Day Labor Center Delayed: Need Business Owners to FIGHT!

This illegal enterprise, given the veneer of legitimacy by Mayor Moonbeam and the Rainbow City Council, is delayed. It was to open May 6th but now it is expected to open in June. This is so outrageous that it should never open. Judicial Watch has sent the city a letter outlining the ways in which it breaks MANY laws. Now we need local business owners who believe this is an afront to the rule of law and reason to come forward to be a part of a legal action against this center. Who is with us?
email me at victoria@victoriataft.com.

Washington School Districts Short of Funds

As previously discussed at Washington Educators Association Taking Money From Schools, Washington State Schools recently allowed $13.2 million to slip away over laws mandating that any pay to teachers go through the collective bargaining procedures with the Teachers Union.

Ironic that today’s Columbian runs an article, School districts scramble to make good on pay raises mentioning that one Clark County School District, Evergreen, which was slated to receive a portion of the lost $13.2 million grant from the National Math and Science Initiative, is facing a $1.6 million shortfall.

While the grant from NMSI may not have been earmarked for all teachers and every school, receiving a portion of a $13.2 million grant for even some sure could have gone a long way to off setting dwindling funds for schools.

One factor in this shortfall, “Immediately in 2001-02, Washington’s economy tanked. The state skimped on salary hikes for a few years. Then, given a flush cash reserve from 2007, legislators met teachers union demands and voted to make amends, with catch-up payments starting in 2008-09.”

Also stated,

Rep. Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, said legislators know fundamental change is needed. She and colleagues are waiting for recommendations from the basic education funding task force they assigned to find potential solutions by December.

“The definition for basic education is outdated,” Wallace said. “There is absolutely legislative recognition that we have underfunded special ed and basic education needs,” she said.

And yet, wasn’t it the Teachers Union demands that lost Washington State Schools the $13.2 million grant from NMSI?

Nice going, WEA!

Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth

KCPQ meteorologist M.J. McDermott's exposé of the terrible math curricula. After viewing this 15 minute presentation, it is easy to see why so many kids today have big trouble with math.

Washington Educators Association Taking Money From Schools

As heard on Victoria Taft this evening,



Watch for an Op Ed in the May 8th Columbian that will delve deeper into this unbelievable act.

Source: Evergreen Freedom Foundation

Sonya Jones, the interviwee this evening, has penned a post about how the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), a Dallas non-profit group, was prepared to grant Seattle schools $13,700,000.00 to assist Advanced Placement programs in math and science, allowing students to earn college credit while still in high school up until Washington's Union Laws interfered.

The NMSI wanted to give the money directly to teachers, but the Law states all money must go through collective bargaining. No middle ground could be found, negotiations broke down, the offer was withdrawn and we all lose, especially the children.

Read more at Getting Exactly What They Pay For

From the Seattle Times, two Clark County schools in the Evergreen School District were listed to receive part of the grant: State schools lose $13.2 million math and science grant over union laws

UPDATE: Sonya Jones has an Op Ed appearing in today's Columbian, Union’s stance hurts teachers, students.

When do we stand up and take the education of our children away from the Teachers Union?

Sam Tram Says: Never Mind About the Reality By Pass Bike Bridge

Is he really this politically inept or is something deeper afoot here? See the first sentence there? Is this the set up for passing the car tax without a vote? Me thinks the end game is such.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Soaring gas prices are not translating into more tax revenue for Portland's Department of Transportation for a simple reason: people are driving less.PDOT officials are now forecasting a budget shortfall of $2.7 million, money that was earmarked for projects from pothole repair to paving streets. Susan Keil of PDOT said the shortfall is "serious stuff" and the department will ask the city council to give them funds from the city's "rainy day" reserve fund.

The rest of the story here.

No Evidence Sea Lions Were Shot!

Okay, after the furor raised by local media about six Sea Lions being shot while locked in cages, and another dead one found near the I-5 bridge, they come out and say there is no evidence they were shot?

KGW - No evidence trapped sea lions were shot to death

Who jumped the gun (no pun intended) on claiming they were shot? Last I heard, getting shot leaves distinctive holes in a body.

KGW also reports there will be no more relocation or shooting of the animals for the rest of the year due to a settlement between the Humane Society and the U.S. Commerce Department and the governments of Oregon and Washington.

A Thank You From Hillary

Received in email this evening,

Dear Operation Chaos Operatives,

Tonight's victory in Indiana was close, and a margin that narrow means just one thing: every single thing you did to help us win in Indiana helped make the difference.

