Happy New Year!!

So what's on your annual list of "must do" resolutions?

For many it's all about looking better, feeling better. I'm all for that one. Tough to stick to it but worth it. Columbia Memorial Hospital and Astoria Parks and Recreation are sponsoring a weight loss contest called 'The Smallest Winner" as oppposed to tv's ' The Biggest Loser". Obviously more positive.

If you would like some information on how it works call parks at 503-325-PARK

Merry Christmas to All

Great old time radio shows are one of my favorite things. I hope you get a kick out of them as well. Each Christmas we play holiday versions of the best shows. It all starts at noon Christmas eve and goes until noon on Christmas day. That's on KAST 1370 AM. For Christmas Music tune over to My Christmas station 99.7 fm. It's playing nothing but holiday tunes right now.

As evening approaches we'll be tracking Santa with the help of the Air National Guard which scrambles F-15 fighters to escort the jolly old elf every year as he swings by the coast. I understand that he's scheduled to be approaching Oregon and Washington between 5pm to 9pm..Better turn in early just in case. Hear the reports on KAST and on MY99.7 FM.

Beginning Monday at 6am I return to the air broadcasting my morning show on KAST. I've missed it and am very happy to be back in the saddle again. Thanks to all my listeners for your support over the years and here's to a Merry Christmas to each and every one of you!

Paper Or Plastic? Nope! Both!

Last night the Astoria City Council tabled a proposed resolution that would have shown support for a very broad piece of legislation.

The draft summary of the proposed Oregon law would prohibit the use of "single-use" checkout bags except in certain cases. The assumption at first was this about getting rid of plastic grocery bags but actually it would include paper bags that contain less than 40% recycled material as well. It wouldn't affect restaurants or fast-food joints. It encourages the use of reusable checkout bags as if nobody ever throws those way. One should not assume this is only about grocery stores. The legislation talks about retail establishments. The legislation adds a requirement that the DEQ require retail establishments to provide a report to ensure compliance. Civil penalties would apply to those who don't comply

It doesn't stop there.

It changes some of the provisions for permits issued by DEQ to solid waste facilities and repeals other statues.

It also encourages local governments to actually impose a fee on single use checkout bags by setting a deadline for the imposition of such a fee. Once the legislation goes into effect and imposes it's own 5 cent fee per bag, local governments will not be permitted to impose any further fee. if they already have one it is then grandfathered under the bill.

I missed just how this got on the agenda, or who brought it forward.

I suspect it will come up at other council and commission meetings. I hope others will follow the example of the Astoria Council and wisely table this or vote to show no support.

Reba Coming To The Coast!!

The Eagle 103.9 FM welcomes country music great Reba McEntire and Phil Vassar to the North Coast for a huge concert Sunday August 14th. Former NNB General Manager Paul Mitchell who now runs marketing efforts for CMH is the guy behind this concert along with Eric Paulson with the Astoria Regatta who says contracts are signed and the event is set for Camp Rilea which should seat about 12,000. This will be a great event helping bring attention to Astoria's Bicentennial next year.

A Little More History Gone

The fire that destroyed the buildings at 6th street in Astoria took some history as well. John Lansing ,who works for Seaport Airlines these days, used to work in those old waterfront buildings when they served as the world headquarters for Bumblebee Seafood's.

He told me there are a couple of other guys still around who used to work there as well. Most people know that Bumblebee traces it's origin to 1899 and the formation of the CRPA (Columbia River Packers Association)a combination of eight different fish packing companies.

The group was formed to more effectively market salmon for starters and many know that the old cannery at 39th street was also home to CRPA. Lansing told me that the building that housed Gundersons Cannery Cafe was once the base for Bumblebee Alaska Operations. According to the company website the name of the company was changed to Bumblebee to honor a fishing boat by the same name whose captain and crew spent two years at sea hunting for the perfect tuna. Sardines had become all the rage at the time even replacing salmon as a favorite. The Bumblebee, it's said, returned to the Astoria docks with the most beautiful tuna anyone had ever seen. We've been gobbling up albacore ever since.

The boat became famous and the crew adopted yellow life vests with black stripes. You had to earn those stripes to be a member of that crew.

The west side building at 6th street was empty for many years after Bumblebee moved on. Most of it was removed in the renovation that saw the dock turned into a public place and the buildings made suitable for habitation. I'll miss the Cannery Cafe, as will others. The fire displaced many . The Chamber is helping out with relocation. If you have suitable lease space for either temporary or long term you should contact Skip Haukie and get on the list.

When I talked with Fire Chief Hansen he said that firefighters almost ran out of water. Even with a river full within arms reach. The city no long has a fire boat. The old Harry Steinbock was rarely used so it didn't make sense to invest in a new fire boat. As boat owners are well aware the upkeep on even a small boat can tax resources. I wonder though if it would have made a difference in this case?

What Would You Cut?

