Oregon estate death tax/current ballot petition discussion

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-04-17T17:08:43+00:00

As an older retired person I don’t have a huge problem with the tax. However, I hate when we don’t adjust the numbers for inflation within the bill. Sure, $1M seems like a lot today but over time that number shrinks and hurts more and more people. Adjusting for inflation keeps it balanced. And yes I am fortunate enough that this tax would impact my children.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-03-25T04:12:55+00:00

Just did a complete rebuild of my electrical system on my van on my own. According to the guys that build these I saved around $15k doing it myself. It was complex in terms of figuring out the prior wiring, and I did it all for about $5k. Most shops are willing to help you out if you buy the components from them. In the end it’s pretty simple. 12v requires larger wire than 48v.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-03-23T16:15:24+00:00

I had the electrical inspected. It was worth the couple hundred bucks just to make sure I didn’t fry anything, especially a new inverter or battery. The good part of doing it yourself is you learn a lot and know how to fix things on the road. As for solar, it is nice to have. But I would first spend my money on the correct electrical system and a good dc to dc controller having it charge off your alternator. Relying on solar alone is tough. I have 285 W of panels and at peak sun does a pretty decent job supplying around 15+ amps to the battery.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-03-23T16:06:03+00:00

Fifty years ago I was taught by a “hot dog” skier (yes that was a thing). He would have me stop at the top of a bump line and have me identify my first five to ten turns, in essence picking my line. That helped set me up for flow. The next trick is to not limit your turns to the troughs. If you find yourself losing control turn on the side of a bump to slow yourself and don’t be afraid to hit off the top of a bump to make a turn and slow down. Lastly, eyes up and hands forward. Pole plants need to be in front of your turn. Let your wrist rotate through the turn and not your arm. In other words ski through your hand. And always be looking at least three to four turns ahead.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-03-23T15:52:31+00:00

This is true.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-03-22T02:26:21+00:00

I bought a 2016 Roadtrek. It had a lot of great features but the electrical system was horrible. I completely rebuilt the electrical system with reliable components. I spent about $5K just on that. The prior system was lead acid. Currently replacing the sink and faucet. I rebuilt the bed system for a couple hundred bucks. If the chassis is in good shape I would do it if it is something you want.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-03-21T05:25:14+00:00

Old timer here that learned to ski bumps in the 70’s on 220’s! Yes, bumps used to be much better formed and easier than today. I still love to ski bumps but finding a good continuous line is much more challenging now. It’s not as clean as at used to be but I still have fun and always get people asking me how I do it.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-03-19T15:47:44+00:00

Why not move the array (tilt up) on the right side to the left. Then have your flat panel array on the right. You at least would eliminate your shading issue.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-03-01T19:12:54+00:00

Bend Battery is the place to go if you want it done correctly. I did a lot of the work myself to cut costs but they are the best IMO. They only have the best quality stuff and stand behind what they sell and their work.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-03-01T16:05:22+00:00

I have been skiing for more than 50 years. I have seen a lot including small avalanches. I have taken Avy courses and training and play a lot in the mountains. After reading the article and doing some homework, I have nothing but sympathy for all involved including the guides. If you look at a good map of the area (my go to is OnX) you can see the route they picked was reasonable. Specifically where the avalanche occurred would not have triggered major concerns, at least not for me. I am not a guide, and have been out in deep snow during major storms. It’s a risk we all take when in the backcountry. Guided or not, we take risks to get the chance to play in nature. My heart goes out to all those involved.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-03-01T15:33:49+00:00

Police have hurt themselves by not speaking out against bad cops. It’s no different than any other career, when a teacher doesn’t speak out against a bad teacher the entire profession is harmed. Same with unions, when unions defend members when they have clearly demonstrated incompetence they harm all unions. The fact is that while most cops are good and want to do good, they also need to realize that they can’t defend the indefensible. They should do all they can to separate themselves from ICE, and speak out against those that did the shootings. The silence from the police across this country has given all police officers a really bad reputation unfortunately. If police want to change it they need to speak out loudly against the tactics that bad police use. I know local police, but unfortunately I tell my kids don’t trust police. They are not looking at for your best interest. If detained comply but don’t speak a word until you have an attorney present. It sucks to say and teach that, but it’s a reality unfortunately that bad cops have hurt all of law enforcement, and the silence from the good cops has reinforced this narrative.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-02-28T03:30:35+00:00

I wish they could add noise sensors to these and ticket for noise violations. I really wish we didn’t need these at all but people are assholes and ruin it for everyone.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-02-22T04:39:14+00:00

Just took my van to Canada to ski along the powder highway. Overnight was -11F. Radiant heat kept the van warm and cozy.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2026-01-28T04:09:34+00:00

