If you ask me, the PSU lemming Pernsteiner should be fired. Larivere is one of the few university presidents trying to bring Oregon higher ed to the 21st Century. I think Oregon would be better suited with presidents who actually try to get rid of the dysfunction of universities unlike the situation at PSU (know as former employee and student). Oregon doesn't need all their universities at the dismal level of PSU. All in all, it's the politics of purging anything good in Oregon. It's sad, really and one of the reasons I left.

I think the Mayor's response bothers me the most. It's in typical Portland-placation style. Let's say thanks to the protesters and say how awesome they are and then stifle them because it's upsetting the yuppies and making the corporate stores downtown nervous. Well, I guess it's not a concern to me anymore since I had to move halfway across the country to obtain permanent employment.

The big issue that has come up from logging on private lands has been clear cutting. What this has done is open the opportunity for not only invasive species to enter into the forest ecosystem but it has also made the new forests more vulnerable to disease. In addition, landslides and mudslides have increased in the areas clear cut since there's little to hold the soil/peat during rainy season. It is time to engage in Forest Management (thinning the forests and harvesting excess biomass). This will help reduce forest fire danger and has the potential of jump starting the rural economy with biomass and forest processing. This will be more sustainable from and environmental and economic standpoint than the status quo.

By your comments, it's safe to assume that you never grew up on government assistance or grew up in a single family household. Where are the single parents? A majority of them are working two or three low wage jobs because WIC provides nothing thanks to the welfare reform designed to go after deadbeats. Not everyone who grows up in public housing ends up being a deadbeat or criminal. My mom worked as a paraprofessional for a school district in Kansas that paid little wage for the work. Apparently, assisting autistic kids isn't sexy enough to garner a living wage. She did the job as sacrifice to better the community, which I think shows incredible level of character (and that I don't see that level of character in Portland hence why I'm moving back to my home state that still has some community values). You must be so lucky living a privileged life and not have to face the reality that the working poor face on a daily basis.

I do have to say that since the bike boxes, I have not had any close calls that involved evasive maneuvers like hopping off the bike and getting the bike out of the way.

I have had three collisions with vehicles. Two of them turned right into me, both at low speeds, so no injuries were involved. Only one of them threw me off the bike, but luckily I know how to land.

The third one was a van that had no signal on Main close to SW 4th where the van just suddenly turned. I was nearly at a stop, so the only damage was that my front tire was cracked from the van scraping against the front wheel and the basket (which also put a big scratch in the side of the van). Since they didn't even stop, they must've not been concerned.

I have learned that if there is a car at an intersection with their right turn signal on, I will yield unless they waive me on because with blind spots, they may not be able to see me. That is how I've prevented many potential near accidents...and signal when I'm moving left, turning left, turning right, or stopping.

Overall, the couplet is not a bad idea from a traffic flow perspective. The issue was where and how they are funneling eastbound traffic onto Sandy. They would have been better off having the traffic go up to NE 16th with a properly designed roundabout at 16th and Burnside (The Glisan and Cesar Chavez design is okay (minus the stop signs instead of yield signs)). I threw this idea out when they were in the initial stages but was not interested in what I had to say even though I studied transportation planning.

I've had several close calls on a bike even when I am already stopped at the bike box at Grand and Couch and cars coming up behind and just turning. As much as I hate to say these words, I think there needs to be a bike signal at that intersection just like the one on Broadway and Vancouver...assuming cyclists obey the signal.

I would argue that they voted against the debt ceiling for good reason. For the first time in US history, the house passed a debt ceiling raise with strings attached, unprecedented and unconstitutional (before the current stacked supreme court of corporate lemmings).

Republicans are even less serious about dealing with national debt than the Democrats, which is saying a lot. It can be done with 10 very simple things, but no one has the guts in Congress to cut the strings from their corporate master. Everything we have done economically since Eisenhower is what has led us to this mess (combined with weak leaders or those who I believe want to self-induce the rapture). Obama and Democratic leaders folded and started with a beyond a compromise position (even though now I think they really believe in this disastrous supply-side, corporate first mentality), which has destroyed the ability for small businesses to even compete.

In closing, I'd much rather support someone with a backbone (Merkley and DeFazio [even Ron Paul]) than the other lemmings anyday.

Note they didn't talk about DeFazio, who is not a fan of the job killing NAFTA and most favored nation status with China. Schrader is on to something with cutting the pork called the civilian military contracts. Ending the wars and the star wars programs and focusing on counter-terrorism/special operations tactics would also save us money. Raising taxes on those above $250000 (in a graduated manner) will also help. Reversing all of the tax breaks in the tax code especially the corn refining industry, corn ethanol, and all other corporate subsidies that do not translate into more family wage jobs will also help (maybe rolling back the tax code to 1960 would help in that arena).

The stark reality is that if we are really serious about getting out of our national debt issue, then we need to cut everywhere except the safety net (SS, Medicare/Medicaid, and unemployment (some of our entrepreneurial spirit isn't happening because some with good ideas don't have enough money to take the risk and risk failure)) and those programs that prevent crime, create jobs, or help with homeland security in a real way. The tax code and trade deals need to go back to the way they were until this debt is paid off. Note that the debt deal and extended tax cuts for corporations and the top 2% did not create a single long term job and that now the banks we bailed out are sitting on about $3 trillion in dollars and growing. We're not in a supply shock so stop using supply side economics, which is an epic failure for non supply shock forecasts!

Since Baucus is one of the "Democrats" on the supercommittee, I can guarantee you that partial privatization of Social Security, Medicare, and more gimmes to the large corporations will be in this decision of this "supercommittee". With Democrats like these, who needs to blame Republicans for this mess?