Posted in2022 election

Vote for Tina Kotek, because Christine Drazan is scary

Recently I tried to jump-start the discussion at the beginning of a meeting of like-minded liberals on a pleasant Saturday afternoon.  "In the upcoming election, what outcome would make you the most unhappy? For me, it would be Republican Christine Drazan being elected Oregon governor, because she'd take our state backwards in so many ways." I still feel that way, though I had to agree with someone that the Democrats losing control of the U.S. Senate would be dreadful also.  Tina Kotek (D), Betsy Johnson (Unaffiliated), Christine Drazan (R) But Drazan coming out on top over Democrat Tina Kotek still…
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Posted in2022 election

Democracy is at stake in the upcoming election

I put my Oregon ballot in the mail today. It felt good to vote. Ever since I was eligible to do so, I haven't missed voting in any election. Per usual, I voted for every Democratic candidate because I believe more strongly in what Democrats stand for, than in what Republicans do. But this year there was an extra reason for me to fill in the box next to people belonging to the Democratic party: I'm deeply worried about Republicans wanting to subvert our democracy. That's never happened before in my 50+ years of voting.  Until 2022, Oregon and the…
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Posted in2022 election

Paul Evans debates Dan Farrington in HD 20 race

I'm not sure how fans of Paul Evans and Dan Farrington will take this, but it's what popped into my mind when a fellow Salem City Club member asked what I thought of the noon-time debate between the House District 20 candidates today. I said, "It was like watching a debate between two slices of white bread." Not that there's anything wrong with white bread. I just prefer whole wheat, because it has a more interesting flavor. Paul Evans (D) and Dan Farrington (R) Neither candidate showed a lot of energy or enthusiasm. Now, I'm not sure whether this was…
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Posted in2022 election National politics

Ukraine aid another reason to vote for Andrea Salinas in CD 6

Like most Americans, I'm a big supporter of Ukrainians' fight against Russia's unprovoked invasion of their country. The military and economic aid being supplied to Ukraine by the United States has done a lot to not only stop the Russian advance, but to help Ukraine gain back territory lost in the early days of the war. However, Kevin McCarthy, who likely will be the Speaker of the House if Republicans take back that branch of Congress, has said that a GOP-led House probably will oppose more aid for Ukraine. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is signaling that if Republicans…
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Posted in2022 election

Vote YES on all four Oregon ballot measures. Here’s why.

Soon ballots will be mailed to Oregon voters. When you consider the statewide ballot measures, my advice is: vote YES on all four.  This is why I believe each deserves to pass.  Measure 111 amends the state constitution to require the state to ensure affordable health care access. The state must balance health care funding against funding for schools and other essential services. Courts must respect that balance. So it isn't a blank check for Oregon to go wild on health care spending. The measure simply sets forth a laudable goal: people should be able to get health care at…
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Posted in2022 election

My simple election advice: Vote for Democrats

I'm often a verbose guy. But sometimes it only takes a few words to express how I feel. Here they are. Today our monthly Salon discussion group met. At one point we talked about how back in the times after I moved to Oregon in 1971, there were moderate Oregon Republicans worth voting for. Governor Tom McCall. Senators Mark Hatfield and Bob Packwood. Others who I can't remember. But those days are gone. These days virtually every Republican politician has to bow at the altar of Donald Trump or they can't win a GOP primary. So if you see a…
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Posted in2022 election City of Salem

Salem’s $300 million bond measure deserves a half-hearted “Yes” vote

I don't live in the city limits, so won't be voting on the $300 million infrastructure bond measure on the November ballot. But if I was able to vote on it, I'd sigh, grit my teeth, roll my eyes, and then reluctantly mark "Yes." The Salem Reporter has an informative story about the bond measure.  Salem voters next month will decide whether to fund repairs to streets and build new roads, replace aging fire trucks, improve parks and buy land for branch libraries and affordable housing over the next decade. The city is seeking voter approval in the November general…
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Posted in2022 election Oregon politics

