Editorial
Posted inOpinion

Rock the Vote, Jailbait Style: Kids under 18 want a change, monster UGB, and “W”

Mike Bookey

Vote for Miley!Anyone remember tearing through the latest Scholastic News during grade
school? Or maybe being forced to read it by a merciless second-grade
teacher with frizzy hair? Either way, every four years, this youthful
beacon of learning and news (yes, the same newspaper where you first
learned that squirrels could, in fact, water ski) puts out a
presidential election poll. And the poll has correctly predicted the
results for the past 40 years. No dimpled chads or Supreme Court
decision controversy necessary. The vote, which has been going on since
1940 has only been wrong twice since its inception - once in 1948 when
outcome went in favor of Dewey, once in 1960 when Nixon clenched the
under 18 vote. So whom did the future leaders of our country choose as
the 44th President of the United States? The poll has Barack Obama
winning 57 percent to John McCain's 37 percent. Scholastic News reports
that almost a quarter of a million kiddos, grades 1-12, voted either
online or via paper ballot. Out of the battleground states only
Colorado, Indiana and Missouri went to McCain while Florida, Iowa,
Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania went to Obama. Interestingly, four
percent of students voted for people like Stephen Colbert, Miley Cyrus
and the Jonas Brothers.

Posted inOpinion

The Boot: The Chamber’s Political Platypus

When the first stuffed specimen of a platypus was brought back from Australia in the late 18th century, the scientists who examined it were convinced
Eric Flowers

When the first stuffed specimen of a platypus was brought back from Australia in the late 18th century, the scientists who examined it were convinced it had to be a fake - the creation of a clever taxidermist who sewed a duck's bill onto the body of a small, beaver-like mammal.
Here in Central Oregon in the early 21st century, the board of directors of the Bend Chamber of Commerce has come up with its own peculiar hybrid animal to confound the analytical efforts of political scientists.

Posted inOpinion

Suck On Our McMansion, Valley Snobs!: OPB Comes to town, drawing a blank, and hands off our Boot

You’re not so bad!Upfront is a sucker for a little OPB radio, so when we heard that the newish Portland-based radio program, Think Out Loud,
Eric Flowers

You’re not so bad!Upfront is a sucker for a little OPB radio, so when we heard that the newish Portland-based radio program, Think Out Loud, was going to be taping live at the CTC downtown, we tore ourselves away from YouTube and high-tailed it downtown for a cup of coffee and the company of our progressive buddies.
Think Out Loud is a radio call-in show that discusses the many issues facing the great state of Oregon, and the topic of this live taping was, natch, how Bend is losing its shorts after years of ruling the real estate world. Guest panelists included a clean-shaven, articulate mayor Bruce Abernethy (this small town mayor knew how to use the seventh letter of the alphabet!), the folksy Andy High from COBA, and crowd-favorite Corky Senecal from NeighborImpact , who is not only an advocate for Bend's homeless, but also has one of the best names ever. The OPB crowd, about 80 folks who on the whole aren't fans of hair dye, hair products, haircuts, or contact lenses, clapped most enthusiastically when Ms. Senecal spoke of creating "livable wage jobs" in Central Oregon. (But make sure the City of Bend has a plan intact before we turn Bend into Phoenix again. And somebody better fix those damn potholes!) Overall, the crowd seemed pretty tame, only gasping once when online host Dave Miller tried to stir it up by reading a comment from a Valley listener who characterized Central Oregon residents as just a bunch of greedy right-wing nutters who love our McMansions and ripping up the Badlands on our ATVs. Mr. Abernethy did a good job of pointing out that Bend ranks number four in the entire nation when it comes to green resource living-only to be quickly called out by Think Out Loud host and Valley-lover Emily Harris, who accused Abernethy of perhaps overselling our potential for green collar growth like we did with the housing boom. Get used to it, OPB, when we do something over here-be it overbuild or save the environment-we go big or go home. Suck it! (P.S.- Thanks for free OPB mugs and T-shirts! Loves ya!)

Posted inOpinion

A Custom-Made Resort Exemption

At the Deschutes County Commission hearing earlier this month on a plan to metamorphose Aspen Lakes Golf Estates into a destination resort, there were a
Eric Flowers

At the Deschutes County Commission hearing earlier this month on a plan to metamorphose Aspen Lakes Golf Estates into a destination resort, there were a lot of comments about how the owners of the development, the Cyrus family, are longtime Central Oregonians and good people.
It's true that the Cyruses have been here for generations, and we have no doubt they're fine folks.

Posted inOpinion

All Jacked Up: New stealth rates at Bachelor, Call for photos and McCain Deathwatch

Eric Flowers

Mt B.

