The Bus Project Returns (and it's sorta nasty!)

This ad for "voting" came to us courtesy of the Bus Project, the crazy leftwing nutjobs that we "outed" last Summer on the show. This is the bus that Jim Bernau from Willamette Valley Vineyards paid for.
Several questions come to my mind when I look at this photo ad:
1 - Why is she looking at his "election" that way?
2 - Is this all we will have left if 66 and 67 pass?
3 - Do these two work for the elections division and if so, should I have checked for STD's before opening my ballot?
4 - Couldn't they find some more normal looking Oregonians?
The left will do ANYTHING to get across their agenda. Even this. Oh well. At least we aren't left with his shortcomings.

Oregon Women Lead to have "Pro Choice Happy Hour"

I received an email from a listener and I have pasted it below and then I will tell you "the rest of the story"!

Dear Bill, I am a regular listener to your radio show and recently had an experience that bothered me. I'd like your opinion. Yesterday I picked up Salem Monthly to peruse and lo and behold, saw this advertisement.

Oregon Women Lead
invites women to celebrate the
37th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Friday, January 22, 2010 from 5-7 PM
at our inaugural monthly Pro Choice Happy Hour

Speakers: Bonnie Heitsch, Lori Warner,
& Jacqueline Zimmer

The Founders of Planned Parenthood in Salem

enjoy your choice of Delish' no host nibbles

RSVP:

Britta 503-399-9099 or Cindy 503-588-8713 Marco Polo Restaurant 300 Liberty St. SE Salem 300 Liberty St. SE Salem Lots of easy parking Now, I am an Oregon woman and I see nothing to celebrate in the tragedy of Roe v. Wade. I think they should rename "Oregon Woman Lead" - "Oregon Lead Women"- because any woman who believes that she, or anyone else has a right to kill the life in the womb must have a heart made of lead. I was sickened at the thought of these women munching on their "delish nibbles" at a Happy Hour celebrating such a tragedy. So, I did what any "normal" prolifer would do. I first called the organization. One line was busy, the other seemed like a woman's personal voice mail. Then, I called Marco Polo restaurant and asked to talk to whoever was responsible for reservations. I believe I talked to the owner of the restaurant, and English was not his first language. I talked very calmly and clearly, saying that I wanted to voice my objection to the pro-abortion group that was meeting there on the 22nd. He did not seem shaken, and seemed to understand what I was talking about. He said that they treat everyone equally, and asked for my name and phone number. I calmly explained that I believed that having this group celebrate at this business was equivalent to hosting Ku Klux clansmen, or a Nazi organization. These people were meeting to plot the destruction of more human life; and I wanted to be a voice for life. He could not have been threatened by my phone call unless he completely misunderstood what I was saying. We hung up cordially; or so I thought. About 45 minutes later I got a phone call saying "Is This Faith?" (my first name) I said, "Yup!" and they hung up. An hour later a policeman called, saying some "goob" had called a restaurant- it was a possible prank. I told him that I did indeed call a restaurant to voice my complaint over an organization that was meeting there. He wanted to make sure that there wasn't going to be a protest. I told him that I should not be getting contacted by the police for making a simple phone call, and if there was a protest that would be an entirely different matter, and the police should deal with that if that happened. He then wanted my full name and date of birth. He treated me as if I was a threat and a problem, and would not let me finish a sentence without trying to interrupt me. You know, as if someone else was in the room and he wanted to act as if I was yelling or acting beligerant. He finally said "I'm hanging up now", and did. I feel as if my rights are being stripped away; as if being pro-life suddenly nullifies my voice. My name is now under a case number- I am filed away- to be dealt with as they see fit. After this happened I looked at my children and for the first time REALLY started worrying about what kind of world they will inherit. The fight has become personal now. If people don't see life as a gift and treasure in itself; anyone is expendable. The aged, the handicapped, any children over the one child limit, or anyone who doesn't agree with the government, the list can go on and on. The leap from a woman's right to kill the life within her to the government forcibly taking that life is very short. God bless you in your fight for what is right and most respectful to human life- it is a comfort to have you on the air. Sincerely,

I left her name off for her own privacy.
Later yesterday I called the Salem Police Department to ask them about the case and found that the Marco Polo owner had indeed called the police "concerned that a protest would happen". The detective let them know that a protest is anyone's right and that was the end of the story.
Then, we allowed the emailer to tell her story on the air and her passion and compassion came through better then I could have done by just reading the ad.
We were bombarded with calls and especially after I gave out the names and phone numbers of the two ladies who were asking for RSVP's.
By the way, they have a website: http://oregonwomenlead.com/ and when you go there you will find that our fine Secretary of State, Kate Brown and our State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo as well!

