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Mayors To Metro: Shoo!

For quite some time, it's been observed that there's a reason why the Portland-area Metro Regional Government is the only such entity of its kind in the USA. Now some 20 local mayors have decided that they've about had enough, and so they've formed their own little group in an effort to gain some concensus on things that they believe are important. They've grown tired of MPAC (Metro Policy Advisory Committee), JPACT (Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation), the Metro Council, and all of the other little self-serving bureaucracies that the agency has spawned over the years.

In the words of Aretha Franklin, they're saying "Thanks, I'll do it myself."

This is perhaps the most telling sign that the natives are growing restless, and Metro's legions of "planners" could well be headed for an honored spot on the local menu. As Tualatin Mayor Lou Ogden so succinctly phrased it: “Screw the MPAC table, screw the JPACT (Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation) table, forget about that.”

Judging by the comments related to the story, Ogden and the other break-away mayors have citizen support. As one writes: Kudos to these mayors for rejecting Metro's noose around their neck. Let's hope this is the beginning of the end for Metro.

Gosh, where's the love?

Stay Away From The Tofu

Image via Wikipedia

Here in Oregon, we do exploding stuff really differently. You may remember Paul Linnman's excellent report on the exploding whale, from a few years back (that footage really needs to be digitally re-mastered!).

Well -no word on whether or not this incident involved a tofurkey - the latest explosion comes to us from NW Portland's Old Town, where a woman cooking tofu managed to blow the hell out of her apartment, causing an estimated $15,000 in damage to the place. That's a 4' x 6' window and frame, taken out by the tofu blast.

Hate to think of what that stuff might do to your sphincter.

Clatsop County To Ban Exotic Animals?

Image via Wikipedia

Having solved all other problems, Catsup County commissioners are proposing an ordinance to ban "public displays" of exotic animals. Presumably, this would mean no zoos, no aquariums, nor other such venues would be permitted in the county. By golly, these're some tough cookies; unafraid to fight the important battles. They seem to have overlooked the fact their ordinance, if enacted, would not affect sales, auctions, or other trade in exotic animal species - so if an Oregon guy out there wanted to set up such a venue, the only apparent applicable restrictions would involve the standard USDA requirements.

News From The U.K.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

In a development utterly devoid of surprise, public-sector union workers, angered over changes to their pension plans, walked off the job today. Far from causing massive disruptions, customer services were improved. As one traveler noted: "We travel a lot and that is the quickest we've ever got through so maybe they should go on strike more often."

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), attacked ministers for claiming their pensions deal is a generous offer.

Desperation Creeps In

Just how bad are things in the Eurozone? This bad:

"I will probably be first Polish foreign minister in history to say so, but here it is," Radek Sikorski said in Berlin. "I fear German power less than I am beginning to fear German inactivity. You have become Europe's indispensable nation."

#Occupy OMSI

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The folks over at Oregon Center for Religion and Politics (formerly known as OMSI) don't seem to know when to quit digging. As if it wasn't enough to capitulate to pressure frome the unbiased types at Portland Association of Planners (PSU) and the fun-loving boys down at OSU (home of millionaire football coaches), the 501(c)(3) organization has now been caught flatly lying about their abrupt decision to cancel an upcoming meeting of the Oregon chapter of the American Meteorological Society over concerns that some who discount "Man-made global warming" would be speaking.

Can't have that - why, it'd be heresy!

The latest, with links to the whole ugly story, is here.

Related articles

• Stupid: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry cancels climate talk due to skeptics being on panel (wattsupwiththat.com)

Occupy!

"I got $100,000 in student loans, and no job!"

WOW! FREE Stuff!

Yee-haw! Thanks to the folks over at Energy Trust of Oregon, you can get yourself some toxic bulbs, low-water shower-head and faucet aerators (translation: drink a couple of cans of soda, and you can pee a better stream than these devices will provide) and a refrigerator recycling coupon!

Really, this is all free stuff - all you have to do is ask.

Through state legislation, tariffs and other requirements, Energy Trust is funded exclusively by customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas. Customers of all four utilities pay a dedicated percentage of their utility bills to support a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy services and programs.

In other words, they've already been forcing you to pay for it, so every now and again, they may magnanimously give you some trinkets in return. Shave the whales!

But wait! There's more! Be among the first callers and they'll throw in Free processing, shipping and handling! That's right! That's a $230 value, absolutely Free - but only if you call right now!

Barry's Cousin Pans Obamacare

A board-certified diagnostic radiologist, Dr. Milton R. Wolf yesterday ripped Obamacare and one of its leading proponents, Dr. Donald M. Berwick.

The good doctor has recently been dumped by the Obama administration - not because he's a socialist, but because he made it clear. The most open and transparent administration in the history of the country simply can't abide a man who says things like: “I am romantic about the [British] National Health Service; I love it.” He goes on: “You plan the supply; you aim a bit low; you prefer slightly too little of a technology or a service to too much; then you search for care bottlenecks and try to relieve them.” 

Obamacare: We aim a bit low.

The good doctor has also noted: “any health care funding plan that is just, equitable, civilized and humane must, must redistribute wealth from the richer among us to the poorer and the less fortunate. Excellent health care is, by definition, redistributional.”

This is unacceptable. Not the ideas, of course - but that he talks about them. He thought he was being a team player and supporting the cause, but the blabbermouth was giving away the regime's game plan. No question about it; he had to go. Rumor has it that he was promoted to Chief Medical Officer for the NASA Mars rover mission, meaning that he was likely strapped to the rover just before lift-off.

Things have got so bad that even stalwarts like Barney Frank are bailing. Okay, Barn barely squeaked through his last election run, and now his district's been re-drawn to include more (ptooey!) suburban types, who may just tend to lean a bit more to the conservative side than he'd like - but hey! It makes retiring with a fat pension ever so much more appealing, and now Barn's free to get down to some serious back-stabbing without any encumberances.

So, the day after announcing his retirement, Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Barney Frank announced on Tuesday his support for the repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a significant portion of President Obama’s health care overhaul. In so doing, Barn became the 12th Democrat, and the 212th member of the House, to co-sponsor Tennessee Republican Rep. Phil Roe’s bill aimed at repealing the IPAB.

The bottom line for Barn seems to be that suddenly, Barry's not scary, and this is his golden opportunity to break out the knives and perform a little back-room surgery as a form of payback.

The Wii Hits London With Streaming Video

The new format for hands-free gaming: