Ummmmm....Spencerian

My usual mode of communication is heavy on the irony and deadpan sarcasm, so I understand if people cannot tell when I am being genuine. With that in mind, let me say that I thought this letter to the editor of the Register Guard kicked ass.

Imagine Will as a worker

There have been several letters to the editor lately chastising George Will for his column in which he seems to get his facts wrong (Register-Guard, Feb. 15).

Come on, give the guy a break.

Will is one of those who infest our political scene under the rather vague heading “pundit.” As such, he is not especially obligated to facts; it is his task to display an attitude, emphasize a position, register charges or reinforce a bias rather than do something so dreary as attempt to discuss facts.

After all, if Will were more concerned with reality than with his familiar and comfortable opinions, he would not be an exalted columnist and would have to find something else to do — maybe get a job?

I have tried to picture George Will toiling away at something useful: driving a school bus, playing a violin, distributing peanuts on a flight to Atlanta, ironing a shirt, etc.

Alas, I cannot.

J. Frank Thibeau

Eugene

Just when I have renewed faith in my fellow man, asshat Peter E. Loewy (welcome Peter, you self-Googling madrehumper!) takes us back the nineteenth-century and gives us a taste of some pure Social Darwinism.

Let the nonviable perish

Bank bailout, toxic mortgage rescue, stimulus package — they all have one thing in common. In a manner that is contrary to the observed laws of nature, they provide continued support for entities that would otherwise fail, succumb, die. Humanity, as bright as it sometimes shines, has not yet evolved to where it can successfully mess with Mother Nature, not even the anointed Barack Obama.

For whatever reason — be it empathy, compassion or an unwillingness to witness suffering — we are unable to let the nonviable expire, whether they be people, banks or car manufacturers. [ed: Holy frak!]

Rather than let the shaky, feeble, poorly designed and mismanaged tumble, crash and burn, at which point we can shove aside the debris to build anew with knowledge of what didn’t work before, intervention seems to be the preferred alternative.

Our interference with nature’s culling creates a growing body of patched, cobbled-together, inefficient and fragile entities. They teeter on the brink of failure and require ever more resources to support their steadily increasing numbers.

There will come a time in the near future when we no longer are able to bear the burden. Then, what was once a catastrophe of manageable proportions will have grown into a nightmarish monster of unbridled destruction. Nature — with her indiscriminate, irresistible force — will correct ruthlessly humanity’s errors.

Once unleashed, we will be powerless to stop it. And all because we refuse to let the nonviable perish.

I hope I’m wrong. Obviously, I think I’m right.

Peter E. Loewy

Eugene

It certainly is obvious that Peter thinks he is right. And Lord knows that if the economy does collapse, Pete will be right there telling us it was because we didn't have the moral will to kill the weak. Well, Pete, if that does happen you better hope to John Galt that someone shows up to take you to the secret mountain-top retreat, because my roving band of survivalists will have your name on our list of people that don't need to be consuming any more of our precious resources. Non-viable people indeed.

Tax the Poor!

The University of Oregon, like every university in the US of A is struggling with their budget. Times are tough. Cuts must be made. Or, if not cuts, revenue must be raised. UO President Dave Frohnmayer is proposing to raise tuition for the Spring term. Delicious. I share with Dave not only a powerhouse name, but a firm belief that when times are tough you should immediately turn to the poorest and most vulnerable amongst you and exploit the hell out of them. They have no other options, right?

Okay, so here are three ideas for raising revenue/cutting costs at the UO that have nothing to do with raising costs for students or cutting pay for teachers (which the UO can't do without really risking its AAU credentials, which I understand are dicey at best).

1. The athletic department is self-funded. They got lots of dough. Cabbage. Green. What it takes to get along. In fact, I believe they have a $200 million "Legacy Fund" that I am sure is being prudently invested and is generating more do-re-mi. Now, I know that the UO and the athletic department are separate entities and that anyone from the academic side of the school who mentions the athletic department at all is just a whiner who should put down the microscope long enough to figure out a way to earn the UO some bread, but bear with me.

