Oregon Public Empowerment News (Oregon PEN) - New Newspaper Launched!

Subscribe at OregonPEN.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just in time for the announcement to be obliterated by the ex-Gov's stepping down, Oregon PEN launched on Oregon's 156th Birthday!

The publisher is Oregon Public Empowerment Network LLC, one of those new-fangled "B" Companies -- private companies, but formed specially to be able to take account of the public interest rather than acting solely for profit. 

The OPEN LLC mission is to publish Oregon PEN, a weekly all-digital online newspaper to empower and engage Oregonians in making Oregon better. 

Oregon PEN will be an "all signal, no noise" newspaper, sifting through the flood of information competing for your attention and helping you spot the most significant issues and meaningful trends, and giving you the information you need to make your voice heard on those issues.

All proceeds above expenses will be go to support organizations and entities that provide for critical needs, such as Legal Aid Services of Oregon, or that make Oregon better for everyone. 

OregonPEN.org. Weekly email Oregon issues/legal newspaper.
All signal, no noise, fluff or filler. Seriousness without solemnity.

Sat, June 7 -- Event: The Color of Wealth

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." - 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A great follow up to the recent David Cay Johnston talk on the rapid rise in inequality in the US.

Petition to demand Pentagon financial audit instead of cuts to programs for the 99%

Republicans have forced devastating cuts to vital programs like food stamps and Meals on Wheels to safeguard against “fraud” and “waste.”

But here’s the real fraud: A new investigative report by Reuters shows that the Defense Department waste is so astonishingly bad that the Pentagon doesn’t know how much money it has, where it comes from, or where it goes.
Sign the petition telling Congress: Stop all spending cuts and audit the Defense Department.

We will hand deliver the signatures to Senate Budget Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senate Appropriations Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) who have the subpoena power to start an investigation like this. Please click here to sign the petition.

Just how bad is the waste? Faulty and fraudulent accounting across the Defense Department is so bad that no one actually knows how much money the Pentagon has, how much of it is spent, how much is wasted, how much is stolen, or how much was spent on what it was intended for.

You read that right: No one knows how much money the Defense Department has or spends, or where is goes—not even the Defense Department itself.

And the accounting problems aren’t just money related. Apparently the Pentagon doesn’t know how many weapons it has either--leading them to buy more arms and munitions than they need because they can’t account for the ones they have.

The Defense Department receives one-half of all money appropriated by Congress every year—but it can’t account for any of it. Meanwhile, Republicans have been demanding more cuts to programs like food stamps. It’s outrageous and it needs to stop.
Sign the petition: No more cuts. Audit the Defense Department.

Keep fighting,
Michael Langenmayr
Campaign Director, Daily Kos

LOVESalem Election Endorsements

Ballot Measures: The table above is pretty much right on -- except that it's a firm, big NO & NO on 82 and 83, and it's a regretful NO on 80, a very poorly drafted measure that would do more to discredit a saner approach to marijuana than anything else.  Measures 79 and 84 are particularly horrible, and deserve to be defeated something like 80% to 20% if not worse.

Just how bad is Measure 84?  That's kind of a hard question to answer, since it contains a sneaker provision that nobody's even talking about -- essentially the repeal of ALL capital gains taxes in Oregon, since the measure includes a provision that there are NO TAXES at all for inter-family property transfers.  So someone who inherits 100 shares of MicroSoft or Apple that were purchased back in the 80s, what they will do is "sell" them to a family member before selling them out into the market, and presto! Not only has any estate taxes been eliminated, but also all the capital gains taxes.  In fact, Measure 84 is So bad that Kevin Mannix and the cronies tried to resort to lying about AARP's position on it.  

REMEMBER:  Oregon already has a $15 million property tax exemption for family farms.  There are ZERO family farmers who have any problem paying the estate tax.  The whole family farm thing during discussions of the estate tax is just a bunch of rich folks trying to hide behind a popular myth.

Contested judicial races:  Judge Richard Baldwin (Supreme Court) and Judge Jim Egan (Court of Appeals) are both clearly the right picks by a long shot.

Both Baldwin and Egan are sitting trial judges, and both deserve to go upwards.

In each race, they are the only candidates in their races with meaningful judicial experience.

It appears that Baldwin is a D, while Egan is an R; however, in these nonpartisan races, what counts is that both are committed doing the job with integrity, and both have splendid recommendations from not just clients but also from people they've ruled against.

Both are opposed by the usual cadre of corporate interests who want to be able to sue you at the drop of a hat, but never face justice themselves.

Related articles

• Under threat, Kevin Mannix removes AARP article from Measure 84 website
• Vote 'no' on Measure 84 to end the estate tax: Editorial endorsement
• Measure 84 could cost state more than first thought, report says
• The enormous tax break for the rich hidden in Measure 84

A petition worth signing: REINSTATE GLASS-STEAGALL

griftopia (Photo credit: cdrummbks)Hi,

I signed a petition to The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Barack Obama titled "Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act".

Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://signon.org/sign/reinstate-the-glass-steagall-5?source=s.em.cp&r_by=756599

Thanks!

