Bend Blogs » The Wandering Eye

The Wandering Eye

• December 26, 2010
• 9:15

  The Eye Wanders Off Into the Sunset

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I’m really sorry to break the bad news to them during this season of peace and goodwill, but after this week the right-wingers in Bend and vicinity won’t have The Wandering Eye to kick around anymore.

  
  

  The decision to stop writing this blog was my own, and it was prompted by several factors. One of them is that I’m just tired of being a punching bag.

  
  

  I’ve been writing editorials, columns and blogs for newspapers and the Web for more than 40 years. I never ...

• 9:15

  The Eye Wanders Off Into the Sunset

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  People   [edit]

  I’m really sorry to break the bad news to them during this season of peace and goodwill, but after this week the right-wingers in Bend and vicinity won’t have The Wandering Eye to kick around anymore.

  
  

  The decision to stop writing this blog was my own, and it was prompted by several factors. One of them is that I’m just tired of being a punching bag.

  
  

  I’ve been writing editorials, columns and blogs for newspapers and the Web for more than 40 years. I never ...

• 8:15

  The Eye Wanders Off Into the Sunset

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  People   [edit]

  I’m really sorry to break the bad news to them during this season of peace and goodwill, but after this week the right-wingers in Bend and vicinity won’t have The Wandering Eye to kick around anymore.

  
  

  The decision to stop writing this blog was my own, and it was prompted by several factors. One of them is that I’m just tired of being a punching bag.

  
  

  I’ve been writing editorials, columns and blogs for newspapers and the Web for more than 40 years. I never ...

• 8:15

  The Eye Wanders Off Into the Sunset

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  People   [edit]

  I’m really sorry to break the bad news to them during this season of peace and goodwill, but after this week the right-wingers in Bend and vicinity won’t have The Wandering Eye to kick around anymore.

  
  

  The decision to stop writing this blog was my own, and it was prompted by several factors. One of them is that I’m just tired of being a punching bag.

  
  

  I’ve been writing editorials, columns and blogs for newspapers and the Web for more than 40 years. I never ...

• December 19, 2010
• 9:12

  DADT, Gay-Bashing and the “Icky-ness” Factor

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  For the past week or so, “Zeo” of the NW Republican blog has had his jock strap in a knot over the prospect of Congress repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” rule.

  
  

  To hear Zeo tell it, if DADT is repealed and gays are allowed to serve openly in the US military it will mean the end not only of our armed forces but of America, its economic system and civilization in general.

  
  

  “If DADT is repealed then the cornerstone of the ...

• 9:12

  DADT, Gay-Bashing and the “Icky-ness” Factor

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  For the past week or so, “Zeo” of the NW Republican blog has had his jock strap in a knot over the prospect of Congress repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” rule.

  
  

  To hear Zeo tell it, if DADT is repealed and gays are allowed to serve openly in the US military it will mean the end not only of our armed forces but of America, its economic system and civilization in general.

  
  

  “If DADT is repealed then the cornerstone of the ...

• 8:12

  DADT, Gay-Bashing and the “Icky-ness” Factor

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  For the past week or so, “Zeo” of the NW Republican blog has had his jock strap in a knot over the prospect of Congress repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” rule.

  
  

  To hear Zeo tell it, if DADT is repealed and gays are allowed to serve openly in the US military it will mean the end not only of our armed forces but of America, its economic system and civilization in general.

  
  

  “If DADT is repealed then the cornerstone of the ...

• 8:12

  DADT, Gay-Bashing and the “Icky-ness” Factor

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  For the past week or so, “Zeo” of the NW Republican blog has had his jock strap in a knot over the prospect of Congress repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” rule.

  
  

  To hear Zeo tell it, if DADT is repealed and gays are allowed to serve openly in the US military it will mean the end not only of our armed forces but of America, its economic system and civilization in general.

  
  

  “If DADT is repealed then the cornerstone of the ...

• December 17, 2010
• 6:40

  A Wake-Up Call for Wyden, and the U.S.

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The news that Sen. Ron Wyden has prostate cancer reminds us of the need for all men over 50 to be screened annually for this potentially deadly disease – and for the United States to improve its health care system.

  
  

  Wyden, 61, announced yesterday that the cancer was detected when he got his annual physical exam in late November. &ldq...

• 6:40

  A Wake-Up Call for Wyden, and the U.S.

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The news that Sen. Ron Wyden has prostate cancer reminds us of the need for all men over 50 to be screened annually for this potentially deadly disease – and for the United States to improve its health care system.

  
  

  Wyden, 61, announced yesterday that the cancer was detected when he got his annual physical exam in late November. &ldq...

• 5:40

  A Wake-Up Call for Wyden, and the U.S.

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The news that Sen. Ron Wyden has prostate cancer reminds us of the need for all men over 50 to be screened annually for this potentially deadly disease – and for the United States to improve its health care system.

  
  

  Wyden, 61, announced yesterday that the cancer was detected when he got his annual physical exam in late November. &ldq...

• 5:40

  A Wake-Up Call for Wyden, and the U.S.

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The news that Sen. Ron Wyden has prostate cancer reminds us of the need for all men over 50 to be screened annually for this potentially deadly disease – and for the United States to improve its health care system.

  
  

  Wyden, 61, announced yesterday that the cancer was detected when he got his annual physical exam in late November. &ldq...

• December 16, 2010
• 11:39

  Census Numbers Tell a Tale of Two Cities

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The New York Times has posted a series of interactive maps based on US Census data, and they seem to confirm the view that Bend really is two cities.

  
  

  There’s always been an argument over what the real line of demarcation between East Bend and West Bend is. The Parkway? Third Street? The railroad tracks? The Deschutes River? The census people seem to have used the river as the dividing line.

  
  

  On that basis, the maps (based on the Census Bureau’s latest release of its A...

• 11:39

  Census Numbers Tell a Tale of Two Cities

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The New York Times has posted a series of interactive maps based on US Census data, and they seem to confirm the view that Bend really is two cities.

  
  

  There’s always been an argument over what the real line of demarcation between East Bend and West Bend is. The Parkway? Third Street? The railroad tracks? The Deschutes River? The census people seem to have used the river as the dividing line.

  
  

  On that basis, the maps (based on the Census Bureau’s latest release of its A...

• 10:39

  Census Numbers Tell a Tale of Two Cities

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The New York Times has posted a series of interactive maps based on US Census data, and they seem to confirm the view that Bend really is two cities.

  
  

  There’s always been an argument over what the real line of demarcation between East Bend and West Bend is. The Parkway? Third Street? The railroad tracks? The Deschutes River? The census people seem to have used the river as the dividing line.

  
  

  On that basis, the maps (based on the Census Bureau’s latest release of its A...

• 10:39

  Census Numbers Tell a Tale of Two Cities

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The New York Times has posted a series of interactive maps based on US Census data, and they seem to confirm the view that Bend really is two cities.

  
  

  There’s always been an argument over what the real line of demarcation between East Bend and West Bend is. The Parkway? Third Street? The railroad tracks? The Deschutes River? The census people seem to have used the river as the dividing line.

  
  

  On that basis, the maps (based on the Census Bureau’s latest release of its A...

• December 11, 2010
• 7:05

  Dudley’s Not Sure About Taking Another Shot

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  In his first one-on-one interview since he lost the election, Chris Dudley tells Portland Tribune sports reporter Kerry Eggers that he’s not sure whether he’ll run for governor again in 2014.

  
  

  “It’s too soon,” Dudley says. “For now, I’ll settle back into normal life. My wife would probably say no [to another run at governor] right now, but time will tell.”

  
  

  Losing the gubernatorial election to Democrat John Kitzhaber by about 22,000 ...

• 7:05

  Dudley’s Not Sure About Taking Another Shot

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  In his first one-on-one interview since he lost the election, Chris Dudley tells Portland Tribune sports reporter Kerry Eggers that he’s not sure whether he’ll run for governor again in 2014.

  
  

  “It’s too soon,” Dudley says. “For now, I’ll settle back into normal life. My wife would probably say no [to another run at governor] right now, but time will tell.”

  
  

  Losing the gubernatorial election to Democrat John Kitzhaber by about 22,000 ...

• 6:05

  Dudley’s Not Sure About Taking Another Shot

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  In his first one-on-one interview since he lost the election, Chris Dudley tells Portland Tribune sports reporter Kerry Eggers that he’s not sure whether he’ll run for governor again in 2014.

  
  

  “It’s too soon,” Dudley says. “For now, I’ll settle back into normal life. My wife would probably say no [to another run at governor] right now, but time will tell.”

  
  

  Losing the gubernatorial election to Democrat John Kitzhaber by about 22,000 ...

• 6:05

  Dudley’s Not Sure About Taking Another Shot

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  In his first one-on-one interview since he lost the election, Chris Dudley tells Portland Tribune sports reporter Kerry Eggers that he’s not sure whether he’ll run for governor again in 2014.

  
  

  “It’s too soon,” Dudley says. “For now, I’ll settle back into normal life. My wife would probably say no [to another run at governor] right now, but time will tell.”

  
  

  Losing the gubernatorial election to Democrat John Kitzhaber by about 22,000 ...

• December 09, 2010
• 10:10

  DeFazio Leads Charge Against Tax Giveaway

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  House Democrats have smacked down President Obama’s tax cut compromise with the Republicans, with Oregon’s Rep. Peter DeFazio leading the rebellion.

  
  

  The House Democratic caucus this morning approved a motion by DeFazio to reject the provisions of a tax deal agreed upon by Obama and the Republicans. Among other things, the bill would extend George W. Bush’s tax break for billionaires and drastically ease the estate tax burden.

  
  

  “House Democrats are particul...

• 10:10

  DeFazio Leads Charge Against Tax Giveaway

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  House Democrats have smacked down President Obama’s tax cut compromise with the Republicans, with Oregon’s Rep. Peter DeFazio leading the rebellion.

  
  

  The House Democratic caucus this morning approved a motion by DeFazio to reject the provisions of a tax deal agreed upon by Obama and the Republicans. Among other things, the bill would extend George W. Bush’s tax break for billionaires and drastically ease the estate tax burden.

  
  

  “House Democrats are particul...

• 9:10

  DeFazio Leads Charge Against Tax Giveaway

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  House Democrats have smacked down President Obama’s tax cut compromise with the Republicans, with Oregon’s Rep. Peter DeFazio leading the rebellion.

  
  

  The House Democratic caucus this morning approved a motion by DeFazio to reject the provisions of a tax deal agreed upon by Obama and the Republicans. Among other things, the bill would extend George W. Bush’s tax break for billionaires and drastically ease the estate tax burden.

  
  

  “House Democrats are particul...

• 9:10

  DeFazio Leads Charge Against Tax Giveaway

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  House Democrats have smacked down President Obama’s tax cut compromise with the Republicans, with Oregon’s Rep. Peter DeFazio leading the rebellion.

  
  

  The House Democratic caucus this morning approved a motion by DeFazio to reject the provisions of a tax deal agreed upon by Obama and the Republicans. Among other things, the bill would extend George W. Bush’s tax break for billionaires and drastically ease the estate tax burden.

  
  

  “House Democrats are particul...

• December 05, 2010
• 9:42

  Wandering Observations, Post-Civil War

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I’m still recuperating from celebrating the Ducks’ glorious victory in the Civil War yesterday and can’t focus long enough to write more than a couple of paragraphs on any one topic, so here are a few random short takes:

  
  

  ***

  
  

  Bulletin Business Editor John Stearns has a column this morning about momentum in Bend’s tech sector, which he defines as “software development, information technology, biosciences, green energy and other so-called knowledge ind...

• 9:42

  Wandering Observations, Post-Civil War

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Sports   [edit]

  I’m still recuperating from celebrating the Ducks’ glorious victory in the Civil War yesterday and can’t focus long enough to write more than a couple of paragraphs on any one topic, so here are a few random short takes:

  
  

  ***

  
  

  Bulletin Business Editor John Stearns has a column this morning about momentum in Bend’s tech sector, which he defines as “software development, information technology, biosciences, green energy and other so-called knowledge ind...

• 8:42

  Wandering Observations, Post-Civil War

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Sports   [edit]

  I’m still recuperating from celebrating the Ducks’ glorious victory in the Civil War yesterday and can’t focus long enough to write more than a couple of paragraphs on any one topic, so here are a few random short takes:

  
  

  ***

  
  

  Bulletin Business Editor John Stearns has a column this morning about momentum in Bend’s tech sector, which he defines as “software development, information technology, biosciences, green energy and other so-called knowledge ind...

