Author Archives: DCG

How much does it cost for a 100-bed homeless shelter tent in Portland? Take a wild guess…

Posted on January 18, 2019 | 11 comments

One big expensive tent/Photo from Harbor of Hope

Doesn’t matter as there are always taxpayer funds to cover the costs.

FYI: From the brief search I was able to do about this private developer, Homer Williams, it looks like he’s got a questionable history with his developments.

As reported by Oregon Live: Despite promises of a private-sector solution to homelessness, the city-county Joint Office of Homeless Services has agreed to pitch in at least $1 million to make sure a new shelter actually opens.

The 100-bed shelter, built inside a tent-like structure in Northwest Portland at the base of the Broadway Bridge, was billed as the business community’s answer to local government’s inability to get people off the street.

Developer Homer Williams announced the plan with a starting $1.5 million contribution from Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle. The project quickly began to run behind schedule and over budget.

The “navigation center” model of shelter is a new one for Portland. Williams and former Portland Development Commission director Don Mazziotti wanted to replicate what they saw in San Francisco and other cities that have used this model that combines traditional shelter space with intensive help from service providers to help the people who stay at the shelter get into permanent housing as quickly as possible. It will also have laundry facilities, showers and other amenities.

Through Harbor of Hope, Williams and Mazziotti’s nonprofit, project officials estimated that it would cost $3.5 million to get the shelter built and running for the first year. By December, they began to worry that the $3.5 million would only cover construction.

But warning signs showed up as early as last summer.

Harbor of Hope broke ground in April on land donated by Portland’s urban renewal agency, which will retain ownership. The city waived permit fees, as well.

The cost to clean up the lead, arsenic, fossil fuels and other contaminants on the site ended up higher than expected. Officials reported at the end of July that environmental cleanup was earmarked as $100,000 in the budget. But Harbor of Hope had already spent $600,000 on it.

Harbor of Hope leaders also found that construction costs were going to be more expensive than predicted. By the time the original $3.5 million was raised, the project cost had doubled.

While the mayor’s office had said the city had no plans to finance a shelter that wasn’t feasible, city and county officials have wanted more shelter beds in the Old Town Chinatown area for years. They first saw an empty warehouse on Hoyt Street as an option, but that location would have taken up to $10 million to make usable.

So while Williams and others vowed that Harbor of Hope would not require any taxpayer money, officials saw this shelter as a cheaper option than building or renovating their own.

The Joint Office of Homeless Services agreed to contribute the first year’s operating budget, which will pay for staff, programming and day-to-day needs at the shelter.

“Our elected leaders and service providers don’t get enough credit for their success in adding hundreds of shelter beds across our community,” Williams said in a statement. “It’s difficult and expensive to find and invest in good sites, close to the right services.”

Williams has pitched other ideas in the past that have largely gone nowhere. He gained some traction under former Mayor Charlie Hales with an idea to turn marine Terminal 1 into a homeless shelter campus but lost city council support when it came to who would run the shelter.

He has also proposed a land trade to build workforce housing in industrial-zoned areas and asked Multnomah County to continue to pay the upkeep costs of Wapato Jail instead of selling it immediately so that Harbor of Hope could evaluate whether the nonprofit could make an offer on the building.

But on Harbor of Hope’s 2017 tax forms, the organization was nearly $110,000 in the red, due to a more than $100,000 loan that covered expenses while Williams and others raised little more than $8,000. The year before Harbor of Hope reported nearly $130,000 raised — most of it gone by the end of the year due to travel, salary for Mazziotti and payments to contractors.

Read the whole story here.

DCG

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Posted in Liberals/Democrats/Left, Taxes, United States

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TDS: Libtards mock President Trump for serving fast food at WH yet Obama was praised for eating fast food

Posted on January 17, 2019 | 20 comments

Another fine example of liberals’ hypocrisy on display. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING President Trump does will ever be good enough for them.

I only wish President Trump had served some Chick-fil-A. THAT would have really made libtards’ heads explode!

From Hollywood Reporter: The president hosted NCAA National Champion Clemson University’s football team at the White House earlier that day. The event’s menu consisted of what Trump called “great American food.” Boxes of McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, Big Macs and Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, Chicken McNuggets, Domino’s pizza, french fries and Wendy’s wraps were served to the football players.

Due to the partial government shutdown, much of the White House residential staff has been furloughed, so the president personally paid for the fast food served, the White House explained about the unusual menu for the evening.

