Seattle Times: "When Gregoire won, so did her donors"
Money poured in for a recount in Christine Gregoire's close race against Dino Rossi. Those supporters -- including unions and a tribal-gambling group -- have benefited during the governor's first term.Billion$ in public benefit$ for a few million in political contributions. Nice work if you can get it.
Amazing how much difference those 133 "votes" made.
Sadly, the Times and other lamestream media only made Mrs. Gregoire's job easier. If our professional journalists had bothered to do enough investigative journalism (or even some basic reporting) to show how completely corrupt and fictional Gregoire's 133 vote "victory" was, she wouldn't have had as much legitimacy to deliver so much of the people's money to her sponsors.
(I know, the trial judge saw "no evidence" to overturn the election. It was the piles of evidence released only after the trial that the lamestream media conveniently ignored).
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at June 24, 2008 11:54 AM | Email ThisGovernment is a monopoly force that Gregoire uses to grant tribes and union contracts, revenue, etc. in return for soft money, campaigning, guaranteed union votes, lawyers and other lobbyists that will assure that she has more years as a stooge. This woman has scarcely known a day in her life of productive work that was not a drain on our economy. And with any luck, she will have hardly worked an honest day in her life by the time she retires.
And of course as Stefan found, the evidence was quite clear when Bill Hunnekens (another government stooge) said "We should not have counted those provisionals." That's right, illegal, unauthenticated provisionals that came pouring in at the last minute from ACORN efforts, registrations at county buildings, mail box locations, storage facilities, etc.
Vote the bum out and send a message to the entrenched Marxist/ Progressive establishment of Seattle. It's time to address our energy needs, transportation needs, and get rid of all of the career politicians that are good for nothing but handing favors back to unions, environmentalists are other Progressives nuts.
Posted by: Jeff B. on June 24, 2008 12:07 PM''It's time to address our energy needs, transportation needs, and get rid of all of the career politicians that are good for nothing but handing favors back to unions, environmentalists are other Progressives nuts.''
I would go further, and say that it's way PAST time. In the real world you cannot count on an unlimited number of chances to make a desperately needed major course correction. If we do not get Governor Rossi this time, I fear WA may go over a seriously non-recoverable tipping point on the steep downslope to a full-blown socialist nanny-state; that does nothing but pander to the (D)s favorite special-interest groups. We're WAY to close to that point already.
Posted by: Methow Ken on June 24, 2008 12:33 PMThe point is, Stefan, that you're completely out of touch, and by playing this same song over and over and over again, you just keep digging yourself deeper into a hole. Get a new song.
You're not even in the game any longer, and you've manufactured excuses to console yourself in the darkness of your corner of the political world. Wake up. Seriously.
But, since you have nothing new to offer, I suppose it's fitting that you just confine yourself to being a conductor to the choir of outcasts.
In the meantime, the rest of us will continue to move Washington State forward into the future of a global world, a world that despite you and your party's best efforts to conserve us into the past, we in Washington are very well poised to ride into the future.
Small government? Ha! I'll take effective government that seeks to balance principle and reality. Freedom & liberty? Tell that to the social-conservative wing of your party who want to regulate every last aspect of how we live our lives. Fiscal conservatism? Have you been following the Presidency of GWB?
That you can manufacture controversy out of Washington State and the Gregoire administration, and yet remain absent in discussing the corruption and problems in the Whitehouse does not speak well to whatever principles you claim to be upholding.
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 01:11 PMMove Washington State forward? Are you insane???
Turning a mult-imillion dollar surplus into a $2.4 billion deficit, 9th worst traffic in the nation, 7 years on from the quake and no plan to do ANYTHING on the viaduct till 2012. Top it off with a DOC run amok releasing felons prematurely to kill people, rapist within 5 miles of their victims and a Dept of Social Services that neglects children who later die.
Washingtonians can't afford that kind of "forward" (into bankruptcy and third world status) .