Many of my listeners called the two ladies and all of them were told "we have your phone number now and will be calling the police". As if that were a threat or something? Several listeners also called the restaurant and talked to the owner.
Here is how one of those conversations went:

Just called the Marco Polo, talked to Jackie, a very pleasent Asian lady who is the owner along with her husband and son. She said that when the OWL group scheduled this event, for the 22nd, she had no idea what they stood for. And they really feel caught in the middle on this. She also let me know that times are really tough for them right now and they need the business.
I told her that OWL has planned this to be a monthly event and that if they continue to meet at Morco Polo's then my family and many others will not frequent their resturant.
I really don't think OWL will meet their again from what I was able to understand through Jackies broken English. If that is the fact then WE need to support Marco Polo's with our business...and let them know why we are there.
If you call the Marco Polo, please be civil, speak your mind, but be nice to them.

Lastly, on their website they list "Opportunities to Serve". This made Keizer City Councilman Brandon Smith very interested. He wrote the following to me:

Here's an interesting fact: when you click on "Opportunities To Serve", it gives you to each governmental jurisdiction in the area. When you click on City Of Keizer, a pop-up window gives the home phone numbers of the mayor and each city councilor. I'm not clear how someone is serving the pro-abortion cause by calling me.

What are we to do? I will follow up this story with more information today on The Bill Post Radio Show at noon on 1430 AM KYKN and online at www.1430kykn.com or catch the podcast of yesterday's show at my website: The Bill Post Radio Show
Picture what they are saying: PRO CHOICE HAPPY HOUR!!!???
Poor taste to say the least, outrageous is what I say!

The "Transparency" Law shows what State Workers Make

State Workers: you can thank your legislature for making up HB2500 and making YOUR salary Public Knowledge!
Below is the story and the list of every employee and their salary!
Still support your Democrat led Legislature?

State of Oregon Employees Salaries List

The Smoke Free Workplace Law, One Year Later

Here is a fantastic article that exposes the abuse of DHS and the well intentioned law from last January.

ONE YEAR LATER: THE SMOKE FREE WORKPLACE LAW

Great article on why to vote NO on 66 and 67!

Why Oregonians should vote NO on Measures 66 & 67

Dan Lucas has written a fantastic, in depth look at what passing these two taxes will do to Oregon. Please read and pass this on to EVERYONE in Oregon! Click on the link to get his story.

Oregon Economists Expand on the Negative Effects of Measure 66 and 67 Tax Increases

Oregon Economists Expand on the Negative
Effects of Measure 66 and 67 Tax Increases

Cascade Policy Institute just released a major economic study which uses two different methods to analyze the impact that the higher tax rates of Measures 66 and 67 will have on Oregon's economy if approved by voters on January 26. Written by two prominent Oregon economists, Drs. Randall Pozdena and Eric Fruits, the study concludes that:

• Preliminary estimates made last June by Drs. William Conerly and Randall Pozdena of 70,000 jobs lost over time are entirely plausible and may even be conservative.

The study measures the likely economic impacts of the measures in these two ways:

1. Using a database spanning 31 years for the 48 continental states, the effects of tax rate increases on job growth are measured empirically using regression analysis. This exercise finds that the proposed tax rate increases will perpetually impair the rate of job growth in Oregon.

2. Using recent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Statistics on Income (SOI) data, the pattern of migration of tax filers between Oregon and the other 49 states is examined statistically.

