Dino Rossi has sent the attached letter to the Republican State Committee endorsing Vice-Chairwoman Fredi Simpson [scroll down] to succeed Chris Vance.
Also signing the letter are Attorney General Rob McKenna, Congressmen Dave Reichert and Doc Hastings and former state Chairman Dale Foreman
Continue reading "Rossi endorses Fredi Simpson for GOP State Chair"State Senate Democrats introduced SB 6221 today, "Revising limitations on use of public funds for political purposes". Notice what is stricken:
Sec. 1. RCW 42.17.128 and 1993 c 2 s 24 are each amended to read as follows:Some might say that this "campaign finance reform" would only corrupt the system by making it easier for government workers to misuse public property for self-serving political purposes. The jaundiced cynic in me says that all it would do is take an unenforced law off the books.
Public funds, whether derived through taxes, fees, penalties, or any other sources, shall not be used to finance political campaigns for state ((or local)) office.
If any readers wish to e-mail sponsoring Senators Franklin, Kline, Kastama, Keiser, Regala and Jacobsen to express your opinions about this bill, please forward me their responses.
The Washington State Republican Party just announced that Chairman Chris Vance resigned today, effective when a new Chairman is elected on Saturday, January 28.
The announcement is on the WSRP website, here
Secretary of State Sam Reed continues to tell tall tales to the press about the statewide voter database that probably doesn't exist yet. Sunday's Everett Herald "Database should help vote problems"
Washington's handcrafted $6 million system for tracking every registered voter in the state is up and running.As I mentioned the other day, I requested a copy of the statewide database a month ago, to be delivered as soon as it was available. After various evasive and dilatory responses, Sam Reed's office changed the promised delivery date from "a few days after January 3rd" to "sometime after February 1". My free and friendly business advice to the journalists who have been writing about this new database: Hold off on declaring it "up and running" until you can at least obtain a copy that will load into Access.
And speaking of Sam Reed, The Dunnermeister says Secretary Reed Must Go... and proposes Diane Tebelius to run against him in 2008.
The Seattle City Council convenes this week to choose from the applicants to replace departing Councilman Jim Compton. The buzzword is diversity. The P-I: "City Council opening draws diverse group"
"I would like to see another woman on the council," said Councilman David Della. "A woman of color, who works collaboratively, has a working knowledge of how the city and City Council works, has demonstrated leadership with diverse communities and can successfully run two campaigns back to back."Continue reading "Diversity, Seattle-style"
The Seattle Times' Kate Riley observes that "Disclosure law lacks teeth"
No teeth. No attention.Indeed.That's the problem with Washington state's open-records laws. How else to explain so many examples of government officials disrespecting the people's right to know?
Riley proposes that public officials who violate the Public Disclosure Act be subject to personal fines and/or criminal charges, which should be more of an incentive for compliance than the seldom applied and meaningless civil fines levied against the agency's public budget. Public records belong to the public, not to the government officials who temporarily possess them. The willful failure to release public records should be treated as any other theft or fraudulent misappropriation of public property.
Today's Seattle Times: "2004 election controversy still hounds Gregoire"
A year ago this week, as the Democrat-controlled Legislature prepared to certify Christine Gregoire as Washington's new governor, a throng of angry Republicans gathered on the Capitol lawn and chanted "revote! revote!"That there is still a controversy should be no surprise. Of the two candidates for Washington governor in 2004 whose vote totals were within the margin of illegal votes as determined by a trial judge, Mrs. Gregoire is the candidate whom most surveyed state residents believe received the smaller number of legal votes.
And the widespread perception that the election did not produce a legitimate victor is well founded. Sadly, for all the time, money and attention that was lavished on the Wenatchee trial, evidence is still mounting of even more illegal votes that King County managed to conceal from the court --
Continue reading "Anniversary of a tainted "victory""And another thing on today's Times article "2004 election controversy still hounds Gregoire". The reason the controversy over the tainted election still sticks is because Mrs. Gregoire's performance in office has been controversial and divisive. Even though she campaigned promising no new taxes, and to "change the culture in Olympia", she has only delivered the opposite -- For starters, she raised taxes, increased spending, proposes hiring more government workers, poured more money into the bloated and inept education bureaucracy, expanded the power of the government employee unions and sheparded election "reforms" that are even more conducive to fraud.
