HotCurry

2010-09-19T01:39:00.000-07:00

HotCurry

In the spirit of Jon Stewart I want to bring some sensibility back into the political discussion here on the Oregon Coast. To accomplish this I'm going to examine comments, news releases, and 'news' items by both sides. It's my view that one can only gain if one has information available, or has it provided, from which to make informed judgements.

I'm a progressive so it's only natural I start by looking at some conservative stuff. Recently, our friendly conservative fear machine, America PAC, is putting out a series of what appears to be extreme and misleading fear mongering. But, are they telling the truth?

A few examples:

A ConservativeActionAlert from AmeriPAC claims a 'surge' crime by illegals in the US.

In fact. according to FBI crime statistics for 2009 "The overall rate of violent crime in Arizona, an immigrant battleground state, declined 14%, with murder type crimes falling a whopping 22%" and others report that "Under Obama, the number of illegal residents and illegal crossings are down, border agents and deportations are up; some reforms (e.g.: the dream act) are even fighting through the filibuster log jam." FBI reports Crime Down in Arizona in 2009

Then they throw one unsubstantiated or outright lie after another at their helpless targets. I leave it to you to verify their claims in this email.

A ConservativeActionAlert from AmeriPAC proposes " If we elect principled conservatives, we can delay the program's implementation and then repeal it when we defeat Obama in 2012. If we don't, we will lose the greatest medical system the world has ever known."

How do these 'principled conservatives' propose to 'delay'? Why they plan to shut down government like they did in 1995. Just where in the constitution do they find these principles? They don't find it in the constitution. What they plan to do is illegal, unethical, and when you look at what comes to a stop, immoral. We're not going to push too hard, but, by commonly accepted metrics America's medical system ranks 24th for longevity, 72nd in medical outcome, 14th preventable deaths, yet ranks 1st in costs. Are really prepared to chant we're world class in medical costs? National Medical Care System Rankings

We're not trying to convince you. Just look at the data. Look at it sensibly degreased from all the hype and fear. If you do, I'm sure we can come to reasonable solutions arrived at sensibly by examining the facts, developing plans, setting benchmarks, and ensuring we get the necessary jobs done.

We'll try to give you more sources and data so we can avoid the fear and screaming.

Thanks for reading.

HotCurry

Do they still think we're stupid, or, are they playing a winning strategy?

2010-08-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

HotCurry

Here it is 2010, a depression has been stopped, the Auto Industry has been saved, Bank are now being regulated so they can't just take your grandma's money and play with it. Jobs have gone from being lost at 750,000 per month to increasing by 125,000 a month, Medicare solvency has been extended by 12 years, up to 97% of all people are about to have health insurance without rear of losing it for pre-existingconditions, or, going broke when they get sick.

So what are Republicans doing? Are they just blocking everything. What's this worrying that our defecit, yeah, the defecit they largly created, is going to do to our businesses. Yet, they want to continue the silly tax cuts that oould put our government into the dumper.

Are these ploys just bubbling up or are they taking adavantage of perceived Democratic Party over reaching? Whichever route they are taking does the Democratic Party have any openings, paths to victory?

Republicans insist that increasing taxes causes problems. Republicans ignore the problems that keeping those tax cuts inplace will do to our defecits (add 3.4 trillion to them). They try to get us to fear everything, other religions, other ethnic groups, smart people, Europeans, black people.

We just played that album.

We have two recent examples with which we can test that claim.
When Democrat Clinton was President:
HE INHERITED A DEFICIT OF OVER 6 TRILLION DOLLARS!
HE INHERITED A 430 BILLION DOLLAR ANNUAL DEFICIT!
He told us that he would focus on the economy, create jobs, keep the middle class strong, and that he would balance the budget. He kept his promise.
TAXES WERE INCREASED!
THE US REVERSED A DECADE OF DEREGULATION

ALL INCOMES WENT UP!

UNEMPLOYMENT WENT DOWN!
THE LONGEST RECESSION FREE EXPANSION TOOK PLACE!

TWENTY THREE MILLION JOBS WERE CREATED!
BAD GUYS WERE STOPPED WITH FEW LIVES LOST!
FIGHTING TERRORISM WAS PART OF SECURITY ESTIMATE!

HE BALANCED THE FEDERAL BUDGET TWO YEARS WITH SURPLUSES!

DEFICIT WAS REDUCED TO UNDER 5 BILLION DOLLARS!

PEOPLE BELIEVED US WAS ON RIGHT TRACK.
When Republican Bush was president:

He told us he would bring a new compassionate conservatism and that he would work across the isle to build a strong America, reduce taxes, save social security, and maintain the balanced budget. The only promise he kept was to reduce taxes.
TAXES WERE DECREASED!
DEREGULATION WAS RESTARTED AND ACCELERATED!

MIDDLE CLASS INCOMES WENT DOWN!

UNEMPLOYMENT WENT UP!

THE US SUFFERED THREE RECESSIONS!

ONLY THREE MILLION JOBS WERE CREATED!

TERRORISM WAS DE-EMPHASIED AND WE WERE ATTACKED!

