Wow, what a statement on inbreeding. You sure you still want to back one of those that crawled out of this gene pool? How about we begin to elect people that have held a real job with real results. I don't trust any of those clones.

You said it: ick.

McGregor wrote:
"You sure you still want to back one of those that crawled out of this gene pool?"

Alas, one of the big problems with the "gene pool"
is that there's rarely a lifeguard on duty...

Ohman mapped out this and other incestuous ties in local government in his editorial cartoon on Sunday (don't think it's on the website yet). Having such close romantic and social (and economic) connections among members of the political class is pretty much unavoidable in a smallish city like Portland, but it never ceases to disappoint.

But, but, but...Eco-roofs! Vegetable gardens! Bio-diesel!

BUSH/CHENEY are self-dealing insiders who only care about making their cronies rich.
Bike lanes! Pro-Choice! SEIU endorsed!

Proly nobody on the hiring committee even knew they were related. Green jobs! Stand for Children! Progressive voice!

Move along, citizen. Don't look at the man behind the curtain.

LOL, it is said that "Politics makes strange bedfellows", but their offspring made a marvelous carnival sideshow. You can see them at every political forum.

Bikes! Green jobs! Organic!

"Second, people eager to serve, but without time or inclination for politics..."

Time or inclination to suck up and become part of the hidden agenda you mean.

Shallow end of the gene pool at that, being used to gaze at their own reflection....

From the O, Anna Griffin link above:
. . And maybe we just have it too good. Change comes from crisis, and we haven't seen a lot of that in Oregon recently. Yes, we need jobs and our schools are in trouble. But this remains a fantastic and fantastically easy place to live, particularly compared to other big cities. . .

Are you kidding? It hasn't been too good when essentially only insiders are allowed in to continue the agenda. Others who attempt to run are invariably marginalized.
Comments such as "may be a good person, but . . . " “has run before but lost” portraying good people as losers somehow. This is done to the point of even excluding some that are not considered "viable" from debates. When there are debates, generally they are quite controlled.

It has not been a fantastically easy place to live here and to have to witness the city moving over a cliff financially and to witness the corruption here. I suppose if one doesn't pay attention, all is OK.

It is not fantastically easy to live in a place where we have a wonderful Bull Run Water System knowing that our city is going down the track of putting our community in debt to over a billion dollars and degrading the health of our water - for a public health problem that does not exist!
But what can one expect from insiders that go along and who benefits from this?

Second, people eager to serve, but without time or inclination for politics, have myriad other ways to get involved such as nonprofits and neighborhood associations.

Yes lets keep some of those folks eager to serve in the nonprofits and neighborhood associations. Is that to keep them busy and out of the hair of "the real chosen insiders"? There are over 90 neighborhood associations in Portland, why haven't they been more vocal about our city being worked over? My perception is that the city keeps them very busy on the agenda and of course there are always those who like to "work with the city insiders", and somehow like to feel they are an important part of the system.

clinamen said;
"It is not fantastically easy to live in a place where we have a wonderful Bull Run Water System knowing that our city is going down the track of putting our community in debt to over a billion dollars and degrading the health of our water - for a public health problem that does not exist!"

The city has capitulated to the will of the EPA on the water issue, just as they buy the EPA declaration that your very breath (CO2) is causing global warming. The perpetuation of bad science and corruption will continue in Oregon as long as the voters continue to blindly reelect incumbent imbeciles. Just look at the legacy “better green than being able to pay the rent” Kulungoski is going to leave.

Wasn't there someone else that was running the library dating a staffer that helped fund the library?

Say hello to more old ideas being recirculated.

Believe me - It is us vs. them anymore. They really don't care about what anyone thinks outside of their cocktail circuit.

Oh, you missed the best one - Jasun Wurster and Mary Volm?

At least Sammy dates people too young for public office - so far.

Yes David,
Unfortunately, they have. However, they will tell citizens they are also working on an exemption, but meanwhile are much more focused on the track of more unnecessary expensive projects. These people apparently have no conscience and are betraying our community.

This EPA LT2 rule was based on politics not science.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/04/epa_scientists_complain_about.php

Survey shows hundreds of EPA scientists complaint about political pressure.

I also fault the media for not doing the investigative journalism needed in our city.

Again, from the O, Anna Griffin link above:
. . And maybe we just have it too good. Change comes from crisis, and we haven't seen a lot of that in Oregon recently. Yes, we need jobs and our schools are in trouble. But this remains a fantastic and fantastically easy place to live, particularly compared to other big cities. . .

People are being told we just have it too good. No investigative journalism, then no worry right? Too much is just under the radar screen. Why do citizens have to do the investigating? Several citizens I know of spent 6 weeks, 8 hrs. a day going through water bureau documents.
Now, the bureau is making things more difficult to get the document information. One way they do this is by attaching a huge bill to citizen's efforts.

Speaking of investigative journalism, the OR AP could not find anyone to recognize last month with a prize for 2009 investigative work in the electronic media (TV, radio, Internet). Weather awards were distributed as usual.

Here's a gem from the Portland Business Journal,which interviewed the candidates running for Mult County Commission in the April 23 edition. When Karol Collymore was asked, "What's the county's biggest business hurdle?", she responded:

"We currently do not encourage our contracting partners to offer health insurance and sick leave to their employees. Some do, to be sure, but the county should reflect its values throughout our programs and contracts. Protecting employees' peace of mind and their livelihood enhances businesses in Oregon."

Think about it. Of all the issues she could have addressed, she claimed that the inability of the private sector to offer the lavish bennies of government employers is the No. 1 problem.

Maybe if government workers got the same fringe benefits as private sector workers, there'd be a lot more money left over to carry out the mission of county agencies.

John Charles