JK, LOL, WTFBBQ, ;-)

Would you have copped to the "parody" if you weren't caught making stuff up?

Know we know this a parody, I would still like you to still answer:

Kari your quote

"We did. They voted in favor of measures 66 and 67."

Your right of course.

So your big basis of claim, was that for 66-67 that you wanted to raise more money to help the schools. Voters got that!

Now the state budget went up from 50 to 55 billion, or around 5 billion. Then add in, the schools got cut over 200 million in the same budget.

With the state budget going up( big time in a recession) and the schools go down.

So please explain where I'm wrong, with my simple math, I can't see where one single dime from 66-67 went to the schools.

I just want to understand, so my real question for you, is the claim that 66-67 money was for schools, was this another parody for this time for the voters?

eijfeijej -- The increase in the all funds budget that you refer to was mostly Federal money for health care, unemployment benefits and food stamps. It is designated money that cannot be used for anything else. The demand for those services surged -- as it always does during a recession. The State General Fund budget, which goes to education, public safety and the state's share of health care, actually went down from the previous biennium, even wit 66 and 67. If 66 and 67 had failed, the general fund budget would have been even smaller, and schools would have gotten even less money. We would also have gotten less federal health care money; the Feds demand matching funds for health care (Medicaid) spending. Hope that helps.

Parody and satire are extremely difficult to do well.

I've never posted a comment here before. I'm not a political junkie, like most of you probably are - I just like to keep up on local politics a little bit by checking in on BO from time to time. I may be a bit gullible - I had no idea this was a parody. To be honest, Mr. Novick, I feel a little insulted. I voted for you, you're smart, you've got good ideas, but I think you showed poor judgment in this case.

Steve please you can give up the parody, please be honest.

Federal Funds that went to Oregon went from, $9.6 billion to 11.4 billion. That's 1.8 billion. Counted outside the general fund

Your quote "The State General Fund budget, which goes to education, public safety and the state's share of health care, actually went down from the previous biennium"

The state records shows your this sentance again to be just wrong! or should I say another parody. The general fund went up by 200 million dollars. I wish you would stop it, it's hard to for voters to know what's a parody and what's the truth.

Also, you missed the services that were moved out of the general fund into other funds, which the other funds grew by almost 2 billion. You could of moved some school service out also.

So let me understand you thoughts, The budget grew by 9.38% or about 5 billion dollars, and the schools got cut, and your still trying to say 67-77 was for the schools, (EVEN IF YOU VALUE SCHOOLS)like all the campaign 66-67 literature said, and you couldn't find money in the budget?

No Steve with 5 billion more, you had the money, you value schools last and on propose.

Steve, if you (VALUE and FUNDED THE SCHOOL LAST) which Government did, Putting your quote "Federal money for health care, unemployment benefits and food stamps"and other issues, that voters didn't care about, BEFORE SCHOOLS, again like you did. You used most of the money on your pet projects and bureaucracies, which you did.

Now isn't that a parody saying the schools are important, and then putting 5 billion dollars of budget inline before the schools.

So please explain the real reasoning why you funded school last?

PS, I don't think were laughing!

Steve, if that was a parody, it was a parody worthy of J. Swift's Modest Proposal we read in Eng. Lit.

On a political blog, it might be wise to label something like that as parody in the comments, just to make sure no one takes it seriously.

"And some of the comments on Steve's posts are a perfect example of why BlueOregon is going to be changing to get rid of anonymous posts. "

Agree that is a problem, will be interested in seeing what the solution is.

I prefer something like the Oregonian uses--sign in with user name and password.

There already seems to be code in the page to pull Facebook profiles, it would be straight-forward to add a "connect with FB" button that logged you in with that ID for the post.

I welcome the change.

Really! Damn! Now I have to take all my cash out from underneath my mattress and reinvest it.

I'd like to start a grass roots campaign for Steve to assume the SCOTUS seat of retiring Justice Stevens. I'm tired of "compromising" with the right, in the imortal words of Randy Newman: Let's drop the big one and pulverize them.

Steve wrote: "FYI, Ben Jacklet, managing editor of Oregon Business magazine (!), wrote on March 31: 'I still am lacking the name of a single job-creating investor or executive who is in fact leaving Oregon because of Measures 66 and 67.'"

