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Should it have cut more and taxed less? Or did it cut too much? Did vital services take too big a hit? What should have been cut so that more money could have gone elsewhere? Did legislators approve too many new rules — not enough?
According to a release from the Obama Administration, nearly 45 million Americans – 20 percent of that estimate being children – do not have health insurance. Obama and other Washington Democrats are pushing for a government-sponsored program that would compete with private insurance companies and provide care to those lacking insurance, whether through their work or a policy they’ve purchased.
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July 2 2009
On health care
According to a release from the Obama Administration, nearly 45 million Americans – 20 percent of that estimate being children – do not have health insurance. Obama and other Washington Democrats are pushing for a government-sponsored program that would compete with private insurance companies and provide care to those lacking insurance, whether through their work or a policy they’ve purchased.
The ideas of socialized medicine have been in a profound limelight since the Clinton Administration proposed the idea in 1993. For months, it’s been back with a vengeance. Key Democrats say health care reform and providing care for all is necessary, while key GOP folks are skeptical, wondering how such a program would be funded while citing lack of personal care as one of the main reasons for health issues in the U.S., not inadequate insurance programs.
I’m not sure how to explain my attraction to Mollie’s. It’s a sticky attachment, something that involves maple syrup, ketchup and those little packets of jelly.
The sudden closure of the 24-hour truck stop restaurant on Highway 97 left a hole in my existence here in Klamath Falls. I’m sure it’s the same for many Klamath Falls residents and visitors.
I work at night, and that might explain part of it. When you punch out at midnight, the options can be limited. I know what time the grocery stores close, where to buy gas and what restaurants are open (there were two). I developed an affinity for Mollie’s.
Fairhaven and Altamont elementary schools are closing this week as part of a boundary realignment agreement between the Klamath County School District and Klamath Falls City Schools.
Students from Fairhaven will be transferred to Conger and Keno elementary schools. Altamont students will attend Roosevelt, Mills and Stearns elementary schools next year.
Students, staff, alumni and parents at Fairhaven and Altamont marked the closure of their schools with an open house at Fairhaven last week and a celebration at Altamont this week. Read story here.
A friend of mine recently told me that MySpace is so 2006.
According to him, Twitter is the new. Twitter is it.
The networking site www.twitter.com allows users to give constant updates on their status throughout the day, via 3G cell phone or computer. Whether they’re traveling or staring at a wall, individuals can keep family members and friends in the know.
“I have too much stuff.” It’s a common complaint, but when does it become a problem? Medical professionals have touted a few theories on why people compulsively hoard. They’ve speculated it could stem from obsessive compulsive disorder, ADD, psychosis, or dementia.
If you know anyone that is a compulsive hoarder, the Herald and News would like to talk to them for our upcoming story on the culture of storing. E-mail rpfeil@heraldandnews.com.
It’s a great time to be an Oregonian. Who cares if you don’t have any money for fancy dinners and expensive shows? With Oregon’s 150th birthday celebration, there’s plenty to do to right here to “Take Care of Oregon,” and it only costs time and sweat.
Local groups have scheduled volunteer opportunities throughout the month that will beautify and preserve many neighborhoods and public areas. Why not pick something and get involved?
There’s been much discussion on the Web site about Charter’s filing for Chapter 11 that focuses not on the financial challenges of the company, but on what’s better: satellite or cable. Ahh the debate. I suggest we stir the pot a little.
I’m one of those people who think television is just as good free as it is paid. Unfortunately, with the digital transition here, I’ve lost the ability to reliably pick up the good, old free stuff. Fortunately, my boyfriend is a long-time subscriber to Dish Network’s service (his account is something like 15 years old) so I haven’t suffered too much. We used to subscribe to cable Internet service before moving to Klamath Falls, but found once we got here our interest in saving money far outweighed our desire to have the fastest download speeds possible. We also don’t stream or download movies, which helped us decide on a less expensive alternative in Clearwire.
