Sunday, February 1, 2009

Cascade Bancorp Seized By Regulators

I think one commenter put it best, we're seeing "The End of Days".

Over 2 years ago, when I picked up BEM's mantle, and started this blog, I only knew a few things:

  • We were at or near the top of the biggest Bubble of all time
  • Bend was one of the most heavily participating cities in the country
  • It would all end badly
But a lot of people like OR economist Tim Duy were still saying that things "could be" OK, or they might not be completely "OK", but there will be nothing catastrophic.

But I think the World is coming around to this blog & it's commenters way of thinking, that this thing is going to be disastrous. That this thing will redefine Moore's Law, and everything that can go wrong will go horribly wrong. And a whole bunch of stuff we never even thought about in the early days, will also go wrong.

Because if there is one thing we're all learning, implosions don't go "according to plan". "Project Management" won't help you during a catastrophe. Neither will Positive Thinking. In fact, positive thinking which leads to positive action can hurt you BADLY in many ways in our current circumstances.

And of course, that is exactly what we are seeing. Jay Audia being a prime example, among others. THIS is Not the time to be "Optimistic". We've got a ways to go.

And from the headline, you can see I've "taken a page" from The Bulletin, and put a somewhat misleading headline on this weeks post. Well, sorta, kinda. As the Bulletin always does. We will see CACB seized by bank regulators, sooner or later. NOW is the time to extract your funds. NOW.
CACB, 5 days

CACB is finally having it's Day of Reckoning; a time when we all realize that this Big Behemoth that represents our Diabolical Corporate Levaithan, is really just a decent sized fish in a very, Very small pond. CACB, while Big To Bendites, is Dogshit on a Shingle to the rest of the World, and the banking federales will have no compunction about swooping in and closing this beast one lovely Friday Morning.

In fact this past Friday, the FDIC saw fit to close 3 middling banks, but there was one point of interest in these closures: When shuttering the Magnet Bank in Salt Lake City, the FDIC found itself unable to find anyone willing to simply assume this business:

Utah's MagnetBank closed without an acquirer

FDIC shuts down three banks in one day amid ongoing credit crisis
By John Letzing, MarketWatch
Last update: 6:42 p.m. EST Jan. 30, 2009


SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Federal regulators closed three banks in a single day Friday, as the ongoing credit crisis showed no signs of abating.

Utah's MagnetBank became the fourth bank failure of the year, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was forced to directly refund depositors after being unable to find another institution willing to take over its operations.

That marked the first time the FDIC has been unable to find an acquirer for a failed bank in nearly five years, according to FDIC spokesman David Barr. "This bank did not have an attractive franchise value, and not many retail deposits or core deposits," Barr said. The FDIC had conducted an extensive marketing process for the bank's assets, he said.

Salt Lake City-based MagnetBank had total assets of $292.9 million as of Dec. 2, and
$282.8 million in total deposits. "It is estimated that the bank did not have any uninsured funds," the FDIC said in a statement.

The FDIC later said it has also closed Maryland-based Suburban Federal Savings Bank, and Florida's Ocala National Bank.

Suburban Federal had total assets of roughly $360 million as of Sep. 30, and total deposits of $302 million, the FDIC said in a statement. Tappahannock, Va.-based Bank of Essex agreed to assume all of the failed bank's deposits, the FDIC said.

Ocala National had $223.5 million in total assets as of Dec. 31, and $205.2 million in total deposits, the FDIC said. Winter Haven, Fla.-based CenterState Bank has agreed to assume all of the failed bank's deposits.

The closures mark the fourth, fifth and sixth bank failures of 2009, bringing the total to 31 since the start of the credit crisis.

The FDIC can almost always find someone willing to take over a banks operations. Almost Always. It's like getting the customers for free. All the bad stuff is wiped out. You just get a whole bunch of customers for almost nothing, and since they are free, you can cherry-pick and get rid of the crap, by imposing onerous fees, etc.

What will be interesting to see, is if they can find a buyer for poor, sad little Cracker Ass Cracker Broke. Let's face it, CACB does have a decent presence in this dust-ridden shithole. But that's about it. What we're seeing with Magnet Bank in UT is just the beginning; banking seems to be a business model that is again on the brink of complete failure.

We saw this in the early 90's. Of course, we saw it en masse during the Depression. Banking is a business model that simply is compelled to undo itself.

To become big, you must take risks & leverage to the hilt. You must participate in the bubble du jour, you must. Or you won't get big. But once the soup goes cold, you face calamitous implosion. And you are once again a nobody.

Unless. Unless you can convince someone that you are Too Big To Fail. Then you receive Corporate Welfare, your corpse has new life breathed into it, and you go on your merry way, doing as you've done before, driven towards ever-larger temporary Bubble-fueled successes and subsequent Taxpayer-fueled failure-bailouts. Always becoming Ever Too Big To Fail.

Which is where we are writ large. We've done this so often with banks, that it has now spread to autos. But NOT one auto maker. It's the industry that is failing. Like banks. It's the whole edifice that is crumbling. We can't move to another part of the cliff face & be safe, the whole thing is crumbling.

And so shall pass our "Civilization". America. This crazy 200+ year experiment seems to be itself collapsing. Like Krugman says: This isn't cyclical, this is structural. There is a fundamental flaw that seems to have rendered Unbridled Capitalism as a system with no fundamental equilibrium point. The pendulum swings. But the force of the feedback mechanism (Greed) is rendering the entire structure supporting the pendulum, unstable.

We've exceeded the engineering specs of capitalism. hbm may be right: Unbridled capitalism undoes itself. This got me to reading Marx:

Political economy

Marx argued that this alienation of human work (and resulting commodity fetishism) functions precisely as the defining feature of capitalism. Prior to capitalism, markets existed in Europe where producers and merchants bought and sold commodities. According to Marx, a capitalist mode of production developed in Europe when labor itself became a commodity—when peasants became free to sell their own labor-power, and needed to do so because they no longer possessed their own land. People sell their labor-power when they accept compensation in return for whatever work they do in a given period of time (in other words, they are not selling the product of their labor, but their capacity to work). In return for selling their labor power they receive money, which allows them to survive. Those who must sell their labor power are "proletarians". The person who buys the labor power, generally someone who does own the land and technology to produce, is a "capitalist" or "bourgeois". The proletarians inevitably outnumber the capitalists.

Marx distinguished industrial capitalists from merchant capitalists. Merchants buy goods in one market and sell them in another. Since the laws of supply and demand operate within given markets, a difference often exists between the price of a commodity in one market and another. Merchants, then, practise arbitrage, and hope to capture the difference between these two markets. According to Marx, capitalists, on the other hand, take advantage of the difference between the labor market and the market for whatever commodity is produced by the capitalist. Marx observed that in practically every successful industry input unit-costs are lower than output unit-prices. Marx called the difference "surplus value" and argued that this surplus value had its source in surplus labour, the difference between what it costs to keep workers alive and what they can produce.

Capitalism is capable of tremendous growth because the capitalist can, and has an incentive to, reinvest profits in new technologies and capital equipment. Marx considered the capitalist class to be the most revolutionary in history, because it constantly improved the means of production. But Marx argued that capitalism was prone to periodic crises. He suggested that over time, capitalists would invest more and more in new technologies, and less and less in labor. Since Marx believed that surplus value appropriated from labor is the source of profits, he concluded that the rate of profit would fall even as the economy grew. When the rate of profit falls below a certain point, the result would be a recession or depression in which certain sectors of the economy would collapse. Marx thought that during such a crisis the price of labor would also fall, and eventually make possible the investment in new technologies and the growth of new sectors of the economy.

Marx believed that increasingly severe crises would punctuate this cycle of growth, collapse, and more growth. Moreover, he believed that the long-term consequence of this process was necessarily the enrichment and empowerment of the capitalist class and the impoverishment of the proletariat. He believed that were the proletariat to seize the means of production, they would encourage social relations that would benefit everyone equally, and a system of production less vulnerable to periodic crises. In general, Marx thought that peaceful negotiation of this problem was impracticable, and that a massive well-organized violent revolution would be required, because the ruling class would not give up power without struggle. He theorized that to establish the socialist system, a dictatorship of the proletariat - a period where the needs of the working-class, not of capital, will be the common deciding factor - must be created on a temporary basis. As he wrote in his "Critique of the Gotha Program", "between capitalist and communist society there lies the period of the revolutionary transformation of the one into the other. Corresponding to this is also a political transition period in which the state can be nothing but the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat."[24] While he allowed for the possibility of peaceful transition in some countries with strong democratic institutional structures (such as Britain, the US and the Netherlands), he suggested that in other countries with strong centralized state-oriented traditions, like France and Germany, the "lever of our revolution must be force."[25]

Marx has a fairly compelling arguments here. The decline of Unions, the rise of vast capitalist fortunes. A lot seems to be going according to Marxist plans here.

But there is one problem with the Marxist thought of 150 years ago, and today: We have lowered the barrier to capitalist entry so low, that everyone is a Capitalist Proletariat.

Realtors. Graphic Designers. Web engineers. Even traditional employees. How many people do you know who have held their current position over 10 years? I never have.

Marx said that politicos & proletarians would ultimately revolt against capitalism. But who do we revolt against? The division is so unclear, that like a terrorist cell, it's hard to figure out who the enemy really is.

So we are headed towards something. I almost feel a sense of melancholy, watching as my beloved Capitalism dies a slow torturous death. Will it arise someday for my kids? Maybe. But it seems clear to me, that during the remainder of my working productive years, something will take its place.

I don't think it will be straight up Marxist Communism. But it will be governmentally managed. The Invisible Hand will be cuffed. We'll become more like Italy or (gag) France. We'll bleed the patient with leeches to ensure This Never Happens Again. Cure worse than the disease, as is the way in circumstances like this.

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed, strange days indeed

... most peculiar mama

Moving on....

I've found myself headed towards the business listings on craiglist. The Bulletin will not tell us The Bad News of small and middling businesses closing, and so we have to rely on the businesses themselves. And many will either come right out and tell you that they are closing their doors:

The Children's Boutique on Kearney Ave is going out of business!

everything is for sale, even the fixtures.

I have two cash registers, credit card machines, slatwall, tagging supplies and more.
come by and see what we have. Last day Feb 10th

The Children's Boutique
325 ne Kearney
(across from Taco Bell)

385-1168

Or you can sift through the vast picked-over carcasses of your favorite ex-retailer. There's a lot of stuff there. If you have a urgent fundamental need, you can get pretty good deals there. Not great, cuz after all, This Is Bend.

But people like Dunc, and other survivors can outfit the current shop at fairly decent prices.

Of course I raise my usual caveat: Don't Buy Anything Unless You Absolutely Have To. We are in what Krugman calls a deflationary spiral. Cash is becoming worth more, the stuff we bought on the way up like homes, cars, fake titties, Hummers, Volo, City Council Seats, CACB shares, botox, and the rest is becoming worth-less. OK, I can't resist re-prodicing a short reprint of Krugmans Dead On Analysis:

Nobel economist: 'Not your father's recession'

Krugman has a recurring economic nightmare involving a syndrome called a deflationary trap, something that could conceivably last a decade. "This has me very frightened," he says, "and it's just starting to get under way."

Deflation, the opposite of inflation, means that prices fall -- which might strike shoppers as a good deal. But as prices drop, consumers hold onto their money in hopes of even better bargains.

Reduced demand sends prices lower, triggering a downward spiral as factories close, employment shrinks and loans default. Pay cuts mean that homeowners, who thought rising incomes would reduce the bite of their mortgages, instead see their house payments effectively increase, boosting their debt load.

Japan suffered a lost decade or more to deflation after its 1980s economic bubble burst. Krugman says the current recession has disturbing parallels.

During Inflation, your money becomes worth-less, and so it is best employed in real goods. Holding cash simply impoverishes you. Deflation is the opposite: Holding onto your money and not spending it increases your wealth. It is the unfortunate side-effects that collapse the economy.

And spending DOES NOT REVERSE THE PROCESS. Same as holding cash during inflation doesn't STICK IT TO THE MAN or some such. You can't "reverse" deflation by spending. It's not an Entity, it's a state.

This brings me to my final thought: BEDROCK. Seems like people are starting to wonder if there is a "base" to this collapse. Is there a bottom. Will we ever stop falling?

I guess Great Minds Think Alike as Dunc had a recent post on this topic:

It's the psychology, stupid.

To follow up on the previous post, I'm starting to look at the psychology of the consumer again.

While I wouldn't put in the dire terms that Buster put in the comments, there is a fine line between having a wounded consumer and a mortally wounded consumer. To my mind, it's better to be informed and skeptical, but not panicked.

Last night, I began wondering about all those people who have secure jobs, or relatively secure jobs. This is probably the majority, even the vast majority of consumers.

But they've cut back, nevertheless. It's a natural response. But most of them are still coming in and getting their favorite comics, or buying a book, or pulling the trigger for a toy that wows them.

What would be very dangerous is if they didn't just cut back, but stopped spending altogether.

I think that's what all the stimulus package talk is all about. Maybe Buster is right, and little of it will reach Bend in truth. But as long as the 'impression' is out there that SOMETHING is being done, I believe that the consumer will continue to be careful, but not stop altogether.

Obama is a plus, because he holds out the potential for improvement. The stimulus package is a plus, because it looks as though something is being done. The bail-out -- god help me -- is a plus, at least psychologically -- because it keeps the Big Bank Fails headlines out of the paper.

On street level, I saw the immediate impact of Bears, Sterns going down. Then the even bigger impact of Lehman brothers, and Bernie Madoff was the nail. I suppose, Murphy being a tricky bastard, that I should expect at least one more real eye-opener, and hope the psychology doesn't turn permanently bearish.

The underlying conditions are stark, but I can deal with them as long as there isn't another total shift in psychology.

People will start asking this question: What is Bedrock in the American Economy? Where is the bottom? What is fake & what is real? For every Madoff, how many non-shysters are there? Are there any? Is Buffett real? Who can I trust? Can I trust anyone ever again?

Where's the Bedrock? There IS Bedrock in this country. OK, I sound pretty alarmist on here, I know. It's in large part because we are collectively being over-pacified by the local media, and someone needs to don some clapboards to raise awareness.

But even in a place like Bend, people have to eat, they need to sleep largely under a roof, they need clothes. There is a ROCK BOTTOM here. I don't think we'll end up like Fossil or worse.

But where is The Bottom? I don't know folks, but it seems to be that those who went up the most will fall the farthest. And No Where Went Up Farther And Faster Than Bend Oregon. No Where. And we've already seen that things are far worse than anyone thought possible even 1 year ago. A year ago McPain had a chance.

So when I and others in the comments talk about this town going back to 40-50,000 people, homes reverting back to $125K, and unemployment going to 20-25% (or more), this isn't panic-mongering; its just a reversion to Bends Bedrock. Its base. A place where people eat, drive, dress, work and otherwise live simply. It's not bad. It's our bedrock.

I'll end with a Bully piece about how bad this is already for select locals. And remember: This is the price we are paying for having as a community CHOSEN to have a 24 month unbridled Greed-fest primarily for those at the very top of our local socio-economic stratum. This is it. The hangover will affect everyone and will linger for a decade or longer. Was it worth it?

Meet the people behind the numbers

By Story by Lauren Dake Photos by Pete Erickson / The Bulletin
Published: February 01. 2009 4:00AM PST

Department of Human Services employees say they’ve never seen anything like it. Every month, the number of people seeking assistance rises. In December, 10,636 families in Central Oregon received food stamps. Statewide, they are calling it an emergency. But in Central Oregon, they are looking for an even stronger word. With a 29.5 percent increase in families receiving food stamps in December compared with December 2007, the tri-county area is the hardest hit in the state, when measured by the increased request for food stamps. Many families and individuals are seeking help for the first time in their lives, others are finding they need more. Below, a few of those people agreed to share their stories.

Jeff Johnson

Jeff Johnson’s chicken Parmesan dinner expired 22 days ago.

In about a month’s time, he went from buying fresh foods at the grocery store to getting free, slightly expired food.

A recent divorce came at a time when the 45-year-old, self-employed residential and excavation construction worker was experiencing slow times.

The Bend resident went from living in a 2,552-square foot, five-bedroom, three-bathroom home on 40 acres, to a 35-foot fifth-wheeler in his church’s parking lot.

Now, the man who lives in a $42,000, 2006 Weekend Warrior, which he bought with visions of traveling the state with his family, is answering questions he never dreamed someone would ask him.

“How are you meeting your basic needs?” asked Department of Human Services employee Sue McDonald — a stranger to Johnson.

His face flushed, Johnson shared the story of his first visit to the food bank, of living behind his church, of borrowing $20,000 from his parents.

“Do you have any income?” she asked. The answer was no.

She asks about assets.

“It’s kind of hard driving a 2006 Chevy pickup to a food bank,” he said.

He tried for military benefits but was told by officials in the Veterans’ Affairs office he was 33 days short of continuous active duty to qualify.

On Wednesday, he decided he needed more help than he could get from the food bank and applied for state assistance for the first time in his life.

McDonald gave him a list of resources, places to go for transitional housing, for clothes, for extra food.

“Food stamps weren’t intended to carry anyone through today’s economy,” McDonald told him. “They don’t last a month.”

In 2006, Johnson’s gross annual income was $170,000. His house, then appraised at nearly $1.2 million, was $70,000 away from being paid off.

“There have been slow stretches during the last couple of winters,” Johnson said. “But not like this. This is just incredible.”

It’s an odd feeling, Johnson said, to own expensive goods that aren’t worth anything. He tried selling his tools at Trade-N-Tools, where you can trade tools for money. But he quickly found out he wasn’t the first one with the idea; the place was inundated, he said.

He was never irresponsible with money. He planned ahead. He had a savings account, but that was wiped out by lawyer’s fees.

His parents, who also live in the area, are using their savings to help their son.

“I grew up with parents that never took vacation; we drove a station wagon with a red-front fender. It was all mismatched and had snow tires on it year round,” he said, adding he intends to pay back every dime his parents have given him.

Although Johnson never dreamed he would be in this position, he said, he’s being proactive about surviving. “There’s just no income. I just can’t get any money …” he said. “But it’s easy to find people in worse shape than me.”

Joel Hall

Joel Hall would like to leave Bend — but he can’t.

“There are more job opportunities elsewhere … But I can’t afford leaving,” he said. “The economy’s impact on a small town like this …”

When he first moved to the area, in 2005, 37-year-old Hall worked for the Bend-La Pine School District as a teaching assistant.

He has a bachelor’s degree in education from California State University- San Marcos.

Hall was laid off from that job. He was laid off from Flatbread Pizza. He’s been a bartender but was laid off there as well.

"It was tough five years ago finding a job in this town,” he said. “Now, this town that seemed to explode for a while, it’s just imploded.”

He’s getting by teaching snowboarding a few hours on Mt. Bachelor. But that’s only about two hours a week. And he hasn’t received unemployment benefits yet, because he’s been told it’s a four- to six-week wait.

“In the meantime, there’s no income,” he said while waiting in line for food stamps on Wednesday. He’s dressed in all black, with The North Face sneakers. He’s clutching an issue of National Geographic magazine. “I wouldn’t be standing in this line if that wasn’t the case.”

Hall has moved in with a friend to reduce expenses.

“Thank God I have good friends,” he said. “But they are losing their jobs, too, and they have educations. They are lawyers …”

Maybe, he said, it’s time for a career change.

“I would like to get into a field that can withstand this stuff,” he said, mentioning health care as a possibility.

Wednesday was his first time applying for food stamps.

“I never though there would be this many people here,” he said, after waiting in line for about 40 minutes. “But it seems to be hitting people from all directions.”

Although Hall said he’s determined to stay optimistic and keep his head up, it was a difficult decision for him to visit the DHS office.

“I’m totally embarrassed,” he said. “I didn’t want to come down here and wait in this line. But six weeks with no income … I check Craigslist and the paper all the time. There’s just not much out there.”

Kris Hakkila

As soon as Kris Hakkila, 44, of Bend, noticed his work drying up, he started applying for jobs.

He has yet to hear from anyone. In December alone, he sent out 40 résumés, looking for jobs at flooring manufacturing companies or as a project manager on different jobs — without a single call back.

“Not a thing, not a letter, not a call,” he said. “You just know they are being bombarded with applications.”

And so, on Wednesday, the self-employed hardwood floor contractor applied for food stamps for the first time.

His sentiments echoed many others at the DHS office.

“I’ve been through tough times,” he said. “But never this bad before.”

Along with his wife, who works as an assistant to a financial broker, Hakkila has two daughters, 14 and 17.

“All our money is going to pay our bills,” Hakkila said. “Soon, we’ll have absolutely nothing.”

Two years ago, his business was bringing in around $60,000. He has a job lined up in March, but other than that his income is close to zero.

He’s never even thought of applying for food stamps before. And he waited until there were no other choices.

“You know, it kind of sucks,” he said.

Karen Albert

Nearly every weekday morning, Karen Albert took the Les Schwab Tire Centers shuttle from Prineville to her office at the company’s new headquarters in Bend.

But last Friday, she decided to drive her own car.

An hour into her workday, at 8 a.m. her boss called Albert into an office. The human resource director was waiting.

“They told me they were letting me off due to the economy,” she said.

The 48-year-old didn’t see it coming.

“They told us they were done with layoffs.”

Albert was one of 25 people laid off a couple of weeks ago. Earlier this month, the company also laid off about 25 people.

“I just called my daughter and cried,” Albert said.

Since she drove her own car, she didn’t have to wait until her shift was over for the shuttle to arrive and ride home with her former co-workers.

“That was lucky,” she said. “I’m trying to find the blessings in all of this.”

She drove home and cleaned the house.

“And then I went online and applied for unemployment benefits,” she said.

Albert worked for the tire company — Central Oregon’s second-largest private employer — for five years.

A single mom with no other income, Albert immediately thought of her two children, ages 21 and 19. Her daughter, the oldest, has rheumatoid arthritis. And her youngest, a son, is a wrestler in college.

On Wednesday, Albert sat in the Prineville office filling out an application for the Oregon Health Plan.

“Amy can’t go without medical coverage, and my son is on the wrestling team,” she said. “If I don’t have coverage, I don’t care, but they need to be covered.”

Albert said she’s hoping the insurance coverage will be the only assistance she needs.

“I was raised in a family where you don’t ask for help. You take care of yourself,” Albert said. “So it’s rather humiliating. But you do what you have to do to take care of your family.”

Mona Meeds

Mona Meeds didn’t want her children to know.

But she mentioned food stamps while speaking to her husband, and her children heard.

“I didn’t want them to be embarrassed,” said the 31-year-old mother of four.

“If I hadn’t mentioned the Oregon Trail card, they wouldn’t know,” she said.

The Oregon Trail card is a debit-like card that makes food stamps available electronically.

When it became harder and harder for her husband, who owns his own heating and cooling business, to find work, Meeds knew she had to apply for help.

“The work just isn’t there,” she said. “During the housing boom, there was so much work.”

She applied for food stamps and signed her children up for the free and reduced-lunch program.

Without the aid, she’s not sure what would happen. Savings are gone, and her husband continues to take jobs farther and farther away from Prineville.

Even though she is constantly on the move, picking up and dropping off her children, ages 5, 11, 14 and 15, she applied for a job at Rite-Aid.

“It’s the only job I’ve seen posted,” Meeds said. “But they didn’t call.”

Four years ago, the family built a home and had money in the bank.

“Now, I try not to think about it,” she said.

Her children took the news well.

“I told them Dad doesn’t have much work and we’re getting assistance. When it gets better, we’ll get off of it,” she said.

With Crook County’s unemployment rate recently reaching 14 percent, Meeds said her children took it well, in part because they are familiar with tough times.

“They took it better than I thought,” she said. “They have a lot of friends that are having hard times too.”

Keshia Yaw

Keshia Yaw sat in the Department of Human Services office in Madras on Wednesday, waiting for her mother to pick her up.

“I know what I’m going to do,” said the 18-year-old single mom from Warm Springs. “I’m going to find a job, work on scholarship forms, get re-accepted to COCC (Central Oregon Community College) and transfer to Portland State.”

Maybe, she said, she would study something in the medical field.

Although, she doesn’t like asking for help, Wednesday was the first step in realizing her goals.

A blue folder, full of information, was on the table in front of her. Inside was information on how to receive cash assistance from a program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. The cash grants are $647 a month for families of four that earn less than $795 a month and have less than $2,500 in assets.

More than money, she’s hoping the program will help her get a job. The goal of the temporary assistance program is to create self-sufficiency for participants. To receive benefits, job searches are mandatory. And the individual must participate in the services available — such as job training classes that help with résumés.

