thing I heard you say to the City Council was a blowjob from the Southwest Neighborhood Assn.

Fuck off, Mike. Back up your BS or shut the fuck up.

I don't fucking work for anyone around here that matters. By far most of my income is patent licensing to companies far away.

I sub teach with autistic kids-and am so much in demand I ended up getting put on PERS last year. I spend a few hours a day greenskeeping at Widgi in the summer, for a financial pittance and free golf everywhere around here.

That is the fucking extent of my dependence on Bend. I can get along fine without either of them.

So get over the fucking Smithers BS.

You all want to hear some sucking Council cock, I'll provide MP3's of Mike in front of them.

You know why I don't take your advice? Because you fucking rave too much without any fucking backup. Facts are facts. BS is BS. Farting in your bathtub is what it is. BS.

foz said...

so let me get this straight...if you work at widgi you get to play at the other courses? How do I get on that program. I do miss golf in Bend!

Bewert said...

Foz, you hit it on the head. Good employees pay for themselves. Useless ones get culled, preferably quickly. In my experience, employees know more than you do about who gets shit done and how the company is doing at ground level.

Firing people that don't pull their weight is the first hard lesson to learn.

Quimby said...

>> Children someday grow up and say, mom/dad I must have been a real pain in the ass.

>> An employee never grows up, and employee never has that conversation with the boss, the employee just keeps blaming his company and looks for his 'happiness'.

I actually had this conversation with a former boss of mine after I started my biz. I'm sure he was floored. But then again, he knew that I had moved over to the dark side at that point.

Bewert said...

Foz, it's like pro ski patrol.

It's a professional quid pro quo. We played about a dozen courses around here as a group, and you can usually get your boss (Paul Rozek at Widgi, a great guy) to call ahead and get you a round if you are traveling.

Patrolling at Alta, I skied everything from Red Mountain, Rossland, BC, to Telluride, Aspen, etc. My favorite other area is still Jackson Hole.

The idea is you talk to your counterparts (who usually try to kick your ass) at the other places and learn what they do better than you. Upgrade the industry.

Quimby said...

>> Good employees pay for themselves. Useless ones get culled, preferably quickly.

That's been my point all day! But, they better do more than pay for themselves....think PROFIT.

A constant ROI calculation is going on in my head.

Anonymous said...

>The best days ( think 1983 ) are starting to return.<

Halleluiah(sp)

Back to the days when you got a 10 or 12 hour days work out of an employee for 8 hours pay. Those were the days.
Back in the day I worked 25/9 365 for $800 a month, gas and beef. Best days of my life, I think.

No...now are the best days. Cut back on expenses and I am back in the 80's. Yahoo !!!!

foz said...

of the lessons in business that someone who was incredibly successful relayed to me

Don't ever do a partnership
Don't do business with doctors or lawyers (which I didn't listen to to my regret)
Always hire people that are smarter then you and treat and pay them well.

As was stated above on another post by someone, without good employees I wouldn't have traveled the world, or had the good life I've had. But like was also stated above, the happiest day in my life was when I didn't have to deal with employees anymore. Every now and then I fantasize about expanding and getting good employees and then I go and get a stiff drink and wake up from that nightmare.

Quimby said...

FOZ>> I always looked at anyone who worked there as an asset.

Exactly! A rented asset to be more specific.

FOZ>> I think that if you are morally and spiritually bankrupt, you probably shouldn't be in a business that has employees

better not tell them that I'm a pastor and my biz is running a church just kidding! :)

Bewert said...

Re: Every now and then I fantasize about expanding and getting good employees and then I go and get a stiff drink and wake up from that nightmare.

The way out of that nightmare is called licensing. Other peoples employees make your money. You get to keep creating more cool stuff. Which you patent or trademark and sell to someone who sees the potential. Repeat.

Although licensees can be like employees--you just don't have to match FICA and Medicare every month. And firing them is a bit more problematic at times.

Don't do exclusives without minimums. That's the key.

Quimby said...

FOZ>> But like was also stated above, the happiest day in my life was when I didn't have to deal with employees anymore.

So they were what....."a pain in the ass"? Useful albeit....

foz said...

I was probably a bigger pain in the ass :-)

Quimby said...

I hear you LOL!

tim said...

>>Don't do exclusives without minimums. That's the key.

Explain. Minimum whats?

Bewert said...

Minimum royalties.

Bewert said...

It's usually expressed in so many thousand dollars per quarter. Royalty payments are usually paid quarterly. Try for 15% of gross, it's a good starting point.

Never work off net. It's too easy to manipulate expenses, as any entrepreneur knows.

Bewert said...

BTW-The latest colloquialism for cocksucking asslicker is "Joe Lieberman". There is quite a revolt swelling in the netroots, which will be interesting in the coming weeks.

Barack, at what point us enough, enough?

Anonymous said...

Um, bruce, yeah I meant to tell you. Barack's not here anymore. He's not even answering anymore on Twitter.

Bewert said...

Yeah, it seems like that. Lot's of pissed of folks over that...

I'm curious to see what happens. And hoping and praying it's not just more of the fucking same with a new face.

If it is the same old BS, like his national security picks for his transition team, etc., this country is over.

And I'll take Timmy's advice to heart.

I find it hard to believe that Obama is making such choices so early, but actions speak truth, while words are "Yes we can" BS, if not followed through.

tim said...

Bruce,

I don't give a damn if you follow my advice, as long as I know you understand it.

Believe it or not, I listen to you, too. I listen to everyone.

Anonymous said...

>This company doesn't exist in BEND? A company of over 200+ and 25+ years?