“I had a choice. Do we have no food for you, because we have a shutdown?” Trump told the team, according to the Associated Press. “Or do we give you some little quick salads that the first lady will make, along with, along with the second lady. They’ll make some salads. And I said, ‘You guys aren’t into salads.'”

On Late Night, host Seth Meyers joked that the athletes were mostly excited to visit the famous house because of one of its former residents. “The players couldn’t wait to get back home to tell their families they got to go into the house Barack Obama used to live in,” said Meyers. ‘”Was that his bedroom?'”

The host later dug into the topic in his “A Closer Look” segment.

A clip of Trump talking to the press about his plans for the night followed. “I think we’re going to serve McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger Kings with some pizza,” he told reporters. “I would think that’s their favorite food.”
“No, dude. I think that’s your favorite food,” responded Meyers. “He thinks he’s being so sly. ‘Normally, I would have a salad for dinner on Monday, but they told me they only eat every fast food.'”

Meyers then asked why Trump referred to the chain restaurant Burger King in the plural tense. “Does he think there’s more than one? ‘We will be having all of the Burger Kings over to the White House for a summit on trade.'” The joke was followed by an image of Trump sitting at a table with three Burger King mascots.

“I think it’s safe to say that had he lost the election, The Burger Kings would have been the name of the food show Trump hosted with Guy Fieri,” Meyers concluded.

Stephen Colbert used Trump’s expertise in fast food to transition topics on The Late Show. “Maybe the president sensed he was in over his head here because he quickly changed the subject to things he is an expert in: Watching football and eating fast food,” said Colbert after he shared a clip of Trump discussing James Comey with reporters. The video of Trump sharing the menu for the football players followed.

“Mr. President, is it possible you’re just projecting your favorite foods onto them?” asked Colbert. “We’re going to eat all of their favorite foods. Burgers, KFC, taco bowls, two scoops of ice cream. We’re gonna watch their favorite movie, the 2016 election results, then I will spank them all with a rolled up Forbes. I hear they’re really into that.”

Over on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the host said that Trump serving fast food to the team “might be the craziest” thing he did all weekend.

Kimmel shared the clip of Trump stating that the food he planned to serve was the team’s favorite. “What would possibly make you think that?” he asked. “I’ll tell you what made him think that. He’s paying the check, so he had to get the cheapest food they could find.””

“And you know he’s taking whatever they don’t eat back to his bedroom. He’ll be like the rat in Charlotte’s Web tonight rolling around in Quarter Pounders with cheese,” he added.

DCG

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Posted in Donald Trump, Education, Hollywood liberals, Idiots, liberal hypocrisy, Liberals/Democrats/Left, Media, MSM, Trump Derangement Syndrome, United States, US Presidents

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NY district judge bars citizenship question from 2020 census due to not following proper administrative procedure

Posted on January 17, 2019 | 13 comments

Judge Furman

Take a wild guess as to who appointed the judge who made this decision…

From Seattle Times: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration Tuesday from asking about citizenship status on the 2020 census, the first major ruling in cases contending that officials ramrodded the question through for Republican political purposes to intentionally undercount immigrants.

In a 277-page decision that won’t be the final word on the issue, Judge Jesse M. Furman ruled that while such a question would be constitutional, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had added it arbitrarily and not followed proper administrative procedures.

“He failed to consider several important aspects of the problem; alternately ignored, cherry-picked, or badly misconstrued the evidence in the record before him; acted irrationally both in light of that evidence and his own stated decisional criteria; and failed to justify significant departures from past policies and practices,” Furman wrote.

Ross’ explanations for his decision were “unsupported by, or even counter to, the evidence before the agency,” the judge said.

Among other things, the judge said, Ross didn’t follow a law requiring that he give Congress three years notice of any plan to add a question about citizenship to the census.

The ruling came in cases in which 18 states, the District of Columbia, and 15 big cities or counties, and immigrants’ rights groups argued that the Commerce Department, which designs the census, had failed to properly analyze the effect the question would have on households where immigrants live.

A trial on a separate suit on the same issue, filed by the state of California, is underway in San Francisco. The U.S. Supreme Court is also poised to address the issue Feb. 19, meaning the legal issue is far from decided for good.
“We are disappointed and are still reviewing the ruling,” Justice Department spokeswoman Kelly Laco said in a statement.

