"Teabaggers" misrepresent American history

The Boston Tea Party, whose memory is invoked by today's "teabagger" protesters, was not about runaway taxes or creeping socialism. 

Our forefathers' first objection to tea taxes was that Britain funneled the revenue back to colonial governors to keep them loyal.

The other was that the Tea Act of 1773 repealed taxes on the British East India Company, in which King George and many British Lords were major shareholders, while continuing to tax everyone else.

The original Tea Party was a protest against unchecked predatory corporate power and against government giving special advantage to the wealthy and powerful.  In other words, what today's Republican party appears to stand for.

Republicans want us to think Kennedy opposed health care reform

Sean Hannity whines that we're being implored to get behind health care reform because it's "what Ted Kennedy would have wanted."

Well, it is.   If we dare draw attention to the fact that Kennedy called reform "the cause of my life" while honoring him, the Republicans cry crocodile tears of how "dishonorable" that is.

Rush Limbaugh warns against "using" Ted Kennedy's name to advance health care reform as an "insult" and "supreme hypocrisy," because it would "deny Americans the choices Senator Kennedy had".

Oh really?  Ted Kennedy had a health care plan paid for by the federal government.  It is the Republicans, not the Democrats, trying to use Kennedy's name to deny us these choices.

Republicans already politicizing Kennedy's death

Seven years ago, Republican leaders charged that Democrats "insulted the memory" of Paul Wellstone and "hijacked" his memorial by "turning it into a political rally."  Hogwash!  That service was exactly what Wellstone had said he wanted.

Now the Republicans are shocked - shocked! - that Democrats would push for health reform in Ted Kennedy's name.

The Democrats aren't being disrespectful by daring to advocate for the issue that Kennedy called the "cause of his life."  The so-called "Wellstone effect" consists of false accusations and crocodile tears from Republicans in a crass attempt to exploit the death for their own political gain.

PUBLISHED: Rep. Frank right to question the insane

Link to published letter [8/24/09]

Showing up at a town hall to question an expanded government role in health care and the economy? That's patriotic.

Showing up carrying a poster of President Barack Obama sporting a Hitler moustache and calling healthcare reform a "Nazi policy?" That's just plain loony.

Kudos to Barney Frank, D-Mass., for calling this out and jeers to the other Representatives who have been treating lunatics as if they are reasonable.

I'm tired of the media amplifying the noise generated by the nutcases and drowning out the reasoned debate that America desperately needs to have.

Single payer the only sensible solution

The cost of our current health insurance system is staggering. Private insurers have an overhead rate of 30%, ten times that of federal plans like Medicare. Dealing with thousands of different plans costs the average doctor $85,000 per year. Insurers' failure to provide true full coverage is by far the leading cause of both bankruptcies and personal injury lawsuits. And placing responsibility for coverage on employers has clobbered our workers' competitiveness in the global marketplace.

Using taxpayer funds to expand this idiotic system would bankrupt us.

The only workable way to truly reform health care is to throw out the fat and start over with a lean single payer system. The rest of the developed world has already done so.

Mr. President, Senators Wyden and Merkley, Rep. Blumenauer: SIngle Payer is best, Public Option an absolute minimum

I believe our health system's biggest cost problem is the waste and inefficiency of the insurance industry, and the best way to reform it is to replace it with a single payer system.

I would be willing to live with a public option -- as long as it is set up to be truly competitive, and not merely a dumping ground for insurance companies to abandon their more expensive insureds.

Without at least the public option to compete with the private sector, I believe that any changes to provide universal coverage would simply enrich inefficient and wasteful private insurers with another trillion dollars in public money, ultimately bankrupting the country.

[Additional note to Senator Wyden:] I am trusting you to put the interest of the public above those of the insurers -- opponents of the reforms I support -- that have contributed to your campaign fund.

PUBLISHED: Dropping 'public option' exposes the scam

Link to published letter [8/21/09]

[actual published text in bold]

This liberal is glad President Barack Obama may drop the public option for health coverage "reform".

A public option would ultimately fail anyway, as it became a dumping ground for private insurers to ditch their higher-cost patients.

Obama's move exposes current attempts to provide universal coverage for the sham -- and scam -- that they are: a trillion dollar funnel of our tax dollars to expand the scope and profits of today's wasteful, inefficient, bureaucratic and capricious private insurers.

