CHEERS & JEERS: Snow and Rain, with Scattered Politics

CHEERS for rain. Rain is wonderfully coming down, soaking plentifully into the earth, hopefully shortening our drought and making new flowers come spring. Also, there is snowpack – 122% of normal at press time! [Great news if you’re not stuck on Marys Peak]

JEERS for rain which is splattering onto our shoes, flooding our streets, and closing things to traffic. If you were stuck around Eureka Rd., Stow Pit Rd., McFarland Rd., Old River Rd., and/or Greenberry Rd., you are in our thoughts as the rain decides whether or not to subside [but, c’mon, if you live in the Willamette Valley you know it’s gonna just keep raining, so check out this Flood Preparedness Brochure from the City of Corvallis]

CHEERS for Benton County Commissioner Nancy Wyse, who has just been selected to be the new Chair for the Board of Commissioners. In all sincerity, we would like to say… You Go, Gurl!

CHEERS for Jason J. Dorsette. We’ve interviewed this guy. We’ve watched him tell his story in a DamStrong documentary. And now we hear that Dorsette is running the Linn-Benton Branch of the NAACP like a rock star, and he’s only a year into his presidential term. Thanks for choosing Corvallis, Mr. Dorsette! You’ve been a great addition!

FURROWED BROWS in the direction of Nick Kristof. Yes, Sec. of State Shemia Fagan decided he can’t run for Governor, but if he was so hot to do that very thing, then why wouldn’t he disclose the alleged tax records that he says would prove his residency status? Better yet, why won’t he get an Oregon driver’s license – they’re half the price of a New York license? [If he is allowed to run, then my great-uncle Phil from Florida should run too… I think Phil could take Kristof down!]

BIG JUICY CHEERS for Ashland! Why, you might ask? Because they just got a new local newspaper. In 2017, The Daily Tidings was pulled kicking and screaming into The Mail Tribune of Medford [we imagine they kicked and screamed, because that’s what we’d do]. Ashland didn’t have anyone specifically covering their city for a while. Along comes a new kid in town – Ashland.News! We wish this upstart all the luck in the world.

CHEERS for the DMV [not something many people have read before, we know] for allowing deaf drivers to include that status on their driver’s license. The issue was raised by Bridges Oregon – a Deaf Peoples advocacy group – to lessen the stress for people with hearing loss when they interact with the police. One in four Americans has hearing loss,

so this feature will significantly help folks live their best lives… when they get pulled over for speeding… as one does…

A SINGLE RAISED EYEBROW for Rep. Tina Kotek. The longest running speaker of the house for Oregon has decided to resign from her current jobs [aka Representative for Oregon District 44 & Speaker of the House] to better achieve her goal of having a new job [aka Governor of Oregon]. Democrats in the house are shocked, surprised, astonished, stunned, and flabbergasted since they had anticipated her running a “tightly scripted one-month short session” aimed at police reform, the housing crisis, and worker protection. [Republicans are fairly stoked by the development… jussayin’]

JEERS to Medicaid reimbursement rates. Administrators in nursing homes are seeing new-to-the-job nurses, dietary aides, and housekeepers leave their facilities for better paying jobs at… wait for it… Amazon. Yes, the Evil Empire that doesn’t allow employees to pee is promoting higher than average hourly pay in an effort to steal necessary workers away from caring for the elderly and infirm… big surprise. The problem could be fixed if the government paid more to nursing homes so these folks could earn a living wage. AND if you think this doesn’t affect you now, remember that Amazon always has new expansion plans and already has five “fulfillment centers” in Oregon, and two of them are reaching their little fingers closer and closer to Corvallis.

HEAD SCRATCHES over the anniversary that just passed. We all remember the January 6 Insurrection, so The Advocate chose not to belabor the point with our take on it. However… why have none of the Oregonians or people with ties to the PNW Super Weenies [aka the Proud Boys] who were arrested due to their actions that day been tried yet? Just trying to look behind the curtain and see the Great and Powerful Litigation Wizard who seems to be missing.

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