We hear everyday how Oregon is just about $2Billion in the hole (and that in a state with only 3 million people) and how people are supposedly dieing because they're losing this or that benefit, schools closing, etc. and yet here is an idiotic program being funded probably to the tune of 1 or 2 million dollars that will (hopefully) never result in anything.
What a waste! I urge my fellow Oregonians to write their legislooters and strongly urge them to stop funding this crap!
This scheme is rife with privacy and cost problems (how much money are car owners and gas stations going to have to spend to install this equipment? How many years will it take to pay those costs off?).
I really don't see a lot of electric/hybrid/small cars on the road around here anyway. I see _lots_ of SUVs which must be burning a lot of gas and paying a lot of gas tax. And if all of the sudden, lots of electric/hybrid/small,efficient cars show up on the road in Oregon, wouldn't we all be better off anyway? This is all a scam!
Yes, the Three Gorges dam is an ecological and cultural disaster. But most of the critisism being expressed here is (I suspect) being expressed by Americans (I'm one too). Does this make sense? Don't we Americans consume more energy per-capita than any other nation in the world? We drive to work in huge SUV's - why do we need such huge vehicles to transport one person? The US imports huge amounts of oil to power these SUVs which leads to all sorts of geopolitical problems (see: The Middle East). Instead of trying to reduce our consumption of oil we go and fight wars in the Middle East so that we can install regimes which are more favorable to us so we can keep the oil flowing - we are like the Roman Empire of old.
So China is just trying to be like US - they want a modern, industrial, consumer-based society - nevermind that that our sort of society probably doesn't scale to 1.4billion population due to the devestating ecological effects. And to be just like US they need lots of engery, hence the dam project.
Also consider that all of us typing these posts are doing so via computer. As we continue to push clock speeds higher and higher, power consumption in processors increases - power consumption in CMOS is something like cfv^2 (f: frequency, v: voltage, c: capacitance) so the faster we run'em the more power they take. Now consider that a 2GHz Athlon or Pentium packs all the power that your average Joe user will ever need - perhaps now that these processors are consuming in the 75 to 100 watt range, we should be putting more effort into reducing power consumption, instead of increasing clock speeds?
I suspect we could be doing a lot more with a lot less and since the rest of the world seems to be hellbent on emulating US, why not try to set a better example?
Re:the dark side of gentoo...
on
Gentoo Reviewed
·
· Score: 1
gcc is a fscking python script, everytime you compile a file you call python... and i wondered why xfree compilation took so long.
Actually, I tend to agree with Lessig. The Internet as we've known it is dying (or some would say dead) due to the concentration of control over the infrastructure.....however, that doesn't mean that we can't regain some control. That's why we need to create a large scale, non-corporate-controlled wireless network. The internet as we've known it will become less and less free, but a wireless network like this would tend to defy corporate control. In essence we'll see two networks: the controlled internet and the unconrollable, ad-hoc wireless 'cloud' that is created by the people.
It could be that this is only possible in metropolitan areas and that we still need to tie these free networks together through the old internet. Also, another problem is that we probably can't get over the Pacific and Atlantic on our own, so there we'll still be dependent on the old internet.
"I tell you the truth" Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
Jesus making pretty clear claim to God-hood. Specifically note the use of "I am" not "I was", This is the name God used to identify himself, and Jesus is describing himself with it
Quite right. To the Jewish mindset at the time that was indeed a claim of God-hood. That's why they wanted to stone him in the next verse or two.
I wasn't trying to say that there was any question that Christ claimed divinity, but it's interesting that for the most part he didn't go around making real obvious statements in that direction. I think this has a lot to do with His humility.
Didn't Christ also say he was the son of God and King of the Jews?
It's interesting that he never said either of these things about himself. Others around him said it of Him and he didn't dispute it when they did.
For example, at one point He asks his followers what people are saying about him. They give answers like "they think you're a prophet", etc. And then he asks them "Who do _you_ say I am?" and Peter answers "You're the Son of God." He didn't dispute the statement.
Just prior to His crucifixion, Pilate asks him if He is the King of the Jews and Jesus answers something to the effect "It is as you say".
thus possibly explaining to Christians that while Christ's philosophies were good, he should be viewed as a normal person who believed in himself.