• 8:42

  Wandering Observations, Post-Civil War

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Sports   [edit]

  I’m still recuperating from celebrating the Ducks’ glorious victory in the Civil War yesterday and can’t focus long enough to write more than a couple of paragraphs on any one topic, so here are a few random short takes:

  
  

  ***

  
  

  Bulletin Business Editor John Stearns has a column this morning about momentum in Bend’s tech sector, which he defines as “software development, information technology, biosciences, green energy and other so-called knowledge ind...

• December 03, 2010
• 9:47

  That Weird Duck-vs.-Beaver Thing

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  As tension builds to almost unbearable heights before tomorrow’s Civil War, which by all accounts is even more momentous than the original 1861-1865 version, let us consider a provocative – but, I think, absolutely right-on-the-money – observation made by Jake on UtterlyBoring.com.

  
  

  In a post headlined “Beaver Fans Are Crazy People,” Jake writes: “I root for all the schools in this state – whether it's OSU, UO, PSU, UP, WOU, EOU, SOU, George Fox...

• 9:47

  That Weird Duck-vs.-Beaver Thing

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Sports   [edit]

  As tension builds to almost unbearable heights before tomorrow’s Civil War, which by all accounts is even more momentous than the original 1861-1865 version, let us consider a provocative – but, I think, absolutely right-on-the-money – observation made by Jake on UtterlyBoring.com.

  
  

  In a post headlined “Beaver Fans Are Crazy People,” Jake writes: “I root for all the schools in this state – whether it's OSU, UO, PSU, UP, WOU, EOU, SOU, George Fox...

• 8:47

  That Weird Duck-vs.-Beaver Thing

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Sports   [edit]

  As tension builds to almost unbearable heights before tomorrow’s Civil War, which by all accounts is even more momentous than the original 1861-1865 version, let us consider a provocative – but, I think, absolutely right-on-the-money – observation made by Jake on UtterlyBoring.com.

  
  

  In a post headlined “Beaver Fans Are Crazy People,” Jake writes: “I root for all the schools in this state – whether it's OSU, UO, PSU, UP, WOU, EOU, SOU, George Fox...

• 8:47

  That Weird Duck-vs.-Beaver Thing

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Sports   [edit]

  As tension builds to almost unbearable heights before tomorrow’s Civil War, which by all accounts is even more momentous than the original 1861-1865 version, let us consider a provocative – but, I think, absolutely right-on-the-money – observation made by Jake on UtterlyBoring.com.

  
  

  In a post headlined “Beaver Fans Are Crazy People,” Jake writes: “I root for all the schools in this state – whether it's OSU, UO, PSU, UP, WOU, EOU, SOU, George Fox...

• December 02, 2010
• 9:28

  Mr. Merkley Goes to Washington, Kicks Ass

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of Jeff Merkley when he was running for election. In fact I voted for his opponent in the primary, Portland political activist Steve Novick.

  
  

  Since going to Washington, though, Merkley has become just about my favorite senator. He’s been a strong champion of health care reform, environmental protection and reining in Wall Street, among other things. And despite his mild-mannered demeanor, he hasn’t been at all shy about jabbing sacre...

• 9:28

  Mr. Merkley Goes to Washington, Kicks Ass

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  I have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of Jeff Merkley when he was running for election. In fact I voted for his opponent in the primary, Portland political activist Steve Novick.

  
  

  Since going to Washington, though, Merkley has become just about my favorite senator. He’s been a strong champion of health care reform, environmental protection and reining in Wall Street, among other things. And despite his mild-mannered demeanor, he hasn’t been at all shy about jabbing sacre...

• 8:28

  Mr. Merkley Goes to Washington, Kicks Ass

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  I have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of Jeff Merkley when he was running for election. In fact I voted for his opponent in the primary, Portland political activist Steve Novick.

  
  

  Since going to Washington, though, Merkley has become just about my favorite senator. He’s been a strong champion of health care reform, environmental protection and reining in Wall Street, among other things. And despite his mild-mannered demeanor, he hasn’t been at all shy about jabbing sacre...

• 8:28

  Mr. Merkley Goes to Washington, Kicks Ass

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  I have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of Jeff Merkley when he was running for election. In fact I voted for his opponent in the primary, Portland political activist Steve Novick.

  
  

  Since going to Washington, though, Merkley has become just about my favorite senator. He’s been a strong champion of health care reform, environmental protection and reining in Wall Street, among other things. And despite his mild-mannered demeanor, he hasn’t been at all shy about jabbing sacre...

• November 28, 2010
• 9:43

  Terrorist Threat Gets Too Close for Comfort

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The threat of terrorism came home to Oregon Friday as the FBI foiled an alleged plot to detonate a huge bomb next to Portland’s Pioneer Square during the annual holiday tree-lighting festivities.

  
  

  Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a 19-year-old sometime engineering student at Oregon State University, allegedly intended to blow up a van packed with explosives while the square was thronged with some 25,000 spectators.

  
  

  “Do you remember when 9/11 happened, when those people were jum...

• 9:43

  Terrorist Threat Gets Too Close for Comfort

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The threat of terrorism came home to Oregon Friday as the FBI foiled an alleged plot to detonate a huge bomb next to Portland’s Pioneer Square during the annual holiday tree-lighting festivities.

  
  

  Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a 19-year-old sometime engineering student at Oregon State University, allegedly intended to blow up a van packed with explosives while the square was thronged with some 25,000 spectators.

  
  

  “Do you remember when 9/11 happened, when those people were jum...

• 8:43

  Terrorist Threat Gets Too Close for Comfort

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The threat of terrorism came home to Oregon Friday as the FBI foiled an alleged plot to detonate a huge bomb next to Portland’s Pioneer Square during the annual holiday tree-lighting festivities.

  
  

  Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a 19-year-old sometime engineering student at Oregon State University, allegedly intended to blow up a van packed with explosives while the square was thronged with some 25,000 spectators.

  
  

  “Do you remember when 9/11 happened, when those people were jum...

• 8:43

  Terrorist Threat Gets Too Close for Comfort

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The threat of terrorism came home to Oregon Friday as the FBI foiled an alleged plot to detonate a huge bomb next to Portland’s Pioneer Square during the annual holiday tree-lighting festivities.

  
  

  Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a 19-year-old sometime engineering student at Oregon State University, allegedly intended to blow up a van packed with explosives while the square was thronged with some 25,000 spectators.

  
  

  “Do you remember when 9/11 happened, when those people were jum...

• November 26, 2010
• 7:51

  Spinning the Census Numbers to the Right

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The right-wing Oregon Catalyst site quotes a study by the right-wing Americans for Tax Reform organization supposedly proving – surprise, surprise! – that right-wing economic policies promote growth and prosperity.

  
  

  The ATR compared states that will gain congressional seats through reapportionment as the result of the 2010 census with those that will lose seats and found that the gainers “had significantly lower taxes, less government spending, and were more likely to ...

• 7:51

  Spinning the Census Numbers to the Right

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The right-wing Oregon Catalyst site quotes a study by the right-wing Americans for Tax Reform organization supposedly proving – surprise, surprise! – that right-wing economic policies promote growth and prosperity.

  
  

  The ATR compared states that will gain congressional seats through reapportionment as the result of the 2010 census with those that will lose seats and found that the gainers “had significantly lower taxes, less government spending, and were more likely to ...

• 6:51

  Spinning the Census Numbers to the Right

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The right-wing Oregon Catalyst site quotes a study by the right-wing Americans for Tax Reform organization supposedly proving – surprise, surprise! – that right-wing economic policies promote growth and prosperity.

  
  

  The ATR compared states that will gain congressional seats through reapportionment as the result of the 2010 census with those that will lose seats and found that the gainers “had significantly lower taxes, less government spending, and were more likely to ...

• 6:51

  Spinning the Census Numbers to the Right

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The right-wing Oregon Catalyst site quotes a study by the right-wing Americans for Tax Reform organization supposedly proving – surprise, surprise! – that right-wing economic policies promote growth and prosperity.

  
  

  The ATR compared states that will gain congressional seats through reapportionment as the result of the 2010 census with those that will lose seats and found that the gainers “had significantly lower taxes, less government spending, and were more likely to ...

• November 24, 2010
• 10:32

  For Some, a Very Happy Thanksgiving

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  This Thanksgiving, Americans still have much to be thankful for. Well, some of them do, anyway.

  
  

  Such as Brian Brille, who is the head of Bank of America Asia Pacific. In September he celebrated his 50th birthday with a posh party in Hong Kong. “Mr. Brille, who is well known on the New York social scene, wore a gray Hugh Hefner-esque jacket,” reports the New York Times. "Women dressed like Playmates, with feather boas and satin ears, danced behind a pink silk screen.”

• 10:32

  For Some, a Very Happy Thanksgiving

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  This Thanksgiving, Americans still have much to be thankful for. Well, some of them do, anyway.

  
  

  Such as Brian Brille, who is the head of Bank of America Asia Pacific. In September he celebrated his 50th birthday with a posh party in Hong Kong. “Mr. Brille, who is well known on the New York social scene, wore a gray Hugh Hefner-esque jacket,” reports the New York Times. "Women dressed like Playmates, with feather boas and satin ears, danced behind a pink silk screen.”

• 9:32

  For Some, a Very Happy Thanksgiving

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  This Thanksgiving, Americans still have much to be thankful for. Well, some of them do, anyway.

  
  

  Such as Brian Brille, who is the head of Bank of America Asia Pacific. In September he celebrated his 50th birthday with a posh party in Hong Kong. “Mr. Brille, who is well known on the New York social scene, wore a gray Hugh Hefner-esque jacket,” reports the New York Times. "Women dressed like Playmates, with feather boas and satin ears, danced behind a pink silk screen.”

• 9:32

  For Some, a Very Happy Thanksgiving

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  This Thanksgiving, Americans still have much to be thankful for. Well, some of them do, anyway.

  
  

  Such as Brian Brille, who is the head of Bank of America Asia Pacific. In September he celebrated his 50th birthday with a posh party in Hong Kong. “Mr. Brille, who is well known on the New York social scene, wore a gray Hugh Hefner-esque jacket,” reports the New York Times. "Women dressed like Playmates, with feather boas and satin ears, danced behind a pink silk screen.”

• November 19, 2010
• 13:55

  Oregon Economy: Some Ups, Some Downs

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The good news (for conservatives) is that Oregon lost public-sector jobs in the third quarter of 2010. The bad news for the Oregon economy is that Oregon lost public-sector jobs in the third quarter.

  
  

  In his quarterly report to the legislature today, State Economist Tom Potiowsky said a slight increase in private-sector jobs during the third quarter of 2010 was offset by a decrease in public-sector jobs. The net result was that the state’s unemployment rate stayed at 10.5% –...

• 13:55

  Oregon Economy: Some Ups, Some Downs

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The good news (for conservatives) is that Oregon lost public-sector jobs in the third quarter of 2010. The bad news for the Oregon economy is that Oregon lost public-sector jobs in the third quarter.

  
  

  In his quarterly report to the legislature today, State Economist Tom Potiowsky said a slight increase in private-sector jobs during the third quarter of 2010 was offset by a decrease in public-sector jobs. The net result was that the state’s unemployment rate stayed at 10.5% –...

• 12:55

  Oregon Economy: Some Ups, Some Downs

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The good news (for conservatives) is that Oregon lost public-sector jobs in the third quarter of 2010. The bad news for the Oregon economy is that Oregon lost public-sector jobs in the third quarter.

  
  

  In his quarterly report to the legislature today, State Economist Tom Potiowsky said a slight increase in private-sector jobs during the third quarter of 2010 was offset by a decrease in public-sector jobs. The net result was that the state’s unemployment rate stayed at 10.5% –...

• 12:55

  Oregon Economy: Some Ups, Some Downs

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  The good news (for conservatives) is that Oregon lost public-sector jobs in the third quarter of 2010. The bad news for the Oregon economy is that Oregon lost public-sector jobs in the third quarter.

  
  

  In his quarterly report to the legislature today, State Economist Tom Potiowsky said a slight increase in private-sector jobs during the third quarter of 2010 was offset by a decrease in public-sector jobs. The net result was that the state’s unemployment rate stayed at 10.5% –...

• November 18, 2010
• 10:42

  Playing the New Game of “Deficit Buster”

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Think you know how to fix the federal budget deficit? The New York Times has posted an interactive tool that lets you take a shot at it.

  
  

  The Times gives you 40 different options to play around with, including spending cuts in areas such as the federal government payroll, the military, Social Security and Medicare, and revenue increases of various types.

  
  

  With about 15 minutes of tinkering I was able to wipe out the deficits (both the short-term one of $418 billion by 2015 and the...

• 10:42

  Playing the New Game of “Deficit Buster”

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  Think you know how to fix the federal budget deficit? The New York Times has posted an interactive tool that lets you take a shot at it.

  
  

  The Times gives you 40 different options to play around with, including spending cuts in areas such as the federal government payroll, the military, Social Security and Medicare, and revenue increases of various types.

  
  

  With about 15 minutes of tinkering I was able to wipe out the deficits (both the short-term one of $418 billion by 2015 and the...

• 9:42

  Playing the New Game of “Deficit Buster”

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  Think you know how to fix the federal budget deficit? The New York Times has posted an interactive tool that lets you take a shot at it.

  
  

  The Times gives you 40 different options to play around with, including spending cuts in areas such as the federal government payroll, the military, Social Security and Medicare, and revenue increases of various types.

  
  

  With about 15 minutes of tinkering I was able to wipe out the deficits (both the short-term one of $418 billion by 2015 and the...

• 9:42

  Playing the New Game of “Deficit Buster”

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:  Politics   [edit]

  Think you know how to fix the federal budget deficit? The New York Times has posted an interactive tool that lets you take a shot at it.

  
  

  The Times gives you 40 different options to play around with, including spending cuts in areas such as the federal government payroll, the military, Social Security and Medicare, and revenue increases of various types.

  
  

  With about 15 minutes of tinkering I was able to wipe out the deficits (both the short-term one of $418 billion by 2015 and the...

• November 17, 2010
• 11:11

  FLASH: Oregon Wants Palin!

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I damn near lost my breakfast when I pulled up the Oregon Catalyst site this morning and glanced at the item headlined: “Oregon’s Top 2012 Presidential Picks.”

  
  

  Under the headline was a bar graph showing the percentage of support for each of 10 likely or possible 2012 presidential prospects. Topping the list was Sarah Palin, with an astonishing 31%. In the Number Two spot was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 24%, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney running ...

• 11:11

  FLASH: Oregon Wants Palin!

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I damn near lost my breakfast when I pulled up the Oregon Catalyst site this morning and glanced at the item headlined: “Oregon’s Top 2012 Presidential Picks.”

  
  

  Under the headline was a bar graph showing the percentage of support for each of 10 likely or possible 2012 presidential prospects. Topping the list was Sarah Palin, with an astonishing 31%. In the Number Two spot was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 24%, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney running ...

• 10:11

  FLASH: Oregon Wants Palin!

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I damn near lost my breakfast when I pulled up the Oregon Catalyst site this morning and glanced at the item headlined: “Oregon’s Top 2012 Presidential Picks.”

  
  

  Under the headline was a bar graph showing the percentage of support for each of 10 likely or possible 2012 presidential prospects. Topping the list was Sarah Palin, with an astonishing 31%. In the Number Two spot was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 24%, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney running ...

• 10:11

  FLASH: Oregon Wants Palin!

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I damn near lost my breakfast when I pulled up the Oregon Catalyst site this morning and glanced at the item headlined: “Oregon’s Top 2012 Presidential Picks.”

  
  

  Under the headline was a bar graph showing the percentage of support for each of 10 likely or possible 2012 presidential prospects. Topping the list was Sarah Palin, with an astonishing 31%. In the Number Two spot was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 24%, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney running ...

• November 12, 2010
• 16:41

  The Sawyers Find a Champion – for a Price

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The tragicomic tale of Tami and Kevin Sawyer just keeps getting stranger and stranger.

  
  

  The Sawyers were high flyers during Bend’s real estate bubble era but were shot down in flames last month when a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted them on 21 criminal counts including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and false statements to a financial institution. They’re also facing civil suits by about 20 former investors in their various bu...

• 16:41

  The Sawyers Find a Champion – for a Price

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The tragicomic tale of Tami and Kevin Sawyer just keeps getting stranger and stranger.

  
  

  The Sawyers were high flyers during Bend’s real estate bubble era but were shot down in flames last month when a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted them on 21 criminal counts including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and false statements to a financial institution. They’re also facing civil suits by about 20 former investors in their various bu...

• 15:41

  The Sawyers Find a Champion – for a Price

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The tragicomic tale of Tami and Kevin Sawyer just keeps getting stranger and stranger.

  
  

  The Sawyers were high flyers during Bend’s real estate bubble era but were shot down in flames last month when a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted them on 21 criminal counts including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and false statements to a financial institution. They’re also facing civil suits by about 20 former investors in their various bu...

• 15:41

  The Sawyers Find a Champion – for a Price

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The tragicomic tale of Tami and Kevin Sawyer just keeps getting stranger and stranger.

  
  

  The Sawyers were high flyers during Bend’s real estate bubble era but were shot down in flames last month when a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted them on 21 criminal counts including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and false statements to a financial institution. They’re also facing civil suits by about 20 former investors in their various bu...

• 8:41

  Republican: Dudley Wasn’t Ready for Prime Time

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Rarely do I agree on anything with Ted Piccolo, a right-wing activist and political consultant who blogs under the alias “I Am Coyote” on the NW Republican site. But he’s posted an analysis of why Chris Dudley lost the governor’s race that I think is spot on – and refreshingly candid.

  
  

  Piccolo’s central point: Dudley wasn’t qualified to be governor, and the voters knew it.

  
  

  “Now that the election is over there are many people beginni...

• 8:41

  Republican: Dudley Wasn’t Ready for Prime Time

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Rarely do I agree on anything with Ted Piccolo, a right-wing activist and political consultant who blogs under the alias “I Am Coyote” on the NW Republican site. But he’s posted an analysis of why Chris Dudley lost the governor’s race that I think is spot on – and refreshingly candid.

  
  

  Piccolo’s central point: Dudley wasn’t qualified to be governor, and the voters knew it.

  
  

  “Now that the election is over there are many people beginni...

• 7:41

  Republican: Dudley Wasn’t Ready for Prime Time

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Rarely do I agree on anything with Ted Piccolo, a right-wing activist and political consultant who blogs under the alias “I Am Coyote” on the NW Republican site. But he’s posted an analysis of why Chris Dudley lost the governor’s race that I think is spot on – and refreshingly candid.

  
  

  Piccolo’s central point: Dudley wasn’t qualified to be governor, and the voters knew it.

  
  

  “Now that the election is over there are many people beginni...

• 7:41

  Republican: Dudley Wasn’t Ready for Prime Time

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Rarely do I agree on anything with Ted Piccolo, a right-wing activist and political consultant who blogs under the alias “I Am Coyote” on the NW Republican site. But he’s posted an analysis of why Chris Dudley lost the governor’s race that I think is spot on – and refreshingly candid.

  
  

  Piccolo’s central point: Dudley wasn’t qualified to be governor, and the voters knew it.

  
  

  “Now that the election is over there are many people beginni...

• November 11, 2010
• 9:18

  Of Bambi, Bubbles and BS

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Jeffrey Auxier thinks great things are just around the corner for Bend.

  
  

  Auxier, president and CEO of Auxier Asset Management and Auxier Focus Fund in Lake Oswego, spoke at the Central Oregon Economic Forecast Vision 2011 meeting here Tuesday. According to The Bulletin’s account, he said he thinks the real estate market will rebound faster in Central Oregon than in the rest of the country “because it is one of the best places on earth.”

  
  

  Déjà vu all...

• 9:18

  Of Bambi, Bubbles and BS

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Jeffrey Auxier thinks great things are just around the corner for Bend.

  
  

  Auxier, president and CEO of Auxier Asset Management and Auxier Focus Fund in Lake Oswego, spoke at the Central Oregon Economic Forecast Vision 2011 meeting here Tuesday. According to The Bulletin’s account, he said he thinks the real estate market will rebound faster in Central Oregon than in the rest of the country “because it is one of the best places on earth.”

  
  

  Déjà vu all...

• 8:18

  Of Bambi, Bubbles and BS

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Jeffrey Auxier thinks great things are just around the corner for Bend.

  
  

  Auxier, president and CEO of Auxier Asset Management and Auxier Focus Fund in Lake Oswego, spoke at the Central Oregon Economic Forecast Vision 2011 meeting here Tuesday. According to The Bulletin’s account, he said he thinks the real estate market will rebound faster in Central Oregon than in the rest of the country “because it is one of the best places on earth.”

  
  

  Déjà vu all...

• 8:18

  Of Bambi, Bubbles and BS

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Jeffrey Auxier thinks great things are just around the corner for Bend.

  
  

  Auxier, president and CEO of Auxier Asset Management and Auxier Focus Fund in Lake Oswego, spoke at the Central Oregon Economic Forecast Vision 2011 meeting here Tuesday. According to The Bulletin’s account, he said he thinks the real estate market will rebound faster in Central Oregon than in the rest of the country “because it is one of the best places on earth.”

  
  

  Déjà vu all...

• November 07, 2010
• 9:20

  FLASH: Deschutes County Gives Election to Kitzhaber!

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Whenever a Democrat wins a close statewide race in Oregon, we hear Republicans grumbling that those damn liberal elitists in Portland and Multnomah County gave the election to him. Sometimes, if they’re in a really bad mood, they’ll say they “stole” the election for him.

  
  

  But Evan Manvel, writing on Blue Oregon, makes an important point: Without votes from all over the state, John Kitzhaber wouldn’t have won.

  
  

  Kitzhaber’s final margin over Repub...

• 9:20

  FLASH: Deschutes County Gives Election to Kitzhaber!

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Whenever a Democrat wins a close statewide race in Oregon, we hear Republicans grumbling that those damn liberal elitists in Portland and Multnomah County gave the election to him. Sometimes, if they’re in a really bad mood, they’ll say they “stole” the election for him.

  
  

  But Evan Manvel, writing on Blue Oregon, makes an important point: Without votes from all over the state, John Kitzhaber wouldn’t have won.

  
  

  Kitzhaber’s final margin over Repub...

• 8:20

  FLASH: Deschutes County Gives Election to Kitzhaber!

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Whenever a Democrat wins a close statewide race in Oregon, we hear Republicans grumbling that those damn liberal elitists in Portland and Multnomah County gave the election to him. Sometimes, if they’re in a really bad mood, they’ll say they “stole” the election for him.

  
  

  But Evan Manvel, writing on Blue Oregon, makes an important point: Without votes from all over the state, John Kitzhaber wouldn’t have won.

  
  

  Kitzhaber’s final margin over Repub...

• 8:20

  FLASH: Deschutes County Gives Election to Kitzhaber!

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Whenever a Democrat wins a close statewide race in Oregon, we hear Republicans grumbling that those damn liberal elitists in Portland and Multnomah County gave the election to him. Sometimes, if they’re in a really bad mood, they’ll say they “stole” the election for him.

  
  

  But Evan Manvel, writing on Blue Oregon, makes an important point: Without votes from all over the state, John Kitzhaber wouldn’t have won.

  
  

  Kitzhaber’s final margin over Repub...

• November 05, 2010
• 8:54

  How Kitzhaber Did It

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregonian political blogger Jeff Mapes has an interesting analysis of how John Kitzhaber was able to eke out a razor-thin victory over Chris Dudley for the governorship. Some of the main points:

  
  

  The Ground Game: Democrats made the most of their 10% registration edge in the state by mounting an intensive canvassing and phone banking campaign to make sure Democrats actually voted.

  
  

  Waffling on Abortion: Dudley tried to stake out a middle ground on abortion, saying he was pro-choi...

• 8:54

  How Kitzhaber Did It

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregonian political blogger Jeff Mapes has an interesting analysis of how John Kitzhaber was able to eke out a razor-thin victory over Chris Dudley for the governorship. Some of the main points:

  
  

  The Ground Game: Democrats made the most of their 10% registration edge in the state by mounting an intensive canvassing and phone banking campaign to make sure Democrats actually voted.

  
  

  Waffling on Abortion: Dudley tried to stake out a middle ground on abortion, saying he was pro-choi...

