Reason for bad Portland traffic? (Clackamas, Phoenix: fit in, car insurance, how much)

[bluevelo]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

Getting back on topic, I'm from Southern California (raised - Portland born). Our solution was "build another freeway". When I first lived there, there were TWO freeways. They don't build 'em til the tax revenue comes in, which ends up being 5-7 years too late.

I hate to say it, but there needs to be an expressway running through outer SE from the 205 to Hwy 26 (like the one running from Clackamas to Sellwood). There also needs to be a bridge from Milwaukee to north Lake Oswego. Can you imagine the squawking if those ideas were even broached?

There is nothing wrong with building adequate transportation infrastructure that's highway based and you can integrate transit, cycling and walking into bridges pretty easily.

You can't walk or ride a bicycle over water.

I certainly understand people not wanting sprawl along the lines of LAX or PHX, but, OTOH, you've got to build enough infrastructure to serve the people that live in the area, or what will end up happening is that businesses will start bolting Oregon for the places that have the infrastructure.

I have until the 18th to apply for a promotion to Vancouver, but man, I don't think I could take the rain and clouds. You're cloudy 2/3rds of the year. That's tough, mentally, to take, if you didn't grow up in that. Iowa, where I'm from and grew up - Des Moines has 193 cloudy days a year; Portland has 222 - basically a month more. Almost 7 1/2 30 day months!

[pathrunner]

And a friend of mine who lives in Vancouver told me that just last week while we had a 1/2 day of sunshine, it was pouring rain in Vancouver.

A relative of mine used to live in Canby, and other relatives live in Wilsonville. They get the storms first before my area does. It takes about an hour for the storms to move through (I'm 30 miles NE). So they have sunshine while I'm getting the rain. "Dumps" usually last 15 minutes, but yesterday it rained hard several times for longer than 15 mins. Even Portlanders are complaining bigtime.

[pathrunner]

As for businesses bolting, they haven't left because of infrastructure but rather because Portland and Oregon in general is not friendly to business. It's long been complained about.

[bluevelo]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

As for businesses bolting, they haven't left because of infrastructure but rather because Portland and Oregon in general is not friendly to business. It's long been complained about.

Socialism is not cheap. You don't have to give up all regulation, but you do need to create a reasonable business climate.

[pathrunner]

I think it's more that businesses need to pay their fair share of taxes. In Oregon they haven't been able to get away with it. Call it socialism if you want... I call it responsible citizenry.

Isn't it interesting that no matter who is yelling about taxes, they always want the government to bail them out. Because they know that's the only entity that's going to step up. Bobby Jindal is just the latest example.

[Sarcastic_Twit]

Originally Posted by bluevelo

So you have a "deliberate" underclass? Interesting... its going to be a disaster if California (well, it already is a joke with the medicinal stuff) recreational pot. We'll have stoners all over the place, sitting around being dumb stupid stoned.

Google "Dignity Village" for an idea.

Legalized pot and more Indian casinos are probably the next best way to close the state budget gap.

Do you guys keep Sudafed locked behind glass doors in Sac-town?

[Sarcastic_Twit]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

I think it's more that businesses need to pay their fair share of taxes. In Oregon they haven't been able to get away with it. Call it socialism if you want... I call it responsible citizenry.

Isn't it interesting that no matter who is yelling about taxes, they always want the government to bail them out. Because they know that's the only entity that's going to step up. Bobby Jindal is just the latest example.

Businesses don't pay taxes. They just raise prices to cover additional costs, or move to another state/country that will give them tax breaks.

[Sarcastic_Twit]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

As for businesses bolting, they haven't left because of infrastructure but rather because Portland and Oregon in general is not friendly to business. It's long been complained about.

It's both. Both Nike and Intel have asked for more land to expand. Columbia Sportswear moved when the city rejected its building proposal so they could build their own offices on the same piece of land.

Originally Posted by bluevelo

Socialism is not cheap. You don't have to give up all regulation, but you do need to create a reasonable business climate.

Not yet in Portland. That's a lesson that won't be realized until unemployment hits near the 20% range. Until then, Portland is attractive to those seeking socialist "progressive" thinking, and their money.

[bluevelo]

Originally Posted by Sarcastic_Twit

Google "Dignity Village" for an idea.

Legalized pot and more Indian casinos are probably the next best way to close the state budget gap.

Do you guys keep Sudafed locked behind glass doors in Sac-town?

Yes. And they now have easily stolen stuff - like deodorant - behind hinged plastic doors that beep when you reach in there. Its not locked, but it makes a sound.

If we'd simply cut off the hands of thieves, it would stop a lot of this petty crap.

[bluevelo]

Originally Posted by Sarcastic_Twit

It's both. Both Nike and Intel have asked for more land to expand. Columbia Sportswear moved when the city rejected its building proposal so they could build their own offices on the same piece of land.

Not yet in Portland. That's a lesson that won't be realized until unemployment hits near the 20% range. Until then, Portland is attractive to those seeking socialist "progressive" thinking, and their money.

What I find astounding about places like Portland and Bezerkeley is that young people think if they simply show up they are *entitled* to a slacker job that pays more than 50K a year and that they can show up every day to said slacker job late and hungover from either (or both) excessive drug and alcohol use the night before.

Even *real* socialist countries like the Scandinavians don't put up with this behavior. Its not allowed in most of Europe, either. They may allow more personal freedom with rec use of drugs and alcohol but you are still expected to show up for work on time and sober.

Slacking does not, for the most part, aside from success stories like FB (which, ironically, became popular *because* of slacking) result in massive amounts of personal wealth. And, a lot of artists, I hate to break the news to you folks, but the reason you're not making money isn't because people don't appreciate art or music as much as "they should"... while there's some truth to that and Evil Corporate Radio, if you are truly talented, you'll make money. The problem is the same with artists and musicians as it is with athletes. Only a few select few play in the big leagues, and make the big money.

The thick rims, skinny jeans, coffee, tats and dope use don't lead to success as an artist. Talent - *real* talent - hard work, making the correct connections and having more than just a little luck is all part of it.

You can be a good artist, and you can be a good athlete, but if you don't have the talent to make it amongst the elites, you probably should have majored in something else in college besides dope and figuring out what tat to get next... and convincing your parents to keep you in college for 6 or 7 years so you could finish your art or music degree.



P.S. I am an amateur musician; I've played guitar for 30+ years. I play jazz in jam sessions as well as rock, I have fun, but I went and got a MA in a professional field after my BA in English because I wanted to have a good job that would give me the FREEDOM to play whatever kind of music I wished... without worrying about paying my bills.

I do have the thick glasses but wear contacts. No tats, I don't want to be the male version of Tina Fey's character in that fake commercial on SNL about tat removal after a wild weekend in Jamaica... LOL