rjaskiel's blog

From PointofLaw.com (www.PointofLaw.com), the Manhattan Institute's web magazine covering litigation issues, comes this look at a decision against Chipotle Restaurants in favor of a "professional plaintiff" who regularly sues businesses over ADA matters.  The Ninth Circuit Court's decision reverses a lower court's finding, and adds to that appelate court's notoriously poor reputation.

Antoninetti v. Chipotle

Gallup's "State of the States" report shows top ten GOP & Dem states -- Vermont's #1 Dem; Oregon did not even make the top ten, although it is identified as "solidly Democrat".  We will change that...here's the summary I received from Gallup, along with a link to an interesting poll:

More states are competitive so far in 2010 than was the case in 2009, as fewer Americans nationwide identify with the Democratic Party. Vermont -- along with the District of Columbia -- is the most Democratic state in the U.S. so far this year, while Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho are the most Republican.

Read more at GALLUP.com.

Read this sad history lesson from The City Journal - publication arm of The Manhattan Institute.  It chronicles the 1960s beginning of California public union collective bargaining, the union's steady growth in money and power, and the resulting budget debacle in California today.  The feckless "leadership" of California's elected officials is especially infuriating; they simply acquiesced to union threats and demands.  There is an important lesson to learn here about strong, fiscally responsible negotiations with public unions which well serve the public interest.  Let's hope Oregon can learn this lesson.

Dear Mr. Wessel:

The bias displayed in the Business Journal’s June 4, 2010 article on state budget issues begs the question: are you reporters or government apologists?

Tom, Post-Election Notes…

Published in the Oregonian, 5/14/10

RE: Mayor Adams vs. Chief Sizer

Dear Mr. Caldwell:

By the time statehood came to the West coast, the federal government had gotten pretty good at extortion, demanding a large percentage of land be ceded to the federal government as a price for granting statehood. Evidence? Look at the percentage of federal land from East to West. Oregon is under federal control. Well, the worm turns. Can you imagine the possibilities if we get some of that back?

Read the original story here, posted at Oregonians in Action:

How do you know when you're on the right track?  I praised Michelle Rhee, Washington, D.C. schools Chancellor, in a previous entry.  Check out these excerpts from a diatribe against her at the website "SocialistWorker.org" written by Brian Tierney (Note: here's the link for the entire article http://socialistworker.org/2010/04/22/lies-to-attack-dc-teachers):

In the April 17th, 2010, Oregonian, Kenneth Lewis wrote an op-ed commentary titled "Let My Tax Cut Expire". This is my response to that op-ed, sent to the editors of the paper:

To the editor:

From Reason Magazine, as reported on their Reason Foundation website, www.reason.org. Michelle Rhee is the Chancellor of the Washington, DC school system; can we rent her for awhile?