Yaw lives with her mom, who receives food stamps and disability. She doesn’t have her driver’s license. It was too expensive, so any job needs to be near home.

“I don’t like it, depending on other people,” she said.

Yaw wasn’t the only young face at the Madras DHS office on Wednesday. Vicky Higgins, the operations manager, said her office serves a large teenage population.

In 2007, the office helped nearly 40 homeless teenagers.

“The biggest increase is those people who have never asked before,” Higgins said. “But the teen population is really increasing, too.”

Basilio Gomez

For the past 12 years, Basilio Gomez has worked at Bright Wood, in Madras.

He’s no stranger to the economy impacting the hours he works.

When times are good, the forklift driver is guaranteed 40-hour workweeks at the wood remanufacturing company. But lately it’s impossible to work enough hours to support his wife and four children.

On Wednesday, the 44-year-old applied for more food stamps and filled out the paperwork to put his two older children, ages 12 and 11, on the Oregon Health Plan.

The younger two children are already covered through the plan.

He has insurance through the wood manufacturing company, but the deductible is too high.

“It’s bad this year,” Gomez said.

Jaimie and Dave Crockett

Since September, Jaimie Crockett, 25, of Jefferson County, has been taking her résumé to any grocery store and gas station she can drive to.

“I’m trying to find anything,” she said.

Her husband, Dave, 36, was demoted from a salaried to hourly position at Bright Wood, Central Oregon’s third-largest private employer. During a recent week, he only worked 16 hours. He’s been with the company for 14 years.

The couple waited Wednesday in the lobby of the DHS office in Madras for an appointment with a caseworker, who will explain how to apply for food stamps.

Dave never imagined it would come to this point.

“A couple of years we went through this at Bright Wood,” he said. “But that was for a month.”

The couple has two daughters, ages 7 and 2.

“This is horrible,” Dave said. “I’ve never had to ask for help for anything.”

In September, Dave was bringing home about $3,000 a month. The money went to house payments and groceries. Last month, his income was $1,000.

Although Jaimie doesn’t like it, she has an easier time asking for help.

“I’m willing to do whatever to put a roof over our kids’ heads,” she said.

Dave is also studying accounting at Central Oregon Community College, so there are student loans to pay. He’s hoping it’s a recession-proof job.

As the mortgage payments pile up, the hardest part, Jaimie said, is not knowing if they will be able to stay in their house.

“We need to have a safe, comfortable place for our kids,” Jaimie said. “And that’s in jeopardy. If I didn’t have kids, it would be different.”

They are hoping the food stamps can alleviate some of the grocery bill costs so they can put more money toward paying off their house.

“I just kept thinking we could do this on our own,” Dave said.

But they couldn’t.

“We tried to put it off, but it caught up with us,” Jaimie said. “We couldn’t think about it anymore; we just had to do it. So here we are.”

(Kudos to The Bully for running this piece. Credit where it's due.)
Post over.

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Anonymous said...

Some of the richest 'loggers' today in Oregon are the boyz that run Umqua Bank, that is why there Texas Ratio is at a solid '6', they're sitting on ton's of SW Orygun old-growth.

February 1, 2009 7:21 AM
Anonymous hbm said...


It's been Confirmed, The RNC nigger's Dick is Bigger than the DNC nigger's dick.

Steele Focused on 3 Critical Races in Rebuilding GOP
Newly elected RNC chairman Michael Steele said a GOP comeback rests on the results of three critical races.

FOXNews.com

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Jan. 30: Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele speaks after being elected the first black Republican National Committee chairman in an election by the RNC during their winter meetings (AP).

Newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele said he is focused on three races in his effort to rebuild the GOP after it endured worrying losses in November's elections that gave Democrats control of Congress and the White House.

Steele, Maryland's former lieutenant governor and the first black to head the RNC, said one of the most critical battles for the GOP is to capture New York's 20th congressional seat formerly held by U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

"It is the first of a series of races that are coming up that are going to be incredibly important," Steele said in remarks Saturday to the Republican House Retreat in Hot Springs, Va.

Steele said he will be in New York next week for a meeting with Republican state leadership to "map out the strategy to take that seat."

"That win will send a powerful signal to the rest of the country and especially those folks in the elite media who think they know so much more than the rest of us," he said.

"Our game is not up ... our message still rings true with countless Americans, specifically with those in the 20th congressional district," he added.

The Republican chairman said the GOP's second focus will be on winning the governorship in both Virginia and New Jersey, along with other state offices.

"That is our fight," he said of the two races.

Steele also stressed the importance of winning "reapportionment races at the state level."

"We got a lot of work ahead of us," he said. "We've got to map a strategy to preserve what we have, take what we want and continue to move forward ... (and) reaffirm and reestablish with the American people a sense of trust, a sense of commitment, a sense of opportunity."

Steele was elected as the RNC chairman on Friday, defeating the incumbent party chief and three other challengers over six rounds of voting to become the first black to lead the GOP.

"As a little boy growing up in this town, this is awesome," said Steele, the most moderate candidate in the field.

Steele, who had been considered an outsider by some because he was not a committee member, struck a tone of inclusiveness in his brief acceptance speech Friday.

"We're going to say to friend and foe alike: We want you to be a part of us, we want you to with be with us, and for those who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over," he said.

Steele replaces Mike Duncan, who abandoned his re-election bid in the face of dwindling support midway through Friday's voting.

February 1, 2009 7:24 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Then on the fine winter day of January 22,2009 a fine little lady named Jennifer Abernathy (conspiracy theory alert) walked into the foreclosure office and picked up this fine little lot for just $31,000!! Can ya believe it?!! Then what does our little friend Jenny go and do with it? She puts it on Craigslist (before the ink even dried on her purchase and sale) for the low low price of $49,999 ya know just ta see if she can go on and make a tidy little profit, see here's the funny part.

*

More telling on this is that it reveals how fucking Miller-Stupid the Aber-Pussy family is. Aber-Pussy ( Mordorian for Abernethy ) ran Bend during the boom years and just got out? It would look awfully suspicious for him to BK Bend, and get run this city into the ground, only to be mayor and buying 'sheeeeeeet' at rock-bottom prices. One more thing to THINK about, its these SAME PEOPLE demanding for CHEAP SDC, now you can see why aber-pussy wants the SDC/PERMITS cheap, so that him & wife can throw up shit shacks for NO COST to themselves, and these are the KUNTS running city.

No 'conspiracy' here folks by definition, conspiracy requires secrecy by definition. What most interesting is this is one of our #1 Bend 'progressive' familys doing BEND STUPID ( herein Miller-Stupid ) shit.

February 1, 2009 7:31 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What is the lot really worth? My guess is the lots right now are worth $20k, about what I could buy a lot for in 1991 just about anywhere.

Which is about what mrs aber-pussy paid, see she paid a fair price, but I doubt she'll find anyone with money who will pay more, lastly it would be interesting to see who holds the paper? Did she pay cash? Or is the bank CACB?? It would be interesting if some BANK around town was giving the aber-pussy's a large open line of credit for 8+ years of services rendered.

February 1, 2009 7:34 AM
Blogger MrBruce said...

If you've ever sat down and talked with Mike Hollern, you know he's not the dark lord pulling strings of the universe guy.

*

I never said I didn't like and respect HOLLERN. What I have said is he came here in the early 60's cuz he inherited Brooks-Scanlon, the town of Bend, with his fresh MBA, his own auto-bio is on the fucking sisters-historical web, that keeps getting deleted by BEBB.

About 1968 Hollern brought Smith here to work for him, and Smith stayed with HOLLERN for years until he went out on his own, Hollern MADE Smith.

This is what I have said. HOLLERN runs this town, and SMITH is one of his monkey's.

I never said that HOLLERN was sinister, all I discuss is 'ownership'. HOLLERN controls the BULL&SORE, and HOLLER own's SMITH, and not a chip-munk eat's in this town without HOLLERN's approval.

Now lets get back to why HOLLERN/SMITH forced the SORE to move winterfest from downtown to Old-Mill this year, and don't even get me started about TLC.

LB you there how about you telling me about Hollern, TLC, and the SORE, and Sister's?? How about it smart guy?

February 1, 2009 7:45 AM
Delete
Anonymous Anonymous said...

TUMALO LANGLAUF CLUB needs volunteers for the newsletter, social activities, potlucks, fundraising, grooming and hosting at Virginia Meissner Sno-Park, WinterFest and “Learn-to-Ski Day” teachers. Contact: Tom Carroll, 541-385-7981.

*

Now what the fuck is TLC? What is Winterfest? Who controls them? What is the TLC's agenda? Right now TCL is trying to 'grab' all the land from Meisser to Dutchman to call their own to 'groom', and to charge anybody who skis the whole fucking mtn a 'TLC TAX'. Many of us want fucking silence in the back-country, we don't want fucking machines everywhere.

So today you got the SORE/TLC/SISTERS-RICH/HOLLERN-SMITH all grabbing ALL the land between MEISSNER & DUTCHMAN for themselves, like MT-B, once they control it, then they can start putting up condo's & shit, because we all know that the forest-service will allow anything by those who effectively lease-control public land.

This SHIT just never fucking ENDS.

February 1, 2009 7:50 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The one to back-link is 'Lay it Out' that is the mother-load front for Switzer.

316014-95 ABN ACT 10-11-2005
Entity Name OREGON WINTERFEST
Foreign Name
Affidavit? N



New Search Printer Friendly Associated Names
Type PPB PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS
Addr 1 704 NW GEORGIA AVE
Addr 2
CSZ BEND OR 97701 Country UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The Authorized Representative address is the mailing address for this business.
Type REP AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE Start Date 10-11-2005 Resign Date
Name AARON SWITZER
Addr 1 704 NW GEORGIA AVE
Addr 2
CSZ BEND OR 97701 Country UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type REG REGISTRANT
Of Record 576353-86 LAY IT OUT, INC.
Addr 1
Addr 2
CSZ

February 1, 2009 7:53 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Talking about CONSPIRACY theory's see what's going on right now is that MT-B is BEND-DEAD, and with cost of 'energy' the lift-biz is dead, so the powers of THEFT in BEND-OREGON want to 'STEAL' all the XC areas of BEND, and call them their own, and charge people to use public land, and build STD's in these areas that is the BIGGEST planned theft going on today, all being RAN by the SORE & family.

I bit you'll not see that 'conspiracy theory' ran in the SORE opinion column or the Sore-Eye blog.

Anonymous said...

Fadely, Butler, & Switzer are the names to watch, ...

576353-86 DBC ACT OREGON 05-20-1997
Entity Name LAY IT OUT, INC.
Foreign Name



New Search Printer Friendly Associated Names
Type PPB PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS
Addr 1 704 NW GEORGIA AVE
Addr 2
CSZ BEND OR 97701 Country UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Please click here for general information about registered agents and service of process.
Type AGT REGISTERED AGENT Start Date 05-19-2003 Resign Date
Name CHARLES N FADELEY
Addr 1 220 N PINE STREET
Addr 2 PO BOX 1408
CSZ SISTERS OR 97759 Country UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type PRE PRESIDENT Resign Date
Name PAUL S BUTLER
Addr 1 704 NW GEORGIA AVE
Addr 2
CSZ BEND OR 97701 Country UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type SEC SECRETARY Resign Date
Name AARON SWITZER
Addr 1 704 NW GEORGIA AVE
Addr 2

Anonymous said...

If you've ever sat down and talked with Mike Hollern, you know he's not the dark lord pulling strings of the universe guy. - LB

*

I never said I didn't like and respect HOLLERN. What I have said is he came here in the early 60's cuz he inherited Brooks-Scanlon, the town of Bend, with his fresh MBA, his own auto-bio is on the fucking sisters-historical web, that keeps getting deleted by BEBB.

About 1968 Hollern brought Smith here to work for him, and Smith stayed with HOLLERN for years until he went out on his own, Hollern MADE Smith.

This is what I have said. HOLLERN runs this town, and SMITH is one of his monkey's.

I never said that HOLLERN was sinister, all I discuss is 'ownership'. HOLLERN controls the BULL&SORE, and HOLLER own's SMITH, and not a chip-munk eat's in this town without HOLLERN's approval.

Now lets get back to why HOLLERN/SMITH forced the SORE to move winterfest from downtown to Old-Mill this year, and don't even get me started about TLC.

LB you there how about you telling me about Hollern, TLC, and the SORE, and Sister's?? How about it smart guy?

...

TUMALO LANGLAUF CLUB needs volunteers for the newsletter, social activities, potlucks, fundraising, grooming and hosting at Virginia Meissner Sno-Park, WinterFest and “Learn-to-Ski Day” teachers. Contact: Tom Carroll, 541-385-7981.

*

Now what the fuck is TLC? What is Winterfest? Who controls them? What is the TLC's agenda? Right now TCL is trying to 'grab' all the land from Meisser to Dutchman to call their own to 'groom', and to charge anybody who skis the whole fucking mtn a 'TLC TAX'. Many of us want fucking silence in the back-country, we don't want fucking machines everywhere.

So today you got the SORE/TLC/SISTERS-RICH/HOLLERN-SMITH all grabbing ALL the land between MEISSNER & DUTCHMAN for themselves, like MT-B, once they control it, then they can start putting up condo's & shit, because we all know that the forest-service will allow anything by those who effectively lease-control public land.

This SHIT just never fucking ENDS.

Anonymous said...

With the collapse of MT-B, and the impending lack of winter activity for COVA to market, SORE/TLC Hollern/Smith are rapidly trying to make XC-skiing into "BENDS SPORT", the noble goal is for COVA to mention that the city has 120k of groomed trails right near the city on 'public' land, right now the Meissner is about 30k I think.

The plan is make it into a fucking empire of the biggest developed xc-ski area in NO-America, bigger than Methow Valley, cuz as we all know Golf is Dead and MT-B lift racket can't be maintained by Powdr and is DEAD.

Why does this bother me?? Freedom of the HILLS, we go skiing to get away from the SHIT, not to have them turn the mtn's every where into a fucking zoo.

Anonymous said...

Then on the fine winter day of January 22,2009 a fine little lady named Jennifer Abernathy (conspiracy theory alert) walked into the foreclosure office and picked up this fine little lot for just $31,000!! Can ya believe it?!! Then what does our little friend Jenny go and do with it? She puts it on Craigslist (before the ink even dried on her purchase and sale) for the low low price of $49,999 ya know just ta see if she can go on and make a tidy little profit, see here's the funny part. - SP

*

More telling on this is that it reveals how fucking Miller-Stupid the Aber-Pussy family is. Aber-Pussy ( Mordorian for Abernethy ) ran Bend during the boom years and just got out? It would look awfully suspicious for him to BK Bend, and get run this city into the ground, only to be mayor and buying 'sheeeeeeet' at rock-bottom prices. One more thing to THINK about, its these SAME PEOPLE demanding for CHEAP SDC, now you can see why aber-pussy wants the SDC/PERMITS cheap, so that him & wife can throw up shit shacks for NO COST to themselves, and these are the KUNTS running city.

No 'conspiracy' here folks by definition, conspiracy requires secrecy by definition. What most interesting is this is one of our #1 Bend 'progressive' familys doing BEND STUPID ( herein Miller-Stupid ) shit.
...

What is the lot really worth? My guess is the lots right now are worth $20k, about what I could buy a lot for in 1991 just about anywhere.

Which is about what mrs aber-pussy paid, see she paid a fair price, but I doubt she'll find anyone with money who will pay more, lastly it would be interesting to see who holds the paper? Did she pay cash? Or is the bank CACB?? It would be interesting if some BANK around town was giving the aber-pussy's a large open line of credit for 8+ years of services rendered.

Anonymous said...

316014-95 ABN ACT 10-11-2005
Entity Name OREGON WINTERFEST
Foreign Name
Affidavit? N



New Search Printer Friendly Associated Names
Type PPB PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS
Addr 1 704 NW GEORGIA AVE
Addr 2
CSZ BEND OR 97701 Country UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The Authorized Representative address is the mailing address for this business.
Type REP AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE Start Date 10-11-2005 Resign Date
Name AARON SWITZER
Addr 1 704 NW GEORGIA AVE
Addr 2
CSZ BEND OR 97701 Country UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type REG REGISTRANT
Of Record 576353-86 LAY IT OUT, INC.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

You gotta question the RePug Roots of The Bully for running a gut-wrencher like that.

I thought I was reading TSW.

Bakersfield Bubble said...

How is the asshole that owns the MB and Toyota franchises doing?

Is he still flying around in his plane?

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

I'm just glad that Buster-Foo started copy/pasting as quickly as possible.

Anonymous said...

But I think the World is coming around to this blog & it's commenters way of thinking, that this thing is going to be disastrous.

*

You really think everyone in Bend will go 'moron' and be playing with their dicks in public??

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Anyone know of any good Super Bowl festivities? Baldy's is having cheap wings, according to BendOregonRestaurant.

Mmmmmm, that sounds damn good.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

BendBubble is worth a read this week, with it's fairly bewilderingly titled "Time to Get Off Your Fucking Ass & Fix Bend Oregon", and a subsequent list of volunteering opportunities.

Did I actually just say "volunteering opportunities"? Jeebus H Cripes. All the verbal misdirection of a Cali-Banger with all the idiocy of White Motha Fuckin Lib-Rul's.

Someone kick me in the balls, quick.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Jess of My Back Pages started questioning the viability of CACB...

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

"Jesse", that is...

Anonymous said...

You gotta question the RePug Roots of The Bully for running a gut-wrencher like that.

*

They're trying to SELL BEND, its all they know, they got to PIMP&HO for a max amount of the OREO stimulus.

How about BP getting to work quicker on the list of the folks who borrowed BEND's $200M, and then side-by-side, we can talk about how the people like KURATEK, and mr Avion are living, compared to mr&mrs foodstamp.

St Paddy said...

St Paddy said...
Here's a little story about Bruce's lot. (I was bored tonight)

The $49k lot is at the corner of 14th and Ithaca (shitty location) it's a shitty shape also as they cut it around the existing house that used to own it because of a little encroachment by the house wall(funny things happened during the boom)

Waaay back in January of 2006 some dumb fukker by the name of Kevin Parker bought the freshly slaughtered bitch from Thomas Jefferson Duncan for $175,000. Can you believe that shit? Well it gets better. Kevin Parker wasn't as dumb as we thought he was, cause sure enough he turned around and found some fukker even dumber than he was. That dumb fukker was none other than Walter Wipfli and on the 11th day of July 2006 he gave our buddy Kevin Parker $205,000 dollars for that sorry excuse of lot. (I'm guessin Kevin wasn't so stupid as he walked off with his tidy little profit of $30,000). The best part about our buddy Walter Wipfli was that he bought the lot not for himself but for his genius investment counselor's/partners at ABACUS design genius's inc. all rights reserved tm llc etc.. (aka Carey Martinez)he was gettin in at the ground floor ya see. Walter and his friend at the countrywide office set him up with a nice little construction/lot loan of $189,000. Then some trouble found it's way to town and the ABACUS boys were havin trouble ya see, they were plum tapped out on building cause they couldn't sell any of their other creations and old Walter couldn't find anyway to build out this dream here of his, or somebodies dream, so he gave that beauty of a pile of a lot back to old countrywide on October 6th 2008 in lieu of foreclosure y'all know what that means right? Then on the fine winter day of January 22,2009 a fine little lady named Jennifer Abernathy (conspiracy theory alert) walked into the foreclosure office and picked up this fine little lot for just $31,000!! Can ya believe it?!! Then what does our little friend Jenny go and do with it? She puts it on Craigslist (before the ink even dried on her purchase and sale) for the low low price of $49,999 ya know just ta see if she can go on and make a tidy little profit, see here's the funny part. Our little friend Jenny didn't realize that the lot needs sewer and water taps before ya can build on it and those little beauties are gonna cost her about $25,000 and it's also a corner lot and ya gotta meet certain setbacks and beins it's a little skewed of lot it's gonna be one pickle of house that might finally get set on that little lot. So ther ya have it fine people of blogerland the flipping mania is alive and well here in beautiful Bendover Oregon and the best part on this one is everyone got bent over on that one. Stay tuned for when Jenny begins turning tricks to make her mortgage payment on the lot when it doesn't sell so quick.
Good night y'all




SP

January 31, 2009 11:49 PM


ST Paddy said...
Latest deed in lieu of news Hollman gives 76 lots back to community first on 01/27/09

HEre's a link ya lazy fuks
http://recordings.deschutes.org/TempImages/71628828201336.pdf

February 1, 2009 12:16 AM


Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

I'm just glad that Buster-Foo started copy/pasting as quickly as possible.

*

It really sucks to write 2-3 posts, and then realize that you have started a new thread, and thereby forever terminated a pre-existing thread.

Yep, I really thought CACB would go down, on that item the FDIC closed CLARK @ 6pm EST last cycle, so when CACB goes down, we'll not know until 9pm on a friday night, but NOBODY is going to buy the bitch, and remember the FDIC reserves are getting down close to zero, we're almost to the point where there is no insurance reserves to cover these failing banks.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

And Jesse also mentions the so-called BAD BANK, as a possible answer to our current crisis.

Of course, it is not.

It, like the preceeding bailouts, is simply the re-allocation of wealth AWAY from the Middle & Lower classes, towards those who foisted this calamity on us.

There is just us chickens. Misdirection is how this is getting accomplished. Barney Frank gave an analogy that this bailout is having COLLATERAL BENEFICIARIES, the way war has Collateral Damage. We can't help but inflict damage on innocent bystanders during war, and Frank says we can't get through our current crisis without vastly benefiting those who caused it.

BULL FUCKING SHIT.

This argument is being used by OUR GOVERNMENT to enrich a governmental feedback industry that has sprung up to enrich the Brokeback Mountain relationship between Government & top Industrialist.

The Lower & Middle class of the USA is systematically being IMPOVERISHED to the direct benefit of the monied classes.

Please hold your criticisms while I am channeling hbm...

And I should mention that these bailouts are so well marketed that even Lib-Supreme hbm, was taken in by his Lib-RUL masters.

This is NOTHING BUT the reallocation of wealth to the HAVE'S, and the systematic bankrupting of the SORT-HAVE'S and HAVE NOTS.

The incestuous love-knot of government & industry is complete.

I want to hear hbm's response to BARNEY MEGA-FAG FRANK'S position on this... and please try not to DENIGRATE RePug's in your answer. We know we suck ass, we have 8 yrs of proof. What we're saying is your guys are no better.

I'll know something has been accomplished when deep-in-a-rut knee-jerk lib's like hbm, Dunc, brucey and the rest, realize that their guys (Obaminator, FagMaster Frank, and the rest) are nigger-beaters of a different color.

As timmy says, the only real party of the people left is THROW THESE FUCKERS OUT. The system is fucking irrevocably BROKE. Lib's & RePug's are enriching themselves & Their corporate Nigger-Whores on the backs of flat-or-negative wage slaves. That's US, hbm. That's YOU. And me. These fuckers do NOT CARE about your profound love of brown-skinned SLAVES, living in the vast cotton plantation fields of Nawth Kaylina, Jawjuh, and Kuntuckah.

Yeah, it ain't 1845. Your Lib masters are beating a drum that is irrelevant. Monty Burns and The Vast White Conspiracy AIN'T THE PROBLEM.

It's GOVERNMENT, your guys and ours. So what is it, hbm? You guys are bailing out corporate FUCKWADS faster than Bushwhacker ever could. How do you jusify THAT?

Anonymous said...

I was here back in the day when the Miller family would stand in line for Cheese 365/24/7, no other family in town would. There would be a huge line at the Miller house where all the little Bend spics & niggers would line up out back to buy cheese. In those days the government cheese was only handed out to white folk in Bend.

Dim Millers made a fortune selling government cheese to colored folk, made enough to send little Bruce Miller to COCC where he got through a semester of jUrinalism and went on to become an assistant reporter at the Bend Bulletin, a position that he retired from

Anonymous said...

HBM's telling the truth. I saw it.

20 or so years ago this little Mexican kid came running down Bond st. with a brick of government cheese yellig, "Look at this, look at this, I got some super good nacho cheese. It's the best nacho cheese in the whole world."

Well I stop the kid and ask, "Hey kid, where the hell did you get that cheese?"

Well, the little Mexican kid looks up a me and says, "There's a big line over on Franklin and the government is giving out bricks of free cheese. I got me a loaf of yummy nacho cheese."

So I ask, "Kid, how the hell do you know it's nacho cheese?"

