Stats
Comments Posted By Steve R.
Displaying 1 To 30 Of 47 Comments
Public policy is almost entirely made behind closed doors in Portland, just like pretty much everywhere.
As somebody participating in a current bit of public engagement about land use and development, I can assure you that what the mayor and his staff tweet has absolutely zero influence in the actual policy discussions taking place. Most committee members don’t do Twitter and have no idea what people are tweeting about. It’s not even noise. It just doesn’t exist. In fact, I suspect the committee work I’m doing will have only slight bearing on what eventually happens.
This is not to say the mayor’s tweets and public engagement in general are not good politics. Just that they have little or nothing to do with actual policy making. To influence that, you still have to be a wealthy developer.
» Posted By Steve R. On February 1, 2010 @ 2:31 pm
Not only too many fonts, it’s got a left single quote instead of an apostrophe on ‘tis… I see this everywhere; it’s one of my least favorite bugaboos of Microslop Office, which has been picked up by pretty much every text editor (including the ones used by WordPress): “smart” quotes….
» Posted By Steve R. On November 12, 2009 @ 2:56 pm
Is the Bubble Machine coming to Portland?
…but the Timbers Army might riot if they don’t get “major” league soccer!
Just because we haven’t paid off remodeling PGE Park for minor league baseball, and just because one of the wealthiest families in the US is involved (who not only bear a large portion of responsibility for the financial melt-down, but also have profited nicely from it), doesn’t mean we shouldn’t throw away that last remodel, build an all-new stadium for minor-league baseball out in the sticks somewhere and spend tens of millions renovating the stadium again so we can have 18 games a year for the drunken Euro-trash wannabes who are just dying to pay $30 a seat and $8 a beer to sing their adolescent drinking songs.
Pay no attention to that river of money flowing from Portland to New York via a no-bid construction contract to Paulson’s cronies. Think of all the local jobs! Ticket takers! Peanut vendors! Eighteen days of minimum wage work a year for over a hundred lucky Portlanders!
Keep Portland Weird!
» Posted By Steve R. On July 8, 2009 @ 10:07 am
A vulnerable youth’s name gets smeared;
The truth-challenged mayor is cleared.
Soccer looks iffy,
And Randy gets sniffy.
Is this how we keep Portland weird?» Posted By Steve R. On June 23, 2009 @ 2:40 pm
Well, I’ll just say it, and I don’t care if it hurts anybody’s feelers… white opposition to naming a Portland street for a national hero comes off as racist. Not for nothing this town has a reputation as being hostile to non-whites.
We’ve heard all the arguments against it, and we’ve seen the outright ugliness when the majority shouts down the minority at community meetings.
The Latino community in Portland has always been marginalized, but it’s not just about that.
Chavez is a working class hero and a symbol of the power of collective action against entrenched corporate power. If you want to ghettoize his memory on a street or memorial “related to… farm workers or Hispanics,” you betray your extraordinarily limited perspective (to put it as politely as possible).
History will not judge Portland kindly on its opposition to something many less-progressive cities have done as a matter of course.
» Posted By Steve R. On June 18, 2009 @ 10:28 am
OurPDX shared links for April 28th
Hmm… pulling punches…. must be a basketball thing. And they still call it a foul!
McAngry, you know what I’m talking about.
Go Pens! (Sorry ’bout yer Leafs. Wait, no I’m not.)
» Posted By Steve R. On April 29, 2009 @ 5:38 pm
@djtv the 7-up sign sat atop what was once a giant milk bottle. In fact, the big milk bottle still exists underneath a facade that was put up to resemble cans of paint when it was a paint store, before the 7-up sign went up.
http://hollywood.pdx.edu/html/roadside_architecture.html
Which just goes to show you… getting all nostalgic is like peeling an onion. I say let’s tear all this human-made shit down and replant a native forest.
» Posted By Steve R. On April 28, 2009 @ 3:12 pm
This is just another way hockey has it all over hoops. If you leave before the final buzzer in a blowout game, you might miss a good fight.
I’ve tried to watch basketball, honest. But they call fouls when they brush their skirts together and suspend them for a little bitch slap.
» Posted By Steve R. On April 20, 2009 @ 9:48 am
Warning: Ongoing Construction on OurPDX
Much easier on the eyes. (FWIW, I found the tabs confusing and not useful, so no great loss from my perspective.)
I really appreciate the general trend in WP themes toward readability.
» Posted By Steve R. On March 20, 2009 @ 8:18 am
In the words of the great Joe McGrath, “…bunch of… pussies!”
(If McAngrypants is around, he’ll get the reference.)