Well, in a word, no. Sure while Christ was fully God and fully Man; He didn't rely on his 'God'ness while he was here on earth (that would have been cheating). But He did know who He was. He didn't tell people to belive in themselves, but that the only way out was to beleive in Him. Christian thought doesn't teach to beleive in yourself (that's the Positive Thinking crowd) but instead it teaches that the self is bankrupt and you must surrender it if you're going to get anywhere - to focus on others, not the self.
Sure there's Christian symbolism all over the place in The Matrix. Take Neo's name for example: Neo Anderson Neo = New Ander = Man Which translates to 'New Son of Man'.
What did Christ call himself? The Son of Man.
But then again, there's also Bhuddist imagry and as was mentioned the main theme is based on Plato's Cave.
BTW: My wife attended a talk by Leonard Sweet several months back and he claimed that he is one of the spiritual consultants for The Matrix movies. That would explain where the Christian imagry came from.
If the people who didn't have jobs, moved to where there WERE jobs?
And where would that be? Sure, Oregon has a higher unemployment rate than most of the rest of the country, but there's not guarantee that if I were to move elsewhere that I'd find a job there. I know plenty of people in the Bay Area who are out of work and they have to shell out $1500+/month for rent. I really don't think that's an enviable position to be in.
There are jobs in CA but nobody can afford a house.
Or at least you can't afford one unless you and your spouse are working a couple of jobs each...
Meanwhile, there are cheap houses in Oregon, but nobody has a job.
On average I think houses up here are getting close to $200K. Prices are still rising even though the economy is in the dumpster (and lots of us are starting to consider diving into the dumpster in search of food:). I guess there are still a lot of lawyers around here buying houses.
Are they giving out houses to the unemployed up there?
Probably not since the land lotteries of the 1800s.
If not, then... I'd rather have a job and rent than be broke, drooling at all the cheap houses I STILL can't afford!
Well, given that in the Bay Area rents still run around $1500 for a 1BR apt., if you lose your job down there you're shelling out a pretty good chunk of cash each month just for rent. Here in Oregon, if you're out of work you could be paying around $600/mo. which means your savings will last longer.... and of course, I know people in the Bay Area who are out of work so I don't really think that going down there to look for work will do me any good (other than wasting a good chunk of my savings).... so for now a lot of us have concluded that it's best to just stay put.
By no means did I mean to imply that our tax structure is perfect in Oregon... just trying to capitalize on the way it is now. Since there is no sales tax, that could encourage some of these businesses to move here and any new jobs could help.
I actually would rather see a sales tax (excluding food and meds, of course) here if they would reduce the income and property taxes by a substantial amount.
I wish there were some kind of book or guide to Grad school that goes over this kind of stuff. Most of us find ourselves in Grad School and have no idea how the system works or how to work the system.
You should write up some kind of guide to finding grad school funding.
* They pay you, rahter than you paying them, and the class sizes are much smaller. What a deal!
Maybe that's the way it used to be... not so anymore. I'm in my late 30s going back to work on a Master's in Electrical & Computer Engineering. There is very little research money available in the department. Apparently, a lot of the money that the department was getting from industry dried up as the economy tanked (no surprise there).
So... I'm paying for school out of my IRA. I've often heard these wonderful stories about how you don't have to pay for grad school and they pay you to go to school, but it apparently isn't the case anymore. If it is, I'd like to find out where.
Plus, GPLed software has the source publicly available, so the argument could be made that reviewing the code before deploying it would comprise 'due diligence' on the part of anyone who wished to use that software, and that if someone didn't do that, it's negligence on their part.
Sure, but you're thinking logically, not legally. Besides, how much would it cost you by the time you proved this in court? It would probably cost as much or more than a mortgage on a house. How many OSS developers could afford that kind of defense?
Truely, if any one (or any company) deserved to be sued for putting out shitty software, its Micro$oft....But, I think that this is a really bad idea and sets a very bad precedent that could ruin the software industry as we know it (and I'm including Open Source here - especially open source).