"Well", the kid responds, "because the little black kid that I stole it from chased me down the street yelling"..."That's nacho cheese, that's nacho cheese."

HBM was there, he saw the whole thing.

Anonymous said...

Was this place largely populated by dumbfucks? Cuz no one but a dumbfuck LINES UP for cheese. Especially gov't cheese.


It was the entire Miller (my maiden name) family, we never left the building, we just stayed in line, got cheese, and got back into line.

For a few years we had more cheese than the government warehouse.

Then I got a job at the Bulletin, and quit reselling cheese. Those were the days.

Anonymous said...

Me & hbm are gonna head down to SoCali, and watch Nigga's drive cheese-wagons, so that we might tell each other how it is in fact a validation of our respective biases.

Butter: Look at them cheese-driving Nigga's flouting the law!

hbm: He was oppressed by Whitey into driving that thing!

Butter: He just shot that gas station attendant!

hbm: He was WHITE, and obviously trying to oppress him by setting him on fire!

Butter: Now he's shooting at us! Fuck me!

hbm: I better go in closer to tell him how my WHITENESS can solve his problems!

butter: toss the nigger a SORE

hbm: Here mr Nigger read this week's SORE, I think it will make you wish you were white like me.

LavaBear said...

>>>THROW THESE FUCKERS OUT

It's the only way out that I can see. Take over and nationalize each of the fucked up banks, kill the equity and debt holders, toss out management and sell the leftovers. Every other option to date is just making things worse. I also don't believe anyone in DC has the balls to stand up and do it. It's going to take Joe 6 Pack to take up pitchforks and storm the Bastille.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

I'm still pretty surprised by that "Meet the people behind the numbers" piece in the Bully.

They do not run bleeding-heart lib shit like that very often. The last time I remember was the apartment-to-condo-kickout's... people going homeless because of property value run-ups.

I have to give a thumbs-up for running such a person, gut-wrenching piece, showing the aftermath of the local slowdown, warts & all. And most of all, suggesting that LEAVING is a prime consideration of people in that circumstance...

MrBruce said...

It, like the preceeding bailouts, is simply the re-allocation of wealth AWAY from the Middle & Lower classes, towards those who foisted this calamity on us.

*

OREO has the same people who created the problem, running his government. Fact.

Yet, HBM, BP, DUNC, ... and all our favorite liberals' are still expecting change

This is the defn of insanity.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

"Well", the kid responds, "because the little black kid that I stole it from chased me down the street yelling"..."That's nacho cheese, that's nacho cheese."

Oh Christ! That is funny as hell! Good one.

LavaBear said...

>>>uggesting that LEAVING is a prime consideration of people in that circumstance...

Also mentioning that certain people CAN'T leave. I agree it was a decent effort to show some real pain. And given it was a decent effort then for the BULL it is HURCULEAN for those dumb fucks.

Anonymous said...

. I also don't believe anyone in DC has the balls to stand up and do it. It's going to take Joe 6 Pack to take up pitchforks and storm the Bastille.

*

LB its the ultimate PONZI back their in DC, to cover the USA public pension system, of retired FBI, whatever, and its all on the backs of joe-sixpack, but like me&dunc were talking the system has destroyed the consumer, so now there is going to be no revy-nue, only printing money, and soon, like the collapse of ROME, no food will come to DC, as farmers will not ship food to DC for worthless paper.

This is how it will end.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Ahhhh Fake Bruce is back...

Anonymous said...

It's going to take more than this story for the BULL to become the BULLetin.

The BULL & SORE are still the #1 enablers of kleptocracy in BEND.

LavaBear said...

>>>This is how it will end.

I'm looking more at California and less at DC. DC doesn't have the balls and right now Cali is insolvent. They are literally on the brink of not paying for any services as a state. How about getting an IOU from the governator for a tax refund he owes YOU?

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

For a Good Laugh and validation that there are still Kool-Aid holdout's out there, look at this listing by Crockett and Tubbs in Pronhorn:

Bend 5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Bathrooms 5,579 SQUARE FEET $2,995,000

Craftsman home at Pronghorn

A masterpiece in the extraordinary golf community of Pronghorn. Built by the well respected team of Tebbs Design and Jack Tebbs The home boasts a beautiful courtyard entry, inside; enjoy the grand water feature, gourmet kitchen, plus wood & stone accents throughout. Step out the double sliding doors to a southerly view with an incredible setting on the 10th green. Also a private guest house complete with full bathroom & gas fireplace. Call for a showing today.

For more information:
Debra Tebbs
Sotheby's International Realty
650 SW Bond St Suite 100
Office Phone: 541-383-7600
http://www.bendluxuryhomes.com
debbie.tebbs@sothebysrealty.com
541-312-4054 Primary
541-383-7600 x164 Secondary
877-593-7026 Other


This thing has already been reduced by a cool million bucks, and it is still RIDICULOUSLY overpriced by Millions.

$3 mill? Tebbs, LAY OFF THE KOOL-AID. INJECTING IT STRAIGHT INTO YOUR ANUS VIA GIANT TURKEY BASTER CAN BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR BUSINESS.

WAKE UP WHITE DUMBFUCK.

Anonymous said...

I guess this is when certain states begin to split off from DC maybe the Russian kook is thinking close to right, except for the part where Russia takes over parts of our country. The Nw has water and food, so at certain point we'll tell the scum in DC to put there fiat money where the sun don't shine.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

It's going to take more than this story for the BULL to become the BULLetin.

Yes, but it validates the idea that at the heart of every media outlet, is a LIB HEART BEATING. Most are given free reign... only in Bend are RePugs still firmly in charge.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Anyone have any ideas about when CROCKETT & TUBBS shutdown that Old Mill monstrosity?

I would guess before Q1 is out.

I still think a lot of True Producers (Gardner & DuBois, bless her lying ass heart) will band together & form independents. All this Big Shit (ie SOTHEY-BUTTHOLES) will disband. People will see that their dues are for naught. And 6% ain't viable anymore.

Anonymous said...

No homerButterBalls the BULL is doing what Chomsky calls "Manufacturing Consent", by opening peoples hearts to the suffering, every fucking building scheme that HOLLERN, SMITH, or Switzer have ever creamed their britches about will be OK'd, the last remaining tiny fucking chunks of TRUE beauty NOT destroyed in the area will now be destroyed by greed, with the BULL charging ahead with ...

"WE MUST BUILD NEW RESORTS TO CREATE JOBS TO END THE PAIN".


In Metolius basin, a new type of destination resort?
Metolian aims to fit in with environment, but it has critics

By Kate Ramsayer / The Bulletin
Published: February 01. 2009 4:00AM PST


The planners of a destination resort just north of Suttle Lake in the Metolius River Basin envision it as a sustainable community that improves the health of the forest around it.

The Metolian resort would have energy-efficient homes built with nontoxic materials, equipped with solar hot-water heaters and landscaped with native plants, according to its plans. It would use water collected from rainfall and waterways flush with seasonal snowmelt, and be designed to encourage people to get out and enjoy the surrounding forest. A stewardship fund set up by the resort would fund numerous conservation projects in the basin — all part of the plan for the proposed eco-resort.

“To me, an eco-resort is something that, from the beginning of the design, accounts for all the inputs used, and then when it’s realized, makes the people healthier and contributes to net environmental restoration,” said Jim Kean, co-manager of the Metolian project.

As Kean and other project developers prepare to roll out details about the features they said make Metolian a sustainable and green eco-resort, others in the community question whether any development built in the basin could be environmentally friendly.

Whether the 627-acre Metolian and a second destination resort proposed for the Metolius basin — the 2,500 unit project being developed by the Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co. — will be able to move forward is up in the air. Gov. Ted Kulongoski has asked the state to start a process that could make the Metolius basin off limits to destination resorts, and a bill has been introduced in the Oregon Legislature to ban resorts in the area. The state Supreme Court is also reviewing decisions related to Jefferson County’s destination resort zones.

But Metolian’s developers, who are proposing to build 180 lodging units and 450 residential units, say their resort will be something new.

“We’re in an area where destination resorts have really taken on a negative connotation,” said Jon Skidmore, project manager. “It really is an opportunity to maybe steer the ship in a different direction, and take on some of the great technologies that people have been working on to highlight what you can do in terms of green technology.”

Kean said the resort’s goal is to make up for all of the carbon emissions it produces, from construction to operation, by doing things that will store carbon instead.

One idea is to take small trees from overgrown forests and use them as a biomass power source, he said. The carbon-rich material that’s left over can be mixed with compost and used to create topsoil, sequestering the carbon.

Although the resort would connect to the power grid, another goal is to generate enough renewable energy on-site to not only power the homes and facilities, but put electricity back into the grid within several years. The plan is to orient houses to catch as much natural light as possible, have solar panels on all roofs to harvest energy, and use other tools, he said, possibly even harnessing geothermal power to heat buildings.

The materials used for the buildings will have to meet certain health-related requirements, and the builders themselves will need green-friendly credentials, Kean said. For the resort’s layout, some of the housing options will be simple, like a camping platform, or small, like a 500-square-foot cabin — many arranged in clusters with shared facilities to be more efficient.

The plans call for employee housing on site to cut down on commutes and promote social justice, Kean said. The developers are also considering a 40-passenger biodiesel bus that can drive visitors to and from the Willamette Valley, and a concierge service so people don’t have to make multiple trips into Sisters or Bend for small errands.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel,” Kean said. “The novelty is we’re taking things that are well characterized by themselves and combining them.”

Water plans

Dutch Pacific Resources LLC, the company proposing the development, applied for a permit to use groundwater last winter. A review from the Oregon Water Resources Department stated that pumping groundwater at that site would reduce the flows of the Deschutes River and impact the flows of the Metolius River as well.

In general, when people pump out water from a groundwater well in the Metolius basin, it can decrease the flows of springs, lakes and streams in all directions, said Doug Woodcock, manager of the groundwater hydrology section with the Water Resources Department.

“That impact is going to reach out, and the Metolius would be the primary point of impact,” he said.

But Metolian developers are now planning to get all of their water, including drinking water, from the seasonal runoff that happens every spring when the snow melts, sending more water into creeks running through the property. That extra runoff will be diverted between March and June into three man-made lakes.

“The entire site receives enough water during the peak period that we can capture that and put it into our three little lakes,” Kean said.

Sewage will be treated with special bio-membranes and will then be reused to grow trees on the tree farm, Skidmore said, adding that he hopes the Legislature will change rules so people can reuse the water from sinks and dishwashers and other appliances.

“We want to use the water two or three times before we actually send it into the ground,” Skidmore said.

Using surface water would still require a permit, Woodcock said, and while, in general, removing surface water would have an effect on the streams and rivers downstream of where it was taken out, it probably would not impact the groundwater situation.

Funding projects

Beyond the resort itself, Skidmore said the defining part of the project is to set up a Metolian Natural Capital Fund with money from home sales, homeowner association fees and construction financing.

“We’re going to be putting real capital into the basin to improve its health,” he said.

The fund could have about $400,000 per year, Kean said, and would go to projects, picked by an advisory board, that would improve the environmental health of the Metolius River Basin. Those could range from giving households in Camp Sherman help to buy water-saving devices like a low-flow showerhead, to reducing nitrates from the Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery, to funding U.S. Forest Service projects to restore forests to a more natural setting.

“If we’re using the outdoors, we don’t see this as a free resource,” Kean said.

And the resort, which won’t have a golf course, will have opportunities for people to learn more about the ecosystem in the Metolius basin, go mountain biking or hiking, or do other outdoor activities. It will also offer a new campground, which Kean said is needed in the area.

“We actually think we’re going to democratize access to the Metolius basin,” he said.

Concerns

But some area residents have concern about the new development.

Metolian developers propose to make recreation investments in the national forest, said Gregory McClarren, the president of Friends of the Metolius. But one concern is that the maintenance for those investments would fall to the Forest Service, and therefore the taxpayers.

And destination resorts are supposed to be self-contained, he said, while this one could spill over onto public land.

“They can call it an eco-resort, with the name the Metolian, but it is an urban subdivision,” he said. “Any time you’re talking about several hundred homes, it’s a subdivision. It’s just not the right place.”

Plus, the location of the resort is in a sensitive area — only several miles from the Mount Jefferson Wilderness in one direction, the federally designated Wild and Scenic Metolius River in the other, and right next to Davis Creek and First Creek, both of which feed into the Metolius River. Biologists are also trying to bring steelhead and salmon back to rivers in the area, he said.

“Maybe it just doesn’t fit,” McClarren said.

And the Forest Service has some concerns about the project, although it doesn’t take positions on whether it is an appropriate development or not, said Mary Farnsworth, deputy supervisor with the Deschutes National Forest.

But during the planning process, if it goes forward, the National Forest will bring up concerns about the resort’s effect on wildlife, water and other issues, including what having a development in that area means for the Forest Service’s fire suppression and fuels treatment programs.

There’s also the question of whether the area could support that many more people without degrading the recreation experience, she said.

While having a “green” philosophy is a good thing, she said, it might not resolve all of the concerns the agency has about the project.

“If you put a lot of folks into that area,” Farnsworth said, “That’s a pretty big impact regardless of whether people are thinking green or not.”

Kate Ramsayer can be reached at 541-617-7811 or kramsayer@bendbulletin.com.

Anonymous said...

I'm looking more at California and less at DC. DC doesn't have the balls and right now Cali is insolvent. - LB

*

Yes, and IF you all bothered to read the spreadsheet like I have told you from the WSJ on the OREO bail-out, the majority of the $$$ is going to CALI.

Pleeeeeeeeze LB, no crocodile for GAD-DAMN cali.

DC can print money, CALI will have to print its own money, perhaps, but of the $800B, CALI is going to get the $40B it needs to balance the budget.

Let's stick with BEND fucking ORYGUN.

Think Global, Act Local. ( Earth First quote)

Anonymous said...

Yes, but it validates the idea that at the heart of every media outlet, is a LIB HEART BEATING. Most are given free reign... only in Bend are RePugs still firmly in charge.

*

The BULL will promote building, resort development ... until the day they're fucking shuttered.

The BULL 'lib beating' is NO different than the faux 'progressive' of HBM & SORE.

The entire media scam of Bend is the artificial left&right, its a PUG town, but BULL is supposed to be right, and SORE left, but there both owned by the same Klepto-Crats.

A Kleptocracy is a government ran by common criminals.

Anonymous said...

Like today Aber-Pussy drops out of being Mayor, first thing he does' is BUY a lot for around $20k ( RMV ), and try's to flip for $50k on craig's, he can't build cuz he lobbied for ZERO SDC/PERMIT, but that didn't happen, so he'll try and flip.

Even the so-called progressive shit eaters in Bend, who fuck the citzenry with condoms, are still no different than Moss or Sebastian, or Breeze, or Eckman, all of Bend is the same, Greedy fucking flippers all still trying to market Bend as #1 and hoping a dumb fucking Cali bites the bait on Craigs.

Anonymous said...

I don't give a fuck, but some here do care, now Breedlove has admitted that he was getting fudge-packed at 17 or perhaps earlier.... Hey its ORYGUN, ... KUNTS - FYI "willamette week" is the SORE of PDX.


Source says Breedlove was 17 when sex began

* Willamette Week: Sam Adams' spokesperson did not resign because of 'stress'


Story Updated: Jan 31, 2009 at 2:01 PM PST
By Thom Jensen KATU News and KATU.com Staff
Video

PORTLAND, Ore. - New details are emerging every day as the pieces of the scandal surrounding Portland's embattled mayor continue to unfold and people come forward.

A longtime friend of Beau Breedlove, who spoke with KATU News on condition of anonymity, has new light to shed on the scandal that has divided the city into two sides - those for and against Mayor Sam Adams.

In this latest development, Breedlove's friend told KATU News that he heard from him almost four years ago that he was having sex with a Portland politician - at a time when Breedlove was 17 years old.

"He didn't say who, or his name, but said he was having sexual encounters with this person," he said.

The friend met Breedlove at South Salem's Sprague High School and said in the spring of 2005, Breedlove told him about the relationship.

"I just didn't think too much of it at the time," he said. "It's not the first guy who he had sex with that was older than 18. He liked it, obviously. Maybe he just didn't know that this guy was going to become the mayor of Portland."

That spring, as a legislative intern, Breedlove met then 42-year-old Sam Adams, who was a City Commissioner at the time.

The two knew each other well - in June of 2005, Adams traveled to Salem for Breedlove's 18th birthday.

Adams now admits he began to develop a relationship with Breedlove that went beyond mentoring.

"In the past, I characterized my relationship with Beau Breedlove as being purely non-sexual and that's not true," Adams admitted after the scandal broke.

According to Breedlove's friend, after that admission, Beau sent him a text message telling him that the sexual relationship started when Beau was still 17 years old.

When asked if he was convinced that Adams had sex with Breedlove when the young man was 17 years old, his friend said "yes."

Adams has denied having a sexual relationship with Breedlove when he was 17 years old.

"After I learned for the first time that he was 17, I told him that I was not interested in any sort of romantic relationship because he was 17," Adams said the day of his public apology.

Adams denied it again last weekend when he returned to City Hall for the first time since the scandal broke. "Our sexual relationship occurred after he was 18," he said.

According to a report in The Oregonian, Breedlove admits kissing Adams on two occasions before his 18th birthday - one a prolonged kiss that lasted about a minute in a men's room at City Hall.

By e-mail, text and phone, KATU asked Breedlove if there were any inaccuracies in that report or his friend's allegations. Friday afternoon, he said "the answers I gave The Oregonian are the same as what you would be told. That's all I have to say to you."

Breedlove has admitted he initially lied about his relationship because he did not want to hurt Adams' reputation.

Breedlove's father, Marty Breedlove, told KATU News by phone he believes his son had sex with the mayor before he turned 18 years old. He said he bases that belief on the kissing his son talked about and the numerous trips to Portland when his son was only 17 years old. However, he says his son has not told him exactly how old he was when the sex began.

Anonymous said...

Bend 5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Bathrooms 5,579 SQUARE FEET $2,995,000

*

Sounds like the S-1031 homes at highlands@BT, lots of these $600/sq-ft homes around town.

What is the current figure? Less than one house a month over $500k is selling? or is it less than that??

Anonymous said...

"Well", the kid responds, "because the little black kid that I stole it from chased me down the street yelling"..."That's nacho cheese, that's nacho cheese."

Okay, that's funny.

Anonymous said...

>>What is the current figure? Less than one house a month over $500k is selling?

Yes, less than one. Zero, in fact.

LavaBear said...

Pleeeeeeeeze LB, no crocodile for GAD-DAMN cali.

DC can print money, CALI will have to print its own money, perhaps, but of the $800B, CALI is going to get the $40B it needs to balance the budget.

Let's stick with BEND fucking ORYGUN.


I AM thinking 100% about Bend, Oregon. As a born and bred Oregonian it is against my DNA to ever shed a tear for Cali. You do know that Cali is 18-24 months ahead of most in the deleveraging game. And they are unraveling. I'm not watching Cali to see about Cali I'm watching Cali to see about Bend, Oregon in a year or two.

If you aren't paying attention to Cali then your "Think Globally" part of your equations is broke.

LavaBear said...

Butter, I've gotten used to big titties to end the post. It makes it easier to scroll and find the comments. Please?

Anonymous said...

Butter, a Big Dick just once?? This is Bend, think about Adams & Breedlove. I don't drink milk.

Anonymous said...

I'm not watching Cali to see about Cali I'm watching Cali to see about Bend, Oregon in a year or two. - LB

*

Then watch Vallejo, CA, cuz they have filed BK, and they are 100% BEND, and have BEND type's running the show. It's fucking ugly, cops quitting, schools being ripped apart, and the city-manager raising his salary from $120k to $350k/yr during the BK. Public unions suing the city so they can't BK, and lawyers making a fortune on the meter of little revenue. Why? Cuz the DEBT taken on destroyed the city. Many places in CALI, say 'Carmel' will be just fine.

If you want to see Bend in 1-2 years then study Vallejo, Calif.

Anonymous said...

Krugman says USA can still print another $6Trillion and be as solid as Belgium, yeh but Belgiums drink good beer.

...

Krugman: Stimulus needs to be twice as big
Portland Business Journal - by Aliza Earnshaw Busines

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman said during a press conference Friday at Willamette University that investment in universal health care and infrastructure, along with temporary nationalization of the country's banks, are the most viable paths to economic recovery.

But the Obama administration isn't proposing to spend enough, added Krugman, the winner of a Nobel Prize in economics for his work in world trade patterns.

Krugman is speaking Friday night at Willamette. Thursday night he spoke at the Arlene Schnitzer auditorium in Portland.

The $819 billion spending package passed by the House of Representatives this week is about $1 billion short of what's needed, Krugman said. Achieving sustained recovery will probably require spending $600 billion per year for three years on projects that put people to work while building a lasting infrastructure to support ongoing economic growth.

Oregon's plans to create economic growth around sustainable energy and other green industries may be laudable for environmental reasons, but it's not clear that the strategy will succeed in economic terms.

"Ten years from now, we will be doing a lot more in the green energy field," Krugman said. "We'd better be, or we're cooked. But whether it makes sense as a business proposition, I have no idea."

On the other hand, since it's likely that the United States will institute a nationwide market system for carbon emissions, Oregon's ambition to be the first state with a cap-and-trade system may be a wise economic move.

"Cap and trade is a quintessentially global strategy, but a local economy that gets a head start might be positioning itself for the industries that come along," Krugman said.

Investing in health care makes sense both as a short-term boost to the economy and as a long term public good, Krugman said.

"We're going to want to provide people with aid to get insurance," he said. "In the immediate, next two years, that would mean a lot of people would increase spending on needed medical care and be freed from fears of medical disaster."

That in turn would make people and businesses more comfortable about spending on and investing in other things.

Asked how long the current downturn could last, Krugman said that the recession could end, according to traditional economic measures, as soon as late this year or early 2010.

But as experienced by most Americans, the slump is likely to last well beyond the point when economists declare that the recession is over, a marker that could arrive by November, or early next year.

"The source of the recovery is hard to see," he said. "There's not going to be a whole lot of business investment until a dramatic new technology comes along to get businesses investing."

Krugman believes that the administration should temporarily nationalize the banks, "though you should call it by a different name."

"Take them into receivership, at least the ones teetering on the edge," he said. That would have the effect of restoring confidence and getting money to flow.

While Krugman believes that U.S. manufacturing can never recover to 1970s levels — improved productivity means industry will never need as many people to make what we actually buy — he said increasing spending on public infrastructure is one of the chief ways to get people back to work.

"You could hire people to dig holes and fill them up again, and that would create demand," he said. "But if you have people build a bridge, then you put them to work and you get a bridge."

As for worries about increasing the national debt, Krugman said there's still plenty of room for the United States to borrow without losing the confidence of the financial markets.

"Belgium has debt equal to 87 percent of its gross domestic product," he said. "That's 40 percent higher than ours, with no financial crisis. So we can probably run up another $6 trillion in debt."

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Butter, I've gotten used to big titties to end the post.

All done. And tastefully, I think.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Butter, a Big Dick just once??

Don't hold your breath.

think about Adams & Breedlove.

no

Anonymous said...

The GOP's Very Own Magic Negro Speaks:

RNC Chairman Michael Steele took to the Sunday talk show circuit for the first time since he was elected to the post. And while he pledged to help restore the Republican Party to a more powerful perch, he outlined a game plan that seemed reminiscent of years past.

Pressed by Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, Steele diagnosed the GOP ills as a problem of the messenger but not the message -- he even suggested that the party should look back to New Gingrich's Contract With America for inspiration.

"We failed to lead," said the former Lt. Maryland Governor. "The principles we espoused [in 1994] are still true and good today and that's not what people moved away from us for. They moved away from us because we behaved badly. We came to Washington and we became like the people we were sent here to replace. And they replaced us."

That mindset extended itself throughout the conversation on policy and politics, where Steele did little to distance himself from the issues that defined the GOP's poor showing in recent elections. He put forward Gov. Sarah Palin's name -- among others -- as the future of Republican leadership. And on immigration, he pledged "no change in the position on the party..."

"The GOP position is secure our borders first," he added. "Let us know and let us make sure the American people know that we've taken care of the important business of dealing with the illegal immigration into this country."

Steele also restated his support for a constitutional ban on gay marriage, and applauded the united GOP front to the stimulus bill currently making its way through Congress. He brushed off concerns that the party would look like obstructionists if not one member supported the president's plan.

"The Republican Congress did a great job in drawing the line," he said. "I hope the Senate will follow."


