Danny Westneat reacts to Mike McGavick's stump speech icebreaker line which humorously acknowledges (and helps move beyond) the fact that many people elsewhere in the state think of Seattle as more than a little weird.
Is McGavick right — are we also a city of secret shame? If so, what are people so embarrassed about?The only thing that Westneat can think of that people are embarrassed about is the Monorail. A good call, but if that's all he can come up with, he obviously doesn't talk to a very diverse collection of people. I like a lot of things about Seattle too, but here are just a few of the things that this city should be embarrassed about:
* The Seattle City Council
* The King County Elections Dept.
* Sound Transit
* Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles
* The WTO riot
* The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
* The Greenlake Peace Vigil
* Joni Balter
* High incidence of auto theft
* The Seattle School District
* The Seattle Weekly's choice of "Best Activist"
* The Enumclaw Horse Lover who lived in Seattle
* Foolproof Performing Arts
* Ken Schram
* Deteriorating city streets
* Danny Westneat
Feel free to add to the list in the comments
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at January 27, 2006 12:16 PM | Email This* The I-5/Convention Center underpass
* Joel Connely
* The Kingdome (posthumously)
* The Viaduct
* The Sea Wall
* The proposed tunnel
* The Seattle Sounder (ok this is part of Sound Transit but it bears special mention)
* Patty Murray
* Maria Cant(vote)well
* Jim McDermot
* Strippergate
* the money spent to put light rail tracks in the bus tunnel to begin with, but now the tunnel is closed for two years to do what? Oh yea, put the right light rail tracks in. (this really falls under the huge umbrella of debacle called "sound transit" that was already listed)
* the multihour standoff of a homeless person with a sword, snarling rushhour traffic for hours.
Danny boy needs to get out more and "hear" what the rest of the STATE has to say about Seattle. He truly is in denial.
He first sentence implies that McGavick is smearing the "Seahawks" glory. What the heck does Pro Football have to do with the shame.
The sad thing here is, Voters all over this state read this fish wrapping. Some will see through the bully, but some won't.
Posted by: Chris on January 27, 2006 01:01 PMOtherwise, nice lists.
Posted by: A Watchdog on January 27, 2006 01:26 PMYour backwards looking skylarking is over!!!
Posted by: Rev. A.A. Tappman: Anabaptist on January 27, 2006 01:27 PMYour backwards looking skylarking is over!!!
Posted by: Rev. A.A. Tappman: Anabaptist on January 27, 2006 01:28 PMDon't forget the Seattle City Council's ressolution supporting the breaching of Columbia and Snake River dams, or its inability to decide on the wording of a ressolution showing support for our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Posted by: Paddy on January 27, 2006 01:28 PMSeattle is run completely and totally by today's Left, and has been for quite some time. Whatever problems Seattle may have are solely the responsibility of liberals, their allies and the citizens who elect them. WTO, Fat Tuesday murder, panhandling, homelessness, failing public schools, the aforementioned public works blunders, an arrogance and bloated sense of self-worth unmatched by any other major U.S. city - all credited to the people in charge.
Can't blame these ills on those eeevil Republicans this time, but old habits are hard to break, eh.
I used to enjoy trips to Seattle. I avoid it like the plague anymore.
Posted by: jimg on January 27, 2006 01:47 PMPerhaps some of you further right than I am think I am being optimistic, but I have more faith in human nature than that.
Posted by: Deadwood on January 27, 2006 01:56 PMPlease add "The Seattle Mandatory Recycling Program" that is attracting ridicule from people all over the nation. Hey, what's that extra piece of cardboard doing in your garbage? No pickup for you!
How about RON SIMS!!! Lives and works in Seattle. Seattle is a part of King County, etc etc
Posted by: m on January 27, 2006 02:11 PM-Highest gas tax in the nation for highways that go nowhere
-Floating bridges that often float - but sometimes don't
-High taxes continue to be assessed for Kingdome and Monorail
-King County elections
-One of the smallest public park programs of any "major" metro area
-the local Demo party
-UW football falling from the top rung to beyond the basement
-99% of our Mexican food is crap
That last one may be the most important. (Smiles)
Posted by: SnoCo Voter on January 27, 2006 02:24 PMChristians founded this country and is one reason we have such a great country. Those that don't like Chrisitanity, that is OK. You live your life by whatever you need to do, just know that your life leads to peril for our country.
Anyways...why I really wanted to post was in Stefan's list, why do you have to Discrimante against the poor horse lover. That isn't allowed anymore in this State. He was born that way you know.
Posted by: Dengle on January 27, 2006 03:04 PMPlease note that I think there is nothing wrong about being open minded... everyone should be. It's the only way one can grow intelectually as a person. But when your "open-minded" to the point that everything is okay, and to say otherwise and make a value judgement of any sort makes you evil, that is when you get problems like the City Council, the monorail, WTO riots, rampant homelesness, and people who aren't supposed to legally vote voting.
When you're that "open minded", your not really open minded, but just intellectually lazy and don't want to feel bad about anything. That is what's so embarrasing about this town.
Posted by: Mike H on January 27, 2006 03:44 PMStop being a FEAR-FILLED CHUMP and grow up. If you want your share your gonna have to get it the same way they got yours: You will have to take it from them.
Republican budget cuts on social services are to pay for TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH. George W. Bush has said so! Where is your head,man! If the Republicans are serious about helping you, then where's your share. It ain't in your pocket, sucker.
Posted by: Rev. A.A. Tappman: Anababtist on January 27, 2006 04:22 PMYour comment is precisely why so many of you LEFTIST PINHEADS cannot cope in the real world and must have government jobs to survive. Creating wealth increases the size of the pie you KLOWN.
