Let's not forget that Mayor Charlie Hayes hosted a fundraising event after he won the November 2012 election. Per Willamette Week:

The Mayor-elect is charging donors up to $2,500 to attend a pre-inaugural party

source: http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-19964-a_charlie_hales_chri.html

"You have to recognize the campaign is over and you have to build new relationships."

Or is that you have to recognize the campaign is over and you have to pay
for new relationships.

It gives me a warm feeling to know that part of my heating bill is going to bribe my representatives so as to grease the skids for increasing my heating bill.

Cheaper than paying off both candidates. This is a win-win, right?

Reminiscing to my first Reduction In Force (RIF) list at
Douglas Aircraft Co. (DAC) circa 1990. Saying printed
on an illicit circular.

"The beatings will continue until morale improves."

Amended and updated for Portland politeness to:

"The graft will continue until greed improves."

Shakedown Street ~ GD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lCMUkqpI7o

"Legislators and lobbyists defend the practice, saying they take care to separate fundraising from actual lawmaking. "

Bulls**t. Lawmaking and staying in office is ALL about the money.

The ONLY answer to this for the federal/state/local level politicians is term limits. Public office used to be a personal and financial sacrifice.

Nowadays? It's ALL about the money and the power. The little man will continue taking it in the a** until he's had enough and takes up the pitch fork/guillotine. History repeats itself again and again. Blame a bankster.

The things you need will cost more: Food, fuel, energy, water, sewer, healthcare, etc will march ever higher in price. The things you have: wages, savings, investments, gadgets, electronics, house, vehicles will deflate in price.

We are at the end of the US dollar monetary rope folks.

Prepare accordingly, vote accordingly, and fight like hell for your freedom, the constitution / bill of rights, and free markets. We have dark days ahead. The pretend recovery will be seen for what it is ~ Oct 2015.

From there we start a long and painful decline into mathematical reality.

Oh please, not on top of contemplating a Jeb Bush vs. Hillary Clinton battle royale for the White House . . .

Canaries in the coal mine:

Watch the Japanese Yen / Chinese Yuan.

Watch the Euro.

When they implode, the US dollar will get stronger, but only temporarily.

Few will escape the inevitable math unscathed. There is soooo much more promised in payouts than there are taxpayers / purchsing power.

One only needs to study PERS math locally, or SS / Medicare math nationationally to see the end game. We're all gonna pay...

Is the moon full again already?

Don't forget the state jobs they can get if they do/did John/Ted a favor. Margaret Carter seemed to do OK (like 100K a year for life from PERS) for "supporting" Ted.

Max Williams (R) got an OK gig also.

Alan nailed it.

Really? So in Oregon, "campaign contributions" are paid to whoever wins the election, after the election? What could go wrong with that?

As I mentioned in another post, in Oregon politics, anything is ok if you simply call it something else, in this case calling something a "campaign contribution" when it's really just paying tribute to a victor in hopes of favor.

It's not a gift or graft -- it's a gaft!

Jumpin' Jack Flash-the-Cash, it's a gaft....
http://youtu.be/ilTydQYvpFU

this says it all:
"I don't want to be a hypocrite; I've done it myself," said Rep. Chris Garrett, D-Lake Oswego" . . . blah blah blah.

Can hear the tires skid - Can't wait for the crash.