Trade mission to Germany yields... well, nothing
But Portland's nutty mayor and his band of "senior economic development and sustainability policy yada yada" people had a nice week burning through other people's money. Just as they did in Spain two months ago. "They didn't make any commitments, but they smiled a lot. They obviously like us." Yes, and right after you left, they probably laughed.
| Posted at 11:14 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (12)
Did they show up in the right city this time?
Posted by RJBob | April 5, 2011 5:04 AM
That was just a joke -- but it wouldn't be surprising.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 5, 2011 5:25 AM
Trade junket to Germany accomplishes nothing. In other breaking news, fire is still hot.
Posted by MachineShedFred | April 5, 2011 6:28 AM
Would YOU make any commitments to these folks?
Posted by Michelle | April 5, 2011 6:58 AM
Incredible. I'm sure they spent the plane ride back discussing their next dream vacation.
I would love to find out how much this whole thing cost. Jack do you know who at the city would have that information?
Posted by Snards | April 5, 2011 7:29 AM
Snards the article lists the cost as 12K+ with the PDC paying for 10K.
Wonder how much salary they accrued as well.
Posted by teresa | April 5, 2011 7:50 AM
It's too funny. These locales probably think they benefit from these missions giving them good exposure.
No doubt their politicians hype the crap.
Posted by Ben | April 5, 2011 8:18 AM
What fools Sam and Co are. Sure the German companies would say "we love you", "we consider you important".
It like a guy crashing at a sister-in-laws house on the sofa, then would you expect him to say "I don't love you", "I don't really need you" ? I'm waiting for the day when some newspaper reports how some businesses tell public officials, "God you're disgusting-shove it!"
Posted by lw | April 5, 2011 9:00 AM
Thanks Teresa. Hard to give a careful reading through my taxpayer rage.
Posted by Snards | April 5, 2011 9:32 AM
Teresa -
Always remember where PDC gets its money.
Its all repeat all your property tax dollars.
Even when PDC borrows money to re lend ad subsidized rtaes to developer weasels, it always is your property tax dollars that pay the interest, the principal, and the staff salaries.
Look at your property tax statement each year.
Those taxes collected from you pay for PDC's operations. And your t property taxes go up to backfill the tax revenue that outfits like PPS, Mult Co., CoP, and other entities lose to TIF financing while aan URD is in existence.
Posted by Nonny Mouse | April 5, 2011 12:04 PM
Nonny, to help clarify PDC's all tax funded operations, you're right that property taxes pay for "PDC's operations", but only part of them.
Out of each urban renewal area (11), PDC charges additionally for staff time/materials, consultants, the whole smear. Look at the line-items just under PDC's South Waterfront. Their so-called administrative costs are averaging 12% of a project's cost in the URA. PDC is a big drain on our city's tax resources.
Posted by Lee | April 5, 2011 4:00 PM
It is telling that not a single Oregon business, outside of the public utility and some slathering developers attended this trip. I have participated in a number of Governor's trade missions and always found them to be a useless waste of taxpayer funds. The same folly at the city level is even more difficult to justify. We must not, however, forget the entertainment potential. Such as when then Governor Goldshmidt while staying at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo went out jogging and became lost. He did not have enough sense to take any ID, money or even a matchbook with a return address. Another time when Barbara Roberts attended Octoberfest in Munich one of her EcoDevo managers became inebriated, lost overnight, and came home fleeced of $5K in state funds. Ha! Ha!
Posted by dean | April 6, 2011 3:00 PM