Posted Thu, Jan 5, 12:48 p.m.

Next week on Crosscut: - A thoughtful and provocative essay from good people at Exxon-Mobile on why investing in bicycle lanes is bad environmental policy. - Have we ended the Iraq war too soon? Thoughts from a PR executive at General Dynamics. - A Starbucks vice president puts on his ...

Posted Mon, Jan 2, 7:24 p.m.

Portlandia seems more like Seattle to me than Portland.

Posted Wed, Dec 28, 1:11 p.m.

@Cameron - Did you actually read the article you linked? No matter, I will summarize for you. Jiggles was shut down by the Department of Development and Planning (not Pete Holmes) for failing to obtain a master permit, code violations, and opening a strip club within 800 feet of a ...

Posted Wed, Dec 28, 9:43 a.m.

@Cameron: "And yet it was Pete Holmes and Jenny Dirkan's Federal Attorneys who thought strip clubs were the worst crime wave since Al Capone." I believe you mean Tom Carr, not Pete Holmes. To my knowledge, Pete Holmes hasn't been involved in any crusade against strip clubs. He did shut ...

Posted Mon, Dec 19, 1:21 p.m.

@leitmotif: There are also a few rotten apples who do not. This is a fact in any organization. Very true. However, in most organizations the bad apples are disciplined, fired, or sued. In the Seattle Police Department, they rarely face any consequences at all.

Posted Tue, Dec 13, 9:22 a.m.

Crosswalks are a well-intentioned death trap. Nearly every rule of the road ensures that drivers can drive along peacefully without other vehicles suddenly jumping out in front of them. And that's a good thing - when a car ignores a stop sign or fails to yield to traffic, a collision ...

Posted Wed, Oct 19, 11:19 p.m.

I'm guessing this will be as successful as Microsoft's $6 billion acquisition of Aquantive.

Posted Sun, Sep 4, 10:30 p.m.

Seems quite beautiful to me. I live near Volunteer Park and see lots of international tourists there almost every sunny day. Seattle's parks are definitely a tourist draw - there aren't many cities where you'll find 120 foot Sequoias. And they provide an in-city glimpse of the amazing natural surroundings. ...

Posted Tue, Aug 9, 11:47 p.m.

If a kid wants to drop out, why not let him? There's no reason why every last American citizen has to know algebra or have read Shakespeare. If a kid doesn't have the interest or aptitude to succeed in a traditional high school curriculum, offer him an alternative education focused ...

Posted Wed, Aug 3, 2:09 p.m.

Wonderful article. The viaduct has certainly become the primary battle ground for Seattle's cultural war, although I'd argue there are three sides in the fight, not just two: 1) Old Seattle - mix of conservative old industry and populist working class. They want a rebuild. 2) Latte Liberals - educated ...

Posted Tue, Jul 12, 7:36 p.m.

If the measure of a school system's success is whether it can make poor kids perform as well as rich kids, the schools are doomed.

Posted Fri, Apr 29, 1:50 p.m.

The winners are all moderates. This was no "revolution", it was a rejection of Currie's paranoid, divisive nonsense.

Posted Mon, Apr 4, 4:57 p.m.

@animalal: How exactly is Seattle better off for having returned the land Allen donated for the Commons so that he could build condos and office parks instead? You realize that we're paying far more to fix Mercer now than we would have with the Commons plan, right? What a bunch ...

Posted Sat, Mar 5, 3:48 p.m.

There was an interesting study written up in the New Yorker a few years ago. The study looked at students who had been admitted to Harvard, comparing those who accepted the offer with those who declined and ended up attending public universities instead. For every measure of success they looked ...

Posted Sun, Feb 27, 10:23 a.m.

Black Swan and Natalie Portman's performance were brilliant, remniscient of and every bit as great as Holly Hunter and The Piano. As with anything of beauty, there will always an impulse among some people to tear it down. I enjoyed the The Kids Are Alright, but that enjoyment was based ...

Posted Mon, Jan 31, 12:52 p.m.

Hi Judy, Your comments about Dederer's treatment of her husband almost scared me away from this book. I was reminded of Pepper Schwartz's memoir, which I stopped reading when she started callously revealing extremely personal details of the men she dated (e.g., impotence). I just don't enjoy that kind of ...

Posted Fri, Jan 28, 12:26 p.m.

@lorenbliss: "Seattle's last outpost of bohemia will be destroyed" Last outposts? Destroyed? No, Seattle's Bohemia is way more pervasive and resilient than you are giving it credit for.

Posted Fri, Jan 14, 9:23 p.m.

This was lovely, thank you.

Posted Mon, Dec 6, 8:10 a.m.

This seems so obvious to me, it's kind of hard to believe we'd design our educational system any other way.

Posted Tue, Nov 23, 1:35 p.m.

"Can I remind everyone of something? If just 2.5% of the voters - less than three people out of 100 - had chosen Rossi instead of Murray, he would have won." Can I remind you of something? If just 2.5% of the voters - less than three people out of ...

Posted Tue, Nov 23, 11:54 a.m.

No matter how many times Vance and other GOP propagandists repeat the words "wave" or "tide" or claim to represent "the will of people", neither the state or national election results shows any such thing. Nationally, Democrats retained control of the Senate. In Washington State, they retained control of both ...

Posted Sun, Nov 21, 5:23 p.m.

@Mart - One last point regarding the future of the app market on both platforms. Having recently upgraded my 2-year old iPhone to the iPhone 4, I was extremely underwhelmed. Yes, the screen looks a little nicer and it runs faster. Big whoop, there's absolutely nothing revolutionary about it. It ...

Posted Sat, Nov 20, 9:01 a.m.

Does Android have a decent Craigslist client? I find myself spending a lot of time with that app. @Mart - interesting data points. However, with over 50,000 non-spam apps in the Android marketplace, the app-oholic would hardly be deprived on Android. Both markets are large enough now so that success ...

Posted Fri, Nov 19, 4:10 p.m.

@Chris Vance - "I didn't predict a Rossi victory in May or at any other point" No concrete predictions, just a whole lot of hopeful cheerleading and overuse of the phrase "red tide".

Posted Fri, Nov 19, 7:46 a.m.

Latest counts have Murray up by 4.7%

Posted Wed, Nov 17, 8:23 p.m.

Olbermann was one of the few journalist who dared question Bush administration decisions during their most popular and insane years. Remember when Bill Mahr was fired for doing the same? Those were scary times, during which Olbermann provided a bastion of sane and independent commentary. That is what journalism is ...

Posted Wed, Nov 17, 8:07 p.m.

Having recently attended an awesome arts festival at Hangar 30, I think the city is being way way too conservative in shutting that facility down. The building is not dangerous. It's fine the way it is. Let's keep it open and start talking about upgrades when the economy picks up.

Posted Mon, Nov 8, 11:17 p.m.

@hlweborn - Please, feel free to continue your nap.

Posted Thu, Sep 30, 8:37 p.m.

Reuven, your overall point is correct - Seattle isn't as kid friendly as it should be. Unfortunately, this situation will not be fixed by allowing teenagers to steal books from the library. The main problems are the cost of living, the quality of public education, and public safety. Based on ...

Posted Mon, Aug 30, 10:20 p.m.

"... we generally build transportation infrastructure to accommodate future growth. Seattle officials are doing precisely the opposite." You are assuming incorrectly that a road diet somehow permanently alters the structure of a road. It doesn't. It's mostly a paint job that can be very easily undone should your predicted future ...

Posted Wed, Aug 18, 8:07 a.m.

I don't understand how a state income tax on individual income is going to put Star Rentals out of business. The tax applies only to your personal individual income in excess of $200,000. Any money left in the business would not be taxed. P.S. If you are paying an effective ...

Posted Mon, Aug 16, 10:09 p.m.

What is the value of a public park along the downtown waterfront? Can you even put a price on it? The park is what makes the tunnel pan out financially.

Posted Sat, Aug 7, 3:56 p.m.

Great review - I'll have to read the 10-pager you linked to. As a current iPhone user, the one question I have is what the music experience is like on the Droid? Does it have a decent player? Can I sync MP3s from my computer? Can I create play lists?

Posted Fri, Jul 30, 6:57 p.m.

Excessive process, polemics, compromised proposals, obstructionism, lack of leadership - that's what you get when a city's populace is as divided as Seattle's. We simply can't make up our collective mind. I'm beginning to think we should punt - do the cheapest solution now, and hope the city is more ...

Posted Mon, Jul 26, 10:07 p.m.

Thanks, Crosscut, for the honest, informative, and insightful coverage of this issue. I've really grown to appreciate that the writers here treat the readers like adults rather than telling them what they should think about this complicated issue. It's still not obvious to me what the right call is, but ...

Posted Sat, Jul 17, 5:36 p.m.

Waiting for my contract to run out on the iPhone this fall, at which point I'm thinking Droid. I read that you can use your Droid as an access point for multiple computers - that alone is worth the switch for me.

Posted Fri, Jun 18, 4:17 p.m.

@animalal & @BlueLight, Some facts regarding Holmes' policy and immigration: 1) Holmes is simply complying with Seattle Municipal Code 4.18.015, which prohibits city employees from asking about or facilitating investigations into citizen status. 2) The effect of the change is to shelter *legal* immigrants convicted of petty crimes from automatic ...

Posted Fri, Jun 18, 11:31 a.m.

@DocMaynard - I didn't register any sanctimony from his comments, and as lead for the OPA, Holmes has as much inside knowledge of SPD that one can get without actually being on the inside. His main point regarding the SPD is that there is a leadership vacuum. Does anyone here ...

Posted Fri, Jun 18, 8:27 a.m.

In my reading of Holmes' letter, he wasn't blaming the officer, but rather he was blaming leadership for a lack of planning that put the officer into a lose-lose situation. Probably the biggest mistake, as you point out, was sending the officer there alone.

Posted Wed, Jun 16, 12:20 p.m.

Former_Belltowner is correct in that the thugs will always be looking for somewhere to go. However, I disagree that nothing can be done about it. If a club becomes a magnet for violent criminals, it should also become a magnet for the police. Unfortunately, with Tom Carr in office, the ...