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Excuse me. You don't come here very often, do you? GWB has been pounded many times for his errors buy this website and others. How odd the Dem party never and I say never attacks their own when they do. (try Clinton)
Talk about coming out of the dark.
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on June 24, 2008 01:27 PM9th worst traffic? Certainly. We are among the largest metropolitan areas in the Nation, and given our geographic constraints, this is not surprising. What we've failed to do is to adequately add new transit options in our region, thanks mostly to conservative opposition. Roads do not build us out of congestion, and they never will.
Viaduct? Republican's don't even have a voice in the discussion because they haven't earned a voice in the discussion. It's a complex issue. If you think you have a easy answer, then you're likely not very versed in the issues and haven't got a voice in the discussion.
DOC/Felons and killing people? You've truly jumped the shark. It's precisely this hyperbole that causes you to be entirely irrelevant in ongoing discussions within our State.
That you think Washington State is on the brink of third-world status sums up this discussion nicely. I look forward to your selling that message to the voters of this State.
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 01:40 PM9th worst traffic? Certainly. We are among the largest metropolitan areas in the Nation, and given our geographic constraints, this is not surprising. What we've failed to do is to adequately add new transit options in our region, thanks mostly to conservative opposition. Roads do not build us out of congestion, and they never will.
Viaduct? Republican's don't even have a voice in the discussion because they haven't earned a voice in the discussion. It's a complex issue. If you think you have a easy answer, then you're likely not very versed in the issues and haven't got a voice in the discussion.
DOC/Felons and killing people? You've truly jumped the shark. It's precisely this hyperbole that causes you to be entirely irrelevant in ongoing discussions within our State.
That you think Washington State is on the brink of third-world status sums up this discussion nicely. I look forward to your selling that message to the voters of this State.
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 01:40 PMSo, it is ALL the Democrats fault that NOTHING has been done on the viaduct.
Thank-you for making it perfectly clear.
Posted by: SouthernRoots on June 24, 2008 01:47 PMBut, I hear the view is nice from the peanut gallery. :-)
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 01:56 PMDOC/Felons and killing people? You've truly jumped the shark. It's precisely this hyperbole that causes you to be entirely irrelevant in ongoing discussions within our State.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ahhh, yes. We see YOUR no-answer to truly jumping the shark.
Thanks.
The advantage of the peanut gallery is that we don't have to see how thick the lipstick really is on the pig. The closer you get to the stage, the worse the stage makeup looks.
Democrats aren't the only team on the ground, they're the only ones they'll listen to.
If the Democrats are the only team on the ground (viaduct), why have they played to a 0-0 tie for the last seven years?
Posted by: SouthernRoots on June 24, 2008 02:06 PMIt was the piles of evidence released only after the trial that the lamestream media conveniently ignored.
How conveniently escapist for you. At the time of the trial, you were claiming that the extant evidence was sufficient. Once you lost that, you determined that it was the other, later evidence that made your case. Of course, that evidence has never been tested, vetted, cross-examined.
Hmmm..."but, really, honestly, it's the other evidence that counts!"
Gregoire in a landslide.
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 02:24 PMThis was the quote that got me laughing. I don't know how many other countries Tim has visited lately, but WA is not poised to do much of anything on the global stage.
Most folks around the country think of WA as a nice place to visit, but they wouldn't want to live here. It's over-regulated and under-developed. Seattle is a backwoods, sleeply little 'burg, and you'd have to point it out on a map to have 99.9% of the people in the world be able to find it on said map.
Boeing moved away, and there's no way that Microsoft nor Starbucks nor Amazon would be located here if they weren't founded here. How many big corporations have moved INTO this state? Tim says "Tech jobs are rising faster here than anywhere, and we are poised very well to take advantage of the global economy." Wrong and wrong.
Tim is probably flogging himself over headlines like this from KOMO: "Seattle leads nation in tech job growth":
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/20739999.html
Tim obviously didn't take time to actually READ the study, or Tim would know that the data used in the study are from 2006! Just like all local Dems, Tim is years late and dollars short.