If people start flinging lawsuits at software producers then it'll kill open source pretty quick (OK, maybe kill is too strong; how about 'chill' or 'drastically reduce'). Micro$oft at least has $40Billion in the bank to fight such suits, but your average open source programmer doesn't have enough cash to even hire a lawyer for a couple of hours. These sorts of lawsuits could quickly have a chilling effect on OSS creation....Not that OSS would die altogether, but we would have to start releasing code anonymously.
"Can the pattern of Micro$oft's interview questions give us clues about the company's future actions? Why this obsession with moving Mt. Fuji? Perhaps the Japanese government should investigate Microsoft for planning terrorist activities that would destroy a national symbol. Of that country. Japan.
And what about this obsession with manhole covers? Could it be that Microsoft is planning some sort of covert para-millitary operation in our sewers? Perhaps the office of Homeland Security should look into this. I've instructed Tom Ridge to look into this.
First they took over our computers and now they want to take our sewers and destroy Mt. Fuji in the process. This evil must be stopped! I'm adding Microsoft to the Axis of Evil. If there are weapons of mass destruction in Redmond, we will root them out."
Later in the day...
"I just got off the phone with Bill Gates. I fogot what a good friend Bill is. Microsoft is good. I've removed them from my axis of evil list. Forget I even mentioned it."
How's that? You mean we should have let property taxes rise at an uncapped rate? I think the cap is 3% per year, which is about what inflation has been running for the last, oh, 10 years or so. Why should property taxes go up faster than the inflation rate?
Given that a lot of us techies in Oregon are not working right now (myself included), it's kind'a good that I can count on what my property tax bill will be come November - the way it was before it was hard to tell how much more I was going to have to pay each year. It's also a lot easier on retired, fixed income folks.
I am coming to the conclusion that we do need some kind of sales tax (excluding food & meds of course), but I would only support it if my property taxes were reduced (I think this is why sales tax initiatives have always failed in Oregon before - it always looked like another additional tax on top of the others). If we had a sales tax (say 5%) and the property taxes were lowered (say by 25-30%) it would make it a lot easier if you're unemployed. I can avoid a sales tax by not buying items that are taxed(and when you're not working you generally can't afford those items anyway), but I can't avoid the property tax; if I'm not working, they still want it even if I don't have the cash.
Given the high unemployment rates here, I'm sure there are a lot of us in Oregon wondering how we're going to come up with our property taxes this year (averages around $2000 for moderately priced homes) as it is.
But, when it comes right down to it, it's not because our taxes are too low or too capped that has killed the state and local budgets here in Oregon. The main reason is that a lot of folks who had good paying jobs have lost them, and as the jobs were lost, so were the tax revenues. Of course it doesn't help that state budgets were predicated on the belief that the economy would just continue for the next five years to be just like it was in 1999.
How's that? You mean we should have let property taxes rise at an uncapped rate? I think the cap is 3% per year, which is about what inflation has been running for the last, oh, 10 years or so. Why should property taxes go up faster than the inflation rate?
Given that a lot of us techies in Oregon are not working right now (myself included), it's kind'a good that I can count on what my property tax bill will be come November - the way it was before it was hard to tell how much more I was going to have to pay each year. It's also a lot easier on retired, fixed income folks.
I am coming to the conclusion that we do need some kind of sales tax (excluding food & meds of course), but I would only support it if my property taxes were reduced (I think this is why sales tax initiatives have always failed in Oregon before - it always looked like another additional tax on top of the others). If we had a sales tax (say 5%) and the property taxes were lowered (say by 25-30%) it would make it a lot easier if you're unemployed. I can avoid a sales tax by not buying items that are taxed(and when you're not working you generally can't afford those items anyway), but I can't avoid the property tax; if I'm not working, they still want it even if I don't have the cash.
Given the high unemployment rates here, I'm sure there are a lot of us in Oregon wondering how we're going to come up with our property taxes this year (averages around $2000 for moderately priced homes) as it is.
But, when it comes right down to it, it's not because our taxes are too low or too capped that has killed the state and local budgets here in Oregon. The main reason is that a lot of folks who had good paying jobs have lost them, and as the jobs were lost, so were the tax revenues. Of course it doesn't help that state budgets were predicated on the belief that the economy would just continue for the next five years to be just like it was in 1999.