WE TOOK OUR EYE OFF THE REAL ENEMY TO FIGHT A WAR OF CHOICE!

WE BROKE A NATION WITHOUT A PLAN TO FIX IT!

4300 OF THE US’ BRAVEST WERE LOST!

PEOPLE KNOW WE ARE ON THE WRONG TRACK!

THE DEFICIT IS OVER 10 TRILLION DOLLARS AND GROWING!
What lessons should we draw from these two examples? First, lowering taxes is not indicated by the evidence.Clinton actually increased taxes, got rid of the deficit, produced 22 million jobs, engineered the longest sustained expansion in US history, and everybody shared in the prosperity.

Bush, by significantly decreasing regulations and increasing tax breaks for the wealthiest, arguably the most greedy, accelerated unsupervised ‘free trade’ and job exports, decreased middle class incomes and concentrated wealth to the lowest percentage of people ever in the US. By removing regulations and supplying money the greed accelerated and fraud and deceit for money increased in every facet of the US Economy. Ultimately, unsupported commercial paper caused a confidence crisis where the greedy saw what they had created and a stampede in fear began. Banks seeing risk everywhere refused to loan stopping the engine of commerce.

Now Republicans want to put more money in the hands of these guys and he raises his eyebrows in fear about the effects of taxing the very wealthy (greedy-fearful).

If we eat this line again we deserve to be a third rate banana republic.

Catch your breath, look at the facts,

WE AREN'T STUPID.

VOTE DEMOCRATIC!

What lakesider gave her grandkids last week is at risk

2008-08-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

HotCurry
With all the talk about today's gas pain and 'inspired' by the moment solutions like 'drill, baby drill' and the ever Republican 'let the people decide how their money should be spent', we need a little reminder to bring us back to what our vote is all about.

Our wife has a little blog called sixtyfivenowwhat where she writes about life and times here on the Curry, some call it Wild Rivers, Coast. Today she reflected on our granddaughter's visit and it really touches all the bases. So, if you don't mind too much (who cares whether you do or not) here is her blog with just a little bit of husbands political editorializing.

Vacationing on the Oregon Coast

by Lakeviewer

http://sixtyfivewhatnow.blogspot.com/

with editorial comments by HotCurry

The World Newspaper (Coos Bay) had a great write-up recently on the local farmers, people who have decided to go back to farming or started farming and producing food for locals. We have already known Abby's greens and the chickens from Joe Pestana. I'm sure there are more people out here that we can connect with for mutual benefit.

Yeah, we can do this because developers haven't snapped up all the land yet here on the Southern Oregon Coast.

Ever since I've been cooking with Martha's fresh eggs, we have been having these small rendez-vous, my hubby and me, experiencing farm tastes and farm flavors without the bother of farming. Some bother is good, though, to help us appreciate the work and the sweat and the caring that goes into food production.

The only drawback is that the nearest airport is 150 miles away in Arcata and our highways are sliding down the hillsides rather than being redesigned to withstand Oregon winters.

This time when my grandchild and friend visited us, they experienced a farm-food connection they'll never forget. We picked vegetables and herbs, visited the chickens for eggs, and help with the preparation of food before sitting down to enjoy the labor.

They were tired, and hungry. And they know what real, unpackaged food tastes like. Who needs to go to Provence for French (apparently we do because that's where we're going in September) food when we can gather the lavender on our hill and mint from our patch, mix it with our blueberries, add a touch of cream and voila, bon Dieu, c'est la belle vite sur la mer. Or, as hubby says, life is good by the sea!

I might start a new career, farm-kitchen-summer-camp-for-all-grandchildren who come up from Los Angeles with smells of malls and sounds of crowded freeways, and plastic toys in their pockets.

They'll go home smelling of heathers and lavender, stained with red, black and pink berries. They will be awakened by the thundering Pacific hitting the rocks and teasing the shore lines. The surf will spritz the grasses and chase the gulls. Ducks,blue herons and ospreys will compete with the sun for worshipped attention.

see development comment above. In fact developers in Brookings and Port Orford are right now violating building codes, destroying habitats, and increasing both noise and air pollution even during this housing downtime making new housing available those buyers who are probably in foreclosure. So don't expect those things in a few years because they will either be extinct or paved over.

And they'll have shells and agates and multicolored pebbles and sticks and sea stars in their pockets. At wash time, their mothers too, will get a glimpse and a sniff of the Oregon vacation the girls experienced.

Thanks for the picture mom.

We won't keep all that for long if we let guys like 'We don't need no damn infrastructure' Smith' and 'Tax the non-existent rigs to replace lost Timber Funds' Walden stay on any longer. I mean Geez. Our harbor dredging funds are at risk every year. Fisheries aren't being protected, dredging funds are under constant attack.

Roads are decaying and their maintenance tax base is drying up. But, hey, the citizen knows what he needs to spend his money on. Except he doesn't because instead of responsible government telling him that the resource is going away, the Republicans are going drill, drill, drill, profits, profits, profits, while prices are going up, up, up, as supplies go down, down, down, for those of us here in rural land who can least afford it.