FYI: job-creating investors and executives are not checking in with Ben Jacklet or Steve Novick as to their plans. In 18-24 months, we'll have a better idea as to the consequences of the measures. Until then, the only people who know the plans of job-creating investors and executives are the job-creating investors and executives.

Bob Wiggins

Steve,

I tried to look up this "parody" word you're referring, but dictionary.com has apparently left Oregon because of 66&67.

Making matters worse, I can't find the New York Times article you're referring to about Richard B. Rich. I ACTUALLY think you made that up! His poor family!

I guess these silly parody stunts are an alternative to addressing some of the severe problems Oregon faces?

TriMet is circling the drain and nothing from BO?

For example I honestly wonder why there are no opponents of the Milwaukie Light rail project.

This 7 mile- $200 million/mile boondoggle will be worse than WES by far. It will devour many 10s of millions from basic services through Urban Renewal schemes in Portland and Milwaukie. $250 million from the lottery will be used while Speaker Dave Hunt targets the 15% of lottery funds for parks and fish. TriMet itself is about to prioritize for 25 another $140 million in flex funds to Milwaukie Light rail even as they collapse. All while the economy constrains basic services funding as well as the ability to replace revenue taken by Urban Renewal/TIF scams.
For every reason imaginable this project must be stopped. And where are BO regulars? For those who don't yet understand Urban Renewal, it freezes, for decades, the funding for basic services while the cost of those services rises every years. The red ink created by UR diverting the revenue stream must then be replaced, covertly, with increased taxes and fees. All while proponents mislead the public with claims that UR pays for itself. With the public at large not understanding UR or realizing they are being forced to replace every dime taken it's the perfect funding scam for politicians. Yet again BO silent.

I call on Chuck Sheketoff to lead, join their opposition at CPI and use that alliance to stop the madness.

There's plenty of other areas to do battle. On this there should be uniform demands for fiscal responsibility.

$250 million from the lottery will be used while Speaker Dave Hunt targets the 15% of lottery funds for parks and fish.

News Flash! The voters approved that a decade ago. All this measure does is re-authorize those resources, which come with a hefty dose of federal matching funds!

I guess we could always shut down our state parks...

Oregon Live is very difficult for me to leave a comment on. I try not to take it personally but I would be curious if anyone else experiences this, too?

I get tired of people simply baiting. If it can work out that correspondents could debate without all the overlay, that would be good. There are many different aspects to some of these subjects and I definitely enjoy hearing different people's views. I don't like the smart talk which reminds me of listening to someone who has had too much to drink. The problem is as common on sites where the people want a third party, I know.

As it relates to the subject of the article: we need to keep looking at the economy with new eyes. Everyone understands that there is a competition for resources. I would like to suggest that those with power and means try to use that to produce according to their capacity. Do not fight over the monies going for the safety net. Legitimate spending cut opportunities are slim. The more beneficial way to approach this is for businesses to use their ingenuity to increase income, pay their share of revenue and wean off public funds. In the end, businesses will be better off---let's face it, they above all should have a positive attitude because they can maneuver things to produce a profit and those with more limited access to maneuvering---the very young, the poor, the disabled, the elderly---can live out their lives with dignity. Not affluence, but reasonable dignity. Enough all ready with the "job killing tax" arguments. Be lively, businesses, and enjoy your possibilities. Stop whining over some poor devil getting the 32 cents you thought would make things easier for you.

"On a political blog, it might be wise to label something like that as parody in the comments, just to make sure no one takes it seriously."

But that would take all the fun out of it!

It was totally obvious that Steve's piece was satire. For one thing, if 632 businesses all announced on one day that they were fleeing Washington for Oregon it would have been big news -- national news, not just regional news.

Theresa, I have had probs with it too, but only using the Typepad login. The older posts say that is wwhy BO is changing, so I would assume that it won't be the mechanism they use.

I know at least 10 people that maintain blogs with heavy daily viewings, some commerical, and the problem exists on every blog. Using an admin tool, it takes about 5 mintues a day to just axe all the obvious comment spam. My boyfriend has a simple process. If someone comes trolling, he emails them and says, "are you serious?" If there's no response or it is bogus, axe it. Another click and you can ban the IP address. Those trolling for a reaction are cowards and barely literate for the most part. They will seldom engage in any exhcnage. They almost never leave good contact info. No one objects to "[Edited-poster provided false contact info". It's also not uncommon, if you just deal with it, that they say, "you're right, my bad".