I want to address a couple of issues here. First, isn’t it time that satellite and cable providers offer the network channels in high definition for free? They are already broadcasting that way over the air, and I for one, am willing to sit through the commercials for the high-definition experience. I do not, however want to pay more each month for something that I can get for free.
A story in Sunday's paper details familiar things that aren't quite extinct yet: Handwritten letters, film cameras, VHS tapes and ham radio. They each have a solid fan base, and attractive qualities. But demand has decreased, and they aren’t as common as in the past.
What else would you add to this list? Cassette tapes? Landline phones? CDs? Are some things better off in the dust bin? It’s hard to imagine a world without handwritten letters. They reveal so much more than an e-mail message. Ham radios (and operators) can be vitally important in an emergency.
On a somewhat related note, we ran a wire story on March 15 about how people nationwide are generating less trash because of the recession. People are buying less, and throwing less away.
The Web site www.studentsreview.com gives former alumni – and really anybody else that wants to – the option of evaluating their former school in several categories. Only eight online respondents have reviewed the Oregon Institute of Technology, but the ranks they gave in two categories are fairly polarized.
The school’s academic programs rank pretty high. The relationship the campus population has with Klamath Falls is quite a bit lower.
I believe the support for students is genuinely there. All you need to do is step inside Danny Miles Court during a basketball game. Other than this, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot. Or is there?
I moved to Klamath Falls in late August of 2007. My first impressions of the town were not great. Up to that point, I had lived my entire life near an Interstate highway. Sounds silly, but it made me feel connected to society. For my first few weeks here, I felt isolated.
As time wore on, I found my way into local groups and societies, and made new friends. My Basin experience improved with the connections I made and the people I met. I became a fan of several local restaurants and coffee shops, namely Matteo’s, Daywater Café, and Mias and Pias. The town grew on me.
If you’re a recent newcomer, did you have the same first impressions of Klamath? What have your first impressions been so far? Has meeting folks and making connections been easy or hard compared to where you moved from?
I started bringing reusable bags to the grocery store a couple of months ago. I quickly discovered it’s easy and addictive to avoid plastic and paper.
At first I started with couple of cloth bags that I always forgot to bring with me. Then I acquired a smallish, roll up version from a downtown shop. It fits in my purse, holds way more than a regular plastic bag and is much, much easier to carry. And, as a bigger bonus, many local stores will subtract a couple of cents from your bill each time you bring your own bag.
Around the world, communities are considering banning or putting surcharges on plastic bags in an effort to help the environment and reduce litter. Here in Klamath Falls, Mayor Todd Kellstrom is taking a less punitive approach. He hopes to encourage area businesses to purchase thousands of reusable shopping bags and give them away to people who want them. (Read story here.) Klamath County Economic Development Association Executive Director Trey Senn says they are looking for a durable, sustainable bag that hopefully would be made in Oregon.
Here's a classic Klamath Falls combination: Steep hills, snow, ice and your car. How do you handle it?
We've noticed many drivers seem to have special strategies for getting home these days. Zig-zagging, getting a running start, shifting into first on the way down. Or my favorite approach: Taking an alternate route to avoid hills if at all possible.
We're planning a story about this topic in the coming week. If you live on a steep hill and have some good stories, feel free to e-mail reporter Ryan Pfeil. Or share your strategies below. We'd also like to collect a list of some of Klamath Falls' most treacherous driving hills. Third Street? Lincoln? What's your favorite?
Groups collecting toys and food for the less fortunate this season report a decline in charitable giving this year. “We are desperate for toys,” said Debi Leighton, field representative for Southern Oregon’s Salvation Army said in a story this week. “We have some, but not nearly enough.” Here are some ways to help ... to add more ideas, please post a comment below.
A seven-part series called "Trial of their Lives" is running in this week's Herald and News. In a nutshell, the series from the Baltimore Sun follows the search for a breast cancer vaccine, and the women who are taking part in a medical trial at Johns Hopkins.
