Your Daily Patella Fraud For Monday, Part Duex

[Chief]

http://www.westerndredging.org/cgi-bin/mail.cgi/archive/Local/20070730100223/

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Date: July 30th, 2007


Need another reason to vote NO on the Port's outrageous attempt to sneak past the Voters a 132% increase in the Property taxes they take from you.

Apparently the Port and the columbian are pulling out all the stops to convince unsuspecting voters that they should allow their pockets to be picked for yet another boondoggle. The Timing of the Port's Ester Short Park Festival Raises some question on the port's ethics.

According to today's Front Page Article in Section C, the port not only organized with taxpayer dollars, at Ester Short Park, a festival whose primary purpose it appears was to provide at taxpayers expense, bus tours of the port. The timing of the festival and the bus tours was nothing more than an attempt to buy votes. My gut feeling and opinion is that it is illegal for the port to expend Taxpayer dollars to influence the outcome of a levy vote HOW SAD!!!

Don't be place in a position where your PROPERTY TAXES WILL BE SO HIGH you will wind up renting your home from the government. VOTE NO ON PROP #1 and anyone who support it.
.
L. M. Patella
CDR USN (ret)


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Say what??!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/SeniorChieftain/no_bullshit.jpg

[Chief]

http://www.portofvancouverusa.com/news/releases/2007/7_19_07.html

For Immediate Release

PORT HOSTS TRADITIONAL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL AT ESTHER SHORT PARK

July 19, 2007 -- VANCOUVER, Wash. - – The Port of Vancouver USA will host the International Festival at Esther Short Park, a tradition since 1970. The festival will be held on Sunday, July 29, from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. The festival is a free community event that showcases the many cultures of Clark County through entertainment, displays and food.

“As Vancouver’s link to the world, the port is pleased to support this long-standing tradition that showcases many cultures representing both international trade partners and members of our community,” said Executive Director Larry Paulson.

Multicultural entertainment featuring several Clark County performers and groups will include the Khmer Angkor Dance Troupe (Cambodian), Kaleinani O Ke Kukui Dancers (Hawaiian), and Mariachi Viva Mexico, American West Vancouver Chinese School students, the One-of-A-Kind Drumline, Jim Fischer & Friends from Around the World, a fashion show by Clark College International students and the Sons of Italy Bocce Ball demonstrations.

New for 2007 will be the Columbian.com Internet Lounge, where festival guests can check email and local news. Columbian.com, festival sponsor and pioneer in the new media arena, offers a local and intimate connection to the internet incorporating the voices of its newsroom, businesses and the community to provide 24-hour, 365-days a year breaking news and information.

This year will also feature free bus tours of the port’s working waterfront, scheduled to depart each half hour from the north side of the park. Bus tour guests will receive discounts for vendors at Vancouver Farmer’s Market. The market will be open throughout the festival, at the west side of the park on Esther Street. Adults must have photo identification to take the tour and children under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

“This is also a wonderful opportunity for the public to witness firsthand the benefits of global trade created by the Columbia River and our local port by taking a port tour,” Paulson said.

Other community organizations sharing information at the event will include: the Fort Vancouver Seafarer’s Center, Clark College Continuing Education, Clark Public Utilities, Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, WorkSource, and Special Olympics of Washington.

Parking is available at VancouverCenter (Sixth Street and Columbia). More information about this event is available on the port’s website at www.portvanusa.com.

* * * * * * * *

The Port of Vancouver, USA, created by Clark County taxpayers in 1912, is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast. Its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a dependable labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community.

-30-


Contact:
Nelson Holmberg, Communications Manager
direct: 360.992.1107 or mobile: 360.518.2553
email: nholmberg@PortVanUSA.com

[Chief]

http://columbian.com/news/localNews/07302007news175585.cfm

Monday, July 30, 2007
By JOSE PAUL CORONA, columbian staff writer

VANCOUVER - A fashion show by Clark College international students gave people gathered at Esther Short Park on Sunday an idea of the diversity of Clark County.

Seven countries were represented in the show during the International Festival. Clothing from Korea, Mexico and even the United States was modeled shortly after Mariachi Viva Mexico finished playing traditional Mexican music.

Festival attendees giggled and chuckled as a young man modeled a traditional cowboy outfit.

Festival guests seemed to be having a good time, except for the mother of two small children who lamented the long line to see the face painter.

"Do you want a balloon?" the woman asked her daughter.

Officials from the Port of Vancouver, the event's organizer, estimated about 2,000 people attended the festival.

"We're really happy with the turnout," said Sue Groth, the port's community relations specialist.

While people in the park enjoyed the free entertainment, others boarded yellow school buses for a free tour of the port.

The tours were meant to give residents a close-up look at the port's inner workings, something that most people can't see because of security restrictions.

Forty-five people were aboard the 2 p.m. tour, which was one of 10 tours. Everyone sat attentively as Katy Brooks, the port's community relations manager, described the port and pointed out various structures.

