NPI's Cascadia Advocate

Offering commentary and analysis from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's uplifting perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Monthly Archives: March 2022

Help AG Bob Ferguson track down sources of illegal robocalls and telemarketing scams

Excerpt: “Robocalls are more than just annoying – they can also be illegal,” said Attorney General Bob Ferguson. “Many of our cases are based on tips we receive from Washingtonians. If robocalls are harassing you, please file a complaint with my office.”
Written by:Joel Connelly
Categories:Policy Topics, Technology
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A win for the Emerald City’s trees: Seattle will soon require registration for tree removal

Excerpt: The implementation of Council Bill 120207 will make the tree care industry in Seattle more accountable and its collective conduct more transparent to residents.
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Legislative Advocacy, Our Environment, Policy Topics
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Book Review: Left Behind puts the DLC’s failed track record under a microscope

Excerpt: Read NPI's review of Left Behind: The Democrats' Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality, by historian Lily Geismer, an associate professor of history at Claremont McKenna College.
Written by:Alexa Moormeier
Categories:Economic Security, Media & Culture, Policy Topics
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Last Week In Congress: How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted (March 21st — 25th)

Excerpt: The week's major votes included Senate confirmation of Alison Nathan to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals, along with confirmation of over half a dozen district court judge nominees.
Written by:Targeted News Service
Categories:Legislative Advocacy, Series & Special Reports
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It’s been one month since Putin escalated his murderous invasion of Ukraine. Can its defenders repel Russia’s attacks?

Excerpt: What's happening in Ukraine? This March 24th update discusses what we know about efforts to evacuate civilians, resupply the Ukrainian defenders, and impose penalties on Russia for Putin's war of aggression.
Written by:Rich Erwin
Categories:Breaking News, Series & Special Reports, World Commmunity
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Fiscal impact disclosures now required for statewide initiatives: Governor signs HB 1876

Excerpt: HB 1876 is the first significant initiative reform legislation to be signed into law in Washington State in the twenty-first century. It makes voting on statewide initiatives easier (and deceptive campaigning harder!) by alerting voters when an initiative would increase or decrease funding for public services. This is done through a statement that appears before the Yes/No ovals on the ballot.
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Elections
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Walla Walla students challenge book bans by reading the material some want to censor

Excerpt: Let’s not shy away from difficult discussions and sensitive topics. This is America, and in America, we acknowledge our blemishes and weaknesses as well as our strengths. 
Written by:Erin Jones
Categories:Education
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Judge Jackson: A model of class and patience confronted by classless interrogators

Excerpt: The committee hearings have witnessed the dog whistles of white supremacy, wild forays into irrelevance, and the kind of raw demagoguery that then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman James Eastland deployed on the first Black Americans nominated to the federal bench. It was a classless effort by Republicans to discredit a nominee who embodies class.
Written by:Joel Connelly
Categories:Public Service
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J. Vander Stoep files new initiative to repeal Washington’s capital gains tax on the wealthy

Excerpt: J. Vander Stoep, an attorney based in Chehalis who has been active in Republican politics for many years, has filed the initial text of a measure that would completely repeal Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5096, the legislation that created Washington's new state capital gains tax on the wealthy and dedicated the revenue it generates to childcare, early learning, and K-12 public schools.
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Elections
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A late winter thaw in Congress yields another long-haul win for Senator Patty Murray

Excerpt: Last week, Congress approved an omnibus budget bill, long-overdue legislation to rescue the Postal Service, and a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Written by:Joel Connelly
Categories:Civil Liberties, Legislative Advocacy, Policy Topics
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Extremism Watch: Sinclair’s Jonathan Choe serves up lots of publicity for the Proud Boys

Excerpt: Choe calls himself a journalist -- he even emphasizes that label as part of his Twitter handle -- but he rarely seems to practice what the Society of Professional Journalists defines in their code of ethics as journalism. On March 19th, he pretty much dropped any pretense of being a journalist and instead chose to act as a press agent for the Proud Boys during his afternoon in Olympia.
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Media & Culture
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Last Week In Congress: How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted (March 14th-18th)

Excerpt: The week's major votes included House passage of the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act and Senate confirmation of Shalanda Young to be OMB Director, along with the approvals of two Biden judicial nominees to sit on the federal district court bench in California.
Written by:Targeted News Service
Categories:Legislative Advocacy, Series & Special Reports
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Don Young: 1933–2022

Excerpt: The longest-serving member of the United States House of Representatives and the only person to have represented the State of Alaska in Congress since the Watergate era has unexpectedly passed away.
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Public Service
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Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is the stress test of an epoch for Earth’s democracies

Excerpt: In this commentary, NPI Advisory Councilmember Gael Tarleton discusses Vladimir Putin's war of aggression against the Ukrainian people and the importance of stamina in achieving a long-term effective response from NATO and the world community.
Written by:Gael Tarleton
Categories:Policy Topics, World Commmunity
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