Every call you made, every friend you spoke to about our campaign, every dollar you contributed made tonight's victory possible. And I couldn't be more thankful for your hard work.

Every time we've celebrated a victory, we've celebrated it together. And tonight is no exception. This victory is your victory, this campaign is your campaign, and your support has been the difference between winning and losing.

Thank you so much for making this campaign possible. Let's keep making history together.

Sincerely,


Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary needs your help to win in Oregon.

Higher Morale or Higher Morals For The Troops?

Many a Serviceman over the years has enjoyed viewing magazines like Playboy and Penthouse. When you are far from home, fighting an enemy, sleeping and eating in dirty unsanitary conditions, facing death and dreaming of "the World" (the United States for Civilians), viewing such magazines has been known to lift spirits and remind the Troops what awaits them and what they fight for.

Add now that more women are serving in similar duty near or on the front and I'd imagine viewing magazines like Playgirl helps alleviate their stress as well.

If a newly elected Congressman from Georgia, Paul Broun, has his way all that may come to a crashing halt. Broun, described by many Republicans from Georgia as the "Accidental Congressman," has introduced a bill, The Military Honor and Decency Act (H.R. 5821) that Broun claims "will right a bureaucratic and moral wrong" closing what the Georgia Baptist says is

"a loophole in current law that is allowing the sale of sexually explicit material on American military installations located both within the United States and around the world."

Pornography and pornographic materials are already banned for sale on Military Bases. A Department of Defense review commission deemed just last year that magazines such as Playboy, Penthouse and Playgirl are not pornographic, but Rep. Broun's proposal would lower the threshold required to deem material sexually explicit.

Broun, who compares himself to Texas Congressman Ron Paul, although they differ on the Iraq Battle claims,

"Allowing the sale of pornography on military bases has harmed military men and women by: escalating the number of violent, sexual crimes; feeding a base addiction; eroding the family as the primary building block of society; and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad. Our troops should not see their honor sullied so that the moguls behind magazines like Playboy and Penthouse can profit."

Some Male Troops responded by saying this legislation, if passed, may hurt the morale of the deployed Troops. Not unexpected, some Female Troops would support the ban.

Apparently not taken into consideration is the hard-core pornography and extremely explicit sexual material that is readily available just off base at nearly every Military Base in existence, save the current combat zones. This ban would only affect the sale of the magazines on Base through the Post Exchanges and not the numerous 'Adult' Shops.

Is it really necessary to ban these magazines so coveted by deployed Troops for so many years?

Caged Sea Lions Killed

As we discussed before, permission was granted to kill Sea Lions at Bonneville Dam as a last resort because they were eating Salmon.

Efforts were made to catch and relocate the pesky Sea Lions, a more humane way of dealing with it than killing them.

It would come as no surprise that State and Federal Fishery Managers were outraged to discover six of the animals dead from gunshots Sunday, while locked in cages. “A despicable act,” “Random act of violence,”“A terrible thing,” some said.

Unknown at this time is just who may have wantonly kill the trapped animals. Authorites have vowed to "aggressively seek these individuals and prosecute them to the maximum extent of the law."

If the killers thought they were helping the authorities prevent the predators from eating the Salmon, which is a normal food for the animals, they are sadly mistaken. Their wanton killing has led to the suspension of the trapping program indefintely.

Although I understand the last resort need to kill some of the animals, the kill them trapped in a cage is just wrong and whoever committed this a should be made to pay dearly.

The Oregonian

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

We often oppose and complain about the Oregon Legislature and Governor Kulongowski for some of their more banal efforts in the state. However, once in awhile they merit some praise and thanks.

This is one of those times.

This past February, with little fanfare, the Oregon Legislature passed and Kulongowski signed a bill that waives tuition in the state's public universities for the children and spouses of Oregon soldiers who died or were totally disabled in active duty since Sept. 11, 2001.

George Pernsteiner, chancellor of the Oregon University System said, "[It] is a way of recognizing the difficulties which these families face. In this case, it just seemed like the right thing to do."

Members of the VFW were instrumental in getting the proposal added.

So far, there are only two dependents taking advantage of the tuition waiver with more expected to follow.

To Governor Kulongowski and the Oregon Legislature, THANK YOU! This is indeed the right thing to do.

Gordon Smith Comes Out Swinging

Claiming attacks from Democrat rivals, GOP Senator Gordon Smith has retaliated with his own attacks against Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley and Portland activist Steve Novick.

The Oregonian

Does this indicate he is moving back to the right, or is he stumping for votes?