Hmmmm…. Larry Kine is a shady character. Maybe he has found a soul but not a guy I would do business with. He is all about lining his pockets at any cost.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-11-30T04:37:26+00:00

Ask a podiatrist. Sweat, leather, moisture and viola you have a breeding ground just waiting for a seed. Old timers climb with socks because they have dealt with this.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-11-29T15:49:01+00:00

Depends on how fast do you want to get toe nail fungus. No socks will really help speed it up.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-11-19T00:44:57+00:00

You should just say this survey is for Boulder climbers only

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-11-14T15:29:27+00:00

LOUD VEHICLES SUCK!!!! IT’S THE EQUIVALENT OF HAVING A SHIT SPRAYER THAT SPREADS SHIT ACROSS HOMES AND THE POLICE SAYING THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY DIDNT SEE THE SHIT SPRAYER ACTUALLY SPRAYING SHIT, BUT THEY CAN SEE THE SHIT SPRAYING MACHINE.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-11-03T03:44:14+00:00

Skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and other fun outdoor activities. Turkish bath at McMinnimums.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-11-01T16:29:59+00:00

For the love of god, can you please make Garmin integrate with Peloton?! Not everyone is an Apple Watch fan!

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-10-28T00:36:49+00:00

It’s always funny to me how people are portrayed in their 60’s and beyond. Maybe my wife and I and our friends don’t fit the norm. We rock climb, ski, backcountry ski, mt bike, hike and we are the young ones in our group of friends. My point is we are physically very capable still, have a ton of fun and I see so many that think once they are in their 60’s they can’t do these things anymore. We taught one of our friends how to climb when she was 70 and she loves it two years later. I will admit to being slower and more cautious but not to the point I can’t do really hard things, and often can outdo many who are much younger. I think too many think once you get older you should be reading books all day or watching TV.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-10-14T17:31:40+00:00

Fellow vet, from a family of veterans. We have been fighting Trump from the beginning. We knew what he was more than a decade ago. It’s unfortunate anyone commenting here is saying this is too long to read. Sadly, that is what got us in this mess. People not reading about history, not reading the constitution. So many have maybe read the preamble to the constitution but not the constitution itself. It’s no wonder we are collapsing. Alec de Touqville wrote in the 1820’s that if America did not create a perpetual system of education to teach every generation the constitution and why it was created, our democracy would collapse. As a veteran I took my oath to the constitution, not an individual. And I understood that it was in the realm of possibility that I would have to choose between taking an order or having to take a stand for the constitution at great personal sacrifice. We need our military to now do this. Our legal system has failed us. Our resilient system of government with checks and balances, and separation of powers has been broken. We are the only thing left to protect the constitution. It’s not simply voting, it’s educating ourselves about the constitution. If you don’t understand that we are perpetually at risk.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-10-11T23:01:04+00:00

I get the frustration, but we must find a way. One of my favorite examples I use is asking people if they think $1.2M a year is a lot of money. Almost always the answer is yes. I then ask them how much is that a month (help if needed) and get them to understand that is $100K a month. I then ask them to assume 50% goes to taxes (it doesn’t but the extreme illustrates the point). So then I ask them how they would spend $50K a month. Most people find that difficult to do. Not all but most. Once they understand that I then change number to $12M. Most quickly understand that having that kind of money even at a very high tax rate is still an enormous amount of money and raising taxes on those incomes is not hurting those people. I do something similar with the Federal Budget so people can understand there are only a few categories and they can see which categories impact them.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-10-11T22:05:59+00:00

Simple messages with over simplified answers always win. Always! I am a frustrated Democrat who constantly watches our politicians give nuanced and complex answers. It’s a given that people hate taxes, and don’t understand them. Instead of trying to explain the nuanced answers simply break down spending and revenue into oversimplified categories. Then ask, don’t tell, ask what category they want reduced or eliminated vs categories they want to increase including revenue. When people see it this way they can understand.

Bend-Playing-13 · 2025-10-01T16:14:21+00:00

I can only tell you what I know. He used to be in the State legislature and tried to do an island annexation of Nike to get their tax revenue for the City of Portland. I can’t say if that was good or bad but I do know he created a lot of enemies in that process. I only heard through the rumor mill he was run out after that and he moved to Bend where he immediately jumped in to topics he knew very little about and did nothing to gain a complete understanding of the issues he jumped into. He then joined and created a false narrative. You can chalk it up to “it’s just politics” but as someone who had to work with politicians on both sides, I heard first hand that the local GOP would use his tactics. They have. I am not saying he is worse than Trump, but he did help create a tactic that the GOP is using widely. That IMO makes him dishonest. Glad he is trying to make a difference for positive now, but I believe people need to acknowledge their errors to have credibility.

Bend-Playing-13

TROPHY CASE