The good news: I'm starting a new job tomorrow at Premera Blue Cross as Senior Communications Manager for Media Relations.

The bad news: I'm signing off of the blogosphere for the foreseeable future.

That wasn't an easy decision, but it's the right one, and one that has been under consideration for several months.

While much of the growth of modern news & opinion consumption is online, earning a buck in that medium isn't easy. Short of being a blogger of national scope or being on the payroll of a significant journalistic outlet, you can't make a really good living at it.

I've always been amused by those on the right and left who presume there is some sort of man behind the curtain providing funding for blogs like Sound Politics or Horses's Ass. There isn't, and ads at such sites aren't bringing in even five figures of annual revenue. For my part, I haven't been paid a dime for blogging at SP.

That leaves outlets like Publicola, and even Crosscut and perhaps the SeattlePI.com, relying on contributions and/or "angel investors" to compensate underpaid staff. That's easier said than done (and probably raises questions about objectivity and independence depending on how diversified such financial bases can become). Either way, while I explored a number of options to make blogging work in the wake of my post at the U.S. Department of Education in the Bush Administration, all of them required highly entrepreneurial and financially unstable efforts at consulting and/or creating something like a right-of-center Huffington Post for the Pacific Northwest. For good or for ill, that's not a realistic option for me, with a wife and kids for whom I am currently the sole provider...especially in the current economy.

I owe it to my new employer and my evolving family duties to focus on those responsibilities. Heck, it will take some time to adjust to having the word "Senior" in my title at 33 years of age. On a more serious note, I'm incredibly grateful to have landed a quality job in the current employment environment and am excited for the opportunity.

Meanwhile, it has been an honor and a pleasure to be part of the conversation here at Sound Politics. I remain deeply indebted to Stefan for the opportunity to join the contributors and grow significantly in doing so. I have enjoyed the experience immensely and thank the reading audience for partaking of what I proffered.

Some personal highlights from, in no particular order:

1) The chance to speak on issues for which I have great passion, such as this essay-length post in 2006 on anti-terror policy or recent posts on education here, here, and here.

2) The opportunity to push back against flawed arguments in the local media, this contradiction of Joel Connelly being but one example.

3) Impacting events by driving or accelerating conversations. One high profile example: posts related to Diane Tebelius's run for re-election as WSRP Chair in 2007 created quite a hornet's nest. My original coverage (in part here, here, here, and here) led to additional scrutiny from Stefan, including here, here, and here. Tebelius was dethroned as chair, though not before trying to get me fired from my day job at the U.S. Department of Education, via a less than classy complaint to the White House via the RNC. Needless to say, I was not upset to be the one left standing with a job after that (which is an interesting outcome, if you take the time to think about it).

4) Sharing a personal side...heck, I wasn't shy about a public invite to the small church my family calls home.

More broadly, regular readers by now know my passion for swimming. Likewise, readers who also partake of KJR-AM sports radio know about this blogger's 2005 Bigger Dance contest victory, which led to a number of posts, including this piece of work that was read on the air by a richly bemused Mitch in the Morning. If you read that post, you know a bit of my mischievous side...I was after all declared a "sicko" by Dan Savage of all people.

5) Taking part in the 2008 election cycle. The scope of events in the unique primary and general election seasons, both nationally and here in Washington state, was one for the ages for anyone truly interested in politics. It was an honor and a pleasure to share it with you.

6) Last but not least, I enjoyed immensely knowing that this man fell hard for this April Fools joke.

There are certainly more highlights - or lowlights depending on your perspective. Either way, it has been a wonderful experience and I count myself blessed to have been a part of the leading conservative blog in Washington state. If there is one thing I've learned while blogging, it's that the reach of Sound Politics is well beyond a deep presence in Republican circles. It stretches well into the political & media establishment of our region, which is most clearly not dominated by conservatives. I have heard many generous words of respect for the quality of the product from some interesting people who will not soon agree with a right-of-center ideology.

Looking toward the future, it seems inevitable that there will be emerging voices on the right in the online world of the Northwest. It's simply where the action is at in the modern media environment. That might be in blogs, in might be in some online entity much bigger. Either way, I look forward to watching them flourish.

For those interested, you can still reach me at ericearling at gmail dot com, or via Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

In the meantime, I wish all of you in the loyal readership well, and Godspeed. It has been a true pleasure for me and I hope worthwhile for you as well. Take care.