And to think it's the farmers who work with labor contractors who hire and scam illegal aliens who in turn fill many of OHSU's beds that are paid for by we taxpayers.

So the world turns.

Last spring, the school administration began revising its medical curriculum, and Dodson and other physicians are concerned the school plans to stop requiring rural rotations and de-emphasize primary care in rural areas.

Could this be part of the plan to not only de-emphasize primary care in rural areas, but also closing down more rural areas which would make it more difficult for people to live there, such as closing down post offices, etc.? Then move more people into the cities?

Already happening...driven through the San Joaquin Valley lately?
Just industrial farming and agribusiness. One can see where people used to live, but the houses are gone and the out buildings are used for storage of equipment now. The workers are housed in cr-apartments /tenements on the outskirts of the towns.
No family farms left...sad.

I believe that there's something afoot in the Oregon legislature. I caught just a bit on the radio the other day, but got the impression that there's action contemplated to help med students with their loans if they agree to spend some amount of time in rural practice.

If so, that may offset Tram U's plans.

Portland Native,
Sad it is to see rural Americana go, and as it relates to music, I doubt Aaron Copeland could have written his music based on landscapes taken over by agribusiness and industrial farming.

I was always amused by the doctors rotating out to Umatilla County. I met 2 different ones. Both were very much of the opinion that there was NOTHING out there, no other medical facilities, except for them. Like they were some sort of crusaders helping out the poor slobbering rural folks. Both were dead set on getting me back to Vancouver or Portland to be seen by 'real providers'.

Ha! The time they spend out in the desert was not long enough to disabuse them of their ridiculous notions.

There is no shortage of doctors out that way. None at all. For some big heart surgery or some such requiring a specialist we just go to Portland, Boise, Tri Cities. No biggie.

This idea that we need to help out those poor struggling rural folks is what we call the "do-gooder delusion." We are living just fine without any of your big city problems. We grow our own food, and yours. Make all the power too.

I find in Portland there's this notion that the rural areas are some sort of economic drain. Toothless and pitiable. Well you'll never see panhandlers or drug zombies anywhere. You never want for parking. You can drive the speed limit or faster any time of day or night, no traffic in site. The air is clean too.

As for being an economic drain, all the productive jobs are outside of the cities. You need to look at input and output to make a real determination.

A great deal of us would rather be part of Idaho and run the show out of Boise anyway. Eastern Washington is the same. Tired of watching the cities piss away the money on backward thinking. Science, education, infrastructure, that money is all fine. Geared toward progress.

Seems to me if you want to give away free doctor time you should spend it on 2nd/Burnside. 1st and Main in any rural community looks nothing like that disaster.

Hey Abe: Correct your phrasing from 'farmers' to 'big agriculture' and I'm on board. Though we'd disagree on the solution.

And I have been involved in small scale farming for decades. Never paid any person less than minimum wage, and usually pay a bonus if you stick out the season. I also don't give a damn where you were born, what language you speak, who you sleep with or who you pray too. That's just tribal thinking, outdated centuries ago.

If you show up on time and know how to work all day nothing else matters. That fundamental truth is why the Mexicans are going to win the fight over immigration. Because the rest of us are soft, disdain labor, but like to eat what Mexicans pick.

While I'm ranting and raving I might as well mention the bumper sticker I saw some years back:

"When you complain about immigrants don't speak with your mouth full."

Corporate farming, corporate all the way!
We will be reduced down to having to accept the food produced whether healthy or not and at whatever price!
We were warned about this years ago.
They control the land, they control our health and our survival.
Tell me how people herded into cities living in tiny units offers any independence?
There isn't enough space left within our city for community gardens to fill the bill. Last I heard there were waiting lists.