That is the way progressives run a city. More money for "equity", less money for potholes and cops.

I don't think any of the current candidates for mayor are going to change these priorities. They all appear to be cut from the same cloth.

Borrow money for shiny toys, cut the budget for boring old square stuff, rinse and repeat until bankruptcy. That is the progressive chant.

Of course police, fire, and other services must be cut. Pets can't take care of themselves, you know.

Any cutbacks in essential services will produce a "savings" which can be wasted on non-essentials. Eventually, people will still have to empty their pockets. Choice is not an option with robbers. You just get to choose what the robber will look like.

Not again, more bad news for heads to shake over!!

Money flows freely like water for those PWB projects and other pet projects.

Funny how that spigot opens wide for some projects and is closed tight
for the public safety and other needs.

PWB and city are going to open up the spigot again during this Wednesday council hearing, this time for $31 million plus for a non-mission-critical project at the Bull Run Dam 2.

You guys want to hear something really sad? Dallas is starting to put in bike lanes, and apparently the City Council just discovered that the bike lanes are going to cost a lot more than was originally budgeted. $16 million more, in fact. To be fair, these bike lanes were supposed to have been painted in back in the late Seventies, but we're getting around to them now, and you can imagine the response from our own hipster infestation: "We NEED these! Don't you want Dallas to be more like Portland?"

You wouldn't believe the wonderful public schools in Salmon Creek, WA. Elementary, middle, and high schools all lined up in a row. All built in the last 20 years. Sidewalks on both sides of the street. Big bike lanes too.

You can buy a newer 2200 sf home on small lot for $180k. Or an older/larger home on a big lot for $220,000. Rents are $300-$500 less for a similar property in SW Portland. Did I mention property taxes are lower? No income tax either.

The Vancouver P.D. is responsive. And you can't drive on the highways for more than 20 minutes without seeing a trooper. WELCOME TO WASHINGTON!

I think we all need to vote with our feet.
I'm packing my bags.

'WELCOME TO WASHINGTON!'

Been here almost a year. Glad I moved. Not coming back. This after living in Oregon for 41 years. Best move I ever made.

I'm all for equity!

But I'd like to see equity in safety issues first, like sidewalks and crosswalks. Then, if there's any money left over, let's do the cool and shiny toys.

Part of being an adult (measured in maturity,not chronological age) is being able to defer the fun stuff in order to take care of one's responsibilities first.

'Part of being an adult (measured in maturity,not chronological age) is being able to defer the fun stuff in order to take care of one's responsibilities first.'

Maturity and Randy Leonard.....two terms NEVER seen in the same sentence and possibly a contradiction in terms!

RE: Washington vs Oregon living

Has been a plan for the future, since the commute to Washington County would be too much...

In any case,, what are the downsides of living in Washington? I really like the area north of Everett in the I-5 corridor.

Whenever I hear about cutting school funding, police/fire protection, etc. I think of this May 18, 2011 posting that Jack wrote:

If you really want to fix the schools, tell your elected representatives that you want the money that's being earmarked for trains and streetcars spent on schools instead. Call Earl Blumenauer, Mr. Bike and Rail, and tell him that you want federal stimulus money spent on school upgrades, not real estate scams. Call your Jefferson Smith or Jackie Dingfelder-type rep in Salem and tell them you don't want to spend a quarter-billion of lottery money on Milwaukie MAX when your local school is crumbling. (Call the governor, too, although getting his attention may be difficult.) Call your Portland city commissioner and tell them that their priorities are all wrong -- that they need to stop with the "urban renewal" which is diverting revenue from the schools. Call county chair Jeff Cogen and tell him and his colleagues you don't want a Convention Center hotel, you want basic repairs in your schools.
They'll tell you it's impossible, that there are different colors of money, that light rail money can't be spent on schools, yada yada. Hey -- it's all taxes. The colors of money game was invented by the politicians, and it can be undone by the politicians. And if they don't want to do it, then you need to pay attention come the next election and vote them out of office.

I retired two weeks ago, and plan at some point to sell the house and move out of Oregon. I may need to borrow the Spruce Goose to haul all the stuff away....

Max: The Spruce Goose is sadly not available.

May I interest you in a Boeing 747 Dreamlifter (Made in Washington), or a Boeing 747-8 (Made in Washington), or even a Boeing 747-BCF (Made in Washington)? Or how about a Boeing 777F (Made in Washington) or even a Boeing 767-300F (Made in Washington)?

And if you move to the Seattle area you have your choice of not one, not two, not three, but FOUR area airports that can accomodate a 747 (one of them is an Air Force base, however). How many airports in Oregon can accomodate a 747 (not counting KMMV which was a one-time special landing but not take off, with a stripped aircraft with little fuel, nothing inside, and probably rutted the runway in the process)?

2011 Dec 13 Tuesday 11:15 U (11:15 AM PT)

Relatively short first time post to this blog. Nice to have internet at
the desktop rather than a two mile round trip, 400 ft elevation change
walk to the Lake Oswego Public Library from the Birdshill area
(Clackamas County / Dunthorpe)

If you want some cheap year end entertainment this evening of
2011 Dec 13 Tuesday, watch the City Council meeting for the
City of Lake Oswego Oregon, starts at 18:00 U (6:00 PM PT).
Streams live go to the City Council website at:
http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/calendar/CouncilMtgs/mtgs&ags.htm
1. Note the streaming website label
“Watch Council meetings via live streaming video at”
2. Pick up the “full” packet for 2011 Dec 13 Tuesday
Note agenda item 5.1.1. Read the details on page 5 about rejection
of Birdshill CPO / NA request for funds to procure TAZ
(Transportation Analysis Zone) maps and isochron maps for the
Metro Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project (Streetcar) by the
neighborhood planner(s) and “ruling class”.
3. Again fun begins around 18:00 U (6:00 PM PT). I will try to
be polite and respectable while speaking my public comments.
Note the police presence in the back of the room when I speak.

You might also desire to view my comments (my opinion) on
behalf of my neighborhood, the Birdshill CPO / NA to letters and
guest editorials published in the Lake Oswego Review with
active hyperlinks at:
https://sites.google.com/site/lorvcm02/home/20111208letr

sentinelskip also known as
Charles Ormsby (Skip), Chair Birdshill CPO / NA 2011 – 2012