Pastor MoonBat believes giving a poor person a fish is better than giving him/her a fishing pool. It keeps the poor as prisoners of the moonBats....sadly.
So,in light of your utter ignorance of truth, fact and history, maybe YOU should run for State Democratic Chair, or Seattle City Council, or Seattle School Board, or Sound Transit Board.
Join the misfts running those organizations- PLEASE; it will accelerate their demise.
Earth to Reverend......Remove head from rectum
Posted by: THS on January 27, 2006 05:00 PMPosted by: Organization Man on January 27, 2006 06:21 PM
(Crap, I have to wash the one in my house by myself after I'm done shooting up)
Posted by: Ted Bundy on January 27, 2006 07:27 PMThe "rich" currently pay a larger percentage of the Federal income tax after the tax cuts then they did before. More people with low incomes pay less or nothing at all. Get some facts and quit spouting the slogans you heard at your last rally.
Here's a few to add:
- "Open minded" Seattle must tell adults that they can't be within 4 feet of a "dancer" in a private club. While during "Pride" festival, it's okay for same-sex fondeling down the middle of major Seattle streets.
- City with a big heroin problem has a needle for a landmark.
- Local t.v. newcasts are a JOKE!!
- Thinks it's a diverse/tolerant place while most Seattle libs don't actually have minorities as close friends. Maybe with the exception of an Asian friend or two, the "good" minority.
Enough for now...I'm sure I could go on forever with this one.
Posted by: Mark D on January 27, 2006 07:41 PMOne glimmer of hope though ; The Seahawks are clearly exempt from this list.
Posted by: KS on January 27, 2006 08:47 PMYou said "Ron Sims' Nephew Illegally voting from Ron Sims' address while living in another state." Good one
But also:A certian elected persons nephew getting off scott free after ripping off the port of seattle for $1200.
At least B-Daddy Jim has never worn a sheet over his head, so he's at least marginally better than Robert KKK Byrd (I never thought I'd see the day I say something nice about Jim McDermitt).
Posted by: Mike H on January 27, 2006 10:04 PM2) Maria Cantwell. Motto: "Stop the tapping of U.S. oil reserves. It's not about the caribou, it's about being able to use gas prices as a campaign issue."
3) The Washington transportation departments. Motto: "We're out to make your daily commute a living hell."
4) West Seattle Jim and Ron "Tax to the Max" Sims
5) Patty "Osama builds daycare centes and schools" Murry.
6) The whole "let's spend millions to develop a tourist trade even though we know they'll go back home and tell everyone stories about how the panhandlers spit on them" mindset of the Seattle city council and mayors office.
Posted by: Johnny WIlliams on January 28, 2006 05:26 AMPosted by westello at January 28, 2006 07:38 AM
Do you mean Bill .C. and his ever so famous saying. What "IS" really is.
westello you kill me dude. LOL
That's not what I said... stop being "intellectually lazy", read the whole thing, and stop twisting my words. I said simply being open minded (i.e. honestly listening to other viewpoints) is a good thing. Being so "open minded" that your brains fall out, that the idea that you're open minded to the point that everything is okay and making any sort of value judgement is somehow evil is intellectually lazy.
By the way, the current occupant of the White House earned an MBA at an Ivy League school with, I beleive, an A- average. That's not exactly "intellectually lazy".
Posted by: Mike H on January 28, 2006 09:39 AMThey tried it on Reagan and he got two terms. They tried it on W and he got two terms, too.
The definition of trying something repeatedly expecting a different result is what again?
And, I didn't called him stupid. I called him intellectually lazy which is entirely different. He isn't interested in understanding or learning anything new. He has less interest in the world around him than the average child. He doesn't think; he believes and that is going to be his downfall. He may sail off into the sunset but oh, are the history books going to be unkind (to say the least).
Posted by: westello on January 29, 2006 10:40 AMThis is guy who time and again has stood up to the loud calls of his detractors and did what he believe to be right when it would be so much easier to do nothing. He has won all the important battles, from elections to reforms to supreme court nominations. You call him lazy?
Yes, the guy has other powerful family members in politics and he has money. Maybe he got into his ivy league school because of it, but that didn't get him the grades. (Frankly, how many people who get into Ivy leage schools don't come from rich well connected families?)
If you want ot dislike or disrespect someone because the had these kinds of advantages, what would your opinion be of people like Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Harry Reid and just about everyone else in the democratic leadership?
There's nothing intellectually lazy about GWB. He speaks like a Texan - and I mostly think he effects that accent because he knows it annoys the heck out of east coast liberals, - but don't confuse the down-home twang and southern demeaner with stupidity.
I've worked around southerners all my life, and they may have a drawl and seems a little slow, but they often give that impression just to catch people off guard. They'll run circles around you at the bargaining table and kick your tail at business if you give them half a chance.
Posted by: Johnny WIlliams on January 29, 2006 11:23 AMAnother good one there westello
Posted by: Amused by liberals on January 29, 2006 12:10 PMI am not a liberal. You have me confused with a different Patrick - possibly one from WSU.
The politician in my last post was RON SIMS. Someone we should be very, very embarrassed to have in any elected position when his family members get off scott free after committing CRIMES.
Posted by: Patrick on January 29, 2006 12:18 PMI agree.
My apologies.
Hey, cut them some slack... it's a "building year".
Besides, the men's basketball team is ranked #10 and the coach is a class act (along with Willingham). They're not that embarrassing.
Posted by: Mike H on January 30, 2006 12:10 AMjust fyi...
Posted by: k2 on January 30, 2006 12:40 AM