This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on August 19, 2011 1:39 PM.
The previous post in this blog was It's the climate.
The next post in this blog is Have a great weekend.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
The folks at the O, who wrote a gushy puff piece back in June about Mike Burton's "retirement" from the real estate development firm Portland State University, must be awfully embarrassed today. Burton, former head of Metro and an ex-state legislator, actually resigned amid allegations that he falsified his travel records to make a personal trip to Europe look like a business trip.
Portland State says it wants its money back. Why isn't Mike Schrunk or John Kroger in this picture? And what other frauds has Burton committed? Besides being the brains behind the disastrous WES train, that is.
Did not the Zero pull this stunt with exGov. Neil Goldy?
If I remember correctly, Neil (when faced with WW's expose) went to the Zero Editors and spun the "I'm having heart probs, so I am resigning the President of the Higher Ed Board" tale, and then when having to admit the babysitter rape, spun it as a "consensual affair with a teenager".
The Zero-gonian is either massively incompetent or totally dishonest, or both.
"...must be awfully embarrassed today." I highly doubt it, but with their history of Packwood, Goldy etc, one could only hope.
Its not just "where are Schrunk and / or Kroger, but also where is Dwight Holton, the acting US Attorney.
If the US mail was used to submit the travel claim, or used to deliver a check to Burton, or if PSU spent federal grant dollars on Burton's trip, federal criminal law is also implicated.
It's amazing to me that the more power a person has the more impervious they become to actually receiving consequences for their nefarious behavior.
But boy howdy the lowly taxpayer better not forget to pay their Portland parking ticket!
Hey, he just wanted to celebrate his step-daughter's 50th birthday, and happened to be in the area. Also, he got sick, and spent 3 days in a hotel. And the dog ate his homework. The sun was in his eyes. There were locusts! And a flood. Swear to God, it wasn't his fault!
Those who were paying attention already knew he was dishonest. Burton was the clown who claimed in the Voter's Pamphlet that he had a PhD from "Columbia," implying Columbia University, the Ivy League school in New York, when it was really a through-the-mail diploma mill in New Orleans. Most people, including The O just yawned at the time.
The Oregonian has had award winning reporters and has won Pulitzer Prizes. Has. Had. Was. In the past. It's an old brand name, like RCA, that once meant something. Papers are dying.
Where's John Kroger? I'd guess he's having a tough time deciding whether to make waves with the PSU Administration. He is married to PSU Dean of Student Life Michele Toppe.
But he is sworn to uphold the law no matter if he might have some silent car rides ahead...
Metro Exec. Mike Burton.
State of the Region Speech, 2000
Burton:
"Traffic congestion is bad and getting worse.
It is a nightmare for commuters and it is choking freight mobility.
There is no more clear illustration of our inability to meet growth needs than our failure to address our transportation needs.
Within the transportation arena we are facing utter chaos."
So what has the racket done since then?
Streetcars, Light Rail, subsidized Metro development & massive debt while planning even bigger boondoggles with MLR, LO streetcar, and CRC/Light Rail.
All while avoiding or preventing any public votes.
Not only is Burton ethically challenged, he won't admit wrongdoing even when presented with overwhelming proof of his misdeeds. He has no shame. It's frightening that he was able to get elected and re-elected so many times in his long political career.
Marylhurst let him be the dean of the business school so why would Portland State be any wiser than them? And I Googled and found this bit of info:
Per the Marylhurst Catalog, Burton had a BS from Oregon State and an M. Ed. from U. of Portland back in '88. By '92 he was boasting of his PhD from Columbia University.
You frequently post about the federal "theft of honest services" statute, 18 USC 1346.
You do understand that a unanimous Supreme Court (tighty righties and loonie lefties) gutted the application of that statute more than a year ago. don't you.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (17)
Maybe he took his cue from the mayor.
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | August 19, 2011 1:45 PM
Hey, the mayor's trips involve extensive fact-finding about sustainability.
Posted by Jack Bog | August 19, 2011 1:47 PM
Did not the Zero pull this stunt with exGov. Neil Goldy?
If I remember correctly, Neil (when faced with WW's expose) went to the Zero Editors and spun the "I'm having heart probs, so I am resigning the President of the Higher Ed Board" tale, and then when having to admit the babysitter rape, spun it as a "consensual affair with a teenager".
The Zero-gonian is either massively incompetent or totally dishonest, or both.
"...must be awfully embarrassed today." I highly doubt it, but with their history of Packwood, Goldy etc, one could only hope.
