Neofascist Donald Trump tonight announced he is nominating an archconservative judge to fill the vacancy left by Antonin Scalia’s death nearly a year ago, which should have been filled last year, but wasn’t due to the obstructionism of Senate Republicans. Trump’s pick, Neil Gorsuch, would be an almost sure vote to “to limit gay rights, […]
Monthly Archives: January 2017
This again: Associated Press pushes another half-baked promotional blurb for Tim Eyman
Around 9 AM this morning, disgraced initiative promoter Tim Eyman hit the Send button in MailChimp to send out an email to his followers, the press, and elected officials proclaiming he was launching a new initiative to gut property taxes — an initiative which, if passed, would eviscerate vital public services in every city and […]
Tina Podlodowski + Joe Pakootas elected to lead the Washington State Democratic Party
Change is in the air at the Washington State Democratic Party. The party’s central committee (WSDCC) voted decisively today to set the party on a new course by selecting Tina Pododlowski of Seattle and Joe Pakootas of Spokane to be the party’s new Chair and Vice Chair for 2017–2018. (Full disclosure: I am a voting member […]
LIVE from Olympia: Washington State Democrats choose officers for 2017–2018
Good afternoon from Olympia, Washington. I’m at the Red Lion here in our state’s capital to chronicle (and participate in) the biennial winter reorganization meeting of the Washington State Democratic Party, one of two of the state’s major political parties. As one of one hundred and seventy-six members of the Washington State Democratic Central Committee […]
Good news break: King County testing prepaid postage on ballot return envelopes
It’s about time: King County Elections is testing pre-paid postage with the February 14 special elections in the City of Maple Valley and the Shoreline School District. Ballot packets were mailed on Wednesday to voters in both jurisdictions. Each packet includes a return envelope with the postage already paid. “This is something I’ve wanted to […]
Brian Dansel resigns; Washington’s Senate Republicans lose their majority (temporarily)
Republicans are temporarily without a majority in the Washington State Senate owing to the resignation of 7th District Senator Brian Dansel, who has just taken a job in neofascist Donald Trump’s administration. Dansel’s resignation, effective as of 1 PM today, leaves the Senate Republican caucus with just twenty-four members, including Tim Sheldon (R‑35th District), who […]
Progressive Ideas We Need: Funding a clean energy future through pollution penalties
Editor’s Note: Today and throughout this weekend, NPI is running a special series here on the Cascadia Advocate called Progressive Ideas We Need, highlighting proposals that would raise quality of life in our region and in the United States as a whole. Each post is contributed by an NPI staff, board, or advisory council member. […]
Progressive Ideas We Need: Biennial budgets that record tax breaks as state expenditures
Editor’s Note: Today and throughout this weekend, NPI is running a special series here on the Cascadia Advocate called Progressive Ideas We Need, highlighting proposals that would raise quality of life in our region and in the United States as a whole. Each post is contributed by an NPI staff, board, or advisory council member. […]
Progressive Ideas We Need: Paid vacation leave as part of every job
Editor’s Note: Today and throughout this weekend, NPI is running a special series here on the Cascadia Advocate called Progressive Ideas We Need, highlighting proposals that would raise quality of life in our region and in the United States as a whole. Each post is contributed by an NPI staff, board, or advisory council member. […]
Badly-behaved Senate Republicans are an embarrassment to the State of Washington
It’s only been ten days since the sixty-fifth Washington State Legislature convened for its long session, but already, the bad behavior of Senate Republicans suggests it’s going to be very difficult for the state’s lawmaking branch to get much of anything done before the session is scheduled to end on April 23rd. Washingtonians have a reasonable […]
Like a scene from The Chronicles of Narnia: Frozen Franklin Falls is a winter wonderland
One of the great advantages of living in the Pacific Northwest is the nearness of nature, including unspoiled mountains and ocean beaches. Thanks to the work of many sustainability-oriented Washingtonians, Oregonians, and Idahoans, we have protected many of our beautiful and wild places from being scarred or destroyed. One such place is the Mountains to […]
Attorney General Bob Ferguson unveils bipartisan legislation to abolish executions
Flanked by former Attorney General Rob McKenna and Governor Jay Inslee, current Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced a major new effort to abolish the barbaric practice of state-sponsored executions in Washington, supported by a bipartisan group of legislators from each house. Declaring that it is the responsibility of leaders to lead, Ferguson said the time […]
Join us tomorrow at the Rally for Student Civil Rights and Amply Funded Schools!
It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex. – Washington State Constitution, Article IX, Section 1 Readers! Do you believe in the Constitution of Washington State? Do you believe that all of […]
Group Health Cooperative is no more: State approves GHC’s sale to Kaiser Permanente
Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler today signed off on Kaiser Permanente’s bid to acquire the state’s homegrown health provider Group Health Cooperative, which means GHC will be no more as of February 1st, 2017. “After an extensive and thorough review by my office, it’s clear that Kaiser met all of the legal requirements necessary for […]