• 7:54

  How Kitzhaber Did It

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregonian political blogger Jeff Mapes has an interesting analysis of how John Kitzhaber was able to eke out a razor-thin victory over Chris Dudley for the governorship. Some of the main points:

  
  

  The Ground Game: Democrats made the most of their 10% registration edge in the state by mounting an intensive canvassing and phone banking campaign to make sure Democrats actually voted.

  
  

  Waffling on Abortion: Dudley tried to stake out a middle ground on abortion, saying he was pro-choi...

• 7:54

  How Kitzhaber Did It

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregonian political blogger Jeff Mapes has an interesting analysis of how John Kitzhaber was able to eke out a razor-thin victory over Chris Dudley for the governorship. Some of the main points:

  
  

  The Ground Game: Democrats made the most of their 10% registration edge in the state by mounting an intensive canvassing and phone banking campaign to make sure Democrats actually voted.

  
  

  Waffling on Abortion: Dudley tried to stake out a middle ground on abortion, saying he was pro-choi...

• November 04, 2010
• 9:51

  “Tax” Is Not a Four-Letter Word

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The midterm election campaign that just ended (thank god) was about many things – the deficit, unemployment, health care reform, whether Christine O’Donnell really is a witch – but the background motif playing behind all of them was the eternal theme: taxes.

  
  

  On the national level, Republicans pounded on the message that Barack Obama had raised taxes. He didn’t – he actually cut them by $240 billion. But the Republicans have catapulted the propaganda so suc...

• 9:51

  “Tax” Is Not a Four-Letter Word

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The midterm election campaign that just ended (thank god) was about many things – the deficit, unemployment, health care reform, whether Christine O’Donnell really is a witch – but the background motif playing behind all of them was the eternal theme: taxes.

  
  

  On the national level, Republicans pounded on the message that Barack Obama had raised taxes. He didn’t – he actually cut them by $240 billion. But the Republicans have catapulted the propaganda so suc...

• November 02, 2010
• 12:03

  Ramsay Lets the Cat Out of the Teabag

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Bend City Council candidate Scott Ramsay has invited all his fellow Tea Partiers to an “election results rally” tonight at the Sun Mountain Fun Center.

  
  

  You say you didn’t know Ramsay was a Tea Partier? That’s not surprising – neither did we.

  
  

  “TSUNAMA [sic] WARNING! TSUNAMA [sic] WARNING!” says the headline at the top of the e-mail invitation. “Hello Tea Party Tsunamists! Message to Barack Hussain [sic] Obama ...  Surf's U...

• October 30, 2010
• 8:53

  Regarding Bedbugs (as in “Crazy as a … ”)

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Whenever I feel in need of a dose of right-wing nuttiness, The Bulletin’s editorial page never lets me down. If the editorials themselves fail to deliver, the “In My View” pieces or letters to the editor always come through.

  
  

  This morning’s winner was a letter from Margaret Dement of Madras blaming the rise of bedbugs in New York City on the twin evils of “multiculturalism and mass immigration.”

  
  

  “Bedbugs are uncommon in Western, industrialized nations,” Dement writes, “but ende...

• October 29, 2010
• 7:16

  We’re Number 14 in Business Tax Ratings

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Tax Foundation has released its 2011 ratings of state tax business tax climates, and Oregon is holding its own at Number 14 – the same position as last year.

  
  

  The non-partisan but conservative-leaning foundation ranks states according to five factors: corporate tax rates, individual income tax rates, sales taxes, unemployment insurance taxes and property taxes.

  
  

  Different weights are assigned to each, with individual income tax rates counting the most and unemployment in...

• 7:15

  We’re Number 14 in Business Tax Ratings

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Tax Foundation has released its 2011 ratings of state tax business tax climates, and Oregon is holding its own at Number 14 – the same position as last year.

  
  

  The non-partisan but conservative-leaning foundation ranks states according to five factors: corporate tax rates, individual income tax rates, sales taxes, unemployment insurance taxes and property taxes.

  
  

  Different weights are assigned to each, with individual income tax rates counting the most and unemployment inRead More...

• October 27, 2010
• 7:42

  The Crazy Act Isn’t Funny Anymore

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  When I want to find out what rational (well, mostly rational) Oregon Republicans are thinking I go to Oregon Catalyst. When I want to have a laugh at the antics of the far-right lunatic fringe I go to NW Republican.

  
  

  Lately, though, some of the posts there have been more scary than funny. Like the one by “zeo12” titled: “Here comes [sic] the Democratic election thefts.”

  
  

  “In a year like this, almost all of the close races normally go to the party that is surging,” the post begiRead More...

• 7:42

  The Crazy Act Isn’t Funny Anymore

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  When I want to find out what rational (well, mostly rational) Oregon Republicans are thinking I go to Oregon Catalyst. When I want to have a laugh at the antics of the far-right lunatic fringe I go to NW Republican.

  
  

  Lately, though, some of the posts there have been more scary than funny. Like the one by “zeo12” titled: “Here comes [sic] the Democratic election thefts.”

  
  

  “In a year like this, almost all of the close races normally go to the party that is surging,” the post begiRead More...

• October 23, 2010
• 7:32

  Mapping the Great Recession

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Slate has published an updated version of its jobs map, and it’s fascinating viewing.

  
  

  The map – first published in the spring of 2009 and last updated about a year ago – tracks job losses and gains month by month and county by county from January 2007 through August 2010. Job losses are shown as red circles and job gains as blue circles. The bigger the circle, the greater the number of jobs gained or lost.

  
  

  Watching the map in motion is kind of like watching a hRead More...

• 7:32

  Mapping the Great Recession

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Slate has published an updated version of its jobs map, and it’s fascinating viewing.

  
  

  The map – first published in the spring of 2009 and last updated about a year ago – tracks job losses and gains month by month and county by county from January 2007 through August 2010. Job losses are shown as red circles and job gains as blue circles. The bigger the circle, the greater the number of jobs gained or lost.

  
  

  Watching the map in motion is kind of like watching a hRead More...

• October 22, 2010
• 7:15

  Bend: We Play Hard and Drink Harder?

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  File under “Who came up with THIS idea?”: A new advertising campaign aims to attract businesses to Bend by telling them what a great place it is to play and drink.

  
  

  According to a story in The Bulletin’s Business section on Wednesday, a campaign put together by Visit Bend, the city’s tourism promotion agency, hopes to sell business owners on Bend’s great “active outdoor lifestyle.” (Hmm, where have we heard THAT before?)

  
  

  On the Web, VisitRead More...

• 7:15

  Bend: We Play Hard and Drink Harder?

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  File under “Who came up with THIS idea?”: A new advertising campaign aims to attract businesses to Bend by telling them what a great place it is to play and drink.

  
  

  According to a story in The Bulletin’s Business section on Wednesday, a campaign put together by Visit Bend, the city’s tourism promotion agency, hopes to sell business owners on Bend’s great “active outdoor lifestyle.” (Hmm, where have we heard THAT before?)

  
  

  On the Web, VisitRead More...

• October 21, 2010
• 4:52

  Another News Flash from Tax Hell

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  From a news item that moved on The Associated Press wire yesterday morning:

  
  

  “Intel Corp. on Tuesday revealed the scope of its latest infusion to keep its factories cutting-edge and push the chip industry's pace: an investment of up to $8 billion to build a new factory in Oregon and upgrade four existing plants in Arizona and Oregon.

  
  

  “In all, the projects will create up to 8,000 temporary construction jobs and up to 1,000 permanent positions in Oregon when that factorRead More...

• 4:52

  Another News Flash from Tax Hell

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  From a news item that moved on The Associated Press wire yesterday morning:

  
  

  “Intel Corp. on Tuesday revealed the scope of its latest infusion to keep its factories cutting-edge and push the chip industry's pace: an investment of up to $8 billion to build a new factory in Oregon and upgrade four existing plants in Arizona and Oregon.

  
  

  “In all, the projects will create up to 8,000 temporary construction jobs and up to 1,000 permanent positions in Oregon when that factorRead More...

• October 20, 2010
• 7:22

  “Desperate Lies” and Unpleasant Truths

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Bulletin, whose editorial page day by day is sounding more like The Tea Party Gazette, pitched a hissy fit this morning over what it calls a “desperate lie” against Jason Conger.

  
  

  What has The Bulletin’s editorial board sputtering and fuming is a mailer recently sent to Bend voters by supporters of incumbent Judy Stiegler that claims Conger “wants to teach creationism in our public schools” and “wants to drain millions from Bend’s public schRead More...

• 7:22

  “Desperate Lies” and Unpleasant Truths

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Bulletin, whose editorial page day by day is sounding more like The Tea Party Gazette, pitched a hissy fit this morning over what it calls a “desperate lie” against Jason Conger.

  
  

  What has The Bulletin’s editorial board sputtering and fuming is a mailer recently sent to Bend voters by supporters of incumbent Judy Stiegler that claims Conger “wants to teach creationism in our public schools” and “wants to drain millions from Bend’s public schRead More...

• October 18, 2010
• 6:07

  We’re Number One

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  There is rejoicing today all over Duckdom: The University of Oregon football team is ranked Number 1 in the nation for the first time in history, and stands at Number 2 (behind Oklahoma) in the season’s first BCS standings.

  
  

  Following last week’s upset of Ohio State by Wisconsin, the undefeated Ducks edged Ohio State out of the top spot in all three major polls – USA Today coaches’ poll, Harris Poll and Associated Press poll.

  
  

  As followers of this blog knowRead More...

• 6:07

  We’re Number One

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  There is rejoicing today all over Duckdom: The University of Oregon football team is ranked Number 1 in the nation for the first time in history, and stands at Number 2 (behind Oklahoma) in the season’s first BCS standings.

  
  

  Following last week’s upset of Ohio State by Wisconsin, the undefeated Ducks edged Ohio State out of the top spot in all three major polls – USA Today coaches’ poll, Harris Poll and Associated Press poll.

  
  

  As followers of this blog knowRead More...

• October 16, 2010
• 10:46

  Bend the Next Palo Alto? No Thanks.

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Jonathan Heiliger, Facebook’s vice president for technical operations, was in town yesterday, and he said an astonishing thing.

  
  

  “I think Bend has the potential to be as good as Palo Alto – if not better,” Heiliger told the crowd at the Bend Venture Conference. He said there’s a “robust investment community in Bend” that could turn it into a hub of high-tech innovation similar to the San Francisco suburb where David Packard and Bill Hewlett launRead More...

• 10:45

  Bend the Next Palo Alto? No Thanks.

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Jonathan Heiliger, Facebook’s vice president for technical operations, was in town yesterday, and he said an astonishing thing.

  
  

  “I think Bend has the potential to be as good as Palo Alto – if not better,” Heiliger told the crowd at the Bend Venture Conference. He said there’s a “robust investment community in Bend” that could turn it into a hub of high-tech innovation similar to the San Francisco suburb where David Packard and Bill Hewlett launRead More...

• October 15, 2010
• 5:13

  Oregon Scores High; Republicans Grumble

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Democrats are crowing and Republicans are harrumphing over the new Forbes magazine list  of the best states for business, which ranks Oregon at Number 6.

  
  

  An even nastier pill for Republicans and others who predicted grass would grow in the streets after passage of Measures 66 and 67 was that Oregon actually jumped four spots in the ratings, from 10th place last year.

  
  

  Oregon House Speaker Dave Hunt boasted in a  press release that the new Forbes ranking and “the rRead More...

• 5:13

  Oregon Scores High; Republicans Grumble

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Democrats are crowing and Republicans are harrumphing over the new Forbes magazine list  of the best states for business, which ranks Oregon at Number 6.

  
  

  An even nastier pill for Republicans and others who predicted grass would grow in the streets after passage of Measures 66 and 67 was that Oregon actually jumped four spots in the ratings, from 10th place last year.

  
  

  Oregon House Speaker Dave Hunt boasted in a  press release that the new Forbes ranking and “the rRead More...

• October 13, 2010
• 9:00

  “Ungovernable” Billboard Has Dems in a Dither

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  T.A. Barnhart of Blue Oregon is highly irate that the Oregon GOP put up a snarky billboard about one of John Kitzhaber’s remarks – and even more irate that Oregonian political blogger Jeff Mapes wrote about it.

