By Dennis Lund
THE CITY OF PORTLAND, OREGON, always a great place to visit, offers many wonderful pleasures for the visitor and a few for the short-term business traveler.
• The Benson Hotel, with its stately lobby, has hosted every president from William Taft to George W. Bush (Obama stayed there as a candidate);
• Fresh local seafood is available at Jake’s Crawfish Grill, which has been in continuous operation since 1892;
• And surprisingly excellent barbecue is available at ’Podnah’s, an upscale, trendy Texas-style rib joint located a bit uptown. All three are highly recommended if you are planning a future trip.
A few news items of note from this trip:
Oregon is about as green and blue as a state can get: green for the trees, forest and farmlands, as well as for the environmental consciousness that permeates the area in many ways; and blue for the politics — the state is solidly in the Democrats’ camp. As such, Oregon is a national leader at attempting to create a synergy between private business and green energy.
In an effort to demonstrate this commitment, Oregon politicians have put other people’s money where their mouth is with large-scale investments in solar energy. Case in point is SoloPower, a California-based company that made the front page of the Oregonian last week.
SoloPower had received $20 million in Oregon state tax credits last year, and another $10 million in state-sponsored low-interest loans on top of $5 million from the city of Portland. The deals were structured to promote minority jobs, as well as green energy — noble causes both, I’m sure.
However, plans have not worked out as desired. One element is missing in the equation: customers. Uh-oh, that is not good.
Today we find SoloPower has:
• Laid off most of its staff.
• Been served with an eviction notice from its now-empty company headquarters in San Jose for non-payment of rent.
• Had their minority hiring requirements suspended.
• Defaulted on their loan payments to the state.
• Been sued by their fired CEO (surprisingly, he did not receive his bonus).
• Been sued by various creditors, including Laco Technologies, which is owed more than $100,000, and Electrical Construction Co., owed $83,000.
So what prompted the headlines last week? It seems Oregon politicians have doubled down, hoping to draw to an inside straight — they are restructuring the loans, allowing SoloPower to reorganize under a new corporate identity. This means, of course, that companies like Laco and Electrical Construction are out of luck and cannot recoup their losses.
I am sure the millions of dollars of taxpayer money won’t be missed — after all, at least they meant well.
Waste in health care is a subject deserving of far more scrutiny than it receives. Of interest are two recent studies:
• One, by Oregon Health and Science University, found that 33 percent of emergency care patients were taken to high-cost, level-one trauma centers, when either a level-two center or even a walk-in appointment the next day would have sufficed. The study of more than 300,000 patients in six western cities, including Sacramento, Santa Clara and San Francisco, found that more than $136 million was spent unnecessarily by sending patients to the high-cost trauma centers — and the national tag is estimated at well in excess of $500 million per year.
• Futile health care costs was the subject of a second study, this one conducted by UCLA researchers, who found that 20 percent of patients in the studied ICUs received treatment that was either “futile” or “possibly futile.” The study found that many patients received care deemed to be “needlessly aggressive or pointless given the patient’s dire state.” The statistics are grim: Futile care was provided in 37 percent of cases when the patient’s death was “imminent,” and an additional 31 percent of the patients given futile care were deemed to be unable to sustain life outside of an ICU environment.
Quoting from the piece, which originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times: “The financial cost of that care is steep as well, adding up to $2.6 million over a three-month period at a single academic medical center.”
Decisions regarding the treatment of critical patients are always difficult, and all reasonable attempts to save a life should be taken. The reader may recall the recent case of 10-year-old Sarah Murnaghan, who without a lung transplant had only weeks to live. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, who had the authority to make a life-changing decision, chose not to intervene. The secretary, deferring to medical experts, termed the decision “incredibly agonizing.”
As medical care costs continue to increase, such decisions regarding the level of care and appropriateness of the actions taken are going to come under increasing scrutiny.
In the president’s Syria speech delivered last week, he indicated he was backing off on previous threats of “punishment” for the Assad regime for the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. The potential war, one almost no one wanted, would have likely resolved little in the ongoing horrors in the Mideast.
Let’s recall the urgency of the need for action. Now, well, not so much. During the president’s self-created crisis he traipsed off to Sweden before asking Congress for the permission he did not need. Now, with approval likely not forthcoming for another Mideast misadventure, the president — simultaneously trying to express determination while avoiding personal embarrassment — at least made the right decision. But after the speech one could not help but recall the late Gilda Radner’s SNL character, Emily Litella, and her classic closing line: “Never mind!”