In the New York case, the plaintiffs accused the administration of Republican President Donald Trump of adding the question to intentionally discourage immigrants from participating, which could lead to a population undercount — and possibly fewer seats in Congress — in places that tend to vote Democratic.

Even people in the U.S. legally, they said, might dodge the census questionnaire out of fears they could be targeted by a hostile administration.

Read the whole story here.

DCG

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Posted in Dept of Justice, Donald Trump, illegal immigration, Liberals/Democrats/Left, Obama, Taxes, Trump Derangement Syndrome, United States, US Presidents

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How progressive: Striking LA teachers turn to social media to shame substitutes

Posted on January 16, 2019 | 5 comments

From NY Post: Some striking Los Angeles teachers are trying to teach picket-line crossers a lesson — by posting their names on social media.

“These subs crossed our picket line,” Deanna Cambell posted on Twitter Monday — with a list of substitutes working to keep the second-largest school system in the nation open.

Only a third of the students showed up for classes Monday, the first day of the strike, costing the district $25 million in state funding based on attendance, according to The Los Angeles Times. After subtracting $10 million in unpaid wages for the strikers, the district lost $15 million.

The students who did go to school were taught by a skeletal staff that struggled to keep them engaged.

“It’s clearly having a big impact,” Los Angeles schools Superintendent Austin Beutner said. “We need our educators back in our classrooms inspiring students.”

Meanwhile, some students joined the United Teachers Los Angeles union and its 31,000 members on the picket line with their parents. “My parents support me,” high school sophomore Rea Angeli told the Times, adding she plans to be out on the picket line until Wednesday. “Teachers do a lot for us.”

“After the strike, it’s better not to go back to school,” the 15-year-old said. “You’re crossing the picket line. It’s not helping the teachers. If you can [avoid going to] to school, it’s a little action. It helps them a lot, so why not do it?”

The Teamsters Local 399 union urged production companies filming at school location to stand with them too. “Teamsters don’t cross picket lines!” the union said, according to Deadline. “If you are filming on a location at a school that has an active picket line you do not have to cross. We urge members to stand in solidarity with educators by honoring their picket lines.”

Educators are demanding better pay, smaller class sizes and more support staff in the union’s first strike in the City of Angels in 30 years.

DCG

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Posted in Children, Education, liberal hypocrisy, Liberals/Democrats/Left, Media, social media, Taxes, Unions, United States

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I start a new job today…wish me luck!

Posted on January 16, 2019 | 30 comments

After working for a retirement center for 2 ½ years here in Oklahoma I decided to take a break. It was hard to deal with the death of residents, the drama of the facility and…the deaths of residents whom I had come to love. It was like losing your grandmother or grandfather all over again. So I quit that job.

Since I quit I have been a stay-at-home “domestic engineer.”

I’ve gained some new cooking skills (homemade pasta), did the mundane tasks such as laundry (it never ends, does it?), cleaned the house, ran errands and mowed the lawn (which really sucks during the HOT Oklahoma summers).

But now I’m back to work.

After the death of my Lucky cat just six weeks ago, I decided I needed to get out of the house. Our much-loved Baby kitty has been a permanent fixture on my lap since his brother passed. He will not be happy with my being gone every day, no doubt. (Please say a little prayer for him as he’s getting up in age, too.)

I had two interviews and was lucky enough to obtain a job with a small, local law firm. I start my new full-time job today at 8:30 am, sharp!

Due to my new employment situation I may not be as active on our blog as I have been during my stay-at-home status.

Yet know that I will continue to do my best to keep the demoRATs and gun-grabbers in check. They can spin all they want but they cannot hide…

Thanks for your support of FOTM!

DCG

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Gun control, Chiraq style: Man who fired gun & linked to deaths of two Chicago Police officers could be released soon

Posted on January 16, 2019 | 4 comments

Perp Edward Brown: Just wanted to see if the pistol worked….or something

The perp said he “found” a pistol and “wanted to see if it worked.”

The perp is “hanging in there” after the two officers lost their lives.

Despicable.

From MyFoxChicago: The man being held in connection with the deaths of the two Chicago police officers who were killed by a train could soon be released from jail, as a community group says it’s helping to get Edward Brown released on bond.

It was four weeks ago Monday night that Brown was arrested for alleging firing the gunshots which led officers Conrad Gary and Eduardo Marmolejo onto the railroad tracks where they were hit by a train.

