The voters in the Multnomah County/Portland area, in their ideological wisdom, elect officials who chase the tax base out of town.

I always thought that these were the sorts of elected officials that people like Jack wanted elected. Now that they've been in total control for so long (30+ years), you can see they're no better, if not worse, IMHO.

Portland (along with the whole states of California and Michigan) is a prime example of progressive political agendas run amok. Money never seems to be an issue with these people. They always find some place new to tax or put a fee on to get some new cash, all without thinking about unintended consequences.

It'll be interesting to see how fast downtown falls with nobody coming down on Sundays. I went down to Pioneer Place a few Sundays ago and it was already quieter than I'd ever seen it. The Apple Store was busy but all of those folks were waiting to spend their money on an iPhone (as Jack mentioned last week).

Until the entrenched idiots at City Hall and Salem are shown the door by the electorate, we'll keep getting more of the same. Just don't complain about it to me.

If this weren't where I was born and raised and my family wasn't still here, I'd have left Portland and Oregon long, long ago. BTW, could someone show me the way to Galt's Valley?

Hey, Samdy hates cars, so I am willing to oblige. I will go out of my way to avoid downtown for any reason.

Yet another reason to park in the ODS tower on Third and Alder on weekends. $2 all day, and MAX is across the street.

Congrats, Portland. You are now going to see exactly $0.00 of my money from parking.

But it's okay: the manifold contributions of the "creative class" will more than make up for the shortfall in business downtown, right? I mean, naked bicycling and all-night block parties should bring in enough tourists to keep those already-choking businesses from going under, right? Right?

This really is the epitome of penny-wise and pound-foolish, but I knew it was coming. Portland has found a way to tax just about every aspect of life now. What this will do is keep people out of downtown who used to go on sunday and spend money. I bet the end result is a decrease in revenue.

The justification's nonsensical, too:

"The additional money, they say, is necessary to maintain service because of a drop in state revenue and gas taxes."

I have a modest proposal: reduce or eliminate the parking meter program. It's been done in several cities, with excellent results.

But surely not in Progressive Portland. We're the Greenest City in America (tm)!

Washington Square: now $1.60/hour cheaper than shopping downtown, even on Sundays.

And Clackamas Town Center also has free parking. You can also get there by bus and soon by MAX or even bike. But not by streetcar.

Due to sheer idiocy on my part, I bought a home just 1.5 blocks inside the sw portland city limits; a move I've regretted ever since.

I quite honestly cannot remember the last time I ventured into the downtown area, although it was several years ago. I used to visit about once a week to enjoy the killer food at the Thai Princess, but that place went out of business for some odd reason. It's hard to imagine a business in downtown Portland having to fold, I know....

A couple of years ago (during the first year of that portland "I-tax") I was talking to an old timer who ran a business in downtown portland for over 50 years. His family had basically just started the process of closing up shop and moving outside of Multnomah county.

He was pretty upset about all the things portland has done to drive out small businesses over the last couple of decades. In his words, "They might as well just make it illegal to run a business downtown, because the results would be about the same".

We have to keep reminding ourselves that Parking Revenue is like the City Council's cracked piggy bank.

It is wondrous on how many ways it it used besides our streets-in fact none of it is. Recently Sam Adams has dictatorially decided that he'll use $3.2 Million (per year, I believe)of the Parking taxes for the Milwaukie Light Rail. That's why we need the rate increase.

Add that to the trolley subsidies made by the Parking Revenue and we've only scratched the surface on how Parking Revenue gets scattered.

I've just stopped going down as often myself. Doesn't make sense, there's enough great little neighbourhoods that have fun, local and interesting shops where they don't have fees for parking. Outside of the $1.60 an hour trying to find a spot is a PITA as well. Good luck Portland!

enough great little neighbourhoods that have fun, local and interesting shops where they don't have fees for parking

Yet. Mayor Creepy's already told the folks down on Hawthorne that they're getting them, and many others are no doubt on the drawing boards. Go by streetcar!

I just gave up my parking pass: I'm going to take the bus 3-4 days per week, then drive the rest and pay the rack rate to park. Downside: I won't shop after hours because I won't have free parking. Area restaurants will lose more sales revenue than the City earns from this increase: I guess that's their problem.