Posted Thu, Apr 1, 5:33 p.m.

Hmmm, I thought I was the AG's boss, since I vote for that position. I'll try to fire him in 2012, in whatever election he's in. lorenbliss, I feel your pain - the privilege of universal health insurance should be shared with all classes. Unfortunately, you've maxed out in the ...

Posted Thu, Apr 1, 4:39 p.m.

One of these days, someone's going to write an article about Microsoft moving to India or China. The only problem - it won't be a hoax.

Posted Thu, Apr 1, 4:36 p.m.

Nice try, but I've been on my guard since the Weekly's April Fool's hoax a few years ago about a teenage prodigy being the brains behind Microsoft. That one took the cake, had evertbody going, people were on the verge of jumping out of (W)indows. So how do we avoid ...

Posted Sun, Oct 28, 8:38 p.m.

The Bottom Line - a different take: You know, I agree with much of your piece, except for all those overpasses with no estimate - my, that will be expensive. And congestion pricing - that will be a lead balloon here in car-happy Seattle with no mass transit alternative. I ...

Posted Sun, Oct 28, 8:19 p.m.

oh well, the traffic here isn't that bad: My my, in this topsy-turvy world, David Brewster finds it in his heart to endorse Prop 1. A bit of a surprise, but welcome news anyway. My favorite line of the campaign, from a recent Slog entry: Any package that is opposed ...

Posted Wed, Oct 24, 7:02 p.m.

Magnuson and Douglas: US Senator Warren Magnuson was a victim of the RayGun Revolution. He will remain the most powerful and effective Senator the state of Washingon ever enjoyed for at least the rest of my life. US Supreme Court Justice William O Douglas stands among the great justices in ...

Posted Mon, Sep 10, 12:25 p.m.

HUH???: Long after Idaho picks a new senator, we're going to wonder about the direction in American politics. After seven years of the juntaman, are you still wondering??? Seriously?

Posted Mon, Sep 10, 12:20 p.m.

gopher state update: Apart from presidential elections, Minnesota isn't blue or red - it's beyond a hermaphrodite. The same state that elected Paul Wellstone to the US Senate regularly elects its share of rightwingers, especially governors. This polarization was one reason Jesse Ventura was elected governor - as he grabbed ...

Posted Mon, Sep 10, 11:24 a.m.

rah rah: I've enjoyed reading stories by names I've been familiar with over the past 40 years or so - many graduates from The Weekly, and new names as well. In the spirit of thoroughly discussing issues of the day, I'd suggest a small increase in the allowable post size. ...

Posted Sun, Aug 26, 12:58 p.m.

RE: re bryant and tarleton: I'm glad you found Mr Edwards to be nice. You know what? I'll bet Ms Davis is nice too. But sadly, they're both lousy representatives for the public interest, and they both participated in an affair which certainly stinks, if it's not outright criminal. So ...

Posted Sun, Aug 26, 12:27 p.m.

RE: liberal bias? and parks: Presumably Hague will have the decency to resign if she's convicted? No obligation to do so. In fact, history encourages otherwise - if she can survive the election in November. Refer to the history of our lieutenant governor. After a similar experience as a state ...

Posted Sun, Aug 26, 11:59 a.m.

the after-aftermath 2: In the King County prosecutor's race, Bill Sherman easily defeated Keith Scully, and the two Democrats' total of 69,000 (incomplete returns), as opposed to Dan Satterberg's 41,000, shows the value of having a primary race to stir up supporters and get your name known. I'd say Sherman ...

Posted Sun, Aug 26, 11:39 a.m.

the after-aftermath 1: Oops, not quite finished ... To my mind, the August primary election experiment was a colossal failure. Everything I've read here confirms that. Move it back to September where it belongs. Chris Vance: I don't mean to sound like a Dittohead calling into the Rush Limbaugh show ...