Toronto.

Anonymous said...

http://howobamagotelected.com/

Anonymous said...

> http://howobamagotelected.com/

They forgot to mention he was a better candidate with views that more
Americans thought were closer to theirs.

Go cry somewhere else.

Anonymous said...

"thought" is right. Unfortunately, the media was in the tank for O

No question about it
I can cry wherever I want, fuckyouverymuch.

Bewert said...

Today's headlines from the BULL:

"Welfare and food stamp applications soar in area" (welfare requests up 45.6% in Bend)

"Board eyes cost options for Summit High field repairs"(cost-$10M, how to pay for it-clueless)

"Speed enforcement on Parkway today" (be extra careful out there today)

"Bend room taxes down in September" (down 8.2% for Sept., 9.5% for fiscal year starting July 1)

"Oregon is helping forge 'new economy,' report says" (only one mention of Bend--a Roger Lee feel good quote)

"Paulson opposes bailout aid for homeowners and Big 3" (listen for the giant sucking sound of $2 trillion in taxpayer dollars going to banks with zero transparency)

"Treasury to review new tax break plan" (seems an obscure rule change the day before the bailout "...will hand banks at least $110 billion..." in further tax breaks)

"Travel via car, plane expected to drop for holiday" (see above re: room tax revenues)

"Wholesale prices plunge in October" and "Gas falls below $2 at local stations"
(finally some good news)

"Expert advice: To land a job, stay visible, positive" (What more can I say?)

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Well, this housing bubble is just working out peachy for so many. Luckily we flogged it 10 fold harder here than anywhere else in the country.

Welfare and food stamp applications soar in area

Rate of requests from Central Oregon outpaces rest of state, figures show

By James Sinks / The Bulletin

SALEM — Oregon’s economic downturn is hitting Central Oregon families particularly hard, state statistics released Tuesday show.

The number of people receiving welfare checks and food stamps is up across the state, but the fastest rate of growth is occurring in the region made up of Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties.

“It’s terrible news, but it’s not a surprise because we knew unemployment is high in rural Oregon,” said state Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, whose district stretches from Black Butte Ranch to Madras to Baker City.

The new figures from the Department of Human Services show the city of Bend saw a 46 percent spike in welfare aid, known formally as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, based on numbers from October 2007 to October 2008. And compared with a year ago, 24 percent more Bend families and 33 percent more Redmond families are receiving food stamps.

Statewide, the number of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is up 16 percent and the number receiving food stamps increased by approximately 13 percent, the agency said.

The three-county Central Oregon district, which includes Culver, La Pine, Brothers, Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras and Warm Springs, saw a 29 percent increase in the welfare caseload and a 25 percent increase in food stamps.

“This last year was tough for a lot of people,” said Patrick Carey, a DHS district manager for Jefferson, Crook and Deschutes counties, in a news release.

“Even for people who haven’t lost their jobs, expenses have jumped for so many things in the last year — food, fuel, tuition, prescriptions, health care — which can be disastrous for folks with low or fixed incomes. It’s a challenge for us to keep up with all the new cases.”

The new data comes on the heels of bleak Oregon unemployment numbers from October that showed the largest single-month jump in the jobless rate since 1980.

The state hasn’t released the October data by industry sector, but September figures show that job losses in Central Oregon this year have been primarily in construction and manufacturing, such as wood products and airplane assembly, said Art Ayre, an analyst for the Oregon Employment Department.

The state economist will release what’s expected to be another dose of bleak news today in a revised revenue forecast.

It will be the first projection of state revenue since this fall’s stock market collapse.

Welfare and food stamps are federally funded and based on eligibility, so everybody who qualifies will receive them, said Lauri Stewart, a spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services.

That’s not the case for programs offered through Central Oregon nonprofits, such as energy assistance and rental help, where demand is outstripping the supply of funds, said Sharon Miller, executive director of Redmond-based NeighborImpact.

Last month, the nonprofit had more than 70 people show up to a single class in Redmond about how to avoid eviction from rentals and to seek financial help — but there is only enough money to help five of those families, she said.

More dollars will be available for energy assistance, she said, but that doesn’t keep people in their houses.

“We’re here to help people, and when we have to turn people away, day after day, it is such a strain, and we don’t know what to do about it this year,” she said.

“A lot of folks in this community have never been in this economic position before. In their mind, there is an expectation that we have a safety net in this country, but when they find out there’s very little, they are shocked.”

State Sen. Rick Metsger, D-Welches, whose district includes Hood River County, said the plunging economy means the state — which relies primarily on income taxes — won’t have extra dollars to help people asking for aid, despite an inevitable increase in demand for programs like the Oregon Health Plan.

“That’s how it usually happens, and it’s a divergent track line,” he said. “There’s less revenue and more people at the door.”

Ferrioli said the economic woes will force lawmakers to make tough choices in the session that starts in January. Those will most certainly include rolling back pay raises for public workers and cutting travel for state employees, he said, but that won’t be enough.

“Unquestionably, it will be programs that are cut,” he said. “We’re at a place now where all nonessential government spending needs to go.”

The trouble is, few people agree which — if any — programs are not essential.

Demand for food stamps and welfare payments also soared by double digits in the Medford area, Klamath and Lake counties, and along the Idaho border, the state said.

There were 12,993 families in the Central Oregon region who qualified for and were receiving food stamps, up from 10,411 in 2007.

Food stamps are provided on a sliding scale, and families can receive as little as $14 and as much as $426 per month, said Stewart, the DHS spokeswoman.