Dennis Lund is a mechanical engineer who lived in Benicia for more than 20 years.
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If DDL was really interested in digging up “large economic boondoggles, mismanagement, and corruption” he could easily fill his literary plate from “30,000 feet above” with” juicy stories about Pentagon corruption and “crony capitalism” that aids the fat cat mega agri-businesses, military contractors , and Wall Street sharks. How about a story of Rimsfeld saying publicly on Sept 10, 2011 that the Pentagon could not acccount for $2.3 trillion in funds. Not so say that his “micro gossip” stories of Liberal enviro greenies good intentions should not be told. But as FAUX News touts being “fair and balanced” DDL might be well served to shore up his credibility by reporting on the “Big Sharks” such as the insidious, populist hating Koch Bros. Now a “Koch” exposure story could make Bill Moyers exposure look like childs play. Now come on Dennis, show us how and “fair and balanced” you can be. Maybe I will do a story on the Faux Liberals Boxer, Feinstein, and Reid who are Obama licking hawks for the Military Industrial Complex-Israeli lobby. You see I don’t have loyalty to any of these two faced Facist criminals.
Harvey thanks for using my term “enviro greenies” you are catching on.
Rifkin stated: being “fair and balanced” DDL might be well served to shore up his credibility by reporting on the “Big Sharks” such as the insidious, populist hating Koch Bros.
Already been done Harvey. Previously I wrote a piece detailing the extent to which the Koch Brothers are willing to go with spending their money in their chosen fights that detrimentally affect millions of people.
Correction: Rumsfelds statement was 2001, one day before 9/11, not 2011.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU4GdHLUHwU
Dennis,
Regarding the Oregon experience, do you or does anyone else know if economics are seriously examined when alternative energy or other “sustainable” initiatives are approved? It would seem that if something isn’t sustainable economically it isn’t sustainable environmentally or in any other way as well. At some point it simply will cease to exist or require unending subsidies from taxpayers and the public generally and becomes the epitome of “crony capitalism”.
Reg,
The opposition group; ‘Tax Fairness Oregon’ stated in the article that the state “was never going to benefit financially” from this agreement. It does not state that they ran an analysis on the program, but they likely did. But those who advocate such spending for their favored noble causes usually pay no attention to trifling details such as economic facts.
DDL: Good job on the Koch Bros. At the forefront of much technology it is not an economic winner at the forefront, but as time goes on and with economy of scale it definitely becomes profitable.
You should read the piece Harvey before you thank me.
The war-mongers exposed–
From the above article:
“In the president’s Syria speech delivered last week, he indicated he was backing off on previous threats of “punishment” for the Assad regime for the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. The potential war, one almost no one wanted, would have likely resolved little in the ongoing horrors in the Mideast. ”
A passage from the article below for the community to consider…
“After doing an interview on CNN International, I opened the studio door and almost knocked over a small fellow named Paul Wolfowitz, President George W. Bush’s former under-secretary of defense who in 2002-2003 had helped craft the fraudulent case for invading Iraq. And there standing next to him was former Sen. Joe Lieberman, the neocon from Connecticut who was a leading advocate for the Iraq War and pretty much every other potential war in the Middle East.”
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/09/15-0
From the above article:
“In the president’s Syria speech delivered last week, he indicated he was backing off on previous threats of “punishment” for the Assad regime for the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. The potential war, one almost no one wanted, would have likely resolved little in the ongoing horrors in the Mideast. ”
An excerpt from the article below for the community to consider…
“President Barack Obama foolishly backed himself into a corner during the growing Syrian crisis by issuing fatwas about mythological red lines. When his bluff got called, the silver-tongued president was left twisting in the wind.”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36248.htm
Will, to be honest: I rarely read the stuff you post (not enough hours in the day), but I did read this one. This represents an area where many on the left and right agree: Obama got punk’d by Putin.
Uh, no. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/16/the-right-s-sickening-syria-spin.html
Uh, yes:
As Obama Pauses Action, Putin Takes Center Stage
Some low lights from the piece:
“Yet suddenly Mr. Putin has eclipsed Mr. Obama as the world leader driving the agenda in the Syria crisis.”
