Posted Sat, Sep 25, 10:21 a.m.

Hopefully practicing medicine in this wonderful place is more than a paycheck for this physician. Part of the reason he makes as much money as he does is that he practices medicine in the US. He likely wouldn't make that in another country. And drop him into a third world ...

Posted Sat, Sep 25, 9:07 a.m.

As an attorney, Runstad realizes that the reason lawmakers are allowed to change initiatives after they have been on the books for two years, is that they are elected to make and adapt laws to a changing world. So, to cite this law as a reason to oppose this or ...

Posted Sat, Feb 20, 9:31 a.m.

Ah yes. The sun is up and out and it's only late February. If this team matches our hopes, it will play the game as it was meant to be played: good pitching, good fielding and timely hitting. I can't wait. Thanks Ted.

Posted Sun, Nov 8, 9:10 a.m.

I don't want to short-change all of the contributions to society that columnists make -- after all a good number of them have decided to comment on this piece -- but I have always thought most columnists were working out their psychoses on the printed page. Maybe that's less evident ...

Posted Tue, Sep 29, 6:47 a.m.

It's interesting to read the Republicans hackneyed criticisms of the state's attempts to hang onto Boeing. It's not about the tax climate. South Carolina has roughly the same tax burden Washington does. As for Senator Hewitt's admonishment that mere talk of an income tax will drive Boeing out of the ...

Posted Sat, Sep 19, 8:11 a.m.

David-- I agree. Nickels' achievement is considerable, even though I feel like one of those Seattlelites living on the outside of his agenda. His ability, along with Ceis, to consolidate and use power to push through an agenda and stymy others is not one we're going to see soon, unless ...

Posted Sun, Aug 16, 7:41 a.m.

Ted-- Of course, it all points back to Bush's incompetence. He seems to have had no idea of the role of a VP or how to marginalize him. Even his own self-appraisal as the "Decider" seems fraudulent in retrospect. It's apparent he couldn't even decide how to decide and Cheney ...

Posted Mon, Jul 6, 7:54 a.m.

Reuven--You're right when you talk about the economic inefficiencies of so many school districts, but small is better when it comes to holding the system accountable. Parents need to be in touch with the decisions being made about their kids education. That doesn't happen in big districts. So it's not ...

Posted Sun, Jul 5, 6:32 p.m.

Mr. Baker's suggestion that 130th north should be annexed by Shoreline is not so farfetched. Mayor Nickels has changed the language of city government to reflect a consumer approach to taxpayers. Well, consumers, by definition have choices.. Shoreline has managed to put sidewalks along Aurora. The city, although paying lip ...

Posted Sat, Jul 4, 6:36 a.m.

I know Kent is talking about walkability and not safety but sometimes sidewalks are simply about the latter. I live in north Seattle (perhaps not far from Mr. Baker). The city has failed to put in the promised sidewalks along Aurora and other arterials (like 145th) that simply allow people ...

Posted Tue, Jun 30, 5:49 a.m.

Ah David, good to hear from you. Knute, I'm no fan of the Mercer proposal but at least I'll have access to it. What is the life-cycle of a liberal Democratic Congressman in Seattle? I think we're learning.

Posted Fri, Jun 26, 6:20 a.m.

Chris-- Good points. The real issue should be who is most capable of squeezing vital services out of the existing dollars the county has. This week's State Auditor's report reveals what many of us have feared: there's a culture in county government that does not value our tax dollars. A ...

Posted Fri, Jun 19, 6:31 a.m.

Ted-- It's interesting, too, that Steinbrueck is saying this now. I would have more respect for him as a potential mayor if he'd had said this while in office. The group-think that goes on in city hall is the down fall of he Nickels era. He wanted to be mayor ...

Posted Thu, Jun 18, 8:23 p.m.

Yes, David, surprising. But will it do the job? What is the sense in short changing higher education? Are we going to be victimized by all these personal agendas that most of us could not care less about? Surprising but not very enlightened leadership.

Posted Thu, Jun 18, 6:08 a.m.

"Elizabeth sounds like quite the candidate....for suburban Dallas." In fact, Campbell lives here and does not represent a radical minority point of view. The attempt to marginalize her by painting her as an outsider is an example of the parochial thinking in this town. Intellectual chauvinism is endemic in Seattle. ...

Posted Mon, Jun 15, 11:44 a.m.

