Seattle Politics Examiner

Wagons East

Amusing story today from fellow flycaster Knute Berger at Crosscut.  Apparently Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels drove through eastern Washington recently and didn't like the signs he saw.

According to the Seattle PI's Joel Connely, this is what Nickels had to say:

"I was [word not allowed by Examiner.com] off," he said. "We need to be one state and find common ground. ... To look at those huge signs along I-90 was very hurtful, not just to us but to the state as a whole."

Berger makes some astute observations of the irony here.  A plea for "common ground" is strange coming from a mayor who wants to tax plastic grocery bags, ban plastic water bottles, and close off streets from cars.

Berger further points out that Nickels' own public musings about Seattle's secession from the state aren't exactly aimed towards unity in Washington.

Topics: People's Republic of Seattle

A look at eco-fads

In "Why shopping 'green' won't save the planet," Crosscut's Knute Berger takes a critical look at eco-fads, of which Seattleites tend to be so fond.Seattle's obsession with largely symbolic green measures (banning bottled water at... Read More
Topics: The Environment , The Wacky World of Seattle , People's Republic of Seattle

Another voice against expanding light rail

Over at CrossCut, Ted Van Dyk makes some suggestions for fixing the Puget Sound region's transportation boondoggle.  Among them, this nugget:"The light rail system is billions over the promised pricetag, years behind construction schedule,... Read More
Topics: Transportation

Is state spending sustainable?

Andrew Garber at The Seattle Times takes an in-depth look at the dramatic growth in state spending over the last 4 years.  The word amongst those in the know is that he's been working on this story for a long time."The two-year general-fund... Read More
Topics: Government Spending , Elections , Gregoire v. Rossi , Legislature , Taxes

A Skeptical Environmentalist Visits Seattle

Last Tuesday Bjorn Lomborg, author of The Skeptical Environmentalist and Cool It, addressed a packed ballroom of more than 300 people at the downtown Seattle Westin.  His topic:  putting the climate change problem in perspective. Hold... Read More
Topics: The Environment

What hurts the most is...getting caught breaking the law

Rich Roesler, the Spokesman Review's Olympia correspondent, has an interesting blog post today about the Democrats' ongoing trouble with copyright laws.After a ruckus over inappropriately using copyrighted material from the Centralia Chronicle,... Read More
Topics: Elections , Gregoire v. Rossi

Sound Transit Gives Public Money to Special Interest Groups

A new report shows Sound Transit officials use public money to contribute to special interest groups. The study was featured in an investigative report on KIRO (CBS) television this evening (video of the story is available here).Through public disclosure... Read More
Topics: Transportation , Government Spending , Taxes

State lawmakers face a problem of their own making

Stateline.org, a watering hole for policy wonks of all political stripes, linked to a story today on California's budget woes.  California is facing a $15 billion budget deficit, which represents about 15% of an approximately $100 billion budget.Thanks... Read More
Topics: Government Spending , Legislature , Taxes

Why public sector labor unions are a bad idea

Yesterday, fellow Seattle Examiner Eric Earling made a good point about public sector labor unions over at his other hang-out, SoundPolitics.com.  The state's most powerful public sector unions, via the Evergreen Progress PAC, are going to... Read More
Topics: Government Spending , Elections , Gregoire v. Rossi , Unions

Candy isn't so dandy

A new scratch ticket (see photo at right) from the Washington State Lottery is popular.  Apparently it's too popular.  The state is removing the new tickets, which feature candy images, from circulation after complaints... Read More
Topics: Government Spending , Taxes