On health coverage, the federal government has a proven track record of being (literally) 10 times more efficient and easier for physicians to deal with than the private sector. Single payer is the only meaningful reform that won't bankrupt the country.

Health care "protests" appear coordinated

What is most curious to me about the latest turn in the health care debate is how town hall meetings seem to have been inundated by disruptive, unruly "protesters." Not just here and there, but all across this vast, diverse nation -- and almost simultaneously.

One might be led to think that someone with an interest in the outcome is coordinating all this.

230 mpg claim for GM Volt is not believable

GM's claim that their new Volt can get 230 mpg is incredible. By that, I mean not believable.

The EPA has always rated fuel economy for cars that plug into the grid based on the energy equivalent of the electricity they use. For example, the 2001 Toyota Toyota RAV4 EV was rated at 104 mpg.

GM says that in all-electric mode the Volt will go 100 miles on 25 kilowatt-hours. Under longstanding EPA rules, that amounts to only 140 mpg. And all-electric mode is the most efficient scenario possible for this car that can run on both grid power and gasoline. The only way GM could claim 230mpg is if they are only counting the gasoline used and not the electricity.

That makes the 230 mpg claim a lie, and GM should know better.

Ban all cellphones while driving, not just handhelds

Driving while phoning is dangerous, and a major reason why roadway death rates refuse to fall despite incredible advances in vehicle safety. But Oregon's new ban on the use of handheld cellphones while driving won't fix the problem.

It isn't the act of holding something in your hand that is dangerous; most people are perfectly capable of driving with one hand. It's the act of conversing with someone not present in the vehicle, and uninvolved with the surrounding conditions. Numerous studies have shown this, and even an idiot should be able able to deduce it.

What the legislature should do is ban all telephone use while driving, handheld and handsfree. Of course if they did that, the phone companies wouldn't rake in their expected millions as everyone needlessly upgrades to handsfree devices.

Immigration reform demands wage reform

Those who propose immigration reform tell us that Americans are "too lazy" to do menial work.  On the other end of the spectrum, those who would crack down and close the border claim illegal immigrants are stealing "their" jobs.

Both "sides" of this debate are wrong.

Illegal immigration first became a serious problem in the 1980s as the real minimum wage fell precipitously in the face of inflation.  It's not that Americans too lazy to do these jobs.  It's that we can't live on them anymore.

This is an economic problem, and wages are the cause.  If we raised the minimum wage back to historic levels, Americans would fill the entry-level jobs again, and the illegals would stop coming.

Make the Marion berry official

[A recent attempt to designate an official state berry has caused a political brouhaha.]

Oregon's blackcaps, straws, rasps and blues
are all delicious berries most fine,

And let us not forget the grapes
that make all that wonderful wine.

But remember, in choosing
our official fruit of the vine,

That it is the sweet Marion berry
to which we can truly say "you are mine."

PUBLISHED: "Not With Sam" hypocrisy

Link to published letter

I thought the "not with Sam" crowd wanted the mayor to resign so the city could get on with its business. So what do they think they are accomplishing by barging in and taking over meetings where the city is trying to conduct its business?

Oregonian stymied in its attempt to steal Portland's vote

The Oregonian's contemptuous dismissal of Sam Adams' supporters (in today's editorial) as being driven either by ulterior motives or desperation was patently offensive.

Further, just one day after printing a lurid account of a men's room kiss you state that not only is sex between consenting adults not a "fit topic for public discussion," but that Adams probably lied because that is "not a universal opinion."

That's a hair's breadth from acknowledging that what Adams did wrong was to mislead the bigots of the world about something that is clearly none of their business.  That is perhaps more commendable than condemnable.

But rather than admit this, the Oregonian just left this loose end of all its twisted logic dangling so as not to contradict its premature call for resignation last week.

You do not get to decide who is mayor of Portland, and neither do your statewide and suburban readers.  We, the voters of the city, will decide.  You thought that by shaming Adams, you could get him to resign and take away our franchise.  Sam stood up and proved you wrong, and at least for that I can be proud of him.

There's at least one thing about this scandal that is more self-serving than Sam Adams' past behavior, and that is the Oregonian's current behavior.

