en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/337683 Comments by Gernadethrower http://www.katu.com/news/business/Coffee-cart-fiasco-could-put-local-barista-out-of-business-142408995.html#IDComment316518454 Ms. Mullen, please consider legal action. I am sure that you could find a recent grad who would be willing to take the case pro bono or contingency. Good luck in getting grandfathered in :-) Thu, 15 Mar 2012 05:27:40 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/business/Coffee-cart-fiasco-could-put-local-barista-out-of-business-142408995.html#IDComment316518454 http://www.katu.com/politics/Lawmakers-say-Columbia-water-debate-will-return-141836513.html#IDComment311005613 I worked on this bill this session. The conservation groups wanted language so that for every percentage of funding the state put in, that same percentage of captured water would be used for environmental purposes. They also tried to get the bill to only work on the Columbia itself where as we were trying to get something for the entire Columbia River Basin. Were we inflexible about the bill? Only to the extent that the language of the bill had to not use language that has killed or slowed a lot of economic growth for all of eastern Oregon. We wanted to have a flexible approach and we tried really hard to work with the different groups. Mike McLane, the chief sponsor, was often working as late as 11pm on the weekends trying to get the necessary compromises for all parties to be willing to work together. In the end, the opposition and the proponents couldn't overcome their differences and yes this problem will be back in the next session. Count on it. Thu, 8 Mar 2012 03:32:11 +0000 http://www.katu.com/politics/Lawmakers-say-Columbia-water-debate-will-return-141836513.html#IDComment311005613 http://www.katu.com/news/business/Oregon-Supreme-Court-tells-Philip-Morris-to-pay-judgment-134942943.html#IDComment234015360 double check your facts about 2nd hand smoke; I've seen some evidence that the one study used to support claims about the dangers of 2nd hand smoke was cooked. As for the punitive damages being an after the fact sort of problem, I believe all the damages have to be awarded at the time of the first trial and any delays in payment of any form of damages (economic, non-economic or punitive) stem from appeals over the various legal issues in the case (including the size of the punitive damages). Wed, 7 Dec 2011 05:19:42 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/business/Oregon-Supreme-Court-tells-Philip-Morris-to-pay-judgment-134942943.html#IDComment234015360 http://www.katu.com/news/business/Oregon-Supreme-Court-tells-Philip-Morris-to-pay-judgment-134942943.html#IDComment234013534 I believe they would have been split between the attorney and the plaintiff . Thus my reservations are at least partially based in self-interest. ;-) Wed, 7 Dec 2011 05:13:42 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/business/Oregon-Supreme-Court-tells-Philip-Morris-to-pay-judgment-134942943.html#IDComment234013534 http://www.katu.com/news/business/Oregon-Supreme-Court-tells-Philip-Morris-to-pay-judgment-134942943.html#IDComment231994064 As a law student I can offer my fellow commentators a bit of information about this program. ORS 31.735 calls for 60% of the punitive damages award only, not the economic damages or other forms of damages be turned over to the Victims compensation fund. In short, when a criminal commits a crime, the state will help the victim of the crime in some fashion. This money does not go to any of the other welfare programs or any state agencies to offset their poor fiscal planning. It is exclusively to help those who are hurt by criminals. It is important to realize that there are 3 types of commonly awarded damages in a law suit. First is economic damages, i.e. lost wages, medicals costs, and so forth. Second is non-economic damages, i.e. pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and so forth. Third, and by far the hardest form of damages for an attorney to win for their client and only awarded when the defendant has taken action that is nearly criminal, is punitive damages, i.e. we the jury think you the defendant should be shot. Punitive damages have never been about making the plaintiff whole or getting compensation for injuries, they are exclusive about we the people saying you the defendant are so bad you deserve to be punished but the legislature hasn't gotten around to making your actions illegal....yet. As a future attorney I have reservations about the state taking 60% of punitive damages but I recognize that punitive damages are when the jury finds that not only did the defendant hurt the plaintiff but the defendant's actions are so bad that they hurt everyone. So because the defendant's actions were judged harmful to everyone in the community and not just the plaintiff, the state believes that the defendant should help pay for the harm caused by other criminals. Sat, 3 Dec 2011 05:28:31 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/business/Oregon-Supreme-Court-tells-Philip-Morris-to-pay-judgment-134942943.html#IDComment231994064 http://www.katu.com/news/politics/105432823.html#IDComment105771106 Measure 70 - no dog in the fight but tend to think that those who risk their lives to protect my FLA deserve a lot of respect and help. Measure 71 - Hate the idea but fear it is necessary to balance the power of regulatory agencies. Measure 72 - I second you on this one; we have too much debt as it is now. Measure 73 - Generally I oppose giving the government more power at the negotiating table and minimum punishment laws really strengthen the district attorney's hands when it comes to plea bargain agreements so I am probably going no on this one. How about we let the jury who found the perp guilty set the punishment subject to review for abuse of discretion? For those who do not know, an abuse of discretion is a legal term roughly equal to "WTF were you morons thinking?" Measure 74 - No dog in this fight either; really don't care if people use drugs so long as they don't hurt others. Measure 75 - No, let the casinos stay on the reservations. Measure 76 - Have to disagree with your on this one, I like our parks and favor both maintaining and some modest improvements. I would rather the money go to something I can use and will attract tourist dollars rather than some other hair-brained government program. Votes and opinions may change depending on information. ;-) Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:05:18 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/politics/105432823.html#IDComment105771106 http://www.katu.com/news/politics/105432823.html#IDComment105769393 I'm actually a bit relieved when I learn some people didn't bother to vote, if they can't take the time to mark a box and put a stamp on an envelope, how informed of a decision would they make? Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:48:44 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/politics/105432823.html#IDComment105769393 http://www.katu.com/news/politics/105432823.html#IDComment105769156 my gut tells me to vote against a full time legislature but then again who do we have to check the various state agencies and their budgeting? I think I am probably going to have to vote yes on this one. :-( Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:46:30 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/politics/105432823.html#IDComment105769156 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105584188.html#IDComment105768365 how about not taking the money in the first place? As for TARP, study a bit of the history and why it happened. See how far back you can trace the causal chain. Both R's and D's are going to find uncomfortable facts if they do. Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:38:40 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105584188.html#IDComment105768365 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105584188.html#IDComment105767696 not cool Let. NOT COOL! Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:32:17 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105584188.html#IDComment105767696 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105584188.html#IDComment105767628 you're not alone Debbie. Many studies show that once someone makes a sacrifice to acquire something they tend to treasure it more and take better care of it (think about the kid who has to work to get a particular item vs. the kid who has parents buy it). I think that logic applies to voting. Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:31:32 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105584188.html#IDComment105767628 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105584188.html#IDComment105767329 Dmcq, Simply put, what you are seeking is something that is not the government's responsibility. It is our individual responsibility. You should not be required to pay higher health care costs b/c I refuse to stop smoking. Nor should you be able to compel me to stop b/c you want to save the costs. It is my responsibility to make the choice and pay for the consequences, not the government's. If a person wants to have a living will, which is a very good idea btw, that is something that the individual needs to do on their own (with their family and social support network) rather than expecting someone else to pay for it or do it for them. Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:28:41 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105584188.html#IDComment105767329 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105765028 +2 from me (plus to you and + to Altazi) Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:06:17 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105765028 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105764819 Cat, Read your history a bit more carefully and don't buy in to DNC/RNC talking points. Our current crisis stems from New Deal policies designed to prevent another shock like 1929. Our current economic problems seem to stem more from the Clinton administration requiring Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac to make guarantee more loans to high risk creditors + repeal of regulations designed to separate investment and banking companies. (ok maybe FDR had a couple good ideas after all ... not many but some ;-) In short, it is our own damn fault we are in this mess. We have set back and let the DC crowd do as it pleases with out keeping a close eye on it for far too long and now we find ourselves in a pretty big mess without understanding how we got here. Time to stop the blame and think of real solutions. Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:05:14 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105764819 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105763851 sorry Y. but I trust Phil's economic judgment more than many of my friends who work for the government. One has a track record of creating jobs for Oregon (and a decent shoe) while the others seem to be surprised to learn that humans haven't changed in 100,000 years and no amount of new rules are going to change them. Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:58:06 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105763851 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105763403 talk about a poor expenditure of $$ for K. I suspect the President's visit will energize D's voters more than K's likely supporters (however K's is consistently showing a 1 - 2% lead according to poling averages over time). Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:54:18 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105763403 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105763156 beware stray bullets - oh wait those are banned in Ptown aren't they ;-) Actually I think most people are frustrated by the constant news stories about the problems in our public school systems. I think given the frustration it might be a good idea for us, whether liberal, conservative, or intelligent (yes they are mutually exclusive categories) to take a step back and start thinking about whether a public school system designed to meet the needs of an agricultural based economy and modified to meet the needs of an industrial based economy should be modified to meet the needs of an information based economy or whether we should start thinking about a redesign from the ground up. I am not advocating scrapping public schools or to keep funding them ad nauseum, but rather it is time for us to start thinking outside the box and seeing what solutions we can develop. Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:52:06 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105763156 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105762431 According to the poll it's 45% anti-Obama and 39% Pro-Obama with 16% being undecided (treating Rep, TP and Libertarian as opposed, Dems and Green as pro, other as undecided since I don't know what parties they represent). National tracking of self-identified Conservative, Liberal and Moderate (at least from what Gallup claims) shows since 1992 self-identifying Liberals hover between 17% and 22%; self-identifying conservatives hover between 36% and 42% while self-identified moderates hover between 35% and 43% depending on the year. Does this effect elections? I don't know. I do know that those who call them selves liberal tend to be outnumbered 2-1 by self-identifying conservatives. Granted persons with a good amount of common sense, unlike yours truly, tend to be moderate ;-) Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:45:02 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105590103.html#IDComment105762431 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105081639.html#IDComment104449080 I second Dandalion's comment. Too often the nimwits rule the board. Sun, 17 Oct 2010 07:28:55 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105081639.html#IDComment104449080 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105081639.html#IDComment104447734 We are in this current mess b/c we were lulled to sleep by promises from politicians and scared into voting for more taxes when we could have found other (granted uncomfortable in the short term) ways of proving services. Sun, 17 Oct 2010 07:17:34 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/105081639.html#IDComment104447734