Brown is still in jail, needing $20,000 for release on bond. “He’s hanging in there,” said defense attorney Frank Koustoros. “You know, nobody wants to be in jail, but he’s hanging in there.”

It looks like Brown could be released very soon.

“We are planning to post bond this week, yes,” said Sharlyn Grace of Chicago Community Bond Fund. “We’re just waiting on a couple more things to come through.”

The Chicago Community Bond Fund uses donated dollars to help defendants post bond and remain free while fighting their cases. “When a case like this that’s high profile comes up, we know it’s even more important than usual that somebody really enjoys the presumption of innocence,” said Grace.

Brown was back in court Monday where prosecutors revealed he’s been indicted on the two weapons charges for which he was arrested.

Members of Brown’s family, including his mother, were in the courtroom, but through his attorney, they declined to talk about the case.

“He’s not alone in this world,” said Koustoros. “He has a lot of love and support from his family and friends.”
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) wanted a felony murder charge.

“We are continually disappointed with the Kim Foxx administration when the police are the victims of crime,” said an FOP spokesperson.

The spokesperson added the FOP will be shocked and disappointed if Brown gets out on bond.

DCG

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Posted in crime, gun control, Gun Control/2nd Amendment, Liberals/Democrats/Left, Taxes, United States

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Washington state governor proposes “free” statewide college program

Posted on January 15, 2019 | 7 comments

Last time I visited Washington I didn’t see any money growing on trees. It’s most likely that property owners will be footing the bill for this “free” program.

FYI: The governor is mulling a 2020 presidential run. And as you know, FREE STUFF always gets votes…

From MyNorthwest.com: Washington Governor Jay Inslee unveiled plans Friday to provide guaranteed financial aid to 93,000 college students statewide.

Gov. Inslee’s plan would convert Washington’s State Need Grant into “Washington’s College Promise” grant. Currently, the State Need Grant provides aid to about three out of every four eligible college students who apply.

According to the governor’s office, that leaves tens of thousands of students stuck on a financial aid wait list. The new program will aim to provide guaranteed funds to all eligible students.

“Every student in Washington state should have the opportunity to get the higher education they need. I’m excited to talk about the big steps we’re taking to make this opportunity a reality,” Gov. Inslee said in a Friday news release.

The governor’s program will need $103 million of the $280 million the governor set aside for higher education in his proposed 2019-2021 budget. It would serve the additional 18,000 eligible students who remain unserved by financial aid.

“Governor Inslee’s College Promise proposal will support all students who want to attend college to go, regardless of their financial ability to pay tuition,” said Maud Daudon, chair of the Washington Student Achievement Council.

Right now, eligibility for state college grants boils down to a pair of qualifiers:

Must be “disadvantaged,” which according to state law, means any student with adverse cultural, educational, environmental, or familial circumstances.

As an alternative to disadvantaged, a student must qualify as “needy,” which encompasses anyone who demonstrates “financial inability” to pay for higher education.

Gov. Inslee’s other higher education budget proposals include added capacity for STEM courses, a scholarship for 50 students who commit to working in “high demand behavioral health fields,” expanded worker training, and more.

DCG

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Posted in Education, Liberals/Democrats/Left, Taxes, United States

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Gillette goes woke with “The Best Men Can Be” campaign

Posted on January 15, 2019 | 29 comments

Get woke, go broke.

Interested in Dollar Shave Club? Go here.

DCG

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Posted in #MeToo, Children, Culture War, Liberals/Democrats/Left, Media, Sexgate, social justice warriors/SJW, social media, United States

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Virginia governor proposes radical gun control measure that could end up with confiscation

Posted on January 15, 2019 | 15 comments

Make no mistake about this gun grab: This demoRAT governor is leading the fight to take away your guns in Virginia.

From Fox News: The plan to ban the sale and possession of certain kinds of firearms proposed by Virginia governor Ralph Northam (D.) could affect millions of gun owners, an industry group said on Friday.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which represents gun manufacturers and dealers, said the vague description of the legislation released by Northam on Jan. 4 would apply to most firearms currently on sale in the commonwealth.

“The legislative proposals being discussed would put most firearms beyond the reach of law-abiding Virginians who choose the firearms of their choice to protect themselves, hunt, and practice recreational target shooting,” said Lawrence G. Keane, the group’s general counsel. “That could potentially impact the availability of tens of millions of firearms.”