Early season pass sales ended on Tuesday and it appears that the move to reduce pass prices this year has paid off for Bachelor, which reported on its website that it is seeing an increased number of pass sales. In response, the ski area is jacking up Saturday rates (all season long). The surprise move was announced on the company's website, though Upfront isn't sure when the news appeared. Mt B. says it is raising Saturday rates in order to "maintain an enjoyable on-mountain experience while accommodating a larger core of season pass holders." The mountain isn't saying just how much the Saturday rate will be, but it will be equivalent to the ski area's holiday rate, which last year was $66. Mt. Hood Meadows has a similar pricing structure and is charging peak prices for holidays as well as Saturdays and Sundays between December and March 1.
Upfront thinks we can hear some of that newfound goodwill leaking out of the Bachelor bubble.
Wanted: Awesome Snow Shredding Pics
Speaking of Mt. B, the mountain scored a nice marketing coup this past month when Powder Magazine featured a pic from Bachelor that was shot by local photographer Brian Becker. Coincidentally, the Source is looking for amateur (though pros are welcome) photographers to submit some of their favorite powder shots, big airs and other worthy pics for a photo page in our annual Snowriders Guide, which publishes Oct. 16. Send your favorite digital photos from the past season (seasons) to info@tsweekly.com by Monday, Oct. 6, though preference will be given to early birds. While there will be no monetary compensation, do it for the Glory - just like a real Source staffer.

Posted inOpinion

Cozy, Friendly, Greasy Crook County

We almost had to buy out the contents of a medium-sized shoe store this week to get enough BOOTs to hand out to Crook County
The Source Staff

We almost had to buy out the contents of a medium-sized shoe store this week to get enough BOOTs to hand out to Crook County officials.
The beginning of our story takes us back to early August, when Gene Gramzow did a neighborly thing and picked up the tab for several members of the county planning commission who were drinking at a Prineville restaurant.

Posted inOpinion

No Handouts, Just Bailouts

Upfront couldn’t very well let the biggest financial meltdown since “I lost all my savings at a Vegas bachelor party” go by without comment. Well,
Eric Flowers

Upfront couldn't very well let the biggest financial meltdown since "I lost all my savings at a Vegas bachelor party" go by without comment. Well, there ain't a whole lot to say at this point except R.I.P. American economy. I wonder if that homeowner bailout that Bush pooh poohed less than a year ago is still feeling like the right thing now that the US Treasury is holding the $700 billion tab for the total collapse of the credit industry, fueled largely by a rash of home foreclosures and unregulated lending practices.
To help put this in perspective, Upfront visited the National Priorities Project (nationalpriorities.org) to see what else we might have been an able to buy for the cost of the bailout.
* Another Iraq War! ($555 billion)
* Health care for 200 million Americans
* 15 million police officers
* A renewable energy supply for 725 million homes
Instead we get vetos for children’s healthcare and corporate bailouts ramrodded down our throats. Thanks Gee?Dub.

Posted inOpinion

The Schools’ Corporate Sell-Out

America already has the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the FedEx Orange Bowl and the Allstate Sugar Bowl - not to mention the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl,
The Source Staff

America already has the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the FedEx Orange Bowl and the Allstate Sugar Bowl - not to mention the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, the AT&T Cotton Bowl and the Chick-fil-A (formerly Peach) Bowl. So why shouldn't Bend-LaPine schools let businesses (for a price, of course) attach their names to athletic fields and other facilities?
Weird as it sounds, the school board actually is kicking that idea around.

Posted inOpinion

Senor Smith vs. the Willamette WeekTabloid trash, Fey does Palin and more, more, more

When Portland’s Willamette Week ran a cover story last week alleging that Republican Sen. Gordon Smith’s family-owned frozen food company in Eastern Oregon employs illegal
Eric Flowers

When Portland's Willamette Week ran a cover story last week alleging that Republican Sen. Gordon Smith's family-owned frozen food company in Eastern Oregon employs illegal immigrants, the senator did what Republicans do best in the face of media scrutiny: make the media sound crazy.

Posted inOpinion

Saying No to Airport “Renewal”

As the eminent British philosopher Mick Jagger reminded us, “You can’t always get what you want.” That’s especially true if you’re trying to run a
Eric Flowers

As the eminent British philosopher Mick Jagger reminded us, "You can't always get what you want." That's especially true if you're trying to run a local government in a period of shrinking revenues.

Cessna, the small-aircraft manufacturer, wants $4 million worth of improvements at the Bend Airport, including longer runways and a control tower. One way to get the money for those amenities would be to create an urban renewal district covering more than 500 acres around the airport. The district wouldn't levy new taxes on existing properties, but it would absorb any increase in tax revenues that developed after its creation.
Cessna has been pushing hard for the urban renewal district, with the backing of the City of Bend. But because the airport lies outside the city limits, the Deschutes County Commission also must approve it. Last week, though, Commissioners Tammy Melton and Dennis Luke killed the plan by stating they wouldn't vote for it.
We think they made the right call.
Cessna is a good company to have in Central Oregon. It employs about 500 people at (by local standards) decent wages. The other aircraft manufacturer based at the airport, Epic, also is an asset to the economy.
The problem with giving Cessna what it wants is that the new urban renewal district would divert future tax dollars away from important public services, including the county sheriff's department and a rural fire protection district. According to county estimates, the fire district alone could lose something like $32,000 a year.

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