It appears that the Oregonian read a little too much into the fact that the bill wasn't discussed in the General Committee today. Here's part of a post that showed up on the Portland Linux User's Group this evening (Note: Representative Drummel is a committee member and supporter of the bill):
"Behold! Representative Jerry Drummel, at 16:52PDT, calls me back.
I spoke with him for about 10 minutes. To summarize:
* He scratched out the discussion of the bill in the general committee because he wasn't happy with the amendments. Two issues:
- Issue with the "where as" clauses. I didn't know what this meant.
- Issue with parts of section 2, did not go into details
* He has been working with Barnhart and and Ken Barber [co-sponsors of the bill] since the bills creation.
* He is the one who invited Riverdale and the MESD down to testify.
* Once the bill is finalized and approved through the General committee,
he would be a yes vote..... So, I don't think the bill is dead, just standard government bureaucracy. I've never had a representative call me back though, which was impressive. Then again, maybe I'm easily impressed when it comes to legislature. "
So it would appear that The Oregonian was a bit premature in declaring the death of this bill. It looks like it will go through some more revision, though.
I suppose you could make the point that M$ loses money on every XBox they sell so that they can create a market for XBox games and that by buying an XBox and running LInux on it you're helping to bleed M$ dry... However, on the otherhand, if you do buy an XBox to run Linux, the sales figures for XBoxen are incremented by 1 and the more XBoxen there are, the more the game companies will want to support it. So it's kind of a double-edge sword.....and of course, it would take a long, long time to bleed M$ dry this way.
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We hear everyday how Oregon is just about $2Billion in the hole (and that in a state with only 3 million people) and how people are supposedly dieing because they're losing this or that benefit, schools closing, etc. and yet here is an idiotic program being funded probably to the tune of 1 or 2 million dollars that will (hopefully) never result in anything.
What a waste! I urge my fellow Oregonians to write their legislooters and strongly urge them to stop funding this crap!
This scheme is rife with privacy and cost problems (how much money are car owners and gas stations going to have to spend to install this equipment? How many years will it take to pay those costs off?).
I really don't see a lot of electric/hybrid/small cars on the road around here anyway. I see _lots_ of SUVs which must be burning a lot of gas and paying a lot of gas tax. And if all of the sudden, lots of electric/hybrid/small,efficient cars show up on the road in Oregon, wouldn't we all be better off anyway? This is all a scam!
...and no rules to bind them...
Yes, the Three Gorges dam is an ecological and cultural disaster. But most of the critisism being expressed here is (I suspect) being expressed by Americans (I'm one too). Does this make sense? Don't we Americans consume more energy per-capita than any other nation in the world? We drive to work in huge SUV's - why do we need such huge vehicles to transport one person? The US imports huge amounts of oil to power these SUVs which leads to all sorts of geopolitical problems (see: The Middle East). Instead of trying to reduce our consumption of oil we go and fight wars in the Middle East so that we can install regimes which are more favorable to us so we can keep the oil flowing - we are like the Roman Empire of old.
So China is just trying to be like US - they want a modern, industrial, consumer-based society - nevermind that that our sort of society probably doesn't scale to 1.4billion population due to the devestating ecological effects. And to be just like US they need lots of engery, hence the dam project.
Also consider that all of us typing these posts are doing so via computer. As we continue to push clock speeds higher and higher, power consumption in processors increases - power consumption in CMOS is something like cfv^2 (f: frequency, v: voltage, c: capacitance) so the faster we run'em the more power they take. Now consider that a 2GHz Athlon or Pentium packs all the power that your average Joe user will ever need - perhaps now that these processors are consuming in the 75 to 100 watt range, we should be putting more effort into reducing power consumption, instead of increasing clock speeds?
I suspect we could be doing a lot more with a lot less and since the rest of the world seems to be hellbent on emulating US, why not try to set a better example?
gcc is a fscking python script, everytime you compile a file you call python... and i wondered why xfree compilation took so long.