To qualify, families can have a monthly income of as much of 185 percent of the poverty line. For a family of three, that translates to $2,714, or an annual income of $32,568, she said.

Eligibility is much tighter for welfare payments, which go to the poorest of the poor — and are based not just on lower monthly income but also lack of assets.

A family of three must earn less than $616 per month to qualify.

There were 897 Central Oregon families receiving Temporary Aid for Needy Families in October, up from 690 a year ago. In Bend alone, there were 345 families, up from 237.

Those checks are also on a sliding scale; the maximum benefit for a family of three is $528 per month, Stewart said.

“That’s not a lot to live on,” she said.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

“A lot of folks in this community have never been in this economic position before. In their mind, there is an expectation that we have a safety net in this country, but when they find out there’s very little, they are shocked.”

These people are what I lovingly refer to as CALI-BANGERS. People who have predicated their lives on consuming all sorts of shit they don't need up to their debt-strangled necks.

Holy Shit! I've never maxed out my cards before and not been able to get 3 more cards to pay it off! WTF!!

This is what you call your Great Deleveraging. Lenders actually want to get paid, but not with loans from other lenders, and CALI-BANGERS got to sell their shit.

Biggest Economic Trend of the next 10-20 years.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Interesting headline:

Oregon is helping forge ‘new economy,’ report says
By Andrew Moore / The Bulletin

Information technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and a highly educated work force are key to establishing the “new economy” of the future, and Oregon is among the top 15 states positioned to lead the way, said two think tanks in a joint report issued Tuesday.

According to “The 2008 State New Economy Index,” released by the Kansas City, Mo.-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Washington, D.C.-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Oregon ranked 15th in terms of making a transition to such an economy, up two spots from its 2007 score but down from its 2002 ranking of 13th.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

OK, so we are helping "FORGE NEW ECONOMY", right?

But actually this is just a lamewad report that puts us in a report at a 15th ranking.

It's just a listing of ALL 50 states and their rank.

That's like the Redmond Airport being ranked 12th in the state in size (for example), and then COSTA declaring "REDMOND AIRPORT HELPING FORGE CENTRAL OREGON AS INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE HUB TO THE WORLD", or some shit.

This is what I mean: This place takes UNIMPRESSIVE STATS in a report that probably doesn't even really mention Oregon (and if it does, it is talking about Portland), and makes these incredibly GRANDIOSE statements & conclusions that ARE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND IN THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT ITSELF. This piece is 100% FLUFF made up by COSTA.

That's Bend Media, folks. Blowing sunshine up your skirt for over 30 years.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Oregon is helping forge ‘new economy,’ report says

This headline is just a baldfaced LIE.

This report DOES NOT say this!

Amazing that this sort of FLUFF-PACKED BULLSHIT sees the light of day in any self-respecting newspaper.

Ooops, sorry. I forgot, The Bulletin is just a vehicle for COSTA to suck Hollern's mega-cock 24/7, and isn't really a newspaper at all.

Anonymous said...

quim: "Sorry for the brashness all. Just the truth."

The truth as you see it, of course. Many of us see it differently. Of course you disparage the views of anyone who sees it differently unless they are or have been sole proprietors. That narrows the competition down considerably.

BTW if you're such a hotshot big bidnessman, how do you have time to hang out in this forum so much?

Anonymous said...

Buster: You're wasting your time flaming me. I will not respond. From now on, as far as I'm concerned you do not exist.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

My favorite KTVZ piece currently is about the VAST OREGON FILM INDUSTRY. Ahhhh yes, they have taken a page from COVA and made GRANDIOSE & 100% UNCONFIRMED ESTIMATES of film projects on the Oregon economy of $1.4billion.

But for some reason, they have chosen to illustrate the HUGE INDUSTRY via clips from the 1993 EPIC, Homeward Bound.

Uh huh, this GIANT INDUSTRY is funded by such mega-projects like this one that took place 15 years ago. We alos had mega-stars like TIM CONWAY shoot the Apple Dumpling Gang here in 1975, for a shot or 2.

But surely this $1.7 BILLION BEHEMOTH has shown Cent OR some love recently?

Yeah, people are just lining up to see Jennifer Aniston in MANAGEMENT. All sort of people asking me, "Should I go see The Dark Knight or Management?" That shit is hard to answer.

I'm thinking that $1.7 BILLION is an estimate of ALL THE MONEY EVER SPENT on film projects in Oregon over the past 50 years... as well as the next 50 years.... as well as any sort of SEVEN DEGREES OF SEPARATION FROM KEVIN BACON MONEY that was even remotely involved.

"Jennifer Aniston paid an extra $30,000 for a chartered jet to get the fuck out of Madras as fast as possible. I think we can count that in the FILM INDUSTRY TOTAL, don't you?"

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

BTW if you're such a hotshot big bidnessman, how do you have time to hang out in this forum so much?

HEADS DOWN PEOPLE! BOOMERANG!!!

Anonymous said...

IHTBYB: I have time to hang out here because I'm retired -- I do a little writing for the Source and one or two other clients and that's it. Quimby makes it sound like he's running some vast business empire. Either he's incredibly efficient or he's blowing smoke up our collective ass, that's all I'm saying.

Anonymous said...

Jennifer Aniston paid an extra $30,000 for a chartered jet to get the fuck out of Madras as fast as possible.

A worthy investment if you ask me.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

QUIM,

LOOK at this board, its like 99.7%, hell HOMER is a renter, smithers, ... they're all fucking renters, even in their middle age.

Don't expect anything from the people on this board, or the people of BEND.

The good news is all these KUNTS will be gone in one year.

