501(c)(4). As you may know, C-4 is a military-grade munition. Very explosive. As it happens, the 501(c)(4) has excellent explosive qualities as well - in the political arena.

According to the I.R.S., it's a tax-exempt organization primarily devoted to serving the common good.

While nobody knows what that is, the designation provides exeptional cover in that donations to such an organization are uncapped - and can be made anonymously. Literally hundreds of millions of dollars can be funneled into such organizations to fund political ads - as long as the organization in question can claim that politics is not is primary function.

Apparently giddy after working out a decade-long agreement to keep the bum encampment at its long-time location (remember, it was only supposed to exist for 90 days - five years ago), and having devoted so much effort to creating housing in the Pearl District and South Waterfront districts  (hey, climbing under the sheets with the likes of Homer Williams is sweaty stuff!), Portland's gap-toothed weasel is now looking toward a statewide tax on real estate and fees for the documents required.  Erik Sten is confident that this approach would allow Portland to build more "affordable housing".

Wait.  What?  Hey Erik - wasn't "affordable housing" supposed to be part of the deal in the Pearl and SW districts?  What happened to that?  Was that just Homer baloney you were swallowing while cavorting under the sheets?