Re-reading older posts on the subject, it seems that BO is trying to be the one blog that will use a super-duper AI algorithm to automagically deal with the virtual graffitti. Why don't teabaggers go tagging? Cowards. Shine even the smallest amount of light into their world and they will scurry back under the furniture. The approach here is like building a 4' wall the length of the Esplanade, but never finishing it because you can't come up with a graffitti-proof finish. You deal with the vandals, you clean up the mess, or you have a wall covered with graffitti. It's not rocket science.

Alisa in Tillamook

Chris Edmonds,

News flash back at ya. The $250 million from the lottery I was talking about is being misappropriated to the Milwaukie Light Rail boondoggle. I was contrasting that asinine and reckless waste of revenue to Dave Hunt suggesting we should re-direct a different wad of lottery dollars (the voter approved 15%)from parks and fish to help fill the coming massive budget hole.

He is ignoring the other $250 million for Light rail.

And if anyone thinks the federal funds for light rail somehow makes it worth wasting our own billion that we can't afford then you're hopelessly naive and enabling of severe misappropriation at a tiime whn it is beyond official malfeasance.

So let me understand what Steve saying:

613 jobs were a parody?

Your quote "The State General Fund budget, which goes to education, public safety and the state's share of health care, actually went down from the previous biennium"

The state records shows your this sentence again to be just wrong! The state general fund went up by 200 million dollars.

I this called a parody or something.

We increase the state budget by 5 billion dollars and at the same time (government could not find money for schools) and cut funding for school!!!!

Steve confirmed this, so is this a parody?

Government claimed the need to raise money for school is so important, and voters agreed, that we bring on new taxes.

If school are so important, as all the 66-67 literature claims, then why was it funded behind (still today nothing has changed) all the other 5 +/- billion dollars of special interest and bureaucracies?

Your claim that government couldn't find money for schools with the added 5 billion dollars, just doesn't make sense.

Should it be, you had more than enough money, but Government didn't put a priority to find the money for the schools?

This is now the third time a asking the question below:

I just want to understand, so my real question for you, is the claim that 66-67 money was for schools, was this another parody, but this time just for the voters?

PS Actually in the news Oregon was the second largest state in new jobless claims last week. Last week Portland was ranked 6th in small business bankruptcies and the State of Oregon 12th.

These same people that raised taxes are claiming higher taxes didn't do harm. (I beleive every one agrees small business are Oregon's engine that grows jobs)

Steve, I would like to also thank you for your making a stab at my question, for at least trying. Thank you

granny grips, gobuckyourself, eijfiejej, Dmitri and Richard, do you post anywhere else? I get a rush of blood to the head sometimes and I would like to have someplace to spew my contempt for idiots, their God and lifestyle. Is this the only place you post? Editor, are you getting this, yet? Either turn-about is in the works, or you are providing their major outlet for posting their treason and hatred of the environment and anything that resembles the life of the mind.

I have a $10 bet with a friend. Not one of your trolls can or will post a link to ANYTHING else they have ever posted. They're genuinely concerned about the country's future? Do they think it can only be saved on Blueoregon, or do they really try, and have other "work" to point to? Show it or shove it. YOUR writing. Particularly Richard. He must think that the fate of humanity hangs on convincing liberals to become ditto heads. Do you have nothing better to do? Could you show me where I missed either you or a respondent changing your position one iota?

It's purposeful bandwidth wasting and is merely kicking sand in the face of anybody trying to get something done. If you visit a friend that has a kid that yells obscenities and interrupts strangers just to get attention, you don't conclude that the kid is evil or dangerous or worth listening to. You conclude your friend is a sh*t parent.

Richard--

The state can't touch those funds so long as they're voter-appropriated. I can't find an article referencing your claims, so I don't have any comment on their substance. Writing more clearly could prevent your words from being taken out of context.