Tom Andersen and TJ Sullivan debate in HD 19 race

Today the Salem City Club hosted a debate between Tom Andersen (D) and TJ Sullivan (R), who are vying to represent House District 19 in the Oregon legislature. In Sullivan's opening statement he said that he'd had a reaction to the vaccine (Covid, I assume), causing a stroke. He's on the road to recovery. It was moving to hear Sullivan say that when he was finally able to touch his thumb and index finger together, that was so thrilling he kept doing it all day long.  The first City Club question was about whether the candidates favored repealing Measure 110,…
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Posted inCity of Salem Police reform

Excessive force by Salem police officer costs city $1 million

Justice has been served Eleaqia McCrae, who was shot in the eye and chest with rubber bullets by Salem police in May 2020 during a Black Lives Matter protest. Today the Salem Reporter published a story about the $1 million awarded McCrae by a jury after she filed a lawsuit. The city of Salem will have to pay a protester just over $1 million because police violated her constitutional rights when they shot her with rubber bullets at a local protest two years ago. A federal jury on Friday, Sept. 30, unanimously ruled in favor of Eleaqia McCrae, 22, who…
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Posted in2022 election Oregon politics

Why Walsh deserves to win over Thatcher in SD 11 race

I could describe what happened in the main part of Friday's Salem City Club debate between Richard Walsh and Kim Thatcher before telling you who I think should win in the race for an open state senate race in District 11. Richard Walsh and Kim Thatcher However, the way Thatcher answered a question from an audience member near the end of the debate to my mind disqualifies her from serving not only as the SD 11 senator, but in any political office. That's because I have no tolerance for those who spread the Big Lie that Joe Biden somehow stole…
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Posted inCity Council City of Salem Police reform

Salem City Council makes mobile crisis unit a low priority

If the efforts of city councilor Vanessa Nordyke to make a mobile crisis unit a reality in Salem ever come to fruition, she deserves a Perseverance Prize. Because while the general public really likes the idea of having people other than police officers respond to mental health and other calls that don't require an officer, the Salem Police Department, City Manager, and her fellow city councilors haven't been nearly as enthusiastic.  Last Monday the City Council dealt the mobile crisis unit proposal another setback when Nordyke's motion to seek $2 million in state funding for a multi-year pilot project failed…
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Posted inCity of Salem Public Safety

City officials dawdle while major crashes happen at Liberty and Mildred

It's irritating when City of Salem staff play bureaucratic games that affect people's lives. It's infuriating when they do this after someone has died. But that's the sad state of affairs reported in a Statesman Journal story today about the dangerous intersection at Mildred Lane SE and Liberty Road S near the city limits. The story says that teenager Sara Schumann died in 2020 when the car she was a passenger in failed to heed the stop sign on Mildred and hit an oncoming vehicle. Then there were other major crashes in 2021 and 2022. Laurel, my wife, and I live about…
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Posted in2022 election Oregon politics

Kotek only Governor candidate who will fight climate change

If you're an Oregonian who cares about fighting climate change, there's only one Governor candidate who deserves your vote: Tina Kotek, a Democrat. The other candidates -- Republican Christine Drazan and unaffiliated Betsy Johnson -- oppose what Oregon is doing now to combat the global warming that's causing hotter weather, more intense wildfires, and other nasty effects in our state. So says a well-researched OPB story, "Oregon governor's race will dictate the state's direction on battling climate change," that I learned about via Twitter.  Here's some excerpts from the story.  In the last decade, Oregon has sought to position itself…
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Posted inHumor LGBTQ issues Political correctness

Bill Maher wrongly makes fun of Portland schools “wokeness”

