This place:
I live here:
My first foray into the political arena was many years ago as a Legislative Page. Since then, I have been employed as a Committee Clerk (twice) and a Committee Legislative Assistant.
One summer, I was rollerblading around the capitol campus and almost fell in front of Gary Locke.
Anyway. I like politics. I want to run for office some day. In the meantime, I spend my hours reading about politicians doing things that I don't like and vehemently disagree with.
I get most of my news from a somewhat biased newspaper called The Olympian. I recently read a disturbing article:
http://www.theolympian.com/2011/07/25/1737211/dems-education-leaders-to-sue.html
Feel free to form your own opinions on the issue. I, however, am extremely perturbed that my state's elected officials continually seek to overturn every voter-approved initiative that they disagree with.
This is the place to talk about Washington politics.
Posts
pleasepaypreacher.net
People should not be allowed to vote on individual laws, because they do stupid shit like that. "Hey, let's make it take a huge supermajority to raise taxes, but only a simple majority to raise spending! I can't see how that would possibly go wrong!"
Also, why the hell should a simple majority be able to set a law that makes it take a 2/3rds majority to do something? So goddamn stupid.
Which is why if you need to visit the DoL in this state, you have to take a fucking day off work, instead of just going on your lunch break like you can in California.
It's even worse when it's a tax related initiative, because people will pretty much always vote for lower taxes and such, without caring about the medium to long term effects. One of my bosses was puzzled when I said I'd be voting against the "abolish the state income tax" ballot measure, because in his opinion, and I quote: "You'll have more tax home pay!" "Well yes, but where will the state get the money it needs to run instead?" "They'll figure something out, it's not my problem?"
Direct Democracy is.. a really bad idea. We don't teach people to properly carry out their ideas to their conclusions, and the voting booth does not have a requirement of reasoned debate beforehand. A state senator may vote like an idiot, but at least he was supposed to be in the two weeks of discussion about what that vote would cause.
Here is more on the issue in the OP: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/07/26/1737755/suit-attempts-again-to-kill-tax.html
Tax increases are hard enough to pass already. This is what happens when you allow those sentiments to make it even harder. It becomes absurdly difficult for the legislature to end the tax breaks the people don't want to pay for the things they do want.
Oh its not happening to Eyman?
Well shit.
Into space.
pleasepaypreacher.net
I wonder if we can get a "Anal Fisting for Tim Eyeman" Initiative passed.
I mean his recent plan meant they couldn't raise the ferry rates, how stupid is that?
pleasepaypreacher.net
Into space.
He is nothing but a self-serving horse's ass.
Which one is this?
You're in canada then shryke? Because washington is usually considered "north" by most people with a compass.
pleasepaypreacher.net
They were never a good idea. They are one of those things that only sounds good till you really think about it.
You don't represent yourself in court, you hire a lawyer. Same principal.
Aye. Let me tell you, when you talk about it to other Canadians, the only reaction I've ever seen is "They do what??? Crazy Americans man..."
West Valley High School, Yakima Washington.
Oh hey. They were in our league when I was in highschool.
That might have been East Valley actually.
Also, initiative probably sounded great back in the days where they actually thought there would be no career politicians and you'd take your turn serving and leave your farm fallow for a few years. They also sounded great when everyone rode unicorns in happy rainbow land. Beyond that it's fucking stupid because voters are fucking stupid. There's a reason we don't have a direct democracy.
Eyman has been picking a fight over red light cameras recently, a perfect example of something that is unpopular and simultaneously effective and useful for the public. His ability to constantly be on the wrong side of every single issue is kind of astonishing.
There's one in Ballard. It freaks me out.
My roommate moved from California to Seattle right before the election results came in and he was aghast that we actually passed that initiative.
I hate red light cameras because they're operated by a private company. I've never understood the supposed benefit of privatizing public works.
Are you with The Stranger, or the Seattle Times?
...tunnel?
The viaduct situation.
twitch.tv/Taramoor
@TaramoorPlays
Taramoor on Youtube
ummmm
VHD stands for "vehicle hours of delay". These numbers are from the state's final environmental impact statement. Traffic will be just as bad with the tunnel as it would be with the surface/transit plan, which will be much cheaper and will serve more people. At least the elevated replacement would have downtown exits - the tunnel won't even have that.