Furthermore, Tim is flogging himself over the creation of 'tech jobs', and not 'total jobs'. Anyone notice this little hobgoblin of a qualifier? I'm sure everyone's mother, gardener, and bartender are happy that tech jobs are growing in Seattle (as they are in over 50 of 60 markets measured, so it's not really that special), but I think everyone would be happier if ALL jobs were increasing.
This is the mention of Seattle: "Of the nation's largest cybercities (those with more than 75,000 tech workers), Seattle and Phoenix had the highest rate of growth at 6.5 and 4.3%, respectively, between 2005 and 2006."
Yep, that's about right - comparing Seattle to Phoenix. That's exactly where Seattle fits on the 'world stage' and within this new, upcoming 'global economy'.
But Tim won't ever know the difference, because Tim spends all his time in little local echo-chambers. Otherwise he'd know that nobody outside of WA actually gives a f$*) about Seattle. Really. It's that sort of selfish thought, the self-aggrandizement of local libs, that makes them think Seattle and WA are some sort of 'big players' on the global stage.
I'll bet if you asked a banker in London where she'd like to invest some money right now, she'd say 'Krakow, Poland' before she said 'Seattle, WA'. And there are a myriad of reasons for that, which Tim doesn't take his head out of the sand long enough to recognize.
Not only do most folks view Seattle as a sleepy backwoods little 'burg, they now view it as a CORRUPT sleepy backwoods little 'burg, thanks to the 2004 election. And that is purely the fault of King County and the Democrats, not the Republicans in the state.
I'll ask you a question that I've asked of all my liberal friends: If Gregoire really did win the election by garnering the most legally-cast ballots, as you say - why weren't they counted correctly the FIRST time? Why was King County unable to accurately count the ballots TWICE, only then stumbling into the REAL answer the third time? Why did King County drag all of us, the entire state, through the mud when they could've and should've counted all the ballots right the first time?
I'm not accepting the 'we're all human and humans make errors' hooey. You just lauded WA as a great leader into the next global economy - and this great leader with the Microsofts and Starbucks of the world can't accurately count ballots? That's what the rest of the world sees. King County dragged ALL OF US through the mud and cost our state millions of dollars - us, the taxpayers - because of their sheer incompetence or corruption.
The jokes around the country are no longer about Cook County. I have relatives in the Midwest who now make jokes about WA, King County, and Seattle.
Seattle is less of a player in the new global economy than Krakow, Budapest, Birmingham, L'viv, and a host of other cities around the world. And it's folks like you who have made it so. Enjoy your view from the third-class seating in the Global Train. The New Yorks and Chicagos are up in first class. Las Vegas and San Jose are second class. Seattle is in the back, and in danger of losing more ground.
Posted by: Larry on June 24, 2008 02:40 PMHe's just seeing what sticks...
Posted by: cps on June 24, 2008 02:41 PMIf you had to list the top cities in the United States per their ability to compete in a global marketplace, where would you place Seattle?
Also, Larry's partially right; I'm here, at Sound Politics today, spending my time in a local echo chamber. :-)
---
Here's a preview of my response...if you don't place it in the top 5, you're likely trying to confuse yourself into thinking that WA is in terrible shape in order to try to justify the hyperbole about the Republican party being the savior of the business climate in WA State. ;-)
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 02:47 PM"Cue Broken Record!"
"We were robbed! We were robbed! WA State sucks! All liberals hate America!"
"Repeat broken record for the next 10 years!"
Have I missed anything? ;-)
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 02:52 PMRepublicans can't save Seattle from itself. I've lived here for 8 years, and Seattle hasn't kept a single promise to me nor anyone else.
USA Cities in the New Global Economy?
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Jose, Washington DC, Denver....should I go on?