And things like this make it easy for her critics to deride her as "Queen Christine".
KING 5 reports: "Cheerleading coach accused of teaching sex acts"
A high school cheerleading coach resigned after allegedly teaching her team how to perform certain sex acts.KING 5 was not able to reach Coach Chase for comment. Perhaps she had her, uh, hands full.It happened in the small Snohomish county town of Sultan, apparently during a team sleepover at the home of cheerleading coach Katie Chase.
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft has submitted to the wishes of Communist Party censors in China by pulling the plug on a politically controversial blog written from there, by a New York Times Beijing bureau research assistant. The blog had recently reported on several touchy subjects, including a protest against government censorship by reporters at a spunky Beijing tabloid newspaper. Continuing censorship of media and the Internet, the trampling of private property rights in the provinces, and the deployment of hired thugs against protestors by corrupt local officials are all part of the landscape in China, as of course is rapid economic liberalization.
The counter-arguement for tolerance of Internet censorship right now, is that over time the presence of the Internet in China will nonetheless serve as a politically liberalizing force. And it's true that dedicated geeks have found ways around The Great Firewall of China, such as secure shell and virtual private network connections to proxy servers outside China.
Like Microsoft, other technology companies have been caught up in related controversies in China, including Yahoo and, arguably Cisco. 25 investment groups controlling $21 billion in assets announced in November they would monitor and publicize collusion between technology companies and government censors in China. Yes, the censored blogger merely needs another platform and some help from subversive techies to get back online. Although the company argues it is merely following Chinese law, and while China is a crucial and highly competitive market, I believe Microsoft does its reputation damage by aligning itself with the forces of darkness. Some things are more important than quarterly earnings.
You may remember that last year Seattle Schools proposed closing several campuses to save money. The resulting outcry was so large that the plan was abandoned, but the deficit that prompted it remains, and so the superintendent is again looking for ways to save money.
This time the plan will be created by a committee of fourteen with the bureaucratic name of the Superintendent’s Community Advisory Committee on Investing in Educational Excellence (SCACIEE). [I am not making this up.]
Anyway, SCACIEE wants public input on its new plan. This is an opportunity to influence the process before the plan goes public. Meetings will be held January 17 from 6 to 8 pm, and January 21 from 10:30 am to noon. Please see the links for details. The more people who get engaged to save the Seattle Public schools from itself, the better.
As Tim noted yesterday, the new Democrat majority on the Snohomish County Council approved a motion for mail-only voting [text of the motion, here]. One of the reasons given for outlawing the polling places was that it would "save money" (which it won't). And you know that when Democrats even claim to be saving the taxpayers money, they surely have an ulterior motive. The other bits of the resolution are just as hallucinatory, citing Sam Reed's imaginary statewide voter database and the oft-repeated myth that mail-only voting increases voter participation. (okay, mail voting does increase turn-out if you include this)
I heard Councilman Dave Gossett on the radio yesterday claiming that Snohomish County already has good systems in place for ballot accounting, which is nonsense. Snohomish uses the DIMS system (like King County) which doesn't come close to accounting for ballots. Even the King County officials who support mail-only voting acknowledge that they will need a brand new system to cost unknown millions. Auditor "Sideshow Bob" Terwilliger is the same guy behind the $5 million decision in 2002 to install confidence-destroying non-paper-trail touch screens. If you think that was a good idea, then you will undoubtedly approve of his latest scheme, which will either cost millions more to fix, or lead to chronic fraud, irregularities and diminished trust, or probably both.
"Port of Seattle spending slammed in state audit"
The Port of Seattle has spent thousands of dollars on causes it shouldn't have supported and kept records so poorly that employee theft at the airport might have gone undetected, according to a scathing audit.The complete audit is here. And this is just an accountability audit. Now that we have performance audits, we should be able to learn even more about how effectively (or not) the Port of Seattle is using its property tax subsidy.
Our Senator Patty Murray is high on the list of Senators and Congressmen who received money from groups connected to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. She is the second highest Democrat, ninth on the list, receiving over $40,000 from out-of-state tribes connected to Abramoff.
