Why I Defaulted on My Student Loans - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/opinion/sunday/why-i-defaulted-on-my-student-loans.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150606&nlid=5930843&tntemail0=y&_r=1


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Elon Musk Builds Alternative “Un-School” Without Grades For His Children | True Activist

http://www.trueactivist.com/elon-musk-builds-alternative-un-school-without-grades-for-his-children/

The test crazed public schools are becoming child abuse factories and it all starts with the idea that children are goods to be graded on the ability to turn tricks desired by the trainer rather than people to be educated into their full birthright potentials.

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

'The Sky Remains Aloft': Dire $15 Minimum Wage Predictions Proved Wrong

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/06/04/sky-remains-aloft-dire-minimum-wage-predictions-proved-wrong


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Act now to SUPPORT National Popular Vote for our only National Election

A key bill to fix the Electoral College in Oregon could be on the legislative docket any day now. Will you click here to urge your lawmakers to support it?

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The Electoral College needs fixing because presidential candidates regularly ignore Oregon under the current system of electing the President. 

Please take a moment to e-mail your Oregon state legislators to tell them to support the National Popular Vote bill (SB 680 and HB 3475).  Your action NOW can make a difference because the bill is expected to come up shortly in the Oregon legislature.

Presidential campaigns routinely ignore Oregon because electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who gets the most popular votes within each separate state.

The result of this so-called "winner-take-all rule" is that candidates virtually ignore states, like Oregon, where the statewide outcome is a foregone conclusion. 

Because of the current "winner-take-all" rule, a mere 12 states received all 253 general-election campaign events in the 2012 campaign.  The closely divided "battleground" state of Iowa (which is smaller than Oregon) received 27 events, while Oregon received none. Nevada (smaller than Oregon) received 13 events, while Oregon received none.
 
The winner-take-all rule adversely affects governance as well as campaigning. Sitting Presidents (whether planning their own re-election or the election of their preferred successor) pay inordinate attention to closely divided "battleground" states. "Battleground" states receive over 7% more grants (and over 5% more grant dollars) than other states.

A closely divided "battleground" state can expect to receive twice as many presidential disaster declarations as an uncompetitive state. Even worse, many major policy decisions are made with the special interests of so-called "battleground" states in mind.

Under the National Popular Vote bill, the Electoral College would be reformed so that the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC will become President. 

If you believe that a vote cast in Oregon should count as much as a vote cast anywhere else, please take a moment to e-mail your Oregon state legislators to tell them to support the National Popular Vote bill (SB 680 and HB 3475). 

Under a national popular vote, every voter in every state would matter in every presidential election. A vote in Oregon (Republican, Democrat, or independent) would be just as valuable as a vote in a closely divided state such as Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Florida, or Colorado. 

The U.S. Constitution (Article II, Section 1) gives the states exclusive control over awarding their electoral votes: "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors…."  Using the constitutional power that the states already have, the states can reform the method of awarding their electoral votes so as to establish a national popular vote for President (while retaining the Electoral College and state control of elections).  

The National Popular Vote bill has already been enacted into law by 11 states, including four small states (Hawaii, Vermont, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia), three medium-sized states (Washington state, Maryland, and Massachusetts), and three big states (Illinois, California, and New Jersey).  The bill has passed a total of 33 state legislative chambers in 22 states.

The Oregon House has twice passed the bill by 38-21 and 39-19 margins. This year, the bill is already sponsored by 16 Oregon Senators (out of 30). 

The National Popular Vote bill would not take effect until enacted by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough to elect a President (270 of 538). After the bill takes effect, the President would be the candidate who received the most popular votes from all 50 states (and DC) on Election Day. Then, when the Electoral College meets in mid-December, the national popular vote winner would receive all of the electoral votes from the enacting states.

The current system has elected a second-place candidate in 4 of the nation's 57 presidential elections. The National Popular Vote bill would eliminate this possibility by guaranteeing that the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC) would become President.  

