Unite for ADA

City Councilor Jodie Barram is right about how noteworthy it is when an entire community unites for a cause. I applaud those who worked for positive change at the OLCC. I agree: let's look for other ways to partner together for the betterment of Bend.
Imagine how noteworthy it would be if the city council and city staff worked to unite the community in bipartisan support of civil rights for people with disabilities. That would be a powerful example of people working together for a better community.

Oregon finds itself in quite a mess as we conclude the primary campaign and move to the general [election]. We are one of the leading states for unemployment and have been for a very long time. We have an education system that in most categories rates in the bottom 10 states, occasionally into the bottom third. We have had companies quietly move out of state with more exits expected. Our tax rates are among the highest in the country. Our infrastructure is in disrepair.

I'm writing to voice my support for Dallas Brown for Deschutes County commissioner. Deschutes County is an amazing place to live, but it needs fresh perspectives and direction. I truly feel Dallas has the energy, ideas and drive to get us there.
I know that for some his age is an issue, he's only 25, in fact – but why is that assumed to be a weakness? A little youth and vigor might just be what our system needs.
As Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

First things first. There is no space crisis at the jail. There is no imminent risk of matrixing. The supposed Deschutes County safety problem is just a sales pitch for a jail-tax increase.
Evidence #1: The county crime rate is down.
Evidence #2: Juvenile Justice is having lay-offs due to low usage.
Evidence #3: The work center is only half-full.
These are just a few of the many basic reasons the super-sized jail-tax push is a bad idea and an obsolete one. It doesn't add up on even the most basic level, and the numbers seem to come directly from the mythopoetic “local building lobby.”