The fact that you think Seattle even SNIFFS the top 5 in the USA is a joke, and shows how little you know about the world and how big your blinders really are. Do you really even think that most people outside of the USA could find Seattle on a map? That has not been my experience.
And I notice you didn't even try to answer my question - if Gregoire had the most votes, why was King County wrong TWICE??
You think Gregoire won. I think Rossi won. But I also think, regardless of who had the most votes, that King County could've and should've made the correct count the FIRST time, AND all three times. Do you really disagree with this statement?
Posted by: Larry on June 24, 2008 03:03 PMDallas, San Jose, Wa DC & Denver ahead of Seattle in the new global economy? Precious. :-)
Save Seattle from itself? Again, this attempt to manufacture Seattle as a place of doom, destined for the dustbin is hyperbole. It's so ridiculous that no, I won't bother trying to refute it. I'd rather just leave it for those who don't swim in this "echo chamber" to see and judge on their own.
Ummm, hate to break the news to you, but Gregoire is the Governor of WA. That means she won. And, just so you know (because Stefan conveniently ignores this when he's spinning his woeful tale of being out-swindled by the so-called brain-dead democrats) King County was not the only county to have adjusted vote totals in the final count; actually, several other counties had larger percentage adjustments, and those adjustments generally went in favor of Rossi.
But, seriously, this discussion is so 2004. We're in an entirely new election, 4 years later. Perhaps you'd like to join reality?
"Cue broken record."
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 03:16 PMIf you'd like to compare your passport to mine (Travel much?), just let me know where and when. I'll win. Just let me know WHICH passport I should bring - My USA passport or my EU passport!! Yes, I have two, and yes, I am a citizen of the EU. And yes, I'd bet that BOTH my passports have seen more countries than you have.
In my travels, when I say I'm from Seattle, people immediately mention one of three things: Alternative music (1), alternative lifestyles (2), and corruption (3). That's what Seattle is well-known for - but most folks STILL couldn't find it on a map. The fact that you dispute this shows how provincial your mindset really is. Sadly enough, I have YET to be asked about the great food and clean air in Seattle. People just don't associate Seattle with anything other than Pearl Jam and sewers of corruption. I've never been asked about Bill Gates nor Paul Allen, though people sure do know Kurt Cobain.
Seattle ahead of San Jose, Dallas, Wa DC in the new global economy? Laughable on its face. Wa DC is the political capital of our country (if you hadn't noticed), and as such will always be ahead of Seattle. San Jose is self-explanatory - it's everything Seattle wishes it was as far as a tech center. And Dallas has what - 4x as many people as Seattle? How many tech jobs are in Dallas and Seattle? You're confusing growth with size. Boston has more high-tech jobs than Seattle, for goodness sake. Take your head out of the sand, dude.
"The New York metropolitan area had the most high-tech employees in 2006 with 316,500; followed by San Jose, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley, with 225,300 tech workers; and Boston with 191,700."
And thanks so much for (NOT) answering my question fully, Timothy. 'Adjusted vote totals'. Sounds like something that Stalin would be PROUD of. Why weren't the ballots counted correctly the FIRST time? Why did it take THREE counts? Why can't King County count votes correctly? Only the Shadow knows.
Anyway, just let me know about my passport challenge, I'll be waiting.
Posted by: Larry on June 24, 2008 04:00 PMProvincial, provincial, provincial.
As if anyone who uses Windows or deals with Microsoft really cares where Redmond is. As if ONE company could elevate a backwoods city into a new global economy.
Timothy, you sound like someone who travels to London, talks to folks just like yourself on the plane ride over, stays at nice hotels, and never talks to any locals making less in a year than you do in a month, or week even. Or, you hear stories from your coworkers at Microsoft who are from Denmark, yet you've never even been to Denmark yourself.
Provincial, provincial, provincial.
Sheesh.
How many foreign countries have you lived in? How long have you spent abroad in your life?
