Editorial
Posted inOpinion

Going Down the Road to Conflict

Committee to cut road maintenance costs is a conflict of interest.
Source Weekly

conflict of interest – a situation that has the potential to undermine the impartiality of a person because of the possibility of a clash between the person’s self-interest and professional interest or public interest. Source: BusinessDictionary.com
It seems like a pretty simple concept, but we felt obliged to post that definition of “conflict of interest” because the Deschutes County commissioners appear to have a tough time grasping it.
Deschutes County is responsible for maintaining more than 900 miles of roads in unincorporated areas, and it's having an increasingly hard time finding enough money to do it. Tax revenues of all kinds have fallen off since the real estate bubble burst, and the payments the county gets from the federal government in lieu of timber receipts are shrinking and may soon disappear completely. This “perfect financial storm,” as the county calls it, has resulted in a shortfall of some $3 million a year in the county road maintenance budget.

Posted inOpinion

This Is the First Straight Poop of the Rest of Your Life

A gathering of news makers and headlines from the previous week.
Source Weekly

Monday, Dec. 26
Guess they're considering the alternatives: Gallup Poll finds 47% of Americans approve of President Obama, first time since last summer that positive rating's been higher than negative … Now this is a shocker: Independent panel finds Japan wasn't prepared for disaster at Fukushima nuke plant … Arab “Spring” in December: Arab League observers arrive in Syria and tour city of Homs; residents say government troops fired mortars and machine guns at them … No spring in Moscow: After tens of thousands of demonstrators call for ouster of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, government says it's open to “dialogue” but won't give in to protesters' main demands … Oh, the indignity! Jennifer O'Neill, former personal assistant to Lady Gaga, sues ex-boss for $380,000 in overtime, complains she was forced to “ensure the promptness of a towel following a shower.”

Posted inOpinion

Bogged Down on Mirror Pond

Mirror Pond tax district is a bad idea.
Source Weekly

A river wants to be a river, not a pond. You can make a river behave like a pond for a while by putting a dam in front of it, but sooner or later – sooner if the pond is shallow – the area outside of the main channel will fill up with sediment and the river will go back to being a river again.
Therein lies the dilemma for the City of Bend, which for decades has been wrestling with what to do about Mirror Pond.
The pond, formed by a dam built a century ago, is often described as “the jewel of downtown Bend,” but that jewel has a tendency to tarnish. Silt keeps building up until the pond threatens to become a mud flat – a problem exacerbated by spring and summer irrigation flows, which wash soil away from riverbanks upstream.

Posted inOpinion

Ring Out the Old Straight Poop, Ring In the New

A gathering of news and headline makers from the previous week.
Source Weekly

Monday, Dec. 19
Flameout: Newt Gingrich's lead among Republicans evaporates; Gallup now has him in virtual tie with Mitt Romney … With friends like these: Website that promotes adultery endorses Gingrich, puts up billboard of him with caption: “Faithful Republican, Unfaithful Husband … The Daily Gaffe: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, fading fast in GOP presidential race, describes defunct Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il as “Kim Jong the Second.” Wonder what happened to Kim Jong the First? … No deal: With Department of Justice antitrust enforcers looking over its shoulder, AT&T drops plan to take over T-Mobile USA … Syria agrees to allow Arab League to send in monitors as violence rages on; UN says at least 5,000 killed since protests started in March … Stand by votre homme: Anne Sinclair, wife of sex scandal-plagued Dominique Strauss-Kahn, voted Woman of the Year in France.

Posted inOpinion

The Realtors' Anti-Tax Power Play

Petition banning real estate transfer taxes.
Source Weekly

We have nothing against realtors. Many of them are fine human beings and decent, upstanding citizens. As individuals, realtors are all right by us.
When they band together, though, they sometimes have all the charm of a pack of ravenous piranhas.
Current case in point: the Oregon Association of Realtors' campaign to write a ban on real estate transfer taxes into the state constitution.
A real estate transfer tax is a tax on real estate sales. Currently there's only one locality in Oregon that has such a tax: Washington County, which charges a fee of 0.1 percent – that's a puny one-tenth of one percent – on each property sale. On a $250,000 house, for example, the tax would be $250. The tax, paid by the sellers, brings in about $2.5 million a year for the county.