Yep, just as I always thought -- it was the gays and the illegal immigrants who wrecked the economy.

BTW thanks for putting the pic of the big-titted woman at the bottom of your post -- lets me know when to stop scrolling. Merci beaucoup.

Anonymous said...

The Bulletin: To Report Or Not To Report

The following essay was submitted to the Bulletin as a Letter to the Editor.

Until now, I have made a point of staying out of the local conversation regarding the rash of real-estate-related suicides. Personally, I believe that tragedies such as these deserve a certain discretion, at least among individuals.

However, the news media is in a completely different situation. Its job is to dispassionately report important information on current events regardless of the personal cost.

For example, The Bulletin avidly reported for days on the failed malpractice case against local surgeon Tony Hinz without regard to the cost Dr. Hinz suffered because of the negative publicity, a cost that even his vindication did little to ameliorate, I'm sure.

When it comes to the slumping local real estate market, however, and the concomitant spate of suicides, the Bulletin conveniently hides behind discretion and an intriguing policy of non-reporting even while the paper's big brother, the Oregonian, finds it suitable news material.

In response to criticism of the Bulletin's ignoring the story editor John Costa recently wrote that the local medical examiner had not yet confirmed the alleged suicides and, "The Bulletin has a policy of not naming people who commit suicide unless they are public figures or unless they kill themselves in a public setting."

However, on Christmas Eve the Bulletin reported on the alleged suicide of Bernard Madoff investor Rene-Thierry Magon De La Villehuchet, even omitting the term, "alleged" though the New York City medical examiner had not made such a determination at the time. In addition, Mr. Villehuchet was no more a "public figure" than any of the local alleged suicide victims nor did he take his own life in a public place.

There can be only two explanations for this type of hypocrisy, Mr. Costa: either your "fact-checking" in this case failed you or you violated your own policy on reporting suicides.

Still, I believe that Mr. Villehuchet's death was a suicide and, indeed, newsworthy just as you and your editorial desk determined at the time. However, if the Bulletin saw fit to declare Mr. Villehuchet's death a suicide and deemed it worthy of publication then there should be no impediment to reporting the local suicides, just as the Oregonian did.

The bottom line is the community has a right to know and the local news media has an obligation to inform. Otherwise the Bulletin ought to reexamine its efficacy as a "news" outlet.

1:44 PM
jessefelder said...

From the Bulletin:

Mr. Felder:

Thanks for the submission. However, we cannot use it. It's well over our 250-word limit for letters and short of the 600-800 words needed for In My View. Moreover, it's already been published elsewhere (you posted it on a local blog).

Erik Lukens
Editor of Editorials
The Bulletin

Anonymous said...

Federal officials have released a tidal wave of fresh recalls in the past 24 hours as they connect the dots in the supply chain of tainted peanut-related products.

The latest - now at 24 and counting - include Zachary Confections chocolate- covered peanuts, Best Brands peanut butter cookie dough and Hain Celestial's frozen pad Thai dinners, including one made for Trader Joe's.

On Saturday, Harry and David of Medford joined the recall, pulling Olympia Delight Trail Mix products, and Berkeley, Ca.-based Clif Bar and Co. pulled eight more of its protein bars.

The recall has reached a fever pitch since it was expanded to include all products - from roasted peanuts to peanut butter -- from Peanut Corporation of America's plant at Blakely, Ga., where Food and Drug Administration investigators found two strains of salmonella and evidence that on 12 occasions in 2007 and 2008 the company sold food even after it had tested positive for salmonella.

In a startling revelation on Saturday, the Atlanta Journal Constitution said the president of Peanut Corp., Stewart Parnell, serves on an industry advisory board that helps the U.S. Department of Agriculture set quality standards for peanuts. -- The Oregonian


Something else we have to thank dear old Grandpa Reagan and the Republicans for -- the pimping of the FDA, resulting in a flood of tainted food and unsafe drugs on the American market.

This is what happens when you entrust the reins of government to people who believe government has no legitimate job except to wage wars and enrich the plutocracy.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

BTW thanks for putting the pic of the big-titted woman at the bottom of your post

My pleasure. Really.

"CLEANUP ON AISLE 4!"

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

...it was the gays and the illegal immigrants who wrecked the economy.

"Don't forget the Niggers!"

Anonymous said...

Thinking about Bend's BK - Part One ...

Public pensions are a national crisis. The latest is in Vallejo, Calif., which filed for bankruptcy last May, citing high labor costs, including required pension contributions. Here's a current headline from www.PensionTsunami.com, which tracks these issues nationally:

"Macomb County, Michigan faces layoffs without $10 million in cuts to pensions and health benefits!"

Unlike the federal government, which must make good on Social Security and Medicare promises, cities and states can't print money! The conflicts will be resolved in court.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

"Don't forget the Niggers!"

See! It's cracks like that, that will keep this blog from ever going mainstream, YOU FUCKING NIGGER-BASHERS!

Now let's get back to the business of bashing the Real Enemy: Jews & Fags.

Anonymous said...

Now let's get back to the business of bashing the Real Enemy: Jews & Fags.

*

FUCK YOU HOMER-ERECTUS you will not even post a dick pic, I find this bit-tit shit to be offensive. I want cock, and BIG Bend Fake enlarged St-Charles Cock's and I want penis pump to seen, and the St-Charles surgeons along side their handi-work.

Anonymous said...

Most scary of all is the National-Socialism, a Brown-Shirt on Every Block, ...

Despite layoffs, federal work force is growing

By DEB RIECHMANN – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies are cutting jobs by the tens of thousands. State and local governments are penny-pinching, too. So what about Uncle Sam? Tough times for him as well?

Not exactly.

In fact the number of federal workers is on the rise.

That might seem strange to the 11 million people in the U.S. who are out of work — and the millions more who fear they soon will be. Shouldn't Washington pare down too?

But it is unlikely that President Barack Obama will put any of the nearly 2 million federal civil servants out in the street in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. His proposed $800-plus billion economic aid plan, which includes heavy spending on public works, is expected to increase the ranks of federal workers, although mostly at the state and local level.

That measure is working its way through Congress just as Microsoft Corp., Pfizer, Caterpillar, Home Depot and scores of other companies are shedding workers, and governors are asking or ordering state workers to accept furloughs, salary reductions, truncated workweeks or reduced benefits.

"Federal belt-tightening would worsen the problem right now," said Kevin Hassett, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. "Most economists agree that the federal government is a built-in stabilizer," said Hassett, a former adviser to GOP presidential campaigns.

Simply letting federal workers go is "penny-wise and pound foolish," said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit group that works to revitalize the government and its work force. "We had a situation where we had a single person monitoring toys coming in from abroad. End result: You get lead-tainted toys coming in to the country," Stier said. "We need people looking out for the public good."

Paul Light, professor of public service at New York University, also thinks more, not fewer, federal workers on needed on the front lines. He said other steps could be taken to trim costs. The Obama administration has suggested reducing the number of managers at the middle levels, he said.

"That would be a good thing," Light said. "What he hasn't suggested is that we reduce political appointees at the senior level. I just think you could do some things to say to the public, `Look, the federal government is going to make its share of sacrifice and it's more than just having energy-efficient buildings.'"

The government's civilian, nonmilitary work force peaked in the late 1960s at about 2.3 million. It was 2 million or more through the mid-1990s, when the government cut more than 400,000 jobs — many through military base closings. Since 2001, civilian employment in the executive branch, excluding postal employees, has edged upward from 1.7 million to about 2 million, largely because of new homeland security jobs.

More federal job openings are on the horizon.

A report released in January by Christina Romer, head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and Jared Bernstein, an economic policy adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, predicted that more than 90 percent of the 3 million to 4 million jobs that Obama proposes to save or create would be in the private sector.

But the report also estimated that 244,000 government jobs — some at the federal level, but more at the state and local level — would be created or saved.

That was based on a $600 billion stimulus package; the one being debated in Congress is more than $800 billion.

Moreover, many baby boomers who are getting government paychecks are at retirement age. The Office of Personnel Management estimates that 58 percent of supervisory and 42 percent of nonsupervisory workers who were on the federal payroll as of October 2004 will be eligible to retire by the end of next year. The financial meltdown, however, has prompted some to delay retirement.

Cynthia Bascetta, 56, director of health care at the Government Accountability Office, has 31 years of federal service under her belt. She said she thought retiring in these troubled economic times was too risky. So she will wait at least a year to retire, even though she recently moved to Fredericksburg, Va., and now has to commute by train to her job in Washington.

"I know of a few people who feel as though they need to stay because they have children they need to put through college, and they've lost a lot in college funds," she said. "Others are just anxious about their financial situation."

Other older workers are seeking federal jobs, which come with job security, health and life insurance, a federal retirement program, paid vacations and leave and other benefits.

When the national job market began tightening in the first quarter of last year, FedJobs.com, a business that has been helping federal job hunters since 1974, started hearing from 50- to 65-year-olds instead of 25- to 40-year-olds.

"All of a sudden, it's a much older clientele calling up saying they're interested in government work because they lost their jobs, their companies merged, their companies went bankrupt and they're looking for stability," said Ross Harris, sales and marketing director for the site. "The perception is that federal work is more stable — that there aren't as many layoffs."

Rising unemployment and excitement about working for Obama combined to motivate about 350,000 people to apply for 3,000 to 4,000 political appointee positions in his new administration. Jumping to the federal payroll, however, doesn't necessarily mean moving to the nation's capital; more than 80 percent of federal civil workers are employed outside the Washington metro area.

"Workers in the private sector are being laid off at an alarming rate," said Richard Brown, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, one of the three largest unions representing federal civilian employees. "That is making the federal sector, where employment levels have been mostly stable, more attractive. Obama is calling American workers to public service and has said he wants to `make government cool again.'"

Federal employment has not completely escaped the impact of the economic downturn, While no government-wide hiring freeze has gone into effect, some departments and agencies are taking belt-tightening moves.

Obama, for example, froze the pay of some White House employees.

"During this period of economic emergency, families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," Obama said.

But it was a symbolic move. The pay freeze only affects roughly 100 White House employees earning more than $100,000 a year.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

A: Bend, fake titties, and The Super Bowl

Q: What good things have been taken to Ludicrous Extremes by Cali-Bangers and 100% FUCKING RUINED?

I woke up this morning, and bleary-eyed at 6AM sharp, watched as Super Bowl coverage began.

Anonymous said...

Bend BK - Part 3, .. poor little Rio Vista Cali, they did a Bend, and didn't charge for SDC's, and now that the boom is over, there is no revenue to cover the debt, ... who could have guessed??


Rio Vista - hard times in a small town

Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, January 26, 2009
Print E-mail

(01-25) 18:59 PST -- If despair has an address, it's the corner of Park Place and Hearth Lane, Rio Vista.
Images
The 855-home development Hearth and Home at Liberty has s..."Everyone's afraid. We're all just barely hanging on. Eve...Many stores on Main Street in Rio Vista are closed, and t...

The ambitiously named intersection is marked by an ornate colonial streetlamp, a freshly paved street and pristine sidewalks.

And nothing else. No homes, no people, no cars. Just a flat, windswept plain on the eastern edge of Solano County with a few utility wires jutting through the dirt. In the distance are cows, some eucalyptus and 13 unfinished, abandoned model homes.


Park Place and Hearth Lane was supposed to be the center of an upscale 855-home development called Hearth and Home at Liberty. But last year, as the housing market imploded, the developer, Shea Homes, abandoned the project, leaving a moonscape and a constant reminder of Rio Vista's - and the state's - economic meltdown.

"Everyone's afraid. We're all just barely hanging on," said Allison Shawnego, who works at Hap's Bait shop along the Sacramento River. "Everyone's just going through the motions, focusing on their kids, school, whatever. This is a nice little town, but there's no jobs."

Rio Vista, a city of about 7,000, has weathered 150 years of California economic cycles - from the bust of the wheat crop to the end of Sacramento River shipping industry to the Great Depression of the 1930s. But the collapse of the housing market threatens to drag the town - and dozens like it - into financial chaos.

"Cities everywhere are struggling right now with revenues that are way short of what they've budgeted," said Megan Taylor, spokeswoman for the League of California Cities. "But they've been bracing for it. In many cases, cities are making really severe cuts to get by."
Verge of bankruptcy

Rio Vista and its neighbor, Isleton, have been teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, while across the county Vallejo filed for bankruptcy in May, becoming only the second California city to go that route.

In Rio Vista, the problems stem from plummeting property and sales taxes and building fees due to the housing bust, and a drop in funds from the state. Earlier this year, Rio Vista was grappling with a $900,000 deficit in its $6.6 million general fund.

The city has laid off four employees, frozen salaries and left open about 20 vacant full-time positions, reducing the staff from 61 to 40 employees. The city has also cut recreation programs and closed City Hall one day a week.

The deficit is now about $160,000, and City Manager Hector De La Rosa said he's confident the city can survive through the end of the fiscal year in June without filing for bankruptcy.

"We're hopeful, but we are not out of the woods," he said. "If we make any more cuts, things will really start falling through the cracks."

Expecting further declines in revenues over the next two years, the city will likely consider work furloughs for staff, selling city-owned properties, raising business fees, increasing the sales tax and returning to the front that created many of its problems to begin with: more housing.

The city has given preliminary approval for two more housing developments, a 750-home Seeno development called Riverwalk and a 2,200-unit neighborhood called Del Rio Hills.

"Whether these will ever be built is yet to be seen," De La Rosa said. "But any development, at this point, would be a shot in the arm for this community."

Rio Vista came relatively late to the housing bonanza. In the past few years, the city has ushered in just three developments: Homecoming, 250 modestly sized homes; Trilogy, an active-adult development that so far contains about 2,000 units but will include 3,100 units when completed; and the Liberty project.

Shea embarked on Liberty at the peak of the housing market, in 2005, when it bought a former ranch northwest of the Rio Vista airport with the intention of building colonial style homes ranging from 1,800 to 3,800 square feet.

Shea graded the land, installed utilities and built sidewalks and streets.

In 2007, building stopped.

"We started construction when the market was still strong, and got caught when the market turned," said Matt Henry, Shea's vice president of land acquisition. "The market got worse and worse, so we've put the project on hold. These are severe economic conditions and, like everyone else, we're just waiting for things to improve."

The city, meanwhile, has police patrol the area, ensuring that the model homes are not vandalized, even though it has not seen the property tax and building fee income it was expecting from the project.
Costly effects

But the stalled development has had a ripple effect, leaving local contractors out of work and pounding a real estate market that's already in its death throes.

Evidence of Rio Vista's struggles is everywhere. Storefronts along Main Street stand boarded up, and landlords are advertising "six months free rent" downtown. In 2005, the median home price hovered in the $400,000 range, but today the median home price is $224,000, according to DataQuik. Between 2007 and 2008, the typical home price has dropped about $90,000, says real estate agent Chris Boothe, who works at Richards Real Estate on Main Street. "I bought my house in 2005, and it's worth less than half what I paid," said Boothe. "We all knew this was coming, but I think we've all been in denial."

Nearly every home for sale in Rio Vista is a foreclosure or short sale. Families who've lost their homes are moving in with relatives, or relocating to apartments in Stockton, Antioch or other nearby cities where prices have fallen even lower than in Rio Vista.

Boothe spends much of her time helping families through the agonizing process of giving up their homes.

"I see a lot of anger, depression," she said. "At first, I found it really overwhelming. But what else am I going to do? You just get through it."

As in many small towns, Rio Vista residents have found creative ways to pull through. Seniors from Trilogy have increased their volunteer hours at local schools and charities, downtown merchants - such as the florist and wine shop - are sharing quarters, and community groups have started offering youth baseball and softball to make up for the city's cuts to recreation programs.

Although everyone agrees the next year or two are likely to be even more grim than 2008, most Rio Vistans are optimistic. Some businesses, such as Foster's Bighorn bar and restaurant, noteworthy for its 300 wild animal heads mounted on the wall, have seen revenues actually increase 10 percent in the past year.

"I think things are very positive," said Foster's owner, Howard LaMothe, a fourth generation Rio Vistan. "The City Council is really taking the bull by the horns, and they know bankruptcy is not an option. It's been tough for some people, but there's a lot of hope."

Brad Brodston, who lost his job at an auto repair shop last year, is also optimistic. He spends his days fishing for bass and flounder in the delta, waiting until the economy picks up and he can find work again.

"It was real hard for six months after I lost my job. I relied a lot on family and friends," said Brodston, who has lived in Rio Vista most of his life. "But I have serious friends here. I'd never leave. It's a wonderful place to live. It's going broke, but it's a great town."
Rick Armstrong: Construction is slow, so bridge builder plans to open a market

Rick Armstrong looks at 1,000 feet of empty shelves and sees hope for the future.

"I built bridges for 30 years. I didn't think running a store could be much harder," said Armstrong, 60, an easy-going engineering contractor who hopes to open Rio Vista Market within the next few weeks. "There's hardly any work out there in construction. I'm too young and too poor to retire, so I thought I'd try something different."

Armstrong spent most of his career building local housing and infrastructure. But as the credit and mortgage crisis hit, construction jobs halted overnight and jobs evaporated. Bids on local projects dropped so low he could not afford to compete, and he knew he had to find another line of work to pay his bills.

"Everyone I know in construction is out of work right now," he said. "When things are bad in a big city, they're four times worse in a small town because there's nothing to fall back on. When housing goes, it affects so many of us - builders, guys at the hardware store, banks, people in real estate. It's been really tough for a lot of people."

So Armstrong decided to pour his savings into opening a grocery store. Rio Vista has one other market, a few blocks away, but none on Main Street. In May he leased a former karate studio, installed shelves and coolers and hopes to stock the 3,000-square-foot space with fresh produce and meat, dog food, canned soup, paper towels and other staples.

"If I can sell my products, help people out and make a comfortable living, then I'll be happy," he said. "If it goes well, then who knows, I may build a couple more stores."
Julie Oakes: Florist is now sharing space with a wine shop to save on expenses

Wedding budgets are down. The number and size of funerals have dropped off. Even anniversary bouquets are shrinking. But Julie Oakes is determined to stay in the flower business.

"It's six days a week, work, work, work, but I am hanging on," said Oakes, who opened Rio Vista Floral Designs five years ago, after she left her job as home editor of the Contra Costa Times amid layoffs and cutbacks.

"I don't know what else I would do or what I would be," she said. "I am a small town florist - it's who I am. I want to die here."

Oakes' quaint, fragrant shop on Main Street has so far weathered the economic downturn, although just barely. Christmas business was brisk, and she's hoping for a busy Valentine's Day. She believes the economy will recuperate - eventually.

Meanwhile, she's merged her store with the wine shop across the street to save on rent and utilities.

"I'm getting the sales, but a lot of people just can't pay," she said. "A lot of people are out of work. We're all just trying to outrun the bill collectors."

Oakes, 47, moved to Rio Vista from Vacaville when she bought the business in 2003. She fell in love with Rio Vista and is resolute that her flower shop will outlive the recession.

"Everyone's optimistic," she said. "I don't think it'll be fatal, but it's going to hurt for a while. Besides, there's no jobs out there, so what else would I do?"

Anonymous said...

The city has given preliminary approval for two more housing developments, a 750-home Seeno development called Riverwalk and a 2,200-unit neighborhood called Del Rio Hills.

"Whether these will ever be built is yet to be seen," De La Rosa said. "But any development, at this point, would be a shot in the arm for this community."

*

Here in Bend we're talking about destroying Metolius, a shot in the arm or head? The BULL says its good.

Then there is the SORE 'taking' of Meissner for private use, soon all of the public lands will be grabbed by 'private' 'event interests'.

Anonymous said...

"Everyone I know in construction is out of work right now," he said. "When things are bad in a big city, they're four times worse in a small town because there's nothing to fall back on. When housing goes, it affects so many of us - builders, guys at the hardware store, banks, people in real estate. It's been really tough for a lot of people."

***

So what's the solution 'BUILD MORE STDS' - BULL&SORE

Anonymous said...

Evidence of Rio Vista's struggles is everywhere. Storefronts along Main Street stand boarded up, and landlords are advertising "six months free rent" downtown. In 2005, the median home price hovered in the $400,000 range, but today the median home price is $224,000, according to DataQuik.

*

What did LB say about Bend in 1-2 years?? These folks are hurting and median's at $224k, today Bend medians has already gone from $400's to $220's and dropping like a rock.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

The 855-home development Hearth and Home at Liberty has s..."Everyone's afraid. We're all just barely hanging on. Eve...Many stores on Main Street in Rio Vista are closed, and t...

The ambitiously named intersection is marked by an ornate colonial streetlamp, a freshly paved street and pristine sidewalks.

And nothing else. No homes, no people, no cars. Just a flat, windswept plain on the eastern edge of Solano County with a few utility wires jutting through the dirt. In the distance are cows, some eucalyptus and 13 unfinished, abandoned model homes.


Sorry... is this Cali or Ironhorse? Or Yarrow?

Anonymous said...

>> How is the asshole that owns the MB and Toyota franchises doing?

>> Is he still flying around in his plane?

Dave Holt or Todd Sprague?

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Wow... went out to have a bite... NO ONE out at the bars, restaurants, anywhere watching the game. I figured EVERYONE would be out at the bars at least.

Costco was understandably empty.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

WHEW! Good game.

Quimby said...

Yes, it's a great time to go take care of things as places are empty. Be sure to get home before the game ends though as the drunks are out in full force.

LavaBear said...

>>>NO ONE out at the bars, restaurants, anywhere watching the game.

Everyone was at my house.

>>> Be sure to get home before the game ends though as the drunks are out in full force.

The only one really loaded was Buster but he just left on his bike.

It did seem there were a bunch more people this year who don't have to goto work tomorrow. The were heading to Deschutes.

Anonymous said...

>>>NO ONE out at the bars, restaurants, anywhere watching the game.<<<

The D&D was standing room only!

Always take Monday after Super Bowl off.

Anonymous said...

"It’s kind of hard driving a 2006 Chevy pickup to a food bank . . . It’s an odd feeling to own expensive goods that aren’t worth anything.."


Yes, these are amazing times in which we live. So many people who were making truckloads of money 3 years ago -- real or imagined -- and now are destitute.

Never put your money in a depreciating asset. . . . although at the time, what would that have been? Everyone knows that cars and boats will depreciate quickly, but houses are not supposed to depreciate!

And what about stocks, or land? Should we have put our money there because they don't depreciate.


*

Lauren Dake wrote the article. She also wrote an article last March about unemployment. She's done at least as good a job as anyone else. She's willing to go out and find the uncomfortable truth, to tell the uncomfortable truth.

The "good" articles seem to be authored by her.

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080329/NEWS0107/803290423/1001&nav_category=&template=print


Back to the farm for jobs

Laid-off workers line up for limited number of spots

By Lauren Dake / The Bulletin

Published: March 29. 2008

Thirty-year-old Madras resident Walter Rivera was hired to help during irrigation season on Martin Richards’ Fox Hollow Ranch. A laid-off Bright Wood worker, Rivera was one of many searching for jobs this spring but one of the few who has actually found one.

Walter Rivera zooms over a field of grass in his all-terrain vehicle on Martin Richards’ Fox Hollow Ranch. Richards has people coming to him almost daily looking for work, which is a change from the past couple of years.
MADRAS — In two weeks, the water will come.

Sucked up from the irrigation canal, it will spew out through the wheel-line irrigation system on Martin Richards’ Fox Hollow Ranch in Madras, softening the cracked soil.

Thirty-year-old Madras resident Walter Rivera will make sure the thirsty land on Richards’ farm receives the necessary water. Rivera was hired to help during the irrigation season on Richards’ farm this year. A laid-off Bright Wood worker, he was one of many searching for farm jobs this spring but one of the few who has actually found one.

Recent layoffs — at Bright Wood Corp., Contact Lumber in Prineville and the wood products manufacturer in Warm Springs, to name a few — are hitting the Jefferson County economy especially hard. The county also saw the indefinite postponement of the 1,223-bed, medium-security portion of the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution and the jobs that would have come with it. And last year, the Culver operation of the boat manufacturing company Seaswirl Boats Inc. closed, eliminating around 170 jobs.

For farmers, that has translated into an inundation of laborers looking for work.

“Two years ago, if I said I need 14 people by Monday, it took me two weeks to drum up bodies,” said Rob Gallyen, co-owner of Williams Land and Livestock in Madras. “And right now, heck, if I wanted 20 people I could probably have them here by this afternoon.”

At Bright Wood, Rivera earned $12.25 an hour, plus benefits. Now, he’ll be working longer hours, for $10 an hour, and without benefits.

