I now have an OHSU/Oregonian program installed in my head. Phrases like "condo explosion" are automatically converted to "condo implosion." I also have a file where I keep fun concepts like "portals" - a mythical word meaning, "Good luck getting in an out of this fiasco if you don't have a car from the Jetsons." My favorite phrase from this piece is "job boomlet." That sounds so much like "couplet" - the current benchmark in silly Portland terminology.

Sam Adams was on Kremer and Abrams over the weekend, talking about South Waterfront and assuring us that nobody has been tougher on the private developers than he has. No, really! He's even been criticized for it! Meanwhile Rob Kremer referred to the South Waterfront traffic pattern as a "roach motel." Apparently the success of future condo sales is dependent on rich people who don't drive. Rich people who will not just want to use the streetcar/etc...as part of their routine, but who will want to use public transportation for everything. Going to a party somewhere? Fine. Just get close on a street car and then hike in the last few miles. Rich people love doing that. Or spend 45 minutes getting out of South Waterfront to where you parked your car. Oh, you bought some stuff? No problem. I'm sure rich people won't mind putting that new little piece of furniture on the streetcar for the last leg back in. They love carrying heavy objects strapped to their backs.

I think we need to build a portal out of City Hall and replace Portland's politicians. That's where the next job boomlet should be. Then the Oregonian should stop serving as OHSU's PR department. Even scathing admissions like this article are served up like a pat on the back. If shoveling B.S. is a bio-tech job, these projections might not have been exuberant enough. OHSU and the Oregonian are just another couplet we can't afford.

OHSU has grown their health club business in Sowhat. They recently took the YMCA's cardiac recovery group to their new location with little impact on the Y. Ooops, I forgot about that article Friday in the Little Oh talking about the Y being sold.

Let's say I go to private individuals with a story about how I have a great investment opportunity. I promise them very high returns in only a short number of years and ask them to invest their retirement savings with me. I then take the money they give me and invest it in something completely different from what I told them I would, including a high salary and perks for myself. At the end of the process, I would be charged with a crime - fraud - and would do a little jail time, in addition to having to pay restitution to the people I'd defrauded.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, Dr. Kohler, it tolls for thee.

C'mon, latest in a list of BS generation.

We shoudl start a running count, but no one in Portland cares:
- Oregon Conv Center
- PGE Park
- SoWa
- Tram
- Light rail bringing business downtown
- Burnside couplet IMPROVING traffic flow and only costing $80M
- The last 20 year plan for downtown
- We are only fixing sewers because we got sued and Bush doesn't want to spend money even though he gives us money for light rail.
- PFDR will be fixed with only 30+ yrs of proerty tax increases
- Biodiesel is the future even though it generates as much greenhouse gas as anything else with a combustion engine
- Port of Portland building is only going to cost $68M
- Things are great downtown
- Politicians know what they are doing
- Condos are much more important than houses with yards
- Vera/Neil are retired and have no say in government
- VoE will work

I cannot believe how dumb voters are to buy this garbage.

Does this leave him with too few spare cycles to serve as the local hack for the next attempted buyout of PGE / PPL / NWN?

Remember the legislatures dynamic duo of the 80's, "Kitz and Katz"!
Somehow I can't help but think that John Kitzhaber may be instrumental in this whole SoWa developement.
Could "Dr. No" be the man behind the curtain?

excuse me, "development"
I hate when that happens!

Too bad the O didn't give credit to Jim Pasero of Brainstorm NW magazine for this piece. He wrote it back in February 2003. "Banking on Biotech".... it's in their archives.

The fountain of new companies, jobs and tax revenue that was supposed to flow from taxpayers' investment has not materialized as rapidly as envisioned.

"as rapidly"?? Holy crap. I dont think they expected it at all.

If the legislature gives them more money, we need to have a revolution.

Jack,
Now that we get to vote, how about setting up a fund, payable by credit card or PayPal, where we may donate money to buy ads in the Portland Tribute. The purpose of the ads would be to allow you to bring together the facts, not our opinions, about the horrendous list of projects which have resulted in cost overruns beyond comprehension and to help the citizens of Portland understand the process our CoP leadership have established.

Each and every project could be cross referenced with public record information, timelines, AND the people in office, or on staff who were a part of the process, during the time of planning and implementation of the project. Would make interesting reading, at the least.

Not all crooks go to jail, some are rewarded. Peter O. Kohler, M.D., president of Oregon Health & Science, is a fine example of capitalism at it's worst. The makings of a fine Senator.

Just think, he could have been running PGE.

Let's review.
Here's three very important excerpts from the story below.

***Senator Schrader said, "Peter Kohler is a liar... he is extremely disingenuous" and "a poor steward of the medical community".

***Unfortunately our "representatives" seem to have a blind spot about the massive corporate welfare going to OHSU while people are dying from lack of social service funding

***We should not forget that in 2001 the Senate Democratic leader, Kate Brown, sponsored the giveaway of 200 million dollars of our money to OHSU for a business venture that even OHSU's own biotech guru, Dr. William New Jr., doubts will succeed. http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=16161
Not only that, when questioned about the bill, Brown claimed to not remember what it was. She either lied or forgot about $200 million dollars. Either is completely shameful.

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/06/266267.shtml
Town Hall Meeting Avoids the Real Questions