The tour also served as a question-and-answer session about the port levy proposal. If approved by voters Aug. 21, the levy would let the port purchase waterfront land for redevelopment and run a new rail line westward to serve a major expansion.

Both projects could bring thousands of jobs to the region, but it would also more than double the port district's taxing rate.

"We're a very rail-dependent port," Brooks told tour attendees. Rail has become the cheapest and most efficient way to get cargo to the port, but better access is needed, she said.

Bus passengers expressed astonishment at the size of pieces of wind turbines stored at the port. They were also surprised by all of the Freightliner trucks and Subarus awaiting distribution.

When the Japanese cars arrive at the port, they lack radios, air conditioners and various other parts. That equipment is added in Vancouver, Brooks said. The port's proposed expansion would accommodate more cars along with other cargo, she said.

Tour attendees occasionally asked Brooks questions, such as what the levy would pay for, and she answered each one.

She even responded to a difficult question: What would happen if the levy failed?

"We're going to have to retool," she said.

Jose Paul Corona can be reached at 360-759-8038 or jose.corona@columbian.com.

[Chief]

Once again, <a href="http://frogstar.soylentgeek.com/wav/mad-hell.wav">Larry Patella</a> is running off at the mouth about an event that he didn't bother to attend, but is relying on his much-hated columbian to fill him in on all of the details.

One of you Port Haters, who profess to keep<a href="http://frogstar.soylentgeek.com/wav/mad-hell.wav">Larry Patella</a> as one of your close friends, really ought to have a word of prayer with him, and discuss the possibility that he is doing you more harm than good.

There comes a time when friends don't let friends make a public spectacle of themselves, and some sort of intervention is certainly indicated here...

It's up to you. As long as <a href="http://frogstar.soylentgeek.com/wav/mad-hell.wav">Larry Patella</a> keeps setting them up, I will continue to knock them back down.

[CouvCoug]

Oh my God...I can't believe that Commander Patella doesn't even recognized the FACT that the International Festival has been a long-running event the last Sunday of July, which originally started out as a fund-raiser for the Fort Vancouver Seafarers Center. It was a couple of years ago, Commander, that the Seafarers Center asked the port to help them with the event, and eventually turned it over to the port. It's a big event to manage. I think the port folks did a nice job with it, and I think you are dead wrong to accuse the port of doing something nefarious, especially this! You must not be a very happy person.

[Chief]

The question I have is: Who is the "Western Dredging Association" and do they support what <a href="http://frogstar.soylentgeek.com/wav/mad-hell.wav">Larry Patella</a> is saying on their website??

Since the columbian thinks he is such a good source, along with being the self-appointed voice of the opposition to damned near everything, I would sure like to see Jonathan Nelson do an expose on <a href="http://frogstar.soylentgeek.com/wav/mad-hell.wav">Larry Patella</a>and tell us sll about his long list of lost causes...

[CouvCoug]

Chief, have your port sources said anything to you in response to Commander Patella's charges that they spent taxpayer money on the International Festival? Just curious...you'd think they'd want to dispute that if it weren't true. And didn't the Commander retire from the Port of Portland? If so, I wonder how he sleeps at night, collecting that state retirement from who. I'd be interested to know if his retirement is paid for by taxpayers. Hmmm....

[Chief]

I re-posted the notice that the Port released about the International Festival back in June, along with the actual report from the columbian. It is striking that <a href="http://frogstar.soylentgeek.com/wav/mad-hell.wav">Larry Patella</a> had nothing to say about the Festival then, or in any of the years previously when the Port has sponsored that event.

One of my sources at the Port of Vancouver sent me a note today that said in part:

BTW…the port, by state law, isn’t allowed to spend taxpayer money on things like the International Festival. We can only spend taxpayer money on debt repayment, capital improvements/expansion, and industrial development. There may be one other thing we can spend it on, but I can assure you we can’t spend tax money on things like the International Festival. Keep in mind, too, that the portion of our budget that comes from the taxpayers is roughly $9 million…and what is our total budget for 2007? I can’t remember the exact number, but I think it’s somewhere between $81 million and $85 million. Hmmm…s’pose we’ve earned enough revenue ourselves to pay for something like the International Festival?


It is quite clear that <a href="http://frogstar.soylentgeek.com/wav/mad-hell.wav">Larry Patella</a> is only interested in taking anything that mentions the Port of Vancouver, and twisting it to fit his warped views.

That said, after reading what <a href="http://frogstar.soylentgeek.com/wav/mad-hell.wav">Larry Patella</a> had to say to the League of Woemen Voters last night, I believe <a href="http://frogstar.soylentgeek.com/wav/mad-hell.wav">Larry Patella</a> has finally crossed the line by directly accusing the Port of Vancouver's Executive Director Larry Paulson of lying.

I will solicit a response from the Port on that one too...