On the other hand the government has no legitimate authority to make him go anywhere. If he can find private employment, can sustain himself, then he should not be interfered with.

Of course, all the people Gamboa lied to over the years may have some interest in claiming compensation for his involvement in their kidnapping and imprisonment.

Bullying persists despite state laws

The article opens with:

Despite Oregon’s eight-year-old anti-bullying law, about one-third of Oregon teens report having been harassed according to a review released Wednesday by a coalition pushing to strengthen the law.

Did the writer really expect that a piece of legislation would eliminate bullying?

Glancing around I notice theft, fraud, murder, speeding, and so on, are still pretty rampant despite endless rounds of legislation.

Some in the Oregon legislature (see HB 2599) seem to think that since the current law hasn’t worked they should expand the definition of bullying, harrassment and intimidation to include, amongst other things:

…interfering with the psychological well-being of a student.

Teachers better be careful to not call on students who are not prepared, Sally better not turn down Billy when he asks for a date and that coach had better start everyone on the team.

Perhaps if we did not force our children into holding pens for so much of their early lives there would not be as much bullying.

*Sorry, no link to an online version of the article. Such links are very hard, if not impossible, to come by at the Register-Guard. Especially when looking for something in an older than 7 days edition. If any of you know a good way around this problem please let me know.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the region’s pioneer newspaper and the city’s oldest continually operating business, a newspaper that both shaped and was shaped by the community it covered, prints its last edition Tuesday — nearly a century and a half after its forebear first rolled off a hand-cranked Ramage press promising to be “the best and cheapest promulgator of all sorts of useful information.”

The above linkis to the PI’s new online offering.

Here is a message from the PI staff and some readers:

We switched from the Seattle Times to the PI some months ago and have been very happy. Now we are sad and disappointed.

Best wishes to all the PI staff and to those continuing on with the online version…best of luck!

One lawmaker who told her he wouldn’t support it was Rep. Wayne Krieger, R-Gold Beach.

“I have three dogs and I love them, but I don’t want dogs under my seat, peeing on the wall or leaving mangy hair everywhere,” he said. “This is the Capitol. It’s not a doghouse.”

Ya know, if this is krieger’s understanding of dogs I certainly feel sorry for the three he owns. Perhaps he needs a visit from pet protective services and the good folks of Gold Beach might reconsider sending him to the Salem doghouse in the future.

Drivers have estimated that 2 percent to 5 percent of riders get away with an invalid fare, although one said recently that the number can be 15 percent to 20 percent on a busy day.

Really, though, even 20% greatly understates the problem:

After a recent review of operations, Lane Transit District has decided it will look into the problem of “fare evasion” — riders who don’t pay enough in fare, unknowingly or on purpose.
…..
A payroll tax on local businesses provides most of the district’s operating revenue, but fares account for 15 percent to 23 percent.

It turns out that all of Lane Transit’s riders are paying less than they should…by 77-85%.

There are two sets of thieves in action here: first, LTD which steals from local businesses to fund LTD operations and second, the riders all of whom indirectly steal from the local businesses and some of whom underpay on even the inadequate fares charged by LTD.

So, yes, Eugene is full of thieves.

Right-Mind says:

Yesterday, #1 son was hit on his bicycle in Moscow by a driver who was talking on his cell phone (#1 son is fine; but the bike needed to go into the shop).

Personally, I think this is great news. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had a near-accident because of people talking-and-driving.

Unfortunately, the new law does nothing to stop people from talking-and-driving.

It will, though, make it harder for you to determine whether someone’s poor driving is due to talking on a cell phone or some other behavior that fouls judgment, attention and reaction time.

If legislators need a reason to start wrapping up their session, now that it’s moved into its 64th day, here’s one: Today is the opening of the filing period for the May primary election, and every seat in the Legislature is up for a vote.

Here is a better one: If they end the session there will be no more misguided legislation passed.

With respect to the May primary election: apply term limits. Send all the incumbents home.

No good can come of this unless they do the unexpected and ban such sessions or spend significant time revoking previously passed legislation.

Legislatures tend to spend their time passing legislation, you know, they think they know best how the rest of us should live our lives and spend our money. Unfortunately, most of this legislation consists of patchwork fixes to previously passed legislation.

One thing we know is that they will not be doing is the people’s business. The people do their own business, voluntarily, with each other. Legislatures do the business of government, bureaucracies and the corporate welfare system.