When times were not so good for athletics at the UO (see 1969-1995), the athletic department was subsidized by the academic side of things. It was kept alive because being affiliated with the Pac 10 was better than not being affiliated and probably just through inertia. Believe me, not many people were paying attention to Duck football in the 1980s (certainly not Phil "I've attended every home football game since the Ducks went to the Rose Bowl" Knight). So turn-about being fair play, I don't think it is silly to suggest that the athletic department subsidize the academic side of things during tough times. If only because the NCAA is so particular about their semi-pro sports franchises being affiliated with an institution of higher learning.

Which, of course, brings us back to that Legacy Fund. I know we can't touch it. From what I've read, the UO keeps a stable of lawyers on hand whose sole job it is to draw up binding agreements to make sure that the academic side of the fence can't get its grubby mitts on a single dime of athletics money. Fortunately, we don't need actual Legacy Fund dollars. We just need to charge the athletics department a fee for the use of the name "University of Oregon." I suggest that fee be equivalent to 2% of whatever happens to be in the Legacy Fund. This will not bankrupt or harm the Legacy Fund one bit and bring an immediate $4 million to the academic side of the university.

2. I am going to acknowledge right up front that I don't know a lot about Emeritus faculty at the UO. It is quite possible that they (very silently) keep this university running. I do know that the UO pays Emeritus faculty $1.7 million a year to work 21.0 FTE. According to my calculations, that's $81,000 a year per. That's some hefty money. I have no idea if unilaterally cutting Emeritus off is a good idea or even feasible. I'm just saying that there's some savings to be had.

3. This may be crazy, but what if the administration and athletics coaches (there I go again) take a pay cut? Or maybe the top 10% of earners at the UO? What if the president of the University forwent his salary for the year? There's $400K or so right there.

Okay, so I know I am just talking crazy. None of these ideas are even mildly feasible as people who have power at the UO would be affected. Instead, let's raise tuition for the kids. Not only do they not have a voice at the UO, but I am sure they will be reminded that it's just more loans, so they shouldn't really care.

....

While I am here, let me acknowledge that Frohnmayer is not really the bad guy in this situation. The bad guys are in Salem. They continually cut funding for higher ed, which forces colleges and universities to raise tuition, the tuition paying parents predictably howl, and the legislature goes all "populist" and prevents colleges and universities from raising tuition. I am sure there is a goodly amount of waste on your average college campus, but the institution really does need money to pay people to educate students. It really does need to administer the programs. It really does need secretaries, janitors, and tech guys. No one is getting rich here (well, a couple of people are, but that may be beside the point). The UO needs to pay its bills. While I would not turn to the students for more money as my first, second, or third option, I understand the (continual) frustration about money at the UO.

Told You

I knew that the National Democratic Party adopting "The way to strengthen the country is to increase dependence on government" as our slogan would come back to bite us. Fudge.

Ummmm....Wingnuttery

How far right-wing do you have to be to see the Pentagon as a den of left-leaning America haters? Apparently, this far right:

But you know, for someone [Bush] who “did everything wrong,” his policies suddenly seem wise and right to some surprising people.

That's right, even the Pentagon now agrees that the prison they run in 100% safe for humans and small animals. The only question left to ask is why the far left terr-symps in the media aren't blaring this story all day long. I think we all know.

My Childhood Tragically Coincided with the Childhood of the Carter Years

From my favoritest blog in the world, Big Hollywood:

One of the most unfortunate events that deterred a healthy development of a motion picture industry is that its childhood tragically coincided with the childhood of Communism. The Soviet era of Communism was the first totalitarian regime that recognized the power of a moving image and used it fully to align masses with its party line. Not unlike the liberal-Democrat film and media machine that so disgracefully uses it today and by far exceeds the standards of tasteless social realism initiated by their Soviet forefathers.

And then, there's the list of films up for Best Picture this year:

Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Reader
Frost/Nixon
Milk

The last three certainly qualify as Communist propaganda of the worst sort.

Why, oh why, can't Hollywood make a nice film about a family that goes to church, prays together, respects the government (except the IRS, public employees of all stripes, FEMA, the DHS, child protective services, HUD, Department of Transportation, the State Department, the CIA (when Democrats are in the White House or its positions are at odds with the right-wing) and the Department of Education), and goes to the Hometown Buffet on Sunday nights for dinner? Where's that film?

Out of Step (With the World)

That's My Congressperson!