Posted Tue, Jun 15, 12:04 p.m.

Norm Stamper was "conflicted and angst-ridden"? Not sure where you got that from, but Stamper also presided over one of the largest drops in crime in the city's history. As for the WTO, that was an anomaly that would have played out the same way no matter who was chief.

Posted Thu, May 27, 12:02 p.m.

Trevor - Thanks for pointing out the article, but the examples of the Seattle Weekly and the software companies completely miss the mark. Pioneer square has an abundance of cheap office space that is not zoned retail, and that's where all these companies are/were located. If Real Change were renting ...

Posted Thu, May 27, 8:26 a.m.

Yes, some Real Change vendors have become welcome fixtures in the neighborhoods. A few have also shown themselves to be violent criminals (see http://www.sgn.org/sgnnews14/page1.cfm). But all this is besides the point - the issue isn't about where vendors sell their papers, it's about whether it's legal and desirable for Real ...

Posted Wed, May 26, 11:38 p.m.

Ted, I'm glad you brought this topic up, as it's something I often think about. I agree that the overwhelming number of hostile, obnoxious, and just plain stupid comments on the internet are a problem (although Crosscut is a bastion of civility compared to most places). Regrettably, it's a problem ...

Posted Wed, May 26, 10:59 p.m.

Chris, how can you watch this video and convince yourself that Rossi has a chance? The man has no charisma, no accomplishments, and no message. Rossi is the best the Republican party can do? That's "tremendous news" alright - for Democrats. The beating Rossi is going to take during this ...

Posted Sun, May 16, 8:01 p.m.

Based on my experience in the corporate world, I'd say Kent is right on in suggesting cuts in middle management and administrative positions. Not only would cutting these high salaries save us money, but you might actually see a rise in productivity from removing the layers of management between those ...

Posted Sun, May 16, 7:49 p.m.

Speaking of Nick Licata, how has the departure of the Sonics impacted Seattle Center finances? As I recall Nick assured us that Sonics revenue would easily be recouped with other events. Has that turned out to be true?

Posted Sat, May 1, 11:23 a.m.

In reply to woofer's excellent post, if solving AZ's immigration problem requires productive and intelligent dialog, the problem won't be solved. However, I do think it's possible for a savvy politician to harness the ignorance, anger, and self-righteousness of both the left and right by re-framing this issue as a ...

Posted Fri, Apr 30, 10:55 p.m.

Ted, you aren't helping yourself by so rudely dismissing Spock's comments. The fact is, you are both right. Racism, scapegoating, and macro-economic factors that have nothing to do with Mexicans are without doubt an important factor contributing to this legislation. It's implausible that AZ is free of the ignorant rage ...

Posted Fri, Apr 30, 10:34 p.m.

Interesting post, Ted. From up here in Washington state, it's impossible to disambiguate any real problems Arizona faces from the ugly, unabashed racism that shows up daily in the comment threads of the Seattle Times and PI. Thanks also to GoMoJo for posting that article. The fact that the increasingly ...

Posted Wed, Apr 28, 2:51 p.m.

Retnan: "He leads her in the polls genius. Kiss her goodbye." Care to put a friendly wager on this? "BTW Sean he won in 2004. It was stolen." Umm, never mind the wager. It's clear you wouldn't pay up if you lost.

Posted Sun, Apr 25, 1:03 a.m.

Rossi would have to be a masochist to jump into this race. This would be the 3rd high profile election he loses. That can't be fun.

Posted Thu, Apr 22, 12:50 a.m.

Thanks for the write up, really wish I'd been there.

Posted Thu, Apr 22, 12:43 a.m.

@Mud Baby - Good idea - that might actually pay for the community centers.

Posted Thu, Apr 22, 12:41 a.m.

I'd love to get behind this idea, but can't help but wonder what exactly these community centers would be used for? Personally, I can't imagine why I'd spend any time in a "community center" unless there was some kind of draw. If they are meant to be a social gathering ...

Posted Mon, Apr 19, 10:47 p.m.

Seattle Center is crying out for a large scale amusement park. With an eco-friendly theme.

Posted Sat, Apr 17, 11:36 a.m.

Awesome. Any chance we'll see an I Love NY Diner?

Posted Fri, Apr 16, 4:21 p.m.

I remember when the appropriate response to "Thank you" was "Georne!" Then suddenly everyone was saying "you're welcome", the clear implication being that I might have been unwelcome, and that I should be grateful this wasn't the case. A pox on idioms and vernacular!

Posted Sat, Apr 10, 6:36 p.m.

Another great and well written article, Judy. I think these terrible events are sometimes overshadowed by the horrors that happened in Europe during that time, and your article (and the book it's about) do a great job in bringing to life how humiliating and frightening it must have been to ...

Posted Fri, Apr 9, 3:42 p.m.

Haven't had dinner at Sky City in years, but I take my daughter there for brunch on occasion and they always do a great job. Yes, it's expensive, but you're on the top of the Space Needle for Pete's sake.

Posted Thu, Apr 8, 7:17 a.m.

The point of this article is entirely lost on me.

Posted Sat, Apr 3, 8:22 a.m.

The fact that the owner of Salty's, Gerald Kingen, is a highly visible and active right-winger can't have helped his business in Seattle. Among other things, Gerald commissioned a set of political cartoons denigrating Native Americans in an effort to pass I-892, drives around a van covered with right-wing propaganda ...

Posted Tue, Mar 23, 10:28 a.m.

"McKenna gets trapped by Obamacare politics" Really lame headline. Should read, "McKenna gets trapped by Fox News", since the Republican party basically works for Murdoch now. I hope you are enjoying your fantasies of moderate Republican rule. I'm not.

Posted Thu, Mar 18, 7:40 p.m.

Thanks for the historical summary. I've always been puzzled by the lack of a big amusement park anywhere near this city, so it's interesting to hear about the Disney plans that never materialized. A world class amusement park (privately run, not necessarily Disney, and paying rent to the city) is ...

Posted Sat, Mar 13, 9:09 a.m.

I enjoy Crosscut, and it's been fun to see it grow. You've added some great writers. Thanks for providing something truly different from the rest of the local media. It nicely compliments all the police blotters and hipster echo chambers that make up the Seattle online media landscape. @orino - ...

Posted Fri, Mar 12, 4:27 p.m.

@woofer: "the fare is annoyingly Seattle-centric" Do you believe there is a substantial market for informed commentary and in-depth writing outside the Seattle greater metropolitan area? That's an honest question. My impression is that there is not.

Posted Fri, Mar 12, 4:03 p.m.

-DocMaynard: "the new elites who prefer their elected officials with no government experience" If you are referring to our new mayor, I'll remind you that we elites were given two options in the most recent election, neither of whom had any experience governing. It's hard to vote for a smart, ...

Posted Fri, Mar 12, 3:53 p.m.

Great, thoughtful article. I don't understand the benefits of the panhandling ordinances for many of the reasons given in the article. I'll add that panhandling seems completely tangential to the public safety issues in these neighborhoods. The main problems are drug dealing, violence, and mayhem caused by pushing thousands of ...

Posted Mon, Mar 8, 9:36 a.m.

P.S. A good watch dog is a far more effective deterrent for home invasion than a loaded 38 in the dresser drawer (even works when your not home). That's one reason I would personally like to see Seattle become a more dog-friendly city (e.g., allow dogs off-leash in city parks ...

Posted Mon, Mar 8, 9:18 a.m.

Ted, you're brave to even venture here. The gun control debate is no more about logic than is all the nonsense over Obama's birth certificate. But it's a lost cause, politically of course, but more importantly, pragmatically. Making guns illegal isn't going to take guns off the street without a ...

Posted Tue, Mar 2, 10:11 a.m.

No mention of Kemper Freeman's influence on this issue and on Kevin Wallace? I suppose you withheld this seemingly relevant info in the interest of fostering your reputation as a level-headed "moderate". Fair enough. However, it's becoming increasingly difficult in these polarized times to tease apart "moderate" from such terms ...

Posted Mon, Mar 1, 12:02 a.m.

I'm happy to see recommendations 1 and 2 at the top of the list. As for number 3, it sounds like Tim is pandering to someone. I don't fault him for that, that comes with his job. However, 1 and 2 would be sufficient to crack down on aggressive panhandling. ...

Posted Sat, Feb 20, 10:57 a.m.

What's remarkable is that this ban wasn't a response to citizen-initiated lobbying, it was the result of Gallagher soliciting park employees for a list of pet peeves they'd like to see turned into laws. (It astounds me that they would have banned spitting if they had their way - where ...

Posted Thu, Feb 11, 12:55 p.m.

@DannyK - The "broken window theory" of crime has no empirical support and was laid to rest by Steven Leavitt in Freakonomics. Good book - you and Tim should read it.

Posted Thu, Feb 11, 8:10 a.m.

Panhandlers? Seriously, that's Tim's priority for public safety in Seattle? Panhandlers? Look, I agree that homeless people usually aren't pretty to look at, but whatever Tim is cooking up to address this (new personal grooming laws?) is a waste of time and money considering the uptick of serious crimes in ...

Posted Wed, Feb 10, 10:34 p.m.

Thanks, Judy, very interesting article. I'm guessing many people in Seattle are as ignorant as I am when it comes to the pros and cons of charter schools. Yet given the problems with our public schools, it seems they deserve a much closer look. At a minimum, they introduce a ...

Posted Fri, Feb 5, 1:08 p.m.

- pepper2000 You and I certainly agree - math fundamentals should be accompanied by conceptual problems in which those skills can be creatively applied. This seems so obvious it's hard to believe there's anything to debate here. And yet teachers and school tour guides who have drunk the Discovery kool-aid ...

Posted Fri, Feb 5, 10:58 a.m.

- pepper2000 Thanks for the pointer to Where's the Math. While I agree with you that angry and disruptive tactics aren't productive, I'm not sure how the position of this group could possibly be labeled "extreme". Their summary of Discovery math, for example, is exactly right: "The advocates of the ...