You'd think the world revolves around Seattle, reading Timothy's posts. I stand by my statement - the vast majority of humanity can't find Seattle on a map. 99.9% was an exaggeration, but it's much closer to the mark than Timothy's reality.
Posted by: Larry on June 24, 2008 04:09 PMNever mind the post and attached article is about the appearance of kickbacks from the tribes and the union goons in exchange for sweetheart deals handed out by the Executive Branch in this state. No. Let's change the subject and be an ass while doing it. Such is the Timothy Way.
Posted by: jimg on June 24, 2008 04:13 PMLet's address this little lie right now shall we? the falsehood that somehow the $2.4 billion Gregoire DEFICIT is Bush's fault. According to the New York Times :
"More than 40 states have found themselves with more money than they planned as they wound down their regular sessions. Governors in 23 of those states proposed tax cuts, and a majority of states with surpluses chose to shore up their roads, schools and rainy day funds. For example, lawmakers in Utah agreed to a $1 billion bond act to fix state roads and add lane miles, while in Idaho state spending on education outpaced that on Medicaid for the first time in 20 years."
WASHINGTON is NOT on that list. So umm no, it isn't the fault of Bush, as 42 other states reported higher than expected revenues while Gregoire has a $2.4 billion deficit.
- Democrat Mark Sidran's campaign manager in '04;
- An "industry lobbyist" for strip clubs; and
- A marijuana activist.
Can't confirm a connection to Gregoire, but he certainly makes his money pushing hard-left causes. I'd parrot the talking points too if they paid me enough! Like Stefan said, "nice work if you can get it."
Posted by: AD on June 24, 2008 04:22 PMNo, what has failed is the Gregoire transportation department, that for example, lost over $55 million on the Port Angeles graving project.
And after the 2005 gas tax increase was approved, the very first project the state did was a bike trail in Moses Lake. This after the state DOT ran commercials saying that if we didn't pass the tax, the viaduct would come crashing down.
Posted by: pbj on June 24, 2008 04:25 PMLarry. Seattle is a "backwoods city?"
That would be a winning campaign message for Rossi! Perhaps you should encourage him to run that message.
BTW, is Seattle more or less of a backwoods City since, say, the last time we had a Republican Governor in this State?
...oh, and AD? I don't work for Gregoire. I'll save you the research. :-)
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 04:26 PMtry these articles:
State DOC resumes early felon releases
Stephen Joyce, an elementary school teacher,wife was run down and killed by a felon racing through their Tacoma neighborhood in a stolen car -- while under the department's supervision.
In 2004, a convicted sex offender under supervision tore through four states on a 24-day rape-and-robbery spree that ended when he shot a teenage girl and then, hours later, a gas station clerk in her 50s. The same year, another Washington felon on community release beat a young mother to death in front of her children. The list goes on.
The state is now defending itself from a swarm of lawsuits. Felons under the department's watch have killed homemakers and sheriff's deputies, business owners and rookie police officers. In the past five years, the state has settled 20 related cases and agreed to pay more than $31 million to the families of survivors. Eight more suits are pending.
The only thing "jumping the shark" Timothy is your arrogance and ignorance of the epidemic of mismanagement under Gregoire.
No mention of my passport challenge, you snob? You were making fun of me, and asked me if I traveled much. I challenged you - and you didn't take me up on it! Thanks for admitting that it is YOU - not me - who is so provincial and doesn't travel much.
You take a trip to Rome, maybe with your wife or boyfriend, you stay at a nice hotel, you talk to other Americans and go to restaurants that the hotel recommends (because you're so obviously American provincials), and you never really experience other countries. You never hang out with folks who struggle for a year to earn what you get paid in a few weeks. You never share a bottle of wine with the folks picking the grapes out in the fields.
But you're from Seattle, so you just KNOW what they think, what they experience, because you're just OH SO smart.
Whatever. I called you out, and you couldn't rise to the challenge, because you know it's true.