DeFazio gets love from The Nation:

The most meaningful vote on the final version of the stimulus measure -- which was approved Friday by both the House and Senate was cast by Oregon Congressman Pete DeFazio.
...

There are few rewards in Congress for being serious about the consequences of legislation -- and fewer still for being right.

But Pete DeFazio is not looking for rewards. Unlike most of the rest of official Washington -- which has yet to get serious about the current crisis -- the congressman from Oregon knows what needs to be done to renew the American economy, and he is serious about doing it.

That's why his vote was the most meaningful one cast last week. And that's why we should all be paying attention to what DeFazio says in the weeks and months to come.

In a Washington where the political class is still largely clueless, Pete DeFazio gets it.

Ooh La La, Royal Crown Cola

Did anyone else have homemade soda pop when they were a kid? We bought the syrup in pumps and you had to mix it with soda water (I think. It might have been tap water and some carbon dioxide injection). It was not what you would call good. I can't remember if we bought this because we were poor, or because high-fructose corn syrup was just being introduced and Coke Shasta was still relatively expensive.

Anyone else share this childhood memory?

Not running.

Whoa

When BSG decides to bring the answers, it brings the geedee answers. Although last night's episode was largely exposition, I was still riveted. As I said to Ging about halfway through, would you have ever thought you'd be rooting for Ellen Tigh?

Birthmark Joke (Not Good)

When God said 'brains,' I thought he said 'stains' and said, "I'll have the port wine."

A Letter in Support of Tom Zarek

For those BSG fans in the crowd.

Cruizin' for a Bruizin'

As I am sure you know, I get a lot of mileage out of the "worst organizer ever" bit I do. No one ever really accuses me of being the worst ever and those that come close are mostly playing off of me, but still I know that a lot of people view the "Oregon Model" with deep suspicion and believe that one day we are going to really get our asses handed to us. As always, I will acknowledge that this is certainly a possibility. Hell, any union organizer that doesn't acknowledge that it's possible to be defeated has not been paying attention.

On the other hand, we just keep racking up victories over here. I am told that my 80% membership number is because we make members come to the office to sign up for health care, so it doesn't count. I am told that we're all a bunch of hippies on the left coast, so the UO administration doesn't do us wrong like they do out there in the brutal Midwest. The softness explains how we settle grievances over a phone call and succeed at bargaining without striking (or rallying for that matter). Still, it could all be a fluke and we could get some real SOBs in the admin and the soft underbelly of the GTFF will be gutted.

Two things, though. We have a health care company out here that handles our insurance (der). The employees who work for the city of Eugene are thinking about switching over to our company and they called us to ask about our transgender benefit. They wanted the same coverage we have, but the health insurance company wanted to charge them $250,000 a year for it. The employees wanted to know how much our claims were. I got to explain to them that, while I didn't know about our experience, I did know that we got the health insurance company to give us the transgender benefit for free. Also in the insurance field, this past term the company was effing up some claims and not processing things very quickly or well. We complained. We just had a meeting with them where they apologized, agreed to come to our General Membership Meeting and apologize, and then offered to make a donation to a charity we are working with this term.

Again, it's possible I do everything wrong and the union is in for a hurting one of these days, but so far things seem to be going pretty damn good.

No Use for a Name

I seem to be in one of my mid-period funks. Got nothing to say/got nothing to do/all of my neurons are functioning smoothly/still I'm a cyborg just like you. Did you know I got married while wearing a Bad Religion t-shirt? Put that in your I did not know that book. The fact that this fact makes me think that maybe I am unique and therefore worthy is emblematic of the funk that I am in, you see.

It is snowing. There's that. Two months ago I would have peed my pants at this news. Today? Nothing. A funk. Dogs and daughters, these things help. They get excited about the snow. Me? Nothing.

Every now and again it occurs to me to quit everything I enjoy. I try to be all Buddhist about it and run my whole line of joy leads to desire, desire leads to wanting, wanting to disappointment, disappointment to pain. Therefore, the cessation of joy equals no pain. Anyone who has heard me wax on and wax off about this knows the drill. This is what passes for enlightenment in my head. Calgon, take me away. Really, of course, I'm Catholic, so therefore I can't shake the notion that anything I enjoy is a sin.

Thank God, there's this.