/usr/bin/gcc: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped
Not sure what you're talking about:
$ file `which gcc`
I'm running gentoo 1.1
Those who would trade security for freedom deserve neither!
I guess I'm a little squeamish about downloading a new ROM image and flashing the internal ROM.
How hard is this to do? What are the potential problems that might render my Zaurus unusable? (if any)
Actually, I tend to agree with Lessig. The Internet as we've known it is dying (or some would say dead) due to the concentration of control over the infrastructure. ....however, that doesn't mean that we can't regain some control. That's why we need to create a large scale, non-corporate-controlled wireless network. The internet as we've known it will become less and less free, but a wireless network like this would tend to defy corporate control. In essence we'll see two networks: the controlled internet and the unconrollable, ad-hoc wireless 'cloud' that is created by the people.
It could be that this is only possible in metropolitan areas and that we still need to tie these free networks together through the old internet. Also, another problem is that we probably can't get over the Pacific and Atlantic on our own, so there we'll still be dependent on the old internet.
"I tell you the truth" Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
Jesus making pretty clear claim to God-hood. Specifically note the use of "I am" not "I was", This is the name God used to identify himself, and Jesus is describing himself with it
Quite right. To the Jewish mindset at the time that was indeed a claim of God-hood. That's why they wanted to stone him in the next verse or two.
I wasn't trying to say that there was any question that Christ claimed divinity, but it's interesting that for the most part he didn't go around making real obvious statements in that direction. I think this has a lot to do with His humility.
Also, if you're going to play arbitrary translation games like that shouldn't you be translating "son" as well?
Oh, sorry:
son = son
Christian nor Science
Didn't Christ also say he was the son of God and King of the Jews?
It's interesting that he never said either of these things about himself. Others around him said it of Him and he didn't dispute it when they did.
For example, at one point He asks his followers what people are saying about him. They give answers like "they think you're a prophet", etc. And then he asks them "Who do _you_ say I am?" and Peter answers "You're the Son of God." He didn't dispute the statement.
Just prior to His crucifixion, Pilate asks him if He is the King of the Jews and Jesus answers something to the effect "It is as you say".
thus possibly explaining to Christians that while Christ's philosophies were good, he should be viewed as a normal person who believed in himself.
Well, in a word, no. Sure while Christ was fully God and fully Man; He didn't rely on his 'God'ness while he was here on earth (that would have been cheating). But He did know who He was. He didn't tell people to belive in themselves, but that the only way out was to beleive in Him. Christian thought doesn't teach to beleive in yourself (that's the Positive Thinking crowd) but instead it teaches that the self is bankrupt and you must surrender it if you're going to get anywhere - to focus on others, not the self.
Sure there's Christian symbolism all over the place in The Matrix. Take Neo's name for example:
Neo Anderson
Neo = New
Ander = Man
Which translates to 'New Son of Man'.
What did Christ call himself? The Son of Man.
But then again, there's also Bhuddist imagry and as was mentioned the main theme is based on Plato's Cave.
BTW: My wife attended a talk by Leonard Sweet several months back and he claimed that he is one of the spiritual consultants for The Matrix movies. That would explain where the Christian imagry came from.
If the people who didn't have jobs, moved to where there WERE jobs?
And where would that be? Sure, Oregon has a higher unemployment rate than most of the rest of the country, but there's not guarantee that if I were to move elsewhere that I'd find a job there. I know plenty of people in the Bay Area who are out of work and they have to shell out $1500+/month for rent. I really don't think that's an enviable position to be in.
There are jobs in CA but nobody can afford a house.
... I'd rather have a job and rent than be broke, drooling at all the cheap houses I STILL can't afford!
... and of course, I know people in the Bay Area who are out of work so I don't really think that going down there to look for work will do me any good (other than wasting a good chunk of my savings).... so for now a lot of us have concluded that it's best to just stay put.
Or at least you can't afford one unless you and your spouse are working a couple of jobs each...
Meanwhile, there are cheap houses in Oregon, but nobody has a job.
On average I think houses up here are getting close to $200K. Prices are still rising even though the economy is in the dumpster (and lots of us are starting to consider diving into the dumpster in search of food:). I guess there are still a lot of lawyers around here buying houses.
