Posted on 05/13/2005 6:30:19 PM PDT by ex-Texan
Mayor Tom Potter reponds to Pentagon plan to reduce strength of Portland Air National Guard
Press release from the Office of Mayor Tom Potter
"I am saddened for the 452 civilians who will lose their jobs with this decision, and concerned about the safety of our community.
"I am going to work with our delegation in Washington, D.C. to reverse this decision. It makes little sense to send family wage jobs packing to other states just as Portland's economy is finally moving in a positive direction.
"At the same time, I don't want to see our area's ability to respond to any emergency or outside threat diminished by sending our pilots and planes elsewhere.
"When you look at the pattern of closures across the nation, I don't believe Portland has been singled out for its progressive political stands with this decision. Our delegation has heard rumors this base might be on the chopping block for the last 18 months. Still, it makes no sense to do this now."
Welcome to the NW, if you are looking for sanity try Idaho. I moved to WA 15 years ago and my exact thoughts were these people (officals) are whack jobs.
Bumper sticker seen recently on a van in Salem:
"Keep Portland Weird." Nuff said.
That's a theory. But the payoff is not worth the candle, and there is too much risk that someone with ratfink and tell the NY Times. The theory lacks elegance.
Thanks so much for the ping.
I had a sick grandchild today, and just caught a bit of this very early this morning.
I'm gonna miss hearing the "sound of freedom". ;o(
"Thunder is the sound of freedom."
Yep! Having been raised close to a Naval Air Station,
it was something that I took for granted.
Not anymore...
BTW, NAS Lemoore is just south of you.
Lived with the "sound of freedom" there, too.
In fact, hubby's bird WAS the "sound of freedom."
Thanks for weighing in on this subject.
One thing the military wants, especially given strong
sentiments on the Iraq war, is a supportive community
for military personnel, and their families.
It ain't here.
At least, it's not here in the State government,
and in Portland.
Thanks, tailback!
I surely am gonna miss hearing those planes overhead,
and seeing them at PDX.
These are the planes at PDX, aren't they?
ibz
At the south end of the state is the Peoples Republic of Eugene.
Don't need jets to protect the infestation in this area.
Funny you say this. On election night I tuned in to the Boise news on satellite to watch the election results!
The Republicans were slightly ahead, something like 98%...
Portland has been and is now the Mekka for every left-leaning, whacked-out, red diaper baby, or trust fund ramora who ever attended the U. of Oregon at Eugene. Eliminate Portland and Eugene and Oregon is loaded with decent folk.
To liberals the military is just a pork barrel jobs and spending program. It's never about defense.
Of course with your liberal attitudes about defense and gun control your little analogy about the Revolution kinda falls flat. What you gonna use to fight with, cruel words?
That has been my main observation so far...
We do have a growing drug problem (as most places do) and I think it is the result of the aforementioned deviant sub-cultural Meccas across the country we call metropolitan areas...
The theory is honest, of course when they are playing politics they sugar coat it "elegance" but the end result is just the same. "You ticked us off and now we are going to spank you."
Yup, the F-15's you see taking off at PDX are the ones. They sure are cool, my shop faces the runway and when I hear that roar I still can't help but look. I'll miss them too, but that's the price of progress. UAV's and the F-22 will be doing a lot of the stuff that the Portland squadron used to. The airbase in Klamath Falls is nicer than some active duty bases I've seen, and the guys that move down there will be happier I think than in Portland overall. The article in todays Salem paper says my unit will be staying unfortunately. I was hoping it would move closer to home or at least a newer facility. (maybe one with working air conditioning)
You should have seen the fun I had during the election sporting my "Swift Boat Vets for Bush" on my car and totally upsetting the libs.
Nam Vet
I really can't say whether Portland's economy is getting better or not. I don't live there and I'm not a fulltime employee at the airbase, just a traditional weekend guardsman. The overall economy in Oregon is starting to get better but Oregon still has one of the highest unemployment rates nationwide. Oregon's economy has lagged behind the rest of the nation and will probably continue to do so.
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