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Artist Leaving Portland
What a shame local artist Carye Bye (and hubby) are leaving Stumptown for Texas ["Portland, I Love You but You're Forcing Me Out," WW, Oct. 21, 2015].
The Byes didn't get here too late. Like many of us, they couldn't foresee out-of-state corporations buying up property and apartment buildings in Portland, then doubling or tripling rents overnight. Where's a citywide cap on rental rates, Mr. Ex-Lobbyist Mayor?
Capitalism is fine, as long as there are checks and balances. That's exactly what created the world's best example of a vibrant middle class after World War II.
Billionaires and corporations today could not give a rat's ass about American democracy and any middle class. It also explains the war on working people being carried out by the elite's political lackeys, the soulless Republicans.
I wish the Byes all the best in their new adventure, but I question their decision of Texas. There are far too many Neanderthals down there. It could be a very bumpy ride.
—Marvin Thiessen
I have lived here my entire life. I grew up during the '90s boom, and the same complaints were happening then in the form of "Californians are coming here and buying up the property."
At the time, our property values were much lower in comparison to San Francisco and other California urban environments. Now the boom that brought people here is becoming their downfall. I feel for those people somewhat, but at the same time, what did you expect would happen with a continual influx of people to a city where young people want to live?
I'm sorry to see a creative person with passion for the area leaving, and I'm sure she'll find a great home in San Antonio. But I don't blame the landlords, the city, or those migrating here. They're all a consequence of the reason you wanted to come here in the first place.
—"Your mama"
Standardized Testing
While teachers may agree this is a bad standardized test ["Cheating on Tests," WW, Oct. 21, 2015], parents are the ones who are opting their children out, and parents have a right to direct their children's education, according to the Constitution and multiple Supreme Court decisions.
At the hearings for this bill, parents were the ones who were pushing their legislators to pass it. Our kids are being overtested, and their school experience is being negatively affected by an overemphasis on testing.
People don't object to assessments, just to poorly designed, expensive, ineffective ones. People object to the overemphasis on a single test score and the narrowing of the curriculum.
Parents are opting their kids out of Common Core testing all over the country. It's insulting to insinuate that parents don't know what's good for their own kids.
—Kathleen Hagans Jeskey
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