If you believe that a vote cast in Oregon should count as much as a vote cast anywhere else, please take a moment to e-mail your Oregon state legislators to tell them to support the National Popular Vote bill (SB 680 and HB 3475). 

Learn more at www.NationalPopularVote.com. 

Click here to like National Popular Vote.

Thank you. 

—Demand Progress and Oregon National Popular Vote

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Fixed that for you

One of the many pseudo-green groups being funded to push agrofuels asked me to write to Salem's legislators about the so-called "Clean Fuels" bill, which is actually nothing but a scam, so I modified their letter and submitted it:

> I'm appalled at Oregon for falling for the idea that it is taking a stand to clean up air pollution with the Clean Fuels Program. Our children's health and our community well-being demands we transition off of polluting fuels.
>
> That is why it's imperative that we take meaningful action to slash fossil fuels, and not waste time on nonsense like biofuels, which is nothing but subsidy grubbing by people like SeQuential Biodiesel, who are trying to play the game by trying to grab even more subsidy dollars by claiming they will expand operations now that the Clean Fuels Program will be implemented.
>
> Don't pull the rug out from Oregon by settling for phony programs that keep us tied to the liquid fuels, private auto model, which only helps Big Oil get the last drops of profit from dirty fuels.
>
> The Clean Fuels Program must be abolished in favor of real action on climate, a carbon tax and rebate program
>
> Keeping Oregon addicted to oil by pouring more dollars down the agrofuels rathole only hurts our state. Please help our state. Stop playing politics and kill the Clean Fuels program, and get serious about climate policies that actually work, like B.C.'s carbon taxes.
>
> Yours sincerely,



"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Jon Stewart Slams The Chickenhawks On Foreign Policy: 'Learning Curves Are For P*ssies' | Crooks and Liars [feedly]

Astounding that there is more real insight in what is nominally a humor show than in all of DC.

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Jon Stewart Slams The Chickenhawks On Foreign Policy: 'Learning Curves Are For P*ssies' | Crooks and Liars
http://crooksandliars.com/2015/06/jon-stewart-slams-chickenhawks-foreign
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Shared via my feedly reader

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Why doesn't Salem have a goal to house all homeless vets like Portland?

Senator Courtney,

Rep. Clem:

Portland is aiming to house all their homeless vets by Veterans Day. 

Why not Salem?

Salem should and easily could do the same. We could work with the state, community housing, and ODVA to take over the North State Hospital campus and provide immediate housing for scores and scores of vets and families, and build it into a full service center to help homeless veterans get reconnected and reoriented.

When I moved to Salem I contacted Veterans for Peace and asked them to give me a list of all the local members so I could see about forming a chapter. When I got the list, the vast majority all had the same address, which I thought strange . . . . until Google showed me that it was the state prison. A disproportionate number of vets cycle between homelessness and incarceration.  We have a great facility available to us for helping break that cycle.

http://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-seeks-more-landlords-who-will-rent-to-veterans-with-vouchers/ 

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

WELCOME TO ARROWHEADBORNBETTERCOM*: Not affiliated with Arrowhead or Nestle -it's a parody!

http://www.arrowheadbornbetter.com/


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Outrageously Terrible Idea from Salem's own Brian Clem

This is more corporate wheeling and dealing to defeat democracy in Oregon and prevent anything that interferes with corporate profits.

Agriculture in Oregon has PLENTY of advocates who make sure that ANY costs to farmers are WELL understood and considered in Salem. This is an underhanded, anti-democratic, anti-American assault on the whole idea that businesses -- including agribusiness -- do not operate in a vacuum, and have a responsibility to operate within reasonable regulations. 

Rep. Brian Clem should be ashamed of himself. The logic of this bill is the same logic used against all progressive legislation in America and at the heart of all efforts against any progressive legislation.