Communications are being delayed because Private Utilities, yeah, those guys who have exclusive access to you the voter in this area, might have a little smaller profit margin if they provide us rural folk some service. That's darn nice of the government for the Utilities, but, us ratepayers in the rural area keep getting worse service for more money.

Finally our Republican friends sure don't want to get in the way of development because those people know how to make a wonderland into a slag pile in record time.

So, the next time you are tempted to pull the lever, OK, draw a line and mail it in, for one of those nice Republican fellows who want to drill for you, develop for you, and let you spend your tax money for their clients' products, just remember. Remember you are giving up the chance for your grandchildren to visit the world Lakesider provided for her grandchildren last week.

Obama's Sense of America: Responsibility, Infrastructure leverage Initiative

2008-08-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

HotCurry
Oregon’s Infrastructure, America’s Infrastructure decay on display along Coastal US 101. If you want only one reason to vote for Obama, take his position on renewing our emphasis for responsibility for government and people to sustain a working and effective infrastructure. It’s a dilly and it will pay off. Ask the Greatest Generation. Their fathers from the Depression Generation built one heck of an infrastructure for them to become the greatest generation.

We can’t just sit on our deck and see this one. So We'll guide you to us. If you want to get to Port Orford Oregon you need to drive up US 101 from Crescent City or down US 101 from Coos Bay. In either case you’ll need pretty good suspension, a lot of patience, and an adventurer’s spirit to make the trip. South of Port Orford, our little place in Oregon Coastal Heaven, you’ll

experience several ‘road below grade’ events. Road below grade is a euphemism for “Oops the road slide down into the ocean and we tried to fix it”. These happen every year and Port Orford can’t be reached from the south for about two weeks each winter.

From the north, you’ll have your adventures in the summer, or, as we fondly call it ‘Flagging Season’. During the summer when storms aren’t wrecking havoc, dropping trees across the highways, washing out drainage underpasses, or just destroying roadways with weather, work crews stop summer traffic with flaggers as they bring in new macadam, rocks, gravel, sand, and other fix-its to make the roads worthy of travel for the next few months.

We're telling you this because roads are the ONLY way you can get to Port Orford.

We'd mention sea routes if you are adventurous enough to brave 30 knot northerly gales in summer and 120 knot south winds in the winter and if you are willing to get there in boats that are thirty years old and via harbors that are not dredged but now and then. There is no rail, no air routes that come to Port Orford, or, to most any towns you can to mention along the Oregon coast. Just this last month Coos Bay learned that several air carriers are dropping service there and their new terminal facility is now a fading dream. Last year the local Rail Barron, that’s what they are since they can start and stop service whenever they want, stopped service to Coos Bay. These crooks are presently holding up local, state, and federal government for costs to repair their lines into and out of Coos Bay from Eugene as the price for continued service.

Hey, we haven’t even begun to talk about city streets, county roads, government infrastructure such as VA and Medicaid facilities and support, Social Services, even food bank distribution, and school 19th century communication services. Veterans get little service along the coast. In fact the only VA hospitals are located along I 5. Easter Oregon gets the shaft too. If you think schools are suffering in cities, you’d better recalibrate. Imagine bus routes of 40 miles that have to be navigated each day twice here in Porford for about 80% of our student populations. You know that Information network for the 21st Century Clinton promoted in the ‘90s. We got our first school linked up to a wireless, not fiber, system just this spring, thank you very much.

You want grain, cattle, wool, cranberries, blueberries, milk and cheese? Get ready to pay more because from where you get this stuff the routes aren’t being maintained and gas is going up, up, up. Bread and cereal aren’t just going up because some are making profit from biofuels, these prices are going up because roads are decaying and poorly designed. they're going up because rail service is being constrained to 'profitable' routes, air travel likewise, and we've lost our shipbuilding and transporting industry long ago. heck, we can't even win the Americ'a Cup any more we've fallen so far behind.

Now we understand that infrastructure is a problem across America. It just isn’t here in Port Orford. But, in Port Orford you’ll get a rubber meets the road view of it. We’ve mentioned as a recurring theme in our post stream that infrastructure, government responsibility and our future depend on citizens thinking a bit beyond the idea that taxes are their money and that it only take American initiative to succeed. We want you to look around and see what is happening to cities and to businesses in our industrial centers.

The most important thing you’re going to find is that we’ve not been paying attention to our infrastructure. We’ve not taken our responsibility to work together to keep it in good working order. The results are now like those proverbial Chickens, coming home to roost in lost employment, lost technological edge, lost leadership in architecture, second rate industrial methodology, communications, transportation, productivity infrastructural base.

But what took place once in Ameica can take place again. We’re proud to say that we’re the son of a farm boy who worked for the CCC and then dedicated his productive life to Bonneville’s building of an electrical grid, a flood control system, and an irrigation system that fruited the inland empire. Now that’s dedication to infrastructure. We understand and we are going to vote for Barack Obama the person who understands that responsibility, commitment to our society, sustaining an infrastructure, are necessary to leverage intitiative. These, together, are keys to American greatness.