Last week all pretense of bipartisanship in State Senator Rodney Tom’s new coalition was abandoned with its introduction of five anti-labor bills purposely intended to weaken worker’s compensation. The new caucus formed by Senators Tom and Sheldon and the Republicans is trying to rush these bills through to passage. A floor vote is expected in […]
Monthly Archives: January 2013
Research in Motion set to officially unveil its new BlackBerry 10 platform tomorrow
In less than eighteen hours, executives at Canadian telecommunications pioneer Research in Motion will simultaneously take the stage at a set of media events in major cities around the world to officially unveil BlackBerry 10, the company’s much anticipated next-generation mobile operating system, which RIM hopes will put its line of smartphones back in the […]
Senate Republicans want to assign letter grades to Washington’s public schools
Washington State Senator Steve Litzow (R‑41st District; Mercer Island) has introduced a bill that would assign a letter grade to public schools and school districts in the name of “accountability.” High-performing middle, junior high, and high schools would receive financial rewards from the state. Litzow’s proposal turns on its head the policy of providing additional funding […]
Students won’t stay silent on high tuition
I lobbied on Monday. That may not seem like much, seeing as hundreds of people did the same thing on the exact same day. But seeing as I’m a student at a university, for some, it might be a big thing indeed. I was there with 59 other Western Washington University students who met with more than 60% percent […]
President Obama’s Second Inaugural Address: A heartening, uplifting call for progress
Four years ago, I stood on the National Mall in our nation’s capital and witnessed the swearing-in of Barack Obama as the forty-fourth President of the United States of America. It was a historic day — a happy and joyous day that offered a welcome respite from weeks of bad economic news and feelings of […]
The sale of the Sacramento Kings to Chris Hansen shouldn’t be a cause for celebration
This morning, the Maloof family, who have owned a controlling interest in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings for more than a decade, ended weeks of speculation by announcing that they have agreed to sell their stake in the franchise to a group of investors led by San Francisco hedge fund manager Chris Hansen. Hansen’s group, as […]
Gun control supporters rally in Seattle
A large crowd of gun control supporters, mobilized by StandUP Washington, marched from Seattle’s Westlake Park to a rally at the Seattle Center this Sunday afternoon. The mood was somber, as victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting were remembered, but there was also a spirit of resolve. The event had a dual purpose, to remember, but […]
Tired of destructive, self-serving Eyman initiatives? Help us stop Tim’s profit machine
This morning, at the Secretary of State’s Elections Annex in Olympia, Tim Eyman and his pals Eddie Agazarm and Paul Jacob showed up to deliver what they said were 345,000 signatures for Initiative 517, Eyman’s latest scheme, which is intended to make it easier and cheaper for Tim Eyman to qualify initiatives for the ballot […]
U.S. House passes H.R. 8, reinstating tax cuts and extending aid for the unemployed
By a vote of two hundred and fifty seven to one hundred and sixty-seven, the United States House of Representatives has passed H.R. 8, making permanent the Bush tax cuts for those making less than $400,000 a year, extending aid to the uneployed, and delaying the automatic reductions to federal expenditures that were set to […]
New laws for 2013, Washington State edition
New Year’s Day is more than just a festive holiday and a turning point on the Gregorian calendar. It’s also the occasion when many laws and administrative rules go into effect, as prescribed by our Legislature. Here’s a summary of some of the new laws and rules taking effect in Washington today: The minimum wage in […]
Banished Words for 2013
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on December 30th, 2012, and republished on New Year’s Day 2013. Every year since 1976, Michigan’s Lake Superior State University has released a thoughtful and humorous “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness”. Here is the 2013 (and thirty-eighth annual) edition, for […]
Happy New Year: Welcome 2013!
2013 has begun! On behalf of the team at NPI, I’d like to wish all of our readers, donors, and volunteers a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. 2013 holds special significance for us, because it is NPI’s tenth year. We’ll be celebrating this remarkable milestone that you’ve helped make possible all year long — online, at […]