  
  

  The big blue-and-white sign stands on Southeast Division Street in Portland – not coincidentally, right across the street from Kitzhaber headquarters. It contains only one word: “UNGOVERNABLE” – a dig at Kitzhaber’s remark toward the endRead More...

• 8:59

  “Ungovernable” Billboard Has Dems in a Dither

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  T.A. Barnhart of Blue Oregon is highly irate that the Oregon GOP put up a snarky billboard about one of John Kitzhaber’s remarks – and even more irate that Oregonian political blogger Jeff Mapes wrote about it.

  
  

  The big blue-and-white sign stands on Southeast Division Street in Portland – not coincidentally, right across the street from Kitzhaber headquarters. It contains only one word: “UNGOVERNABLE” – a dig at Kitzhaber’s remark toward the endRead More...

• October 08, 2010
• 8:26

  Ducks Athletics Takes a Big Bite of Cash

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Oregonian’s Rachel Bachman has written an investigative report that ought to make even the most diehard supporters of the green and gold see red.

  
  

  It seems the University of Oregon athletic department’s claim that it’s financially self-sufficient is a few yards shy of the truth. What the hell, why mince words – it’s a lie.

  
  

  Going through U of O financial records, Bachman discovered that hundreds of thousands of dollars a year come out of the univeRead More...

• 8:26

  Ducks Athletics Takes a Big Bite of Cash

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Oregonian’s Rachel Bachman has written an investigative report that ought to make even the most diehard supporters of the green and gold see red.

  
  

  It seems the University of Oregon athletic department’s claim that it’s financially self-sufficient is a few yards shy of the truth. What the hell, why mince words – it’s a lie.

  
  

  Going through U of O financial records, Bachman discovered that hundreds of thousands of dollars a year come out of the univeRead More...

• October 07, 2010
• 6:04

  Paddling Happily to Mediocrity

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Steve Duin’s column about Greg Oden in The Oregonian last week is going to make a lot of Oregonians mad – and not just Greg Oden fans.

  
  

  Oden, you may recall, is the center who was acquired as a first-round draft pick with much fanfare (and a great many dollars) by the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2007. To put it kindly, he has not lived up to his advance notices.

  
  

  Addressing his remarks to Oden, Duin writes: “You have missed 164 games - two FULL seasons - nursiRead More...

• 6:03

  Paddling Happily to Mediocrity

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Steve Duin’s column about Greg Oden in The Oregonian last week is going to make a lot of Oregonians mad – and not just Greg Oden fans.

  
  

  Oden, you may recall, is the center who was acquired as a first-round draft pick with much fanfare (and a great many dollars) by the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2007. To put it kindly, he has not lived up to his advance notices.

  
  

  Addressing his remarks to Oden, Duin writes: “You have missed 164 games - two FULL seasons - nursiRead More...

• October 04, 2010
• 4:20

  Bend Is Great for Business? Really?

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Bend has made another of those “Top 10” lists, but this time it isn’t about skiing or mountain biking. Forbes magazine has proclaimed it one of “America’s Best Small Cities for Business and Careers.”

  
  

  Say what? With unemployment hovering somewhere north of 14% and a foreclosure rate among the highest in the country, Forbes is telling us Bend is a terrific place to launch a business or a career?

  
  

  Yep.

  
  

  Examining metro areas with fewer than Read More...

• 4:19

  Bend Is Great for Business? Really?

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Bend has made another of those “Top 10” lists, but this time it isn’t about skiing or mountain biking. Forbes magazine has proclaimed it one of “America’s Best Small Cities for Business and Careers.”

  
  

  Say what? With unemployment hovering somewhere north of 14% and a foreclosure rate among the highest in the country, Forbes is telling us Bend is a terrific place to launch a business or a career?

  
  

  Yep.

  
  

  Examining metro areas with fewer than Read More...

• October 01, 2010
• 9:11

  Assessing the Not-So-Great Debate

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  So the first – and probably last – televised debate between John Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley is over. Who won? As usual, that depends on who you talk to.

  
  

  The highly partisan Democrats at Blue Oregon are convinced their man wiped the floor with Dudley.

  
  

  “John Kitzhaber knows his stuff,” writes Kari Chisholm. “He's got serious ideas for creating jobs immediately, rethinking how we fund public services, and knows what he believes on a series of issues - Read More...

• 9:11

  Assessing the Not-So-Great Debate

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  So the first – and probably last – televised debate between John Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley is over. Who won? As usual, that depends on who you talk to.

  
  

  The highly partisan Democrats at Blue Oregon are convinced their man wiped the floor with Dudley.

  
  

  “John Kitzhaber knows his stuff,” writes Kari Chisholm. “He's got serious ideas for creating jobs immediately, rethinking how we fund public services, and knows what he believes on a series of issues - Read More...

• September 30, 2010
• 8:11

  Surprise! “Video Activist” Is a Tea Partier

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The “video activist” who got into a fracas with John Kitzhaber supporters at a Portland Urban League event last week has been identified, and – brace yourself for a shock! – he’s linked with the Tea Party movement.

  
  

  Oregonian political reporter Jeff Mapes writes that police are looking into a complaint by Daniel Sandini, 48, of Southwest Portland that he was assaulted while attempting to film the Democratic governor candidate’s speech.

  
  

  Mapes saRead More...

• 8:10

  Surprise! “Video Activist” Is a Tea Partier

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The “video activist” who got into a fracas with John Kitzhaber supporters at a Portland Urban League event last week has been identified, and – brace yourself for a shock! – he’s linked with the Tea Party movement.

  
  

  Oregonian political reporter Jeff Mapes writes that police are looking into a complaint by Daniel Sandini, 48, of Southwest Portland that he was assaulted while attempting to film the Democratic governor candidate’s speech.

  
  

  Mapes saRead More...

• September 27, 2010
• 12:03

  Tricky Campaign Signs Zing Dudley

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  This one is too funny to pass up.

  
  

  Carla Axtman, one of Blue Oregon’s contributors, has posted on her Facebook page a photo of a phony lawn sign that she says is appearing around Lake Oswego. The sign has the word DUDLEY above a green silhouette of a state, with “For Governor” printed beneath it.

  
  

  The zinger: The state pictured is Washington, and at the bottom of the sign are the words “Representation Avoiding Taxation” – a dig at Republican govRead More...

• 12:03

  Tricky Campaign Signs Zing Dudley

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  This one is too funny to pass up.

  
  

  Carla Axtman, one of Blue Oregon’s contributors, has posted on her Facebook page a photo of a phony lawn sign that she says is appearing around Lake Oswego. The sign has the word DUDLEY above a green silhouette of a state, with “For Governor” printed beneath it.

  
  

  The zinger: The state pictured is Washington, and at the bottom of the sign are the words “Representation Avoiding Taxation” – a dig at Republican govRead More...

• September 25, 2010
• 8:19

  Right-Wingers Stage a Video Ambush in Portland

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Andrew Breitbart sent two of his brownshirt “journalists” to Portland on Thursday, and they got what they were after: some video footage that could be used to embarrass Democratic governor candidate John Kitzhaber.

  
  

  Breitbart is a right-wing agent provocateur who excels at, shall we say, creative video editing. He’s probably most notorious for the hatchet job he did in July on Shirley Sherrod, a US Department of Agriculture official in Georgia.

  
  

  Breitbart posted Read More...

• 8:19

  Right-Wingers Stage a Video Ambush in Portland

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Andrew Breitbart sent two of his brownshirt “journalists” to Portland on Thursday, and they got what they were after: some video footage that could be used to embarrass Democratic governor candidate John Kitzhaber.

  
  

  Breitbart is a right-wing agent provocateur who excels at, shall we say, creative video editing. He’s probably most notorious for the hatchet job he did in July on Shirley Sherrod, a US Department of Agriculture official in Georgia.

  
  

  Breitbart posted Read More...

• September 23, 2010
• 7:11

  A Dishonest and Desperate Move by Democrats

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregon Republicans are furious with Democrats for accusing them of backing a 30% sales tax – and they’ve got reason to be mad, because they’re not doing anything of the kind.

  
  

  A mailer sent by Future PAC, the campaign arm of Oregon House Democrats, claims that three GOP House candidates – all in the Portland area – support a 30% sales tax. Such a claim is sure to open the eyes of Oregon voters, to whom the very thought of a sales tax is toxic.

  
  

  The basis for the claim? Well, theRead More...

• 7:10

  A Dishonest and Desperate Move by Democrats

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregon Republicans are furious with Democrats for accusing them of backing a 30% sales tax – and they’ve got reason to be mad, because they’re not doing anything of the kind.

  
  

  A mailer sent by Future PAC, the campaign arm of Oregon House Democrats, claims that three GOP House candidates – all in the Portland area – support a 30% sales tax. Such a claim is sure to open the eyes of Oregon voters, to whom the very thought of a sales tax is toxic.

  
  

  The basis for the claim? Well, theRead More...

• September 22, 2010
• 8:36

  Dudley Plays Tough on Defense

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Democrats on the Blue Oregon site are trying to stir up outrage over remarks by Chris Dudley that seem to indicate the affluent former pro basketball player thinks restaurant servers make too much money.

  
  

  In a video clip, the Republican governor candidate says: “It takes time to explain so people understand why … having the highest minimum wage in the country negatively impacts the state. … When you talk to restaurants, restaurants will say, ‘Listen, we’ve got less employees than we woRead More...

• 8:35

  Dudley Plays Tough on Defense

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Democrats on the Blue Oregon site are trying to stir up outrage over remarks by Chris Dudley that seem to indicate the affluent former pro basketball player thinks restaurant servers make too much money.

  
  

  In a video clip, the Republican governor candidate says: “It takes time to explain so people understand why … having the highest minimum wage in the country negatively impacts the state. … When you talk to restaurants, restaurants will say, ‘Listen, we’ve got less employees than we woRead More...

• September 19, 2010
• 12:15

  Study: Those “Overpaid” Public Employees Really Aren’t

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  A favorite tactic of conservatives these days is to bash public employees – especially those who belong to unions – as overpaid and underworked, stoking resentment among workers in the private sector whose pay and benefits don’t measure up.

  
  

  But a new study by the Economic Policy Institute blows a pretty big hole in the claim that public sector employees are overpaid. In fact, they’re actually a little bit underpaid in comparison with private sector workers with Read More...

• 12:15

  Study: Those “Overpaid” Public Employees Really Aren’t

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  A favorite tactic of conservatives these days is to bash public employees – especially those who belong to unions – as overpaid and underworked, stoking resentment among workers in the private sector whose pay and benefits don’t measure up.

  
  

  But a new study by the Economic Policy Institute blows a pretty big hole in the claim that public sector employees are overpaid. In fact, they’re actually a little bit underpaid in comparison with private sector workers with Read More...

• September 17, 2010
• 10:26

  Kroger’s Hoping to Let the Sun Shine In

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregon Attorney General John Kroger has published a revised, on-line version of the state Public Records and Meetings Manual that he says will help make state government more transparent.

  
  

  “Changes to the manual reflect new legislation, recent court decisions and a fresh look at previous interpretations of the law,” Kroger said in a news release issued today.

  
  

  One major change involves “a longstanding legal interpretation that allowed public bodies to take as mucRead More...

• September 16, 2010
• 7:39

  They’d Rather Be Right – Extreme Right – Than Win

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Republican Party is dead. Anyway, that’s what some of the gang at the Oregon Catalyst site are saying – and they couldn’t be happier about it.

  
  

  “The Republican Party is dead,” proclaims poster Jerry Dawson. “Goodbye. Farewell. So long. Hasta luego. The sad display of the tired, old, out-of-touch, feeble, eviscerated, brain-dead, oafish, thick-witted, witless, moronic, vacuous, self-centered Republican guard standing tall against Christine O’Read More...

• September 11, 2010
• 7:28

  Chelm-on-the-Deschutes Revisited: The Curb Ramp Fiasco

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The humor writer Sholem Aleichem set many of his funny tales in Chelm, an Eastern European village whose inhabitants, according to folklore, were all complete idiots.

  
  

  For instance, here’s a Chelm joke:

  
  

  Two men from Chelm got jobs on a construction site. One day the foreman saw one of them standing on the shoulders of the other, holding up a long pipe and dropping a tape measure from the top of it.

  
  

  “What on earth are you doing?” the foreman asked. “Read More...