Posted Fri, Feb 5, 8:46 a.m.

This "discovery" curriculum hasn't just infected the public schools - it's also used in many local private elementary schools as well, and I can say from direct experience - unless your kid is a math genius, he or she will rapidly fall behind grade level if this is the primary ...

Posted Thu, Feb 4, 8:57 a.m.

Interesting how this entire case rests on the premise of discrimination. I think felons ought to be given the right to vote for the same reason many right-wingers argue against gun control - it provides the citizenry a check against an abusive government.

Posted Sat, Jan 30, 12:43 p.m.

Melissa, you should be on the board, or better yet, you should be the superintendent. I'll likely still vote for the levy as the lesser of two evils, but I thank you for the time, energy, and thought you have put into improving Seattle's public school system.

Posted Sat, Jan 30, 12:35 p.m.

Excellent article - wish I had written it.

Posted Sun, Jan 24, 8:33 p.m.

This sounds similar to the vibe at a class I took last year at Blue Ribbon Cooking, except we got to eat meat and fish, and we paid quite a bit more money. They, too, had an abundance of good wine, which makes it hard not to have fun. -Sean

Posted Wed, Jan 20, 5:11 p.m.

Ted, your read on national politics is much better informed than it is on local politics.

Posted Wed, Jan 13, 5:10 p.m.

@coolpapa - "It is not students failing the WASL, it is schools and districts who are failing the WASL." Low WASL scores may reflect ineffective teaching or a lack of ability or motivation on the part of the student - there is no way to tell from the WASL scores ...

Posted Mon, Jan 11, 5:25 p.m.

Yes, not that hard to predict. Still, thanks for pointing me to D. Parvaz's blog - she always struck me as a smart and funny writer. Good to know she's still at it.

Posted Thu, Jan 7, 1:21 p.m.

Morro - your comment reminds me of a study showing that people are surprisingly accurate at judging how good-looking a person is just by hearing his/her voice on the phone. I think without question, beautiful people internalize our reaction to them and reflect it back in their manner.

Posted Tue, Jan 5, 3:23 p.m.

Villanell - I was aiming for a tone of lighthearted wistfulness. Oh well. Fortunately, nothing I can say could spoil this fine article, which I, too, greatly enjoyed.

Posted Tue, Jan 5, 11:36 a.m.

Villanell - Sorry, my comment was ambiguous. I'm not questioning the hyperbole, just the well worded yet entirely implausible claim that this angel did not inspire "romantic notions". I'm guessing the author tactfully slipped that in for the benefit of a spouse. And, yes, I am sighing for a life ...

Posted Tue, Jan 5, 9:15 a.m.

"I don't mean to say that he inspired romantic notions. He just looked like an angel." Please, Judy, we weren't born yesterday. I can only imagine how dolce my vita would be if I had distractingly good looks. Sigh.

Posted Tue, Dec 29, 10:09 a.m.

What an interesting and intelligent article, Judy. Certainly homeless advocates can benefit from social psychological research the same way that advertisers and politicians have.

Posted Sat, Dec 19, 4:56 p.m.

It's just plain wrong for the fun forest to go.

Posted Thu, Dec 17, 9:15 a.m.

I don't see how anyone can question McGinn's honesty about the tunnel. He has always been very clear and straightforward about his stance. He's also one of the few leaders to take an honest look at the tunnel and see it for what it is - a giant piece of ...

Posted Mon, Dec 14, 10:13 a.m.

@cato -- "If schools are to be an instrument of social justice" This is fundamental problem. Schools should be first and foremost an instrument of *education*. The irony is that by providing strong academics to the public for free, public schools would be a more effective agent of social justice ...

Posted Mon, Dec 14, 9:47 a.m.

@bthornton - Umm, up until this year, Seattle did give parents choices, which is different than pretty much every other public school system in the country. It didn't help, and arguably made things worse. The Seattle Public School system is one of the heart-breaking things about living in this city. ...

Posted Thu, Dec 10, 5:51 p.m.

Dude, you got to ride the Concorde? Respect, mon.

Posted Mon, Dec 7, 12:15 a.m.

I still can't put my finger on what exactly it is that has given Seattle so much influence for a town of its size. Anyway, nice article, but would be better if you replaced the picture of John Nordstrom with one of Dick Balch.

Posted Fri, Dec 4, 1:44 p.m.

@Jan - "The bike lobby could help itself by treating other interests with more respect and toning down the self righteousness, if possible." Absolutely correct. If the "vulnerable user" campaign is about justice and safety, why does it focus only on accident victims who happened to be on a bike ...

Posted Fri, Dec 4, 9:49 a.m.

I'm a cyclist with more than my share of war stories from riding Seattle's streets. But it is horribly horribly wrong to criminalize someone for making an honest mistake. The driver who didn't see the cyclist could have been any of us, including the author of this article. The only ...

Posted Tue, Dec 1, 6:45 p.m.

dbreneman - Guns are tools for killing, just as hammers are tools for building. To deny that guns have played any role in violence is just as absurd as claiming hammers have had no impact on carpentry. You love our gun, fine, enjoy it, I'm not on any mission to ...

Posted Tue, Dec 1, 8:37 a.m.

"American politics has often been an arena for angry minds." That's for sure. Thanks for the link to Hofstadter's article. Great read for anyone trying to make sense of all the bile in American political forums.

Posted Fri, Nov 20, 5 p.m.

Is it wrong to donate because I can't resist an intelligent woman of means? Guess I'm wrong then.

Posted Fri, Nov 20, 4:34 p.m.

Spot on, Sam.

Posted Thu, Nov 19, 9:32 a.m.

sarah, I agree that "liberal" and "conservative" aren't terribly useful as political terminology, but I'm not quite ready to give up on "pragmatism". The main problem with Brewster's article is that he doesn't explicitly define the term. Instead, he seems to be working with an implicit definition in which pragmatism ...

Posted Wed, Nov 18, 1:34 a.m.

David, I'm as much a champion of practical politics are you are, and I'm old enough to remember when both parties were lead by pragmatists. However, given that the Republican party has been hijacked over the last 20 years by ideologues like Rush Limbaugh and cynics like Karl Rove, pragmatism ...

Posted Mon, Nov 16, 1:50 p.m.

How could anyone possibly mistake Joe Mallahan for Mayor Bloomberg? Bloomberg is a real businessman - or a "macher", as they say - with a billion dollar financial media corporation that bears his name. Mallahan was a middle manager in product support. These guys couldn't be any more dissimilar. Keep ...

Posted Wed, Oct 28, 7:22 p.m.

— Wilbur_Watson "the attentiveness and quality of customer support is one of the easiest way to distinguish good from bad businesses and it requires sharp minds to do it well." Fair enough. You may be interested to know that the Washington Better Business Bureau gave Mallahan's customer support organization an ...

Posted Wed, Oct 28, 3:35 p.m.

— Wilbur_Watson " I am struck by your comment 'The last thing Seattle needs is a CEO.'" I was struck by this comment as well - I actually think Seattle would benefit from having a CEO as mayor. However, this has nothing do with Mallahan, who is not nor ever ...

Posted Wed, Oct 28, 10:12 a.m.

This is the best summary of the mayoral race I've read yet. Well done. Ultimately, I was won over by McGinn's intelligence and competence. He's the one with the ambition and drive to tackle the pragmatic stuff - fixing potholes, the public schools, etc. I don't agree with McGinn on ...

Posted Thu, Oct 22, 9:08 p.m.

Note to David Brewster - you can fiddle with Crosscut's business model all you want, but if this is the kind of content you are peddling, then your venture will fail. I don't at all understand your editorial process am beginning to suspect there is none at all. I was ...

Posted Wed, Oct 21, 10:52 p.m.

Ann, you are not alone - Nina Shapiro wrote a great article on this very subject: http://www.seattleweekly.com/2007-10-31/news/how-the-cops-and-courts-turn-abused-spouses-into-voiceless-victims

Posted Tue, Oct 20, 6:32 p.m.

"But it's worrisome that McGinn has been shedding core positions that have been cornerstones of his campaign" No. What's worrisome is a stubborn leader that plows ahead blindly even though the facts and fate no longer support his position. "Flip flop" is a term coined by Karl Rove to smear ...

Posted Wed, Oct 7, 4:13 p.m.

-- bubbleator By the way, the $400 million dollar price tag you mentioned for the Commons would also have fixed Mercer St, which will now cost us about $290 million.

Posted Wed, Oct 7, 3:51 p.m.

-- bubbleator Regarding Allen's decision not to support a small park: Most of the tiny parks in Seattle are either underutilized or abused. I don't think Arthur Denny or Victor Steinbrueck would be very pleased if they saw what's become of the parks bearing their name, and you can't blame ...

Posted Wed, Oct 7, 2:18 p.m.

-- bubbleator The fact that you and so many others reflexively assume the worst motives in anyone in a position to do something big in Seattle is exactly my point. Corruption and greed seem to be the only type of "pattern" this crowd is able to discern. Here's another pattern ...

Posted Tue, Oct 6, 11:17 p.m.

-- R on Beacon Hill If Kent is simply asking for a mayor with charisma, then I couldn't agree more. But this article just panders to the growing cacauphony of self-proclaimed "ordinary people" and "little guys" who have mistaken their perpetual sense of inferiority, self-righteousness, and victimization for political thought. ...

Posted Tue, Oct 6, 2:22 p.m.

Oh brother. This is article is insipid. The "little guy who isn't asking for much" tone is childish and nauseating. It uses two pages of words to convey a half-sentence worth of substance. If this is the job description for Seattle mayor, no qualified (or sane) person will ever apply.

Posted Sun, Sep 27, 11:48 p.m.

When I hear Beck and other right wingers talk about secession and "by any means necessary" and refusing the fly the flag, I can't help but wonder if our country is heading towards another civil war. Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Or maybe we should just let ...

Posted Fri, Sep 25, 11:01 a.m.

With every major public project these days, there's always a loud faction of nay-sayers who mindlessly bleat "we can't afford it, we can't afford it!" And yet, afford it we do. Turns out we could afford to build two new stadiums and to remodel a major arena. And we could ...