I asked how many foreign countries you've lived in? No answer. I asked how long you've lived abroad? No answer.
You're a typical provincial Seattle liberal, who doesn't know much of what the world thinks of Seattle, WA, and the USA. You think everyone hates us, because you hate GWB. How little you really know.
You should get out more, Timothy. You might learn a thing or two.
Posted by: Larry on June 24, 2008 04:41 PMIn 2001, the Nisqually quake damaged the Alaskan Way viaduct. The Gregoire government (remember , according to Timothy Republicans "aren't even in the game") hasn't done anything but spend money. They don't intend to even start demolition until 2012.
The intelligent voter will ask why the folks in San Francisco can design a new structure, demolish the old one and open it up 9 years later and it takes Washington State under Democrat hegemony 11 years to even begin demolition, or so they promise.
Posted by: pbj on June 24, 2008 04:48 PMWell the Republicans certainly couldn't do any worse than Gregoire. I am not sure what she does for an encore after chasing Boeing corporate out of the area.
Posted by: pbj on June 24, 2008 04:53 PMTheir corporate headquarters, which has been in this state for over 60 years did leave the state. Much of the manufacturing is now out of state on the 787.
Posted by: pbj on June 24, 2008 05:04 PMBut, I won't concede your point that Seattle is a back woods city, unknown to those involved in the new global economy. My point was never how many people in other countries can locate Seattle on a map; I'm confident that most people in most countries can't locate most cities in other countries on a map. That line of discussion is red herring.
The salient point is that Seattle is and remains a vibrant, and continually emerging location for business, despite the oft-repeated claims by Rossi that business would wither away under a Gregoire administration.
Oh, and PBJ, Money's "Fastest Job Growth" is an irrelevant metric to this discussion. If you have 1 job in your city, and you add one, you've had 100% job growth. That's why that chart lists very small cities and not large, well-established business centers. For a better metric, look at Forbes ranking last year of State's that are good for business.
As for the Felon issue, I still maintain that your stance is hyperbole. Perhaps we should ask AG McKenna his take on the issue?
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 05:07 PMYes that is true, they built a boulevard. Obviously they didn't take 12 years to decide what to do. When she had the chance to show leadership on the issue, instead Gregoire put it back to the voters.
If we don't hire governor's for leadership, for what purpose do we hire them? To redecorate the mansion?
Posted by: pbj on June 24, 2008 05:08 PMBTW, all, I have to run for the night (literally, I'm off to run)! Thanks for letting me spar. I do like to stop in every now and then, and I appreciate the forum. You have to admit that I give you all something to push back against, right? Here's hoping you'll let me come back again. ;-)
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 05:13 PMWho runs the DOC, Gregoire or McKenna? That tactic of shifting blame is just like when Gregoire lost the state $10 million in a lawsuit because her office failed to file the paperwork on time.
You make think it hyperbole, but to the families of those murdered, raped and robbed, it is no lauching matter.
So is that going to be a Gregoire slogan now? " To all the whining victims of the DOC released murderers, rapists and robbers, stop your hyperboles. Losing your loved one brutally is no big deal."
Good luck running on that one.
Posted by: pbj on June 24, 2008 05:18 PMNo. Actually they are quite similar and provide for a case study in how two different locales handled the same situation.
And it didn't take them over a decade to replace the Cypress viaduct. The Loma Prieta quake occurred on October 17, 1988. The replacement opened in 1997, so that is just a tad over 8 years, for the WHOLE THING.
Now c'mon Timothy, do you really think voters are so gullible to think it ought to take 11 years to even decide to begin the work?
Every politician has low points. By your constant insistence that Gregoire bares no blame for the state of state, you lose all credibility.
Posted by: pbj on June 24, 2008 05:33 PMA very small percentage of felons, in any State in the country, whether with a republican or a democratic governor, serve their full sentence. To pin the crimes of those who have been released early onto the Governor's of the State oversimplifies this issue to such a degree that it's no longer a rational conversation, imo. And no, I do not mean in any way to minimize the pain of the victims, and yes, I do care a lot about reducing violent crime in this State.