“Ag jobs are at the bottom rung of the ladder,” Richards said. “Industry jobs are preferable, construction or Bright Wood, that pays better and it’s easier work. ... Farm work is dusty and dirty, and people look at it as menial. You use your brain at Bright Wood a little more.”

Farming in Jefferson County


The county’s climate is ideal for high-value seed crops — carrot, radish, garlic and grass seeds do well in the High Desert’s sunny days.

In the Willamette Valley, farmers fight the weather. The rain can hinder both the harvest and planting season. But in Central Oregon, the cloudless days lead to longer hours spent irrigating.

It depends on the farmer, the acreage and the crop, but most farmers prefer to hire seasonal labor to plant their crops and oversee irrigation to relying on machinery, Richards said.

“You have more quality control,” he said.

Mike Macy, of Culver, has around 1,600 acres of carrot seed, bluegrass seed, peppermint, wheat and potato crops. In past years, he’s replaced some manual labor with machinery.

“Two years ago, we bought some machines to help plant carrot seed; it requires one-fifth of the people we used to need,” he said. “And the main reason we did that was because two years ago we had a rough time finding people. Now, there are people everywhere.”

Long lists


Macy, of Macy Farms, Stan Sullivan, Kip Light, Jack Ickler and Phil Fines all have something more in common than being farmers in Jefferson County.

Each of them has a waiting list of farmworker hopefuls who stop by their property on a daily basis looking for work.

“They drive around, it’s been that way since I was a young kid,” Light said. “They knock on the door, or they see you out working and ask if you have any work.”

Gallyen said he has a list of around 70 people. And most farmers say they have two or three people stop by on a daily basis.

“Unfortunately, I can’t hire 240 people,” Gallyen said.

Many of the farmers, such as Gallyen, may eventually hire a few extra people when carrot seed planting goes into full force. But, for the most part, they keep the same crew they’ve had for the past 10 or 15 years.

Jefferson County has a short growing season and less labor-intensive crops than other areas, said Bart Eleveld, a professor at Oregon State University in the Agricultural & Resource Economics Department. That could translate into a tougher time finding farm jobs than other places in the state.

“I think people looking for jobs in that sector, well, there isn’t a huge backlog or a number of unfilled jobs,” Eleveld said. “In the Willamette Valley, or some places in Central California or orchard areas like Hood River or The Dalles, there is more hand labor required in agriculture, but I’m not sure if Central Oregon is bleeding in this area.”


Lucky break


There is one area, Eleveld said, where he has heard that Jefferson County farmers consistently need seasonal labor.

“One thing farmers use shorter-term labor on is irrigation,” Eleveld said. “Moving pipes and whatnot, but there isn’t a shortage of people in those positions.”

And Rivera had a connection.

His brother-in-law is Richards’ only full-time employee. On Feb. 25, Rivera received his last paycheck from Bright Wood, his employer of two years. With it came a pink slip. For two weeks, Rivera spent his days driving from farm to farm.

He applied for jobs online. He drove to Terrebonne, Redmond, Bend and Prineville. His name was one of the 70 or so on Gallyen’s list.

Rivera said he’s more relaxed now that he has an income again.

“As long as I’m making money,” Rivera said. “It’s not as big of a problem.”

But with a $500 truck payment, $900-a-month mortgage, two kids and an unemployed wife, money is tight.

At the Rivera residence, Sami Rivera, 36, explained how she hurt her back working at Contact Lumber in Prineville. Once she felt better and tried to get her job back, there was no job to get back.

“I had good credit,” she said, “but it’s taken a nose dive. I’m worried about the house. If we sell it, will we be able to get another one? We could lose everything. I’ve heard of people losing everything.”

The phone rang in the Rivera household, interrupting Sami.

“Not today,” Sami tells the creditor. “I’m not able to pay it today.”

She paused.

“Not for a while,” she said.

Still looking


Since most agricultural work is seasonal, farmers can’t afford to offer their employees benefits and therefore don’t report numbers to the employment office. So finding data on agricultural jobs is difficult and leads to mainly anecdotal information.

“Every shoe store, every dry cleaner, every staffing agency reports their employees to us,” said Mary Lewis, a monitor advocate for farmworker services with the Oregon Employment Department. “But federal unemployment insurance law doesn’t require every agricultural employer to participate in the unemployed system. Therefore, they don’t report to us. From the data perspective, it makes the data in agriculture different.”

Employment numbers for the county, however, are far from anecdotal.

The county saw a 9.9 percent unemployment rate for February, the highest February unemployment rate since 2001. The Bright Wood layoffs have not yet been factored into the unemployment rate.

Francisco Espinoza, 35, of Madras, said his job search has brought him face to face with the competition. On his job-seeking trips to Redmond and Prineville, he often runs into others who are doing the same.

“There are so many people who don’t have work,” Espinoza said.

Necanor Sanchez, 27, also of Madras, was out looking for work when it started to slow down at Mid-Columbia Lumber Products in Madras, and his days were reduced. Now, business has picked up again, and he’s working four days a week, which is keeping him afloat. But like Rivera, his name is on Gallyen’s wait list, just in case.

“Farm work is less skilled, and it’s lower pay,” Richards said. “Everyone wants to better themselves. And initially, when workers come, if they don’t speak English, they take these jobs. And as they learn English, it’s easier to get jobs at Bright Wood. If I was in their shoes, I think I would do the same thing.”

Richards said if he had enough work, he would keep Rivera year round — Rivera has already proven himself a capable, hard worker.

“It’s hard to find that kind of quality. If Bright Wood hired him back, he would probably go back,” Richards said. “We do see a higher quality of labor to choose from. I guess that’s the plus side of it.”

Lauren Dake can be reached at 419-8074 or at ldake@bendbulletin.com.

Anonymous said...

Francisco Espinoza, 35, of Madras, said his job search has brought him face to face with the competition. On his job-seeking trips to Redmond and Prineville, he often runs into others who are doing the same.

“There are so many people who don’t have work,” Espinoza said.

-->

When I came here 15 yrs from medico, never did did they say I had to ever compete with do white-trash, now it be so, and dees white people are soooo fuckin layz.

It's the end of Centrol Orygun ferming if da gov does wha it says and make only white work aon do farm, without=da mex, the broducktivy to zehoro, denada I mean nacho.

What is it about dees whte peeple and a foosbll? Eh?? In medico we have the soccer and we play, but nobody in medico have a fuckng national holy-day? for US foosbalL?? EH?

Stealers hell, if Madrass fermer have to higher whtie trash to ferm then fermin in Madresa is ovar.

Anonymous said...

CACB made the fool...

http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2009/01/21/keep-your-stinkin-penny.aspx

Anonymous said...

The 21st century Gilded Age party really got going before the U.S. economy went bust.

It was a party disproportionately enjoyed by high-income Americans, the 400 wealthiest of which actually doubled their share of all U.S. income between 1996 and 2006, new statistics released by the Internal Revenue Service show.

And during the first six years of George W. Bush's presidency, the average income of those 400 people actually doubled to $263.3 million, according to the data.

Between 2005 and 2006, those 400 Americans saw their income rise nearly 23 percent, and through the first six years of the Bush administration their average tax rate fall by a third, to 17.2 percent, Bloomberg reported.

That 17.2 percent tax rate was the lowest the group has paid on average since the IRS began keeping track of the country's 400 biggest taxpayers in 1992, the agency's data shows.

The big reduction -- from 2001's 22.9 percent tax rate for the group -- was "due largely" to ex-President George W. Bush’s push to cut tax rates on most capital gains to 15 percent in 2003, Bloomberg reported. Bush administration tax cuts that benefit the wealthy will expire by 2011, unless extended or made permanent by Congress and the president.

The IRS released the new data Thursday, one day before the government revealed the U.S. economy contracted 3.8 percent during the final quarter of 2008, its fastest rate since 1982.

"Until recently, we had a financial system that rewarded investors, and we have a tax system that does as well," said Robert McIntyre, the director of Citizens for Tax Justice, in this International Herald Tribune article.

Now wealthy people, McIntyre said, pay income tax rates far less than those of working-class citizens because of tax breaks. The current 15 percent capital gains tax, down from 28 percent in 1997, benefits investors with big portfolios, the International Herald Tribune reported.

“The conservative approach of putting big corporations and the very wealthy ahead of the middle class has failed to create prosperity that can be shared by all Americans," writes Think Progress.

The 400 richest U.S. taxpayers in 2006 paid slightly more than $18 billion in U.S. government income taxes in 2006 -- an average of $45 million -- on a record $105 billion in total income.

The combined taxes paid by all other individual taxpayers was nearly $1 trillion in 2006, the new IRS data shows.


You think the Smirky McChimp administration was a failure? Hell no! It succeeded admirably in achieving its main goal -- enriching the rich while impoverishing the middle class.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

What happens post Bubble:

Great Big 5th Wheel, Good condition, Good Price - $8000 (Bend)

Reply to: sale-1017165085@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2009-02-01, 11:06PM PST


This has been our family home for the winter. I believe we are the third owners. 40ft. Jayco Tripple Axle with Trailer Brakes. Everything works but there is a busted water pipe in the shower I haven't fixed yet. I will negotiate a deal if you want it before I fix it. It didn't come with a generator but I bought one you can have if you need it. I have tar but did not tar the roof in time and there is a small leak in the back. The floor is new 3/4 inch tonge in groove and the leak has not ever soaked the floor. Hide-a-bed is included. This is a great place to sit out the economic turbulance. Thanks for looking.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the trailer Homer, but $800 MAX. Roof leaks, floor rotten, water pipes busted, oh did I mention not to use water. 3/4" tongue-in-groove wow! Last year too the roof leaked and warped the floor, but this new floor is a particle board composite and has a five year lifetime!! Yeh, you can sit in this thing and die, cuz it ain't going anywhere once you tow it from my yard.

The hide-a-bed is futon on keep under the rig, very little mud, on warm nights its best to sleep out anyhow, the generator helps me sleep, I'm partial, but if you pay my price of $8k for this piece of shit I'll let you have my generator.

So fucking Bend.

Anonymous said...

Cali to Bend, Bend back to Cali, ...

The sad, strange saga of Wes Cooley

by Doug Bates, The Oregonian
Sunday February 01, 2009, 12:40 PM

Count me among those who weren't particularly surprised last week to hear that Wes Cooley was in trouble with the law (again).
The OregonianWes Cooley holds up a copy of the National Enquirer during the 1996 Medford press conference where he blamed his aunt's death on an Oregonian writer.

Cooley, a former Republican congressman from Oregon, was always in trouble back in the 1990s when I was reporting on him for The Oregonian. He was in so much trouble, in fact, that he once threatened me on accusations of killing his aunt.

No, I'm not making this up, and I'll explain in a moment. First, some background on one of the more bizarre politicians Oregon ever sent to Congress.

Cooley, 76, who represented eastern Oregon in the U.S. House for one term in the 1990s, was indicted Thursday in Los Angeles on federal money laundering and tax charges. Prosecutors said the charges stemmed from an alleged scheme that bilked more than $10 million from investors.

A product of Southern California, he lived outside Bend in 1994 when he got himself elected to Congress. Two years later he was forced to drop his bid for re-election amid allegations he'd lied about his military service. In state voter pamphlets he had falsely claimed to have fought in Korea.

Actually, Cooley had a long and colorful history of lying about a lot of things. I discovered this when the newspaper sent me to Orange County to interview his former business associates, friends and family members.

For example, he once claimed, under oath, to hold a law degree and a master's degree. Not true.

He bragged at parties of having connections with a shadowy secret agency that "could make things happen to people," and he liked to boast that he used to kill people with piano wire.

But a background check showed the Cooley was never a spy or assassin. He was a blow-hard.

"From Day One of our years together," his former wife told me, "if something cost $500, and we were talking about it in a crowd, he'd say it cost $5,000."

Among those I interviewed in California was Cooley's elderly aunt, Gladys Jeans, who helped raise him. She died not long after my visit to her Hollywood Hills home, and that led to the threat from Cooley.

On May 28, 1996, Cooley held a raucous news conference in Medford. Supposedly, he called it to provide proof that he had actually served with the U.S. Army in Korea. Instead, he told about 150 journalists that there were "things I can't tell you," blaming the delay on the recent death of his aunt.

"Mr. Bates badgered her unbelievably, and she died," he said, looking at me. "She was 85 years old, and she was terrified by what was going on, and she died."

Then he pointed at me and said, "I owe you one."

For the record, Gladys Jeans certainly hadn't been terrified in my presence. "Ecstatic" might have been a better word. The lonely old lady seemed thrilled to have someone to talk to, and it was hard for me to break off the interview without hurting her feelings.

Happily, that was the last time I ever saw Wester Shadric Cooley, there in the Reston Hotel's appropriately named Rogue Room.

Cooley, of course, might be acquitted of the raft of federal charges against him. But if not, he could face a sentence of up to 38 years in a Rogue Room of a completely different nature.

Anonymous said...

New York City Mayor Bloomberg Bitten on Dick by Groundhog

Monday, February 02, 2009


NEW YORK — Everyone knows it means six more weeks of winter when a groundhog sees his shadow. But what does the future hold if he bites the mayor's hand?

According to German superstition, if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, the legend says spring will come early.

Staten Island's famous groundhog, Charles G. Hogg, inexplicably bit Mayor Michael Bloomberg during his annual holiday ceremony on Monday, drawing blood from the billionaire.

Said Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser: "It nicked his hand."

He was told there was no risk of rabies. The 2-year-old animal was born and raised in captivity and has had no interaction with other animals.

Anonymous said...

Cascade Bancorp
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/01/26/daily62.html

Macy's cuts 7,000 jobs, shares down 7 percent

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5114P220090202

More great news =(

Anonymous said...

Arbor Homes & Wells Fargo

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/02/wells-fargos-balance-sheet-scaring.html

Anonymous said...

It's quiet. A little too quiet.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Super Bowl Meat Coma...

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

OKI, this is pretty big news:

The set of Waterworld has been turned upside down & turned into a house. They want $500K and it's uncertain whether Kevin Costner will swaller buckets of donkey cum to entertain the buyer.

Anonymous said...

Buster isn't here, and we know 3/4 of the traffic is him arguing with himself.

Anonymous said...

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...
OKI, this is pretty big news:

The set of Waterworld has been turned upside down & turned into a house. They want $500K and it's uncertain whether Kevin Costner will swaller buckets of donkey cum to entertain the buyer.


Oh my God. All you need to do is build a fire in that thing and as the smoke comes out the top, it'll look like a big, steaming pile of shit.

Anonymous said...

Stimulous package?

Why do we need another?

Wasn't that what we had the last 7 years?

1. Overstimulation of economy with low interest rates, easy mortgages.

2. Low development charges.

The result?

Tremendous employment generation... in construction, that is.


A new stimulous is essential another "bubble" creator in another part of the economy.

Maybe in Green Energy.

That wouldn't be such a bad thing (at least it sounds good).

But the "stimulous package" that created the RE bubble has left us with a lot of unneeded homes.

What do they call that -- a White Elephant project?

Anonymous said...

BP you had them cumming at Deschutes tonight, I didn't think tha your hat could hold that much cum.

We closed the bar at D&D we did.

Anonymous said...

But the "stimulous package" that created the RE bubble has left us with a lot of unneeded homes.

###

Butt a green capstone stimulus could leave us all with dozens of capstone butt plugs, you would never to clean them, each person would have a new one for life insertion.

Bewert said...

Re: BP you had them cumming at Deschutes tonight, I didn't think tha your hat could hold that much cum.

We closed the bar at D&D we did.

###

Dude, it's 9:36. The D&D closes that early?

Trudy just got back from Outdoor Retailer and skiing Alta, so I made here a big salmon and goodies supper tonight. Next week maybe I'll be let out to play again.

Anonymous said...

"We closed the bar at D&D we did."
February 2, 2009 9:36 PM

how douchy is that...haha

Sad when a grown man has to make shit up about getting drunk

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Landmark Columbia Gorge Hotel closes
Posted by Jim Braly, The Oregonian February 02, 2009 20:16PM

The Columbia Gorge Hotel stands empty Monday, after its owners closed the historic property and financing ran out. Two recent proposed sales fell through for the 39-room retreat, which remains on the market for $5.9 million.

The Columbia Gorge Hotel, fully booked for Valentine's Day and set to host more than a dozen wedding parties, has closed abruptly as foreclosure proceedings begin.

The romantic Hood River hotel hosted presidents and stars ranging from Shirley Temple to Burt Reynolds. Timber tycoon Simon Benson built it in 1921 as the "Waldorf of the West," with European-style elegance and sweeping river views.

The gorge landmark, rescued from its fate as a retirement home and restored by current owners Boyd and Halla Graves of Hood River, is for sale at $5.9 million. The couple say two sales have fallen through and financing has run out.

About 130 employees are out of work.

"Outside of losing a loved one, this is probably the most inconceivable loss of our lives," Halla Graves said Monday. "The hotel became our child, and all of our family members are wound around that property."

Graves, with a mortgage exceeding $4 million, portrays the 39-room hotel as a casualty of the global financial crisis, which has frozen credit. But bank officials say it's not that simple. A hotel that once stood on an isolated bluff as a destination property now needs more rooms to support itself, said David Williams, ShoreBank Pacific chief executive.

"Done the right way, and with probably more rooms, it would be possible to make a go of it," Williams said.

The last guests stayed Sunday, Jan. 25. The hoteliers say they scrambled to arrange financing until last Friday, when they shut the doors. Sale negotiations with the Lumiere Hotel Group of Coronado, Calif., had already fallen through for the historic property.

"The grand old dame has a lot to offer," said Matthew Nuss, Lumiere president. "I don't think I can go into detail about what the roadblocks were."

For decades, day-trippers from Portland and around the region drove up the gorge for the hotel's Sunday brunch. Guests reclined in grand wrought-iron, brass or four-poster beds. They sat in garden swing benches, sipped complimentary champagne and strolled by the top of a 208-foot-tall waterfall that cascades into the gorge.

Movie idol Rudolph Valentino stayed there, Graves said, as did silent-film actress Clara Bow. Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge sampled the hospitality.

"One of our boys ran through the dining room naked when he was 4," Graves said.

"One year we were throwing the New Year's Eve gala, with black ties and fancy dresses," she said, "and our oldest son came to us and said, 'I was just downstairs and there's water up to my ankles.' We were calling everybody we knew to bring a pump."

Twice awarded best romantic hotel in the nation, the Columbia Gorge Hotel was named 19th best hotel in North America by Travel + Leisure magazine as recently as 18 months ago. Rooms ranged from about $159 to $350. An independently owned condominium complex next door, the Columbia Cliff Villas, echoes the hotel's stucco exterior and red tile roofs.

Joe Kennedy, Crystal Investment Property president and owner in Portland, said the economy hasn't helped with sale of the hotel, originally listed at $10 million. Kennedy says he has "quite a few interested parties" inquiring about the hotel, which needs some upgrades.

Marketing literature says the sale is forced by illness of the owner. Graves said her husband, Boyd, who bought the hotel out of receivership in 1982, had nine cardiac procedures in 2007. The couple live close by the hotel.

"We're penniless, and my husband's 73 years old," said Graves, who maintains she's old enough not to reveal her age. "I've got to go to work. It's daunting."

Yet Graves keeps laughing, saying she must remain philosophical to survive. "This is just a speed bump," she said, adding, "I wish I believed that."

The hotel, which employed 30 recently and would hire up to 130 workers during the May-through-December high season, served as an economic engine for Hood River. The tourist town has also lost another couple of nice restaurants, Graves said, in the past couple of months.

"We've owned and operated the hotel longer than any of its earlier owners," she said. "It's probably the most meaningful thing we've done in our lives."

Graves said former guests are calling from across the country to express concern. She hopes to open the hotel one more day next week for a scheduled wedding, but won't reveal the day to protect the couple's privacy.

"The hotel will rise," Graves said. "Somebody will reopen it.

"It is too well-loved by the people who have been there, and it's too beautiful a property not to."

-- Richard Read: richread@aol.com

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Vacancy rate for owned homes rises to record high 2.9%

By Rex Nutting
Last update: 10:13 a.m. EST Feb. 3, 2009

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The vacancy rate for homes typically occupied by the owner rose to 2.9% in the fourth quarter of 2008 from 2.8%, matching the all-time high set a year ago, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

Prior to the housing bubble bursting in 2005, the vacancy rate had never been above 2%. For rental properties, the vacancy rate rose to 10.1% from 9.9%. The homeownership rate fell to 67.5%, the lowest since 2001. In the fourth quarter, 2.2 million homes were vacant and for sale, virtually unchanged from a year earlier.

The nation's housing stock increased by 2.2 million in 2008 to 130.8 million.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

From the Portland Housing Blog:

Friday, January 30, 2009
Bend real estate off 31% since peak

The Central Oregon Realtors Association (CORA) released their fourth quarter data this month and the downward trend is intensifying.
Bend’s average sale price for the fourth quarter 2008 was $306,760; down 27% from the same quarter the year prior. The Bend market peaked in the third quarter 2007 and prices have fallen 31% since then.

Sales continue to fall but at a decreasing rate. 257 homes sold during the quarter; down 13% from the same quarter the year prior.

The final graph shows how affordable the median priced home is for a family of four. History indicates the ratio is usually between 2.5 and 3.0. Prices would need to fall 39% from the current median for the ratio to reach 3.0.


I'd recommend going to the blog for the graph-ular goodness.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

David Foster is out with a largely copy/pasted outlook for 2009.

I'm starting to wonder about the guy though:

Much as the media helped fuel the run-up in the market, the media started hyping the problems with the market, and contributed to and perhaps exacerbated the problems. Starting in 2007 you could open just about any newspaper or watch TV just about any evening and see or read about some doom-and-gloom news about the "mortgage market crisis", "the foreclosure crisis", the "tanking real estate market", etc. While a lot of the national real estate trends were real, the stories tended to distort and sometimes exaggerate the problems. The net result was a loss in confidence in the market, buyers became afraid to buy, and the problems grew worse both nationally and locally.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Dude... it was NOT the media that CRACKED the Bubble. If that were true, Bend would still be in it, cuz local Bend media has done nothing but try to reflate this busted souffle since Day 1.

David... it ain't the fucking media.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

COBA and COAR’s Fuzzy Numbers

Times are tough all over, and they’re even tougher in Central Oregon than in a lot of other places. So we don’t blame Bend realtors and builders for being scared.

We don’t even blame them for trying to use these tough times to push their own agenda. But when they do it with bogus statistics and misleading rhetoric, that’s a different story.

The Bend Metro Park and Recreation District is taking a look at the formula it uses to calculate Systems Development Charges, or SDCs, which are fees levied on new home construction to pay for things like roads, sewers and (in this case) parks. It’s a routine move; state law, and local ordinance, requires the district to do it periodically.

To hear the screams from local realtors and builders, though, you’d think the district was proposing to confiscate their first-born children and sell them into slavery.

“I question the timing and necessity of this enormous SDC hike that will make housing less affordable in Bend,” reads a form letter that local realtors have been sending to the park district.

Okay, in the first place, the park board isn’t considering an SDC increase – it’s only considering a possible change in the formula that could possibly lead to an SDC increase.

The charge by realtors and builders that the park district ignored their concerns is also bogus. Both the Central Oregon Builders Association and the Central Oregon Association of Realtors had representatives on the subcommittee that considered the formula change. Oddly, those representatives supported it but then reversed themselves when COBA and COAR came out against it.

COBA and COAR also are peddling the claim that SDCs and other fees on new homes in Bend amount to $30,000 per house. A more realistic figure is $23,000. Also dubious is their claim that 60% of the new homes built in Bend are sold to people who already live here. (As one park district official said, “The question then is where are all these new people who move to Bend living?”)

COBA and COAR are saying the population estimate being used by the district is too high. Curiously, these are the same people who were saying the population estimates used by the City of Bend to determine the size of the Urban Growth Boundary expansion were too low.

Finally, COBA and COAR and their mouthpieces on The Bulletin’s editorial board are slamming the park district’s planned new headquarters, charging that it’s an irresponsible extravagance in these hard times. The new HQ has been in the works for five years; only now have the builders and realtors decided to use it as a club against the district.

Increasing park SDCs might or might not be the right thing to do at this point in Bend’s history. The park district board will have to decide that question, and we hope it will do it honestly and intelligently. In the meantime, here’s THE BOOT to COAR and COBA for running a lobbying campaign that’s neither honest nor intelligent.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Go grab your final Collectible copy of Bend Living... they be gone.

Bewert said...