Among its conclusions, the study finds that:

• The literature is clear that raising marginal tax rates is an impediment to economic growth and employment growth.
• Between 47,000 and 55,000 jobs will be lost by 2018 from the increase in top marginal tax rates alone in the two measures. The study did not attempt to measure the job loss impacts caused from the phase-out of the federal tax deduction for higher incomes in Measure 66 or from the increased corporate minimum taxes in Measure 67.
• Net out-migration of tax filers will be approximately 80,000 greater than otherwise over a ten year period. These lost filers are likely to have significantly higher incomes than the average tax filer. Again, this estimate is only based on the increase in top marginal rates, not on other features of the measures.
• The average biennial loss in Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) from Measures 66 and 67 is approximately $1.1 billion dollars--50 percent higher than the $733 million first-biennial transfer of income from the private sector sought by the measures. Over ten years about $5.6 billion in AGI is expected to be lost. Such loses reduce the likelihood of the measures generating their full, anticipated revenue.
• Finally, positive impacts of public infrastructure spending on state level output, if any, may be less than the negative consequences of suppressing private activity. In the literature, the case for raising taxes even to preserve education or health spending is not clear when the offsetting, long-run impacts on the private sector are considered. Raising taxes to preserve transfer payments has an even weaker justification when long-run impacts are considered. Thus, although maintaining public spending may seem to be a well-intentioned "safety net" policy, the result of diverting funds from the private to the public sector actually may prolong the return to prosperity of individuals affected by the recession.

The authors warn that even if the State does phase out the tax increases to some degree (as the measures contemplate), it may be difficult to undo the perception that Oregon selectively burdens business and higher-income households rather than prudently restraining State spending. This perception will weaken investment in the state and lead to even larger job losses and net out-migration of tax filers than their models predict.

Cascade Senior Policy Analyst and founder Steve Buckstein said this about the study: "Oregonians now have two independent ways to judge the economic impact of these tax measures. Both confirm that we are likely to lose tens of thousands of jobs and tens of thousands of the very people who invest in businesses and create jobs in our state."

"This study makes clear that Oregon may be embarking on a policy that will likely suppress and repel economic activity in the state. Doing this during good times would be bad enough. Doing it during one of the deepest recessions on record is very hard to understand."

Buckstein added that "Oregonians need to recognize that capital and people are mobile--especially the corporations and high-income individuals targeted by these two tax measures. If they move, Oregon loses the jobs that their companies, spending and investments create. Even for those who remain, these higher tax rates will reduce the motivation to work harder and create more jobs. The result will be damaging for countless Oregonians that tax proponents claim won't be affected by these measures."



Tax Policy and the Oregon Economy:
The Effects of Measures 66 and 67
by Randall Pozdena and Eric Fruits
Cascade Policy Institute • December 2009

Where there's smoke, there's overregulation!

You probably know by now that Avva Cigars and Wine in Salem was denied their "smoke shop" exemption in December. This is still being fought and will continue until the entire process has been used.
NOW I have received word through my sources that this is not the first time this has happened.
A great article in the Oregonian last week shows how the employees of the State Department of Health have taken upon themselves to define the law that the Legislature laid out for them. Not what the law says, but what they BELIEVE the law says!

Smoke Shop Exemption Hard To Get!

I understand that Rich's Cigars in Portland was denied the first time as well and then was exempted after fighting this.
Broadway Cigars is "partially" exempt.
Other shops around the state have either given up or are in violation.
This is NOT what the legislature had in mind.

Jim Bernau, Willamette Valley Vineyards and the Bus redux

It seems Mr. Bernau, the CEO of Willamette Valley Vineyards is not happy with The Bill Post Radio Show. A very "threatening" letter came from his attorney telling Justin he should pull his blog entry about the bus. Justin did so to keep the radio station boss happy BUT, this was a pure and simple power attack by a large corporation.
This guy is STILL playing both sides of the political aisle.
Take a look at this:
CAMPAIGN DONATIONS IN 2008
In the 2008 primary he gave money to both Rudy Giuliani AND Hillary Clinton. There is much more but I will continue to let his own words hang him.
When he was on my show, calling from his boat on Detroit Lake back in August, he showed what his true feeling were and with this threat from his attorneys I would say that Mr. Bernau got his butt smacked at the last stockholder's meeting!
They should demand his resignation AND demand THEIR money back for the cost of the Bus! Need I remind you what the Bus was for and how proud he was to purchase it? Here is the original story as it appeared back in August on my blog and radio show:
JIM BERNAU, CLOSET LIBERAL EXPOSED

The Big Guns are Out in the Avva Cigars Vs. DHS Battle

Just got the letter from attorney for Avva to DHS director Dr. Bruce Goldberg.
This is what we have said all along and NOW he is listening. Lars Larson will be discussing this on a show this week. The snowball is rolling, I think this will all be fixed in the next week or so.
Stay tuned for more developments!