“Mr. Putin appears to have achieved several objectives, largely at Washington’s expense.”
“He has stopped Mr. Obama from going around the United Nations Security Council”
“Russia has at least for now made itself indispensable in containing the conflict in Syria”
“(Putin) has boxed Mr. Obama into treating Moscow as an essential partner for much of the next year,
“Putin probably had his best day as president in years yesterday,” Ian Bremmer, the president of Eurasia Group “and I suspect he’s enjoying himself right now.”
“It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States,” Mr. Putin wrote. “Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it.”
“Now (Putin) appears to be relishing a role as a statesman.”
“Mr. Putin was accusing Mr. Kerry of lying to Congress about the presence of militants allied with Al Qaeda in Syria. “He’s lying,” he said in televised remarks. “And he knows he’s lying. It’s sad.” (That is what Kerry gets for listening to lizzie O’bag-a-bull)
“Mr. Putin’s primary goal … thwarting what he considers to be unbridled American power to topple governments it opposes.”
“Mr. Putin had won support for his position by exploiting the divisions that appeared between the United States and its allies. “
“That was especially true after Britain’s Parliament refused to endorse military action, a step Mr. Putin described as mature.”
“Mr. Putin succeeded in forcing the international debate over Syria back to the Security Council, where Russia’s veto gives it a voice”
“Mr. Putin’s 11th-hour gambit was nonetheless widely applauded. “The Russian president has become a hero in the world these days,” the newscast of NTV began on Wednesday night before going on to note that Mr. Putin should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize if he averted the American strike”.
“Mr. Putin who gave an American president whom he clearly distrusts a way out of a political and diplomatic crisis of his own making.”
Uh, no.
http://www.examiner.com/article/simple-truth-about-syria-obama-got-everything-he-wanted-from-putin-and-more
Also too:
Polls Show Strong Support For Diplomacy In Syria
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/09/17/2632221/polls/
Also too too, it was Assad, not the rebels: Yep, the Ghouta gas attacks were carried out by the Assad regime
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/09/syria-un-report-ghouta-sarin-rocket-attack
There was a great Luckovich cartoon in the paper today that undercut the Republican critique of Obama on Syria. I’ll see if I can find it online for you. The simplicity of a one-panel cartoon may break through the fog. At any rate, it’s impossible to take seriously the criticism of the Obama Derangement Syndrome crowd, who attack no matter what, and no matter the facts. You Dennis are in that crowd, though admittedly a rear guard lance corporal type.
“Lose the NY Times”? What does that even mean? You really don’t know how journalism works, do you?
President Obama (that’s how to spell his name, this is not junior high) is doing a great job. Here and abroad.
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Report-Iran-set-to-shut-down-nuclear-site-326312
Wake up and smell reality, Get out of the bubble. Overcome your ODS. You can do it.
Iran is a bit off subject, but when you have to stretch to make a case for 0bamy, I can understand why a person lacking an understanding of world reality would attempt to go there. Let’s look at a timeline on Iran:
”Since 2005, the United States has designated Iranian individuals, companies, and organizations for involvement in nuclear proliferation, ballistic missile development, support for terrorist groups, and human rights abuses. These designations have been made under the following presidential executive orders and two new pieces of legislation:
June 28, 2005 (Executive Order 13382)
Military for involvement in Iran’s ballistic missile development
• Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO)
• Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group
• Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group
Nuclear for operating Iran’s nuclear facilities
• Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI)
January 4, 2006 (Executive Order 13382)
Nuclear
• Novin Energy Company: Transferred millions of dollars on behalf the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to entities associated with Iran’s nuclear program.
• Mesbah Energy Company: AEOI Subordinate and procurer for Iran’s heavy water project.
July 18, 2006 (Executive Order 13382)
Construction, Engineering, and Technology
• Sanam Industrial Group: Subordinate of Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO). Purchased millions of dollars worth of equipment from entities associated with missile proliferation.
• Ya Mahdi Industries Group: Subordinate of Iran’s AIO. Made international purchases of missile-related technology and goods for Iran.
January 9, 2007 (Executive Order 13882)
Banks
• Bank Sepah/Bank Sepah International Plc (UK): State-owned bank. U.S. Treasury alleges Bank Sepah provides support to entities affiliated with Iran’s nuclear program.
