This must be one of those "Dictated but not Read" notes that High-Octane Executives send. "The entire City Council should be able to weigh in its merits absent [sic & re-sic] building a baseball stadium in Lents." "General Funds are used to 'tranuch' [sic] for the purposes of funding a Lents URA project..." Please , Sir, what means these in your English? And the same boziod consultants to opine again...

Is 'tranuch' a tranche designated by a eunuch?

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong it's reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."

--Abraham Lincoln

sorry, Abe.

"I hope we shall take warning from the example of England and crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our Government to trial, and bid defiance to the laws of our country."

--Thomas Jefferson

sorry, Tom.

"The mischief springs from the power which the monied interest derives from a paper currency which they are able to control, from the multitude of corporations with exclusive privileges which they have succeeded in obtaining...and unless you become more watchful in your states and check this spirit of monopoly and thirst for exclusive privileges you will in the end find that the most important powers of government have been given or bartered away…"

--Andrew Jackson

sorry, Andy.

Unbelievable. Your (COW) Coalition of the Weasels at work, with your money, folks.

hey but all them po folk can pave their front yards and charge 12 bucks to park for
games , back in baltimore we
used to give kids 5 to watch
our cars... seriously this is
Ronny Reagan's 'trickle on'
[woops] Meant 'trickle down' economy

Here's what I don't get:

Adams and Leonard, above all else, need votes. The majority of voters seem totally against this nutty idea.

Yet the City Council persists.

Talk about overcoming difficulites to put together the worst deal.

Let's see, this is a bad deal all around if Paulson runs it like a business. So now Saltzman wants to look like a compassionate genius and raises the bar higher on Paulson making a profit.

This compunds the deal and Paulson enterprise goes the way of PFE by not making a profit and can't make rent payments. Soon it goes out of biz and now we have two empty stadia.

Throwing darts at a decision board would give us better results. Why am I seeing TARP and pork writ large on this whole deal?

Disappointing, but predictable. Saltzman is completely spineless. Always has been, always will be. What a joke.

When 1,000 or 2,000 cars descend upon the area on game night and the parking lot holds only 200, where are the rest going to park, and how does that impact the neighborhood?

Not that I like this absurd Lents stadium scheme, but I thought the photos occasionally shown here on this blog demonstrate that turnout for the Beavers has been tiny. Is it realistic that 1 or 2 thousand cars full of people will show up for a game in Lents?

When they give away beer and other stuff, they can draw 7000 or more. They claim an average attendance of 5500. That's probably inflated, as our recent posts have shown, but 4000 would not be unreasonable. 4000 fans is probably 2000 cars -- at least 1500.

More documents linked here.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/portlandcityhall/2009/06/lents_park_memos_circulate_at.html

"tranuch" is used more than once and always in quotes (Why?). I don't think it was a mistake but I haven't been able to find a meaning or translation for this word. Why do people writing this stuff feel the irresistable urge to use faux legalize that cannot be understood by anybody outside a charette?

What would William Safire do? Probably break out in hives after reading this.

Now I see. He means "tranche" not "tranuch."

"Tranche" is a French word meaning "slice" or "portion". In the world of investing, it is used to describe a security that can be split up into smaller pieces and subsequently sold to investors.

Or at least I assume that is the case.

Since taking land for a proposed stadium would split "the security" (Lents Park) up into smaller pieces to be awarded to private investors, I guess it fits.

I think we need to adjust the City's share of this railroad job ... Saltzman's demand for a "living wage" will probably be just like PGE Park, where the City kicks in a few bucks an hour. Oh, didn't he mention that? What a surprise.

But like I said, done by a eunuch (or a trans-eunuch?)

So I assume Jack will be advocating for the recall of Saltzman and Leonard. The recall is now only a few weeks away for Mayor Creepy. If you want this crap to stop, you've got to get rid of all 3 of them. Just getting rid of Sam ain't gunna do it, folks.

I don't think there's any way for the public to stop this once these 3 shams for the term "public servant" all vote yes. A total recall is the only way. Someone please tell me I'm wrong...

And echohuman, those are all great quotes but if you really want to eliminate corporatism in America, the only way is to quit passing laws that require corporations (and bozos like Paulson and the real estate swindlers spoken of here frequently) to lobby government in the first place. We've got to get back to the roots of this country and that's limited government. It's the only true way to freedom and liberty...for all.

Divide et impera can be a reciprocal proposition. But, it doesn't happen by itself or if you expect other people to do it. Most division of opposition is realized because of the lack of smart organization and effective action by the opponents themselves. That, too, is a reciprocal proposition. Organize and take effective action.