Re: Also dubious is their claim that 60% of the new homes built in Bend are sold to people who already live here. (As one park district official said, “The question then is where are all these new people who move to Bend living?”)

###

Bubble days numbers--the real question is how many of those locals buying houses actually planned to live in them?

Anonymous said...

State’s budget-cut scramble is on
Public hearings starting next week will help lawmakers prioritize

By Nick Budnick / The Bulletin
Published: February 03. 2009 4:00AM PST

SALEM — Public schools could close as early as April, court case backlogs could be substantially increased and needy families could see a reduction of benefits under a menu of unappealing potential state budget cuts released in Salem on Monday — provoking a grim reaction from Central Oregon lawmakers.

To cope with the deepening recession, state lawmakers have been asked to lop off $800 million, or nearly 6 percent of the state’s two-year, 2007-09 budget, which ends June 30.

But since three-quarters of the budget cycle has already gone by, that cut is being compressed, translating to roughly a quarter of state spending in the cycle’s remaining months.

“There’s going to be pain all around, and the issue is how much and where that pain is,” said state Rep. Judy Stiegler, D-Bend.

The menu of potential cuts, released on the Legislature’s Web site Monday afternoon, will set off a series of public budget hearings next week intended to prioritize state spending in advance of the Feb. 20 release of the latest state economic forecast.

For instance, more than 1,600 recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families could see their benefits reduced. And the state would have to delay some court trials beyond what the state normally allows under statutory deadlines, the Web site says.

According to a document distributed to legislators by the Democratic leadership Monday, lawmakers are being asked to assume that the federal stimulus package leads to between $270 million to $400 million in additional support for the current budget cycle – blunting the cuts, but not eliminating them.

Sen. Chris Telfer, R-Bend, whose district covers much of Deschutes County, said the cuts should be made with bipartisan support and be selective, rather than across the board. “I think some agencies may not have the wiggle room, meaning it may be an entire program they have to delete,” she said.

Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, said the situation, while grim, is an opportunity to look at administrative efficiencies and at “what functions government should and should not provide.”

Race for protection

Already, interest groups are mobilizing to defend programs they support. John Mullin, co-chairman of the Human Services Coalition, said his group is watching closely to see that social services spending included in the federal stimulus package is not used as an excuse for the state to reduce its discretionary general fund spending in those areas.

Meanwhile, Becca Uherbelau, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Education Association, said cuts as big as those lawmakers have been asked to consider for K-12 education — at least $161 million — could force some districts to close school in April or May.

Mike Craig, a second-grade teacher at Madras Elementary School, said closing that early would do significant damage to students’ learning, especially to the large portion of them who already rack up a lot of absences.

“It’d be horrible for kids,” he said. “Every student contact day you lose, you’re losing a lot of valuable time working with kids.”

Perhaps the biggest wild card in lawmakers’ deliberations is whether they tap the state’s education stabilization fund, which has a projected ending balance of $393 million, or the state’s rainy day fund, which would have $227 million available to help out.

Running off a cliff?

Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, whose district includes Madras and Black Butte Ranch, said he believes the deficit could be hundreds of millions of dollars more than what lawmakers are preparing for. That’s because the economic data being used to project revenue is months out of date, he said.

The analogy he sees is “Wile E. Coyote running off the cliff and standing in thin air. It takes him a little while to realize it, but then he disappears.”

Nick Budnick can be reached at 503-566-2839 or at nbudnick@bendbulletin.com.

Anonymous said...

Charisma is More Important than Change

By Mohannad El-Khairy - Dubai

Israel's war in Gaza. Lest one tallies up its achievements, of the 1330 dead Palestinians: 437 children, 110 women, 123 elderly men, 14 medics and 4 journalists. 5000 injured, of which 1890 are children. An estimated destruction worth $ 1.5 billion, the use of white phosphorous and other illegal weapons, and over 1.5 million horrific stories to listen to. Only the sadistic fascist type would later bathe in self-exuberance by calling this a “success”. Yet in Israeli politics, launching the all-out war machine and destroying the lives of innocents in the name of ‘security’ to gain or retain votes isn’t new. Two and a half years ago, Lebanon was subjugated to the same deadly fate as Ehud Olmert attempted to flex his military muscle with Hezbollah to boost his popularity amongst the Israelis. The result of which was 1191 dead and 4409 maimed Lebanese civilians. Quite the impressive track record, by Israeli standards.

On his second day as president of the United States, for the first time since the disaster began in the Gaza Strip, Barack Obama finally spoke. He said that he was "deeply concerned" about the loss of life in Gaza and also reiterated the US view that Israel had a right to defend itself from Palestinian rocket attacks. He added that “it will be the policy of [his] administration to actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as Israel and its Arab neighbors. Now [they] must extend a hand of opportunity to those who seek peace. As part of a lasting ceasefire, Gaza's border crossings should be open to allow the flow of aid and commerce". Amongst others, he thanked the roles of Egypt and Jordan in their efforts to achieve the cease fire and will continue to speak to PA President Mahmoud Abbas to maintain this cease fire. He then named ex-Senator George Mitchell as Middle East special envoy.

When terrorists struck Mumbai back in November, Transition Chief National Security Spokesperson Brooke Anderson condemned the terrorist attacks on behalf of the president-elect, saying: “President-Elect Obama strongly condemns today's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and his thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of India. These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism. The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks. We stand with the people of India, whose democracy will prove far more resilient than the hateful ideology that led to these attacks”. Rightfully so.

Quite the difference when compared to the rather vague and carefully selected sentencing he made to the press on Gaza. The question is why his response couldn’t be more like this: “I strongly condemn the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of Gaza. These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of state terrorism. The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with the Palestinian people and nations around the world to root out and destroy Israeli Apartheid. We stand with the people of Gaza, whose democracy will prove far more resilient than the hateful ideology that led to these attacks”. Maybe in Obama’s mind life in India is worth far more than life in Gaza.

Now thanking the Egyptian government would have been a fine token of appreciation, had Egypt supported the ravaged Strip and opened the Rafah crossing. Instead, he thanked an authoritarian ruler that had in fact met with the Israeli foreign minister the very day before the deadly attacks. He thanked a government that refused to listen to the will of the Streets, demanding the opening of the crossing in order to allow food and medical supplies to reach the stricken territory. He thanked a regime that, according to the International Middle East Media Centre, is setting up tents on the Egyptian side of Rafah to accommodate more Palestinian refugees. Despite officially not commenting on these tents, which were apparently “set up after secret negotiations with Israel just prior to the Israeli ceasefire in Gaza”, and despite the current ceasefire, “Egyptian officials continue to make it extremely difficult for foreign nationals, including doctors and journalists, from entering Gaza through the Rafah border crossing”. So what exactly is Obama thanking Egypt for?

Similarly, he continues the Bush policy of wanting to only deal with deposed PA leader Mahmoud Abbas; an illegitimate, un-democratically self-appointed, business-hungry, ruler of the West Bank. He is prepared to continue talks with a leader who has systematically de-patriotized and disenfranchised the Palestinian cause. As according to Professor Abdul Sattar Qassem of Najah National University in Nablus, the PA is “effectively a tool to liquidate the Palestinian cause in exchange for some money from the United States”. In his inaugural speech on January 20th, President Obama did say: “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist”. Maybe a nice treat is in hand for Mahmoud Abbas, whose self-given term -- by the way -- ended on January 9th.

The appointment of Senator George Mitchell is slightly more intriguing. Mitchell, who received international acclaim for brokering the Good Friday agreement that ended sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, is widely regarded as a respected politician, known for his patience and even-handedness. Yet while the Zionist establishment fears a non-Jewish envoy, such an appointment could be interpreted as a way of holding action, no matter whom the special envoy is. As Shoshana Bryen, senior director for security policy for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) says: “The appointment may be meant to keep people in the region quiet”. James Besser, correspondent for New York’s The Jewish Week writes that observers in Washington noted that “with the Palestinian leadership divided between Hamas and Fatah, the chances for any major breakthroughs on the Israel-Palestinian front are remote. The appointment of a high-level envoy like Mitchell may be intended to create the impression of intense administration activity when, in reality, the new president hopes to just keep the conflict from boiling over while focusing on more immediate problems like the tanking economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan”.

More importantly, one should take a closer look at Obama’s chosen cabinet to realize the similarities to Bush’s administrative team. Take for example Rahm Israel Emanuel, appointed Chief of Staff, whose father Benjamin was active in the Irgun - the underground Zionist organization that in 1947 terrorized the Palestinians and the British in Palestine prior to the founding of the Israeli state. Emanuel himself volunteered in the IDF in 1991 during the first Gulf War. Al Jazeera English (AJE) carried an interesting discussion entitled “Empire” hosted their senior political analyst Marwan Bishara. One of they key points of the show argued that “the most powerful man in the world may be new to the job but he has surrounded himself with establishment stalwarts”. Indeed, the cabinet has an old look to it with the hawks greatly outnumbering the doves in the new administration. Examples include Bush-appointed Defense Secretary Robert Gates; McCain-friend National Security Advisor James Jones; and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who fiercely criticized her new boss during the campaign trail for being too weak on Israel’s interests. But maybe Obama is just trying to toughen up his image with the “War on Terrorism”. A war that by subjective definition could go on forever.

More worryingly, during the campaign, the Jewish Council for Education & Research released a video in which prominent ex-IDF and Mossad generals were interviewed. The video shows them supporting a Barack Obama presidency as he would be the “best partner for Israel in the White House”. Six Israeli Generals endorsed then-Senator Obama describing him as a better President for the State of Israel’s long term goals in the region. The video had apparently caused controversy in Israel. The Jerusalem Post does report that former head of the Mossad Ephraim Halevy and former IDF deputy chief of staff Maj.-Gen. Uzi Dayan cried foul over the pro-Obama video, and accused the group of “taking their words out of context, saying that when filmed they had been told that the issue at hand was the challenges facing the next man in the White House, and not that the film was aimed at endorsing Obama for president”. Interestingly, none of these two generals even appeared in the video. And in any case, why would a New York-based Zionist lobby even use the words of ex-Mossad/IDF generals and “manipulate” them to endorse Obama?

A December 6th interview on the BBC may clarify the answer. On the 11th day of Israel’s massacre in Gaza, Former Captain of the Israeli Air Force Yonatan Shapira laid out the bottom line. If President Obama continues to abide by the Zionist groups such as the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and their interests, and not expose the crimes against humanity that Israel conducted in the Gaza Strip, then nothing will change. Yonatan Shapira, of course, was then attempted to be dismissed as a traitor to the Israeli nation.

Without raining on anyone’s parade of “hope and change” so early on in the new President’s term, Obama’s policies towards the Apartheid State will render nothing different than Clinton’s failed legacy. He will restore a form confidence to American foreign policy and relations in the region. He definitely has the charisma to move people in their millions. And he may mean well. But he is imprisoned by the political system that is undeniably, overwhelmingly, pro-Zionist. And ultimately, it is the keys to this prison that will set American policy vis-à-vis Israel on a just course, and give real freedom to Palestinians and Israelis alike.

For as Marwan Bishara said in the opening line of Empire, quoting a famous Swahili proverb: “When Elephants fight, the grass gets crushed. And when Elephants make love, the grass gets crushed”. As for Obama’s Middle East policy, and his specific treatment of Israeli Apartheid, I suppose “change” will only occur when the Elephants finally decide to keep away from the grass.

Bewert said...

Sign of the down times here in Bend.

Wsa reading the unemployment table by MSA and looking at numbers around the region. Bend is #345. Lewiston, ID is #113.

The BULL has 17 actual job listings today. The LMTribune has 143 jobs, with 49 new listings in the first three days of February alone.

Anonymous said...

Columbia Gorge Hotel did itself in. Friend was given gift cert for lodging and dinner, went to use it, was told that rates had gone up in the intervening two months and they would have to pay the difference.

Sorry. Tourist trap ran out of suckers. No sympathy here except for the workers.

Anonymous said...

CGHotel, like MT-B sold to many up-front lift passes, and then by the time people came to use them, there was no cash flow to pay the utilities.

Something to think about when you buy lift passes or gift-certificates.

If the deal is too good to be true, it probably ain't true.

When will peeple ever learn?

Bewert said...

Where are money is going, #4:

Bend wants more time on ADA

Faced with a tight budget and thinned-down staff, the city of Bend is planning to try to negotiate with federal officials to get more time on a long list of accessibility improvements it is required to make as part of a 2004 legal settlement.

In a meeting last month, Bend officials told the City Council that the combination of the city’s past missteps and its current financial situation have made it virtually impossible to bring all sidewalks, parking spaces, government buildings and curb ramps into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations by the settlement’s 2014 deadline. The likely delay in the projects has some accessibilty advocates worried that it might be even longer before all of the city is up to standard.

The city has completed a variety of projects mandated by the settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, but it has only scratched the surface on one major set of required improvements: an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 curb ramps that could cost between $30 and $36 million.

“Based on the city’s finances and the schedule, it doesn’t look like we’re going to meet the agreement,” said City Manager Eric King. “We do want to enter into conversations with the (Department of Justice) to see if there’s a plan we can put together that’s going to show progress but is within our financial means.”

The settlement

Bend’s legal troubles over ADA standards began in 2001, when four residents filed a complaint with the Department of Justice that claimed the city was behind in updating its streets, sidewalks and other facilities to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed in 1990.

The law requires all facilities, sidewalks, streets and other public areas built or modified after 1992 to conform to specific standards.

The city settled with the department in 2004 and agreed to do all of the required work within 10 years.

The city must also 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.

Over the last few years, the city has completed several projects required as a part of the settlements, including upgrades to city parking lots, buildings, some sidewalks and bus stops. In a number of locations, including along Mt. Washington Drive, Newport Avenue and Boyd Acres Road, crews have made ADA improvements when they were already tearing up an area to do a pavement overlay or other street project.

But officials said the city did other work without regard for the ADA rules — which means that now crews will have to go back and fix work that should have been checked off the city’s list years ago.

“I’m not sure it was communicated well,” said Public Works Director Paul Rheault. “You have this new program that comes down to the city, and all of a sudden you have all this work to be done. And I’m not sure that made it down to the troops in the field. As we often say, you can’t drive people to do something, you have to lead them to do it,” Rheault said.

Linda Crossman, the city’s accessibility manager, said she believes the city has made more progress in the last year, when King became city manager, and Rheault took over the Public Works Department.

Roadblocks

But she said the forward momentum has hit a series of roadblocks as the city has laid off workers and tightened its spending in other areas to make up for declining revenues.

In the last year, Crossman lost all five of the employees who were working with her on accessibility issues, and the city cut community outreach programs related to accessibility.

The city has also reduced the size of its public works staff, which means fewer people are available to survey city facilities, design plans for upgrades and complete the work.

Project engineer Scott Gillespie is now doing the bulk of the work once shared by a much larger team.

Last summer, he completed a survey of the city’s 168 Bend Area Transit bus stops and found that just 11 percent were fully compliant with both settlements. Gillespie also assessed about 1,000 curb ramps in Bend’s downtown and other areas of the city, and found only 97 — about 10 percent — were up to ADA standards.

Because the settlements have very specific requirements about everything from the slope of curb ramps to the color of paint used for parking spaces, Gillespie said the work isn’t a quick and easy task — especially without more people to help.

“We used to have access to some of our inspectors, some technicians, and they’ve been laid off,” he said. “Our staff has been decreased, so it’s pretty well a one-person gig right now — I’m doing the bulk of the engineering, doing a lot of the assessments and the tracking, maintaining all the project files.”

Gillespie is putting together a construction project for this summer that would include work on 21 bus stops, 67 nearby curb ramps and surrounding sidewalks, which could cost about $500,000. He’s also working out the details of upgrades at two additional sites on the east side of the city that will be funded with $69,000 in federal grants and money from the city’s ADA budget.

And though those projects account for just a small part of the work left to go from the settlement agreement, there may not be room in the budget for much other work — unless the city decided to take on more debt.

In a financial strategy session with the council last month, officials said the city could have to take on debt or implement a new fee or tax to generate more revenue. Most ADA work is paid for out of the city’s general fund; about $3.4 million was set aside in the 2007-09 budget for accessibility.

But now the city is looking for new ways to cover other expenses that come out of the general fund, like police, fire and street maintenance services. Though the council will not approve a new two-year budget until June, officials were warning in the January meeting that money for accessibility will be harder to come by.

King said with $500,000 from the general fund, the city could get $3 million to $4 million in bonds for accessibility work. Though it’s less than officials had hoped for, King said that much money would help show the Department of Justice that Bend is still trying to keep up its end of the settlement agreement. He said the city is also looking to find money for accessibility work from other sources, like President Obama’s stimulus plan.

“We’re trying to bundle this work together into larger projects to try to create a funding mechanism that makes sense,” King said.

Making progress

Local accessibility advocates said they understand Bend is in a tight financial position but worry about what more delays in work could mean for the community.

“It is a major setback, not just for advocates but for the people we represent, people with disabilities,” said Carol Fulkerson, a member of the Central Oregon Coalition for Access steering committee.

“And when we’re talking about people with disabilities, it also impacts their whole circle of family, friends, their support groups. If a person with disabilities can’t get into a business or down the street, it’s likely impacting the whole group.”

Fulkerson and Michele Romeo, another accessibility advocate, said they’re both frustrated that the city didn’t do more work before the budget crunch hit.

Romeo said she wants to see the city complete a full inventory of the sidewalks and curb ramps that need to be updated so it knows exactly how much work is still ahead.

“Here we are now, still not fully funded, still not understanding what the obligations are, still not having a plan to say we’ll assess and correct,” she said.

Crossman said she understands the concerns of people like Fulkerson and Romeo, but said the city just doesn’t have much wiggle room left in its budget, and accessibility is no exception.

“I’m feeling bad on a regular basis because all I do is try and address the most important thing each day, and my guess is if you talk to every individual in the city at least some would say the same thing,” she said. “It’s difficult, because I really believe in the work I do.”

But Romeo said the city needs to make up for its past mistakes and keep chipping away at its ADA work.

“It seems to me that this has been work deferred for 20 years, and so the city has some obligation to catch up with it,” she said. “At the same time, I do understand the problems of not having money to spend, but somehow, it shouldn’t always be accessible infrastructure that bears the burden.”

###

A law has been on the books for 18 years, with very specific requirements, and we couldn't even get it right on new construction in the recent past?

Typical Bendover clusterfuck.

Anonymous said...

On the bright side of the downturn... people seem to be bending over backwards to serve my every need in every industry. It's a nice change from 2005 era mentality. I've enjoyed giving some extra fat tips and seeing the looks on people's faces.

Duncan McGeary said...

"The law requires all facilities, sidewalks, streets and other public areas built or modified after 1992 to conform to specific standards."

I suspect in a town like Albany, the amount of required work is just a fraction of Bend, which grew from 20k about in 1991, to 80k by 2008.

Then again, I believe that's what the word PLANNING means.

Anonymous said...

Then again, I believe that's what the word PLANNING means.

"Planning" is and always has been a four-letter word in Bend, associated in the minds of the GOBs with "anti-growth." We don't "plan" here -- we just let growth happen and then try to figure out afterward how to deal with the consequences.

Anonymous said...

Don't know how everybody else feels but it saddens me to see the Columbia Gorge Hotel close. It's a major historic landmark in Oregon, as well as being a beautiful old building with beautiful grounds. Hopefully somebody will buy it and make it work.

Anonymous said...

"CGHotel, like MT-B sold to many up-front lift passes, and then by the time people came to use them, there was no cash flow to pay the utilities."


Bought my wife a $45 gift certificate at a spa for Christmas. Made her appointment, but two days before the appointment was told that the spa is closing down entirely.

Reopened to let her use her gift certificate, but she was only able to buy unwanted products. All the staff left, and the "owner" was doing all the manual work herself.

*

Now I'm afraid to even reserve a hotel room. At least with that you don't have to pay in advance.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Oh No! I just saw Randy Sebatian doing a Renaissance Homes commercial!

His FLESH EATING AIDS has turned into AWFUL HAIR PLUGS!

HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS! HAIR PLUGS!

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Sebastian's hairline is ADVANCING AT AN ALARMING RATE! He'll be unable to see through the thick fur of HAIR PLUGS in just a few days!

NO!!!!

LavaBear said...

>>>Sebastian's hairline is ADVANCING AT AN ALARMING RATE! He'll be unable to see through the thick fur of HAIR PLUGS in just a few days!

Yep, that is the hard hitting news that keeps me coming back again and again. I just can't get that anywhere else.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Yep, that is the hard hitting news that keeps me coming back again and again. I just can't get that anywhere else.

You should have read the comment prior to that one. That was the meat of the act.

LavaBear said...

>>>You should have read the comment prior to that one. That was the meat of the act.

That long one? Oh I'd skipped it since I'm so used to the fast scroll over the spam. Let me go back and read it in more depth.

LavaBear said...

>>>His FLESH EATING AIDS has turned into AWFUL HAIR PLUGS!

Let me get this straight. Are you saying that Big Gay Randy got HAIR PLUGS? Serious? HAIR PLUGS? What will he boyfriend's say?

Fuck...didn't Big Gay Randy die once in this movie? So is he coming back in this act as a HAIR PLUGGED Zombie?

Anonymous said...

Cripes 30 NOD's in 2 days...Times , they are a changin.. not so good eh?

B>B>B>Butter

foz said...

This has probably already been posted here sometime in the last couple years, but just in case.
"Here comes another bubble V 1.1"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6IQ_FOCE6I

Anonymous said...

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...
Oh No! I just saw Randy Sebatian doing a Renaissance Homes commercial!

His FLESH EATING AIDS has turned into AWFUL HAIR PLUGS!


No, you've made a huge mistake. If you're talking Randy Sebastian, you're talking Butt Plugs.

Anonymous said...

Could these guys have a better name?

DOC TYPE: Deed DATE REC: 1/29/2009 1:43:14 PM
REFERENCES: 2006-054119


DIRECT: ITS GO TIME CONSTRUCTION LLC INDIRECT: HOMESTREET BANK

SUBDIVISION: HILLMAN LOT: 15 BLOCK: 165
SUBDIVISION: HILLMAN LOT: 16 BLOCK: 165
SUBDIVISION: HILLMAN LOT: 17 BLOCK: 165
SUBDIVISION: HILLMAN LOT: 18 BLOCK: 165

Maybe It's gotta go time llc
Or It's gotta fuckin go now for christ's sake time llc


Buster- it's another deed in lieu of





sp

Anonymous said...

The Shire, under bank ownership, is for sale for $1.3M

I'd rather own the old Trap Club!

Anonymous said...

"Planning" is and always has been a four-letter word in Bend, associated in the minds of the GOBs with "anti-growth." We don't "plan" here -- we just let growth happen and then try to figure out afterward how to deal with the consequences.

###

There goes that theory of HBM/HOLLERN, that shit just happened in BEND, and that the reason we're #1 was that we were smarter, harder, better looking white boyz.

Hollerns multi million dollar post 1998 'Smart Growth' agenda was a $5M investment, NWXC, Awbrey, Black-Butte, Bach-Village, ... tons of planning it took.

I think what should have been said is if the plans are GOB/GOG(good old gals), then they're bad plans. Any 'plan' that "LIMITS" greed is bad planning, any plan that allows un-limited greed is a good plan.

Regarding ADA, they're on it right now, and it will cost $50M, and Knive-River will get most of the $$$, the city will say "The FED is making us do it". It's all a case of knowing that the bad economy was coming and deferring boring shit for bad times, ... 'planning'. I would think with the city 'crack ass' broke they would halt ADA, but then this is the kind of 'make-work' that Knife-River loves.

Hollern says that the people of Bend are'nt real, that the children aren't real, and that the jobs aren't real. HBM says that the MONEY $$$ that Bend spends isn't real, that the debt ain't real. But he agrees the bankruptcy is coming. Hollern & HBM are both playing by the same 'planned' play-book, "That nothing in Bend is Real".

Yes, its all very real. The Children are real, the shitting jobs are real, and the $200M to KnifeRiver(MOSS) was very real.

Anonymous said...

I think what should have been said is if the plans are NOT GOB/GOG(good old gals), then they're bad plans

If plans are GOB/GOG plans, then they're good plans.

HOLLERN & BULLetin, and SORE event-promotion has been working for years, planning everything. All the way down to the micro-bickering today of whether the SORE hosts 'winterfest' downtown or OldMill. Not a chipmunk in Bend eats without planning.

All city-council meetings are quid-pro-quo, HOLLERN wouldn't have it any either way.