Posted Sun, Aug 26, 10:49 a.m.

the aftermath: Wow, what an election. That was enough to take my mind off the Viaduct and the Sonics for a few days. "Eighty percent of success is showing up." I love the demicans/democlowns. What were they doing during filing week, instead of recruiting an opponent for Hague - getting ...

Posted Sun, Aug 26, 10:08 a.m.

campaign circus: Are you kidding? What would campaigns be without signs? They're just anothe facet of the circus atmosphere surrounding political campaigns. The faithful need something to rally around. Not that there aren't drawbacks ... Like those people who wave the signs at intersections? I've seen a couple of accidents ...

Posted Sun, Aug 26, 9:49 a.m.

the poker game: I don't know if the Sonics will go or stay, but the entertainment value of the poker game that's been in progress since sine die in Oly has easily beaten anything the team has come up with on the court in recent years. All my favorite cartoon ...

Posted Mon, May 28, 10:31 a.m.

RE: PS, Nick - special post for you: Hey everybody, count me as one. Sorry, I'm not into sound bites. Seems like as soon as I post, another idea comes up. That's just me. Crosscut seems a little staid. Check out the P-I soundoffs sometime. We have some real debates. ...

Posted Mon, May 28, 10:20 a.m.

Today's Chuckle - apologies to the P-I - BUT THIS IS REALLY FUNNY!: Sorry, Nick, I thought I saw it in the P-I ... But no! Right here in Crosscut! First, Conlin crafted a resolution that stated the state and city should start on a series of projects to fix ...

Posted Mon, May 28, 9:48 a.m.

PS, Nick - special post for you: I have always supported you in the past, and I have appreciated your past support for a rebuilt Viaduct. I want you to know that. I ALSO want you to know that I will yank that support if you vote for spending another ...

Posted Mon, May 28, 9:29 a.m.

Sorry Again, Nick - ABOUT THE SORRY REPUTATION OF THE SEATTLE CITY CLOWNSIL: The City Clownsil relevance to voters is indicated by responding to voter sentiment. Your blatant disregard for that sentiment is indicated most recently by your blind allegiance to some tunnel or surface replacement for the Alaskan Way ...

Posted Wed, May 9, 11:44 p.m.

I will never support Peter Steinbrueck again. Part 2: Part 2: I've been accused of being overly subtle in the past. I may also be viewed as an alarmist. So be it. I have an active imagination. Maybe you should be glad that I'm not in office. But I do ...

Posted Wed, May 9, 11:31 p.m.

I will never support Peter Steinbrueck again. Part 1: It has been almost two months since the Viaduct advisory ballot in March, and we are still no closer to a solution than we were in February. In fact, we have retrogressed. In January, the governor was good to go with ...

Posted Mon, May 7, 10:02 a.m.

Bridge works on hold; Indian site possible: Dateline Bellingham, in this morning's P-I. I wonder what the tunnel/trenchers may find when they start their own Big Dig fiasco? Here's the address: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/ local/314667_bridge07.html I love the Seattle process. What would I do with my time otherwise?

Posted Mon, May 7, 9:54 a.m.

RE: WSDOT Secretary Doug McDonald resigns - new SoT?: I'd hoped we'd get a czar, namely McDonald, to clean up the mess. ... Let's hope we don't get no-nothing politicos to try to engineer a solution. ... I'm betting on a tunnelhead stooge myself, but I REALLY hope I'm wrong ...

Posted Mon, May 7, 9:32 a.m.

Another Portland comparison ...: Readers of my posts on the P-I boards will know that I frequently salivate over Portland's MAX light rail system. If the Forward Thrust bonds had passed here forty years ago (and had not had to compete with the Kingdome bond on the same ballot), maybe ...

Posted Mon, May 7, 8:57 a.m.

RE: What about 405?: 405 is a major north-south route that serves our region, and it's about to undergo a big expansion if the upcoming RTID passes. That is a big IF. There is a very good chance that the Sound Transit and RTID measures will be a case of ...

Posted Mon, May 7, 8:40 a.m.

