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

Posted inOpinion

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

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

Ben Is My Guy

Eric Flowers

As a long time resident of Bend, this election seems to be evolving to be one of the most "sit up and take notice" events, EVER!
Having felt so strongly about it, I have donated the most money, ever, in an election cycle. So, I guess I have put my money where my mouth is.

Posted inOpinion

Grow a Heart

Eric Flowers

In reference to your Upfront article last week, the column entitled "World Gone Wild," I can't believe what a callous and demeaning statement Ric E. James made about "the world going to hell in a handbasket thanks to a bunch of bums who didn't pay their mortgages.

Posted inOpinion

Freaked Out

Eric Flowers

Frankly, it scares the heck out of me that someone like Sarah Palin, who desires to be Raptured, has a possibility of being in control of our "Football," that briefcase that is always within the immediate reach of the president and contains our nuclear launch codes in case of nuclear war.
The idea of the Rapture negates any usefulness of the concept of MAD, Mutual Assured Destruction, as a deterrent to nuclear war, she actually wants the destruction to come about, she wants Rapture to happen.

Posted inNews

Crunch Time for Transit: Citizens Step to the Plate to Pinch Hit for BAT

Eric Flowers

Getting out the voteIt’s 9:24 a.m. and Bend Area Transit (BAT) bus number three buzzes along its route through the city’s south side, picking up passengers headed for destinations as diverse as its individual riders, when Annis Henson, seated in the second row, starts speaking out about voter registration and the November election.

Henson grips a clipboard snapped shut on brochures, voter registration forms and a pen. Everyone on the bus swings to attention at the sound of her voice.
"If you haven’t registered to vote yet, I can help you do that this morning," Henson says. "If you’re 17 years old on or before October 14 and you turn 18 by November 3 you can register to vote in the state of Oregon." She answers a bus rider’s question about registering if someone just moved here from out of state. She passes him the clipboard and he begins filling out a voter registration form. At Henson’s count that’s 70 people she’s now registered.
Henson is a member of Citizens for Bend Area Transit (C-BAT), a group of volunteers working to spread the word about a ballot proposal that would create a transit district for Bend and transfer BAT’s operating expenses from the city budget to a permanent property tax increase - 39.3 cents per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value, or about $48 a year for a home assessed at $287,000.

Sign up for newsletters

Get the best of The Source - Bend, Oregon directly in your email inbox.

Sending to:

Gift this article