Funks come, funks go. I'm just no good to anyone right now.

Coming Soon to an AGEL Near You

WWW: Friday - 1 PM - Alsea Room

Title: The Rise of Contingent Labor v. An Academy of Ward Churchills: AFT's heroic FACE Act battles the dreaded Academic Bill of Rights for legislative supremacy

Presenting: Craig Smith and Chris Goff

Hmmmm...

Two Eugene School Board seats up for election

Two seats on the Eugene School Board will be wide open in the May election — a rarity in recent years when incumbents, many of them midterm appointees, have dominated the races.

Board Chairman Charles Martinez said this week that he won’t run for a second term, citing professional obligations and a desire to spend more time with his 9-year-old son. Martinez, who was appointed in 2004 and stood for election in 2005, is a research scientist with the Oregon Social Learning Center and vice provost for institutional equity and diversity at the University of Oregon.

Eric Forrest, an executive with the local Pepsi-Cola bottling company, had planned to resign a year ago, but decided to complete his term. He reiterated this week that he won’t seek a second term, also citing professional responsibilities. He was appointed in 2005 and ran for election a few months later.

Beth Gerot holds the third seat up for re-election, and she has said she plans to run again. A co-owner of Woodruff Nursery & Landscapes Inc., she has been on the board since 1999.

The candidate filing period is Feb. 9 through March 19.

Nickname Poll

You may have seen the poll at the right. No, your right. Please vote on the best nickname for my daughter. She has gone by all of these names, some willingly, some not.

For those that have not met her, she is 12.

This poll is non-binding, but rather to prove a point.

Please vote.

Vote.

Is the right wing for real?

Guest posted by Wes Shirley:

There is lots of discussion in the lefty news sites about the demise of the Republican Party, and therefore the right wing in general. I tend to dismiss such prognostications. Leftists love their pipe dreams. But I see Joe the Plumber keeps popping up. First he was challenging Obama on being taxed because sharing the wealth is communism (only to find out he and his family spent some time on welfare when he was young and he credits this with giving him a chance in life), he then gets asked to go to Israel and cover the bombing of Gaza and comes back with gems like "I don't think reporters should cover the war." Now he's being invited to a GOP congressional staffers planning meeting (The Conservative Working Group) and being advertised as an expert on the stimulus package. I'm starting to think the Republican Party might really be done.

Thanks Congress!

I read in the paper today that the Senate voted to give new car buyers a tax break. From the article I see that the discount would amount to approximately $1553 on a $25,000 car.

According to my calculations, a 60-month loan on a $25,000 car, with no trade-in or anything, would come to $476 a month. With my tax-break savings, my car payment effectively becomes $453 a month. Boom! That's $23 I can spend on a date night with the wife at my local neighborhood Applebees, two for $20 here we come! Plus a tip to help the local waitress make her car payment.

I, of course, support this measure whole-heartedly. Plain and simple, this nation needs more cars. Mini vans preferably. Jeebus, when I think of how our ancestors had to carry their kids around in nothing more than a Lincoln Continental, I struggle to comprehend how they did it. You might not believe this, but my parents actually raised (half-successfully) two kids while driving nothing more than a Ford Granada. Unfortunately, none of us still live at home, so there's no way for Child Protective Services to get involved, but you can imagine how many nights I sat silently weeping by the phone trying to get up the courage to pick up the receiver and dial that number.

I'm also very on board with Obama's desire to strip out the protectionist "USA steel" tax break for manufactures. The last thing this country needs is a trade war. That could only lead to more manufacturing in this country and that would lead us dangerously close to become a producer, rather than consumer, nation again.

Nope, small tax breaks for large purchases is just what the USA needs right now, because if the '00s taught us anything, it is that you can't go wrong basing your economy on high consumer debt.

The Congress has finally done something right. Stood up for the little guy. Now when the wife tells me there is no reason we should be buying a pickup just because it can stop a million pound load in under 20 feet, I can tell her that the United States government wants us to buy that car. They need us to buy that car. And in places she doesn't talk about at cocktail parties, she wants me to buy that car.

I think we can all agree that just because there's a major global recession on doesn't mean we shouldn't have nice things.

Who?

