The Danish wind power equipment manufacturer on whom Portland and Oregon are blowing so many tax dollars is still begging Congress to extend the federal tax credit for wind energy production, without which it will soon be laying off even more workers than it already has. An account of the latest maneuvers, which include our own Gatsby, is here.
It's awfully hard to get tax legislation passed in an election year, and with the Solyndra debacle still fresh in politicians' minds, it's a particularly hard sell. The Senate may pass a bill, but the House is a different story.
Meanwhile, we caught an Exxon TV ad during the ballgame yesterday, touting the proposed Keystone Pipeline through the heart of America. "It's all about jobs." Ah yes, but many jobs are devoted to harmful ends.
Comments (7)
Passing the remodeled headquarters building on my way to work this morning, I noticed that the construction fencing is down and the Vestas signs have been hung.
Reading this gave me flashbacks to 1990, when a lot of defense projects were cut in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. (Ironically, they were all cut by then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, just before he became a military genius thanks to repeated viewings of Ken Burns's "The Civil War".) Every time a project was cut, the universal cry rang out from the people on the projects: "I don't see why we can't pay a little more in taxes just so we can't keep people in jobs." Because those projects don't work, that's why. No difference here whatsoever.
Reader nailed it above...."put sign on it"...that'll fix everything in Portlandia. Howzabout a bracket for whether or not the Vesties will ever move in?
We're going to be driving cars powered by oil for the near and medium term. Instead of buying it from the jerks and kooks in the middle east let's get it from North Dakota, Canada, Alaska and off shore. It'll create great jobs, and a vibrant economy. Green energy is a total flop so far.
Exxon is not evil by the way. They are delivering a product to the market with remarkable efficiency. If they were run by the government price per gallon would be $40.00 (see our water bureau for an example.)
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
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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
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Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
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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 (7)
Passing the remodeled headquarters building on my way to work this morning, I noticed that the construction fencing is down and the Vestas signs have been hung.
Posted by reader | March 19, 2012 12:18 PM
Reading this gave me flashbacks to 1990, when a lot of defense projects were cut in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. (Ironically, they were all cut by then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, just before he became a military genius thanks to repeated viewings of Ken Burns's "The Civil War".) Every time a project was cut, the universal cry rang out from the people on the projects: "I don't see why we can't pay a little more in taxes just so we can't keep people in jobs." Because those projects don't work, that's why. No difference here whatsoever.
Posted by Texas Triffid Ranch | March 19, 2012 12:19 PM
Plus, those Keystone job claims appear to be wildly inflated (even more than the green job claims we hear!):
http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/11/04/362056/fact-check-keystone-xl-tar-sands-pipeline-isnt-a-job-creator/
Posted by Pete | March 19, 2012 2:49 PM
Reader nailed it above...."put sign on it"...that'll fix everything in Portlandia. Howzabout a bracket for whether or not the Vesties will ever move in?
Posted by veiledorchid | March 19, 2012 3:14 PM
I don't understand. How are pipeline jobs harmful?
Posted by John D | March 19, 2012 7:19 PM
The remaining Vestas jobs around Portland will just move in to the Meier and Frank building. Then Sam will declare victory that he created the jobs.
Posted by lw | March 19, 2012 7:21 PM
We're going to be driving cars powered by oil for the near and medium term. Instead of buying it from the jerks and kooks in the middle east let's get it from North Dakota, Canada, Alaska and off shore. It'll create great jobs, and a vibrant economy. Green energy is a total flop so far.
Exxon is not evil by the way. They are delivering a product to the market with remarkable efficiency. If they were run by the government price per gallon would be $40.00 (see our water bureau for an example.)
Posted by John | March 20, 2012 6:15 PM