RE: It's a done deal. WE COULD ONLY WISH ...: The mayor will be interested to read this opinion of yours. According to an earlier crosscut article (Viaduct Redux), he's still drawing his tunnel plans. I don't expect him to change his mind even if he does see your comment. ...

Posted Mon, May 7, 8:26 a.m.

RE: Policy wonks make like it. But how many policy wonks are there? LOTS!!!: Too complicated. Transponders. Pay as you go. A region which can't figure out if/how to repair 8000' feet of Viaduct cannot handle something so contentious and far-reaching as making people pay to drive on public roads. ...

Posted Mon, May 7, 8:11 a.m.

tolls not ready for prime time here: Freeway tolls are normal in Europe. So is affordable health insurance, and governments that have stopped prosecuting wars all over the planet. Road tolls have been a part of life for Europeans for generations, and they are used to it. In addition to ...

Posted Wed, May 2, 11:01 a.m.

RE: The Firing of Doug MacDonald: Did it not occur to you that it might be extremely difficult for him to continue in his job when his macular degeneration has progressed to the point where can no longer drive? That DID occur to me, and that may well be part ...

Posted Mon, Apr 30, 9:56 a.m.

My crystal ball - a peek into the future ...: This post is in regard to the firing of Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald last Friday. For background on this issue, refer to this blog: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/soundoff/ comment.asp?articleID=313577 (As usual for this blog format, the link is split in two. Join ...

Posted Fri, Apr 27, 3:23 p.m.

correction - Secretary of Transportation Doug McDonald: My apologies, I was in a hurry and a little upset, and my proofreader was on the blink. The subject of the preceding post is Secretary of Transportation Doug McDonald. This is not good news.

Posted Fri, Apr 27, 3:17 p.m.

WSDOT Secretary Doug McDonald resigns: Excuse me for being a little off-topic here, but there is no article regarding the resignation of the transportation secretary, Doug McDonald, just announced. It IS related to my earlier posts regarding the governor and her transportation-related problems, though, including the SR520 rebuild. For reference, ...

Posted Fri, Apr 27, 7:07 a.m.

Rossi 2004 = Gore 2000, Rossi 2007 = Gore 2007: A truly fortuitous day for this topic. The situations of Al Gore and Dino Rossi are exact parallels, separated only by ideology. That is, both have moved on. Both are happy away from politics. Both have a new life now, ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 11:57 a.m.

Another option?: I'm not a big Mariners fan these days, nor of the Sonics either. So my suggestion might not be taken seriously. Then again, ... Too bad the Mariners and Sonics can't swap owners. That might solve a few problems, but would likely create others. Fuzzy logic, I know, ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 11:41 a.m.

New 520 Restaurant Plans Revealed!: I know each blog site has its own user rules. Sometimes tangents to the original topic are frowned upon, although I think they are generally beneficial. I'm a big picture guy, and I like to see all the facets and ramifications of a problem through ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 9:41 a.m.

RE: Halberstam, Hurry, HITCHes, High School Drivers, Cell Phone Hijinx and Hummers: ... I've personally had several self-inflicted cell-phone close-calls that this law would have prevented. Keeping it out of my hands will statistically prolong my life as well as others nearby. Thanks for coming clean in a public forum, ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 9:06 a.m.

RE: A rebuild/repair is feasable and cheaper: I would only comment that the addition of light rail capability to the new bridge might help slow the growth of SOV commuter traffic, although that improvement may not happen in our lifetimes. I like the antfarm analogy. I've applied it to the ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 8:57 a.m.

RE: I like what KK says: You know, maybe I've been in denial of the possibility of retrofit over rebuild. It would only be $500m less than a complete rebuild ($2.3b vs $2.8b), but that $500m would be welcome over at 520, to perhaps defray some of the tolls. Of ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 8:21 a.m.

RE: jdubman's response to Stuka's comments above: I trust you have seen my original four-part reply to Stuka's comment above, so I won't repeat it here. You and I don't agree on everything, but we seem to have similar gastonomical tastes. I seem to remember that there is a clause ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 7:57 a.m.