HB 3212 would entitle farmers to be compensated for any local or state regulation they deem would create a loss in value to their operation as a result of the regulation. If a local or state government could not, or did not want to pay the compensation, they would have to waive the enacted regulation. This puts a huge chilling effect on a variety of land-use practices that help protect our waterways, air quality, soil health, animal treatment and human health.

Please review the information below and take action TODAY by:
Calling or emailing your Senator and/or Senate President Peter Courtney
(Senator Courtney's email address is: sen.petercourtney@state.or.us and his
phone number is: 503-986-1600.) TODAY;

Attend the hearing and testify against the bill; and/or
Write a letter to the editor.

The bill passed the House and will be heard this coming Monday, June 1st, at 1 p.m., Hearing Room B, by the Senate Business and Transportation Committee

Membership                        

Chair    Senator Lee Beyer
Member    Senator Rod Monroe
Member    Senator Chuck Riley
Member    Senator Chuck Thomsen
Vice-Chair    Senator Fred Girod

HB 3212 would protect harmful agribusiness activities from being regulated now and in the future by that entitling farmers to compensation from local and state governments for loss in value due to regulatory changes that forced them to change their practices. If a county or the state could not, or did not want to, pay compensation they would have to waive the enacted regulation.

Promoted by Rep. Brian Clem, the bill could lead to huge taxpayer funded compensation payouts related to laws and rules adopted since January 1, 2010 that have led to cleaner air, cleaner water and better animal welfare standards on farms. If state and local agencies were unable to afford to pay for compensation claims, laws and rules would have to be waived or go unenforced. Examples if impacted legislation include:

• Rules adopted to enforce Oregon’s ban on large-scale field burning in the Willamette Valley
  
• Oregon’s landmark law requiring larger cage sizes for laying hens, adopted in 2011 and phased in by rule in coming years
  
• Jackson County’s 2014 voter adopted ban on genetically engineered crops
  
• Additionally, the legislation is so broad, it could impact numerous existing Oregon Department of Agriculture authorities that help protect clean water, prevent livestock disease outbreaks and more.

Such ‘regulatory takings’ legislation is straight out of the right wing anti-government/anti-environment playbook and only serves to protect the most polluting agricultural industries and harmful practices, not most Oregon family farmers.

One amendment under discussion would make the bill only apply to new regulations adopted after January 1, 2016. This is still terrible public policy. While it would not overturn pre-existing laws or rules, it would preemptively tie the hands of state agencies and local governments, and create a ‘chilling effect’ on new regulations intended to protect the environment from, and prevent harmful impacts of, some farming practices. For example, even if HB 3212 only applied to new regulations or laws adopted after January 1, 2016, it could prevent:

• Better regulation of pesticide spraying to protect streams, pollinators and sensitive habitats
   
• Stronger regulation of genetically engineered (GE) crops to protect organic and other non-GE growers impacted by lax oversight over these crops currently
   
• Rules to protect rainbow trout and stream health by requiring farmers to plant trees or other vegetation near streams to prevent erosion and provide shade
   
• Animal welfare standards needed to provide animals on factory farms better living conditions.
   
• Oregon has a long history of showing leadership on adopting such reforms, including banning gestation crates for sows and requiring larger cage sizes for laying hens.

What you can do: HB 3212 already passed the House, but is up for a hearing and possible committee vote at 1pm on Monday, June 1 in the Senate Business and Transportation Committee. Please call and email your State Senator and urge them to oppose HB 3212, even if it is amended to just apply to future regulations. As Senate President, Senator Peter Courtney is a key player on whether this bill moves forward or not. Also, please consider

attending the hearing on June 1 and testifying in opposition. Senator Courtney's email address is: sen.petercourtney@state.or.us and his phone number is: 503-986-1600.

Moyers on the Challenge of Journalism in the Plutocracy Pressure-Cooker

OregonPEN.org

Read Bill Moyer’s profound and worrisome essay. 



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