Adding insult to injury, did you get your water/sewer bill yet?

The only way to enjoy living in portland anymore is if you live in poverty. Its paradise for the poor.

I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to buy the argument that a $70 increase over two years drastically compromises our region's "livability."

Tax deductability for part of this $145 registration "fee"?

I used to think that the state would one realize that business was their friend, not an enemy.

How young and naive I used to be...

I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to buy the argument that a $70 increase over two years drastically compromises our region's "livability."

It's the nickel-dime attitude. Portland avoided it for a long time. No more. This $70 is just a part of it.

The real irksome part of the higher state vehicle registration fees is that they are incredibly regressive. They were passed by a purportedly "progressive" Democtayic majority in the legislature at the request of that magnificent leader, Sleepy Ted also another self proclaimed "progressive".

Tri Met bus service which actually gets people to / from jobs melts down, forcing folks in the job desert that is Portland into cars to get to jobs, and the State just about doubles the car registration fee and the county slaps on a new tax.

I've got to hand it to Portland's - and Oregon's - "progressives". Not even Mitch McConnell or Karl Rove could whack working folks hanging more cynically or cruely.

Way to go Democrats!

Sure glad you're on our side.

Nonny, please don't forget our wonderful progressives would just love to ad a sales tax too. That would really hurt the working poor.

That is "add" a sales tax, not "ad", I am just not awake this morning.

The broader issues are worth exploring here:

a) The lack of being able to transition out of a forestry and fishing-based economic model has led to limited jobs and serious depletion of trees and fish.

b) The lack of wages keeping up with inflation for 40 years has now reached crisis proportions. We can't afford more taxes or fees- government can't fund itself.

c) The globalization of the economy (seeking slave labor from corrupt regimes) has created a nearly impossible situation for future growth.

Does any local, regional, or national politician have any grasp over these concrete realities- or are they stuck in a "la, la, la, I can't hear you" dreamland?

The decline in wages in Oregon is terrible. The growth just simply isnt there.

John Benton,
Awake or not this morning, ad may just be the right word here.
Am sure there are those who would love to "ad" for a sales tax.

and by the way John, "adding" insult to injury, our water rates will be increasing every year.
. . . our Council does not care about "adding" more unnecessary expenses, they are on a drive to do so with Leonard at the wheel of the water bureau. Adams doesn't "get" finances and the rest are on a joyride with Leonard.

"THE FOOLS IN TOWN ARE ON OUR SIDE"
A wonderful book by Ross Thomas.

Yes, but by choosing to live here and do what you're told you get to say you're doing your part to save the planet!

And what bad economy? I thought it was booming in vocations like illegal drug production, distribution, and sales, adult and child prostitution and pornography, and what about those increasing numbers of suicides and police shootings? Surely a clever person could come up with some way to turn a profit from it?

Dave J.I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to buy the argument that a $70 increase over two years drastically compromises our region's "livability."

Look at Monday's thread on:
The magic of neighborhood infill and density

This title: Another hit to livability

Add it all up and we no longer are the lovely City of Roses, are we? We most definitely have been very worked over by The City That Works now. . and we are being pick pocketed in every which way they can and it won't stop.

Time to change the entire Council or get out of Dodge.

$145? Did it go up again? I did mine earlier this year and it had gone up from $55 to $84. Do you have special plates or something?

Wow. That's an insane amount Jack. What a rip off

Ralph Woods: The broader issues are worth exploring here: . . . .Does any local, regional, or national politician have any grasp over these concrete realities- or are they stuck in a "la, la, la, I can't hear you" dreamland?

I am afraid you are right about dreamland.
I do not perceive that we have in depth thinkers making decisions for us. . we have people who know how to get elected and to continue getting elected, the issues may be sidebars for them. . . and broader issues don't seem to be in the picture here. Locally it seems the only picture necessary to get in is to be one with the insiders and their agenda.

Don't think the scene is any better on the national level. Remember the term, Statesman? or is that just an old fashioned word fading along with our Constitution? We are at the crossroads and we the people need to stand up.

Do you have special plates or something?

Nope. Standard plates, two-year tag, Multnomah County, DEQ. $145.

So what went up? Last I looked the registration fee is $86, the DEQ fee is $21 and the Multco fee is $19. Did I miss one?

The Sellwood Bridge tax is $19 a year, for two years.

Wow. I guess I was insane to think that $175 for the salmon plates on my 12-year-old Escort a couple of weeks back wasn't such a big deal. The insurance costs for the car dwarf the $87.50 I'll pay to the state for licensing over the next 12 months. Even though it's an economy car, just filling up the tank four or five times costs that much.

And apart from that and income taxes, I'm not sure how else the state's nickle-and-diming me. My business license fee? Tri-Met taxes?

Maybe name recognition has something to do with it. I guess it doesn't pay to be named "Jack Bogdanski."

I guess I was insane

You said it. When they double the price of something and don't improve the product, maybe you should think a little harder about it.

Thank you jack, nailed it.
Aside from sex workers, junkies and dealers, the homeless, or government teat suckers - all else are unwelcome in Portland.

I, for one, love Portland!

As I travel the bike paths to pick up my medical marijuana, I pass by industrious city workers watering the plants in the bioswales designed to catch water.

