Commentary

Benton GMO ban: Weird notions

Written April 14th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 8 responses.

You don’t have to know anything about growing plants for seed to realize that Benton County Ballot Measure 2-89 is nothing but trouble. All you have to do is read the summary in the Benton County Voters’ Pamphlet.

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Benton County, GMO, May 19 election, Measure 2-89

Our crime factory in Salem

Written April 13th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 7 responses.

Sad to say, one part of the business of the legislature is to create crimes, and Senate Bill 941 is only the most notorious example of this. It declares that something that is perfectly legal now — selling, without asking the government’s permission, an item (a firearm) whose ownership is protected by the Constitution — becomes a […]

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: bills that create crimes, creating crimes, Oregon legislature, Oregon offenses

Gun bill: Its logic is not enough

Written April 13th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 15 responses.

UPDATE: As expected the Senate passed SB 941 on Tuesday, 17-13, with only Democrat Betsy Johnson joining the 12 Republicans in opposition to the bill. Democrats in the Oregon Senate on Tuesday expect to pass SB 941, the bill expanding Oregon’s background checks to people who seek to buy firearms from private gun owners. I […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: background checks, firearms, gun purchases, NICS, SB 941

Albany, where roundabouts flourish

Written April 12th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 5 responses.

Just to set the record straight, Albany has five roundabouts and the one under construction now is number six. I was wrong when I wrote, in a photo caption going with a story about the North Albany Road reconstruction project a few days ago, that it would be the fourth.

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Benton Woods, Quarry Road, roundabouts, Spring Hill, traffic circles

Albany Lowe’s: Any day now

Written April 11th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: no responses.

It’s been about two months since Lowe’s filed for building permits for its planned Albany home improvement and garden center at Ninth Avenue and Oak, and city officials say the company likely will be cleared to start construction any day now.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, Lowe's, Lowe's building permits

More bike trail news, sort of

Written April 10th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 2 responses.

On the mid-valley bike-trail front, there are developments and one of them — a bill introduced by Rep. Andy Olson of Albany — could complicate things a bit.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany-Corvallis Bike Trail, Benton County, bicycling, ODOT, Oregon cycling, South Bypass Project

Income taxes: The April lament

Written April 10th, 2015 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 2 responses.

Here’s a modest proposal: Move either the tax-filing deadline or general elections so both fall on the same dates. Maybe then we’d vote for office holders more motivated to rationalize our federal and state income tax systems.

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: federal income tax, Oregon income tax, tax filing day