From Wikipedia: "tranche (often misspelled as traunch or traunche)"

or in this case "tranuch"

Late this evening after the Friday workday was done - as usual - Dan Saltzman released a third page of demands before he'll vote yes on the baseball deal:

1. The 7th inning stretch shall now take place during the 6th inning.
2. No player shall "scratch himself" more than 17 times in any game without special permission from the council.
3. Two additional innings will be added to each game, and the revenue generated from concessions, etc...will be used to help fund the convention hotel.
4. I want 30 tickets per game set aside for a special fund to buy Merritt Paulson a pony.
5. The term, "The Dan Quayle of City Hall" will no longer be used by the citizens of Portland. However, I will be invited to throw out the first pitch if the Beavers ever make it to the World Series.
6. My character will no longer be impugned behind my back with any derogatory names, including but not limited to the following: "The Human Jelly Fish", "Sam and Randy's Pet Poodle", and "Dan the Dorky Pile of Subservient Goo."
7. The Oregonian shall write a glowing editorial comparing me to a super-hero as they did after I flipped my vote on the tram. This time, instead of the Man of Steel, I'd like to be The Green Hornet or Bat Man, whichever has a smaller carbon footprint.
8. When I do announce my vote I would like some thunderous applause from the crowd at city hall. I love that part.
9. Sam Adams shall then praise my leadership and the careful way I arrived at my decision even though it was a foregone conclusion from Day 1 that I would go along with the powers that be.
10. Lastly, would it kill the people of Portland to take me seriously? How about an occasional "Dan the Man"? Would that be so wrong?
Thanks....

signed -- Dan "The Man of Steel", "Green Hornet", "Bat Man" Saltzman

How about Putzman, instead?

Sigh. Just say "no" Dan. You won't be alone. Fish and Fritz will stand with you.

30 free tickets per game for six schools?

Why not 180 tickets per game (30 per school) so that a class can attend from each school?

It's not like they're running out of tickets anytime soon.

"Dan Saltzman released a third page of demands"

Don't forget the requirement for a diverse workforce on the team which will include racial, gender, age, handicapped and sexual orientation minorities.

This has FAIL written all over it.

Bill wrote:
4. I want 30 tickets per game set aside for a special fund to buy Merritt Paulson a pony.

That, I presume, would be for the boa constrictor?

The number and breadth of Saltzman's preconditions to his approval are indicative of how ill-conceived and slapdash this proposal is.

Just say "no" Dan. You'll be in very good company.

...What the hell. When you already have over five-and-a-half billion on the credit card and you know you will be going bankrupt in the near future anyway, why not go for those last few bursts of high-rollin' fun.

I think the jobs-creation angle of all this is mainly about the positions promised to Dan, Randy, and Sam in the Paulson organization after each of them is either recalled this year or voted out in the next election cycle.

Those Timbers scarves may come in handy if any commissioners find themselves begging on the street this coming winter.

And . . .

"For the first time in my life I began to realize that it is not evil and brutality, but nearly always weakness that is to blame for the worst things that happened in the world."

- Stefan Zweig

"Daniel became famous for interpreting dreams and rose to become one of the most important figures in the court and lived well into the reign of the Portland conquerors." From The Book of Daniel II: Beneath the Planet of the Paulsons

In this case, in effect, tranche = truncheon. Portland's taxpayers are going to get beat out of their money.

Portland Parks & Recreation has requested comments on its "Park System Plan 2009" at:

http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=38306

The plan contemplates the development of a "Park System Code" which will govern development and zoning of open spaces.

This plan may come too late to save Lents Park, but maybe we can prevent a similar planning travesty from happening to another neighborhood park in the future.

Fire up those keyboards.

What a simplistic, superficial screed and with like-kind confusing graphics, to boot. People are funny.

Search that "Park System Plan 2009" for the following words and you get nil: "sound" "aural" "viewshed" "quiet" "context" "preserve" "respect" "obligation" "steward"

Search the word "unique" (which appears only twice in duplicative expressions) and you'll find this gem:

The Park System Plan’s basic tenets are as follows:

1. The traditional approach to parks and recreation planning, influenced by three major, mostly separate fields of study
(landscape architecture, recreation, and natural resource management) needs a more holistic approach with better integration of the three disciplines.
2. Park agencies need to focus on understanding, expanding, diversifying, and improving the park experience.
3. The basic formula for defining the parks and recreation experience is: People + Activities + Settings = Experiences.
4. There is a full spectrum of park system settings, from the most
remote and inaccessible natural area or darkest forest, to the most intensively used public space or square, full of people
at all hours, with perhaps no trees, plants, or landscaping.
5. The three primary settings in the park system spectrum are: Nature, Nature-People, and People.
6. Settings tend to be the most critical component in determining the park system experience. A setting is like a stage that creates a suitable environment for the action to be performed. Each setting has unique qualities that make it appropriate (or inappropriate) for different types and intensity of recreation use. A park may have multiple
settings.
7. The Park System Plan sets guidelines for the balanced management of people, activities, and settings in order to
maintain and enhance the recreation experience.

Have fun searching with your favorite terms. Maybe start with "protect." Perhaps that exercise can help commenters provide better content for the new "Plan."

Start with improving on that insipid formula that they've concocted: People + Activities + Settings = Experiences