Petitioning Salem City Council to Support Move to Amend

Check out marionpolkmovetoamend.org for information on the local drive to persuade the Salem City Council to endorse the growing national movement to recognize that only people -- and not corporations -- are people.

The councilors have advised us to get as much input from as many Salem residents as possible, it is perfectly reasonable for the councilors to be sure a good chunk of Salem residents are behind this movement.

Brochure about Move to Amend: http://movetoamend.org/move-amend-brochure

List of Cities and States already accepted or in progress: 

City of Salem your council ward

Salem Neighborhood Associations Map

Please note, sign, and forward a link to the petition to the right

Please click on the petition to the right and consider it carefully as we approach the National Work Day on climate, 10/10/10.

Here's what the best thinking is on climate, in a nutshell: humans will use all the oil and gas we can get our hands on, and it's irrelevant to climate stability as to who uses it. And even so, we have a good chance of getting a grip on climate. What we can't survive is coal use, whether mined, or fractured to get at the coal-bed gas.

And we have zero chance of persuading others to forgo coal use unless we lead by example. Oregon is the perfect place for leadership, because we have just one coal plant (Boardman) and it's such an inefficient and dirty pig that we'll see tremendous benefits from its closure or conversion to other fuels.

But its main owner, PGE, is playing the terrorist, pointing a gun at the planet and saying "Yo, here's the offer, you leave us alone and don't make us spend any money on cleaning up this pig and we'll agree to shut it down in 2020 or else" with the "or else" being that they will fight to keep the plant open to 2040 or beyond.

Just as with so many other steps towards environmental sanity, the business fighting progress is the very one that will benefit the most from the measures that they're fighting. It has happened again and again and again, so much so that it's practically an iron law: given any proposed environmental restriction that has costs and benefits, businesses grossly overestimate the costs of environmental improvements, downplay the benefits, and ignore the followup benefits that accrue to society in general (like, you know, a livable planet).

PGE is in an interesting spot because their PR machine is all about being green, even as they operate the single biggest polluting facility of any kind in Oregon. You practically need a microscope and a Ph.D in research to find the word "coal" on the PGE website, so adverse is the utility to admitting that it's a filthy polluter that uses the atmosphere as a sewer for tons of CO2, NOx, particulates, and mercury (not to mention polonium, lead, and a host of other nasties, all of which coal plants emit in tremendous quantity relative to any other source of exposure for society).

So the petition offers a deal: Make the bastards richer for doing the right thing (getting off coal by 2014) than they are getting from doing the insane thing (continuing to burn coal). We shouldn't have to pay people to act sensibly, but that's the way it is. The other side of the bargain is that, after 2014, nobody could make a dime -- not even recover their costs -- for burning coal or selling imported electricity derived from coal.

We can't afford zero progress on coal until 2020 -- and if places like Oregon don't lead the way, that's exactly what we're going to see, zero progress globally. I'm starting into the back nine of life, so this won't affect me too terribly much, but if you have kids or grandkids you care about, then you owe it to them to understand the world PGE plans to unleash on them and why that's not a world you should want to leave them.

Is Salem Audubon looking for you?

Image by Andrew Parodi via Wikipedia

A friend sends:

This is for you to think about regarding anyone you might know who would be interested in working with Audubon in protecting/promoting natural resources. Their director is retiring and they need part-time help in their Reed Opera House office.

The profile for an application is on their website, home page lower right corner.

The fascinating fact is that they have money and are about to build a nature center here in a wonderful spot near downtown. Nothing firm yet, but looks promising.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SALEM AUDUBON SOCIETY

Salem Audubon Society is an affiliate of the National Audubon Society in Salem, Oregon with approximately 1600 members. Salem Audubon Society provides nature education to school children, offers birding field trips and other member programs, and is involved in environmental advocacy. Salem Audubon has been considering potential sites for building a nature center.

THE POSITION
The Executive Director is responsible for the overall administration of Salem Audubon Society in its transition from a traditional birding organization to an organization developing and managing a nature center. This person provides organizational leadership, administers programs, manages finances, and supports the work of the board. This is a currently a half time position, but has the potential to evolve into a full time position.

QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Ability to convey the mission of Salem Audubon Society: Promoting the appreciation of nature and respect for natural places.

2. Demonstrated ability in financial management, including developing and managing a budget.

3. Demonstrated leadership skills and collaborative management style.

4. Bachelor’s degree preferred. Other demonstrated experience will be considered.

TO APPLY: Individuals interested in applying may submit a resume and cover letter to davidlichter@comcast.net.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: July 17, 2009

Time to Start Clucking About Your Support for CITY

The Salem City Council needs to hear from you if you (a) want to keep hens or (b) don't mind if others do.

Copy this address list and let 'er rip. Keep it short, keep it polite, keep on the issue. Probably best to send to all nine and note your ward in the text of your note.

jtaylor@cityofsalem.net; crbennett@cityofsalem.net; ltesler@cityofsalem.net; bnanke@cityofsalem.net; tjsullivan@cityofsalem.net; ddickey@cityofsalem.net; brogers@cityofsalem.net; bcannon@cityofsalem.net; dclem@cityofsalem.net