RE: THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE 520s - Part 4: Part 4: ... The Upshot: State highways are partly financed by all state taxpayers, partly by federal highway funds, and in rare instances tolls. We all use some highways more than others, but we all help pay for all ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 7:50 a.m.

RE: THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE 520s: ... Part 3: When ridership can be rationally justified and the system is self-sustaining -- like a tolled bridge -- then mass transit starts to make sense. To some of us who support Sound Transit, the system is already justified. There must ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 7:44 a.m.

RE: THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE 520s - Part 2: ... Part 2: 6) Of course the toll should not be collected by toll collectors, but should be collected using the EZ-PASS system. Rates should be set dynamically to regulate flow. This will probably happen, in conjuction with cameras ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 7:41 a.m.

RE: THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE 520s - part 1: The original post of Stuka is convoluted. I need to parse thought each of the seven items. Due to the comment size restriction here, my reply is broken into four parts, which I hope will follow in uninterrupted sequence. ...

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 6:49 a.m.

RE: Well Reasoned Analysis - What Crosscut Should Be: ... how Gregoire could come off as so indecisive after looking like a powerhouse during her first session. Simply blowing off Seattle (in recognition that Seattle isn't unified in support of one option) seems short-sighted ... She is playing with fire. ...

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 6:24 a.m.

RE: De Facto Retro: With the Governor's two year, 900 million commitment for "temporary" repairs to key viaduct segments ... The $915m appropriation covers prep work for whatever rebuild option is ultimately selected, and also includes about $5m for duct tape, to hopefully hold the middle mile together until it ...

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 5:24 a.m.

RE: brewster reply: ... the tunnel coalition had more political and financial clout than any other ... To remind readers who may have forgotten the details, the tunnel had the support of the mayor and a majority of the City Council. The tunnel supporters raised about a half million dollars ...

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 4:59 a.m.

RE: De Facto Retro: SR99 is but one piece of a larger network and nowhere in the debates have I heard much about the long-term role the viaduct will play. ... This may not be the official version, whatever that may be, but I will offer my perspective. The Viaduct ...

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 4:26 a.m.

RE: repair: ... add a [parking] garage or two elsewhere ... This seems a little vague. Available land is scarce and expensive downtown. Parking is already a nightmare there most of the time. You are referring to replacing existing, convenient waterfront parking with a fantasy. To reiterate a previous post ...

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 4:02 a.m.

RE: The end result?: Some of the Viaduct support pillars have continued to sink since the Nisqually earthquake, although that sinkage seems to have stopped for the moment. The old pillars are built on 1940's technology. I think soils engineers who understand marine sediments have learned a few things over ...

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 3:42 a.m.

RE: the freight thing: What did San Francisco do when their freight went away? The freight went somewhere else - in this case, Oakland, a short journey across the Bay. Maybe Seattle's freight could be shunted to Tacoma or Everett, but it should be amusing to see the reaction elsewhere ...

Posted Tue, Apr 24, 6:13 p.m.

intro coda: Sorry, I can't let this slide by. As you might expect, some other points in your piece need a comment as well. If ever a story went rapidly from community obsession to obscurity, it's the Alaskan Way Viaduct problem in Seattle. That may be your perception in downtown ...

Posted Tue, Apr 24, 5:43 p.m.

introduction - pro viaduct - part 2: Part 2 of my introduction: Just after the election, the governor cited capacity and mobility as two key hurdles that needed to be dealt with in a final acceptable design. To me, that means six lanes of SR99, four lanes of Alaskan Way, ...

Posted Tue, Apr 24, 5:41 p.m.

introduction - pro viaduct - part 1: Bonjour, I've been a frequent poster on viaduct threads on the P-I soundoffs over the past few weeks. My screen name should offer my sentiments on the issue. You might wish to view viaduct-related articles at the P-I site for background regarding my ...