The bulk of the money given to the Northwest lawmakers came from four casino-rich tribes concerned about gambling, school construction and other issues, the report said.The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe in Michigan gave the largest donations to a Northwest lawmaker, with $14,980 going to Murray from 2002 to 2004.
Murray also received $12,000 from the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in California; $9,000 from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; and $5,000 from the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, the report said.
The money is a fraction of the overall support Murray has received from Indian tribes since being elected to the Senate in 1992, Glass said. A majority of Murray's tribal contributions have come from Washington state tribes, Glass said.
Murray is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a former member of the Senate Interior appropriations subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
And she is not sorry. She will keep the money.
The contributions received by Murray were legal under federal election law, and a spokeswoman for the senator said she had no intention of returning the money or donating it to charity, as some lawmakers have done. Murray does not know Abramoff and has never met with him, spokeswoman Alex Glass said.
The list of Northwest lawmakers receiving Abramoff-connected money is long:
"including Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. ($10,000); and former Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash. ($7,000).A spokeswoman for Cantwell said the senator did not plan to return the money, but declined further comment.
Reps. Jay Inslee, D-Wash. ($5,000); Adam Smith, D-Wash. ($2,000); Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. ($1,500); and Norm Dicks, D-Wash., ($1,500) also received money from Abramoff-connected tribes, as did former Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash. ($1,500) and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. ($1,000), the report said."
I keep hearing this is a Republican scandal, but there are a lot of Democrats on that list.
Cross-posted at my nameless blog
As Puget Sound looks forward to welcoming several million more residents in coming decades, strains on supplies of potable water will likely grow even as current expansion projects come on line. Which will make it even more vital to get creative in expanding sources. An example comes from this Bremerton Sun story (free reg. req.).
Port Orchard -- The Karcher Creek Sewer District has received a $200,000 grant to plan use of a byproduct from the expanded Retsil sewage treatment plant. A $22 million expansion is nearing completion on plant jointly operated by the sewer district and the city of Port Orchard. The modernized treatment will produce millions of gallons of treated water that can be used in public irrigation. Dick Fitzwater, the sewer district's general manager, said that for an estimated $4 million, that water can be delivered uphill to the Orchard Heights area where South Kitsap School District has three schools, Kitsap County has the Village Greens Golf Course and South Kitsap Parks and Recreation District has South Kitsap Community Park.
They'll have to find that additional $4 million. But if successful, they'll have several hundred thousand more gallons of water per day, for non-potable uses. An added benefit: Class A biosolids - some call it sludge - for fertilizer. (If anyone wants to weigh in the pros and cons of biosolids, have at it).
Regionally, Tacoma's recently-completed Second Supply project is a boon to Pierce County, and southern King county. Major Eastside suburbs in the Cascade Water Alliance will wean themselves from Seattle's municipal water supply if the Lake Tapps deal, finally, really, gets cleared. (That deserves a whole entry of its own - hopefully soon). And better inter-ties between differing regional water systems are a long-term priority, too. But less conventional supply strategies such as repurposed, treated wastewater will be important. As may be de-salination of Puget Sound water. De-sal's cost will be dropping exponentially in coming years. GE has a major de-sal unit, and sees big growth ahead. It would be good to see the inevitable enviro-scare tactics about de-sal get the critical examination they so richly deserve. Even better for Puget Sound to truly secure its water future, crucial for handling projected population and economic growth while simultaneously addressing salmon recovery concerns, which will NOT go away. Any water supply strategy that relies only on conservation isn't enough. The media need to put water utility managers from outside Seattle more in the spotlight. They've got a lot to say, as I discovered.
I started making inquiries nearly a month ago for the long awaited statewide voter database, which Secretary of State Sam Reed promised to have ready by now:
On January 1, 2006, Washington State will have a fully populated statewide voter registration database in compliance with HAVA.The Secretary of State has also been bragging to the media that the statewide database was one of the (few) areas in which it will be compliant with federal law by the January 1 deadline. I was reassured that the database would be available on the first business day of the new year (yesterday), even though it might not be perfect and that "It may take a couple days after January 3rd to get CD ready and in the mail to you.". Fair enough, I sent in my check, they cashed it and now I'm waiting for my data. Today the SoS office informs me that they won't send it for another month:
I have new information. We will only be running the database CD's once per month and the first one will now be run February 1st and not January 3rd like I previously told you. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Let me know if you would like a refund or if you would like to wait until the Feb. 1st CD comes out.No, I want the January 3rd version of the database. In the alternative, I want an explanation why it is legally exempt from public disclosure -- or an admission that it doesn't really exist.
