Opinion
Posted inOpinion

Got Your Fresh, Piping Hot Straight Poop Right Here

Source Weekly

Monday, March 7
Peace feelers? “The Wisconsin 14,” Democratic senators who fled state to prevent vote on union-busting bill, say they're willing to talk with Gov. Scott Walker – but won't come home just yet … You gotta problem wit dat? New Jersey's in-your-face Gov. Chris Christie voted most popular politician in America in Quinnipiac Poll, edging President Obama by half a point … Geographical confusion: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says iPods and iPhones “are built in the United States of America.” Sorry, John, they're built in China, like everything else … The better part of valor: Marisol Valles, 21-year-old police chief of crime-ravaged Mexican town of Praxedis G. Guerrero, flees to US after getting death threats, is fired … Wages of sin: Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), caught in affair with campaign aide, announces he won't seek re-election. “There are consequences to sin,” he tells reporters.

Posted inOpinion

Flaherty's Prosecutorial Crusade

Source Weekly

Zeal, in general, is a fine thing in a district attorney. We want a DA who goes after the bad guys with vigor and single-minded intensity.
In his first couple of months on the job, though, Deschutes County District Attorney Patrick Flaherty seems to be channeling most of his zeal into going after county employees and local journalists.
It all started when The Bulletin put in a request for copies of the job applications and résumés of the new assistant district attorneys and other staffers Flaherty has hired since taking over. It was a perfectly legitimate request; the public has a right to know the qualifications and backgrounds of people who are being paid with its tax dollars. Since the request was legitimate, the county complied.

Posted inOpinion

Don't Believe the Hype: Worker solidarity can win economic justice

Source Weekly

There's a joke circulating around the Internet that goes something like this:
A corporate CEO, a union member and a tea partier are sitting at a table with a plate of a dozen cookies. The CEO takes 11 cookies and wolfs them down. Then he turns to the tea partier and says, “Watch out for that union guy. He wants part of your cookie.”
It's a joke that has billionaires like the Koch Brothers – who fund tea party groups through Americans for Prosperity – and their errand boys Dick Armey of Freedom Works and Karl Rove of American Crossroads laughing all the way to the bank.

Posted inOpinion

Whisnant's Cyrus Family Protection Bill

Source Weekly

Everybody thinks the Cyrus family is good people. We think they're good people. Government officials in Central Oregon think they're very good people.
They think the Cyruses are such wonderful people, in fact, that they keep trying to rewrite the laws for them.
The Cyruses, whose ancestors came to Central Oregon in pioneer days, have been hoping for years to turn their Aspen Lakes subdivision near Sisters into a destination resort. Last year, the Deschutes County Commission fiddled around with the county's new destination resort map to create a special loophole that would allow them to do it.

Posted inOpinion

If You Can Find Straighter Poop Anywhere, Buy It

Source Weekly

Monday, Feb. 21
Qaddafi on the brink: Regime of dictator Muammar Qaddafi looking shaky as he and aides hunker in presidential palace; foreign oil companies bail out of Libya; deadly attacks against protesters continue … Take that, birthers: Former Arkansas governor and sometime presidential aspirant Mike Huckabee, appearing on ABC's “Good Morning America,” says claims that President Obama wasn't born in the US are “nonsense.” Guess he can write off the loony vote … Where are they now? Former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig (he of the wide men's room stance) is lobbying for a hunters' group that wants to take endangered species protection away from wolves… Former Olympic figure skater and alleged Nancy Kerrigan-whacker Tonya Harding gave birth to a healthy baby boy over the weekend, a friend of the family reveals … And now, Monday's important news: Justin Bieber gets a haircut and Portland firefighters rescue a puppy stuck in a drainpipe.

Posted inOpinion

Four Percent

Source Weekly

That's the projected decrease in the city of Bend's share of property tax revenues next year, according to the Deschutes County Assessor's Office. Property tax dollars represent the single biggest revenue stream for the city, accounting for about 60 percent of the total budget.

Posted inOpinion

Planned Parenthood Vote Disregards Population Crisis

Source Weekly

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Kudos to the letter published in the Feb. 16 Source by Eddie Kinnamon, “Population Bill Has Come Due.” It was refreshing to read such an articulate and vigorous commentary on this subject. I’m not sure if the author was aware that February was Global Population Speak Out month, but his speaking out was timely and appreciated.

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Other Teachers Deserve Recognition, Too

Source Weekly

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I am a bit disappointed with your armchair reporting on the local hero, Robert Tadjiki. This story has been shared in other print material over the past few years that I have lived in Bend. I do not want to discount what Mr. Tadjiki is doing, but I think he has had his share of fame and it is now time to recognize some of the thousands of other employees in the Bend-La Pine school district. I would recommend that you call any school and talk to any principal or student and they can easily provide you with numerous names of teachers who are everyday heroes. These teachers continue to teach more students and earn less pay each year. They have given up pay raises to secure employment for all.

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