As for the Viaduct...I actually disagreed with the Governor's early position on it, so am glad that she didn't attempt to push her plan through. But, that doesn't mean that I think Rossi could have done any better on this issue, and I think it would be folly to think he could; Rossi has almost no alliance in Seattle, and that would make it very difficult for him to bring the differing parties together. I think they ought to tear the Viaduct down and replace it with a transit and streets option, and I'm certain that Rossi would not agree with me on that issue. :-)
As for Gregoire deserving "blame" for the State? You still have to convince me that I should see Washington State as a glass-half-empty rather than a glass-half-full. This is a great State, a growing State, with a very strong business climate and a lot of hope for the future. I think the pessimism expressed on Sound Politics has more to do with politics than with reality. So, no, I don't "blame" Gregoire for that, because I don't think there's a "blame" to be had.
There is progress to be made, to be sure, and I'm doing my part to be included in the conversations about where this State is heading. I disagree with Democrats all the time, and spend the vast majority of my time sparing (not just agreeing) with those on my team.
Cheers, all. Have a good night.
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 06:16 PMI'm a consumer of neither vice, but believe that freedom has to be defended at the margins.
She doesn't seem like the type.
Posted by: Chris on June 24, 2008 06:47 PMThere are other Taxpayers in the other 38 counties of Washington State who don't see eye to eye with those that live in SEATTLE.
If Seattle was so great, wouldn't washington consist of only one county?
Posted by: Chris on June 24, 2008 06:51 PMI am curious, did you vote for the smoking ban?
Posted by: Chris on June 24, 2008 06:57 PMThis is one of those issue where I think the mythology of Republican ideology has disconnected from the reality of the Republican party. The nanny-state, relative to social issues, is firmly rooted in the republican party now.
Posted by: Timothy on June 24, 2008 07:01 PMWho is the chief executive in charge of the state and DOC, Gregoire or McKenna?
Posted by: pbj on June 24, 2008 08:19 PMWow. Are you sure you haven't been inhaling? Because at minus $2.4 billion, I'd sure consider that at least half empty, especially considering that she was given the glass over half full.
Perhaps in your mind, a chief executive isn't responsible for the performance of their company - unless of course it is an oil company and then if they succeed, they're evil.
Harry Truman said it best with " the buck stops here". With Gregoire, that buck gets passed faster than a hot potato. The CEO of Washington is the governor. Under Gregoire's watch, the state ferry system is in crisis, the DOC is out of control, state government expanded 33%, the viaduct continues to sink and we are $2.4 billion in the hole.
I can see why you want MJ legalized. Any more Gregoire "progress" and we'll all need a hit of that stuff.
Posted by: pbj on June 24, 2008 08:35 PMAnd relating this to the original topic, the strip club industry, which has kept bread on your table, has a little something in common with the tribes, no? They both have a well-documented history of engaging in pay-to-play/bribery schemes with Democrat politicians.
Posted by: AD on June 24, 2008 09:03 PMNO ONE knows about Seattle. But San Jose? SF? LA? Dallas? DC? NY? Miami? LV? All are well known.
I'm very glad I moved my business our of WA. It's amazing how much EASIER it is to do business in China and HK, in places where the government understands that economies thrive BECAUSE of business, not in spite of it. Where I don't have to fight the Government tooth-and-nail to get just basic things finished. And I'm not nannied left-and-right, or forced to use a certain type of lightbulb...
Posted by: Shanghai Dan on June 24, 2008 09:52 PMThat is a dodge an you know it. The similarity is in the architecture of the two structures and their potential for a pancake collapse in an earthquake. Do we need to wait until the Alaskan Way viaduct collapses to conclude that fact? That appears to be the Democrat plan.
Posted by: pbj on June 25, 2008 09:36 AM