Posted Thu, Aug 27, 7:43 p.m.

You know, I'm searching for a reason to prefer one of these whozits over the other. Perhaps I'll have to settle for facial hair.

Posted Wed, Aug 26, 8:26 a.m.

If your measure of growth is percentage of the existing population, then of course Seattle will be at the bottom of the list given that it has such as large existing population. I'd say the absolute numbers are more meaningful. Or, you could report what percentage of the state's overall ...

Posted Tue, Aug 25, 9:14 a.m.

"One need only watch 5 minutes of "Ask the Mayor" on the Seattle channel to get to _know_ this man." Interesting. Perhaps Nickels' mistake was in relying on obscure (and usually very dull) internet broadcasts to connect with his city. The next mayor would be wise to leverage local TV ...

Posted Tue, Aug 25, 8:57 a.m.

Your take on things is always interesting, Mr. Brewster, thanks. The title of your piece is apt. Nickels never projected a simple and easily identifiable public persona that one could connect with, and from which one could extrapolate a vision of the city. Looking back, his platform still comes across ...

Posted Mon, Aug 17, 10:31 p.m.

bthornton - what's your point, that we should let the loud, paranoid, and ignorant drive our country's policy? Here's an idea - next time you have a serious medical emergency, go find the nearest "real" American to administer care. Afterall, just because someone has a fancy medical degree doesn't mean ...

Posted Sun, Aug 16, 11:25 p.m.

After years of economic depression that started when the major rail lines bypassed the town due to avalanches, Leavenworth adopted the Bavarian theme in the mid-60's hoping to draw tourists to its amazing alpine setting. And remarkably, it worked. Leavenworth is about reinvention, entrepreneurship, and cultural appropriation. Doesn't get much ...

Posted Mon, Aug 10, 3:42 p.m.

Umm, Knute, is this the first time you've heard a car alarm go off on the ferry? I guess you don't get out much. I've witnessed nearly a dozen such incidents, but oddly, none of them were Smart Cars. Do you suppose I should blog about them?

Posted Tue, Jul 21, 3:11 p.m.

"What could be less grown up than a city constantly comparing itself with its others" Knute, I think pulling your head out of the moss and learning from the world around you is grown up. Much more so than the provinciality and entitlement of the "I was here first, so ...

Posted Fri, Jul 10, 1:10 p.m.

"tacky behavior" The only think tacky in all this is the voyeuristic media prying into Adams sexual life. Personally, I'd like to see more officials remind reporters that a person's sex life is none of their business. Or maybe they should start asking reporters who they last slept with and ...

Posted Tue, Jun 23, 10:45 p.m.

Great idea for a debate. Thanks for the summary, Knute. I hope Steinbrueck runs for mayor, if not in this election than the next. Seattle would benefit from an open, intelligent, charismatic mayor.

Posted Thu, Jun 11, 10:47 p.m.

Piper - This article is about Seattle. Last I heard, you lived in the unincorporated area around Woodinville. Knute - everything is right on except for number 5 about dogs. Seattle is not a dog friendly city. It's nearly impossible to let your dog run around here without driving 20 ...

Posted Tue, May 12, 11:43 p.m.

I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until the Emmet Watson generation dies off before this town invests in itself as a global destination for art and cultural.

Posted Fri, May 8, 10 p.m.

There's a ring of truth to most of Bozeman's remarks, but I have to agree with Raban about Aurora. It's perfect the way it is.

Posted Thu, May 7, 12:29 p.m.

steptoe.fan - the content you and the rest of the right wing are cutting and pasting everywhere you can is not science. it's journalism, and crappy journalism at that. But hey, if enough people say it enough times, it must be true.

Posted Wed, May 6, 9:22 p.m.

steptoe.fan just copied and pasted this from a blog. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25401759-5000117,00.html But hey, if it's on the Internets, it must be true.

Posted Sun, May 3, 9:47 a.m.

Mr. Sell, you should visit the Seattle waterfront sometime. If you did, you'd discover the port is about a mile south of downtown Seattle. Given that fact, you're essay makes absolutely no sense. P.S. Funny how a public park becomes a "bourgeoisie theme park" in the minds of Seattle's cranky ...

Posted Tue, Apr 21, 4:31 p.m.

--dbreneman: "But the monster will corrupt whoever controls it." Kind of an oversimplification, wouldn't you say? Do you really think George H W Bush, for example, was as corrupt as his son? I can only think of two American presidents who clearly abused their office, Richard Nixon and George Bush, ...

Posted Tue, Apr 21, 9:10 a.m.

A lecture about open government from Tom Carr? That's funnny! I didn't know Tom was programmed to have a sense of humor. Perhaps this will become a series: - Why I, Tom Carr, must know the Seattle Time's anonymous sources - Public enemy #1: lap dancing. - On harassing bar ...

Posted Thu, Apr 16, 5:31 p.m.

ivan, If the council members are our employees, then you are the world's worst micro-manager. Besides, if the council is forced to conduct every piece of business in front of reporters, their job would become all politics and BS all of the time.

Posted Sat, Apr 11, 5:13 p.m.

Thanks, I do and will, as will millions of others like and unlike me. But why on earth would I share pot with my kids? What a cheap insult. Do you make the same presumption about parents who enjoy beer and wine? Horror movies? Pornography? As for deleterious health effects, ...

Posted Sat, Apr 11, 12:17 p.m.

"The point about Hempfest is not that it is policed but that it is treated seriously by city officials, consumes public resources, and is legitimized. It tells our kids the stoner life is just OK." I can't tell you how disappointing your bias and ignorance on this subject is. Guess ...

Posted Thu, Apr 9, 2:40 p.m.

Ted, you should read Freakonomics for a compelling take on why crime rates across the country dropped when they did. The reasons had little to do with the mayor. Demographic trends aside, the police obviously have a huge role to play, and I don't think it's a coincidence that things ...

Posted Sun, Mar 8, 10:16 p.m.

Raban is "sneery?" Sure, I suppose he is "sneery" in the same way that all smart people seem "sneery" to those who are insecure about their own intelligence.

Posted Mon, Jan 26, 11:04 p.m.

I don't get it, Douglas. You start out suggesting that we're investing in short-sighted and misguided projects, yet the only suggestions you offer have to do with how to finance them. If the tunnel and rail are such bad ideas, please share with us your comprehensive, wholistic vision for a ...

Posted Thu, Jan 22, 12:52 a.m.

The so called "trade deficit" is nonsense. Sure, if you focus your spotlight on manufactured goods, our country buys more than it sells. If you broaden your definition of trade to include the entire market of tradeable things, such as equity, securities, real estate, education, intellectual property, entertainment and media, ...

Posted Wed, Jan 21, 8:12 a.m.

I couldn't agree more. Greasing the wheels of trade will certainly help our local economy, but more importantly it will boost our national economy. It's true that manufacturing jobs will migrate to other countries that perform those functions better and at less cost, but the return is a) more affordable, ...

Posted Fri, Jan 16, 9:35 a.m.

Nick Licata: “Jan doesn’t seem concerned with the bottom line, which is ironic given that she has a business background.” I'm sure it seems ironic to you, Nick, given your utter lack of business sense, but as it turns out, there are aspects of economics that Marx and Engells overlooked. ...

Posted Tue, Jan 13, 12:22 a.m.

Good to see our political leaders finally putting forward a united front against the minority of loud, paranoid, do-nothings whose political vocabulary is limited to the word "no". If the possibility of going over budget was reason enough to abandon a project, nothing would ever get built, and we'd all ...

Posted Mon, Jan 12, 10:33 a.m.

"I'm still waiting for Carolyn Kennedy to get the Palin treatment from the press" As soon as Kennedy is added to the ticket as VP, starts spouting childish nonsense about US-Russian foreign policy, can't name a single newspaper she has read, preaches abstinence to the rest of us while her ...

Posted Mon, Jan 12, 1:36 a.m.

Palin's political work isn't done yet. She still has to win the 2012 Republican nomination and then lose the election to Obama by the largest landslide in history, further demonstrating what a joke the GOP has become. After that, she'll stay connected with her voter base by fighting cage matches ...

Posted Mon, Jan 12, 12:23 a.m.

The relative rate of return is completely useless as a measure if the amount of the initial investment varies. Think about it, which was the better decision? a) Invest $1 with a return of 2000% for a $19 profit b) Invest $10,000 with a return of 1000% for a $90,000 ...

Posted Sun, Jan 11, 11:12 p.m.

Damn. I wonder how much hope we should have that the online version will continue to live?

Posted Fri, Jan 9, 9:07 a.m.

You're right, David, the time is ripe for someone to challenge Nickels. But, God, I hope it's not Licata. The only role he knows how to play is the underdog rebel, and he would be utterly lost as the city's chief. He has no business sense. He just isn't the ...

Posted Mon, Jan 5, 3:22 p.m.

One more reason not to close schools - with the economy in such bad shape, fewer families will be able and willing to shell out $15k+ every year for private schools. There will also be less funds available for financial aid.

Posted Fri, Jan 2, 9:24 p.m.

So the entire city of Seattle is full of suckers, is it? That's a pathetic insult coming from someone who has been guzzling the Bush koolaid for the past 8 years.

Posted Fri, Jan 2, 9:02 p.m.

Being an elected official in Seattle seems like a thankless and frustration job. On this and so many other issues, the citizens of Seattle are all over the map. While I'm personally glad that Gregoire et al. are listening to the recommendations of the SAC panel, shouldn't they also be ...

Posted Thu, Jan 1, 12:09 a.m.

Ted, I hope you'll take some constructive criticism from a would-be fan. Your obsessive opposition to light rail only undermines your thoughtful and measured opinions on other subjects. When faced with the uncertainties and complexities of designing an effective public transportation system, it's one thing to be a skeptical, but ...

Posted Tue, Dec 30, 2:10 p.m.

Cameron, I do my best to contribute to this city, but without doubt, I could do more. Given your blindly conservative agenda, I'd suggest you continue to do absolutely nothing. As for Ed's political contributions, good for him, that is a perfect example of the kind of citizen engagement he ...

