Oh, those hard-working Oregon civil servants, feeling everyone's pain as we suffer through these miserable economic times.

Yeah, right.

Governor Ted's hanging out in Germany, and Mayor Vera "the Joker" Katz is sunning in Bologna, Italy. All on official business, of course.

Katz is accompanied by officials of the Portland Development Commission, who are also getting paid to walk through museums and watch fireworks.

Right now Bologna is full of Portland bureaucrats.

And vice versa.