As part of the package, the Herald and News has been talking with local surgeons and specialists about risk factors, treatment and the importance of early detection.
Klamath Falls surgeon Dr. Marc Orlando said while he has great hopes for new research, he must focus on therapies available now, and he said, the best medicine has to offer is early detection.
Is it bumpy? Filled with potholes? Impossible to navigate? In dire need of grading? Repaving?
A story in Friday's paper discussed the status of city street maintenance and repairs. City officials say it would cost between $50 million and $80 million to bring all city streets up to fair condition. Finding funding is and has been a major hurdle. The city allocated $5.8 million to street maintenance, repair and construction in its current budget.
Are local roads really that bad? Which road (city or county) is the worst? We're taking recommendations below (and if you'd like to e-mail us a photo, click here.) To get things rolling, I nominate Grant Street, mainly because it's in my neighborhood.
What’s it really like to be a student these days? How different are the challenges? How difficult?
We've been exploring the issue in a two-part series called "Checking on the Kids," where we talked with local students, educators and community members about the challenges Klamath Basin students face. Read part 1 and part 2 here.
Is your family feeling the effects of an economic downturn? How do you think the local economy is doing?
The Herald and News has been running stories about the state of the local economy in a two-part series called "Money Matters."(Read part 1 and part 2 here.) In a nutshell, home construction appears to be at standstill, home sales are down, area companies are laying people off and everyone is dealing with rising energy and food prices. At the same time, the community has made progress in the area of commercial development, enrollment is up at OIT and KCC, and Kingsley Field is growing.
We've interviewed a variety of community leaders and business people about the economy and their thoughts on the future. Many are reassessing how they do business and repositioning their companies to cope with the changes.
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re making a couple of tweaks to our Web site. We’ve tried to make local sports and Oregon news from the Associated Press easier to find, and have set up areas for “most read” and “most commented” stories, based on reader requests. We will continue to emphasize breaking news, and want to encourage debate on local issues.
We’re interested in your suggestions and questions about the changes, so feel free to rant and rave in the comments box below. We’re contemplating a bigger upgrade in the months ahead, so your thoughts are appreciated.
And — since election season is in full swing — it’s probably a good idea to review our Web comment policy. The rules and standards we employ are similar to what we use in judging letters to the editor and are posted on each page. Here’s what you agree to when you post: “The editors of heraldandnews.com reserve the right to refuse publication of any comment posted for consideration. We may refuse for any reason, including use of profanity, disparaging comments, libelous comments, etc.” I’d further define “disparaging comments” to include personal insults. We also reject spam and information we know to be inaccurate or questionable.
This past weekend Lee Juillerat examined the history of Klamath Falls' downtown. I was intrigued, as I have lived here for more than two years and downtown is about the only place besides the Herald and News office I ever see.
It's interesting to me that downtown was once a rough and tumble place after dark, as I am often there late at night (the curse of a copy editor's schedule) and have rarely seen more than the occasional booze-fueled dispute get a little carried away.
For the most part, the regular denizens of the two bars I frequent most are friendly, courteous and usually ripe for an interesting conversation about pool, books or what the Hustlin' Owls are up to.
Shopping at thrift stores is a great habit to get into
I've been shopping at thrift and resale stores for about nine years. I started off simply looking for unique T-shirts. T-shirts from old baseball teams, businesses that closed, or places I'd never been. For a couple of bucks, you could snag some gems.
It wasn't until college rolled around that I started really noticing how great thrift shops were. Through the years, I picked up a wood coffee table in great condition for $15, a few lamps for about $5 each, and several great pieces of art for no more than $10 each.
Need more forks? You can usually find bins of silverware at resale shops, running at around 15 cents each. Talk about a deal. And if you're looking for some spare dishes to send to college with your recent high school grad, you can find shelves of plates, mugs, bowls, and glasses, usually ranging anywhere from 25 cents to $1 each.
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