Posted Tue, Dec 30, 9:09 a.m.

As usual, Cameron, you miss any point that is not your own. Ed is saying that WE, as the we the people, need to "get engaged" and stop sitting on the sidelines making smug remarks, as seems to be your primary contribution to politics. Only in the PNW do we ...

Posted Mon, Dec 29, 10:17 a.m.

About 15 years ago, there was a guy who drove the 7 who would occassionally do a standup (or "sitdown" in this case) comedy routine over the PA of the bus. Everyone got a huge kick out of it.

Posted Sat, Dec 27, 8:09 p.m.

What I'd like to know is, who will be running against Tom Carr? It's hard to fathom how this prude wastes our money going after bar tenders, urban golfers, and strippers while gang shootings and burglaries have become part of the daily routine in so many neighborhoods. Carr couldn't be ...

Posted Fri, Dec 26, 11:31 a.m.

The most bizarre thing about all this conservative soul searching is what isn't mentioned - competence, intelligence, long term vision, judgement, effective management skills. I guess it's no surprise given that the conservative hall of fame has just one lonely member, Ronald Reagan, and conservatives like to attribute his success ...

Posted Thu, Dec 25, 11:28 p.m.

"Writing from unincorporated King County, Seattle...you get the government you want and deserve." Thanks, Scott, you've shown all of us that our decision to live in a diverse cosmopolitan city was a big mistake. We'd all be so much happier living the middle of nowhere like you.

Posted Thu, Dec 25, 11:21 p.m.

To Lisa, Joel, and the rest of the snow-obsessed Seattle media - A few weeks after the snow has melted, none of you will write another word about this. Like everyone else in the city, the whole thing will become a distant memory, and no one will want to discuss ...

Posted Mon, Dec 22, 12:21 p.m.

P.P.S. Tight low rise trousers, visible camisoles, low cut sweaters, and cleavage can be QUITE functional in the business world, at least if you work with men.

Posted Mon, Dec 22, 12:17 p.m.

Whenever I return to Seattle from a long trip, I, too, am struck by Seattle's style, especially downtown and in the central neighborhoods like Cap Hill and the CD. We look way cooler than most other places in the country. LA and San Francisco definitely have us beat, though. It's ...

Posted Wed, Dec 17, 11:57 a.m.

"When suburban moderates become radicalized by the failure of bigger government solutions that will only erode their financial strength and cut into their freedoms" What big government solutions are you talking about? Long, expensive, and pointless wars? Tapping our phones and emails? Keep on dreaming, Scott. Obama's moderate and rational ...

Posted Tue, Dec 16, 5:39 p.m.

Nice article, Scott. I actually mean that, no snark. I've had firsthand experience with state bidding and hiring rules from my days in the academic world, and despite the good intentions behind them, they generally served to financially undermine the University, and were typically a nuisance to be worked around. ...

Posted Tue, Dec 16, 3:19 p.m.

I'm all for analytic and empirical approaches to predicting costs and likelihood of success for these kinds of projects. But as the article points out: "Another [difficulty] is that finding comparable projects can be difficult because of scale, location, government structures, and many other factors make the apples-to-apples comparisons difficult." ...

Posted Sat, Dec 13, 9:41 a.m.

I couldn't agree more with you. It will be interesting to see if Nickels and Gregoire have the courage to get behind this plan. As for Sims, who cares - with his support for Hillary Clinton in the primary and his backstabbing of light rail, it's clear that he is ...

Posted Sat, Dec 6, 10:54 a.m.

Ok, we get it. You and Knute and the rest of Crosscut are liberal, but not that aweful, pretentious, latte sipping, hypocritical, straw-man *Seattle* liberal invented by right-wingers who have never even been here.

Posted Wed, Dec 3, 9:45 p.m.

The war on Christmas ended years ago, and consumerism won handily. What's happening here is a war on atheism. Not at all in the spririt of the solstice.

Posted Sat, Nov 29, 9:45 a.m.

Not sure if it was clear, but my comment regarding Nick Licata's assurances was sarcastic. Nick doesn't strike me as having any sense for business or numbers. Mr Baker, you should write an article for Crosscut that breaks down the financial and legal aspects of letting the Sonics go (no ...

Posted Fri, Nov 28, 10:49 a.m.

"Hard to be happy." Don't worry, Mr. Baker. Remember, Nick Licata assured us that Key Arena will make just as much money without the Sonics, maybe even more.

Posted Sat, Nov 22, 8:36 p.m.

Neither "atheist" or "agnostic" quite captures my views on religion, either, which go roughly as follows: Every theory of god that humans have proposed to date is clearly false. Each of them flies in the face of science and logic, and in most cases, the charade couldn't be more transparent. ...

Posted Wed, Nov 19, 8:46 p.m.

"Brewster, you continue to be the best reporter on seattle politics and POLICY out there." I hadn't really noticed this before, but this comment is absolutely true. This city does has some great reporters (Eli Sanders, Josh Spangenthal-Lee, Nina Shapiro, Rick Anderson, as well as other folks at Crosscut), but ...

Posted Wed, Nov 19, 3:11 p.m.

ivan: "Brewster's bourgeois sensibilities and those of most of his writers are increasingly quaint and out of touch with most people's realities." I must have missed the election where "most people" elected you to speak for their "realities". And did you really use the phrase "bourgeois sensibilities"? Now that's quaint. ...

Posted Tue, Nov 18, 12:09 a.m.

Whatever model you end up choosing, I wish you success. Crosscut regularly publishes great articles, and I enjoy dropping by each day to see what's next. P.S. to Ivan - that tone you hear is the sound of thoughtful and intelligent writing. If it's not your cup of tea, then ...

Posted Wed, Nov 12, 3:17 p.m.

Wow. Palin's English is worse than any the guys looking for work at the Home Depot parking lot.

Posted Wed, Nov 12, 8:20 a.m.

Another great article. In the last one you wrote about polling methods, I asked whether there was any empirical evidence that your methods were more predictive. This election answers my question.

Posted Tue, Nov 11, 3:38 p.m.

The comments by drumcat, tstcusmc, and Lainie only show that war can be just as resistant to rational discussion as politics and religion.

Posted Sun, Nov 9, 10:04 p.m.

Nice piece, Mary, thanks for laying it out there. Funny, I've also had some great discussions with cab drivers who recently arrived from the Mideast, Africa, and elsewhere. Some of these guys bring a lot of wisdom with them to this country.

Posted Fri, Nov 7, 3:03 p.m.

Yellow and green are the predominant colors on the Washington State flag. And the Seattle Sonics' uniforms.

Posted Fri, Nov 7, 9:29 a.m.

"Emanuel's father said Rahm is "the namesake of Rahamim..." Are you really concerned that Obama is going to suddenly push a radical anti-Palestinian agenda because his chief of staff's dad once belonged to an Israeli militia in 1948? Like most presidents, Obama isn't the kind of idiot that is going ...

Posted Fri, Nov 7, 9:13 a.m.

Most people vote for the candidate, not the policies per se. It's obvious to everyone in the world except the far right wing that 8 years of narrow-minded, divisive, incompetent, irresponsible, and deceptive leadership has taken a huge toll on our economy and our reputation. In voting for Obama, the ...

Posted Fri, Nov 7, 8:27 a.m.

"the state begins to be in control by those who pander to a society of no personal responsibility and little work ethic." Wrong - voters sent a clear message of work ethic and personal responsibility when they fired all of the Republican bums responsible for wrecking the country.

Posted Fri, Nov 7, 8:22 a.m.

As long as the GOP continues to pander to provincial rural voters and the hard right wing, its influence will only continue to shrink.

Posted Tue, Oct 28, 11:01 p.m.

Why is it exactly that I should "respect" Sarah Palin? Because she managed to convince a remote state with a population the size of Oklahoma City to elect her to public office? The same state, I might add, that gave us Senator Stevens, a recently convicted felon? Because she was ...

Posted Tue, Oct 28, 12:34 p.m.

Great article, Stuart. This is certainly the most informative article I've read on the art and science of polling. I can see the argument for asking for voters' preferences rather than asking them a hypothetical question. Historically, have there been consistent differences in the accuracy of polls that use these ...

Posted Mon, Oct 27, 10:50 p.m.

Rossi is a classic Bush Republican. His guiding principles are short-sighted greed, consolidation of power, and cronyism. Not what this state needs.

Posted Fri, Oct 24, 9 a.m.

Nicely done, Knute. I still baffles me why some people insist on sticking their nose into the most personal affairs of others. Who do these people think they are that they would deny someone else's decision to pull the plug after a losing battle with cancer, or dictate which activities ...

Posted Wed, Oct 22, 9:14 a.m.

Come on, Knute, let's keep it honest. You know very well that no one is claiming the market to be "just another shopping center". That's a straw man you made up to sidestep the fair question that Geri is asking - why can't the market pay for itself? The market's ...

Posted Tue, Oct 21, 11:12 p.m.

Hey, Clark, feel free to send me in your place next time you get one of these bum assignments. I'll even do it for free.

Posted Fri, Oct 17, 10:50 p.m.

American political folly is no different than anywhere else. For millenia, politicians, princes, kings, chieftans, and tsars have been exploiting the same old tactics - racism, classism, xenophobia - to convince the commoners to vote against their own economic interests. There is little if anything in American politics that wasn't ...

Posted Fri, Oct 17, 6:28 p.m.

What a cool idea. Everyone should have the opportunity to attend a big social event knowing that he/she looks fabulous. Thanks for passing this along.

Posted Sat, Oct 11, 9:19 a.m.

A different conclusion: Hi Knute. I agree that PC attitudes can sometimes get out of hand, but I see no connection between that conclusion and the incidents you describe. What these incidents show is that Seattle is full of anger and short tempers. The moral of these stories is simple ...

Posted Fri, Oct 10, 8:36 a.m.

Bringing sidewalks and alleys to life: Couldn't agree more, Knute. As you and others have pointed out, a vibrant sidewalk culture would make downtown and Belltown more interesting, alive, connected, and safe. (An aside: those of you up in arms about sandwich boards only prove that folks in Seattle will ...