Sorry HOMER, ... BEM&BUSTER will still be here, and we'll be cleaning up your mess.


Is "my mess" living within my means, working F/T,and renting a house for $1K/mo while it costs the owner $2,500?

I know: You're creating a false dichotomy between renters & owners, and trying to finger RENTERS as the perpetrators of bend Crimes Against Humanity.

Sorry, that don't fly.

If anything, IRRESPONSIBLE BUYERS are the root cause of Bend's current NIGHTMARE. Renters, if anything, are helping.

Of course neither of these positions has any real merit: Over-supply by builders, easy lending, RE speculation, and city mismanagement are Bends Real Bugaboos.

Motherfucking RENTERS are NOT what is going to bring Bend DOWN.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Quimby makes it sound like he's running some vast business empire.

Quimby sounds like he's got a real Theory X Management style going on. This sort of INHUMANE WHAT-HAVE-YOU-DONE-FOR-ME-LATELY management style is something taught in business schools across this country. Very rational. Well-bounded. Very academic.

And horribly, HORRIBLY wrong. I know, I've done it.

I've seen good management, and I've seen AND INFLICTED bad, and if you gotta Take 5 from a blog to can someones ass, You Are Doing Something Wrong.

As I said QUIM, I'VE DONE IT, and done it to an extent that makes you look like a piker. 100% TURNOVER A MONTH in a 100%/yearly turnover biz. Yarg.

And what fuckin sucks is it's damn near impossible to figure out what you're doing wrong. Employees will NOT TELL you. They will just quit. Or you will fire them. Both are equally indicative of a problem.

The BEST MANAGER I KNOW has a very soft touch. Very encouraging, always smiles, very collaborative, always listens to my bullshit. I'd KILL for this woman. I feel HORRIBLE when I do not think I've met her expectations. And she is not really my boss.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Employees exist in my business for one purpose and one purpose only. TO EARN ME A PROFIT. They are to be paid the lowest wage possible in order to keep them coming to work and performing to MY expectations.

I can tell you dude, that this attitude is NOT profit maximizing. I'll bet your turnover costs are killing you. Your a miserable fuck & you blame your employees, and every night you just dream of extricating yourself from their lazy asses somehow.

Somehow get out of this gig, and try working under someone like yourself. That inexorable feeling you get about jumping off a fucking cliff every night is how your people feel about you now. I know, I've been there.

I wish I could do those years over again. First thing, I'd FUCKING RELAX.

I'd pull my head up from Quickbooks more, and hang out & listen to employees more. Just shoot the shit.

Not fucking try to be their Best Friend Forever sort of shit, but be willing to be HUMAN for about 5 minutes a day.

You're looking at your employees like they're a fucking strip mine that you will EXTRACT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FROM BEFORE ABANDONING THEIR EMPTY CARCASS... I can tell you, dude, that shit will make all involved Miserable As Hell. You most of all.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

I feel HORRIBLE when I do not think I've met her expectations.

This is when you've hit the Mother Load as a manager: You can "manage" over a far larger span of control, because employees are self-motivated to get things done. It's what they do OUT of your line-of-sight that tells you how YOU ARE DOING, not them.

If they bend over backwards when you are not around, you are doing the right things. If you stand over them like the fucking Pharaohs task master, you got problems. And it's not them, it's YOU.

Bewert said...

Via rgemonitor.com (Roubini):

US: Housing Starts Plunge to All-time Low

-Housing starts fell by 4.5% m/m in October to 791k units, the lowest on record since 1959. Starts broke below the previous bottom of 798k reached in the early nineties.

-Building permits dropped 12% m/m to 708k signalling more weakness in the future residential construction.

-NAHB Builders’ Sentiment fell to 9 in November the lowest reading on record after falling to 14 in October suggesting the housing downturn is not over.

-Housing completions fell by 10.2% m/m in October and were down 25.6% y/y.

-The housing pipeline continued to shrink as houses under construction fell 2.2% m/m in October. This is the 29th consecutive month of contraction.

Anonymous said...

OH MY GOD, Al-Queda has CALLED OBAMA an 'OREO', this could be war!!

BBC News
Al-Qaida No. 2 insults Obama with racial epithet
The Associated Press - 51 minutes ago
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites.

Anonymous said...

I can tell you dude, that this attitude is NOT profit maximizing. I'll bet your turnover costs are killing you. Your a miserable fuck & you blame your employees, and every night you just dream of extricating yourself from their lazy asses someho

*

The above is why HOMER/BUTTER is a renter-loser, and will always be such, hasn't a clue about anything other than being a 'wage-slave'.

Bewert said...

And here in Deschutes COunty, with ten more NODs filed yesterday, we broke 1600 for the year.

1605.

And the last one filed is at the Ridge at Eagle Crest.

Isn't that a rich man's neighborhood?

And if you search all time NODs, you get 7094. This is from 1985 on.

1605/7094=22.6%

Almost a quarter of all NODs filed in the last 24 years have been in this year alone.

Most property taxes are collected next month, according to Sonia.

Think were fucked?

Anonymous said...

"The BEST MANAGER I KNOW has a very soft touch. Very encouraging, always smiles, very collaborative, always listens to my bullshit."

Best manager I ever knew was the editor of the first paper I worked for, back in 1968. He would chew people out unmercifully when necessary (I was the recipient of one or two ass-chewings myself) but he always did it in private. He passed out praise more often, and when he did it he did it very publicly. As a manager I tried to follow that example.

It's been my experience that most people will try their damnedest to live up -- or down -- to your expectations of them. If you let them know you think they're good workers and you expect them to do a good job, they'll generally try to do it. If you lead them to believe you think they're lazy and incompetent, they'll say "Fuck you" to themselves and slack off.