Mayor Adams: Don't back down!

Mayor Adams, we think the media have gone too far in calling for your resignation, and we're absolutely disgusted at the thinly (if at all) veiled hatred that has passed for "public opinion" on the Internet this week.  We were thrilled to attend tonight's rally in your support.

You know whether you had sex with a minor or traded favors with Amy J. Ruiz, and we don't.  Despite what has happened, we trust you to look within yourself and do the right thing.  If the allegations are true, you cannot win and you simply must resign.

But if the allegations are false, you are just as strongly compelled to stand tall and strike a blow against the hatred that festers within our community!  We believe that many of the attacks against you come from outside, and that you still have strong support from real Portland citizens.

The beast that has backed you into this corner may be intimidating, but ultimately it is weak and cowardly.  If you aren't guilty of any crime and you stand up to this monster, you WILL defeat it!  You will also expose this small-minded hate for what it is, our community will be better off as a result, and we will teach the rest of the world a powerful lesson about right and wrong.  You're the most capable and energetic mayor we've had in a long time, we've got serious challenges in front of us and we need you back at work.  Don't let the bastards win!

City Councillors: Support Sam Adams!

THANK YOU for standing behind Sam Adams!  We attended this evening's rally to support him.  We would not want him to resign unless it is revealed that he had sex with a minor or traded favors with Amy J. Ruiz, which so far we do NOT know to be the case.  Sam is the most capable and energetic mayor we've had in a long time, and we need him back on the job!

We suspect that most of the alleged public "outraged" being expressed online is coming from those who live outside the city, and from a handful of loudmouthed bigots who should be ignored anyway.  We believe that Sam has the support of the majority of real Portland voters, and that if he faces down the hatred he will prevail.  Thanks for your support!

Standing by my Sam

I'm all for investigation of whether Mayor Adams had sex with someone under 18, and whether there was a quid pro quo in hiring Amy J. Ruiz.  I suppose Willamette Week is to be commended for its investigation.  But unless and until either charge turns out to be true, there is no reason for him to resign.  Sam is highly capable, qualified and (until this week) motivated, and we've got extremely important work for him to do.

The "public" reaction -- especially what's been posted to online comment sites traditionally dominated by conservative loudmouths -- is a chilling and disturbing reminder of the bigotry that still thrives in our community.  Much of the hate I've read so far is sufficiently laced with anti-gay rhetoric to reveal it for what it is.

And much of this so-called "outrage" against Adams comes from suburbanites whose opinion is irrelevant to whether Adams stays in office.  I'm convinced that when the smoke clears, we'll find he still has strong support from actual Portland voters. 

Stand by your Sam

So far we know Sam Adams had sex with another consenting adult.  And he lied about it to the media. Neither act is a crime.

If it turns out Adams' partner was under 18 when they first had sex, or that there was a quid pro quo in Adams' hiring of Amy Ruiz, I will be the first to call for his resignation -- and for criminal charges against him.

But so far we do not know those things to be true.  Meanwhile, we've got an ambitious, capable, and (until this week) highly motivated mayor in office.  The events of this week are a ridiculous distraction from the city's important work, and a disturbing reminder of the bigotry that still thrives in our community.  At least for now, this Portland citizen stands by his Sam.

Mayor Sam Adams: Hang in there!

We know there's been a lot of hate directed your way this week, but we just wanted you to know you have a lot of support out there in the community.

A lot of the virulent hate has come from non-Portlanders, and it's sufficiently laced with anti-gay rhetoric to reveal the bigotry that it represents.

We plan to attend tomorrow's rally in your support.  Please DO NOT RESIGN!  We hired you to do an extremely important job, we think you're the right guy to do it, and we still need you to do it!  Don't let the haters get you down.  We're convinced that when the smoke clears, you'll find you still have strong support from the actual voters of Portland.

Attached is the sign I have posted in my car's rear window.

Let the healing begin

On this historic day, we make the peaceful transition away from eight years of divisiveness, corruption, cynicism, obsession, secrecy, arrogance, cronyism, unconstitutionality, scandal and at times downright criminality.

As our wounded nation leaves another tainted administration behind, it is the Inaugural address 34 years ago of Gerald Ford that most powerfully echoes through history and resonates in the hope of today:

"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."