No planning in Bend, just another "Move Along", pay no attention to the stench of the Bend Kleptocracy.

Like 'winterfest' OldMill is BK, but NO, we have to KILL downtown in order to save OldMill. Planning folks, its all planning.

Anonymous said...

Could these guys have a better name?

DOC TYPE: Deed DATE REC: 1/29/2009 1:43:14 PM
REFERENCES: 2006-054119


DIRECT: ITS GO TIME CONSTRUCTION LLC INDIRECT: HOMESTREET BANK

*

Is that it what its all about 'cute names'?? No wonder everybody says this board is a bunch of dumb moronic kunts.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Can someone tell me WHY DOES PATTY MOSS STILL HAVE HER CEO JOB WHEN CACB IS DOWN ALMOST 93%?

WHY!!!! WTF?

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

What's THE BEST PERFORMING INDUSTRY OF THE PAST 3 MONTHS?

Strangely enough, it's the DJ US Mortgage Finance Index, up 59% in 3 months.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

What is the WORST performing industry of the past 3 years.

yes, it's the DJ US Mortgage Finance Index, DOWN 96%.

Bewert said...

Re: Can someone tell me WHY DOES PATTY MOSS STILL HAVE HER CEO JOB WHEN CACB IS DOWN ALMOST 93%?

###

"She's a sharp lady, real sharp..."--someone (can't remember who) at the last JRMB meeting

Anonymous said...

The market is doing funny things.

Two houses built by the same builder, indistinguishable from one another.

The one in Redmond is 2139 sq ft and costs $179,900 (MLS 9006796)

The one in La Pine is 2139 sq ft, has precisely the same floorplan and trim level, and costs $269,000. (MLS 2810587)

The La Pine house is getting a $90,000 premium over the identical Redmond house.

Or Redmond is just that much further along than La Pine?


http://www.hasson.com/vp/ListingServlet?SITE=HASSON&ScreenID=LISTING_DETAIL_P&EXCEEDLIMIT=null&totalFound=0&cd_MLS=780982


http://www.hasson.com/vp/ListingServlet?SITE=HASSON&ScreenID=LISTING_DETAIL_P&EXCEEDLIMIT=null&totalFound=0&cd_MLS=729201

Bewert said...

December unemployment by city is out.

We have the honor of being tied for 346th out of 369, with Monroe, MI. A few places up from Flint and a slew of central valley Cali cities.

Guess that's what happens when you rely on construction and real estate sales/mortgage brokering/etc. for the majority of your economic base...

Meanwhile, my old hometown of Eau Claire, very close to us in size at 65,000, is 87th with 5.5% unemployment. And they've actually been able to fund a transit system for at least the last 30 years. How do they do it?

They make an effort to be the regional center for education, health, retail, plus make room for industry, with four industrial parks.

"Eau Claire is a bustling regional center for retail, education, recreation, medicine and research. In short the city of Eau Claire is a great place to start or advance your career. It is known for its growing competitive edge in the information technology industry, as well as for its quality higher education system. Located in the heart of the I-94 Corridor Technology Zone, Eau Claire is home to many hi-tech, international corporations. Hutchinson Technology Inc. is among the biggest of these firms, employing over 1,000 employees. Silicon Logic Engineering is another hi-tech company located here.

With hi-tech industries comes the need for new technology. In Eau Claire this need is serviced by the NanoRite Center focused on micro-machining and nanotechnology. A cooperation between Technical College, two Universities, private and public sectors this facility allows access to resources for both starting and well-established entrepreneurs. Current business partners include MN Wire and Cable and OEM Micro.

Eau Claire also has a strong manufacturing base. It is home to 4 industrial parks, making it very attractive to newcomers. Phillips Plastics Corporation is a leading area employer and an innovative designer and developer of plastic and metal injection molding. It provides a wide range of career opportunities for the recent college grad or mid-career professional. PDM Bridge is also an important part of Eau Claire's manufacturing industry. It constructs important bridges all over the country and is known as an industry leader in the fabrication of complex bridge structures.

Behind every strong manufacturing economy is a flourishing retail industry. Eau Claire has an extensive range of retailers. Menards, Inc is another Eau Claire success story. Founded by Eau Claire resident John Menard, the company currently operates 225 home improvement stores in 11 Midwestern states. It is based in Eau Claire and is the area's largest employer, with over 4,500 people on its payroll. The Target Corporation and Wal-mart are also major retailers in Eau Claire, each employing between 250 and 500 employees."

How do you grow your jobs base? with things like this:

"Nano Rite - A Center for Innovation opened on September 2007 as a collaborative project between academic, workforce development, and economic development organizations. NanoRite is a new approach to product development, built to accommodate the development of business start-ups for nanotechnology, microfabrication, and other advanced technologies."

And somehow they've managed to do this with only one Executive Session in four Council meetings, which was very well noticed:

"CLOSED SESSION

Upon a motion duly made and carried, the City Council may go into closed session to discuss the terms and conditions of an economic development loan to the Clearwater Development Corporation, which is permitted in closed session for competitive or bargaining reasons pursuant to s. 19.85(1)(e) of the Wisconsin Statutes."

I'm starting to think Buster is right--this town is a kleptocracy secretly managed for the benefit of the golden few.

Anonymous said...

Ran some more stats this AM..

Jan. residential solds are now at 64 sold @$230k median.

One interesting item is that of the 1869 all types residential, active listings, 619 are vacant.

Anonymous said...

"Worse unemployment than Youngstown" is all you really need to say about this sorry-ass Bend economy.

Bewert said...

Food for thought--how long is cheap oil going to last given our current foreign policy?

###

Saudi Arabia's patience is running out

By Turki al-Faisal

Published: January 23 2009 02:00 | Last updated: January 23 2009 02:00

In my decades as a public servant, I have strongly promoted the Arab-Israeli peace process. During recent months, I argued that the peace plan proposed by Saudi Arabia could be implemented under an Obama administration if the Israelis and Palestinians accepted difficult compromises.

But after Israel launched its bloody attack on Gaza, these pleas for optimism and co-operation now seem a distant memory. Unless the new US administration takes forceful steps to prevent any further suffering and slaughter of Palestinians, the peace process, the US-Saudi relationship and the stability of the region are at risk.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Saudi foreign minister, told the UN Security Council that if there was no just settlement, "we will turn our backs on you". King Abdullah spoke for the Arab and Muslim world when he said at the Arab summit in Kuwait that although the Arab peace initiative was on the table, it would not remain there for long.

America is not innocent in this calamity. Not only has the Bush administration left a sickening legacy in the region, but it has also, through an arrogant attitude about the butchery in Gaza, contributed to the slaughter of innocents. If the US wants to continue playing a leadership role in the Middle East and keep its strategic alliances intact - especially its "special relationship" with Saudi Arabia - it will have to revise drastically its policies vis a vis Israel and Palestine.

The US administration will be inheriting a "basket full of snakes" in the region, but there are things that can be done to help calm them. First, President Barack Obama must address the disaster in Gaza and its causes. Inevitably, he will condemn Hamas's firing of rockets at Israel. When he does that, he should also condemn Israel's atrocities against the Palestinians and support a UN resolution to that effect; condemn the Israeli actions that led to this conflict, from settlement building in the West Bank to the blockade of Gaza and the targeted killings and arbitrary arrests of Palestinians; declare America's intention to work for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, with a security umbrella for countries that sign up and sanctions for those that do not; call for an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Shab'ah Farms in Lebanon; encourage Israeli-Syrian negotiations for peace; and support a UN resolution guaranteeing Iraq's territorial integrity.

Mr Obama should strongly promote the Abdullah peace initiative, which calls on Israel to pursue the course laid out in various international resolutions and laws: to withdraw completely from the lands occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem, returning to the lines of June 4 1967; to accept a mutually agreed just solution to the refugee problem according to UN resolution 194; and to recognise the independent state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. In return, there would be an end to hostilities between Israel and all Arab countries, and Israel would get full diplomatic and normal relations.

Last week, President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad of Iran wrote a letter to King Abdullah, explicitly recognising Saudi Arabia as the leader of the Arab and Muslim worlds and calling on him to take a more confrontational role over "this obvious atrocity and killing of your own children" in Gaza. The communiqué is significant because the de facto recognition of the kingdom's primacy from one of its most ardent foes reveals the extent that the war has united an entire region, both Shia and Sunni. Further, Mr Ahmadi-Nejad's call for Saudi Arabia to lead a jihad against Israel would, if pursued, create unprecedented chaos and bloodshed.

So far, the kingdom has resisted these calls, but every day this restraint becomes more difficult to maintain. As the world laments once again the suffering of the Palestinians, people of conscience from every corner of the world are clamouring for action. Eventually, the kingdom will not be able to prevent its citizens from joining the worldwide revolt against Israel. Today, every Saudi is a Gazan, and we remember well the words of our late King Faisal: "I hope you will forgive my outpouring of emotions, but when I think that our Holy Mosque in Jerusalem is being invaded and desecrated, I ask God that if I am unable to undertake Holy Jihad, then I should not live a moment more." Let us all pray that Mr Obama possesses the foresight, fairness and resolve to rein in the murderous Israeli regime and open a new chapter in this most intractable of conflicts.

Prince Turki is chairman, King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, Riyadh. He has been director of Saudi intelligence, ambassador to the UK and Ireland and ambassador to the US

###

Will we see a repeat of the !973 oil embargo? Since Israel will never give up everything in the Arab peace plan, that is a very real possibility. And the timing would make it even worse than it was in 1973.

LavaBear said...

Butter, are you SURE you saw the HAIR PLUGGED Big Gay Randy Zombie last night and not one of these pranks?

Construction signs warn of zombies
Hackers change public safety message


Last Edited: Thursday, 29 Jan 2009, 5:12 PM CST
Created On: Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009, 8:29 PM CST

Shannon Wolfson
AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin drivers making their morning commute were in for a surprise when two road signs on a busy stretch of road were taken over by hackers. The signs near the intersection of Lamar and Martin Luther King boulevards usually warn drivers about upcoming construction, but Monday morning they warned of "zombies ahead."

"I thought it was pretty funny," said University of Texas sophomore Jane Shin, who saw the signs while driving down Lamar Bouelvard with friends Sunday night. "We wondered who did it."

The City of Austin does not own the signs, but they are responsible for the message. The contractor on the construction project owns the signs. A city spokesperson said the hacked messages were only up for a few hours, until the construction project manager saw them during his morning commute and immediately ordered them to be changed back.

"Even though this may seem amusing to a lot of people, this is really serious, and it is a crime," said Austin Public Works spokesperson Sara Hartley. "And you can be indicted for it, and we want to make sure our traffic on the roadways stays safe."

Hartley said though it was a locked sign, the padlock for it was cut. Signs such as these have a computer inside that is password-protected.

"And so they had to break in and hack into the computer to do it, so they were pretty determined," said Hartley.

This crime is a class C misdemeanor in Texas, and Hartley said it endangers the public.

"The big problem is public safety," said Hartley. "Those signs are out there to help our traffic on the roadway to stay safe and to know what's coming up."

KXAN Austin News cameras caught many drivers slowing down to read the signs as they approached. Some read, "Zombies ahead! Run for your lives!"

Hartley said the city will discuss more secure safety measures with the manufacturer of the signs.

Speculation among the tech-savvy on the Internet is that the signs were inspired by the video game Call of Duty 5, World at War, which is the top game in the country right now and features "nazi zombies," or an upcoming movie about zombies called "Dead Snow" (an official selection at Sundance '09). There are also several online sites that teach people how to break into these construction signs.

Bewert said...

Re: Butter, are you SURE you saw the HAIR PLUGGED Big Gay Randy Zombie last night and not one of these pranks?

###

I saw that ad this morning. Randy's got a real weird hairline going...

Anonymous said...

The Bully's lead editorial today:

The current economic mess owes much to the willingness of average Americans to borrow themselves silly and ignore the potential consequences.

This is priceless. After 30 years of eroding the incomes and job security of middle-class Americans the right-wingers are telling them: "This economic collapse is ALL YOUR FAULT! You borrowed and spent too much! You didn't save enough out of those miserable wages we paid you! YOU are to blame -- nobody but YOU! Not the politicians, the regulators who were asleep on the job, the bankers, the brokers, the hedge fund managers, the Bernie Madoffs of the world -- no, it was YOU!"

Anonymous said...

I'm starting to think Buster is right--this town is a kleptocracy secretly managed for the benefit of the golden few.

Buster IS right, in general -- until he starts tying everything into one vast global Zionist-Hollern-Suterra-Les Schwab-CACB-John Costa-Aaron Switzer-HBM conspiracy.

It just ain't that complicated. The GOBs run Bend, always have, always will.

And I ain't one of the GOBs.

Bewert said...

Have a friend who bid on an REO property the other day. Bank held $331,000 mortgage with basically nothing paid off, foreclosed, selling property now for $220K.

I told him he was getting too impatient...just wait until this time next year.

Anonymous said...

Well, hbm, until the PEOPLE take responsibility for their lives revolving around consumerism, it's a hopeless situation. As long as we can blame politicians, nothing good will ever happen. It's a lot easier to blame politicians than ourselves, isn't it? But nothing comes of it.

Anonymous said...

Well, hbm, until the PEOPLE take responsibility for their lives revolving around consumerism, it's a hopeless situation.

I don't like consumerism either; it wrecks the environment, the society, the body, the mind and the soul.

But do you really, REALLY believe "consumerism" was the cause of the present debacle? I mean, consumerism has been with us for a long, long, LONG time.

Yes, many people borrowed more than they should have and took on mortgages they couldn't handle. But who begged them to take more and more credit cards? Who talked them into taking those mortgages? Who faked the appraisals? Who issued the loans? Who bundled the crap loans and sold the bundles of crap to investors (i.e. speculators)? Who rated those bundles o' crap AAA when they should have been XXX?

"A fish rots from the head down," says the proverb. That's true of the financial system too.

Anonymous said...

>>"A fish rots from the head down," says the proverb. That's true of the financial system too.

The fish didn't need to rot. It was already rotten.

Consumerism has been around for a long time. It came to a head, as was inevitable.

Bewert said...

Change...:

Couric: Sen. Mitch McConnell said over the weekend that surely you're privately embarrassed by some of the product that came out of the house version and let me just mention some of the spending in this package: $6.2 billion for home weatherization, $100 million for children to learn green construction...

Obama: Lets take that example. I'm stunned that Mitch McConnell use this as an example ... We're going to weatherize homes, that immediately puts people back to work and we're going to train people who are out of work, including young people, to do the weatherization. As a consequence of weatherization, our energy bills go down and we reduce our dependence on foreign oil. What would be a more effective stimulus package than that? I mean, you're getting a threefer. Not only are you immediately putting people back to work but you're also saving families on your energy bills and you're laying the groundwork for long term energy independence. That's exactly the kind of program that we should be funding.

###

Yep. Just the kind of jobs we need around here. Not too hard, can't be outsourced, and save consumers money down the road.

Anonymous said...

The fish didn't need to rot. It was already rotten.

Well, as a matter of fact ... yes. Because the people in government who were supposed to detect the rot and clean it out didn't do their fucking job. And that was the result of 30 years of the philosophy of "bidness good, gummint BAAAAAaaad."

If you really want to blame somebody for this disaster, don't blame Bush. Blame Reagan, and Gingrich.

Anonymous said...

hbm, you're just another person pointing away from himself. Lame.

Anonymous said...

Did you see the train 2 days ago with all the army artillary I mean a mile long, headed south and today I saw 2 civillain semis with tanks headed south on 97.Are they anticipating civil unrule with people not getting their state refund checks or the fact that california is broke.I am 50 and have never seen that before and have lived here since 59

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

1869 all types residential, active listings, 619 are vacant.

Wow, I didn't know you knew that sort of stuff.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

the right-wingers are telling them: "This economic collapse is ALL YOUR FAULT! You borrowed and spent too much! You didn't save enough out of those miserable wages we paid you! YOU are to blame -- nobody but YOU! Not the politicians, the regulators who were asleep on the job, the bankers, the brokers, the hedge fund managers, the Bernie Madoffs of the world -- no, it was YOU!"


Well, if the Bully is "right-winger" then something be fucked up. Cuz I am "right-wing", and that useless rag makes me wanna puke.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

But do you really, REALLY believe "consumerism" was the cause of the present debacle? I mean, consumerism has been with us for a long, long, LONG time.

Hell yes! Consumerism takes a lot of forms, and this was The Mother of all Consumerist Fueled Nightmares.

Dude, people BOUGHT houses, so they could REFI, and buy more shit. Sometimes that shit was another house, but more often than not it was a Hummer, or fake titties.

Believe me, the other shoe will fall when credit cards start imploding. But most FAKE TITTIES were financed via REFI.

Anonymous said...

California goes broke, halts $3.5 billion in paymentsStephen C. Webster
Published: Monday February 2, 2009





Print This Email This


California, the eighth largest economy in the world, is broke.

"People are going to be hurt starting today," said Hallye Jordan, speaking on behalf of the state Controller. "There's no money."

Since state legislators failed to meet an end of January deadline on an agreement to make up for California's $40 billion budget gap, residents won't be getting their state tax rebates, scholarships to Cal Grant college will go unpaid, vendors invoices will remain uncollected and county social services will cease.

At least, temporarily. Services and payments will resume once state legislators come to an agreement on the budget.

"This time, there are real-world consequences," said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the California Department of Finance, in a report by KCRA in Sacramento. "Because we have not been able to get to a budget agreement, payments aren't going to be made."

"This is an issue of fairness," said Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, in the KCRA report. "It hurts hardworking families the most. Refunds, in fact, will stimulate the economy, and taxpayers need their money."

"Included are $515 million in payments to the state's vendors and $280 million to help people with developmental disabilities. Other public assistance agencies will be left waiting for hundreds of millions of dollars," reports CNN. "Other public assistance agencies will be left waiting for hundreds of millions of dollars."

"I see the will during the negotiations even though these are very, very tough things that we talk about, where we go into areas that we have never, ever dreamt of going into and trying to solve," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "So you will be very surprised when the whole thing is done. We're still not there yet. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done but we are moving slowly forward with this process."

"If there is no deal by Friday, state government workers will take their first furlough day," reports the San Diego Union Tribune. "Schwarzenegger has ordered state employees to take two days off a month without pay through June 2010 to save about $1.4 billion.

"'We're really hoping we can work out a compromise that helps the governor achieve the savings he wants while minimizing the disruption to state services and to the lives of the employees who provide the services,' said Jim Zamora, spokesman for the Service Employees International Union, Local 1000, which represents the state's largest employee union with 90,000 workers."

"Some 46 states face budget shortfalls, forcing them to slash funding for many services," reported CNN. "But California, the largest state in the union by population, faces a deficit that totals more than 35% of its general fund."

State lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Monday evening to continue budget negotiations.

Anonymous said...

The train may be movement of Oregon National Guard to Iraq.(?)

*



On stimulous packages:

It seems like we've had a "stimulous" package since 2002.

Easy money, easy credit, strong dollar makes for cheap imports.

Consumer spending (C) has now imploded. That takes business investment (I) down with it.

GDP (gross domestic product) = C + I + G (govt) + X (exports) - M (imports)

C & I have now imploded. Businesses are failing left and right.

If demand was still strong in the rest of the world, we could export our way out of this (X) to keep GDP (jobs) high.

The somewhat weak dollar should help with exports, but consumer demand in the rest of world has imploded.

The only thing to keep GDP up, and thus employment numbers up, is G in the equation above (govt spending).

This is classic fiscal policy from Econ 101.

I'm not a huge proponent of another stimulous package that keeps aggregate demand high.

But I also fear high unemployment.

That would put a strain on social services just when the govt. is running out of money to pay for it.

*

Even if G (govt spending) is able to economic activity up -- and save some jobs -- it might come too slow to have an impact.

It is a hell of a time that we're in right now.

Politicians in Washington don't seem to get how bad this may become.

Anonymous said...

Well when we all start to look at big brother( the gov) to take care of us and the big majority is, that's the begining of the end. And when we ain't gonna get our government cheese thats when we gonna riot. cause we don't nose how to raise our own food that's what grocery stores are fo. And when they run out wees gonna take it from our neighbors if wees think they got it.Lest they got guns then we leeves them folks alone.

Anonymous said...

"There are a lot of people interested in The Shire, but with the economy, everyone is pulling in their horns..."

Yes. Their horns. And their funny pointed ears. And their cloven feet.

Bewert said...

Telfer's replacement is going to go to a special election after the CC deadlocked on a coin toss and on the last attempt to break the tie.

Of course, the council moved this whole issue to the end of the night instead of doing it at the front of the night as listed in the agenda, with a large crowd assembled. Wouldn't want to do such important stuff in front of actual constituents.

At one point the third candidate, Tom Patel, stood up and stomped out, publically withdrawing his application. His comment on the way out was "This is a joke!" There was quite a bit of support in what was left of the audience for that sentiment.

There was some discussion about stopping pre-CC meeting meals to pay for the election, but that went nowhere.

So now we have a special election in May between a well-financed developer candidate, Don Leonard, and an unfinanced non-developer candidate, Cliff Walkey.

Anyone wonder how that is going to come out?

Our little city is fucked. The only question is how badly.

Bewert said...

"WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is expected to impose a cap of $500,000 for top executives at companies that receive large amounts of bailout money, according to people familiar with the plan....That is pretty draconian, $500,000 is not a lot of money, particularly if there is no bonus," said James F. Reda, founder and managing director of James F. Reda & Associates, a compensation consulting firm. "And you know these companies that are in trouble are not going to pay much of an annual dividend.""

###

But they'll pay out over $18 fucking BILLION in bonuses to people that fucking LOST TENS OF BILLIONS for their companies. In my world, you don't get a bonus for losing a pile of money. Talk about a sense of entitlement.

Anonymous said...

But they'll pay out over $18 fucking BILLION in bonuses to people that fucking LOST TENS OF BILLIONS for their companies.

*

Locking the hen cage, after the foxes have eaten all the hen's, its all about image. Who knowns the poltical system? Its those with the money. Who has the most money? Investment Bankers.

Anonymous said...

Politicians in Washington don't seem to get how bad this may become.

*

They know exactly what they're doing.

The Pug's want to DESTROY the entitlement system. The Dem's want to create a all new entitlement system that includes health-care, wage-control, transportation costs.,...

The Pug's really are anarchists ( no government, or a weak government ), while the Dem's are Fascists ( business&government combine ).

Case in point is the SEC, under Bush years the SEC was a joke.

None of this is new. Pug's get elected by promising voters to destroy government, and Dem's get elected by promising voters a 'chicken in every pot'.

In the meantime Wall-St investment 'bankers' make billions, and fund the two partys.

Like the stomp-out above 'Bend local' politics is a joke, national politics are a joke. Too many disengaged stupid fucking ameriKKKan's, just like this fucking blog, which 100% represents the US public.

Anonymous said...

So now we have a special election in May between a well-financed developer candidate, Don Leonard, and an unfinanced non-developer candidate, Cliff Walkey.

Anyone wonder how that is going to come out?


THANK GOD!

Anonymous said...

Hell yes! Consumerism takes a lot of forms, and this was The Mother of all Consumerist Fueled Nightmares.
- homer

*

This group is so fucking pathetic. HBM the fucking MORON of the universe call's consumerism the problem, but what he's talking about is 'human needs' and that's not consumerism.

Consumerism is a modern 'outcome' of 'mercantilism', All MERCANTILE economy's fail for the simple reason that the 'money' goes from gold coin to paper, and then those running the press always try to print their way out of problems, and make war's.

The 'consumer' is a FLY in this equation. Easy-Money means easy-shit, and the fly will always go where there is shit. Right now 'little people' are bitching and moaning, but remember this is the richest country on earth most people ( RURAL africa, china, india ) live on less than a dollar a day.

The 'little people' of the USA will always BITCH. What's happening today is the TV people are waking up to the fact that they're broke, but the TV broadcasting world and investment-banking world moves on.

Greed & Fear may effect the stock-market, but anger & love also enter the spectrum of human emotions. When this is all over I expect to see anger towards anybody with money, or anybody that has more than the average poor, that's why I always advocated NOT displaying your money, or living in a simple house, to blend in.

The 'consumer' is a dumb-fucking bitch, and if given easy-money, the dog will over eat. I think Jimmy Rogers say's it best, "Anybody that wanted to BUY four houses with nothing down could, and that had NEVER happened before in HUMAN HISTORY".

Think about that 4 houses, why? Cuz the building machine ran out of buyers, so they sold everybody 4 homes, now we have a glut of homes and no fucking jobs to build homes, so its going to take years for people to FIND new work, cuz its NOT coming back.