Mike-- In general, the Mariners are a better coached team, but he hitting is poor and the fielding not much better. It's time to figure out how to capitalize on that pitching and get some better position players. Ichiro, Beltre, Washburn and Bedard ought to be worth something.

Posted Sat, Jun 13, 10:09 p.m.

Ah, yes. Dow Constantine slams Susan Hutchison, calling her a conservative Republican.

Posted Wed, Jun 10, 6:42 a.m.

You expect a little more intelligence from such a stuffy audience. Broadcast television is no better or worse than any other. My God. Pick and choose what you want to watch but don't condemn it all. There is a lot of great TV out there and some of it you ...

Posted Thu, May 21, 6:37 a.m.

Hey! There's no ink left!

Posted Sat, Mar 7, 7:48 a.m.

Ted-- I agree tax increases probably don't help much at a time like this. But government's role right now is complicated and difficult. It has to provide a safety net which includes health care reform. It has to stimulate the economy because neither businesses or consumers are doing it. In ...

Posted Sat, Mar 7, 7:30 a.m.

Jean-- Balancing the budget may be a charter amendment but it might not be a "worthy" goal right now. One of the fundamentals of government during hard times like this, when neither businesses or consumers are spending, is to do no harm. Reducing the number of public projects and cutting ...

Posted Sat, Feb 28, 7:55 a.m.

Knute-- Certainly Locke won't set the world on fire but he was the third choice. I never envied the difficult tightrope act Locke had to walk with Boeing. He gave up a lot of our money for very few jobs. Maybe there was a better deal to hatch but there ...

Posted Sat, Feb 28, 7:31 a.m.

Susan Hutchinson found anchoring TV news challenging. Why would anyone think she could grasp King County's bloated bureaucracy? I'm looking for a candidate who says they will shrink county government. The county has shed many of its responsibilities onto local government. It's time to shrink and reassess. We need a ...

Posted Sun, Feb 15, 7:27 a.m.

Aimee-- This is ridiculous. If you're going to spin fantasy scenarios, Jane Hague is a more likely choice to be the caretaker. After all, the likelihood of her running for executive and getting elected are just about nil. She ran the elections department. She has been on the council a ...

Posted Sat, Feb 14, 7:34 a.m.

David-- I think you overstate Nickel's vulnerability. The polls reflect the general dark mood of the electorate, not just Nickel's stumbles. It's going to take an energetic challenger with sufficient funds to beat him. Steinbrueck and Licata do not fit that bill. Who out there does? We should be more ...

Posted Sun, Feb 8, 8:49 p.m.

CR- Ed Murray is a cautious politician (an incrementalist). Is it your sense he proposed this now because he has the votes? Will the governor sign the legislation? Will there be enough of a backlash against domestic partnership of this order to fuel an initiative all the way to the ...

Posted Sat, Feb 7, 9:47 a.m.

Ted-- This is good stuff. Great analysis. A poll today indicates the public is still with Obama so maybe people get the joke. Every president makes mistakes but can they learn from them and can they ultimately meet the challenges they face? There is no blue print for this job. ...

Posted Sat, Feb 7, 9:07 a.m.

Don't underestimate O'Brien. The Sierra Club has been on the winning side of the two "Proposition Ones". Is that a coincidence or does that reflect a political savvy that O'Brien might bring to the council race? Many first council candidates are novices and fall under the spell of local political ...

Posted Sat, Feb 7, 8 a.m.

Burgess has clearly said he won't run. No doubt he's thinking about becoming mayor though -- just not his year. The Nickels machine is a formidable challenge despite his low approval ratings. Viable candidates all know that. Remember Gregoire has never been that popular but she keeps winning. I agree, ...

Posted Sat, Jan 17, 6:39 a.m.

Sean: If it's about jobs, there are a lot of other projects in Seattle that would produce more jobs per dollar. The tunnel will be bored by a machine that is notable for the few workers it requires. Licata can be criticized for many things, but such a specious attack ...

Posted Sun, Jan 11, 8:12 a.m.

This may just be the start. The rumor reporters are chasing now is whether Hearst will now make a bid for Belo, the company that owns KING TV. Divesting itself of the PI clears the decks for Hearst with the FCC of any cross-ownership issues. The only market in which ...

Posted Sat, Dec 27, 5:42 p.m.

Nickels profile as a mayor has been to present himself as a competent manager while short-changing neighborhoods and their issues. Now that he has stumbled on gangs and snow storms this image is fading. As David says, the door is open for a challenger. That said, time is running out ...