Posted inOpinion

A Stocking Filled With Straight Poop for Good Girls and Boys

Gathering of news makers from the previous week.
Source Weekly

Monday, Dec. 12
On to the next war: President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hold news conference to mark formal end of war in Iraq; “A new day is upon us,” Obama says … Meanwhile Iran refuses US request to return captured drone, demands apology instead … Putin's party poops out: Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party stages rally in Moscow, but few show up – and many who do say they were forced to come … Heads may roll: Lowes catches flak for pulling ads for TLC's “All-American Muslim” reality show in response to complaint from right-wing group in Florida that it's “propaganda” … Heads do roll: Saudi Arabia confirms woman was beheaded for practicing “sorcery,” making total of 73 beheadings this year … The First Dude: Sarah Palin trying to pitch new reality show about husband Todd's career as champion snowmobile racer.

Posted inOpinion

Occupying the Invisible Congressman

Occupy movement putting heat on Rep. Greg Walden.
Source Weekly

On Dec. 6, a group of constituents went to Rep. Greg Walden's office in Bend. The congressman wasn't there, which wasn't surprising; he rarely is. Other groups showed up at Walden's offices in Medford and LaGrande. (He wasn't there either.)
Holding signs saying We Are the 99 Percent and a banner that asked Where's Walden? The protesters demanded that Walden hold more town hall meetings in places where more of his constituents can conveniently attend.
The response of Walden's staffers to that perfectly reasonable request was to call the cops. A total of 14 Occupy Walden demonstrators were arrested, cited for criminal trespass, and ordered not to visit Walden's offices again unless invited.

Posted inOpinion

Our Straight Poop Is Sometimes Naughty but Always Nice

A gathering of news makers from the previous week.
Source Weekly

Monday, Dec. 5
Not Putin' up with it anymore: Thousands take to streets in Moscow shouting “Death to Putin!” after Prime Minister Vladimir's party accused of rigging parliamentary elections … New Deal: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nikolas Sarkozy call for new European Union treaty that will punish countries for overspending … No exit sign: Afghan government says it'll need US troops until 2024 and US money until 2030 – at least … The Newt & Nancy Show: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she has dirt on Newt Gingrich from 1990s ethics investigation and will use it; Newt says if she does it'll be a violation of congressional rules … Meanwhile investigation by Reuters finds Mitt Romney spent $100,000 to hide records when he left office as governor of Massachusetts … At least he wasn't flying: Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt put on leave after DUI bust.

Posted inOpinion

Prineville's Nativity Scene Fiasco

Prineville Nativity scene violating church and state.
Source Weekly

America's founders knew history, and history had taught them that religion and government don't mix.
They knew that for centuries Europe had been wracked by religious wars, inquisitions, persecution of “heretics” and burning of “witches.” They wanted no part of that in the new republic they were creating, so they laid down a clear rule in the First Amendment of the Constitution: Government shouldn't mess with religion.
But some people have always thought they knew better. Among them are the members of the Prineville City Council.
For decades the City of Prineville put up a Nativity scene in front of City Hall and nobody had any problem with it. But last year a group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained – correctly – that the display violated the constitutional separation of church and state.
That didn't sit well with some of the good Christian people of Prineville, who demanded that the Nativity scene remain. The council tried hard to accommodate them by finding a detour around the Constitution.

Posted inOpinion

Stock Up Now On Fresh Straight Poop For The Holidays

A gathering of happenings in the news from the previous week.
Source Weekly

Monday, Nov. 28
Mr. Excitement: Atlanta businesswoman Ginger White reveals 13-year affair with pizza king and would-be president Herman Cain, says it was “fun” and “exciting.” Who would've thought? … Parting shot: Rep. Barney Frank, D-MA, first openly gay member of Congress, announces retirement, takes dig at Newt Gingrich, saying his nomination would be “best thing to happen to the Democratic Party since Barry Goldwater.” … Tattletale: Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says his office “overreacted” to Tweet by 18-year-old student saying he “sucked,” apologizes for reporting her to principal … Party animal? Pippa Middleton, sister-in-law of Prince William and possessor of one of the most-admired asses in Britain (it has its own website) reportedly inks $625,000 deal to write guide to party planning … No, life is NOT fair: Three affluent wealth managers from posh Greenwich, CT share $254 million Powerball jackpot.

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