In our discussions today a caller stated that government should be cut in half so my question was "what would you cut?". Things got a little vague after that but later on in the day this individual turned up at the studio.

He explained that he follows the federal government, not necessarily local government but he said as far as he is concerned government employees have too many opportunities for a good retirement. He feels PERS should be eliminated because government employees are already able to contribute to tax -advantaged retirements to which the general public do not have access. I wasn't aware of it. he gave me an education and said that I'm turning into a bleeding heart when I talk about how important government jobs are to our local economy. He says dump those jobs and somehow private sector jobs will appear out of thin air.

Seriously, I understand the principal behind his thinking and there is room for it in a healthy economy that puts government back where it belongs and encourages private sector development and the jobs that would entail regardless of where the private sector ends up taking those jobs. China and Russia are suffering too. The private sector is about finding ways to control the means of production and the market price point by using cheap labor in countries where they have few concerns about the environment, or making pretty planning choices.

Am I making my point? This isn't simple stuff. It's a matter of recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of our system. It's a matter of either accepting our boom and crash economy for the train wreak that it is and look for the alternative or just sticking to what we have and accepting that we will continue to allow profit
to drive us to balloons and government to continue to suck the life out of us while paying lip service to the principal of sensible regulation.

So back to the questions: What would you cut? How would you cut? Even if true efficiencies exist are we designed and equipped to recognize and take advantage of them? What fundamental changes need to take place to stabilize our economy long term? Is it desirable to do so or is it right and proper for our economy to be ruled by chaos (think about that one before answering too quickly)

Astoria Derelict Buildings Direction

We are at least a couple of meetings away from the council passing a new set of rules on property standards within city limits. The new ordinance takes into account current rules on the books and adds a few more to deal specifically with some properties that can only be described as a nuisance.

City planner Rosemary Johnson told the council last night that even though there are some new standards for private property owners the intent was to avoid creating a "hate your neighbor law" that one neighbor could use to harass another. Tough to accomplish.

I'm not in love with the new rules on landscaping that are part of this law because by design they need to be a little vague. Under this law vegetation has to be trimmed so that it is at least a foot away from any outside wall of your house. I have this particularly stubborn bush that insists on hugging the side of one corner of my house. I suppose that under this new law this very stubborn bit of greenery will have to be rooted out. I'll miss it though. It's been a love/hate relationship from the start. Oh well.

Back to the new law. It could take effect by March of next year. It has another small loophole. The law states that broken windows must be replaced. That's okay but the law goes on to say that using temporary measures such as plywood to cover the broken window is forbidden after a reasonable amount of time on buildings that appear abandoned. This gets tricky. The Astoria Aquatic center would be in violation since it uses plywood for extended periods in this fashion but since it's not entirely abandoned I suppose this is one of those loopholes in the new rules.

The rules for commercial buildings say the city prefers window displays to prevent empty properties from looking..well..empty. They suggest tourist information, displays of some kind, or artwork to fill the windows to make the downtown look more vibrant. In comments from the city attorney it is cautioned that our constitutionally protected freedom of speech rights would prevent the city from actually specifying what can be expressed in those displays. City sign code would also play a role.

The 28 page document that make up the new rule is actually a good piece of work that will never be perfect but may allow the city to have some measure of control over problem properties both private and commercial. It does so without telling you what bushes to plant or what color you must paint your house. It goes where we need it to go in securing public safety and putting some enforcement behind forcing negligent building owners to step up. It also may end up helping those with historic properties to find some financial help to do restoration work.

The rules also specify what exactly constitutes "rubbish". This includes a number of not terribly surprising objects. It also includes coal and coke left lying around. Since our Mayor is a Pepsi guy naturally the mention of coke as part of the definition of rubbish drew some dry wit to comment. Not the same sort of coke, of course but the comment was irresistible.

Great Party Coming Up

Saturday at the Astoria Events Center we host the Eagle 103.9 VIP Party and you are the VIP.

This is our way of saying thank you to our very loyal Eagle listeners. The doors open at 8:00am and the evening features a concert performance by country up and comer Jamie Lee Thurston.

Jamie was on the Coastwatch show with me this morning and treated us to a couple of tunes. The guy is a great performer and knows his way around the business. This will be an event you won't want to miss.

It Can't Run Like A Business

So just stop saying that would you?

Government was never intended to be businesslike. It was invented with a different purpose in mind. I'm not quite sure what that purpose was but nonetheless it has nothing to do with the principal of pricing mechanism that private markets naturally provide which directs goods and services to their highest value uses.

This was common knowledge as far back as 1944 when Ludwig Von Mises explained in his classic book "Bureaucracy" that any cost-benefit analysis of government is pointless because government bureaucrats have no way of allocating resources rationally, even if they wanted too.

The more government uses the private sector, which adheres to market forces, the better off we all become. As long as government continues to try and do more than it is intended to do the less efficient and economical it becomes. Oregon is a perfect example.