While short on details, Northam’s announcement said part of the proposed gun-control package would ban the “sale, purchase, possession, and transport” of undefined “assault firearms” including “any firearm that is equipped with a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds of ammunition.” Since the vast majority of semiautomatic handguns and rifles in the state are sold standard with magazines capable of holding 10 or more rounds, it appears the proposed ban would affect most firearms on sale in Virginia.

Additionally, the announcement of the ban did not include mention of any grandfathering to allow what NSSF estimated would be millions of Virginians who already own such firearms to legally keep them.

Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon.

This is a straight-up gun confiscation proposal. Stephen Gutowski from Free Beacon details more about this proposal on Twitter (from Twitchy):

“Virginia Democrats don’t just want to ban future sales of “assault firearms” as a few states have done, they want to outright ban possession which means confiscation. And their vauge definition of “assault firearms” applies to most currently sold in VA.”

“The only defining characteristic they’ve released thus far is any firearm “equipped” with a magazine that holds 10 or more rounds. That’s nearly every semi-automatic handgun and rifle sold in the state. The vast majority come standard with magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.”

“The governor’s office refused to return my calls or answer my questions on the proposed ban so there’s no more details on what the actual legislation will look like or how Democrats would enforce such a law.”

“If the legislation matches the governor’s announcement, which isn’t a guarantee given how vauge and poorly written the announcement is, the proposal would be by far the most radical gun ban in the country. No other state has attempted this kind of confiscation on this scale.”

Remember this when demoRATs claim they aren’t coming for your guns…

DCG

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Posted in Constitution, gun control, Gun Control/2nd Amendment, Liberals/Democrats/Left, NRA, Taxes, United States

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Wait until you hear the details in this bill: Oregon proposal would require gun owners to obtain permits

Posted on January 14, 2019 | 23 comments

As reported by Oregon Live: A proposal by two Oregon lawmakers to require permits for all gun owners is generating buzz online and among Republicans at the Capitol, even before it’s scheduled to be introduced at the Legislature on Monday.

It’s the brainchild of student activists connected to the movement that grew out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where a shooter killed 17 people nearly a year ago, according to the bill. Sen. Rob Wagner, D-Tualatin, and Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Lake Oswego, are sponsoring it.

Wagner said the bill grew out of a meeting he and Salinas had last year with roughly 300 Oregon students following the Florida shooting. “Any opportunity for conversation around these controversial topics is really important,” Wagner said. “It’s a really important message that we listen to students … about what it’s like to go to school right now.”

The sweeping legislation would also require people to undergo background checks before purchasing or sharing ammunition and would limit ammunition purchases to 20 rounds within a 30-day period, although people could purchase and use unlimited ammunition at shooting ranges. It would ban magazines that hold more than five rounds of ammunition.

Additionally, Senate Bill 501 would require people to securely store their guns and report the loss or theft of a firearm to law enforcement within 24 hours.

If lawmakers pass the proposal, people who ignore it could face severe penalties. For example, anyone who possessed a firearm without a permit could be fine up to $6,250 and sentenced to as much as 364 days in jail.

It’s one of 11 bills dealing with firearms that are scheduled to be introduced on Monday, when lawmakers and Gov. Kate Brown return to Salem to be sworn in for their new terms. The Legislative session begins Jan. 22. Not all of the bills would regulate guns. For example, House Bill 2287 would allow school districts to allow firearm safety courses on school property.

In a press release on Friday, Rep. Bill Post, a Republican from Keizer, said the ammunition purchase limit would make it difficult for gun owners to become proficient and should worry duck hunters. Post also said he was worried the bill’s ban on magazines to hold more than five rounds of ammunition would mean “your old six-shot revolver would be required to be turned in or destroyed.”

However, the bill exempts .22-caliber revolvers and any lever-action revolver.

A separate bill is also being introduced that would require gun owners to securely store their weapons with locks and make it easier for shooting victims to sue for damages if the gun owner failed to secure the weapon, report the loss or theft of the gun in a timely manner or supervise a child using the gun.

The proposal is named after the two people killed in the 2012 Clackamas Town Center shooting and their relatives are working to pass it.

DCG

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Posted in 2018 Florida Parkland School shooting, Constitution, crime, gun control, Gun Control/2nd Amendment, Insanity, Liberals/Democrats/Left, Taxes, United States

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