Federal Shutdown
My hope is that the conservatives in the House acknowledge that in 2008, President Obama ran on healthcare reform, and that the 2012 republican candidate who ran on repealing The Affordable Care Act subsequently lost. The ACA has survived over 40 votes to either weaken or repeal it, and has withstood a conservative-heavy Supreme Court decision regarding its constitutionality. It is not a bill, but the law of the land; and it is not what the liberals wanted, which was a single-payer system like many Europeans have, but a compromise that utilizes the existing, private insurance system.
House republicans need to step aside and win some elections first before they so drastically and radically cripple our great nation with partisan grandstanding. I know how it feels to lose. I lived through 12 years of Bushes. That's just the way it goes in America. But it's great because that's exactly how it's supposed to work. God bless America, one nation under God.
—Ben Dorigan
Writing Contest
It seems you flubbed the dub with the little "literary fiction" contest. You have folks like the former high school English professor voicing opinions and discontent with the selection of winners, and folks like me as well. Mine was as good or better than any of the winners, but of course I am an army of just one.
So the judges reviewed the work on the basis of their criteria of terminal cliffhangers and adverbial modification and declared the winners. Who are the judges and what do they know? How many literary geniuses learned their craft in college anyway? Very few, if any, I would venture to guess.
If you want to terminate your rappels and dangle your prepositions, so what? A great artist once defined great art as "art that sells." Assuming that literature can be considered art, and extending that presumably sound reasoning to it, why not put future literary contests to a vote of the people to decide the winners, like you do with everything else under the sun? After all, that's what we do with the government, right? On the other hand, maybe that's not such a great idea either.
—MarkyMarkakaDante
Mirror Pond
I have a solution for Mirror Pond. Drain it, which is kind of happening now with the leak in the dam. Dry dredge it, which is cheap and easy. Now that the riverbed is mostly dry, we can dredge it this winter. Dike it, rebuild the dam. There, problem solved. Drain, dry dredge, dike. It took the leak to drain mirror pond for all of us to literally see the solution. We were thinking dredging would have to be wet, and thus expensive. Now, we see the dredging can be dry, and thus cheap and fast. This break in the dam was a good thing.
—Charles Baer
In reply to "An Unlikely Pair," (Sound, 10/4)
Dear Mr. Maffey,
I realize you are probably under a lot of pressure to crank out weekly columns and may not have time to listen to the music that you have to review. Your comment, "With two distinct and powerful voices, Martin's elevating banjo and Brickell's velvety vocals, the album is less bluegrass and more folk music." is a little off base. When I read it I tried to remember if Steve Martin's powerful voice is featured, listened to the album—no Steve Martin vocals.
Respectfully,
—Joe McLaughlin
Joe. Thanks for your comment. I recognize that you may be under a lot of pressure to crank out haughty blog comments, so may not have time for reading comprehension, but in no way does the review say that Martin sings on the songs. It is his banjo that is one of the distinct voices.
—Phil Busse
In reply to "City Approves $190K Contract for Galveston Revitalization Design," (Bent Blog, 10/3)
This street can be greatly improved for everyone. There are a more than a few street-front properties that are in need of upgrading. I would certainly believe more trees and less emphasis on cars should also be considered. In light of this street being in close proximity to the upcoming university a thoughtful plan for Galveston is appropriate.
—Traveling Man
Putting an island in the road will prevent traffic from crossing over into business parking lots unless at intersections. I foresee a lot of U-turns clogging up traffic. Generally, islands are used on wider thoroughfares with larger buildings (i.e. office parks/malls) that have joined parking lots/garages.
If they took out all the parking lots and access to parking lots from the main street - turned them into keyhole gardens, parks, or outdoor dining extensions—then this design would make sense.
—kms
In reply to "Sam Adams is More Than a Long CooL Drink," (News, 8/15)
My thanks to the City Club of Central Oregon for inviting me their August monthly meeting. You can watch the video of my remarks and the question and answer session that followed here: http://vimeo.com/73268016.
—Former Portland Mayor Sam Adams (now Executive Director of the City Club of Portland)
In reply to "Better But Not Great," (News, 10/4)
Hopefully sharing a glimpse of my story can improve lives of LGBTQ students via the exposure this article might provide. Thanks Erin Rook!
—LeafyAngel14
This story is very close to my heart, thank you for publishing it. My big sister and her best friend started the GSA at MVHS in the late '90s. My friends and I helped it sputter along in the early 2000s. In those years there were probably 4 out kids in any given year, if that, and we were forced to meet off campus because of staff and students who found the group unsavory. It is beyond moving to read that the GSA is going strong and that there are so many LGBTQ kids who are so brave and finding the support to come out before college and especially talk to the media. We saw silence, harassment and ostracization on the part of families and peers tear lives apart. Allies need to acknowledge that we weren't there soon enough in enough numbers, and that we are an essential part of the fight.
—Elena CaJacob
Letter of the Week!
Thanks for reading Elena, and thanks for being supportive of such an important cause early on. Swing by the Source office and pick up a gift certificate to Crow's Feet Commons for all your hard work.