» Posted By Steve R. On March 6, 2009 @ 3:29 pm
Originally Posted By dieselboiI would throw in the following for romantic dinner options: … Grolla …
Grolla is no more.
» Posted By Steve R. On March 2, 2009 @ 1:29 pm
Originally Posted By dieselboiI don’t have answers to the over arching question of how to fund schools or drug treatment or other social services. In my opinion, I guess they aren’t important to the populous enough because we keep electing people who don’t try to change it. Just my opinion.
If we as a state don’t care about funding schools or social services, but get exercised over a beer tax, it says a lot about our civic character.
That’s my point.
» Posted By Steve R. On February 27, 2009 @ 11:06 am
Rather than opposing this tax outright, it would be helpful if you suggested other ways (besides Santa Obama) to patch the woeful state budget hole.
This is obviously a very small band-aid for a gaping wound, and I don’t think it’s good tax policy to look for this kind of stop-gap. (We need to repeal Measure 5, increase the corporate minimum tax, and institute a truly progressive income tax, but our governor and legislature lack the vision, leadership and political will to make any of that happen.) But I do like sin taxes in general, since alcohol and tobacco end up costing society so much in the long run.
Comparing a tax increase of fourteen cents on a glass of beer to the the milieu of the American Revolution is disingenuous.
Are you opposed to sin taxes outright, or just ones on your sin of choice? Cigarette taxes have risen exponentially over the years, way more than this beer tax. Were you opposed to those increases, too? If our libertarian, anti-tax electorate opposes true tax reform, but insists on spending ever-increasing amounts of money on incarceration, how do we pay for education and social services?
Just trying to expand your thinking on this a little. An extra fourteen cents on a beer that already costs $4 doesn’t seem like such a big deal to me, but then, I drink Vodka.
» Posted By Steve R. On February 27, 2009 @ 10:13 am
No excuse for not having a valid fare on TriMet
Originally Posted By M. Edward (Ed) Borasky … if fares only cover 20 percent, where is the other 80 coming from?
According to “Facts About TriMet” (PDF, October 2008), operating revenues come from payroll and other taxes (54.5%), passenger revenue (20.5%), state/federal operating grants (15.3%), and “other sources” (9.7%).
Todd’s right; TriMet doesn’t really care about fare enforcement from a revenue perspective, but they ought to be concerned about it from a public relations perspective. It’s friggin’ embarrassing.
» Posted By Steve R. On January 28, 2009 @ 12:36 pm
@Dieselboi – FYI, passenger fares make up 20.5% of TriMet’s operating budget. Should they collect fares? Yes. Is it cost effective to increase fare enforcement on MAX? Maybe, maybe not.
My guess is that increasing the number fare inspectors is revenue-neutral in the best case (i.e. revenue from fines and increased fare collection just covers the salaries and benefits of the fare inspectors), and would actually be revenue-negative after a certain level.
The single biggest thing TriMet could do to increase fare collections on MAX would be to install new ticket machines. I’d love to know the sordid back story on why we’ve stuck with this horrid technology for so many years.
» Posted By Steve R. On January 27, 2009 @ 2:45 pm
TriMet is all tangled up in the worst kind of bureaucratic incompetence and arrogance.
The only way to avoid this nonsense is to buy an annual pass, which is only cost-effective to people who ride twice a day, five times a week (or who get a subsidy through their employer).
I have an annual pass now, but I used to depend on the machines to buy 10 tickets at a time. This used to work, more or less, but now when you buy 10 tickets, the machines print them one… ticket… at… a… time (used to print two perforated strips of 5, which was much faster). If you’re lucky enough to find a machine that takes your card (a big if), it takes more than a few minutes to complete this transaction, which makes it highly likely you’ll miss your train, cause others to miss their train, or — god forbid — ride without a valid fare.
Obviously, TriMet was sold a bill of goods when they bought these balky ticket machines. Until they get their shit together, the need to back the hell off on the fare enforcement.
» Posted By Steve R. On January 27, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
Meh. I nearly did the same thing at Metblogs, with the idea of importing them to my own blog, comments and all. But then I decided it wasn’t worth the effort.
@brewcaster, I think the implied problem is that comment threads also got deleted, and the comment authors may have thought their comments were part of the permanent record of the universe. To which I again will say: Meh.
We bloggers mustn’t take this stuff too seriously.
» Posted By Steve R. On January 13, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
There was a story in the O (or at least on o-live yesterday) quoting Adams to the effect that the city will not be plowing neighborhood streets and that residents need to shovel their walks and — get this — clear city storm drains to prevent flooding. (I assume this story was based on the press conference.)
We needed a press conference last Sunday explaining what the city was doing and what we could expect when more snow (and ice) came. We needed to hear how the various governments were working together (or not) to keep the trains, buses, trucks and cars running (or not).
The message I got was “every fool for himself.” That’s not the kind of leadership we need in a time of crisis (real or imagined).
» Posted By Steve R. On December 27, 2008 @ 10:35 am
Adams is sitting commissioner of transportation and mayor elect due to be sworn in next week. If he can’t lead us through a transportation crisis, who can?
At the very least, somebody needed to hold a press conference and explain to the citizens of Portland why snow plows kept going up and down the already-cleared thoroughfares, but not punching through the berms they had created blocking access to the neighborhood streets.
In other words, what’s the plan? Who’s in charge? Even if he didn’t actually do anything differently, some reassuring words would have been appropriate.
» Posted By Steve R. On December 27, 2008 @ 9:47 am
TriMet MAX Yellow line down for 3+ days
@Aaron – I didn’t have any trouble knowing whether the Yellow line was running. Sorry I didn’t make it more clear that I wasn’t talking about the level of service or information about that.
I’m talking about transparency in the decision-making process and a general lack of visible leadership and inter-agency coordination.
» Posted By Steve R. On December 30, 2008 @ 3:34 pm
Biggest complaint from me (broken record, I know) was lack of communication. Obviously somebody made the perhaps totally reasonable tactical decision to focus efforts on keeping the Blue Line open. The Yellow Line spur was ably served by shuttle buses (I used it on Monday and Tuesday with waits no longer than when the train is running).
So, who made that call? Was Portland’s commissioner of transportation, mayor-elect and North Portland resident Sam Adams involved in (or at least informed of) the decision? Why wasn’t the public informed?
It was obvious early in the week that the tracks weren’t being plowed and TriMet was pretty much just waiting it out for the Yellow Line. Maybe not a bad call, but I’d like to know who makes these decisions, when, why and in consultation with whom.
» Posted By Steve R. On December 28, 2008 @ 9:34 am
In my foray into the Pearl last summer, I was astonished at all the dogs. And not just little dogs in strollers and purses. Big dogs, some off leash.
There’s a certain amount of poetic justice to the condo dwellers wallowing in their own dogs’ shit. I survived the Francesconi dog vs. kid wars in Portland Parks (dogs won; see the evidence all over town).
The kid-unfriendly Pearl seems like a perfect place for all the DINKs to go with their special “children”, along with all their poo. Good thing we built Tanner Springs Park for their wittle woogums.
» Posted By Steve R. On December 5, 2008 @ 6:44 pm
I love my friggin’ cats.
Never had a rodent problem in my 100+ y.o. house, and don’t see too many bugs, either. (Good thing I’m not allergic.)
Nothing passive aggressive about my fuzzy little killing machines!
» Posted By Steve R. On December 3, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
Famed Made in Oregon sign to change?
“Made in Oregon” is not generic like “Made in USA”, it’s the name of a crappy gift shop that no longer has a presence in Old Town.
Changing the sign from an ad for a private business that has pulled its investment out of the neighborhood to an ad for a public institution that is moving in just makes sense.
Then in ten years when somebody wants to change it again, people will bitch about its history as a U of O sign….
» Posted By Steve R. On December 1, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
Two Months Until Smoking Ban Takes Effect
The arguments from bar patrons may be interesting, but the crux of the matter is the health and safety of workers.
You’ve got the right to poison yourself, but that does not trump the right of every worker to a safe and healthy workplace.
That said, I look forward to my pre-hockey game drinks at George’s without having to smoke half a pack second-hand.
» Posted By Steve R. On October 31, 2008 @ 11:24 am
Oops….First word in line three should be “It’s”.
Last word should be “whine”.
Corrected original – Betsy» Posted By Steve R. On October 15, 2008 @ 4:01 pm
You’re going to be sorry you got me started.
In Portland to blog is divine.
You’ve got no ideas? Well, fine.
It’s beer, bikes and beans
(That’s coffee, I means)
Or maybe some food and some whine.» Posted By Steve R. On October 15, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
@radiogretchen – At first I thought this was about Bud Clark.
» Posted By Steve R. On October 15, 2008 @ 1:12 pm
I prefer Haiku, but here’s a shot (dedicated with love to BoJack):
It once was a quaint timber town,
With blue collar jobs all around.
Now it’s streetcars and trams,
Developers’ scams,
And a condo for every broke clown.» Posted By Steve R. On October 15, 2008 @ 11:13 am
«« Back To Stats PageOops, hit submit too soon.
The “Soaring Stones” piece you mentioned will not be re-installed, but will be returned to its owner due to “unavailability of appropriate site”.
» Posted By Steve R. On October 10, 2008 @ 9:59 am