On the way home, I stop for an organic IPA (or two or three) and relieve myself in a solar powered loo.

A grin crosses my face as I approach César E. Chávez Blvd. knowing I have forward thinking council that saw the need to have at least one street with diacritical marks.

Then, when I get home and open my water/sewer bill I know it is money well spent to help fatten up Emilie Boyles and Jesse Cornett.

No other city is such a progressive multi modal mecca. God bless you, Portland.

I haven't owned a car in six years because of the growing amount needed to subsidize ownership. I don't know how so many people manage it unless they're doing with less elsewhere or living on credit. MK, you're obviously not poor - LOL. Or maybe just not poor enough to discover the paradise you're talking about. Tom Walsh, late of Tri-Met and who, with his brother, operates Walsh Construction, made a deal with the City to remodel "affordable housing" units in NW Portland. The complex they started on is owned by the Walsh's, directly across the street from the run-down, overpriced 1926 courtyard bricker I live in. They have even replaced all of the sidewalks surrounding the buildings. We joke that the amount of time and money spent remodeling this property will produce an interesting situation when it is complete. If I were to set up a booth at the end of the road and ask people traveling by which is the Section 8 housing . . . the Walsh property or our bricker, they will undoubtedly choose our place. What does this have to do with auto registration? Just the transportation connection and the continuing inequity I guess.

My recommendation is wave the white flag, go make big bucks for 5 or 10 years, help the kids get involved in some fascinating and worthwhile pursuits, then when the kids are off to college find a really cool place to live that's out of sights of the urban village mecca planners and live happily every after.

There's generational stuff going. People are learning from their own experience the very hard way; it's going to take a while to sink in.

Ralph Woods:Does any local, regional, or national politician have any grasp over these concrete realities- or are they stuck in a "la, la, la, I can't hear you" dreamland?

I just saw this about the Dream Act on this link:
http://firedoglake.com/

I am suspicious of anything the Senate would do with the words The Dream Act in it. I am not so sure that tying this amendment in with the military is a good thing, but haven't read it and this it the first I have heard of this. How many of these migrant youths can afford two years of college then will have to instead serve two years in the military . . . one way to keep our ongoing wars supplied with young people, isn't it?

Maybe that I am off base on this, as I just heard about it and really don't know what to make of The Dream Act.

Whoa, thought we were discussing "nickle & diming" public service fee increases. Back on topic - check out the new and increased fees to pursue justice; filing fees, motion fees, response fees, trial fees. Good luck estimating the costs for a client.

genop,
It looks like all fees are going up and up.

Try getting info from bureaus one is supposed to have access to as a result of the Information of Freedom Act! Not very free if one doesn't have beaucoup bucks.

Interesting story on a path to have public documents available online.
http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2010/04/08/an-oregon-story/

Its enough to ditch the car and start riding the bus, eh?
All the way out to Beaverton.

Joe Adamski -

Tri Met operates buses?

thought we were discussing "nickle & diming" public service fee increases.

Don't forget the nasty increases in on-street parking fees, fines, and hours of meter operations.

If, as PDXLifer suggests, Bojack is being charged more because of his surname, that's what you'd have to call a "Pole tax."

No wining here. Things are tough all over. It's a nationwide epidemic of underfunded pension plans with a big wave of retirees on the horizon, an economy based on hyper consumerism that is exporting the jobs that fund the consumers, and a political dialogue that resembles a Jerry Springer show. It's not a PDX problem, it's a US of A problem. The center grows weaker as everyone grows apart. And In SF and NYC it's still your money for your life. I think Portland, flawed as it may be,(and with a dysfunctional city government at the time) is still a rational choice in the US for a decent life. The Columbia, the Cascades, the Pacific, Forrest and Washington parks, friendly people, good neighborhoods and great blog sites.

Drew, the Pacific NW is a good choice for a decent life. But Portland proper no longer is. And it will get worse while the greeheads and scarmmers are still pulling the strings and while prosecutors of every ilk (Feds, State AG, county) while away the hours looking the other way at all kinds of impropriety.

All I Know is that we're glad we finally sold our home and moved to Nevada. Yes, Nevada has it's share of issues; but at least the State and City of Reno have actually cut budgets and eliminated positions; making it easier to balance budgets for the next year. (Something I see little of in Portland)
No streetcars here or the people that promote them. Our garbage and water rates are about 40% of what we paid in Portland; and we will save about 14K in state income tax by no longer living in Oregon. Smog check of your car costs $20.00 or less; and it's by private businesses - not some overpaid DEQ employee. Just registered a classic Corvette yesterday at Nevada DMV and it only cost $145.00 with custom Lake Tahoe
license plates. $50.00 of that is for one time out of state inspection and $60.00 is for the custom license.
Oh - and the local transit agency provides lots of FREE busses to major events in this area.

Scariest thing of all . . . Mayor Sam defaulting on payments for yet another rental property in N. Portland (Oregonian article 2 days ago). It's easy to see why he is borrowing fool when you look at how much money he's borrowed against his various houses and how poorly he seems to be managing his own personal finances.

I think I could get by just fine on $118,000 a year without taking out multiple loans.

But then that's just me.

How the hell can a single guy pulling down $118 per year be defaulting unless he's either a drug head or utterly incompetent or both?