Are they giving out houses to the unemployed up there?
Probably not since the land lotteries of the 1800s.
If not, then
Well, given that in the Bay Area rents still run around $1500 for a 1BR apt., if you lose your job down there you're shelling out a pretty good chunk of cash each month just for rent. Here in Oregon, if you're out of work you could be paying around $600/mo. which means your savings will last longer.
By no means did I mean to imply that our tax structure is perfect in Oregon... just trying to capitalize on the way it is now. Since there is no sales tax, that could encourage some of these businesses to move here and any new jobs could help.
I actually would rather see a sales tax (excluding food and meds, of course) here if they would reduce the income and property taxes by a substantial amount.
Great post. Very infromative.
I wish there were some kind of book or guide to Grad school that goes over this kind of stuff. Most of us find ourselves in Grad School and have no idea how the system works or how to work the system.
You should write up some kind of guide to finding grad school funding.
... We don't have a sales tax up here and there are lots of folks desperate to find work.
will companies relocate to avoid charging their customers the tax?
They should move on up to Oregon; we don't have a sales tax and we've got a lot of people who would like to have a job.
* They pay you, rahter than you paying them, and the class sizes are much smaller. What a deal!
Maybe that's the way it used to be... not so anymore. I'm in my late 30s going back to work on a Master's in Electrical & Computer Engineering. There is very little research money available in the department. Apparently, a lot of the money that the department was getting from industry dried up as the economy tanked (no surprise there).
So... I'm paying for school out of my IRA. I've often heard these wonderful stories about how you don't have to pay for grad school and they pay you to go to school, but it apparently isn't the case anymore. If it is, I'd like to find out where.
Plus, GPLed software has the source publicly available, so the argument could be made that reviewing the code before deploying it would comprise 'due diligence' on the part of anyone who wished to use that software, and that if someone didn't do that, it's negligence on their part.
Sure, but you're thinking logically, not legally. Besides, how much would it cost you by the time you proved this in court? It would probably cost as much or more than a mortgage on a house. How many OSS developers could afford that kind of defense?
Truely, if any one (or any company) deserved to be sued for putting out shitty software, its Micro$oft. ...But, I think that this is a really bad idea and sets a very bad precedent that could ruin the software industry as we know it (and I'm including Open Source here - especially open source).
...Not that OSS would die altogether, but we would have to start releasing code anonymously.
If people start flinging lawsuits at software producers then it'll kill open source pretty quick (OK, maybe kill is too strong; how about 'chill' or 'drastically reduce').
Micro$oft at least has $40Billion in the bank to fight such suits, but your average open source programmer doesn't have enough cash to even hire a lawyer for a couple of hours. These sorts of lawsuits could quickly have a chilling effect on OSS creation.
George W's comments on this story:
"Can the pattern of Micro$oft's interview questions give us clues about the company's future actions? Why this obsession with moving Mt. Fuji? Perhaps the Japanese government should investigate Microsoft for planning terrorist activities that would destroy a national symbol. Of that country. Japan.
And what about this obsession with manhole covers? Could it be that Microsoft is planning some sort of covert para-millitary operation in our sewers? Perhaps the office of Homeland Security should look into this. I've instructed Tom Ridge to look into this.
First they took over our computers and now they want to take our sewers and destroy Mt. Fuji in the process. This evil must be stopped! I'm adding Microsoft to the Axis of Evil. If there are weapons of mass destruction in Redmond, we will root them out."
Later in the day...
"I just got off the phone with Bill Gates. I fogot what a good friend Bill is. Microsoft is good. I've removed them from my axis of evil list. Forget I even mentioned it."
it's the property tax cap that's unworkable
How's that? You mean we should have let property taxes rise at an uncapped rate? I think the cap is 3% per year, which is about what inflation has been running for the last, oh, 10 years or so. Why should property taxes go up faster than the inflation rate?
Given that a lot of us techies in Oregon are not working right now (myself included), it's kind'a good that I can count on what my property tax bill will be come November - the way it was before it was hard to tell how much more I was going to have to pay each year. It's also a lot easier on retired, fixed income folks.