• September 10, 2010
• 7:00

  A Troubling Rise in Oregon Suicides

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregon is ahead of the nation in at least one category, but it isn’t anything to rejoice over: The state’s suicide rate is more than one-third higher than the national rate, according to a report released yesterday by Oregon Public Health.

  
  

  The report, titled ”Suicides in Oregon: Trends and Risk Factors,” found that in the period from 2000 to 2006 the suicide rate in Oregon was 15.2 persons per 100,000 of population. That was 35% above the national rate of 11.3 pRead More...

• September 09, 2010
• 5:04

  Dudley Ducks Labor Day Debate

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  It’s an American tradition for political candidates to show up at Labor Day picnics, and John Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley both upheld the tradition – but in different cities.

  
  

  Republican Dudley put in an appearance at a picnic in Bend sponsored by the Central Oregon Labor Council. His Democratic rival John Kitzhaber attended one put on by the Northwest Oregon Labor Council in Portland’s Oaks Park.

  
  

  Oregonian political blogger Jeff Mapes reports that Dudley got an Read More...

• September 06, 2010
• 8:27

  Labor Day Reading

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  If you don’t have to labor on Labor Day, you probably should thank labor unions.

  
  

  Right-wingers in America today (which as a rule means Republicans) love to bash labor unions (or “union thugs,” to use their favorite term) and blame them for everything from the collapse of the housing market to the national debt to athlete’s foot.

  
  

  Demonizing unions – and those who belong to them – is clever politics in two ways: It discredits politicians (mostlyRead More...

• September 05, 2010
• 11:25

  Dems: Dudley Should Come Clean on Taxes

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Did Dudley do it or didn’t he? And if he did, how much was it?

  
  

  The issue is whether Chris Dudley tried to avoid paying Oregon income taxes when he was a center for the Portland Trail Blazers. Former Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber, locked in a tight race with the ex-NBA player, has been airing an ad charging that Dudley doesn’t really care about Oregon because he “lived in Washington to avoid paying taxes that support our schools and health care.”

  
  

  The DudlRead More...

• September 03, 2010
• 9:11

  Not Much for Labor to Cheer on Labor Day

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregon workers don’t have much to celebrate this Labor Day weekend, according to a report  issued today by the Oregon Center for Public Policy.

  
  

  “Not surprisingly, for most Oregon workers the state of affairs is a tough one,” the report says. “In particular:

  
  
  The wages of a typical Oregon worker last year were lower than in 1979 when adjusted for inflation.
  Income inequality — the gap separating the wealthy from the rest — remains wide, despiRead More...
• September 02, 2010
• 10:38

  The Bikies Corral a Downtown Parking Space

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  They’ve taken away an on-street parking space in downtown Bend to put in a rack for 12 bicycles. The politically correct response would be to jump up and down and cheer, but pardon me if I don’t join in.

  
  

  The multi-bike rack, called a “bike corral,” was installed in a parking space in front of Thump Coffee on Minnesota Avenue. It cost about $3,500, according to The Bulletin’s account, and was paid for by the Downtown Bend Business Association and individualRead More...

• August 29, 2010
• 8:47

  With Lars, the Crazy Just Keeps Coming

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I never miss one of Lars Larson’s little commentaries on the Oregon Catalyst site. They’re some of the best free entertainment on the Web.

  
  

  In his most recent entry, Lars warns of a sneaky plot by the Obama administration to ban bullets.

  
  

  Well, it wasn’t exactly the Obama administration that wanted to ban bullets – it was some conservationist groups. And they didn’t want to ban all bullets, only lead bullets.

  
  

  The conservationists don't want to Read More...

• August 28, 2010
• 7:11

  Would a State Bank Be a Good Deal for Oregon?

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Would the state of Oregon be better off if it was its own banker? Ann Kramer thinks so.

  
  

  Kramer, chair of the board of the Gorge Grown Food network, an organization trying to promote a regional food system in the Columbia Gorge, writes on the Blue Oregon site that having a state bank could help “recharge Oregon’s economy.”

  
  

  “The State of Oregon collects and spends lots of money,” Kramer says. “Did you ever wonder where that money goes? Right nowRead More...

• August 25, 2010
• 13:01

  Kitzhaber and 3E: Where There’s Smoke There’s … ?

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  As if he didn’t have enough headaches being behind Chris Dudley in the polls and in the race for campaign cash, John Kitzhaber has gotten involved in a scandal.

  
  

  On second thought, better put quotes around “scandal.” Maybe it’s a scandal, maybe it’s something else.

  
  

  The background: Cylvia Hayes is the longtime “significant other” of John Kitzhaber. She’s also the founder and CEO of 3E Strategies LLC, a Bend consulting firm that speciRead More...

• August 23, 2010
• 12:11

  Do You Know Dudley? Dems Think You Don’t

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Democrats have launched a new website, You Don’t Know Dudley.com, attacking GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley. It’s a peculiar mix of new stuff, old stuff and some just plain silly stuff.

  
  

  “Do you know Dudley?” asks the site, which was paid for by the Democratic Governors Association. “Do you see eye-to-eye on the issues that matter most? Take our quick survey and find out.”

  
  

  The interactive “survey” asks readers to respond toRead More...

• 5:36

  LandWatch Goes to the Mattresses Over Resorts

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

   

  
  

  The fight over Deschutes County’s new destination resort rules isn’t finished yet: Central Oregon LandWatch has put the county on notice that it plans to challenge them.

  
  

  LandWatch filed ìnotices of intent to appealî Thursday with the state Land Use Board of Appeals, charging that the county’s new rules for determining what lands are eligible for resorts ìactually increase the development potential in the county.î

  
  

  ìThe county is proposing to remove from its destinatioRead More...

• August 19, 2010
• 6:32

  Dudley Kicks Mannix Measure to the Curb

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Kevin Mannix, who lost as a candidate for governor, state attorney general and congressman, has had a more successful career pushing get-tough-on-crime measures. But he’s finding it tough to get traction with this year’s entry – even among some of his fellow Republicans.

  
  

  In a campaign speech in Hermiston yesterday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley said he wouldn’t support Mannix’s Measure 73, which would increase prison sentences for sex offRead More...

• August 15, 2010
• 5:00

  The Latest Bulletin from Tax Hell

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Here’s another bit of evidence that Oregon’s tax climate isn’t as toxic to business as conservatives make it out to be: Bend’s G5 Search Marketing announced this week that it’s getting a $15 million infusion of venture capital and plans to more than double its workforce.

  
  

  The five-year-old company, which designs software to help businesses make their websites more effective in snagging visitors and customers, plans to add 20 employees by the end of the yearRead More...

• August 12, 2010
• 6:35

  Dismayed Dems Demand: Where’s Dudley?

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The big question Oregon Democrats have been asking this campaign season is: “Why won’t Chris Dudley play a little one-on-one against John Kitzhaber?”

  
  

  The former Portland Trail Blazer center who’s now the Republican candidate for governor has filled the airwaves with platitude-laden commercials (a new one was released yesterday) but has ducked opportunities to debate Democratic rival John Kitzhaber. On Tuesday Kitzhaber offered a list of seven events around the sRead More...

• August 11, 2010
• 8:39

  Real Estate: Is the Bottom in Sight Yet?

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Has the Bend real estate market hit bottom at last? It’s too soon to say, but at least it looks like home prices here have finally reached a realistic level.

  
  

  IHS Global Insight, which maintains huge databases of all sorts of economic data, reported back in March that as of the end of 2009, real estate in the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area was overvalued by only 2.3%. (At the end of 2005 Bend real estate was among the most overvalued in the country – 44% above what GlobaRead More...

• August 09, 2010
• 11:08

  Running for Governor the Hard Way

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Whatever you might think of Richard Esterman’s politics, you have to admire his persistence.

  
  

  Esterman, a Sisters resident and professional photographer, has been struggling to get on the ballot as a candidate for governor. He tried to do it by petition, but fell short of the 18,000 signatures he needed.

  
  

  Now, in a last-ditch effort, he’s appealing for Oregonians to come to an “Assembly of Electors” convention tomorrow and put their names on a nominating peRead More...

• August 08, 2010
• 7:16

  Fears of Unleashing the Demon Rum

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Two initiatives that would privatize liquor sales will be on the ballot in Washington state this November, and Gov. Chris Gregoire foresees horrible consequences if they pass.

  
  

  The Democratic governor told the seattle.pi blog that if Initiatives 1100 and 1105 pass, the state will see big increases in underage drinking, drunken driving and other alcohol-related problems, as well as losing revenue.

  
  

  “We have enough DUI problems out there,” she said. “We have enoughRead More...

• August 06, 2010
• 7:59

  Tea Partier Warns Against Commie Bike Conspiracy

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  File this one under “How Wacky Can Those Tea Partiers Get?”: Dan Maes, the Tea Party candidate for governor of Colorado, says that a Denver program to encourage people to ride bikes is part of a United Nations / one-worlder / socialist / communist conspiracy.

  
  

  It seems that back in 1992, Denver became part of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, an organization that promotes sustainable development and transportation alternatives. According to the DRead More...

• August 05, 2010
• 9:35

  The Perils of “Uniqueness”

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  “Unique” is the most overworked word in the advertising copywriter’s lexicon. Aside from that, I guess there isn’t anything wrong with telling the world that your area is “unique” – unless you start believing it yourself.

  
  

  We in Central Oregon spent the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s bragging about what a “unique outdoor recreation paradise” we had here. Our scenery was uniquely beautiful, we claimed. Our ski mountain was uniqRead More...

• July 29, 2010
• 10:00

  In a Tough Fight, Kitzhaber Launches Air Offensive

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  After letting Chris Dudley have the airwaves to himself since the June primary, John Kitzhaber has rolled out his first TV ad.

  
  

  Unlike Dudley’s ads, in which other people do most of the talking, the only voice heard in Kitzhaber’s 60-second spot is that of the former governor himself, speaking about how he’s going to bring jobs back to Oregon.

  
  

  “This isn’t about being a Republican, or being a Democrat, or being an independent,” he begins, &ldquoRead More...

• July 28, 2010
• 10:24

  When Lightning Strikes, Be Glad the Public Employees Are There

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I enjoy dramatic weather, such as a good thunderstorm, but yesterday afternoon things got a little too dramatic for comfort.

  
  

  I arrived home around 4:15 to find my street full of fire trucks and police cars and people standing around watching the action. The house of one of my neighbors had been hit by lightning.

  
  

  According to KTVZ’s account, the home of Deak and Barbara Preble was a total loss because of fire and smoke damage. Fortunately nobody was injured and the fire didRead More...

• July 27, 2010
• 13:24

  Inquiring Republicans Want to Know: "Where's John?"

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  John Kitzhaber isn’t getting out and pressing the flesh of Oregonians enough – or at least that’s what the Oregon Republican Party thinks.

  
  

  In a press release today headlined “Where’s John Kitzhaber?” the party all but accused the former governor of hiding from the people of the state.

  
  

  “It’s as if this guy expects to be handed the election without actually interacting with voters,” Oregon Republican Party Chairman Bob Tiernan Read More...

• July 24, 2010
• 7:28

  Dudley Finds Restaurant Owners Are Good Tippers

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Oregon Restaurant Association, a group that’s lobbied for years to restore Oregon’s “tip credit,” has given Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley a pretty generous tip: $50,000.

  
  

  The restaurant owners’ PAC contributed $40,000 Thursday to the Dudley campaign, on top of another $10,000 it gave previously.

  
  

  A “tip credit” law allows restaurant owners to deduct their workers’ tip money from what they’d otherwise have Read More...

• July 22, 2010
• 9:52

  Walden Declines to Join the Tea Party

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Greg Walden got invited to the tea party, but he says he doesn’t want to come.

  
  

  A group of 35 Republican members of the House, led by ultra-right-wing Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Uranus), this week formed a “Tea Party Caucus,” which Bachmann described as “an informal group, dedicated to promote Americans’ call for fiscal responsibility, adherence to the Constitution and limited government.”

  
  

  The office of Oregon’s 2nd District representative Read More...

• July 21, 2010
• 15:03

  Bend’s Balloon Man Plans a Double Event

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Bend, Oregon – home of the Pregnant Man, the Clothesline War and the Great Goose Massacre – is about to gain some more notoriety: Kent Couch, our famous Lawn Chair Balloon Man, is going to do it again.

  
  

  And this time it’ll be a twofer.