Posted Wed, Oct 8, 3:28 p.m.

RE: Van Dyk comment: "When Obama says he'll give a tax cut to 95% of all Americans, how will he be able to do that?" By reversing Bush's tax cuts to the wealthiest 2%. Did it occur to you to actually read the plan before offering your "critique"?

Posted Mon, Oct 6, 5:52 p.m.

Republican builders for Gregoire: I have a good friend who's father is a die-hard Republican and one of the most influential real estate developers in King County. He's the kind of guy who attends Bush fundraisers at thousands of dollars per plate, and whose office features photos of various Republican ...

Posted Fri, Oct 3, 9:14 p.m.

RE: Struttin' & Kissin': You are correct about Palin's strategy, but it will fail in November. There are a lot of people on both the right (Karl Rove) and left (Bill Maher) who are convinced Americans are utterly stupid, and that they'll fall for any cheap political trick. And yes, ...

Posted Fri, Oct 3, 8:44 p.m.

Wink wink!: Perhaps you're just being a gentleman, Ted, but you're assessment of Palin's performance is far too generous. No, Palin didn't make a complete fool of herself, but that's simply because she was not pressed to provide coherent answers to the questions she was asked, unlike she was in ...

Posted Fri, Oct 3, 8:24 p.m.

RE: Cantwell calling on local journalists for advice? Now that is disturbing.: I suppose you'd rather our public officials shoot from the hip rather than seek advise? Or maybe they should just pray to God for the answer? Magic eight ball? Dice roll?

Posted Tue, Sep 30, 10:48 p.m.

RE: Clueless Sound Transit: It can't even keep the small stuff straight: So, you're saying that any organization who's web site goes down can't be trusted, even if their core mission has nothing to do with the web? Interesting conclusion. Did you to know that the exact same thing happened ...

Posted Tue, Sep 30, 9:34 p.m.

RE: You are quoting FUSE? Please just go to the source, the Washington State DNC: It's not Brewster's fault that FUSE broke the story. But don't worry, you'll be reading all about in every other news publication in the state soon enough. Sad. As a pragmatic liberal, I actually believe ...

Posted Tue, Sep 30, 5:45 p.m.

Winner take all == two party system: The reason Ralph should be stopped is that his strategy only undermines his cause. First of all, his example makes 3rd parties look unsuitable for any position of power in our government. More importantly though, you'll never have a sustained and credible 3rd ...

Posted Sun, Sep 28, 9:50 p.m.

Dan Quayle with lipstick: I'm already a regular viewer of SNL and a dedicated Tina Fey fan (check out her work on 30 Rock). Now I am also a huge Katie Couric fan. My only disappointment - she should have asked Palin to spell "potato".

Posted Thu, Sep 25, 1:42 p.m.

Precedents?: So Chopp's idea is a huge shopping mall with a freeway running through the middle of it. Interesting. Setting aside the question of desirability for a moment, is there any precedent for something like this? I can't think of anywhere in the world that has a major highway routing ...

Posted Mon, Sep 22, 10:03 p.m.

Hilarious: I'm going to have to side with Judith on this one, Steve.

Posted Mon, Sep 22, 8:28 p.m.

Credibility?: Mr. Brewster, given what Rove and Cheney have accomplished in the last 8 years, I'm surprised your review contained no mention of the credibility of the two candidates. I think Gregoire has demonstrated herself to be the kind of politician who, agree with her or not, is genuinely concerned ...

Posted Thu, Sep 18, 11:12 a.m.

You know expectations have sunk too low: when performing the most basic functions of your job is considered a "stroke of genius".

Posted Fri, Sep 5, 5:35 p.m.

Thanks, Knute: These days, I'm afraid to click on the Crosscut headlines that appear on my customized Google home page. Will they take me to yet another cut and paste anti-rail article? Or another empty, horribly written propaganda piece from the apparent beneficiary of Crosscut's affirmative action program for right-wing ...

Posted Wed, Sep 3, 1:03 p.m.

RE: the amazingly clueless Piper Scott: "And these brighter people are ... ? " ... too busy leading, innovating, and driving the engines of our economy to waste time writing about politics? It must be said, however, that although I sometimes disagree with Ted Van Dyk and Knute Berger, neither ...

Posted Wed, Sep 3, 12:09 p.m.

So many words, yet so little said: Piper, if you are going to publish a 1500 word tome, the least you could do is address the substance of the criticisms against Palin. For example, any comment on the following facts? 1) She attempted to ban certain books from the public ...

Posted Wed, Sep 3, 12:55 a.m.

RE: epugnant?: This comment is nothing more than an ad hominem attack. It contributes nothing constructive to the discussion - no ideas, no information, no counter argument, no reasoning. Basically boils down to "Shut up, McKay, you're stupid." It would be ashame to see angry blowhards ruin Crosscut's comments section, ...

Posted Wed, Sep 3, 12:41 a.m.

RE: SAME FOR MEN?: Depends on which party he is in. If he's a Democrat, you can bet the right-wingers (including those on this thread) would make a HUGE STINK of it. However, if he's a Republican, then his failings (e.g., marital infidelity, alcoholism, cocaine use, drunk driving, gay sex ...

Posted Sun, Aug 31, 10:52 p.m.

Great story: Thanks for sharing this slice of Pacific Northwest history.

Posted Fri, Aug 29, 11:05 a.m.

RE: emodeling costs are a choice: Setting aside the fact that an analogy is just an analogy, I don't see how anything you've mentioned breaks this one. Granted, the decision to build light-rail is not yours alone - it's a decision that impacts an entire region, just like choosing a ...

Posted Wed, Aug 27, 8:43 a.m.

The key to Seattle is Redmond: As to why Seattle is so unusual, I speculate that the number one reason is the presence of the University of Washington Are you kidding? The reason Seattle is so unusual is obvious - Microsoft. Microsoft stock options, salaries, and the percolation of that ...

Posted Tue, Aug 26, 8:17 a.m.

RE: How can you say Seattle isn't funny?: Those Vern Fonk commercials are kind of funny.

Posted Sat, Aug 23, 12:09 a.m.

RE: Terry Bergeson: I think most people agree it's time to stop holding teachers accountable for failed parenting. The WASL's days are numbered, as are Terry's days in office. However, your requirements for good parenting are naive and offensive. Neither my mother or father were "proper full time parents" by ...

Posted Wed, Aug 20, 10:07 p.m.

RE: parties and initiatives: a major reason initiatives are filed is that people feel elected officials are "evading their reponsibilities for governance." Initiatives are typically filed when elected leaders make unpopular decisions. Sometimes, going against the grain is the mark of true leadership, sometimes it's a sign of a politician ...

Posted Wed, Aug 20, 9:45 p.m.

More hysteria over top two: Ted, the party-based primaries we had before make about as much sense as the Electoral College. It's time to cast off these ancient and bizarre election protocols that only serve to undermine the will of the voters. Perhaps they made sense 200 years ago (although ...

Posted Fri, Aug 15, 8:17 a.m.

Gender neutral language is PC at its most tedious: You're certainly entitled to be offended, Lisa, but it may be time re-examine some of the assumptions of late-80's/early 90's feminist criticism that you seem to have internalized. Most of us, thankfully, have moved on to more important things.

Posted Tue, Aug 12, 11:43 p.m.

RE: Past Tense: Nice? Good writing? Really? There was a time when this kind of garbage was appropriately considered a personal matter, or trash for the tabloids. A journalist who truly respected Elizabeth's dignity and privacy would refrain from publishing anything about her marital woes. Jumping on the media's sexploitation ...

Posted Tue, Aug 12, 11:23 p.m.

Obama needs a strong VP: Anyone concerned about selecting a VP that might "overshadow" the presidential candidate is out to lunch. A weak VP will be as much help to Obama as Dan Quayle was to Bush I. Like Obama, Bush II faced concerns about his experience, which he effectively ...

Posted Tue, Aug 12, 2:08 p.m.

RE: The Stranger Both a Paper and a Blog: There was an interesting Weekly article recently on publisher David Black, who has built a very profitable newspaper empire consisting almost entirely of small weekly papers that focus exclusively on local news. Meanwhile, the big dailies with big aspirations are hemorhaging ...

Posted Tue, Aug 12, 11:26 a.m.

RE: Trashing the media: Ben, I'll agree that in the absense of intelligence and wit, four letter words don't work in political discourse. However, your sweeping conclusion that political discourse is more effective without swearing ignores the dozens of talented political commentators who use swearing to great effect, including Jon ...

Posted Tue, Aug 12, 8:48 a.m.

RE: Trashing the media: Swearing is itself a political act in so far as it still ruffles the feathers of conservatives and prudes, so I think it's more than appropriate in political media. The only thing I find shocking is that swearing still has the power to offend. How many ...

Posted Sun, Aug 10, 6:08 p.m.

RE: It's not either/or: Chasen's point was not to waste money on feel good projects but focus on those that matter. I don't think anyone would disagree with that. The debate here is really in defining which projects matter. Chasen holds up urban creek restoration as an example of an ...

Posted Sun, Aug 10, 5:51 p.m.

RE: PPS - a bogus org with a pathetic mouthpiece !: Wow, I hope for your sake that someone takes your keys away and calls you a cab.

Posted Fri, Aug 8, 12:50 p.m.

RE: Old economy companies: Yes, new economies do evolve from the old. Things would certainly be different if Standard Oil, Weyerhaeuser, the coal mines of West Virgina, and the slave-driven plantations of the south never existed. But that doesn't mean I'm obligated to celebrate these institutions (as seems to be ...

Posted Fri, Aug 8, 10:38 a.m.

Old economy companies: "Nothing beats the romance of the woods, and Weyerhaeuser was a huge part of that." Indeed, Piper, Weyerhaeuser did beat the romance out of the woods. There's certainly nothing romantic about a hill full of stumps. Frankly, it's hard to feel much respect for old economy companies ...

Posted Tue, Aug 5, 11:32 p.m.