After my first newspaper job I spent a miserable couple of years working on the copy desk at Newsday -- miserable because when you performed well you never got a word of praise but when you fucked up you got reamed publicly for about half an hour. I mentioned the absence of any positive reinforcement to a supervisor one time and his response was: "You get a paycheck every two weeks, don't you? That's your reward."

Management was furious when we voted in a union, but their own shitty attitude was largely to blame. The pay and benefits were generous, but the mental/emotional working conditions sucked.

I wonder if quim has EVER praised one of his employees for doing a good job. I bet he belongs to the Newsday School of Management.

Anonymous said...

This sort of INHUMANE WHAT-HAVE-YOU-DONE-FOR-ME-LATELY management style is something taught in business schools across this country.

*

This is where your wrong 'wage-slave' renter KUNT's we're talking about being the plantation-owner, and feeding a bunch of field&house niggers ( wage slaves ), the topic of the debate is not about 'management-style', that is a wage-slave hierarchy abstraction.

Anonymous said...

HBM knows all about being a 'plantation-owner' cuz he used to suck CHANDLER'S DICK at the BULL.

*

OH MY FUCKING GOD, this debate is now about management, we're so far from pissing into the wind now, we can't even discuss miserable little wage-slaves, we have to move up the food chain to wage-slaves-mgr's, please boyz give it a rest, middle management is a disease.

Anonymous said...

I know: You're creating a false dichotomy between renters & owners, and trying to finger RENTERS as the perpetrators of bend Crimes Against Humanity.

*

No HOMER BEND is a shit hole because 99.7% of its inhabitants are PARASITES, or amenity parasites, ...

Why do we have to repeat ourselves, look why are we even having this debate.

There are no real businesses in BEND, there is no real jobs in BEND, this is a desert ISL, inhabited by a CARGO-CULT.

Anonymous said...

>>I feel HORRIBLE when I do not think I've met her expectations.

All you've done is prove that employees are indeed a pain in the ass. Highlighted the fact that a near-magical manager is needed to get employees to their peak production.

Anonymous said...

HEADS DOWN PEOPLE! BOOMERANG!!!

*

Very interesting question, I like to meet interesting people, and watch their lives being destroyed.

That's what brings me to this group.

Like Vietnam War, and Full Metal Jacket, ... "Travel, Meet interesting people, and kill them". ...


"How can you shoot women & children" ... "For children I just lead a little bit more"...

Now that's a far MORE interesting topical debate, than fucking MANAGEMENT, which is the biggest FUCKING BORE in the world.

Let's discuss this WHY DO WE HANG OUT HERE?

WHY is that NAZI RUSH LIMBAUGH HERE form the SORE, when he could be deleting posts over in censor-world??

Anonymous said...

Is "my mess" living within my means, working F/T,and renting a house for $1K/mo while it costs the owner $2,500?

*

I'm referring to the collective attitude that BEND can't be fixed, nor is worth fixing.

Anonymous said...

Quim,

Again the 'wage-slaves' are incapable of plantation-owner perspective.

A 'manager' is NOT a fucking 'owner'. A 'manager' is a shit-eating 'wage-slave'.

99% of the people on this board are 'wage-slaves', thus its best we NEVER even discuss the abstraction that there even exists a life-style of non-slavery.

Like Plato's cave ( see dunc ) our wage-slaves are so far in their fucking hole, they'll never see the light, and its not even worth telling them about the light.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting question,

I like to meet interesting people, and watch their lives being destroyed.

That's what brings me to this group.

*

INTERESTING QUESTION - WHY DO PEOPLE HANG AT THIS 'ROCK'. I personally long ago explained that we all take a leak here, and other dog's sniff. Every once in awhile the someone leaves an interesting 'scent', albeit not very often.

Like all dogs we form packs, and fuck with the 'black-sheep' dogs.

There was a time that I could say that we learned from one another in this group, that day is long gone. We have Smithers DUMPING DIS-INFORMATION 24/7, most of what is left on this rock these days is placed here to primarily discredit the place.

Then you get the CENSOR HBM coming over to lecture us about socialism, ... mostly cuz other sites are so dead.

I really wish we could just focus on rumors and debate the Bend Economy, that would be a dream. A dream that BEM long ago declared FINISHED.

So why do other's hang here? How about it Quim? Lava? We know Homer is addicted. HBM is bored, he only comes here when he's bored, and wants to fuck with the opposition, as HBM see's himself as a member of BEND's status-quo.

Anonymous said...

All you've done is prove that employees are indeed a pain in the ass.

*

Good debate over, you won, we all agree that 'wage-slaves' are a pain in the ass.

I'm sure in the time of the Pharaoh's, they would sit around and talk about the lazy fucking slaves.

The slaves would sit around at night and talk about the un-reasonable Pharaoh's, BFD.

Humans are meant to be 'productive', Humans are meant to live in the jungle, eat fruit, and fuck all day. When you put a human in any condition, other than eating & fucking, he becomes MISERABLE.

When can speculate to the end of times, wage-slave will struggle their entire lives in 'quiet desperation', so they can spend a few hours per week 'eating & fucking'.

An OWNER or PHARAOH, spend's all his time 'eating & fucking'.

It's like the old fucking slogan. "I have been rich, and I have been poor, ... Rich is Better", ... You'll never be rich by being a wage-slave.

Anonymous said...

Humans are meant to be 'productive', Humans are meant to live in the jungle, eat fruit, and fuck all day. When you put a human in any condition, other than eating & fucking, he becomes MISERABLE.