  
  

  Couch and his friend John Freis of San Diego are scheduled to take off at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, wind and weather permitting, from Couch’s Shell station at the corner of Highway 20 and 27th Street.

  
  

  Each man will be in a Read More...

• July 17, 2010
• 8:19

  Picking Winners in the Oregon Economy

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  You might not think there’s much money to be made in guitar picks, but an Oregon manufacturer seems to have found the right formula.

  
  

  Steve Clayton Inc., based in the southern Oregon town of Talent, recently announced it’s expanding its 11,000-square-foot facility by more than 50% and will be increasing its 10-person workforce. According to a story in the Medford Mail Tribune, the planned new expansion “comes after a recent second-story addition on an existing buildingRead More...

• July 16, 2010
• 4:59

  Developers Renew Assault on the Metolius

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Almost exactly one year ago, Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed into law a bill protecting the Metolius Basin from destination resorts and other intensive development.

  
  

  Don’t look now, but … they’re back.

  
  

  A week ago, developers floated a proposal to build 15 “fishing accommodations” on the Metolius arm of Lake Billy Chinook, inside the Area of Critical Statewide Concern created as a buffer around the Metolius.

  
  

  These “fishing accommodations&rdquRead More...

• July 14, 2010
• 9:09

  Dudley Dumps Debate

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Ever since 1986, the July candidates’ debate sponsored by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association has marked the traditional start of the state’s gubernatorial campaigns. But not this year: Republican Chris Dudley has opted out.

  
  

  Dudley’s campaign people told the ONPA he won’t take part in Friday’s event because it conflicts with family vacation plans. “Chris made a commitment to his family and he's going to uphold that commitment,” campaignRead More...

• 9:09

  Dudley Ditches Debate

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Ever since 1986, the July candidates’ debate sponsored by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association has marked the traditional start of the state’s gubernatorial campaigns. But not this year: Republican Chris Dudley has opted out.

  
  

  Dudley’s campaign people told the ONPA he won’t take part in Friday’s event because it conflicts with family vacation plans. “Chris made a commitment to his family and he's going to uphold that commitment,” campaignRead More...

• July 09, 2010
• 8:36

  Walden’s Shifty Stand on Jobless Benefits

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Chuck Sheketoff of the Oregon Center for Public Policy put an amusing post up on Blue Oregon today twitting Greg Walden for his somewhat inconsistent stance on unemployment benefits.

  
  

  “Remarkably, Congress went on a July 4th vacation unable to muster the votes necessary to extend unemployment insurance benefits,” Sheketoff writes. “I’ll let Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon’s 2nd District explain why extending unemployment benefits is vital when a sustained economRead More...

• July 08, 2010
• 9:14

  Good News: The Bulletin Adds a Columnist

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I turned to the Local section of this morning’s Bulletin to discover something I hadn’t seen there in many years and never expected to see again: a local columnist.

  
  

  Lily Raff, whose column will appear twice a week, spent six years as a reporter for The Bulletin and recently completed a prestigious Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellowship at the University of Michigan. She’s the first person to have a general-interest column on the Local section front since – damn, sRead More...

• July 07, 2010
• 9:07

  Bend’s Goosegate Ruffles Feathers in Canada

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  I knew Bend’s mass Canada goose execution would cause consternation among local animal lovers, but who could have guessed it would touch off an international incident?

  
  

  Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration – but some Canadians are seriously pissed off about it.

  
  

  “Canadians shocked by Ore. goose gassing,” headlined a UPI report. “Residents of Vancouver, British Columbia, expressed shock at [Bend’s] actions, with some walking around Stanley PaRead More...

• July 04, 2010
• 9:41

  Real Estate: Nothing to Wave the Flag About

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  You know the real estate news must be grim if even The Bulletin can’t find a way to put a positive spin on it. Bend’s daily newspaper reported this morning that a record number of notices of default were filed in Deschutes County in the first six months of 2010.

  
  

  Happy Fourth of July, everybody.

  
  

  Through June 30, The Bulletin’s Business section reported, 2,053 NODs – the first stage in the foreclosure process – were filed in the county. That was almost 18% more than in the correRead More...

• July 02, 2010
• 7:15

  Waste and Fraud: Walden Goes After the Big Game

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Eastern Oregon’s own Rep. Greg Walden and a couple of other Republican congressmen have unleashed their righteous wrath on a federal program that helps low-income folks heat their homes.

  
  

  Walden and two Texas congressmen, Michael Burgess and Joe Barton, had the Government Accountability Office look into the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and it discovered, according to a report by KTVZ, [www.ktvz.com] that “9% of households in seven staRead More...

• July 01, 2010
• 7:31

  Bend’s Geese Waddle That Last Mile

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Get ready for a major outbreak of wailing and hand-wringing from animal lovers: The Bend Metro Park and Recreation District sent geese to the gas chamber this week.

  
  

  On Tuesday, Park & Rec rounded up more than 100 of the Canada geese that infest Drake Park, put them one at a time into what The Bulletin’s account described as “a trash-can-sized enclosure filled with carbon dioxide,” and terminated them with extreme prejudice. The meat from the gassed geese will be dRead More...

• June 26, 2010
• 10:19

  The Downtown “Fest” Season Strikes Again

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  It’s finally summer in Bend, and right on schedule downtown merchant and blogger extraordinaire Duncan McGeary has posted his first rant of the season against downtown street closings.

  
  

  Well, it isn’t a rant, actually – more like a mild sigh of protest. “So for 3/4ths of the next six weeks or so – the very meat of summer – we will have closed streets on the weekend,” McGeary posted Friday. “It appears there is a new event tacked on, as welRead More...

• June 25, 2010
• 8:33

  Whooping Cough and the Anti-Vaccine Wackos

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The epidemic of whooping cough that already has infected more than 900 people in California and killed at least five infants appears to be spreading into Oregon.

  
  

  The Medford Mail Tribune reported yesterday that Jackson County has recorded 23 cases of the disease so far this year – roughly four times the usual number for this far into the year.

  
  

  “The cases confirmed in lab testing have hit patients ranging from 2 months old to 55 years old,” the Mail Trib wrote. Read More...

• June 23, 2010
• 9:15

  Dudley “Scandal” Doesn’t Hold Water

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Not to be outdone by the Oregon Catalyst’s John Kitzhaber “scandal,” Carla Axtman of the liberal/Democratic Blue Oregon blog has come up with a “scandal” involving Kitzhaber’s Republican opponent, Chris Dudley.

  
  

  If anything, Axtman’s entry is even lamer than the Oregon Catalyst’s.

  
  

  Seems that back in 2007, Don King, the coach of the Lake Oswego High School swim team and also the proprietor of a private swim club in that posh PortlandRead More...

• June 18, 2010
• 7:23

  Mapping the Ins and Outs of Migration

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Forbes magazine has posted a fascinating interactive map showing, county by county, where Americans moved to and where they moved from. One rather surprising fact: More people still seemed to be moving into Central Oregon than out of it – at least as of 2008.

  
  

  The map indicates out-migration by lines in shades of red, with darker shades indicating more people moving out. In-migration is shown bylines in shades of gray to black; again, the darker the shade, the more people moving iRead More...

• June 17, 2010
• 7:02

  On the Trails of Ales, Frauds and Fools

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Now THIS is my kind of hike: Visitors to Bend this summer will be able to travel “The Bend Ale Trail,” a tour of eight local craft breweries.

  
  

  “Known throughout the world as one of the top outdoor recreation meccas, Bend, Oregon has now also emerged as one of the premier craft brewery capitals of the United States,” says a press release put out by Visit Bend, the city’s tourism promotion agency. In recognition of that fact, Visit Bend is introducing the &ldRead More...

• 7:02

  On the Trail of Ales, Frauds and Fools

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Now THIS is my kind of hike: Visitors to Bend this summer will be able to travel “The Bend Ale Trail,” a tour of eight local craft breweries.

  
  

  “Known throughout the world as one of the top outdoor recreation meccas, Bend, Oregon has now also emerged as one of the premier craft brewery capitals of the United States,” says a press release put out by Visit Bend, the city’s tourism promotion agency. In recognition of that fact, Visit Bend is introducing the “Bend Ale Trail,” which it descrRead More...

• June 16, 2010
• 7:00

  Poll Stunner: Dudley Leads Kitzhaber by 7

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The conventional wisdom said that John Kitzhaber, a popular two-term former governor running in a heavily Democratic state, would have a cakewalk to a third term. But suddenly he finds himself in a horse race.

  
  

  A Survey USA poll released last Friday gives Kitzhaber’s Republican rival, Chris Dudley, a shocking seven-point lead over the ex-governor. The phone survey of 800 Oregonians showed 47% for Dudley and 40% favoring Kitzhaber, with 6% supporting Soloflex founder Jerry Wilson, Read More...

• June 14, 2010
• 7:26

  The Wandering Eye Takes to the Air

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  You can catch The Wandering Eye (aka me) along with Barney Lerten of KTVZ and Jamie Christman, co-host of COTV’s “Talk of the Town” show, in an hour-long panel discussion on KPOV at 5 pm Friday, June 18. Tune to 106.7 on your FM dial or listen to streaming audio at kpov.org.

  
  

  It was an interesting and sometimes lively discussion touching on a wide range of topics, including the general performance of the local news outlets and how they covered the Bend real estate bubbRead More...

• June 13, 2010
• 7:12

  Dr. Reinhart’s Prescription for Bend’s Ills

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Troy Reinhart, the president of the Bend Chamber of Commerce, has written a two-page document titled “Saving Bend Through Government Innovation.” As you might expect from a conservative Chamber of Commerce president, Reinhart thinks “government innovation” mostly means shrinking government and turning its functions over to private business.

  
  

  Some of Reinhart’s ideas are simple common sense – such as looking into whether the City of Bend, Deschutes CouRead More...

• June 12, 2010
• 6:52

  GOP Sniffs a “Kitzhaber Scandal” in $5,000 Contribution

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Did the John Kitzhaber campaign slip cash to an official of the Independent Party to get him to post negative comments about Kitzhaber’s rivals? That’s what the state Republican Party is hinting.

  
  

  The GOP wants state Attorney General John Kroger and Secretary of State Kate Brown to investigate “the potential improprieties concerning the financial activity and coordination between the campaign of Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Kitzhaber and Independent Party ofRead More...

• June 10, 2010
• 7:23

  Breaking the Senate’s Secret Chokehold

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The US Senate has been described as the world’s most exclusive club, and like other exclusive clubs it has its own peculiar customs and rituals – some of them charming, many of them the opposite.

  
  

  One of the least charming ones is the “secret hold,” a rule that allows any senator to block action on a piece of legislation simply by objecting to it – and he doesn’t even have to reveal his identity. It’s the legislative equivalent of blackballing.

• June 05, 2010
• 9:51

  Miniature Portland, No – Miniature LA, Sí

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  On Wednesday The Bulletin printed an “In My View” piece by Greg Macpherson, a member of the state Land Conservation and Development Commission, defending the state’s land use laws and the LCDC’s decision to send Bend’s proposed Urban Growth Boundary expansion back for a do-over.

  
  

  This morning The Bulletin printed Macpherson’s piece again – not because they liked it so much, but because they wanted to sneer at it in an editorial.

  
  

  Calling MRead More...

• June 03, 2010
• 8:55

  Crime and (Eventually, Maybe) Punishment

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Oregonian’s Steve Duin had a cleverly crafted column this morning about the Randy Guzek case. It brought back a flood of memories.

  
  

  On a summer night in 1987, Randy Guzek, then 18 years old, and two friends, Mark Wilson and Ross Cathey, knocked on the door of the Terrebonne home of Rod and Lois Houser. Guzek had been dating the Housers’ niece, but the Housers didn’t approve of him. Guzek and his companions went to the Houser home that night intending to rob the couRead More...

• 7:55

  Crime and (Eventually, Maybe) Punishment

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Oregonian’s Steve Duin had a cleverly crafted column this morning about the Randy Guzek case. It brought back a flood of memories.

  
  

  On a summer night in 1987, Randy Guzek, then 18 years old, and two friends, Mark Wilson and Ross Cathey, knocked on the door of the Terrebonne home of Rod and Lois Houser. Guzek had been dating the Housers’ niece, but the Housers didn’t approve of him. Guzek and his companions went to the Houser home that night intending to rob the couRead More...