Condoleezza Rice turns down Pac-10 job

Who the heck thought it was a good idea to offer her the job in the first place? How did that conversation go? "Um, Ms. Rice, now that you're done being a key part of a nation-destroying administration, would you like to, um, ruin our conference?"

James Effing Carville

I'm watching The War Room right now. Blowing my mind. Again.

And the Hits

My good friend br is always wondering why I am always behind the eight ball financially. (I feel compelled to pause for a second while my GTF friends finish chocking on their bourbon and cokes, as I am probably the most well-off person they associate with on a regular basis, aside from ka, who is making bank off the internets). I am something of a financial wizard, having made, made $26 in the last quarter through my 401(k), so his befuddlement makes some sense, except that he forgets I am me (as you are he and we are all together).

In November, on Thanksgiving to be exact, my drain pipes backed up, sending used water into the sink, the dishwasher, and back out to the drain pipe for the dishwasher. $150.

December brought the Christmas season and giftal obligations all around. Plus my cell phone broke and I impulse bought a $300 phone, which is my own stupidity.

January saw my dishwasher stop working. $150.

February has started off with a bang with my sewer pipes backing up into my and my neighbor's yard. Again. So far it has cost me $160 for the pipe snaking and $100 for the sanitation clean up. We'll see what else comes my way through this. I have a feeling there's a retaining wall build in my future.

This is all aside from having a (almost) teenager in the house. br has a couple of young ones and he seems to believe they are expensive. Wait until they need a flute. Wait until they step on that flute and need it fixed right away. You don't budget for flute repair my friend. Or cello repair, for that matter. They don't stop needing clothes nor health care, but do need phones. And fish. And fish tanks, and heaters, and power strips, and well you get the drift.

These are the parts of life that I do not enjoy. Which makes all of you fine people all that more treasured.

Plus, on rare occasions, your daughter goes and draws you a gnome holding a flaming sword while riding a twonicorn. Which is nice.

My Problem with Battlestar Galactica

So our merry band of heroes is battling dastardly foes and rebellious colleagues and I get the sense that I am supposed to be rooting for the Adamas, Starbuck, Chief and all the other Cylon-alliance advocates. I cannot. Or at least I have a hard time doing so.

My problem stems from my feeling that the Adama boys are two very anti-democratic men. Of course this is one of the main driving story lines of the entire BSG enterprise, the question of how you maintain your democratic ideals in a time of war and conflict and Adama has always come down on the side of thinking that the needs of the military expediency trump democracy. This season, however, as the threat of war and/or destruction is minimized, Adama has shown even more willingness to disregard civilian authority and act unilaterally, going so far as to arrest the acting Quorum chair because he took a vote that Adama didn't like. I will admit that I can't always follow the minutia of the political doings on BSG, so correct me if I am wrong on this: Adama issued an order that all ships co-operate with the implanting of Cylon technology, the Quorum voted 11 to 1 that captains could decide on a ship-by-ship basis whether to co-operate, Adama had the Quorum chair arrested for treason, sent Marines to enforce his order, and installed his son as chair of the Quorum. Ummm...that's good tyranny.

I don't really care whether or not Adama is right about a Cylon alliance. Yes, I understand that I am supposed to think that anyone who hates Cylons is judging an individual Cylon on the actions of the collective Cylon race and that this is wrong, wrong, wrong, but the duly elected government of the fleet voted to leave the decision of Cylon co-operation up to the individual states ships, which is a perfectly legal and reasonable decision. Anytime you have a military commander arresting the (acting) head of the civilian government on the charge of treason, something has gone very awry.

Anyway, this post is inspired by a poll over at LGM wherein a vast majority of respondents are "Approve"ing of Laura Roslin's job performance. WTF, people? As of now, President Laura Roslin has abdicated her duties as President, but has conveniently retained the title so that she can issue proclamations from her lover in her name. In the past, she has resisted elections, arrested her opponent when she did hold elections, tried her most visible opposition for treason, and caved to military authority on every occasion of conflict. I'm not even going to mention her fanatical -- and ultimately wrong (oh I know they'll find the some planet they'll call Earth in the last episode) -- religious ravings. What, in Gods' names, could there be to approve of?

I Will Fight You

Who are these idiot Emerald readers who voted Taste of India a better Indian restaurant than Evergreen? I mean seriously?