A five-percent solution frames the entire budget deficit dilemma facing the state of Oregon.
    Shortfalls to the 2009-11 budget were forecast at $2.5 billion to $3 billion last month, with subsequent predictions putting the deficit as high as $4.4 billion.

Meanwhile, legislators wrangle over how to deal with the current budget deficit of $850 million.

The figure of $850 million does seem daunting, but consider it this way: State agencies and departments are looking at the prospect of having to make cuts amounting to a benchmark 5 percent.

Five percent. Certainly 5 percent will hurt some parties more than others, but 5 percent is the kind of hit incurred by households and businesses all around the state as people deal with fewer jobs, fewer customers and fewer dollars coming home or across the counter. For some folks, the cuts are much higher than 5 percent.

It’s a good time to revisit the governor’s own words in his 2009 State of the State speech, in which he acknowledged that times are difficult and people are “skeptical of the ability of government to solve the very real problems they read about in the newspaper and are living every day.”

Kulongoski said, “They don’t need more statistics — they need more answers.”

Safer Place

ODOT acts quickly on crosswalk

Two simple, foot-wide white lines sure do look nice.
    The crosswalk on the north side of 13th and May streets is back.
    The intersection, one of the city’s busiest and most dangerous, is a far safer place than it has ever been.

The Oregon Department of Transportation reacted swiftly to criticism when the crosswalk was removed on March 18 as part of a number of changes in vehicle traffic flow and pedestrian access.

The main changes were disallowing left turns by vehicles northbound from May onto 13th, and on-the-ground measures to reinforce this: a pedestrian “refuge,” a series of 6-inch domes forming a triangle in the middle of the intersection, and signage to go with it.

But as part of the changes, ODOT also took out the crosswalk on the north side of the intersection. Initially, ODOT officials claimed it was done in the interest of safety: Crosswalks, a spokeswoman said, create a false sense of security, and the new refuge was indication enough for cars and pedestrians that this is the crossing zone.

But protests were registered by Hood River County School District Superintendent Pat Evenson-Brady and others, and on March 27 an ODOT crew repainted the crosswalk. They also added slender 3-foot neon pylons that further indicate the crosswalk. Regional traffic engineer Ed Fisher signed off on the restoration of the crosswalk.

The safety measures are effective and timely — just in time for kids heading to and from school with the end of spring break.

It’s a happy result to a difficult situation. Citizens spoke, and the state listened. It is encouraging to see that decision-makers in Salem will listen — and respond quickly — to local needs.