I Read the News Today, Oh Boy

As always, I started the paper off with the letters to the editor. What do my fellow citizens have on their minds that they have to share with others? Oh, hey, look a letter that seems to imply that graduate students teaching classes at the UO necessarily means a poor educational experience:

The UO can’t compete

In the Nov. 25 Register Guard, Anne Williams does a fine job of reporting the facts. One item she missed, however, relates to University of Oregon professor John Nicols’ “concerns” about the quality of education in the program. At the UO, these classes are typically taught by graduate students, not professors, and in halls with 200 to 300 students, not the 30 to 40 in a typical College Now class.

As such, these classes are a profit center for UO, which calls into question the UO’s “objectivity” in evaluating the quality of education. College Now fills a need for students who want high-quality instruction, smaller class sizes and lower cost. The UO can’t compete with those benefits.

Who wrote this letter? Hey, it's our good friend and fellow AFT unionist Bob Baldwin! Thanks a lot Bob.

Two things for Bob, real quick.

One, we prefer to be called "graduate employees" because, and why would you have cause to know this, we actually have to fight the federal government and various state governments just to have the right to have unions, so the word "employee" is quite important to us.

Two, go fuck yourself. It's great that you're proud of Lane Community College and its programs, but do you really need to take a swipe at your union brothers and sisters while doing your bragging? You don't see us writing letters about how much public employees cost and how lazy they are, now do you?

After the letters it's on to the front pages. The R-G just recently started running "corrections" on page two and I love them. Today's paper featured three corrections to a story the R-G ran yesterday about how economists are split over whether Measures 66 & 67 are really "job-killing taxes" which just happens to be what the business-backed people are calling their campaign.

Guess what the three things the story got wrong all had in common. Guess:

A story on the cover of Friday’s newspaper about economists’ views on two upcoming tax measures contained several errors:

The Eugene economics firm ECONorthwest has not taken a position on measures 66 and 67, but its managing director, Randall Pozdena, has. The story incorrectly stated that ECONorthwest contends the tax measures are job killers.

A letter supporting passage of measures 66 and 67 has been signed by 36 Oregon economists. The story incorrectly stated that 16 economists signed the letter.

By 2013, the corporate income tax rate under Measure 67 would be restored to the current level for businesses whose taxable income falls below $10 million a year. The story incorrectly stated that the tax rate would be restored to the current level for businesses whose in-state sales fall below $10 million a year.

If you guessed all three errors hurt the "Yes for Oregon!" side, you win.

Lastly, the Business section. A story about how tariffs on Chinese tires are going to hurt the little guy where it hurts the most. No, not there, in the pocketbook. The article is a beaut, from "President Obama recently slapped a 35 percent tariff on tires after a U.S. union claimed that an influx of Chinese imports has cost more than 5,000 U.S. tire workers their jobs since 2004." to "Matt Edmonds, vice president of the online retailer Tire Rack, says the tariff punishes buyers who want cheaper tires. 'It’s going to impact those who really can afford it the least.'"

My favorite part of the article is where even good American tire companies are going to be forced to raise the price of their tires, partly because these "American" tire companies get some of their tires from China, but, as the tire companies are saying themselves, raw material costs are going up. In fact, even though Goodyear has said its cost increases are from raw materials, article author Dee-Ann Durbin goes ahead and doubts that and asserts that the increase could be to off-set the tariffs.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will raise the price on all consumer replacement tires sold in North America by 6 percent starting Tuesday. The manufacturer, based in Akron, Ohio, cited raw material costs. Goodyear imports about 2 percent of its tires from China, so the increase also could offset tariffs.

And, no, not one person or organization who supports this crazy, (Chinese) job-killing tariff is quoted or cited in the story. Why would they be? They're crazy.

Why, Oh Why, Do We Keep Electing These People?

Our so-called Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski just appointed Allyn Ford, a Republican, to the Oregon Board of Higher Education. This is great, because if there's one thing the GOP knows, it's how to fix higher education.

For funsies, it also appears that Ford supports repealing the tax increases which are the only thing keeping higher ed from collapsing or raising tutition through the roof.

Oh, and also he runs one the great logging companies here in Oregon.

New Leadership, Please

You know what just about the most "un-American" thing I can think of is? A Congressional leader calling his or her political opponents "un-American" for protesting government actions. Let's call them ugly, loud-mouth, ignorant SOBs, but let's leave un-American out of it.

For fuck's sake. This is what our political opponents do. They brand dissent as un-patriotic. To them Code Pink is just shy of an official terrorist organization. What do they do? They stand up at meetings, shout down the speaker, and make their voices heard. We admire them. We admire anyone who has the courage to stand up to the powers that be and makes their voice heard.

And these townhall protesters are no different than we are. Well, I guess I'd like to believe that they're wrong, whereas my lefty groups are right, but how can for one hot minute anyone who reads this blog think that these people have invalid views or don't deserve to be heard just because they were organized into going to an event by Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh. I am a union organizer, I am astroturf by definition. Sure, members may walk into my office to tell me about some issue they have and I can use my skills to organize them, but this never happens over politics. Nope, I'm out there trying to get three to five people to show up for some half-assed rally. Let's just take (and leave) EFCA as an example.

