TH - In your run for public office in Astoria do you think ....

first I've heard about your candidacy. Thanks for sticking your neck out--you WILL get votes!!

Health care is a tough issue. One idea I have been throwing around, is a county plan, where both hospitals and employers get together and try to come up with a way to cover workers. Employers want healthy workers, employees want to be healthy and hospitals want patients that can pay. There has to be some way to cut out the middle-man, to lower rates. The middle-man being giant insurance companies and the obligation to pay their CEO's and stockholders, big bucks.
I think employers want to pay their employees health insurance, but just can't afford it. There has to be some kind of middle ground where employee and employer can each pay a % of the monthly rate. And if a plan is offered locally by our hospitals, I would think rates would be low enough to cover workers.

I don't really know as much as I should, about healthcare, and this probably would not work for some reason or another, but I'm sure there are many people out there that have ideas, and I hope we can somehow get them together, to come up with a plan, to deal with local health issues.

The main thing I want to do, is to get the locals involved with our government. I know many have great ideas and have the resources to solve our problems, but it's tough to get through the barriers and be heard. I have sent various emails, to our current leaders, either making suggestions or asking questions. Only one person sent me an email back, Lylla Gaebel, and she only answered one question and had no comment, to a rather long letter I sent her discussing the future of the Jeffers Garden area.

Many people out there, want to get involved, but have been pushed away because it's "not the status quo" or "your new here" or "what your talking about doesn't benefit me". I really don't know much about government, or the "in's and out's", or "who to see when you need something done", but I say there are enough leaders that are government experts, really how many do we need?



One thing that will hurt my chances of being elected is that I am spending my own money, and I don't make a lot, so I have decided to spend $500 for my whole campaign. I figure if someone gives me money, I will feel obligated to them, and might "owe" them a favor.

If I have to buy votes to win, it wasn't meant to be.


You can contact me at my OC email address if you have some ideas to discuss or questions.
Thanks for getting involved!
TH

Sign up for your own forum page. We are soooooo tired of his majesty's tired page and the last picture, with three days of begging for him to take it down (didn't he love that begging) was the end. If you want the "little" people to hear your message as well as you hearing them, and more then the same old same old partisan crap regurgitated at "bridge to hell" then start your own message board. Its free at  http://www.voy.com/ and you don't have to monitor it if you don't want to. I sure won't be reading you unless you publish here or at your own site, and you can direct people there.
Stone could help you, websites at homestead are free or dirt cheap, too. Smart uses of your moola.

The picture that pat posted that angered so many people can be found at the bottom of the "An editorial on a blog in LNG town" post  http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/04/315940.shtml

We are waiting for you to start your own forum page so that we can have a real place to talk about ALL sides of everything that is happening in Clatsop County. You have the potential of doing a lot of good. Providing a voice for those who feel silenced is a HUGE step. Think of this forum, here, on a smaller scale. On the voy forum people do not have to provide their email addresses and while you can encourage them to provide real names just ask that they talk respectfully of one another. After awhile, like here, people just do. Not much on this website is spent with petty poking.

If you build it .....

We are tired of his nibs site and want change, your the one with the following. Just do it.

You have everyone's address from his site, just invite them over to yours. post yours on his! post it here. do it, do it, do it, do it, do it ......

Date Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 09:53:41am
Author: JLake
Subject: Whoa, big fella!
In reply to: TH 's message, "Not sure if I understand your advice" on Tuesday, July 26, 10:30:46pm

>When asked why I don't support an audit, I gave the
>same reason that JL gave, that it depends on the issue
>and we don't see any issues that would make us come to
>the conclusion that we need one.
.........................................
Who is WE? You gotta a mouse in your pocket?

I do not agree with you that an audit is unnecessary. Here's what I said:

I can't answer whether an audit based on past activities is something I would push for. It depends on the matter in question. There are certainly matters that merit some scrutiny after the fact, if for no other reason to avoid repeating the same ill-advised actions. Items that are not materially relevant clearly do not warrant further attention.
..................................

>After doing quite a bit if research, I find that there
>should be a ton of Fed and State money coming are way.
> And I was just asking if people were a top of it, as
>you know, a community must put effort in, to receive
>funding.

You're right - there's a lot of money out there available. However, until the applicant knows all the requirements for receiving the money and has the ability to measure results and quantify the benefits of the money received in the final reporting to the granting agency, it is impossible to determine whether the effort involved in the application process is worth the potential funding received. It is not easy to get grant money. There's a lot of restrictions and competition and the results are not guaranteed.

Further, I doubt the current city staff has the time to investigate and apply for every funding program available.
That said, I am sure the City would welcome a summary of your research. I am interested in learning more.
............................................

>My stability gets questioned and I can "run my campaign >however I like" and get grilled with questions, but JL gets >nothing thrown her way.

JL chooses not to take the bait. Maybe I don't get grilled with questions because my reasoning is explained in my posts.
................................................

>I not sure if there are different standards here or what, >but not everyone feels the same way about issues, that you >do. And you seem to take it personal when someone doesn't >agree with you.

Oh, Tryan - get real. This is Paddy's Playground and he makes the rules. In my opinion, your views are presented in a very confrontational way. Your opinions on issues are often very strong one way or the other - with no middle ground. I assume you enjoy the arguments or you wouldn't keep posting.

We (the global WE) are NOT treated equally. Especially in this venue. Accept it and move on. Or not.

**************************************************************************

JL's condecending attitude is real ... nice. She shows up at "Paddy's" house of horrors in time for the campaigning, is sharpening her claws and aiming for your eyes.