…………………………………….
So as far as Iran goes it looks like the smartest thing your hero did, was follow George Bush’s lead. As he did with Gitmo, terrorist trials, Syria and others.
So what you’re saying is, all your criticisms of Obama are actually criticisms of Bush. Got it. Thanks.
HTML failure
Not a “stretch,” just another example of Obama’s fabulous success on the international stage. To go with his regular triumphs in the U.S.
Beyond the fawning corporate media–
From the above article:
“In the president’s Syria speech delivered last week, he indicated he was backing off on previous threats of “punishment” for the Assad regime for the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. The potential war, one almost no one wanted, would have likely resolved little in the ongoing horrors in the Mideast. ”
From the article below for the community to consider…
“I Possess the Authority”
Obama claimed he has gone to Congress “even though I possess the authority to order military strikes.” The former “liberal” constitutional law professor with a degree from Harvard Law certainly knows that the U.S. Constitution grants war-making authority in Congress alone. He should know further that it is thoroughly criminal under international law for him to attack any sovereign nation in the absence of any direct or imminent threat to the U.S.
http://www.zcommunications.org/liar-in-chief-by-paul-street.html
The former “liberal” constitutional law professor with a degree from Harvard Law certainly knows that the U.S. Constitution
Will, the man did not even know the basic principles of the Marbury decision, that is ConLaw 101, basic stuff. Most of us understood that in high school
Should President Obama be impeached?
From the above article:
“In the president’s Syria speech delivered last week, he indicated he was backing off on previous threats of “punishment” for the Assad regime for the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. The potential war, one almost no one wanted, would have likely resolved little in the ongoing horrors in the Mideast. ”
A key passage from the article below for the community to ponder…
So are the Obama accomplishments worth impeachment? They go far beyond the precedents of a president firing a government minister or even lying about a sexual affair and some might even consider that they exceed the Nixon gold standard of using government resources against the political opposition. Arming terrorists while asserting the right to go to war without constitutional process; targeting and killing citizens; declaring a state of war worldwide using robot death machines; spying on citizens and sharing the information with foreign governments; running secret prisons where suspects are tortured, never tried, and never can get out; and using the judiciary to block challenges to whatever is going on is quite a record. Not exactly something to be proud of, is it?
http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2013/09/18/i-is-for-impeachment/
Will, honest Liberals/Progressives have to be as deeply disappointed in this President as anyone, it has just taken them too long to see the reality of how bad this President’s actions have been for the country.
It is becoming clear, that those who still insist on carrying the water for him are doing so either out of ignorance, or a deep desire to see this nation brought down into the abyss of mediocrity so they then can be involved in a rebirth designed around false ideals.
Pure ignorance
Dennis: Please email me your article on the Koch Bros, Thanks
The column is available on this site.
Just purely from a moral and ethical standpoint, throwing away dollars on non-fossil energy is good for the environment as well as our health. Fossil fuels are a major contributor to pulmonary and heart disease as well as damage to living organisms in general on our planet. The amount of money we throw away subsidizing profitable corporations and the military, makes alternative energy outlays look like chump change. I am a firm believer that ethical capitalism is one of the best economic engines. Unfortunately profit is the only real motivator in capitalism which makes capitalism sometimes fall short for the responsible human needs of societies. The economies of developed Europe which are more of synergistic mixture of socilaism and capitalism seem to turn out a healthier and happier population than our system that could use a lot of fine tuning. THe present divide in economic clsses in this country(widest in 100 years) is a testimony that just depending on the interests of capitalism are not working for the 99%.
Mr. Rifkin, the economies in Europe are turning more towards capitalism. Witness the elections in Norway and Sweden. Germany will follow suit soon. Britain is already Conservative. Capitalism, in the form of an ethical pursuit and utilization of private profit, will save our economies. There is very little role for government in this arena.
Fossil fuels can save the USA economy. We can be self sustained if we pursue this industry. Government intervention is the only thing hampering this progress. Alternative energy sources will succeed when they become economically feasible. Government, again, only hampers this progress. We have about 100+ years until the time alternative energy sources will become viable. Until then, fossil fuels will keep us going just fine.
Keep government out of this market and good things will happen.
