24 January 2024

Why did the National Education Association (NEA) and the Oregon Education Association (OEA) donate a combined $575,000 dollars of membership dues to the Oregon Votes Yes PAC?  This money paid for online advertisements and canvassing in support of four constitution-amending ballot measures related to healthcare, criminal justice, quorum requirements, and firearms, such as:

Measure 111, which redefined healthcare as a fundamental human right to the Oregon State constitution.  
Measure 112, which removed language in the constitution related to indentured servitude or slavery as a punishment for crime—previously used to reduce prison sentences in the criminal justice system.  
Measure 113, which prohibits a member of Oregon’s legislature from holding state office for one full term, if they have 10 or more unexcused absences, effectively ending a procedural move for the minority to deny quorum.  
Measure 114, which altered the state’s firearm and purchasing requirements, in addition to adding a magazine capacity limit.   
This mission creep and has nothing to do with education. It's the unions, wanting to exert control over government to sway things in their favor.
And here are the Democrats, thinking that they will overhaul 110 enough to make a dent in drug abuse.
Under the framework, Measure 110 would not be repealed, but drug decriminalization would be effectively ended. As things currently stand, being caught in possession of user amounts of drugs can earn a Class E violation — a ticket for $100 at most, which can be waived if the person fined contacts a substance use helpline. The new proposal would change that to a Class C misdemeanor, the lowest-level misdemeanor crime under Oregon law.
Does Kate Lieber really think these people are capable of making rational decisions about their drug abuse? Where are they going to get $100? Do you think they'll willingly give that up?  Criminalize drug abuse and get these guys off the streets.
We need to build more mental hospitals, and start putting people in them.
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Incredible!  Someone went to a lot of trouble to create an online infographic of Star Wars IV: A new hope. Very cool.

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The City of Portland's boundary is a business kill zoneEveryone blames someone else for ice storm ineptitude.

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Trump's tax cuts will be expiring soon.  Soon a lot of people are going to realize why Trump supporters want Trump back.

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How Euler did it.  Leonhard Euler was the greatest mathematician who ever lived, I think. No one has matched his output. This is a nice resource for those who want to understand his work.

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This is what happens when people overly rely on artificial intelligence. Computer vision is not yet foolproof. Poor guy has a good legal case for wrongdoing, in my opinion.

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Cool. There's an accurate blood test for making the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. It probably needs to be confirmed, and if so, would replace the need for spinal taps to sample CSF.

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Beautiful waterway mapLTC Rolt would have appreciated this.

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The Boeing plant in Renton was responsible for misinstallation of the door that blew off. Some of the commenters wonder if the workers were stoned or on other drugs, or if they were part of the DEI hiring process that afflicts so much of Seattle. "Boeing’s 737 production system is described as 'a rambling, shambling, disaster waiting to happen.' ”

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