Um, Obama is polling way ahead of McCain: The latest Gallup poll puts Obama 4% ahead of McCain. In an actual election, a 4% margin would be considered a decisive defeat. If 4% is not statistically significant, that's a problem with the sample size of the poll, not the size ...

Posted Mon, Aug 4, 11:09 p.m.

RE: Parents today need: Based on anecdotal evidence, I believe sexual abuse of children has been rampant in this country since at least the 70's when my generation grew up. Of the dozens of friends and aquaintences I know who came out with their stories, none of them reported it ...

Posted Mon, Aug 4, 10:53 p.m.

The media needs checks and balances, too: It's rare these days to find a measured and well-reasoned article in the media on a subject that is typically treated with self righteous hysteria. Nice work.

Posted Sat, Aug 2, 11:37 p.m.

RE: ight to the mark: Ted: Hey, you there in the barn, stop that hootenanny at once! Can't you see that singing and dancing is less efficient and more costly than walking? [Repeats over and over as credits roll]

Posted Fri, Jul 25, 5:28 p.m.

RE: 40 year hole ?: "The principle reason we have a transportation 'hole' is the refusal for decades to upgrade and expand the road/freeway systems of this region!" Steptoe.fan, I would love nothing more than to see your plan to spend billions adding 10 more lanes to I-5 and I-90 ...

Posted Thu, Jul 24, 11:26 p.m.

RE: Typical Seattlite Garbage: So, I guess that means you like the name "Thunder"? Minor correction - the above post is simply quoting Odd and Sods, a sports blog that doesn't have any relationship to the PNW. Perhaps the good folks at Crosscut will forward your rant to them. One ...

Posted Tue, Jul 22, 2:45 p.m.

Is it the politicians or the polis?: Placing responsibility for the successes and failures at the feet of politicians has become so reflexive these days, it's hard for us to imagine there might be other more important factors at work. Sure, politicians have some influence, but when you look at ...

Posted Tue, Jul 22, 8:01 a.m.

RE: Comment by Ted Van Dyk: "I have no bias in favor of any transportation mode." Come on, Ted. This is either a lame and disingenuous rhetorical tactic, or you really need to spend time getting to know yourself. You have completely written off light rail. Numerous times. In this ...

Posted Sun, Jul 20, 1:44 p.m.

Voting record?: I'm skeptical of Licata. He's a self-proclaimed populist. Populism is the politics of anger, and angry people almost never make good decisions. Still, I thought I'd give him a closer look. However, I can't seem to find his (or anyone else on the council's) voting record anywhere. There ...

Posted Sat, Jul 19, 8:21 a.m.

RE: God doesn't require density!: Urban density is what prevents rural areas like these from becoming suburban sprawl.

Posted Sat, Jul 12, 9:25 a.m.

So a priest, a rabbi, and lawyer walk into the space needle...: Anyone else remember a driver from about 10 years ago, a young black guy, who would do a whole comedy schtick while driving his route? His material was perhaps a little cheesy, but it was always fun and ...

Posted Tue, Jul 8, 9:58 a.m.

I was with you until the last line: McDermott is exactly the kind of ineffective representative this ineffective city deserves.

Posted Mon, Jul 7, 11:37 p.m.

RE: I see a pattern here..: If you think designer brands offer better quality materials or designs than mass market clothing, you've been suckered by advertising. Mass produced clothes use the same manufacturing processes, and in many cases the exact same materials produced at the exact same factories, as the ...

Posted Sun, Jul 6, 11:19 p.m.

Favorite Sonics memory: Watching Game 5 of the '96 finals at Ernie Steele's on Broadway (another vanished Seattle institution).

Posted Thu, Jul 3, 11:11 p.m.

Cute: This city definitely needs more moms in rocker outfits and super heroes T-shirts.

Posted Thu, Jul 3, 6:43 p.m.

RE: In defense of Mayor Nickels: I certainly blame Frank Chopp, but it doesn't really mean anything since no one will run against him. I also blame Howard Schultz, who ran the team into the ground and then sold them under the mistaken reasoning that Key Arena was responsible for ...

Posted Thu, Jul 3, 10:13 a.m.

And Quimby will go!: Perhaps I'm naive, but I don't think the mayor has a chance in hell of getting reelected now that Conlin offers a viable alternative. From what I can tell, Nickels' constituency consists of a handful of developers, the police guild, and a few dozen people who ...

Posted Tue, Jul 1, 12:56 p.m.

Transformative innovation - priceless?: It's a little odd to see Gates leading the charge to inject innovation and creativity into the health sciences when he utterly failed to pull that off at Microsoft, despite all the billions burned on R&D. No one questions Gates's success and skills as an business ...

Posted Mon, Jun 23, 12:31 p.m.

A notable improvement in transit coverage: First, a big thank you for the research that went into this article. Despite the claim by some that stats are too boring to include in newspaper articles, I think writing about transportation without reporting ridership and finance is like writing about a baseball ...

Posted Sat, Jun 21, 12:58 a.m.

RE: no upwelling on that one: mhays, the "crowd" that designated the Denny's building a landmark was the Landmarks Preservation Board. Are you suggesting the very board who's job it is to care about architectural history doesn't care about architectural history? Sadly, Seattle law says that if the designation decreases ...

Posted Thu, Jun 19, 11:42 p.m.

RE: Changing the things you can: "The article is about Edith Macefield, after all." Not really. This article is about Edith Macefield. Knute's article, in contrast, trots her across the page as an involuntary symbol of his perspective on what's become of Seattle. Not much if anything is said about ...

Posted Thu, Jun 19, 10:04 p.m.

RE: Changing the things you can: "It is amusing that Sean sees people like the elderly woman in Ballard as a "Do Nothing." Spike, you are completely misrepresenting my point of view. My comments are directed at Knute's (well-established) perspective on growth and change in this city, which as far ...

Posted Thu, Jun 19, 7:30 p.m.

RE: Changing the things you can: No one who knows me would ever call me "youthful". "Old-timers" was a poorly chosen phrase. It's not an age I'm talking about, it's the stubborn stuck-in-the-mud attitude exhibited by a those unable or unwilling to accomodate anything that happened in this city after ...

Posted Wed, Jun 18, 7:25 p.m.

Changing the things you can: Knute, growth and change and money are just as much a part of Seattle's history and character as Ivar Haglund. Sure, there was a brief period of stagnation during in the 70's and 80's when you were growing up, and that period may seem to ...

Posted Thu, Jun 12, 3:43 p.m.

RE: Don't get too excited: "So 21 obscenely wealthy individuals give back some pocket change and we little people should be grateful." I must be missing something. Who exactly is saying you should be grateful?

Posted Thu, Jun 12, 2:13 p.m.

Great article: Alas, your perspective rings true. And, thanks for pointing out that many other nations have much more cooperative dispositions. The "me, me, me" mindset around here get's kind of depressing after a while. With the European Union now firmly in place, it will be interesting to see which ...

Posted Thu, Jun 12, 6:59 a.m.

Crappy research: On the positive side, the situation has improved tremendously from 200 years ago when this area was overrun by deer, bear, sea otters, cougars, and other woodland creatures, none of whom had the courtesy to scoop after they poop.

Posted Mon, Jun 9, 8:39 a.m.

Choosing a VP: could be the most important political decision in Obama's career. I'm encouraged that he's taking his time with it. I only hope that he relies on his political instincts rather than advisers like this guy. A recent trip to the midwest tells me that Obama's main vulnerability ...

Posted Thu, Jun 5, 6:37 p.m.

interesting read: Thanks for making me a little less ignorant on the subject of Johnson's presidency. Perhaps one of the reasons he is so obscure was his escalation of the Vietnam war, which effectively canceled out his other numerous and impressive accomplishments. In Johnson's time, it seems like Americans viewed ...

Posted Fri, May 30, 3:53 p.m.

Why Hillary will stay in: I believe Hillary will stay in it as long as possible with the hope of bringing Obama down in the general election against McCain. At this point, that is the best outcome for her as it clears the way for her 2012 presidential bid. Any ...

Posted Fri, May 30, 10:56 a.m.

RE: Commons: This comment is totally unproductive. Dismissing points that you disagree with as "whining" is an immature tactic better suited to slog or sound politics. Your comment only shows how senseless the logic behind the anti-Commons vote was.

Posted Sun, May 25, 9:38 a.m.

RE: Van Dyk P.S.: Ted, I think you'd be more persuasive if you addressed the specific counterpoints raised by carless rather than simply dismissing them as inconsistent with some vast mysterious body of uncited data (or getting hung up on his alias). In any case, the problem I have with ...

Posted Tue, May 20, 6:12 p.m.

Veeps: Feinstein? Interesting. Might bring baby boomer women into the fold, although if these women are really feminists as opposed to egotists, they'll do the right thing in November. (I'm still amazed at how zealously pro-Hillary and anti-Obama this group is.) Richardson? Brings in the Hispanic vote, but not a ...

Posted Mon, May 19, 8:21 p.m.

RE: dizzying moral calculus: The city has changed dramatically, even since '92 when I arrived. It was a city with plenty of space for kids like me - long of hair and short of cash. It was the Seattle I fell in love with. I miss it and always will. ...

Posted Mon, May 19, 7:54 a.m.

dizzying moral calculus: Knute, I'm struggling to find consistency in your views of government and the rich. This and other articles you've written say that rich people, especially those who dare to live in Seattle, are bad bad bad. However, just a few articles back we learned that rich people ...

Posted Wed, May 14, 9:57 p.m.

RE: double standard: When you say "McGovern Democrats", who exactly are you referring to, senior citizens? My impression was that the elderly were leaning towards Hillary. As for your theory about Obama support being all about payback to the Clintons, I disagree. I think most Obama supporters (myself included) like ...

Posted Tue, May 13, 11:32 p.m.

Not working doesn't work for me: Maybe it's because my mom worked full time, but I've always envisioned myself married to a woman with a profession, and this has never seemed incompatible with raising a family. Well, I ended up married to a woman with a Ph.D. and a great ...

Posted Tue, May 13, 10:29 p.m.