…and it took all of several paragraphs for an article about green and medicine in Oregon to include yet another diatribe against Obama. It’s a crying shame that the president took his sweet time, went to Sweden, etc., rather than invading Syria…lord knows we all want our kids (none of whom are the offspring of the hawks, btw) sent off to yet another violent boondoggle in the Middle East. How did Sweden, Syria and Obama come to be included in something entitled “Notes from 30,000 Feet: Going Green in a Green State.” Oh, wait…
The last part of this appears to have been “borrowed” from Creators syndicated columnist Austin Bay:
http://www.creators.com/conservative/austin-bay/obama-s-smart-diplomacy-keystone-kops-emily-litella-and-kabuki-2013-09-04.html
“…one could not help but recall…” Especially when one is prompted to recall.
The last part of this appears to have been “borrowed” from Creators syndicated columnist Austin Bay:
Gosh, no one else might have thought of that comparison, now could they:
Barack Obama: The Emily Litella of our Time (The Conservative Lesbian) Posted on September 11, 2013
Just call him Barack “Emily Litella” Obama By Michelle Malkin • June 19, 2009
The Litella Administration; A new error in U.S. foreign policy.By JAMES TARANTO
Maybe Austin Bay “borrowed” it from Michelle Malkin?
So either you’re a thief or a hack. I opt for both.
Take it to the editor, his opinion matters, yours doesn’t.
Don’t blame you at all. I wouldn’t want to discuss it further either.
Hank it appears you do not like the political leaning of Bob Livesay or Dennis Lund. I have no problem with that. But is it not about time that you start being a little more civil in your responces. You will find that over the last few years there have been others with similar ID as you. Personal attacks, school yard comments and very little if any vital info to add to the conversation. Long gone from the conversation. Just being anti BL and DL is not enough. Good solid info to contribute to the conversation without the attacks will get much more attention. Yes I will come right back at you if you personally attack me or just ignore it and move on. Just a comment Hank.
“Just being anti BL and DL is not enough.” Why not?
But your complaints have been noted, and thank you for prolonging this thread wherein we discovered an uncomfortable similarity between the author’s work and another writer’s.
“Good solid info to contribute to the conversation without the attacks will get much more attention.” Makes you think, don’t it?
The Dad is responding Hank what writer are you saying Dennis copied: Ed Morrissey, James Taranto, Michelle Malkin. Michael Barone, Deniel Dreezner or Deerings carton?
Take your pick. At best he is unoriginal. At worst, well …
Loving your deep-seated need to respond to all comments, Bob. This thread gets to be about what I want it to be about. Thank you.
Hank 7; Bob 4. Just what are you talking about HANK. Hank you accussed Dennis of using others work. Now just tell the readers who you are referring to. That should be simple HANK. You now are backing off on a statement you should not have made.
Bob as you said, Hank 7, Bob 4, though I think you overestimate your score. You already lost. He already admitted it. Do you bother to read Dennis’s work? I understand completely if you don’t.
Thanks for keeping the issue alive.
Hank, Dennis is a featured writer on the Forum page and has been doing it for a while. You may not agree with his articles or his comments but the word HACK is way over the top. If you have any issues with his articles take it up with the editor. Would you say the same of Mr. Page, Robert Shelby, Harvey Rifkin, Reverend Straw, Jim Pugh or Bruce Robinson. All have been or are current Featured Forum writers. Some on a regular bases others only occasionally. I like it when the articles go on-line. Gives all the readers a chance to comment. Many comments are not very nice and also carry a personal attack. You seem to have some sort of issue with Dennis and feel you must attack him personally rather than the article. Comments that take another few are very healthy and help keep the writers on their toes. In the past I have been very critical of articles and most recently try very hard to stay away from personal attacks. But I must admit Hank you do not make it any easier.
Bob,
It is really very simple. The article takes a shot at 0bomba, who has been humiliated in the eyes of the world of international diplomacy. 0bomba has lost, big time in this chess match Putin has been playing, while 0bomba has been playing dominoes. Only one person Real American-Jill is vocalizing weak support of 0bomba, but that is what you expect from a far left dyed in the wool 0bomba extremist. The natural course for the detractors is to focus on minutia, as they have no other course and it really angers them Just like a caged animal, they lash out at anything they can.
Pretty sad really.
You listed some pretty good writer’s in that group named above. The fact that I paralleled their thinking is a compliment.