Dear Dr. Goldberg,

Sir, I am writing to gain clarity as to why AVVA Cigars and Wine has not been granted its exemption Status for on premise smoking rights. Using the Oregon Administrative Rules, (OAR 333-015-0025 through 333-015-0080), which implement Oregon Revised Statute ORS 433; I am confused as to why we have been denied our Smoke Shop Certification. I would like to believe that this is just a misunderstanding and that we can resolve this issue immediately; clearing the smoke if you will of opinion and prejudice.

I only mean to imply that there may be biases from your department to our industry based on my conversation with your co-worker Kylie Menagh, your Tobacco Community Programs Liaison. Although Kylie and I disagree on the effects of pipe and cigar smoking, she would be happy to know we are allies in the fight of cigarette smoking. I am grateful the state employs such enthusiastic program leaders.

Sir I would like to turn your attention to a section of the DHS web page regarding “Exceptions to the Law” I have interjected comments in red between stated points of the Law.

Exceptions to the Law Exceptions to the law will include: Smoking in certified smoke shops. Smoke shops must be certified by the Department of Human Services and abide by specific guidelines. Get application for smoke shop certification. We have filed this on several occasions now, which I have photocopies of. If you need these faxed to you, please call. To qualify as a smoke shop, a business must: Apply to the Department of Human Services and receive certification before allowing smoking on the premises. Again please let us know if you need further copies. Acquire at least 75 percent of its gross revenue from tobacco sales every fiscal year Currently our sales of Tobacco equals 82 – 83% of our gross sales Prohibit persons under 18 years of age from entering the premises and post notice of the prohibition at each entrance and exit Our Policy is to ID anyone/everyone who appears 25 or less. Our employees are trained on this policy. Post signage at each entrance and exit stating that smoking is allowed on all or some of the premises As certification is granted Not offer video lottery games, social gaming or betting on the premises No gaming/betting on premises Not sell or offer on-premises consumption of alcoholic beverages No sales of on premise consumption of alcoholic beverages Be a stand-alone business with no other businesses or residential property attached to the premises The office at Lancaster Mall has provided me with blueprints to show that this is a standalone building. I have forwarded this information to your office in the past and I am happy to do so once again. The configuration and seamlessness of the malls interior construction can seem a little confusing to an uninformed observer. It can appear as if the space occupied by AVVA could have been there from the beginning of the malls design. In fact it predates this wing of the mall. As originally constructed, this was a standalone liquor store for many years. The mall extended a wing and built a hallway and restrooms, adjacent to the back wall of the space now occupied by AVVA to enclose them, giving the appearance of a shared roof. So, this evening while searching Google Earth, I zoomed in on the mall and as I looked at AVVA it was very clear that this building has four distinct, non-shared walls. Additionally, due to the fact that AVVA is, in fact, a stand-alone building it has its own water and power feed as well as a discrete environmental control system, separate from the rest of the mall building. Were this not a distinctly separate building, this would not be so. When I looked at the exemptions of other cigar stores, I am glad to see that the judgment and wisdom of your office has set a precedent to shops that can appear to touch each other, yet are in fact separate physical entities. As can be clearly seen now, we meet all the criteria not just in the spirit of the law but the letter of the law as well.

Dr. Goldberg, My belief that we qualify for an Exempt Smoke Shop is based is based in OAR definition as stated below:

ü 333-015-0030

Definitions

For purposes of OAR chapter 333, division 15, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) "Act" means the Oregon Indoor Clean Air Act as it appears in ORS 433.835 through 433.875 and 433.990(5).

Please note that Definition 2- 21 has been removed for brevities sake, as it is not applicable to us or our situation.

(22) “Smoke shop” means a business that:

ü Is primarily engaged in the sale of tobacco with at least 75 percent of gross revenues resulting from tobacco sales in every fiscal year;

ü (b) Prohibits persons under 18 years of age from entering the premises;

ü (c) Does not offer video lottery games as authorized under ORS 461.217, social gaming, or betting on the premises;

ü (d) Does not sell or offer on-premises consumption of alcoholic beverages; and

ü (e) Is a stand-alone business with no other businesses or residential property attached to the premises.

(23) “Wall” means any architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness, used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure.

Stat. Auth.: ORS 433.855

333-015-0068

Smoke Shops

(1) A business must apply to DHS for certification prior to allowing smoking on the premises.