*

Whoops "Humans are NOT meant" to be productive.

The happy worker is an oxy-moron, unless that 'worker' is being paid to fuck, and sit in a tree, and eat fruit, and doggle his dingle. Anybody ever go to the zoo and see what primates do in their natural inhabit?

Civilized man took himself, and conned 97% of the monkeys to be wage-slaves, ... so we have what we have, and its your choice.

"The pursuit of Happiness", cannot be found by being a wage-slave. Jefferson held slaves, they were NOT even considered HUMAN in his time, and now as then wage-slaves ( employees ) are NOT human.

tim said...

>>99% of the people on this board are 'wage-slaves', thus its best we NEVER even discuss the abstraction that there even exists a life-style of non-slavery.

Where does this "99%" come from? There are only 5 or 6 people here. :-)

Anonymous said...

Employees exist in my business for one purpose and one purpose only. TO EARN ME A PROFIT.

*

Yep, back when I used to have a shit load of employees, I told them up front where their salary came from, "BY DOING ACTIVITY'S that MADE MONEY".

If they weren't 'making money', building,selling product, then they weren't paying for themselves, and I NOT being a WELFARE rest home, ...

I think that's why BROOK's has his 1,000's of LLC's in the HOOD, all below 50, which is a perfect number, once you get up there, its easy for non-productive people to 'hide'. Keep each place small enough to know that everyone is paying for themselve's.

The only thing I can comment on QUIM, is that 'profit' is quite often not the goal, I always just focussed on money coming IN, covering COSTS, you do that your surviving.

In good time (bubbles) you make a little (extra) profit, and in bad times your break even, if you go negative then you lay people off, I never run a biz negative, to me a LOSS is not a biz, if a BIZ is covering itself I'm happy, 'PROFIT' to me just means TAXES, and as YOU ALL KNOW most businesses don't pay taxes.

foz said...

Check out this stock if you are interested in a wild ride...EEV

I was thinking of picking some up today but decided my heart probably couldn't handle the ride.

Instead grabbed a bunch of CLF and some MU

Market seems to like to bounce off this level

Anonymous said...

Where does this "99%" come from? There are only 5 or 6 people here. :-)

*

Here is BEND.

How many piss on this rock? Who knows?

How many sniff here? Who cares.

How many people in BEND are clueless amenity-parasites? Well over 99%.

Bewert said...

Re: Anybody ever go to the zoo and see what primates do in their natural inhabit?

###

Now that's funny.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gawd, the foz is back, and he's going to turn all the KUNTS into day traders.

We're now going to see the 401k's implode even quicker.

FOZ, we'll buy your stock, if you BUY CAPSTONE. ( CPST? Right Smithers?? )

Anonymous said...

It's true BP, primates play with their genitals, eat fruit, and hang out in tree's, and THEY ARE HAPPY!!!!

You remove them from this, and they are miserable.

Anonymous said...

>>99% of the people on this board are 'wage-slaves', thus its best we NEVER even discuss the abstraction that there even exists a life-style of non-slavery.<<

SELLING YOUR TIME is a wage-slave, whether you be a lawyer, doc, cpa, ... you selling your time, you be a wage-slave. Your somebody's fucking employee.

It's the old house-nigger allegory.

All field niggers want to be house niggers, and all house niggers want to be plantation owners.

In our society field is blue-collar, and white collar is the house nigger.

You got folks like HBM house-nigger that thinks cuz he sucks plantation-owner cock that make him 'master'.

You got Smithers who think's he's a master enabler.

You got HOMER who consults who thinks that he ain't a house-nigger.

Historically in most populations whether two or INFINITE, 3% figure out how to enslave the other 97%.

I'm just saying in BEND, given that this board mirrors BEND, and that BEND is an anomaly of shit-head amenity parasitic MORONS, that the BEND number is more like 99.7%

This board mirrors BEND.

Quimby said...

>> How about it Quim?

Because this blog and it's associated characters are the cheapest and best form of entertainment I've found in years! I am constantly laughing my ass off.

Don't take yourselves so seriously people!

Quimby said...

Shit, rough morning.....

Had to fire 2 single moms at 8am for checking on their kids in day care via MY INTERNET connection. Good thing there are lots of HOs looking for jobs.

HBM>> BTW if you're such a hotshot big bidnessman, how do you have time to hang out in this forum so much?

Because it's MY internet connection and I gots all my bitches doing my work fo me fool.

And damn Homey/IHTBYB, you took the bait too?????

Bewert said...

Foz, that ETF stuff makes it too hard to sleep at night. Shit, look at EEV in October.

CPST. It crashed hard--I'm thinking I might have to pick some back up again.

tim said...

>>Because this blog and it's associated characters are the cheapest and best form of entertainment I've found in years! I am constantly laughing my ass off.

Hey, I'm not cheap. I am easy, though.

Anonymous said...

Homey/IHTBYB, you took the bait too?????

*

Sometimes you think that our own butter is a PUSSY?? Go figure.

Anonymous said...

Don't take yourselves so seriously people!

*

I concur its all about HUMOR.

Smither's when he showed up here last fall to save Bend, said he wanted people to love him, I guess that is typical of a politician.

I say FUCK THEIR LOVE.

We piss on the rock to have fun.

No better way to deal with the boss-hoggs of Bend than to HURL VIRTUAL SHIT at them.

Then you have their defenders like HBM right here to catch the shit in the fact, it doesn't get any better.

Anonymous said...

It's true BP, primates play with their genitals, eat fruit, and hang out in tree's, and THEY ARE HAPPY!!!!