“We’re got to have a savings account,” shielded from easy spending by lawmakers or vulnerable to the initiative process, the governor said at a news conference last week.

The democratic team of gregoire and legislature seemed perfectly comfortable dramatically raising state spending levels during the last legislative session.

If she were serious about “enforcing discipline” and smoothing out peaks and valleys she would have worked with the legislature to minimize increases in spending, if not reducing them. If needed to enforce fiscal discipline she certainly could have wielded her veto authority.

Some comments on a few of Steve’s thoughts:

These robber barons want to move the team, period.

Nothing new here. The rest of us knew this from the day the sale was announced.

And this detailed relocation plan is a sobering call to arms for Seattle’s mayor and city council, for the governor and the state Legislature. And a call for help from this city to Stern.

Call to arms? Why? There is nothing that the mayor, city council, governor or the state legislature should be doing about this.

This situation has gotten so ugly and so contentious, Stern almost has to get involved.

Do you expect Stern to fund the stadium?

And, I believe, if this area can finalize a viable arena deal that already is in discussion, he will find a way to keep the team in Greater Seattle.

The only VIABLE arena solution is one that is privately funded. If it can not be made to work without public funds it is clearly a money losing proposition.

The problem with “The Montreal Expos/’Major League’ Exit Strategy,” is that Seattle isn’t Montreal. And the only way the league is going to allow Bennett to move is if the city or the state does nothing.

Then let’m move to Oklahoma City. There are apparently a bunch of suckers living there.

There are very wealthy people in this area who also are passionate about the NBA and the Sonics. And it is absolutely essential that they get together with Mayor Greg Nickels and Gov. Christine Gregoire and put together a plan that keeps the team here.

Then let these wealthy people build a stadium with their money. There is certainly no reason to involve politicians.

Unless you are proposing propping up the robber barons with public funds.

I think the only folks who might find this to be essential are potentially unemployed sports writers and talk jocks.

Fairly painless but who knows what might end up broken….

Let me know is something does not seem quite right.

A Florida-based racetrack developer has abandoned plans for a $368 million NASCAR speedway near Bremerton, where local opposition to the project was fierce.

Unfortunately there is some bad news as well. First, the governor and the legislature did not immediately say no to this project. Second, the developer may be back looking for another handout:

But the company said it will look for other track sites in the state and might come back to the Legislature with another proposal in the future.

“We think the Northwest is still a great opportunity for the company,” said ISC spokesman Lenny Santiago. “Hopefully, we can find a way to make this project work.”

….

But the company said Monday it had been told more changes were needed for the legislation to move forward.

“These additional changes to the legislation were unacceptable and would have had a significant negative impact on our financial model for the speedway development,”

Well, there is an easy way to make the project work: ISC can change their financial model and bring enough of their own money to fund the whole thing. What seems pretty obvious is that they do not have a business plan that will attract enough investors to move ahead with out a public handout. Prove me wrong and I’ll support them 100%.

ISC officials argued that the track, by drawing tens of thousands of visitors from out of state, would generate more than enough additional tax revenue to cover the state’s share of the project.

Except that those tax revenues should not be used to fund this project. Rather, they should be used to reduce the overall tax rate on Washington citizens.

“If he leaves and does whatever he’ll do in the NBA, he’ll never have another day that compares with today,…”

There was a point in the second half of yesterday’s win over UCLA that I said the same thing from my couch as I watched Hawes overflow with excitement after a particularly nice play.

Earlier in the article Kelley says:

Deep into his first year of college, Hawes is digging life on Montlake. The game is slowing down. The pressure isn’t quite as intense. And all the unique, personal spoils of college life remain his to spend.

Some additional explanation is in order here. Just what are these unique, personal spoils?

If Kelley is referring to the emotional high that Frieder describes then, yes, he is correct though it is not clear just how Hawes can spend that feeling.

Treasure it, yes!

Perhaps he is referring to the education one can earn and the relationships that one can build during college.

The Free Dictionary gives these definitions of spoils:

1. spoils

a. Goods or property seized from a victim after a conflict, especially after a military victory.
b. Incidental benefits reaped by a winner, especially political patronage enjoyed by a successful party or candidate.

2. An object of plunder; prey.

None of these look particularly positive….

Which is it, Steve?