But I'm glad you'll be supporting the water, parks, and wildlife campaign. Make a contribution here:

Water, Parks, Wildlife Campaign

Eifeijej - I got my figures from the State Legislative Fiscal Office:

"The State of Oregon legislatively adopted budget (LAB) for the 2009-11 biennium is $55.9 billion total funds. The adopted budget includes $14.2 billion in combined General Fund and Lottery Funds, $27.7 billion Other Funds, and $14.0 billion Federal Funds. The 2009-11 total budget represents a 9.3% increase over the 2007-09 biennium’s legislatively approved total budget of $51.2 billion. Of the $4.7 billion budgetary increase between the two biennia, slightly more than $3.5 billion came from Federal Funds."

"The state can't touch those funds [15% for parks and fish] so long as they're voter-appropriated"

Yeah I get that. Someone should tell Dave Hunt that.

The $250 million in lotery dollars staged for Milwaukie Light Rail were not voter approaved. The legislature delivered them and can take them away. Dave Hunt should be leading that effort now so that the coming hole to fill will have an identified $250 million start. AND it's not just the $250 as million. That's what's borrowed against lottery funds and there will be another $75 Million in interest to pay.

First the general fund with, or with out, the lottery went up; You claimed it went down.

The Other Fund is TWICE the size of the general fund. (2x) and that grew by 2.6 billion at 27.7 billion. This fund in the last 3 biannual budgets went up roughly 30%.

So while we claim we don't have money to pay the schools, while the majority the private sector has been in a very hard recession.

During the majority of that time period, during the last 3 budget cycles, hardly ever discusses, the Other Fund has grow at a massive 30%, and is now twice of the size of the general fund.

We fight about the smaller 13 billion to save schools, while we look the other way as 27 billion goes crazy.

Steve this is where the bureaucratic nightmare is, you know that. Your growing it in stealth mode while showing how the general fund is short.

So yes schools are being squeezed, while other funds and departments are exploding, and that not including the off balance sheet creative finance government created for BETC.

Thanks again for trying. You better quit now, or I beleive you will only loose more of your voters.

Simply the world is changing and spending, and it's massive government, nightmare growth of associated regulative bureaucracies has just gone crazy, and simply instead of fixing it, I beleive your enable it.

So apparently Alisa in Tillamock would impose a purity test for posting here on BO. Hmm, I thought theat the entire point behind a virtual water cooler was a difference of opinion. While that may be difficult for progressives of Alisa's temperment, she needs to get used to it and get over herself.

Purity? No one gives a sht about purity! Discussion is what is supposed to happen around the watercooler, not a fistfight, name calling, spitting or taking the water, dying it red and guffawing at those using it, "look at 'em drinkin' the kool-aid". Generally those persons all work together*. Can't remember getting a finger in the chest from a vagrant that passed through to take a leak, demanding that I answer questions on a subject that we weren't discussing, while his buddies are tagging the office!

I would never have considered your posts the same. Why are you defending people that are doing jsut the opposite of what you suggest? Put another way, if they're legit, why will they all disappear when BO goes to new IDs?

Looking back this was discussed twice on Carla's posts. Why did you take her side there, and attack me when I say the exact same thing?

Trolls, I'm still waiting for the links.

Alisa in Tillamook

Lisa, I guess I take the attitude of not poking the badger; not feeding the trolls. I regularly have views that are counter to progressive dogma on BO, but attempt to enter into a polite discussion. If the discussion remains at that level, I remain. If it devolves, I don't participate.

It just seems your visceral response to some of those who are potentially intentionally provoking is counter productive. That was the point I was trying to make.

"It is designated money that cannot be used for anything else."

Funny, they used to tell us that about water bills. I don;t believe it.

I agree, Kurt.

Perhaps I should have said:

˙ʇı ǝʞıן ʞooן ʇ,usǝop ǝɹns ʇı ¿sɔıʇıןod sʇooɹ ssɐɹƃ puɐ ʇıɥsןןnq ǝןɐɯ uǝǝʍʇǝq ǝɔuǝɹǝɟɟıp ǝɥʇ ʍouʞ noʎ op ˙ʇuǝƃןnpuı ǝq uɐɔ ı ˙ʞo ˙pɐǝɥ sʇı uo ƃuıɥʇʎɹǝʌǝ spuɐʇs ɔıƃoן ɹnoʎ ˙noʎ oʇ ɥƃnoɹɥʇ ʇǝƃ oʇ ʍoɥ ʞuıɥʇ ʇ,uɐɔ ʎןןɐǝɹ ı

Alisa in Tillamook

Inventive for sure. Good to have this in a debate. But fsil to see the inter relatedness.