• May 31, 2010
• 5:35

  There’s a Hole in the Budget – Again

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Gov. Ted Kulongoski gave Oregonians an ugly surprise last week: There’s an unexpected $570 million hole in the state’s budget for the next biennium.

  
  

  The hole was discovered when the state processed the 2009 income tax returns and discovered that incoming revenue was a lot less than anticipated. Exercising his “allotment authority” under state law, the governor announced he would order a 9% across-the-board spending cut.

  
  

  Writing on the Blue Oregon blog, stRead More...

• 4:35

  There’s a Hole in the Budget – Again

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Gov. Ted Kulongoski gave Oregonians an ugly surprise last week: There’s an unexpected $570 million hole in the state’s budget for the next biennium.

  
  

  The hole was discovered when the state processed the 2009 income tax returns and discovered that incoming revenue was a lot less than anticipated. Exercising his “allotment authority” under state law, the governor announced he would order a 9% across-the-board spending cut.

  
  

  Writing on the Blue Oregon blog, stRead More...

• May 28, 2010
• 8:48

  Bend Over, Bend – Here It Comes Again

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Bend racked up another dubious distinction this week: As reported in The Bulletin on Wednesday, we led the nation in declining home prices between the first quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of this year.

  
  

  Over that one-year period, home prices in the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area fell by almost a quarter (23.3%). That was the biggest year-over-year drop among all the 301 MSAs in the country.

  
  

  Elsewhere in the nation there were some signs of a turnaround. According to theRead More...

• 7:48

  Bend Over, Bend – Here It Comes Again

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Bend racked up another dubious distinction this week: As reported in The Bulletin on Wednesday, we led the nation in declining home prices between the first quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of this year.

  
  

  Over that one-year period, home prices in the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area fell by almost a quarter (23.3%). That was the biggest year-over-year drop among all the 301 MSAs in the country.

  
  

  Elsewhere in the nation there were some signs of a turnaround. According to theRead More...

• May 26, 2010
• 7:11

  Dudley Takes the Lead! (Yawn.)

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  There’s a new poll out this week that contains good news and bad news for Oregon Republicans.

  
  

  The good news: The poll shows their candidate, Chris Dudley, leading Democrat John Kitzhaber by a one-point margin.

  
  

  The bad news: It’s a Rasmussen poll.

  
  

  The telephone survey of 500 “likely voters” found 45% favoring Dudley, 44% favoring former governor Kitzhaber, 4% favoring somebody else and 6% undecided.

  
  

  “Dudley, a former professional basketRead More...

• 6:11

  Dudley Takes the Lead! (Yawn.)

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  There’s a new poll out this week that contains good news and bad news for Oregon Republicans.

  
  

  The good news: The poll shows their candidate, Chris Dudley, leading Democrat John Kitzhaber by a one-point margin.

  
  

  The bad news: It’s a Rasmussen poll.

  
  

  The telephone survey of 500 “likely voters” found 45% favoring Dudley, 44% favoring former governor Kitzhaber, 4% favoring somebody else and 6% undecided.

  
  

  “Dudley, a former professional basketRead More...

• May 22, 2010
• 14:52

  Deadbeats, Dudley’s Dud and Jazz Heresy

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregonians who like to get angry at their state government should aim some righteous outrage at this: According to a story that appeared in Saturday’s issue of The Oregonian, “tax scofflaws and assorted deadbeats” are cheating the state out of $2 billion a year in revenue.

  
  

  A 2009 report by the Legislative Fiscal Office said the annual amount of uncollected revenue has doubled over the past eight years.

  
  

  “Accurately gauging how much of those unpaid bills caRead More...

• 13:52

  Deadbeats, Dudley’s Dud and Jazz Heresy

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregonians who like to get angry at their state government should aim some righteous outrage at this: According to a story that appeared in Saturday’s issue of The Oregonian, “tax scofflaws and assorted deadbeats” are cheating the state out of $2 billion a year in revenue.

  
  

  A 2009 report by the Legislative Fiscal Office said the annual amount of uncollected revenue has doubled over the past eight years.

  
  

  “Accurately gauging how much of those unpaid bills caRead More...

• May 21, 2010
• 8:17

  All the News That Fits Their Agenda?

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The voters gave The Bulletin and the Source a smack upside the head on Tuesday, rejecting their and our editorial recommendations to re-elect veteran Deschutes County District Attorney Mike Dugan and instead replacing him with Patrick Flaherty.

  
  

  The Source’s editors took the rebuke calmly and quietly. The Bulletin’s editors … well, not so much.

  
  

  In an editorial yesterday, the paper accused Flaherty of mounting a “smear campaign alleging a sexual discriminaRead More...

• 7:17

  All the News That Fits Their Agenda?

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The voters gave The Bulletin and the Source a smack upside the head on Tuesday, rejecting their and our editorial recommendations to re-elect veteran Deschutes County District Attorney Mike Dugan and instead replacing him with Patrick Flaherty.

  
  

  The Source’s editors took the rebuke calmly and quietly. The Bulletin’s editors … well, not so much.

  
  

  In an editorial yesterday, the paper accused Flaherty of mounting a “smear campaign alleging a sexual discriminaRead More...

• May 19, 2010
• 9:24

  Keep an Eye Out for Dark-Horse Dudley

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Wow, what a weird election that was.

  
  

  In Deschutes County, voters tossed out a district attorney who’d been in office for two decades (Mike Dugan), rejected a bond to expand the jail, gave the boot to one county commissioner (Dennis Luke) and kept another (Tammy Baney). In the gubernatorial primaries, Democrats chose a former two-term governor and Republicans chose a former NBA basketball player.

  
  

  That last outcome – the victory of Chris Dudley, a former journeyman center for thRead More...

• 8:24

  Keep an Eye Out for Dark-Horse Dudley

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Wow, what a weird election that was.

  
  

  In Deschutes County, voters tossed out a district attorney who’d been in office for two decades (Mike Dugan), rejected a bond to expand the jail, gave the boot to one county commissioner (Dennis Luke) and kept another (Tammy Baney). In the gubernatorial primaries, Democrats chose a former two-term governor and Republicans chose a former NBA basketball player.

  
  

  That last outcome – the victory of Chris Dudley, a former journeyman center for thRead More...

• May 14, 2010
• 7:56

  Walden Defends the Right to Pollute

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  If you want to get conservative rural voters riled up, nothing works better than warning them of an impending “government takeover.”

  
  

  The 2nd District’s own Rep. Greg Walden understands the tactic well, and he’s using it to muster the troops against legislation that would clarify the federal Clean Water Act.

  
  

  Passed in 1972, the act gives the federal government authority to prevent pollution of “navigable” waters in the United States. For the fiRead More...

• 6:56

  Walden Defends the Right to Pollute

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  If you want to get conservative rural voters riled up, nothing works better than warning them of an impending “government takeover.”

  
  

  The 2nd District’s own Rep. Greg Walden understands the tactic well, and he’s using it to muster the troops against legislation that would clarify the federal Clean Water Act.

  
  

  Passed in 1972, the act gives the federal government authority to prevent pollution of “navigable” waters in the United States. For the fiRead More...

• May 13, 2010
• 7:32

  We’re No. 35 (and That’s a Good Thing)

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Daily Beast blog has ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia in order of corruptness, and Oregon came in at a respectable – well, pretty respectable – 35th place.

  
  

  The Beast looked at data going back a decade and weighed five factors on a per capita basis in determining each state’s rank: public corruption (convictions of public officials), racketeering and extortion (organized crime convictions and investigations), forgery and counterfeiting, fraud (arreRead More...

• 6:32

  We’re No. 35 (and That’s a Good Thing)

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  The Daily Beast blog has ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia in order of corruptness, and Oregon came in at a respectable – well, pretty respectable – 35th place.

  
  

  The Beast looked at data going back a decade and weighed five factors on a per capita basis in determining each state’s rank: public corruption (convictions of public officials), racketeering and extortion (organized crime convictions and investigations), forgery and counterfeiting, fraud (arreRead More...

• May 12, 2010
• 7:07

  Sizemore to GOP: “Unity, Hell!”

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Bob Tiernan, the Oregon Republican Party chairman, invited all the Republican aspirants for the governor nomination to a “unity lunch” on the Thursday after the primary.

  
  

  Bill Sizemore’s response, in essence: “Shove it.”

  
  

  Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian’s political blogger, got hold of a copy of Sizemore's e-mail reply to Tiernan's invitation. It’s such a classic display of childish petulance that it deserves to be reproduced in full:

  
  

  Dear Bob,

  
  

  Thanks for the pep talkRead More...

• 6:07

  Sizemore to GOP: “Unity, Hell!”

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Bob Tiernan, the Oregon Republican Party chairman, invited all the Republican aspirants for the governor nomination to a “unity lunch” on the Thursday after the primary.

  
  

  Bill Sizemore’s response, in essence: “Shove it.”

  
  

  Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian’s political blogger, got hold of a copy of Sizemore's e-mail reply to Tiernan's invitation. It’s such a classic display of childish petulance that it deserves to be reproduced in full:

  
  

  Dear Bob,

  
  

  Thanks for the pep talkRead More...

• May 08, 2010
• 6:48

  And We Have Indoor Plumbing Too

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  According to Net Applications’ May 1 report, Bend ranks fifth in the nation in iPad ownership – a fact that seemed to completely flabbergast Philip Elmer-DeWitt of Fortune magazine.

  
  

  The five US market areas with the heaviest concentrations of iPads are, in descending order: San Francisco, CA; Grand Junction, CO; Santa Barbara, CA; Honolulu, HI, and Bend, OR.

  
  

  “Bend what?” Elmer-Dewitt writes incredulously.

  
  

  “Yes, Bend, Ore., a city 82,000 soulsRead More...

• 5:48

  And We Have Indoor Plumbing Too

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  According to Net Applications’ May 1 report, Bend ranks fifth in the nation in iPad ownership – a fact that seemed to completely flabbergast Philip Elmer-DeWitt of Fortune magazine.

  
  

  The five US market areas with the heaviest concentrations of iPads are, in descending order: San Francisco, CA; Grand Junction, CO; Santa Barbara, CA; Honolulu, HI, and Bend, OR.

  
  

  “Bend what?” Elmer-Dewitt writes incredulously.

  
  

  “Yes, Bend, Ore., a city 82,000 soulsRead More...

• May 07, 2010
• 7:20

  Poll Sends Mixed Message on Spending and Taxes

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregonians agree their state has a financial problem, but they don’t agree on what to do about it. In fact, some of their opinions contradict each other.

  
  

  That seems to be the message of a survey done by the polling firm of Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall Inc.

  
  

  The telephone survey of 600 Oregonians found that 43% think the state is on the wrong track, 39% think it’s headed in the right direction and 18% don’t know.

  
  

  Two-thirds of those surveyed think the leRead More...

• 6:20

  Poll Sends Mixed Message on Spending and Taxes

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Oregonians agree their state has a financial problem, but they don’t agree on what to do about it. In fact, some of their opinions contradict each other.

  
  

  That seems to be the message of a survey done by the polling firm of Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall Inc.

  
  

  The telephone survey of 600 Oregonians found that 43% think the state is on the wrong track, 39% think it’s headed in the right direction and 18% don’t know.

  
  

  Two-thirds of those surveyed think the leRead More...

• May 06, 2010
• 7:17

  Dudley Backs Arizona Immigration Law … We Think

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Republican gubernatorial hopeful Chris Dudley thinks Oregon should consider adopting a draconian anti-immigration law like Arizona’s – or at least that’s what he seemed to be saying when he appeared on the Lars Larson show the other day.

  
  

  According to a transcript posted by Kari Chisholm on the Blue Oregon site, Larson asked Dudley whether “when the cops run into somebody that they think that they have reasonable suspicion to believe is illegal, should they &hellRead More...

• 6:17

  Dudley Backs Arizona Immigration Law … We Think

   » ‎ The Wandering Eye

  Tags:    [edit]

  Republican gubernatorial hopeful Chris Dudley thinks Oregon should consider adopting a draconian anti-immigration law like Arizona’s – or at least that’s what he seemed to be saying when he appeared on the Lars Larson show the other day.

  
  

  According to a transcript posted by Kari Chisholm on the Blue Oregon site, Larson asked Dudley whether “when the cops run into somebody that they think that they have reasonable suspicion to believe is illegal, should they &hellRead More...