Oregon Story of the Year so far

I must say, I'm surprised at what happened with the insane bill in the Oregon Legislature that would let homeless people camp anywhere they damn well please. The so-called "Right to Rest Act," promoted hard by the nopnrofit industrial complex, started getting some attention from CNN and Fox News, and right away the wingnuts on the far left started scolding the media for even talking about it, since it is not going to pass this session. "It's a nothingburger," "ginning up opposition," etc.

I call b.s. on that. The bill may not pass, but at last report they were still holding hearings on it in Salem. And the fact that somebody dropped thousands of dollars to enable Sisters of the Road to send out a direct mailer in support of the thing is certainly ample grounds for covering it.

This bill is important for several reasons. For one thing, it shows how extreme many of the "advocates" and "activists" are. The bill speaks for itself in sheer lunacy. But perhaps more importantly, the enlistment of supposedly nonpolitical 501(c)(3) organizations like Sisters of the Road to push the proposal shows how real, organized, and out of control the nonprofit industrial complex is. 

In any event, before it fades into the mists of voters' short memories, let us not forget the two geniuses in the Oregon House who actually sponsored this bill. They were right on the mailer that Sisters of the Road pumped out. They are Farrah Chaichi of Beaverton and Khanh Pham of southeast Portland. There does not seem to be a lick of sense between the two of them.

Don't forget what they've been up to. Vote for someone else next year. I would expect this from the snowflakes of Felony Flats, but you Democrats in Beaverton, come on. You can do a lot better.

Comments

  1. I already sent letters to my 2 State reps asking them to OPPOSE HB 3501...in both committee and on the floor. One of them responded about the status of the bill and the public testimony. I sent on-line public testimony opposing HB 3501 as well. Of all the online testimony submitted as of this date, it's 100% in opposition...and it's from all over the State -- urban and rural (see https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Measures/Testimony/HB3501).

    In this story: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/homeless/oregon-bill-homeless-camp-sweeps-illegal/283-637ab1aa-e152-4b8a-a678-e2faba73e425, Chaichi says that the last time out, this bill got only "15 minutes of public testimony and this week they're hoping for much more." Pham put out a longer statement full of happy horseshit about "uplifting our houseless neighbors" and "welcoming the debate". You can read it for yourself.

    These two wing nuts put together don't have the mental capacity to power a potato clock. The only thing they should welcome is hitting the bricks looking for a real job when they get turfed out.

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  2. (I posted this yesterday in a unrelated article because we need to keep a focus on this.)

    The public period for commenting on legalizing camping is happening now. Here is my take:

    You people have lost your minds. It is that simple. This law if passed it will make matters FAR WORSE than they already are now. My disgust with your feeble and toxic "solution" is almost beyond words. Your continuance to enable drug addiction (what you call camping) will leave a black mark on this state for decades. Shame on all of you!

    https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Testimony/HHOUSH/HB/3501/0000-00-00-00-00?area=Measures

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  3. Yes. This. And arguably the La Mota / Fagan thing - which could get bigger than Fagan. Eagerly waiting for another blog post.

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  4. In other news, I mailed my ballot this morning. Where I live, there were no tax measures on the ballot (which I woulda voted NO on reflexively)...just a bunch of boring races for school, water & fire protection boards of directors. The incumbent was running unopposed in a lot of these races.

    Those that were contested, EVERY ONE had a candidate who had "no previous government experience"...not a bad thing sometimes. However, EVERY ONE of these candidates' platforms consisted of long promises to expand "diversity, equity and minority rights"...not a word about school administration or curriculum policy; fire/rescue funding, effectiveness and response time; or water rates and capital projects. NOT F******* ONE WORD about any of that!!!!

    Expanding rights is important but, if you're running for a technocratic position that regulates water rates, shouldn't you have some kind of expertise in public administration, water policy or economics?

    This is how low we've sunk. On the brighter side, things are always worse in Multnomah County (where I DON'T live)...

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  5. HB 3501 hearing cancelled:

    https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2023/05/oregon-legislators-cancel-hearing-on-right-to-rest-homelessness-bill-after-uproar.html

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    Replies
    1. Yep, it's dead. Hopefully it doesn't come back as a zombie.

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  6. Sadly, here in Felony Flats, the choice for this seat in last November's election was between the far left and the far right. Ms Pham's opponent was a Proud Boy, or at least of that ilk. There was no middle-ground choice.

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  7. This type of legislation could be the death knell for Portland. I have to correct you on one thing: with the rise in real estate prices over the last 20+ years, it's no longer called Felony Flats, it's called Misdemeanor Mesa. Quite the up-and-coming location....

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  8. Assuming for a moment the bill passed, how would it impact the City of Portland’s sanctioned safe rest villages and the ability to move people off the street? Could the City even attempt to move people or would asking them result in a $1,000 award?

    Lunacy like this along with sky high tax rates makes me glad we moved out of Oregon.

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    Replies
    1. Easy... The CoP would just pass a tax to establish an PCEF-like fund to cover the costs -- with 100% of the administration to be done by interns and equity hires. Joann Hardesy would be the dept head.

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    2. I'm an advocate for housing first, before worrying about treatment for addiction or mental health issues. This worries me, though, because it could make it easier to postpone providing housing, or even shelters.

      If I were in charge, I would do something like build massive tent cities as an interim measure to providing long-term and permanent housing. I'm a veteran. I have lived in tent cities and even warehouses with wall-to-wall bunks on overseas deployments. It is doable.

      For those who refuse to go to shelters? Well, as long as you provide a bed for anyone who wants it, you should be able to tell those who don't to move on. The greater good requires it.

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