Lastly, I will not abide by my leadership pretending like a townhall meeting means something. That they are some genuine exchange of views between a Congressperson and the citizens. That Peter Defazio has yet to make up his mind about this crazy health care bill and that the fine citizens of Drain, Oregon are going to provide some magical insight that really opens his eyes. It's bullshit and we all know it. Townhalls, at best, provide a politician political cover or anecdotes, otherwise they are pretty useless. Somehow the thought that organized hicks might be standing up and making a mockery of these dog and pony shows does not rock me to my American core. They always were political theater, the last thing we should be upset about is that they'll be good political theater. Heaven knows, if it weren't for the chance that I might be engaged is some actual heated political yelling, I doubt that I'd be driving down to the Grove tomorrow at 8 am to hear Defazio spout hackneyed talking points for a bill he probably doesn't genuinely support - which, in my book, is pretty un-American.

Finally, Schumer and I Are on the Same Page

My worst fear? A public health system that runs so smoothly and cheaply that it puts for-profit health care out of business. Thank God for Chuck Schumer.

My second worst fear? That in order to provide basic health care for everyone in this country, we cut into the profits of doctors and hospitals. Thank God someone - Chuck Schumer - is finally thinking of the struggling medical professionals in this country.

My third worst fear? That an out-of-control Democrat Supermajority rams a lot of leftist legislation down our throats. Thank God for Chuck Schumer and his brave band of moderate visionaries who will do whatever it takes to make sure that if things do get better in this country, it is only by a little bit and none too fast.

Three Thoughts on A Tuesday Morning

1. What the Register-Guard did to Ernie Kent today is just shitty. Everyone with an interest in local sports knows that Kent's team did not do great last year and we all know his job is on the line. What we don't need is a 1500 word article speculating on who his replacement might be, if he is, indeed, fired. The man lives in this town too. A lot of people in this area are either newly out-of-work or facing that prospect, I can't help but think of the pain that it would cause them to wake up one day and see that their local paper was dedicating a large amount of resources to speculating on who might replace them, should they be fired in the next couple of days. This article could have been saved for the day after Kent was fired, if such a thing happens (let's hope not).

2. This weekend, I bought a "Let It Be" t-shirt from the fine purveyors of clothing and home accessories at the JC Penny, and when I put it on I noticed the the lettering was all off center and not straight across the shirt. I asked some friends last night if the flaws actually made the shirt, sort of a "wabi-sabi" type thing. They said yes, but since I have a touch of the OCD about me, this morning I was thinking I might take it back. Plus, the shirt is officially licensed by the Apple Corp and made by the finest hands the Bangladeshi needle trades have to offer, so I naturally suspected that this shirt was some sort of freak error and a short trip to the VRC would have me looking fine and feeling good. A quick check of the JC Penny website, however, convinces me that some designer was going for a wabi-sabi look on purpose, which kind of ruins the effect in my mind.

On a side note, I also purchased this Star Wars tee. I did so after much soul searching. I like the shirt and all, but I have a hard time getting past the fact that Yoda is on it. You see, all the characters on the shirt, save Yoda, are from the first Star Wars movie. Yoda didn't come into it until Empire. They replaced Leia with Yoda for some reason. Okay, we know the reason and it bothers me. Not enough to not drop $8.88 on the shirt mind you, but if you see me wearing the shirt, know that I am aware of the issues. Plus, the Penny's ad would like me to know that I can "Feed your obsession with this official Star War T-shirt." Star War? Jeebus, I question the whole shopping day.

3. After a full calendar week of work in my bathroom, ten full days after Glenn and I did the tear out, double digit days with no shower in my house, the two tile guys are scheduled, scheduled, to lay the first tile today. Just know that next time we are all cracking on how I have the cushiest job in the world, I may laugh along and join in, but in my mind I will be thinking, "I should have gotten into the tile game."

Democrat, Indeed

I was listening to the NPR earlier and they were doing a story on the candidates' Christmas "postcard" ads. I came in late, but when I got there a man and a woman were discussing the Edwards ad. The woman though that it was a bad ad. They quickly moved on to a discussion of the Huckabee ad, which she described as the perfect ad that hit just the right notes, avoiding politics(!) and focusing on the spirit of the season. There was discussion of whether it was really a political ad focusing on Huck's Christianity, but it was agreed that he has already established his Christian credentials, so this ad was just a genuine expression of goodwill during the holiday Christmas season.

They both hated the Hillary ad. The man thought that it was cringe-inducing. He hated it. Apparently, he finds it cold and calculating. Hmmm.

She then went on to express that Hillary and Edwards went for "issue ads" in their Christmas "postcards," which she felt was the wrong way to go about it. Again, in contrast to the Huckabee ad.

They both thought the Giuliani ad was shit, which is something I think we can all agree on.

So, I was driving along pretty pissed because NPR is supposed to be liberal radio, or at least fair, and ascribing pure motives to Huckabee and falling into the storyline that Hillary is a calculating b-tch. But the kicker was that the woman doing the analysis is Anita Dunn, DEMOCRATIC consultant.

No wonder we're fucked.

Just In Case You Ever Doubted It

I ♥ Hillary and always did.