You remove them from this, and they are miserable.

*

I pay employees to do terrible boring shit I would never do.

Thus I make no pretense to make employees happy.

Me? I would rather be in a tree eating a fresh mango, whacking the willy, and looking for some ape bitch in heat.

LavaBear said...

>>>Foz, that ETF stuff makes it too hard to sleep at night. Shit, look at EEV in October.

At this point the stock market is not a place to invest. It's more a casino. EEV is a great bet when it comes back to the 75-85 level. But it's just a bet.

I'll go back to what Tim said earlier. At this point I'm investing in my family and businesses. Not losing these days is as good as making. Plus I'll make some bets on some stocks but I don't own them. Just betting with them.

And I have to say, the management style debate is a shitload more fun to follow than the fucking politics of the recent past. I tend to use whichever style suits the situation. Some people need to be scared shitless to get anything done. Others just need to be treated well. I surely use different techniques for someone working a light manufacturing line than I do with extremely bright yet quirky engineers.

Bewert said...

First subject at the CC work meeting tonight?

How the fuck are we going to plow the streets.

Hey, at least it hasn't snowed yet and they are talking about it, right.

BTW, here we all thought Redmond had a clue--and the City Manager gets arrested for beating his wife/girlfriend?

That's fucked up.

Bewert said...

Re: management style debate

###

When it degrades to talking about monkeys in a zoo being in their "natural environment", it's funny. They don't throw their feces at you because they like being there.

Personally, I hate "managing" people. I would rather work alone or with just a few other good people. Tim's 15-25 size is right on for most high tech or other IP-based companies.

As far as the "work them until they drop for shit wages" versus "treat them like human beings" debate, depends on the circumstances. If you have a huge workforce pool, don't have them talking to customers, it's for easy-to-train positions and you have good controls in place to keep them from stealing you blind, you can probably get away with being an asshole boss.

If one of those conditions isn't met, you're probably better off treating them like human beings.

Especially if your employees are facing customers.

Now I got to get back to sitting in the tree eating mangos and diddling myself...

Anonymous said...

"They don't throw their feces at you because they like being there."

They do that in the wild too. It's a defense mechanism.

"you can probably get away with being an asshole boss."

Maybe. But why? What do you gain by it? I am not aware of any empirical evidence that employers who treat their employees like shit get better results than those who treat them like human beings.

Anonymous said...

""Humans are NOT meant" to be productive."

Interesting proposition. Maybe we're not "meant" to be productive in the classic economic sense. But we do seem to just naturally like MAKING stuff -- tools, art, music, stories.

We're an animal with a big brain (maybe too big for our own good) and we thrive in a stimulus-rich environment. If there aren't enough natural stimuli around we create some.

Bewert said...

I agree, HBM. People work a lot harder of they like you and want your approval than if they are scared of you.

Bewert said...

Notice I said "you can probably get away with it". Not an endorsement, just an observation.

Bewert said...

Looks like they changed the CC agenda. Tonight's work session is all about saving the bus and how to keep the snowplows running.

This should be interesting.

Of course, a couple of hours later they'll vote to spend a half-million on software. It almost seems like there is a disconnect between reality and what the staff recommends. Which is almost always rubberstamped by the CC.

tim said...

Sunriver Realty closing Bend office.

Anonymous said...

But we do seem to just naturally like MAKING stuff -- tools, art, music, stories.

*

Humans & Pack-Rats like 'stuff', but humans must be beat & whipped in order to 'make' stuff, and to make 'quality stuff' is ever so difficult.

Many animals like 'stuff', ants, mice, rat's, ... nothing novel.

With regards to music, art, ... now your back to that 97% again, ... most humans are consumers, and NOT creators, inventors, or artisans.

Anonymous said...

How the fuck are we going to plow the streets.

*

JR-BURA that is how, there are still millions of cash available on the JR-BURA Line-of-Credit through BofA.

All they have to do is have JR-BURA buy the buses, and snow-plows, and then pay Knife-River to operate them.

You think I'm being funny?

Not.

Privatization, has always been going around here, privatize profit, and socialize HOLLERN & Hap-Taylor Loss.

Kill the city employee, get rid of city-staff, and privatize it all with HOLLERN security, and TaylorNW employees. The city can't borrow under its good name, but it can borrow in the name of JR-BURA all day long, all year long, until the good credit of JR-BURA is bust.

Anonymous said...

Hollern's Brooks-Security offers to pick up Bend police services in no-bid contract.

Taylor-NW to replace Bend city public works, all in no-bid.

All Bend public city workers to be fired.

You think me funny? I'm only giving you a glimpse of the future.

The BEST part is that KUNT HBM is part of the solution.

Bewert said...

They are serious about catching speeders on the parkway today--two cops standing on the Reed Market overpass, one with radar, and the other with a notebook and radio.

Anonymous said...

If one of those conditions isn't met, you're probably better off treating them like human beings.

*

Now your back to 'human relations', in all order of day to day contact, unless your well armed and they aren't it always best to follow the golden rule.

'Do unto others',...

The debate ends, employees ( wage-slaves ) suck.

Think about this KUNTS, the OREO as I have predicted for months will DEMAND 'PUBLIC SERVICE', e.g. non-paid slavery, so here is your chance HBM & Smithers ... to put up for the OREO.

Anonymous said...

Given that TT is Apu ( simpsons 7-11 guy ),

Given that QUIM has told us that he's secretly a Bend tycoon, with zillions of wage-slaves groveling below him, I hereby confirm that herein Quim be referred to as "Mr Burns".

