Office of Public Liason

I know that the cynics out there will assume this to be a waste of time and even I realize that I am unlikely to get a personal phone call from President Obama in response to a message from me. However, it is my understanding that SOMEONE reads the mail submitted through the Office of Public Liason, which was established as part of Whitehouse.gov in January. I haven't had a chance to check everything out, but there does appear to be a wealth of information and of course the email page.



At the least, it appears to be a more direct way to get your voice heard.

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SB 328-Illegal debt collection prevention

From Attorney General Kroger:



JOHN R. KROGER

Attorney General


DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL



March 24, 2009




Dear friends,



We have a great opportunity to protect Oregon’s consumers. The House will vote on SB 328 on Thursday. If approved, this bill will protect Oregonians from abusive debt collection tactics.


We need your help to make this happen.


Complaints about debt collection agencies have been on the Oregon Department of Justice’s Top 10 Consumer Complaint List since 2001, and complaints are on the rise. In Oregon, unfortunately, there is currently no state agency able to enforce illegal debt collection practices. Senate Bill 328 would close this loophole by giving the Attorney General the authority to hold debt collection agencies accountable when they violate the law, just like any other industry.



Earlier this month SB 328 was passed with strong bipartisan support in the Senate. Last week the House Consumer Protection Committee sent a strong pro-consumer message by sending it to the House Floor with a unanimous recommendation in favor of passage. Now the bill is headed for a vote.



Similar legislation has been defeated twice before by powerful lobbying interests. This year may be different but your legislators need to hear from you. The lobby is mobilized and is intent on defeating SB 328.



Please contact your legislator and urge them to support SB 328. You can locate contact information for your representative, or email them directly using this link.



Thank you so much for helping the Department of Justice do more to protect the citizens of our state.


Sincerely,


John R. Kroger

Attorney General of Oregon

One note: Even though this is a senate bill, it has already passed there and is coming up for a vote in the House and so it is our representatives that need to hear from us.
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Safe Schools passes Education Committee

In a year that is going to to be almost nothing but suck-ass for students, of any age, it is nice to get some good news. K-12, community members, and college students from all over Oregon have been working on this for a long time. Now we need to make sure it passes the House vote.

From BRO:

After a hugely successful Day of Action on Friday, it's official: The House Education Committee has passed the Oregon Safe Schools Act! In a 9 to 1 vote, committee members approved the bill for a full vote from the House.

That means that in as little as a few days, the House of Representatives could vote on House Bill 2599. Now, more than ever, your legislator needs to hear from YOU!

Contact your Representative today!

Email your Representative TODAY and tell them to vote YES on House Bill 2599! Tell them that ALL youth deserve to grow up free from intimidation and harassment in school.

Even if you've previously sent a message. Even if you were one of the over 300 fair-minded Oregonians to stand up for Oregon youth at the Capitol on Friday. Your Representative needs to hear from you TODAY!

Click on the BRO link above to send a message to your reps in Salem.



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International Women's Day

Somehow I don't know why I am surprised at the overall lack of coverage for the fact that, not only is this Women's History Month, today is International Women's day, now in its 99th year (although it took the UN 67 years to recognize it). Yesterday, a meeting took place in Monrovia of many of the top women leaders in the world. Here is some of what they had to say:

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female head of state, saluted the distinguished gathering of political and business leaders, saying: "You motivate us, you inspire us, you encourage us to continue."

Sirleaf took power in the west African nation ravaged by 14 years of back-to-back civil wars, and her Finnish counterpart Tarja Holonen was quick to point out that women played a leading role in healing war wounds.

She said experience showed that the role women play "in conflict resolution and reconciliation in post war is very vital. This country Liberia is a good example of that."

Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean, originally a Haitian refugee, echoed the theme that women were the best guarantors of peace.

"I'm telling you: give women the means to react and you will see less violence, you will see the end of sickness and illiteracy because women never forget that life is the most precious thing.

"Exclude women and you will fail," Jean added at the Monrovia gathering, which will debate the future of women.

And from UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon:

"Violence against women cannot be tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any circumstances, by any political leader or by any government," said Ban.

He revealed that around the world, one woman in five has been a victim of rape or attempted rape, and that in some countries one woman in three has been beaten or subjected to some kind of violent act.

"Violence against women is an abomination. I'd like to call it a crime against humanity," he said.

Damn skippy.

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Appropriating Our Language

Spread far and wide. We have to retain the control of this conversation or the falsehoods spread by ultra-conservatives will be repeated enough to become truth (see Rove playbook).


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Memo from County Chair

Ouch. County Commissioner Cogen posted this on his website:


Chair Wheeler's budget memo to county employees:

The weakening of the economy continues to bring disheartening news for Multnomah County. Today’s state revenue forecast predicts further erosion of the state economy which will result in a significant decline in state funding to Multnomah County. The state reports a $855.3 million budget shortfall for the current year and a $3 billion deficit for the 09-11 biennium. Multnomah County faces a $36.5 million General Fund shortfall in FY 2010, which grows to $45.9 million in FY 2011. These numbers are unprecedented, continue to change, and will result in deep reductions to county services.

The federal economic stimulus plan may present some relief, but the details of how and if federal dollars will affect local government are yet to be determined.

Since I took office, I have worked toward preparing us for the lean times by paying down debt and taking a conservative approach to budgeting. I have asked department directors, the District Attorney and Sheriff to bring forward plans for reductions, including options for savings of four percent from the current budget year. For fiscal year 2010, I have asked for general fund budget reductions of 12 percent across the board.

Painful cuts are necessary, and we will do everything we can to minimize the impact on the vulnerable people who depend on us. The county is the safety net for many members of our community. The numbers of people seeking our assistance continues to grow, as home foreclosures, unemployment and the cost of basic needs, such as food, housing, fuel and utilities increase.

What is clear is that future demands for our services will be greater than the resources we have available. We will focus on investing in programs that can demonstrate successful outcomes and have proven track records. Some layoffs are necessary and could be reduced if we can find creative ways to save money. I am proud of the relationships we have built with union leadership that have enabled us to look at ways to save as many jobs as possible while reducing the budget. I am hopeful that these productive conversations will continue.

The Board of County Commissioners will ultimately make decisions in June about which services will be continued and which services will be cut in fiscal year 2010.

The timeline for budget deliberations is as follows:
February 13 Program offers submitted
March 2 and 16 Budget community forums
April 23 Chair releases Executive Budget
May Public budget hearings
June 4 Board adopts FY 2010 Budget

I understand that Multnomah County employees, like people everywhere, are anxious about their economic and job security and I know that we have tough times ahead. If we can support each other, I know we can weather the rough spots and find the best ways to keep moving forward. These are challenging times, but I firmly believe that we are up to the challenge.

Really painful to read but I appreciate knowing this. Damn-12%?...blehhhhh....

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