You just lost your right to vote at the polls. What rights will the newly Democrat county council use a party line vote to take away next? I don't know about you, but I'm on the edge of my seat.
Quite a few commenters here have recently questioned why they should support Republicans when they aren't conservative/libertarian/whatever enough for their tastes. Snohomish County just gave us all a very good answer to that.
 | The state patrol detail assigned to protect Mrs. Gregoire1 from the imaginary death threats from "these talk show radios" has undergone mission creep -- "Governor's protective detail extends to keeping wildlife from dog": "If you have a small dog like the governor's dog, two raccoons could tear it up," he said. "It could be a serious situation. They can weigh up to 30 or 40 pounds."I'd bet this wouldn't have been a problem if Dubya were living in the Governor's Mansion. |
1 Of the two candidates for Washington governor in 2004 whose vote totals were within the margin of illegal votes as determined by a trial judge, Mrs. Gregoire is the candidate whom most surveyed state residents believe received the smaller number of legal votes.
The orgy of terrorism and lawlessness that came in the wake of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip has a local angle
Palestinian gunmen burst into a house in and tried to kidnap the parents of Rachel Corrie, who was killed in 2003 as she protested the impending demolition of a house in the southern Gaza town, according to their host.Rachel Corrie didn't kill herself in vain after all. Not only was her dream of ending the Israeli occupation of Gaza realized less than three years after she died, but she also saved her parents' lives!The five gunmen, who also appeared to be affiliated to the ruling Fatah movement, eventually relented after being told who their targets were, according to Samir Nasrallah, in whose house the couple was staying.
Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003 as she tried to stop it from demolishing Nasrallah's house. Her parents, Craig and Cindy, have repeatedly visited Nasrallah since. They left Gaza safely after the incident, Nasrallah said.
This post on the senator from the 36th district reminded me of an ethical problem I noticed in the last session of the legislature, but never got around to writing about. I think the problem important enough to mention, especially since it is likely to reoccur.
Kohl-Welles's ethical problem is best explained with an analogy. Let us suppose that a state legislator has a mid-level job at, for example, Weyerhaeuser. There is nothing wrong with working for that fine company, but it may from time to time pose ethical problems for the legislator. Most of us would, I believe, be troubled if the legislator acted more as a representative from Weyerhaeuser than someone who put the interests of the public first. Suppose, for example, the legislator sponsored a bill opposed by most Washington voters — but strongly desired by the company. Would that cross an ethical line? I think it would, even if the legislator was convinced that the bill was in the best interests of the state. The potential conflict of interest is simply too large, and it would be best for the legislator to avoid sponsoring such bills.
Continue reading "Senator Kohl-Welles' Ethical Problem"is the best anagram I've seen yet for "Seattle Post-Intelligencer"
A decent second place entry is "REPELLING TOILET SEAT SCENT".
A big thanks to the anonymous readers who posted these anagrams in the comments.
Today's Seattle Times describes a program in the Seattle public schools which seems to have some success in teaching English to non-native English speakers. Good.
A companion article describes an even more successful program in Federal Way.
Federal Way appears to have more success on the WASL than Seattle with English-language learners, despite spending half as much per pupil.I'm not surprised that spending more money doesn't necessarily lead to better outcomes. But I'm sure there are others who will argue that we're just not spending enough. Oh, wait.
Here in Seattle, they choose not to enforce laws against illegal immigration, corrupt police officers or vote-rigging. They occasionally try to enforce the laws against property crimes, but such crimes nevertheless increased 11% here last year [p. 12].
But don't let all of this apparent lawlessness worry you. Law enforcement is a matter of setting priorities and managing the most serious risks to public safety. And Seattle's top priority is to maintain law and order in its trash cans.