Recent ArticlesComm. Linthicum
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http://schools.oregonlive.com/district/Klamath-Falls-City-Schools/
I’m glad Brain took the time to write his concerns and I think they deserve a thoughtful response. I’ll address a couple of the generic misunderstandings because these might get perpetuated if other people are concerned about how this process should work. First, the PSAC is an advisory group established jointly between the City of Klamath Falls and the County. As an advisory group they provide details, insight and advise to the City and BOCC. The PSAC serves in an advisory position and can play an important part in helping provide decision making input. However, the decision still belongs to the elected decision makers, the BOCC, not the appointed members of the PSAC. This allows the public a direct electoral response through their ballot box. How would any citizen hold an appointed committee member responsible?
It seems that I forgot to read the memo that informed everyone else that “universal consent” was both a necessity and a goal. Somewhat like the recent KBRA agreements, as long as all the participating stakeholders agree to pass the cost along to the taxpayer it must be OK – “universal consent.” I must have been incorrect when I believed that all ideas – good, bad, indifferent, or even just contrarian – would be welcomed for discussion. I mistakenly thought the committee was an idea factory. In an idea factory, the committee would be responsible for discovering and then vetting every possible suggestion. They would weigh, measure and comprehend each of these ideas. Some ideas would get demolished, while others would only get dented, reworked and polished up. I was under the impression that all discussion would be profitable, and disparate ideas should never be cast aside under the guise of “lack of support.”
Pleasure is more fun than pain. Just as that extra piece of dessert goes down far easier than those extra pounds come off. Yet, the real battle is in the decision making which foreshadows our actions. Think about it... you must decide to avoid the desserts long before the dessert cart shows up. The party is always more agreeable than the disciplined denial. Using this logic, on Fat Tuesday, I recognized the quick, easy and agreeable response to the Klamath County Public Safety Ballot measure was to simply ask voters for more funding. Yet, is quick and easy always right? Care for more dessert?
Unfortunately, debt has been growing everywhere. Worldwide debt is backed with debt from other nations, it is based on debt from multinationals, and it is dependent on vast sums of debt–leveraged with yet more debt. How can this continue? It can’t!
In a previous blog I took issue with the narrative style and perspective of a guest commentary by Greg Sargent. Today I want to highlight the simple, yet dangerous, implications of the fallacious assumptions used by the author, who routinely writes for the WashingtonPost.com. The first paragraph sets up his whole argument. He states,
I’ll quote a paragraph so I can walk through its treacherously destructive subtleties:
The critical hinge for supporting this door to the new world of renewable energy is “profits.” The assumption is that “with profits” there will be sufficient economic resources to accomplish the desired goals. "I question the propriety of meddling." - Herbert Spencer, 1884
However, my view might be biased. It may be my simple impression that "life" is scurrying by – rather quickly. Think about it, Thanksgiving is almost here, then Christmas will be upon us. With Christmas in mind, ABC News reports,
My November, 2011 copy of School Reform News just arrived and it has an article entitled, “School Lunches Free for All by 2015 If Districts Choose.” Now, I see that Franklin popped the lid off a #10 can of government obesity because the story begins with,
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With respect to general political principles, I think bond measures and levies should always be avoided. These are the most common means by which local politicians or special interest districts try to increase the amount of money they get to spend, spend, and spend some more. The voters are put on the hook to pay for some seemingly good cause, but it comes at an enormous cost. The taxpayer bears the burden in two ways, first he pays the property tax bill and second the community loses untold opportunities for private economic decisions.
Last week, Brain Smith, the Chair of the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) 
It appears that I’ve upset some folks on the Public Safety Advisory Group. A member was quoted in the Herald and News (Safety Group Looks for Clarity - 3/16/2012), saying, “he felt county Commissioner Dennis Linthicum’s lack of support nullified the group’s work.”
Last Tuesday was the day before Lent. In the past it was commonly called “Shrove Tuesday”, in reference to confessions of a penitent heart in front of “Ash Wednesday.” Today, it is universally known as “Fat Tuesday.” Fat Tuesday is the day for the Mardi Gras Carnival where revelers party their respective lives away. Here in Klamath County, I wasn’t aware of any efforts at all-night revelry, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Unfortunately for America, it seems that we would all prefer some midnight merriment to being penitent.
“The financial crisis that began in late 2007, and its widespread aftershocks, led to a dramatic increase in the public debt of most advanced economies, with many of them experiencing their highest levels of debt since World War II. Another contributing factor to the increased debt was the decrease in tax revenues.”
Last week (11/26/2011), a guest commentary was submitted to the Herald and News on behalf of the board of directors of the Klamath Basin Power Alliance (KBPA). The KBPA was formed to address concerns about power production and how future power rates will impact the agricultural community. The commentary mistakenly assumes and promotes some basic misconceptions about free markets and profitability, especially in relation to renewable energy production. A paragraph in the commentary reads:
Around our home, we are busy getting ready for winter. The days have been beautiful while the nights have been cold and crisp. On the edge of our pasture, the Aspen trees appear to have lost their leaves quickly. It seems to me that they usually stand in their bright yellow glory for longer periods.
First, I would like to thank the author that used the pen name, B. Franklin, for his/her