Wow, just Wow!

The technocrats have sort of a 'brotherhood'.
They love to mimic each other to show how great they're process is.

Dear Metro constituent,
We understand that you have some questions about our new Opt In service. In order to make it the best it can be, please participate in this free survey.

Which of the following best describes your opinion:

a) Metro Opt-in is doing an excellent job.
b) Metro Opt-in is doing a flawless job.
c) Bikez rule! Cars can suk it!
d) Please demolish my house, and replace it with a bioswale.
e) Trains I never ride are more important to me than quality schools.
f) Bonds are "free money."

Thanks for your participation. The results of this survey will be cited as rationale for locking in costly mistakes that your kids will pay for, except of course that they won't live here because it will be paradoxically too expensive, yet with no available employment.

I think about two years ago I read that Portland received national recognition for its superior traffic signal synchronization designed "to keep traffic moving", or something to that effect. At the time I remember thinking to myself my god they must hand out awards based on reports submitted by the city itself and no one actually validates it.

I've wondered if Federal funding isn't being awarded the same way.

That's a cold dis to Waylon, man.

I'm beginning to think when foreign (by that I mean anyone outside of the Metropolitan area) government officials come to Portland that their tours are carefully choreographed and when the visitors are not allowed under any circumstance to deviate from their permitted path.

You know, like tour groups in such tourist hotspots like North Korea, China, and the U.S.S.R.

I say put all these people on our bus system, and they'll quickly see that the Portland brand is a huge joke. I highly recommend the 72 bus, down 82nd Avenue. Or the bus up and down 122nd Avenue. Or the 9 bus on Powell or the 4-Division.

Great Portland planning. Maybe they even go so far as to require the blinds on the airplanes be closed for the 20 minutes before landing and after takeoff.

The OSCEPA is the parliamentary assembly of the OSCE, the link between the national legislatures in the member states and the larger organization.

The OSCE is not obscure and its mandate and membership extends far beyond Europe. Not knowing about the OSCE is like not knowing about NATO.

Steve or Bob?

Actually, the "obscure" was meant to modify "report," but I gotta tell you, I never heard of your big, important OSCE until yesterday. Guess I'm ignant.

If this European goverment body is endorsing the same dishonest manipulations Metro uses, it's no wonder the EU is in danger of falling apart. There are too many differing groups of intelligent people over there to try to manipulate all at once.

Unfortunately, in our case Metro will now view this as an encouragement to continue or escalate deceitful tactics to manipulate outcomes, similar to the recall failing twice to remove the mayor.

I would say we are living in a time where being "progressive" means to agressively dispose of democratic principles on the premise that everyone who isn't a progressive is considered unfit to make decisions.

Being Progressive also means getting rid of logic and scientific inquiry. That's what you get when the elitist greenies all come from a politically corrupted and liberal arts background. How many people in City Hall have taken a statistics class? Or has marketing (excuse me, "branding") been substituted for science distribution credits?

From osce.org: (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)

"The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and  human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities."

This is quite a menu of issues. Makes me think of ecoterrorism in a whole new light.

I just took this survey and didn't think the questions were nearly as loaded as the comments here would indicate. I guess if you look at the questions NOT asked there is a certain bias

It's all in the interpretation. If you word the question just right, anyone with an agenda can make the answers look like positive comments for their predetermined goals.

Without doing a statistically valid sampling of citizens and use professionally created questions that can elicit a clear, unbiased reaponse, this survey means nothing and should not be used at all - for anything! It is no better than hanging out a suggestion box and using whatever comments that drop in to frame a political discussion. Absurd. Unprofessional. Amateur. Outrageous. Shall I go on?

Snards:

Brilliant survey question! You captured the essence of Portland's public input process in one fell swoop.

90% of respondents believe Metro is FaaaaaBULOUS and the remaining 10% said cars suck.

How long have you been at Metro?