I must be lucky. I don’t get any election mail. Every once in a while someone leaves something on my porch but no mail. By the way did anyone get a flyer from the Portland State school of Urban Studies that wants to study your families biking and walking habits by putting a GPS bracelet on your ankle? I wonder where they got the grant for that?

I must be lucky

Or maybe not a registered voter?

" The Athenian law against misleading the demos. Athens, like political communities before and since, adopted laws that dealt harshly with those who would overthrow or otherwise subvert the democracy. Perhaps the most distinctive Athenian provision against subversion was the law, dating perhaps from the early years of the classical democracy, that prescribed the death penalty for Assembly speakers who misled the demos. n294 Every citizen had legal standing to commence such a prosecution, which could be lodged against any rhetor who had advocated an Assembly decision resulting in harm to the polis. The Athenians regarded an Assembly action gone awry as the product of the demos having been deceived by "mischievous advice." When an action turned out badly, the speaker's deception was revealed. In the Athenian view, an Assembly speaker who misled the demos into acting to the detriment of the polis engaged in misconduct tantamount to treason, on a par with those who sought to subvert the democracy or who betrayed Athens to one of its enemies.

An early and classic example of the crime of misleading the demos involved Miltiades, the general (strategos) who had led the Athenian forces to victory at the battle of Marathon. In Herodotus' account, Miltiades, basking in the glow of that triumph, convinced the Assembly to raise an expeditionary force under his command, "without saying against what country . . . [it] would be used--only that . . . [the Athenians] would grow rich if they followed him." According to Herodotus, Miltiades' actual motive was personal. He sought revenge against the Parians for a past wrong. The Paros expedition was an embarrassing failure. Miltiades returned to Athens wounded and humiliated, whereupon the Assembly tried and convicted him for having misled the demos into approving the expedition. Miltiades avoided the death penalty, but he died of his wounds before he could pay the substantial fine that the Assembly had levied upon him..."

Keith Werhan (2009), "The Classical Athenian Ancestry of American Freedom of Speech" Supreme Court Review 293.

The behind the scenes gambling by the public employee unions on this issue has been amusing.

They do not want 76 to pass because they have been (secretly) counting on using the 15% parks dedication to backfill PERS after 2014 (when the current lottery dedication expires).

However, if they were to oppose it with $$$ they would have run the risk of creating enormous friction between organized labor and the environmentalists inside the (shrinking) tent of the Ore Dem Party.

So they are gambling that the legislature will grant them a referral (to split the baby with the enviro interests) in the next session. According to reports Dave Hunt has already brokered the deal, but that requires the D's to hold majorities in both chambers. If either chamber moves to 50/50 (or better) for Repub's then the brokered deal will become a lot more complicated to execute (if not impossible).

This is just one more reason why organized labor is backing the casino measure (m75). If that passes it requires 25% of the generated profits to go to public education (helping cover to cover a decade of anticipated PERS hikes for the largest category of public employees).

The enviro's, of course, are opposed to M75 because it will neuter the lottery, cutting the value of M76 in half. My guess is that if both measures were to pass, that the brokered deal could fall apart even if the D's hold onto both houses. The enviro's won't support a referral if it looks like the (teacher union's) M75 casino will cut the (enviro's) M76 lottery take in half.

Me: I'm hoping 75 goes down (even though I'd probably gamble at that casino), 76 passes (even though I never play the lottery) and that Republicans get a majority in at least one house.

That way Dave Hunt's deal falls apart and the unions are forced to eventually cut a deal with whichever house gets a Repub majority.

Expected result: a referral to override M76 to allow lottery $$$ to backfill PERS as part of a larger package PERS reforms.

At this point, I think the weakest parlay in this trifecta is the R's taking either house (but I think the OR Senate is still in play).

Love the last photo(shop)there, Jack! Your talent is truly and sadly wasted in arcane law - you could be leading an actual Creative Class.

Not that you should move into a condo or anything; you're kind of raising the bar: creativity that doesn't live near fixed-rail, nor in a condo.

Cool.

And Not a Penny in taxes

After seeing this spew, I feel sick that I collected signatures to get this on the ballot.

Live and learn

Thanks for the background PanchoPDX. This is the PERS Allan L. loves so much.

Ironically, there's an ad running for Measure 75 on your sidebar--that's the one to allow a casino at the Greyhound Park in Troutdale.

"Oregonians can create jobs and provide more money for schools without spending one dime of taxpayer money."

Unfortunately, most of the analysis for M75 is in agreement that whatever the Casino takes in revenues will result in corresponding decreases in Lottery revenues. Given that the "taxation" on lottery revenues is higher (around 30% to the state) than a casino at the 9% state tax rate to individuals, less to corporations, and that a large amount of tax sums would head off to DC Land in federal taxes, the State of Oregon, and whatever programs you may support, will find themselves with even less funding.