I hope the Oregonian article on the wall-street life style of the Oregon fund-overseers was a parody too, cause if it wasn't heads are going to be rolling (I hope). I was outraged at that sick story in a way I haven't been since Iraq. I hope the state politicians are paying attention, this is the shocker of the decade in my opinion.

Richard

Stve's qoutes "The 2009-11 total budget represents a 9.3% increase over the 2007-09 biennium’s legislatively approved total budget of $51.2 billion."

"The State General Fund budget, which goes to education, public safety and the state's share of health care, actually went down from the previous biennium"

Yes, how un-ethical, Oregon politicians raised the TOTAL budget an addition 9%, while cutting schools, and those same politicians then told us that they need to raises taxes with 66-67 to support the schools.

The NEXT DAY after 66-67 was approved by a vote, our governor asked to taxes us, even more, taking away the kicker, to help of course...the schools.

It gives you an awful feeling inside when learn that your government is un-ethical.

New york times quotes "Obama stimulus money totalling $100 billion was directed to states for education... The new studies align with results of a broader, 50-state survey on the stimulus program carried out by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The conference’s survey, based solely on an examination of the states’ stimulus applications, found that 20 states said when applying that they intended to spend 100 percent of their stabilization funds in the 2008-9 and 2009-10 school years.

The 20 states were Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin."

Oregon may have up to 2 billions from the Fed for SCHOOLS.

When government hides the facts or worst purposely misrepresent the facts. We have a un-ethical problem.

I'm an intelligent and politically astute liberal democrat who took Steve's post at face value, initially. Then slowly it started to dawn on me that it didn't really make sense and that it was some kind of joke. To avoid feeling like a total idiot, I decided to become angry at Steve and BlueOregon. But really I guess I'm just an idiot. I probably won't be getting any "facts" from BlueOregon again. What was that old GW quote? "Fool me, uhhhh, won't get fooled again."

Steve Maurer thanks for your comment.

The comparison from Nazi and Hitler to Obama has nothing to do with race.

Please up on Google

Narcissistic Personality Disorder + Hitler

then look up

Narcissistic Personality Disorder + Obama

read for your self, many people believe Obama has real signs of being Narcissistic.

"dsdh332edsededfde...many people believe Obama has real signs of being Narcissistic."

"Many people" believe in ghosts, "creationism", that 2012 will bring the end of the world, that our democratically elected government is evil, and other superstitions. I wonder if they are all the same people as those who believe what you noted above, about Obama.

A note of psychology, for the archives, if not idiots like dsdh332edsededfde. NPD is a personality disorder, not a neurosis or a psychosis. Many personality disorders are correlated with professions, and if that made you unqualified...well, we'd need a lot more accountants after discharging 75% of them for OCD.

Hitler was a PTSD case on steroids. He was gassed in WWI. I would really like to see dsdh332edsededfde after being gassed. It's really not possible to describe to people, I've zero doubt, what it is like to be choking to death in a sea of dead comrades while being shelled. I had a great uncle that was gassed in WWI. Everyone said he was a really sweet guy, but he was always "not right" after his experience. 60 years later he would just shake his head and say, "you just can't imagine".

Silly me. I just remembered. To teabaggers drowning and suffocation are just unpleasant!

Add that many Americans believe they have a clue, or that military might will keep us free as we devolve to the level of the lowly spud.

• Alisa in Tillamook

Alice yes your right "NPD is a personality disorder" and I was misquoted it should have read, "Many Professional" look it up yourself, their are many real professionals.

Your asking if I'm qualified, but you claim "Hitler was a PTSD case on steroids" what makes you qualified. Did you review a few of the 43,600 results for obama + narcissistic personality disorder

Read the doctors many of them are making the claim, PS Jimbo made the wrong comparison.

Did you look it up, or did you attack?

<h2>You might want to check out the Facebook group, "People That Lecture While Confusing Your and You're and Their and They're Must Be Teabagger Americans".</h2>