I've watched Bill Maher for many years, most recently via his Real Time show on HBO. Generally I enjoy Maher's blend of political humor and observations, but sometimes his tendency to criticize perceived liberal excesses rubs me the wrong way. Not because I object to Maher making fun of extreme left-wing stances, which indeed can be deserving of ridicule now and then. Rather, I don't like it when Maher oversimplifies a complex issue just for the sake of making it a more convenient object of scorn on his show. Yesterday Maher had a bit in his New Rules segment where…
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Posted inCity of Salem Public Safety

Fire showed emergency message system needs improvements

Last Friday, September 9, the Vitae Springs fire in south Salem caused lots of people to search for information about how rapidly the wildfire was spreading, where evacuations were taking place, and what the chances were of the fire reaching areas further away. Like, my neighborhood, Spring Lake Estates, that adjoins the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge. Friday evening I'd seen a report that a Level 1 (Be Ready) evacuation notice had been issued for areas four to six miles from where the Vitae Springs fire had started. I found via Google Maps that our house was about 7.6 miles from the…
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Posted in2022 election City Council City of Salem

Wasteful use of fire trucks called out by 350 Salem OR

Sending a giant fire engine out to respond to a medical emergency is like having an Amazon package delivered by a semi-trailer truck. In each case, almost always there's no need for such vehicle overkill.  But even though just 2% of calls to the Salem Fire Department involved fires, the department is asking for $26 million in the $300 million bond levy on the November ballot to replace worn-out fire trucks.  The reason, pretty obviously, is that those trucks are being used inappropriately. If a right-sized vehicle was used for medical emergencies, fire trucks would be used for their intended…
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Posted in2022 election Oregon politics

Deb Patterson and Raquel Moore-Green debate at City Club

Today it was pleasant to watch a polite substantive Salem City Club debate between the candidates for Oregon's Senate District 10, Democrat Deb Patterson (the incumbent) and Republican Raquel Moore-Green, who holds the District 19 seat in the Oregon House. Deb Patterson (D) and Raquel Moore-Green (R)  This was the first in-person meeting for the City Club in what seems like forever, but actually is just since Covid struck in early 2020. It felt great to be in the Willamette Heritage Center Dye House in physical reality, rather than watching the program via Zoom. (That reality included made-to-order lunches by…
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Posted inCoronavirus

Not wearing a mask in a pharmacy is selfish

I got my third Covid booster today at a Walgreens pharmacy. It was the new dual action booster that protects against original Covid and the newish Omicron variant that's highly contagious. It's been over five months since my last booster, so I was due for an antibody rejuvenation. Overdue, actually, since the newest booster is recommended for anyone who got their previous  booster or initial two shots at least two months ago. I also got a flu shot at the same time.  So today's pharmacy visit worked out well. Laurel, my wife, was scheduled to get her Covid booster yesterday,…
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Posted inCity of Salem Police reform

Oregonian editor criticizes Marion County DA and Salem Police secrecy

Officials at the City of Salem, including the Police Department, along with the Marion County District Attorney's Office, are getting some well-deserved bad press. After the Salem Reporter editor criticized the City of Salem and Marion County DA for a coverup following a public records request by his publication concerning a suspicious $53,500 payment to former deputy police chief Steve Bellshaw, today the Sunday Oregonian had a letter from the editor that makes similar criticisms. Here's the letter from Therese Bottomly. It makes for interesting reading, especially for those of us concerned about government transparency and public accountability. In decades…
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Posted inSalem-Keizer school district

Three Salem-Keizer school board members targeted for recall

Thanks to the Salem Reporter, which scooped the Statesman Journal on this important story, we know that an effort is underway to recall three progressive Salem-Keizer school board members elected in 2021. Here's how the story by Rachel Alexander starts off. A Salem parent is seeking to recall three members of the Salem-Keizer School Board, alleging they have been dismissive of parents with differing political views and failed to prioritize the education of students. Casity Troutt filed petitions to recall board Chair Ashley Carson Cottingham, former Chair Osvaldo Avila, and Second Vice Chair Karina Guzmán Ortiz with the Marion County…
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