Haven't we been down this road before? Will he submit to another interview by our gracious host? VictoriaTaft.com. Senator Smith Writes Democrat Anti-War Bill. Where's Gordon? With Ron Voting For Illegal Amnesty

Just who is he directing the attacks at? Is it to split the Democrat voters? Or, does he expect mass GOP voter support?

Ummmm...Sea Lion Burgers!

Larry at Oregon Magazine has found a spot for you to find Sea Lion recipes here and here. The salmon stealers are only venerated in the lower 48; the folks in Alaska have figured out there are OTHER uses for the critters. Check out the flipper over flames recipe.

High Priest of Church of Global Warming, Kulongoski, Officially Excommunicates George Taylor

He has spent his last day as Oregon State Climatologist. Today he plans to tell the Victoria Taft Show how this excommunication happened.
Here's the story of the first dust up.

Here's a good overall coverage of it and an excerpt:

Following a debate on climate change at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry last year at which Taylor expressed his contrarian ideas, Gov. Ted Kulongoski warned him to quit representing himself as the state climatologist (there is some dispute about how official the title is and whether the governor has the power to remove it).

Here's the story of losing his title.
Here's the fringe take on Taylor (of course it depicts him as a religious person (is he?) and, of course, a tool of big oil. They also claim him to deny global warming. He doesn't, of course.
Meantime, another new study--this one from no less than the IPCC--says global warming has stalled out--because of Mother Nature. But they still want you to spend trillions on "stopping" "man-made" global warming. Al Gore: carbon offsets, anyone?
The story is here.

Researchers belonging to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported in Nature (May 1) that, after adjusting their climate model to reflect actual sea surface temperatures of the last 50 years, “global surface temperature may not increase over the next decade, as natural climate variations… temporarily offset the projected anthropogenic warming.”
You got that? IPCC researchers project no global warming over the next decade because of Mother Nature.
Although the result seems stunning in that it came from IPCC scientists who have always been in the tank for manmade global warming, it’s not really surprising since the notion of manmade climate change has never lived up to its billing.

May Day #1 Longshoremen Go On Strike for One Day to Protest, oh, yeah, the War.

Bring back Ronald Reagan (the soundbite is at 1:05):

PDX Illegal Alien Day Labor Center: No Permits Required *Update

Mayor Moonbeam and the Rainbow City Council today are considering exempting (UPDATE* HAVE EXEMPTED) the illegal Day Labor Center from city permits. According to a WW editorial here

The waiver is needed because plans for the center are “unable to meet zoning-related standards,” according to a memo dated April 30 from Bureau of Development Services Director Paul Scarlett.
...The council will also waive a city design-review process that usually takes two or three months, and rarely favors trailers (see “Mary’s Place,” WW, Nov. 7, 2007). The waivers are “temporary,” but that’s a flexible word. They won’t expire until 2013, at the end of VOZ’s lease with the PDC.
...Commissioner Randy Leonard, who oversees the Bureau of Development Services, sponsored the April 30 ordinance.. For example, the bureau waived hundreds of dollars in permit fees for VOZ.

Contact the Rainbow City Council
Contact the Mayor here.
Contact Sam Adams here.
Contact Randy Leonard here.
Contact Dan Salztman here.

Rainbow City Council Reality By Pass Bike Bridge: Disaster

We'll get the numbers on the lead abatement later on the show, but Bojack has got an assessment of what putting this bridge at Flanders will do to freeway off and on ramp negotiations. Hint: Cars, you'll get screwed. Read it here.

Congressional Leadership - Out Of Touch On Gas Prices

Who Will ACTUALLY Use the "Reality ByPass Bridge?" We've Got the Numbers:

It's official. The Victoria Taft Show listeners have dubbed the new bike and pedestrian bridge slated to go over I-405 at Flanders using the old Sauvie Island Bridge, The Reality ByPass. If we have to explain it, you're not paying attention.
So, do we actually NEED such a bridge? Of course not. Here are the numbers from a two day trip count to get an idea of how many bicyclists are using the bridges on either side of the spot where The Rainbow City Council wants to put the bike/ped bridge. These numbers are from commercial real estate broker, Bob Butler, who paid to have a worker spend two days counting. Gee, I hope he had something else to do while waiting.

TIME	GLISAN OVERPASS	EVERETT OVERPASS
7-8 AM	8	7
8-9 AM	7	10
9-10 AM	6	12
10-11 AM	13	5
11-NOON	11	4
NOON 1 PM	6	6
1-2 PM	7	19
2-3 PM	8	11
3-4 PM	6	6
4-5 PM	7	12
5-6 PM	16	20
TOTAL	95	112