Read Oswald Sprenglers 1920 class "Decline of the West", and learn how 'modern' mercantile economys always fail, Sprengler was a mathematician not a shit eating economist or political lackey.

The USA is a third world country living a on first-world diet with DEBT, and that debt is now being shut-off by the world. Once again, not seen for over 200+ years the USA will return to its former self, and southern convict labor colony.

The idea that every man is king, that the government put a chicken in every pot was never sustainable.

Mass marketing only started in the 1910's and it was done by print media. Homer is right there are many kinds of 'consumerism', but like I have said 10k times here over 2+ years, who gives a FUCK, 97% of all societys are composed of morons. Life has never been fair, and will never be fair.

The PUSSY & HBM would like life to be fear, but they're losers.

Get with the program folks re-invent yourselves, MOVE if possible, and find new work, the housing biz and all it parasites are Bend-Over.

The 'consumer' is fucked but he isn't the cause he is a victim of easy-money post 911, BUSH wanted people to go 'shopping', so he gave them easy-money in the form of HELOC, which was said to be 'safe' AAA rated, because it was backed by a house, the rates were low, and all was good.

Today the USA is in a permanent bubble cycle, and an endless printing of money is required. Reinvent yourself find work, and get the fuck out of Bend, OR.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

just like this fucking blog, which 100% represents the US public.

I thought you said this blog was 6 dudes?

I did the math and it's only 1/50,000,000th of the US public.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Room taxes plunge

February 5, 2009 4:00 am

The city of Bend and Deschutes County on Wednesday reported 28.6 percent and 18.6 percent drops...


I think the jist of this was 28.6% drop in room tax revenue for Bend, 18.6% drop for Deschutes County.

Bye bye City revenue.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

They blamed the drop in room revenue, and were QUICK to dismiss the idea that it was MT BACHY'S fault.

No, no. The fact that they raised tickets to $70 has nothing to do with why no one comes to Bend anymore.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

They blamed the drop in room revenue on the recession, and were QUICK to dismiss the idea that it was MT BACHY'S fault.

Umm, yeah.

Anonymous said...

I think Jimmy Rogers say's it best, "Anybody that wanted to BUY four houses with nothing down could, and that had NEVER happened before in HUMAN HISTORY".

*

This fucking debate is getting really fucking old, just study what Rogers say's here. We have something like 4-10X too many fucking homers for BUYER's.

Which also means that we have 10X too many builders, realtors, mtg-brokers, cpa's, anybody associated with RE. It means that if you work in those fields, run don't walk, it means go back to school and get a fucking new TRADE ASAP.

There's going to be gnawing & gnashing, but the solution is SIMPLE turn off your fucking TV, and ignore the hysteria.

NOTHING can fix the fucking problem, to date in linear time this Depression is expanding 2X in time right now we're about 1/4 through it, I would say year 4 of a 16 year contraction. Study your history, learn what things do well an survive, and quit the fucking bitching and feeling sorry for yourself, or trying to fix things so they be like yesterday.

Lastly, the most the USA problems have been going on for 30+ years WRT the general loss of the US pension system first private, and now public. Soon NOBODY will be able to 'retire', you'll work until you die.


Your HBM or PUSSY will blame, and point fingers, but you all party'd like hell in the good years, and now its time to pay the fucking bill.

Anonymous said...

Room taxes plunge

*

Good NOW they'll HAVE to KILL COVA.


What am I telling you people? There hasn't been any tourists in BEND for months. That's why DENTON, didn't walk from Bend, he flew.

Anonymous said...

I thought you said this blog was 6 dudes?

*

The six dudes here 100% represent the 75k warm-body's in Bend, exact in every way.

100% correlation, BEND STUPID, it's the KOOL-AIDE, and it makes you stupid.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

There's a post over at BendBB, called "Awbrey Glen golf course for sale", and this is one of the comments, top of page 2:

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:28 pm Post subject: Awbrey Glen Golf Club Reply with quote
Unfortunately, there is a group of non-thinking people spreading rumors. Even more sadly, there are people believing them. It sounds like one of you is thinking this would be a good "regional park?" Natural grasses and walking paths? Some of you are talking about scare tactics-look in the mirror-are you spreading untruths? Do you have facts or are you believing the last person you spoke to who heard something twice removed? Your board and general manager are working very hard to give you numbers and facts. Call a board member, be smart about the whole thing. They're not hiding anything. Look to the future and stop your negative energy. You are also thinking of one particular possible buyer. Nothing is a done deal before the fact! The dotted lines aren't signed, and some of you think they are. Absurd. Think multiple possible buyers and ask yourself if you want the unknown. You do NOT know the possible future purchaser unless it is member owned. Some of you have a serious negative virus and it's time to help heal yourself and others who are sick. Stop being negatively emotional and infecting others. Be smart.


Is this for real? This is the DOUCHIEST load of Cali-banger horseshit I've ever heard! Is it a ltetter to members, reproduced by some BendBB troll? These are the words of a psychopathic retard. Really.

Go back to Cali you retard dumbfuck!

Anonymous said...

They blamed the drop in room revenue, and were QUICK to dismiss the idea that it was MT BACHY'S fault.

No, no. The fact that they raised tickets to $70 has nothing to do with why no one comes to Bend anymore.

*

Nothing to do with failure to groom, and or two hours sitting on a chair during failure, or most lifts not operating.

MT-B is now just a ponzi scheme that sells lift-passes, and does no maintenance.

I say 'ponzi' cuz virtually all the kids I know share a pool of money to BUY the lift-pass and share it, so shared passes in BEND are now currency. This place is so fucked.

The tourist why in the FUCK would they come to BEND for what Walmart? Costco? Nobody saw this coming?

OH, that's right they come to Bend to shop at the Old-Mill, where you'll find an outlet mall unlike any outlet mall in the USA ...

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

OK, I don't want to hear that there aren't GREAT JOBS available in Bend!

Window Washing Assistant Needed No Experience Needed! (Bend, OR)

I am starting a window washing business and am in need of an assistant. There is no experience needed at all.
Ideal for female or male to earn extra cash.
Open schedule is a must.
Must be able to perform physical requirements, be very enthusiastic & friendly, having a good knowledge of the areas in Bend is a huge plus!
Reliable transportation to and from work is a must.



"No, I don't wash windows. I'm an assistant to the guy who washes the windows. But who knows, maybe in a couple of years..."

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Here's the pay:

Compensation: Percentage of day's earnings

That there is a sweeeeeeet gig. Window washing assistant paid on COMMISH. Nice.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

I actually think this may be Bledsoe trying to OUTSOURCE his donkey-jerkoff-cum-buckets job up on Volo.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

And thank God Merenda v2.0 will be opening soon. "900 Wall" is coming to a cavern near you.

I'm sure it'll do well. Overpriced hoity-toity cuisine in the first Depression in a century, in a place with about the highest unemployment in the country. I'm sure it'll all work out just swell.

Mike Millette, who was Merenda Restaurant and Wine Bar’s general manager, has lined up a group of local investors and former employees to open a new restaurant in the space Merenda occupied at the prominent corner of Wall Street and Minnesota Avenue.

Same investors & employees as last time!

This is Bend.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

hbm wrote:

A Bear Market for Weirdness

The Bend real estate market shows no signs of reviving yet, but the market for weirdness may have bottomed out.

First evidence: “The Shire,” the bizarre Tolkien-themed development off Parrell Road on Bend’s Eastside, has been put up for sale at a rock-bottom price by Umpqua Bank, which foreclosed on it in mid-January.

The bank held an auction on the property at the end of December and received no bids. It’s now asking $1.3 million for the whole kit and caboodle, covering six acres and including 14 empty lots and one partly built house.

The value of the original loan: $3.4 million.

“This was a new development starting at a time that was unfortunate,” The Bulletin quoted an Umpqua Bank VP as saying.

True, the timing of The Shire couldn’t have been worse. But The Eye wonders how anyone could have thought a development of half-million-dollar-and-up homes designed to look like a hobbit village would have sold even at the height of the boom. In our experience very few people who are really into Tolkien have that kind of money, and vice versa.

Second evidence: The Eye was browsing in Barnes & Noble this morning and spotted the book written by Thomas Beattie, Bend’s Pregnant Man, on sale for $3.98. That’s a markdown of more than 84% from the cover price of $24.95.

As a Barnes & Noble member, The Eye could have gotten a further 10% off and picked up “Labor of Love” for a mere $3.59. We passed.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

What about the Garaj Mahol? That bad boy is still alive & kicking!

What about Tuscany BUTTPLUGS!

What about our laundry line snafu!

What about the Redmond Waterworld!

Bend itself is "weirdness". Nowhere got weirder than this fuckin' place. The BEAR MARKET FOR WEIRDNESS will be over when this town is gutted, fucked & put away wet.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

The Eye was browsing in Barnes & Noble this morning and spotted the book written by Thomas Beattie, Bend’s Pregnant Man, on sale for $3.98. That’s a markdown of more than 84% from the cover price of $24.95.

As a Barnes & Noble member, The Eye could have gotten a further 10% off and picked up “Labor of Love” for a mere $3.59. We passed.


I'm kind of shocked about this hbm. I thought you were a card-carrying member of the Lib Thought Police. When gender-confused lezbby-fags wanna have kids, I figured you'd be right there with 'em, buying their retarded memoirs for full retail. WTF?

What with all the turkey basting & strap-on goodness. I thought you libs LOVED SAME SEX GOAT FUCKERS WITH OCTUPLETS BORN OUT THEIR VAGINA-COCK. "Can't we all just get along", and all that.

"Are you pissing a kidney stone?"

"No, I'm having a baby goat out my cock. Please get on your knees & suck this fucker out! His horns are wrapped around my fuckin' balls! He's killing me!"

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

We should see CACB sink into the DOLLAR RANGE before long. $2.30 and plummeting.

CACB Board: Whatever you do, don't fire MossCo. She's the only one who can bring this thing back. She's doing a great job so far.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Labor of Love
From Publishers Weekly
Best known as the world's first pregnant man, transgendered father and husband Beatie recounts, in touching detail, his difficult path to the 2007-08 pregnancy that briefly captured the world's attention. Born a girl in Hawaii to a violent, unpredictable father and a caring mother (who committed suicide while Beatie was a teen), Beatie learned to understand the nature of his identity against a backdrop dominated by fear and instability. Beatie is a detailed and engaging writer, relating his upbringing, his romance (with wife Nancy) and the process of transitioning from female to male with humility, honesty and plenty of opinion, and little to court sensation or controversy. For better and worse, the memoir reads predictably until Beatie and Nancy, 200 pages in, begin their struggles to get pregnant with daughter Susan. Once Beatie finds his focus in the obstacles he and his wife faced and overcame, his account becomes a compelling, unique narrative. Beatie's straightforward, apolitical style and compelling, elemental story-one man's struggle, against all odds, to create a family-will make it easy for most readers to identify.

I'm curious if one of the obstacles was pushing a baby goat out his MOTHERFUCKING COCK?

I mean really: Dudes, pushing out baby goats after having a turkey baster crammed up their ass should be respected. I don't want to hear anymore BITCHING from women, after this MOTHERFUCKER pushed a GOAT OUT HIS COCK.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Funny that they admit the first 200 PAGES of this 280 page tome was dead boring.

I assume the interesting parts are when both parties don leather chaps, and wife Nancy begins basting Thomas' cock, as he slowly cooks like a spit-skewered turkey.

Anonymous said...

My wife just walked in and wondered why the fuck I was laughing so hard and had tears rolling down my cheeks.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

...wondered why the fuck I was laughing so hard and had tears rolling down my cheeks.

No kidding... that hbm is one funny motherfucker.

Bewert said...

Serious down selling pressure on CACB this afternoon--big volume down trades, like 42.7K on a 2.25 to 2.20 drop, then two trades later after an 800 share trade up two cents, another 4500 share trade back down to $2.20.

Doesn't seem to be much short covering, if any.

Quimby said...

>> Today the USA is in a permanent bubble cycle, and an endless printing of money is required. Reinvent yourself find work, and get the fuck out of Bend, OR.

Damn Buster...post of the Year. Talk about summing it all up for us!

Anonymous said...

"Today the USA is in a permanent bubble cycle, and an endless printing of money is required."

To be clear, the concern right now is DEFLATION, not inflation.

We are effectively in a Liquidity Trap -- what Japan suffered through during the 1990s.

From Wiki:
A liquidity trap is a situation in monetary economics in which a country's nominal interest rate has been lowered nearly or equal to zero to avoid a recession, but the liquidity in the market created by these low interest rates does not stimulate the economy.

In these situations, borrowers prefer to keep assets in short-term cash bank accounts rather than making long-term investments.

This makes a recession even more severe, and can contribute to deflation.

Anonymous said...

"This makes a recession even more severe, and can contribute to deflation."

Believe it or not, there still a lot of people who have jobs, and still have money to spend (I'm not necessarily talking about CO).

Once everyone expects prices to continue to fall, then they don't buy anything.

Personally, I'm putting off buying a better car than my clunker until I see what's going to happen down the road.

Meanwhile, since no one is buying anything, businesses are failing left and right.

Unemployment is skyrocketing.

Bewert said...

Creating Jobs Is Not "Wasteful" Hotlist
by Senator Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 02:52:08 PM PST

This week the Senate is debating whether to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a bill we absolutely need to help arrest our economic freefall. Economic policies championed by the Bush Administration largely focused on tax cuts for the big corporations and the wealthiest among us. Not only did these policies fail, they helped create the crisis we now find ourselves in. Yet many in Congress believe we should go down that road yet again in hopes that this time it will be different. Even worse, they are obstructing a recovery package focused on creating jobs, investing in our future economic competitiveness, and providing middle-class tax relief. Indeed, provisions aimed at working Americans are now characterized as "wasteful spending."

It is as if the Bush team set a house on fire and then blocked the fire trucks trying to put that fire out.

On Monday, Republican leaders in the House put out a list of items in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act they deemed to be "wasteful spending." Many of the projects they demonize create jobs, invest in our children and protect our citizens.

One project they’re attacking hit close to home. They’re calling funding to restore forest health and prevent wildfires in National Forests wasteful. Coming from Southern Oregon, I can tell you firsthand they are dead wrong.

I grew up in Southern Oregon. My father was a sawmill worker and a logger and his job put food on the table. Right now Douglas County, where I was born, has an unemployment rate of 12.8 percent. That’s the highest it’s been in decades and well above the current national average. Douglas County is home to many of Oregon’s timber workers and they need the stability of a good paying job. The money that would be allocated to counties like Douglas to restore forest health and prevent forest fires would put these folks back to work.

Let me explain. Due to federal mismanagement, there are millions of acres of choked and overgrown second-growth forests. These forests are a complete menace. They are diseased and are very little use for strong ecosystems. Moreover, they are a huge fire hazard. Thinning these neglected forests is essential for restoring forest health and generating thousands of rural jobs.

Let me emphasize this: this provision will create thousands of rural jobs. This is a win-win for our rural economies and our ecosystems.

Preventing wildfires is something that desperately needs to be done in any economic condition and now has the added benefit of providing jobs in areas that need them most. How Republicans can call job creation for hardworking millworkers like my dad "wasteful spending" is a mystery to me. To the contrary, like school or bridge repairs or broadband internet access, thinning overgrown forests is the best kind of economic recovery investment: it creates jobs in the short-term while addressing a critical and long-neglected priority. The funding would improve the health of dangerously overgrown second-growth forests, helping protect our forests from disease and preventing wildfires that are devastating to rural communities and enormous sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Funding the protection of our forests isn’t the only thing critics are calling wasteful spending. They are attacking funding for Amtrak, which is underfunded, has recently increased ridership, and is a major economic engine of the East Coast in particular. They are attacking funding for public computer centers at community colleges, programs which create jobs now and provide workers with the skills they need to compete in a technology-driven economy. They are even attacking funding for flood reduction projects off of the Mississippi River – just three and a half years after Hurricane Katrina and inadequate levees led to devastation in New Orleans.

Whether motivated by a knee-jerk opposition to anything the government does or a desire to play politics and try to give the new Obama Administration a black eye, the opponents of this bill are opposing job creation and repeating the mistakes that led to the Great Depression. Economists across the political spectrum recognize that government spending is vital to create economic activity in a recession, and many even say the price tag is too low. Whether it’s logging to reduce wildfire hazards, teaching children, laying new light rail tracks, or preventing floods along the Mississippi, people will be paid to do these jobs – that’s not wasteful spending, that’s the whole point.

For eight years, we weren’t investing in our economy. We were running up record debt but we weren’t creating jobs or bringing families into the middle class. Some in Congress see the past eight years and think we were on the right track, all current evidence to the contrary. I vehemently disagree.

I believe the key to putting our economy back on track is to put Americans back to work by investing in infrastructure and green energy jobs and building a pathway for our children and economy to compete and innovate through education. We can address the short-term crisis and re-build our economic foundation for the future. America voted for a change of direction last November, not more of the same. Republicans should listen to the American people and work in a bi-partisan fashion to help get our country on the road to recovery.

Anonymous said...

Senator Jeff Merkley said...Blah,blah,blah,blah...(D-OR)

Hey Senator, you want some cheese and crackers to go with that whine? What a bunch of shit.

Anonymous said...

Hey Senator, you want some cheese and crackers to go with that whine?

How clever. How original. Could you by any chance be ...

... a Republican?

Anonymous said...

hbm said...
Hey Senator, you want some cheese and crackers to go with that whine?

How clever. How original. Could you by any chance be ...

... a Republican?


Wrong again my portly pal.

Anonymous said...

Dude, people BOUGHT houses, so they could REFI, and buy more shit. Sometimes that shit was another house, but more often than not it was a Hummer, or fake titties.

I know you're obsessed with titties, Homer, but that's not what most home-buyers were doing. Don't make the mistake of thinking the Merenda crowd is everybody.

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

Don't make the mistake of thinking the Merenda crowd is everybody.

I don't... Merenda would still be open if they were.

Bewert said...

Re:
I don't... Merenda would still be open if they were.

###

Didn't you see the news on 21? It's coming back!

Bewert said...

Re: Wrong again my portly pal.

###

I'm sure you are happy about a trillion or so going into Iraq. Right?

Plus another few trillion going to the bankers that ignored risk management. Right?

Oh, yeah, I forgot. You are a fucking idiot with a 401K that bit shit.

Anonymous said...

"Today the USA is in a permanent bubble cycle, and an endless printing of money is required."

[ To understand that statement, turn off your FUCKING TV, and read a fucking book. "Decline of the West" Oswald Sprengler, understand how ALL western civilizations for the past 2,000 yrs have come to an end. ]

To be clear, the concern right now is DEFLATION, not inflation.

[ Nobody is TALKING about deflation or inflation, in CASE you haven'n't noticed the US GOVERNMENT created $9Trillion dollars in the last six months. ]

We are effectively in a Liquidity Trap -- what Japan suffered through during the 1990s.

[ We don't know what we're in, but what we DO KNOW, is that the FUCKING JAP's didn't all BUY 4 homes for nuttin down, that we know. ]

Anonymous said...

I'm sure you are happy about a trillion or so going into Iraq. Right?

Plus another few trillion going to the bankers that ignored risk management. Right?

Oh, yeah, I forgot. You are a fucking idiot with a 401K that bit shit.


Weak, Cheese Boy, weak.

Anonymous said...

Spring is here, I'm outta here, a few good weathers days to get up to Canada, time to go fishing, the web access is piss poor, clear-choice, AT&T EDGE, ... most days only a little bit around 6am, and some at night. The weather is just fine up here, a bad day fishing is better than a 'good day' in Bend.

Spring is here, and I'm outta here.

You fucker's rot in your fucking Bend.

Anonymous said...

Man I am hearing this all over town people can't wait to get the hell out of here. Just 2years ago bend was the mecca everyone wanted to be here.what a turn around As soon as school is out watch they will be leaving in truckloads.

LavaBear said...

>>>Spring is here, and I'm outta here. You fucker's rot in your fucking Bend.


What is fuckin funny is you have NO IDEA how many times a person growing up around here has heard that over the years. Once this town has sucked every last penny from their pocket they leave come spring. Some angry such as yourself. Some just leave. But don't you worry dude, we've heard it.

Bewert said...

Re: Weak, Cheese Boy, weak.

###

No, weak is such a BS comment with nothing else, no calling me out with any "facts".

Kind of like a guy who needs his Viagra. Droopy?

IHateToBurstYourBubble said...

As soon as school is out watch they will be leaving in truckloads.

I be thinking about that.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Man I am hearing this all over town people can't wait to get the hell out of here. Just 2years ago bend was the mecca everyone wanted to be here.what a turn around As soon as school is out watch they will be leaving in truckloads.


As a 50 year native of Bend, I say don't let the door hit you in the ass! Have fun back in Cali or Cul-de-sac or wherever the fuck you're from.

Anonymous said...

Playing Politics on the Edge of the Abyss:

A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to economic recovery. Over the last two weeks, what should have been a deadly serious debate about how to save an economy in desperate straits turned, instead, into hackneyed political theater, with Republicans spouting all the old clichés about wasteful government spending and the wonders of tax cuts.

It’s as if the dismal economic failure of the last eight years never happened — yet Democrats have, incredibly, been on the defensive. Even if a major stimulus bill does pass the Senate, there’s a real risk that important parts of the original plan, especially aid to state and local governments, will have been emasculated.

Somehow, Washington has lost any sense of what’s at stake — of the reality that we may well be falling into an economic abyss, and that if we do, it will be very hard to get out again.

It’s hard to exaggerate how much economic trouble we’re in. The crisis began with housing, but the implosion of the Bush-era housing bubble has set economic dominoes falling not just in the United States, but around the world.

Consumers, their wealth decimated and their optimism shattered by collapsing home prices and a sliding stock market, have cut back their spending and sharply increased their saving — a good thing in the long run, but a huge blow to the economy right now. Developers of commercial real estate, watching rents fall and financing costs soar, are slashing their investment plans. Businesses are canceling plans to expand capacity, since they aren’t selling enough to use the capacity they have. And exports, which were one of the U.S. economy’s few areas of strength over the past couple of years, are now plunging as the financial crisis hits our trading partners.

Meanwhile, our main line of defense against recessions — the Federal Reserve’s usual ability to support the economy by cutting interest rates — has already been overrun. The Fed has cut the rates it controls basically to zero, yet the economy is still in free fall.

It’s no wonder, then, that most economic forecasts warn that in the absence of government action we’re headed for a deep, prolonged slump. Some private analysts predict double-digit unemployment. The Congressional Budget Office is slightly more sanguine, but its director, nonetheless, recently warned that “absent a change in fiscal policy ... the shortfall in the nation’s output relative to potential levels will be the largest — in duration and depth — since the Depression of the 1930s.”

Worst of all is the possibility that the economy will, as it did in the ’30s, end up stuck in a prolonged deflationary trap.

We’re already closer to outright deflation than at any point since the Great Depression. In particular, the private sector is experiencing widespread wage cuts for the first time since the 1930s, and there will be much more of that if the economy continues to weaken.

As the great American economist Irving Fisher pointed out almost 80 years ago, deflation, once started, tends to feed on itself. As dollar incomes fall in the face of a depressed economy, the burden of debt becomes harder to bear, while the expectation of further price declines discourages investment spending. These effects of deflation depress the economy further, which leads to more deflation, and so on.

And deflationary traps can go on for a long time. Japan experienced a “lost decade” of deflation and stagnation in the 1990s — and the only thing that let Japan escape from its trap was a global boom that boosted the nation’s exports. Who will rescue America from a similar trap now that the whole world is slumping at the same time?

Would the Obama economic plan, if enacted, ensure that America won’t have its own lost decade? Not necessarily: a number of economists, myself included, think the plan falls short and should be substantially bigger. But the Obama plan would certainly improve our odds. And that’s why the efforts of Republicans to make the plan smaller and less effective — to turn it into little more than another round of Bush-style tax cuts — are so destructive.

So what should Mr. Obama do? Count me among those who think that the president made a big mistake in his initial approach, that his attempts to transcend partisanship ended up empowering politicians who take their marching orders from Rush Limbaugh. What matters now, however, is what he does next.

It’s time for Mr. Obama to go on the offensive. Above all, he must not shy away from pointing out that those who stand in the way of his plan, in the name of a discredited economic philosophy, are putting the nation’s future at risk. The American economy is on the edge of catastrophe, and much of the Republican Party is trying to push it over that edge. -- Paul Kurgman today

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