August Siedel

@GovTinaKotek Pretty pictures and glowing statements about Oregon don’t fix its malignant problems.

In the Columbia River Gorge, more than 800 species of beautiful wildflowers coat the terrain this time of year, from yellow balsamroot to purple lupine. With plenty of hikes available to enjoy the splendor, it’s another reason #WeLoveOregon365.

No, actually the cornerstone of Oregon is ineffective progressive policy that impacts small businesses negatively. Unfortunately, no amount of artisan hot sauce, hand-crafted found art trinkets, or nano-brewed kombucha can counter the growing malignancy of financially-mismanaging, tax-hungry bureaucrats.

It was great to stop by @Nongskhaomangai today! Local small businesses are the cornerstone of Oregon, and supporting them is one of my favorite parts of being your Governor.

- Compel a full, independent accounting of every tax dollar spent. - Compel an itemized report of all client and employer complaints outlining consequences and outcomes. - Review promised outcomes vs. actual outcomes. - Report all of this to the public, with a clear analysis of how taxpayer revenues were used and misused. Anything short of this should be unacceptable.

After a KATU investigation, two city councilors asked the city administrator to look into serious allegations against Portland's largest homeless service provider. What do you think Portland should do about its contract with Urban Alchemy? bit.ly/4uGsj8w

@Oregonian Remember, you were taxed for this. And what resulted? Not much, even as homelessness went up. If a private corporation were to manage finances and resources like this, only to deliver slipshod products or services (or none at all), the CEO and board would be in jail.

Portland is about to close nearly 450 shelter beds, as homelessness rises oregonlive.com/politics/2026/…

We can all agree these elements may not be pure. And their necessity could be debated. However, they offer good alternatives to mainstream education. My intent is discuss them in the current context of AI and seek healthy integration, if at all possible. You clearly have superior ideas about classical education. Who am I to question them, or spend further time debating every jot and tittle? Best to you.

Like many things, the ‘Socratic method’ in the classical education movement is whatever folks want it to mean. But most popularly it is just another word for class discussions. Even when defined strictly (which they don’t) as dialectic, it was never a mode of instruction in classical education, let alone a necessary one. As to your last paragraph, “classical models of learning and their variants” also sounds like modern nonsense to be frank.

Starting today, I'll be exploring how classical education and AI can work together. The trivium, humane letters, and Socratic dialogue aren’t outdated—they’re exactly what students need in an AI-shaped world. The goal isn’t to replace human thought, but to sharpen it. If you’re in classical ed or homeschooling, I welcome your ideas.

Great books is a modern construct, for sure. Albeit, closely tied to humane letters. The Socratic method? What’s the evidence that this is modern silliness as you put it? Just curious. My bigger curiosity is the potential of healthy integration of classical models of learning and their variants with AI to prepare young students vocationally.

@alexgs The classical liberal arts, yes (though I’d be surprised if you mean as they were actually studied). Great Books, Socratic method, etc, no. That’s modern silliness.

**@Le_Master** Whoa—slow down. 🔥 My AI didn’t write the OP. That came straight from my own journey as a homeschooling parent. Here’s the core classical tradition I’m talking about: **Trivium** (Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric) + **Quadrivium**, Latin & Greek, Great Books, Socratic dialogue, and virtue formation. So tell me—how is *that* not classical education? How would *you* define it? I still assert these tools aren’t outdated. They’re exactly what an AI-shaped world demands. AI spits out answers; the Trivium teaches us to question them, tear them apart, and speak truth with power. I also believe AI can be a powerful adjunct to classical education—when used with discernment. I’m genuinely curious how the two can work together.

@alexgs Your AI is already failing you. It doesn’t even know what classical education is.

@GovBobFerguson Is a federal detention facility a private facility?

@komonews Minimize, minimize, minimize, and continue to enable antisocial behavior.

Meanwhile, a man who says he lives in the direct neighborhood of the park told KOMO News that he is familiar with many of the people who live in the RVs. He explained that while there are a few bad apples in the area, a majority of those living in their vehicle are not dealing or doing drugs. komonews.com/news/local/hom…

@thehoffather She has a problem looking people straight in the face. She averts her eyes. She projects not a shred of leadership.

SECOND THOUGHTS? After going viral for saying "like, bye" to wealth leaving Seattle & demonizing big business, including boycotting Starbucks, Seattle Socialist Mayor Katie Wilson is now PRAISING Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft & big donors for partnerships after many announced they're leaving or already left Just like Zohran Mamdani, Katie Wilson now has to clean up the mess she made through her incompetence and radical ideology

@PDXFire Edit your posts, people!!

Portland Fire on scene of the former Centennial Mills building located near the NW 9th and Naito. This building is well known to have horseless population activity. Radio reports are holes cut in perimeter fencing. Smoke pushing through a window on the first floor.

@thehoffather Everybody should show up for this. Everybody! Celebrate achievement.

NEW: Sammamish High School in Bellevue, WA, is hosting a "Black Student Graduation." Is there a "White Student Graduation," or a "Hispanic Student Graduation," or an "Asian Student Graduation"? Seems like BIPOC educators are violating their own discrimination policies

@BitcoinRachy You mean, how did I end up spending the money that I loaned the government interest-free after they returned it to me?

What did you end up spending your tax return on this year?

Oregon? Beautiful. Oregon politicians? Dismal. Idea: Create an enclave at Umatilla where progressive fundamentalists can set up a utopian community based on their principles that doesn’t affect the rest of Oregon’s citizens. It’s poetic: Waste dump underground. Wasteland on top.

Along Oregon’s South Coast, Shore Acres State Park is known for its dramatic ocean cliffs, crashing waves, and beautiful gardens that bloom throughout the year. Another reason #WeLoveOregon365

Washington and Oregon governments constantly live beyond their means, unlike most citizens. Yet, citizens cannot steal to make up for poor fiscal management like the government does. When politicians create shortfalls, they steal from the poor and middle class. The rich suck it up or move.

Nike to close technology offices, consolidate functions in Portland, report says kgw.com/article/money/…

Yet another fluff story intended to sugarcoat the continued bad policy outcomes that have become Oregon’s trademark. Beautiful state. Great people. Dim politicians. In Oregon, taxes grew ~70–100%+ nominally (depending on category) while middle-class incomes grew 24% inflation-adjusted—meaning the tax bite felt heavier for many residents despite nominal income gains. Data comes from FRED/Census, Oregon DOR, and independent analyses; exact apples-to-apples 2014–2024 figures vary slightly by source due to fiscal vs. calendar years and inclusions.

Oregon was among the states where middle-class income grew the most between 2014 and 2024, according to a new study. koin.com/news/oregon/or…

The Portland City Council is set to consider a major overhaul of the city's arts tax today to make the tax less regressive and more accountable. Who do you think should pay the Arts Tax? READ MORE: bit.ly/4wghpHW

@GovBobFerguson The generations before us stewarded the water and land extremely well, likely with minimal government intervention.

We have some of the best water supply in the nation because the generations before us had the foresight to protect it — but climate change is jeopardizing that. We need to work together now to plan for the future. krem.com/article/news/l…