(2) A business must apply for certification on a form prescribed by DHS (this form is available on the Internet at www.healthoregon.org/tobacco or by calling the Public Health Division, Tobacco Prevention and Education Program) and the following information or documentation must be included:

(a) Documentation demonstrating that at least 75 percent of the smoke shop’s gross revenue is derived from the sale of tobacco products or smoking instruments; and

(b) Documentation, including written descriptions or visual aids, demonstrating that the smoke shop is a stand-alone business with no other businesses or residential property attached to the premises.

(3) DHS shall review application materials within 30 days of receipt and shall determine whether the application is complete.

(4) Within 10 days of an application being declared complete, DHS shall deny or grant the application. DHS shall grant a business certification if, upon review of the application materials, DHS finds that sufficient documentation has been provided to demonstrate the compliance with section (2) of this rule. In lieu of denying an application, DHS may request additional information from the applicant in order to determine compliance with section (2) of this rule.

(5) DHS may permanently deny the application for smoke shop certification if an applicant provides information that is false or deliberately misleading.

(6) Every year, within 30 calendar days from the date certification was originally granted, a smoke shop must provide DHS with documentation demonstrating that at least 75 percent of the smoke shop’s gross revenue is derived from the sale of tobacco products or smoking instruments.

Dr. Goldberg I do not need to quote statute to you, I do so here only for the sake of clarity. Please understand, I believe the issue here is misinformation. My purpose in writing this letter is to remove all barriers from running my business and allow AVVA cigar to cater to my clientele. This “misunderstanding” is costing me thousands of dollars a week. In a time when my incidental holiday sales should be strengthening my bottom line for 2010, shoring up the anticipated lean times, I am lost in a bureaucratic battle trying to defend my rights. My business is at stake… My sales are down 30%. I am a small business owner who employs five employees. This interference of un-fair, targeted and maligned injustice from DHS is an abuse of the trust we the people put into our government. I am in compliance with the letter and the spirit of the law.

You and I can resolve this in an afternoon. I am being pressured by my customers, my employees and close personal advisors to take this fight to the media and national press. Lars Larson is ready to go with this story to his national audience. This would be great advertising for me, but what does that do for the state and all of the stakeholders here? From the era of the Magna Carta forward the concept has been “Lex Rex”, the law is King; not “Rex Lex”, the King is Law.

I am reaching out to you sir as a citizen, a business owner a tax payer and a voter please share the mantel of service you chose when you became a public servant with AVVA, and do the right thing. We are in the right, we are in compliance and we have precedent on our side.

Thank you,

Saadeh Hadeed

www.avvacigars.com

503-585-5807

831 Lancaster Dr. NE, #11B

Salem, OR, 97301

Located in the Lancaster Mall

Freedom of Choice at Avva Cigars

If you listen to my program you know that one of my best supporters and advertisers is Sadeeh the owner of Avva Cigars. If you have never met him, let me tell you, he is one of the kindest, gentlest, sweetest men I have ever known. He will do anything for anyone. Complete strangers are always welcomed with open arms by him.
Well as you may or may not know, when the Workplace Smoking Ban Statute was put into place on January 1st of this year, Sadeeh filed the necessary paperwork for an exemption (which is in the statute) as a smoke shop. He met the four criteria for being exempt. The State "lost" that paperwork.
So, come August, September and October the State then filed 3 complaints against the store for "violating" the law. Sadeeh RE-Filed the paperwork and hand delivered it along with supporting documents and more.
Tonight, he received a call from the lady at the Department of Health and Human Services, Jill Thompson and one of her underlings. They told Sadeeh his application was denied because the door from his store into the Lancaster Mall was too close to the food court. It's a long story but, trust me, it's over 50 yards AND the store has a reverse airflow that actually sucks the Mall air into the store, meaning NO smoke EVER goes into the Mall.
This State Worker also told Sadeeh that it was her "goal to end all smoking in Oregon" and when he asked who he could appeal to, she said "me" and informed him that "she would continue to deny it".
So, what is he to do?
If you care at all, even if you can't stand smoke, you have to believe in the rights of a business to do business. His business is down CONSIDERABLY since he shut down the smoking.
This is not about smoke it is about FREEDOM!!
Please support him with calls, emails and visits, even if you don't smoke cigars, please!
The number is 503-585-5807 and email is: info@avvacigars.com
This story is NOT over, my friends in the talk radio business are going to work together to defeat the Liberals who HATE our freedoms and WE WILL WIN!!
Thank you,
bill