I'm still Bart, cuz Bart is a smart ass.

Does this mean that our Smithers works for quim our Mr. Burns? You never know, this is Bend, where anything is possible.

tim said...

Sunriver Realty closing Bend office.

P.S. 22 "affected"

Anonymous said...

Smithers,

Its clean money, on the parkway its 45mh posted, the avg ticket is 80, they'll not even issue the ticket unless its over 55, its all LASER, that includes a photo.

The avg for 75mph is about $100, figure that over 80% of the folks on the fucking bypass are over 55mph, you can imagine the kind of money they can haul in,

Listen UP FOLKS, 45mph on the bypass.

Anonymous said...

Sunriver Realty closing Bend office.


*

All my RE friends at that office next to the Strictly Organic coffee house bailed out of there in the spring of 2008.

Who in the fuck was still there?

I heard that a little shit is selling in Sunriver, but nothing in BEND, besides the real issue is that ALL the realtors in that office paid rent to have an office in their, if it closed its cuz, all the realtors are living in their cars and doing biz from their auto's.

Bewert said...

Re: The city can't borrow under its good name, but it can borrow in the name of JR-BURA all day long, all year long, until the good credit of JR-BURA is bust.

###

You're talking out your ass again.

The attached resolution authorizes the City to enter into a contingent loan agreement with BURA where the City will provide a guarantee or full faith & credit pledge to the line of credit needed by BURA to fund Juniper Ridge costs through FY08-09. Under the contingent loan agreement (attached), the City will repay the $6 million line of credit to the extent not paid by BURA, with general revenues of the City. The contingent loan agreement also provides for BURA to repay the City from future land sales, tax increment revenues and/or other revenues.

From the June 4, 2008 Issue Summary-Juniper Ridge Contingent Loan Agreement

They had to do this because BURA is tax increment financing, and until somebidy builds something they can tax they don't have an identifiable stream of income with which to obtain a loan.

tim said...

>>Who in the fuck was still there?

Assume anyone who didn't have their shit together enough to bail.

Anonymous said...

Smithers,

It takes about two hours to do 100 tickets, at an average of $10k ( $100 each ), its laser and automatic just point, click, and shoot if they're going over 55pm ( 45 limit ),

The cops just take turns sitting and raking in money, hell even the cops know they need to make money.

Idiots going through BEND think they're RADAR-DETECTOR can help them, NOT! The photo-radar handgun the Bend cops have is fool-proof.

They usually work in teams, if a vehicle is going over 80mph, then they send out a pursuit vehicle to get them for exhibition of speed, possible DUI, .... big bucks.

Anonymous said...

Assume anyone who didn't have their shit together enough to bail.

*

It was almost $1k/mo for a 10by10 with a common sexetary, a smart person could have worked from home, this is the kind of shit that goes first in bad times.

Hell even in Santa Barbara, according to the WSJ last year, most Realtors work and live from their auto's.

Anonymous said...

City will provide a guarantee or full faith & credit pledge to the line of credit needed by BURA to fund Juniper Ridge costs through FY08-09. Under the contingent loan agreement (attached), the City will repay the $6 million line of credit - city c/o smithers

*

Thanks, smithers my ass and your mouth, what a combo, ...

JR-BURA spends the line-of-credit on anything they wish, but mostly Knife-River, ... expect to see KR buy snow-plows at city-auction, and provide service, out of these funds.

This loan is just for the Suterra purchase, but more can be requested, and BofA seems to be more than willing to let JR-BURA borrow all they want.

Anonymous said...

Smithers,

Typical of your obfuscation, but the only tangent that you bring to the plate, per the city resolution, which of course is that this is a recurring loan, which means upon non-payment by JR-BURA BofA can come after the city.

First rule of JR-BURA was DO NOT BANKRUPT BEND, that said this is exactly what they're going to do,

Who would have guessed??

Anonymous said...

City will provide a guarantee or full faith & credit pledge to the line of credit needed by BURA to fund Juniper Ridge costs through FY08-09. Under the contingent loan agreement (attached), the City will repay the $6 million line of credit

*

I love BEND, city guarantees a $6M LOC for 2008, just so they can make $2.5M from Suterra, a business net loss that only a BEND MORON could appreciate.

Anonymous said...

Marc Rich of AIPAC to be Sec of State, Holder to be AG, OREO to Be right of Bush, who would have guessed?? Holden pardoned Marc Rich.


Holder: Obama’s seasoned pick for attorney general

Christian Science Monitor - 24 minutes ago
By Warren Richey | Staff writer / November 19, 2008 edition Reporter Warren Richey talks with CSMonitor.com's Pat Murphy about the possible nomination of Washington lawyer Eric Holder as US attorney general.

Anonymous said...

Two OREO's will there be more??

Anonymous said...

Smithers, Let's play the math game, ...

$6M LOC from BofA for JR-BURA in 2008, $2.5M from Suterra, that's $8.5M, and only $4.3M was budgeted for the Suterra SDC. That $4.2M that can be used to pay Knife-River for 'other' JR-BURA services, ...

Remember BURA is 'Urban Renewal', WTF is JR about URBAN?? SO why not use the money for KR snow-plows??

There is NO other choice, and its the only way the city can 'indirectly' borrow money. The city couldn't just get a BofA LOC on its own account to pay the bills, that would be against the city-charter, but JR-BURA can for money for 'INFRASTRUCTURE', its all a fucking racket.

tim said...

>>OK, so we are helping "FORGE NEW ECONOMY", right?

It's not Central Oregon. All the best forgers and check kiters are in Eugene and Portland.

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