Archive the posts with JL. Ask a "neutral" party to evalutate how they sound. DO NOT reply or make further comments until you have input from a trusted third party.

Paddy's playhouse! You need your own playground, man.

Well, are you guys practicing ahead of time for your debate in September? Hang her high and make her over confident, "big fella" Hartill!

Date Posted: Thursday, August 04, 01:35:31pm
Author: JLake ( peacheslake@charter.net)
Subject: For clarification only
In reply to: TH 's message, "Re: Rich vs Wealthy?" on Thursday, August 04, 01:10:56am

What I meant by laundromats and tobacco companies keeping people in poverty is the COST of both of these items. Cigs $4/pack (a lot of which is taxes, if I understand correctly) and $2.50 to do a load of laundry?

I was being facetious.
.............................................................
What's the difference between you saying the the cig companies keep people in poverty and me saying the rich keep people in poverty? Since you said "cig companies" you actually said the "rich" because cig companies are rich.
.............................................................

First of all, please refrain from telling me what I said. Clearly, you and I interpret words differently from one another. That's fine.

Since you asked, the difference is that I indicated a specific industry group, not ALL rich people as you did.

I don't want to argue with you - I was merely interested in your point of view. We can disagree, but I really don't like it when my intent is perceived to be other than it is ...

How long did it take you to refer the below figures in reply to Lake's classist remarks?

 http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/08/322609.shtml

"I'd like you to imagine a pyramid and that pyramid will represent 100% of the population of the United States. At the very top of this pyramid imagine a tiny area, 1% of the pyramid representing 1% or 1/100th of the population. These people control 48% percent of the net financial wealth of the richest country in the world. The net worth of each household in this group is over $3,000,000, and the annual income is over $400,000/year.

Now imagine a portion of the pyramid below this very topmost section which represents 19% of the population. This next 19% controls another 46% of the wealth of the country. The average net worth of each household is over $500,000, and the average household income is over $100,000. The total of the 1% and the 19% = 20% controls 94% of the wealth of the country.

Now if you imagine the rest of the pyramid--80%--we get to divide up the leftovers, the remaining 6% of this country's wealth. This leaves us with a net worth on average of $38,000 and an average income of $23,000. In fact there is a sizable segment of the population which would actually be below the pyramid entirely, with a negative net worth. This is one of the greatest concentrations of wealth that we know of among a ruling class at any time in the history of the world. Although anti-Semitic stereotypes would have us believe there are many Jews at the top of the pyramid, a careful look at the distribution of wealth, and at political and corporate leaders in this country would reveal few Jews. Those at the top are primarily white and primarily Christian.

There are a couple of things we should note about this system. One is that people of color are mostly at the bottom of the pyramid. But there are also lots of white people at the bottom. To keep poor and working class white people near the bottom from establishing relationships of resistance with people of color, white people are constantly given the impression that they are in danger, in danger from people of color below them who will take away their jobs and anything else they have, and in danger from Jews above them who will exploit and control them...

The ruling class offers safe haven, economic success, voting rights, tolerance and even status as honorary whites such as it has to Jews, Asian Americans or other groups when support is needed. And then quickly withdraws those benefits and protection, setting up the wrath of the rest of the populace, when scapegoats and a diversion are needed."  http://academic.udayton.edu/race/01race/white14.htm

Barbara Ehrenreich, activist author of Nickled and Dimed, spent a few months working a few lowly jobs in order to report the plight of the isolated "working poor". She insisted on using a car (figuring "that a story about waiting for buses would not be a very interesting read") and a backup ATM card. If her finances drained too soon, the mission would be aborted immediately. No hunger allowed in her grand experiment. Only enough "reality" to get the basic scoop, collate statistics, add some Left-biased opinion, and garner New York Times bestsellership. Barbara Ehrenreich, well-paid (more money than I've ever or will ever see) writer for Time, Harper's, The Nation, etc., was good enough to take a slumming vacation from accolades, high-society esteem, and comfy composing to reveal to readers that - get ready for a shocker - crummy jobs offer crummy pay and aren't easy! For very many nickels and dimes, one can buy Nickled and Dimed to evoke momentary disgust and awareness of inequality of outcomes while ensuring another printing for Ehrenreich and more nickels and dimes (100 dimes and 60 nickels, to be exact) for Owl Books.

Despite a monotonous mixture of indirect condescension and manipulative white guilt, Ehrenreich's narrative is not uninteresting. She possesses wit, a critical eye, and occasional insight. Her observations about the snootiness and downright inhumanity of certain managers and systems are quite important, especially when considering misery's root cause - which is less economic and more about hearts, kindness, and shared dignity. When break rooms are considered conditional privileges and not rights, when breaks are slight or even denied, and when "time theft" is an actual term, there is an obvious bankruptcy in human relations, and this extends through every class, every race, every nation. I think more folks should be, as Ehrenreich puts it, "squeamish about... human pain". But while hard times can harden people, such hardness justifies no reverse-indignity, or else the cycle goes on without addressing individual premises. Ehrenreich seems to lean toward the economics-is-everything generalization, thus ruining her finer observations and accuracy. When she's jabbing authority and rank, she's at her best; when she resorts to rhetorical, platitudinous classism, I start to yawn. When she mentions "the yuppies", calling the kettle black, I can't help but perk up and snicker.

Just got it fininshed, feel free to stop by and give your input.

 http://www.voy.com/197835/

Thanks
TH