I am coming to the conclusion that we do need some kind of sales tax (excluding food & meds of course), but I would only support it if my property taxes were reduced (I think this is why sales tax initiatives have always failed in Oregon before - it always looked like another additional tax on top of the others). If we had a sales tax (say 5%) and the property taxes were lowered (say by 25-30%) it would make it a lot easier if you're unemployed. I can avoid a sales tax by not buying items that are taxed(and when you're not working you generally can't afford those items anyway), but I can't avoid the property tax; if I'm not working, they still want it even if I don't have the cash.
Given the high unemployment rates here, I'm sure there are a lot of us in Oregon wondering how we're going to come up with our property taxes this year (averages around $2000 for moderately priced homes) as it is.
But, when it comes right down to it, it's not because our taxes are too low or too capped that has killed the state and local budgets here in Oregon. The main reason is that a lot of folks who had good paying jobs have lost them, and as the jobs were lost, so were the tax revenues. Of course it doesn't help that state budgets were predicated on the belief that the economy would just continue for the next five years to be just like it was in 1999.
it's the property tax cap that's unworkable
How's that? You mean we should have let property taxes rise at an uncapped rate? I think the cap is 3% per year, which is about what inflation has been running for the last, oh, 10 years or so. Why should property taxes go up faster than the inflation rate?
Given that a lot of us techies in Oregon are not working right now (myself included), it's kind'a good that I can count on what my property tax bill will be come November - the way it was before it was hard to tell how much more I was going to have to pay each year. It's also a lot easier on retired, fixed income folks.
I am coming to the conclusion that we do need some kind of sales tax (excluding food & meds of course), but I would only support it if my property taxes were reduced (I think this is why sales tax initiatives have always failed in Oregon before - it always looked like another additional tax on top of the others). If we had a sales tax (say 5%) and the property taxes were lowered (say by 25-30%) it would make it a lot easier if you're unemployed. I can avoid a sales tax by not buying items that are taxed(and when you're not working you generally can't afford those items anyway), but I can't avoid the property tax; if I'm not working, they still want it even if I don't have the cash.
Given the high unemployment rates here, I'm sure there are a lot of us in Oregon wondering how we're going to come up with our property taxes this year (averages around $2000 for moderately priced homes) as it is.
But, when it comes right down to it, it's not because our taxes are too low or too capped that has killed the state and local budgets here in Oregon. The main reason is that a lot of folks who had good paying jobs have lost them, and as the jobs were lost, so were the tax revenues. Of course it doesn't help that state budgets were predicated on the belief that the economy would just continue for the next five years to be just like it was in 1999.
It appears that the Oregonian read a little too much into the fact that the bill wasn't discussed in the General Committee today. Here's part of a post that showed up on the Portland Linux User's Group this evening (Note: Representative Drummel is a committee member and supporter of the bill):
....
"Behold! Representative Jerry Drummel, at 16:52PDT, calls me back.
I spoke with him for about 10 minutes. To summarize:
* He scratched out the discussion of the bill in the general committee because he wasn't happy with the amendments. Two issues:
- Issue with the "where as" clauses. I didn't know what this meant.
- Issue with parts of section 2, did not go into details
* He has been working with Barnhart and and Ken Barber [co-sponsors of the bill] since the bills creation.
* He is the one who invited Riverdale and the MESD down to testify.
* Once the bill is finalized and approved through the General committee,
he would be a yes vote.
So, I don't think the bill is dead, just standard government bureaucracy. I've never had a representative call me back though, which
was impressive. Then again, maybe I'm easily impressed when it comes to
legislature. "
So it would appear that The Oregonian was a bit premature in declaring the death of this bill. It looks like it will go through some more revision, though.
I kind'a wonder what the point is as well...
....and of course, it would take a long, long time to bleed M$ dry this way.
I suppose you could make the point that M$ loses money on every XBox they sell so that they can create a market for XBox games and that by buying an XBox and running LInux on it you're helping to bleed M$ dry... However, on the otherhand, if you do buy an XBox to run Linux, the sales figures for XBoxen are incremented by 1 and the more XBoxen there are, the more the game companies will want to support it. So it's kind of a double-edge sword.