Posted by Harry | August 19, 2011 1:52 PM
Its not just "where are Schrunk and / or Kroger, but also where is Dwight Holton, the acting US Attorney.
If the US mail was used to submit the travel claim, or used to deliver a check to Burton, or if PSU spent federal grant dollars on Burton's trip, federal criminal law is also implicated.
Posted by Nonny Mouse | August 19, 2011 2:05 PM
It's amazing to me that the more power a person has the more impervious they become to actually receiving consequences for their nefarious behavior.
But boy howdy the lowly taxpayer better not forget to pay their Portland parking ticket!
Posted by Kathe W. | August 19, 2011 2:13 PM
Nonny - Theft of honest services should be added in with that mail fraud charge.
Posted by LucsAdvo | August 19, 2011 2:36 PM
Hey, he just wanted to celebrate his step-daughter's 50th birthday, and happened to be in the area. Also, he got sick, and spent 3 days in a hotel. And the dog ate his homework. The sun was in his eyes. There were locusts! And a flood. Swear to God, it wasn't his fault!
Posted by Max | August 19, 2011 3:13 PM
Those who were paying attention already knew he was dishonest. Burton was the clown who claimed in the Voter's Pamphlet that he had a PhD from "Columbia," implying Columbia University, the Ivy League school in New York, when it was really a through-the-mail diploma mill in New Orleans. Most people, including The O just yawned at the time.
Posted by boycat | August 19, 2011 3:24 PM
Shrunk is a do nothing when it comes to corruption and criminal cops. Why would this case be any different than any other with him?
Posted by LucsAdvo | August 19, 2011 3:39 PM
The Oregonian has had award winning reporters and has won Pulitzer Prizes. Has. Had. Was. In the past. It's an old brand name, like RCA, that once meant something. Papers are dying.
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | August 19, 2011 4:22 PM
Where's John Kroger? I'd guess he's having a tough time deciding whether to make waves with the PSU Administration. He is married to PSU Dean of Student Life Michele Toppe.
But he is sworn to uphold the law no matter if he might have some silent car rides ahead...
Posted by Bingo | August 19, 2011 7:52 PM
Re: "Besides being the brains behind the disastrous WES train"
Send this to rewrite: brains had nothing to do with WES train.
Venality, yes. Brains -- nowhere discernible.
Posted by Gardiner Menefree | August 19, 2011 8:43 PM
He's one of my favorite clones.
Metro Exec. Mike Burton.
State of the Region Speech, 2000
Burton:
"Traffic congestion is bad and getting worse.
It is a nightmare for commuters and it is choking freight mobility.
There is no more clear illustration of our inability to meet growth needs than our failure to address our transportation needs.
Within the transportation arena we are facing utter chaos."
So what has the racket done since then?
Streetcars, Light Rail, subsidized Metro development & massive debt while planning even bigger boondoggles with MLR, LO streetcar, and CRC/Light Rail.
All while avoiding or preventing any public votes.
Posted by Ben | August 20, 2011 8:21 AM
Not only is Burton ethically challenged, he won't admit wrongdoing even when presented with overwhelming proof of his misdeeds. He has no shame. It's frightening that he was able to get elected and re-elected so many times in his long political career.
Posted by Ickabod | August 20, 2011 12:57 PM
In a masterful statement of the obvious, Burton notes that this impugns his credibility. But what is his defense?
Second question, a bit late. Why does a university hire someone who has been deceitful in the past about his education into a high level position ?
Posted by Elizabeth | August 20, 2011 3:00 PM
Marylhurst let him be the dean of the business school so why would Portland State be any wiser than them? And I Googled and found this bit of info:
Per the Marylhurst Catalog, Burton had a BS from Oregon State and an M. Ed. from U. of Portland back in '88. By '92 he was boasting of his PhD from Columbia University.
http://www.marylhurst.edu/images/uploads/file_20100706161936/web_Marylhurst_Catalog_1992-94.pdf
Posted by LucsAdvo | August 20, 2011 3:37 PM
Lucs Advo
You frequently post about the federal "theft of honest services" statute, 18 USC 1346.
You do understand that a unanimous Supreme Court (tighty righties and loonie lefties) gutted the application of that statute more than a year ago. don't you.
US v Skilling.
See, http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/25/honest-services-supreme-court-opinions-contributors-james-d-zirin.html
Posted by Nonny Mouse | August 21, 2011 11:24 AM