Stay in but stay positive: I think you're right - at this point, Clinton needs to reach the finish line, wherever that line may be. Given how close this one is, the winner needs to be decided clearly and fairly. A premature exit by Clinton would certainly alienate some Democrats ...

Posted Tue, May 13, 7:18 p.m.

RE: The right direction: "I for one am not planning on being a social parasite" Perhaps you could start the process of weaning yourself from dependence on the government by unplugging your computer from the Internet, which was developed with (gasp!) *our* tax dollars.

Posted Tue, May 13, 6:33 p.m.

You're giving them too much credit: It's a unfortunate fact of the Internets that the comments sections of various blogs and news sites tend to attract ignorant, angry, and boorish men. I wouldn't generalize too much based on this "special" sample. It's probably best to ignore them, if you can ...

Posted Fri, May 9, 8:54 a.m.

RE: Take the Seattle tap water challenge: "This is all about the elite telling the rest of us what we can do." Anyone else find it ironic that we're using the term "elite" to refer to the opponents of bottled water? Anyone else find this trend of discrediting opponents by ...

Posted Thu, May 8, 10:09 p.m.

Take the Seattle tap water challenge: The Nickels/Carr obsession with harrassing night clubs is certainly the most annoying, embarassing, and lamest political effort ever to take place on American soil. If another candidate were to step forward and say how utterly pathetic it is, I would cast my vote for ...

Posted Thu, May 8, 12:54 p.m.

RE: clarification: Fair enough, I think we're saying similar things. One more point - the Republican attack machine is not nearly as powerful as it's made out to be. The rise of the conservative movement is not due to attack machine, but rather a series of unfortunate events, namely Monica ...

Posted Wed, May 7, 6:04 p.m.

RE: Democrats and the Presidency: "It turned out Kerry was capillary kind of guy. But this has been a consistant problem with Democrats with the exception of Bill Clinton" Wrong, wrong, wrong. Bill Clinton campaigned and won on charisma and ideas. Had he resorted to tactics like Willy Horton, Swift ...

Posted Wed, May 7, 1:30 p.m.

What's really damaging: is Hillary's shameless pandering for conservative votes. In doing so, she is moving what passes for "moderate" in this country ever more rightward, making it harder for Democrats to return intelligence and expertise to a political stage dominated by boorish ideologues. Her decision to leak Obama's "elitist" ...

Posted Tue, May 6, 11:27 a.m.

RE: Poor Baby!: Actually, Nickel's is suggesting that "Imperial Seattle" release it's stranglehold on the rest of the state so that you are all free to flourish. It's a great deal for you, really.

Posted Tue, May 6, 11:15 a.m.

You missed one: "Mayor Nickels declared that Sunday, May 4th will be a day of warmth and sunshine in Seattle...

Posted Tue, May 6, 10:10 a.m.

RE: You still only have to be atop the Needle to see what votes you need: Well stated.

Posted Tue, May 6, 10:08 a.m.

Good for Greg: Regardless of what Seattle says or does, the country mouse will always resent the city mouse as arrogant and elitist. We may as well live up to our reputation. The flip side of the argument is why continue to impose our liberal money and values on the ...

Posted Mon, Apr 28, 4:01 p.m.

RE: Seattle history lite: Huh? I'm curious - since you are still so bitterly mourning the loss of an open space in the heart of the city, did you vote "Yes" to the Seattle Commons? I may be wrong, but my hunch is that you voted "No", in which case ...

Posted Sun, Apr 27, 8:19 a.m.

Does transit journalism really have to be this bad?: "Prop. 1 was thunderously rejected both because of its cost and because it neglected other transit and road options beyond light rail." Ted, please stop making things up. Prop 1 contained huge huge provisions for roads as well as transit. And ...

Posted Thu, Apr 24, 7:01 a.m.

Sigh...: When I read the title of this post, I started mentally composing an impassioned response about why the fight must continue. After watching the video, I can only muster up the disappointed sigh familiar to anyone who follows Seattle politics. Your analysis of the politics is sadly correct. (The ...

Posted Mon, Apr 21, 1:28 p.m.

Congrats: Your coverage of this stuff really has been great.

Posted Thu, Apr 17, 11:21 p.m.

RE: How to be a good guest: Yeah, I'm afraid Piper's right. In your defense, Knute, at least you actually took the time to visit this community, talk to the people, write about it, and respond to the criticisms. Who's the bigger snob, after all, the guy who starts a ...

Posted Thu, Apr 10, 11:09 p.m.

A battle that Seattle can be proud of: I get the impression from your previous articles on this topic that you (like me) really didn't want to see the Sonics leave. Faced with the inevitability of their leaving, I guess you've decided it's healthier to accept their loss than remain ...

Posted Wed, Apr 9, 8:25 p.m.

RE: A long Times ago: One more thing - the PI has "Sound Off", which regularly generates more comments than any of the local blogs. Astonishingly, the Times still doesn't provide a way for readers to comment on their articles and editorials. It seems to me the Blethens are either ...

Posted Wed, Apr 9, 6:16 p.m.

A long Times ago: Chuck, your recommendations for saving the Times are spot on. However, your claim that the Times is the most important paper in the northwest might have been true 10 or 15 years ago, but the PI has since taken over. The Times may have won 7 ...

Posted Wed, Apr 2, 8:58 a.m.

Remind me, what's so broken about Seattle Center?: I don't understand the grandiose plans to redo the Seattle Center. Why? The premise seems to be that Seattle Center is underutilized or inappropriate for the area or broken in some way. No it isn't. Sonics debacle aside, the buildings and spaces ...

Posted Mon, Mar 31, 10:51 p.m.

RE: architecture: Very well said, and right on the money, mhays. Curious what you all think of the "award winning" Queen Anne home by pbElemental that was profiled in The Stranger last week. That group has done some nice buildings in my neighborhood (the Central District), but when I saw ...

Posted Mon, Mar 31, 8:48 a.m.

RE: How Taxes REALLY Work in Washington: The reason sales tax in Washington is so high is because we don't have an income tax. And why should any company ask their customers throughout the world to pay some ridiculous local tarriff? When a company in Japan buys a new plane ...

Posted Sun, Mar 30, 8:08 a.m.

RE: The problem is unrealistic expectations: Your point about being realistic is taken, though I'm not convinced that our main problem is overly high standards among the masses. Many of the buildings going up in Seattle don't even aspire to be good, let alone great. Their guiding design principle is ...

Posted Sat, Mar 15, 12:46 p.m.

RE: Kent is right on: Cleaning up Puget sound would be an expense. Updating an arena, in contrast, would be an investment. Big difference.

Posted Sat, Mar 15, 11:13 a.m.

Markets: Since the beginning of western civilization, arenas have been built and paid for by the public. Outside of Seattle, it's generally considered to be in the public's interest to have a large venue where citizens can gather to see theater, hear music, watch sports, or participate in political rallies. ...

Posted Thu, Mar 13, 2:38 p.m.

Ecclecticism as a unifying aesthetic: You seem to be putting aesthetics before utility. For more than half the year, it's rainy and cold in Seattle. During those months, more people visit the Center House than they would the cold and soggy field of grass you'd like to see in it's ...

Posted Sun, Mar 9, 9:19 p.m.

Interesting analysis: Regarding the monster comment, you're right - a politician's politician would have distanced himself from the fray while doing nothing to break it up. The resignation, however, may be more in keeping with Obama's not-politics-as-usual campaign. P.S. For what it's worth, I spoke with my mom yesterday, a ...

Posted Fri, Mar 7, 4:03 p.m.

Polls that matter: Wow, don't these polls seem a tad indirect? Seems like someone on Clinton's staff stayed up all night desparately combing the stats for anything that could be spun as supporting Hillary, and these were the best she could come up with. It's quite a leap of faith ...

Posted Fri, Mar 7, 3:37 p.m.

The reason we only have two parties: is so obvious, yet everyone seems to ignore it. In the US, our political systems are winner-take-all rather than proportional. Winner-take-all means that if you vote for a party that doesn't have a chance of getting a plurality of votes, you have truly ...

Posted Fri, Mar 7, 12:12 p.m.

RE: What's Good for the Goose: The problem with the 5% return rule is that it doesn't take into account the costs of not making the investment. Sitting back and letting the Sonics go, in this case, is not a cost-free alternative. By doing nothing, the city loses the revenue ...

Posted Thu, Mar 6, 9:54 p.m.

RE: Dysfunctional Leftist Philosophy: Whoever these dysfunctional leftist philosophers are, I see no sign of them on this thread. They seem more like straw men to me. Many individuals are irrational. They're the one's making headlines everyday by shooting other people. This isn't a tenet, it's just a fact. As ...

Posted Wed, Mar 5, 9:18 a.m.

The outlaws don't obey gun laws: Despite being a liberal, I've given up the fight against gun control because the reality is that gun laws and anti-gun idealism only put peaceful, law abiding people at a disadvantage. As a family man, I don't feel I have the luxury of sticking ...

Posted Wed, Feb 27, 8:11 a.m.

RE: infuriating: I don't think I've ever lost a Crosscut post due to technical difficulty (I recall losing several back at slog). Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever had problems loading the site either. Typically, an office LAN will sit behind a proxy server that ...

Posted Fri, Feb 22, 4:17 p.m.

Nickels isn't trying to save the Sonics: He's just trying to save his ass. I think Nickel's thining goes as follows: Do absolutely nothing to keep the Sonics in Seattle, but put on a big show of indignation as the team packs its bags so that no one pins the ...

Posted Thu, Feb 21, 10:41 a.m.

RE: Must be something in the water: "How easy it is to disrupt a property owner's plans...." You've got to be kidding, Piper. It takes a full on movement with heaps of media coverage and pro bono lawyering for a community to have any meaningful impact on a builder's plans ...

Posted Wed, Feb 20, 9:31 p.m.

RE: Presidential politics: If you're going to dismiss a presidential candidate as a "lying crook", it's good form to say a word or two as to what exactly you are talking about. By the way, "Come On and Dance" is the ring tone for my cell phone. No lie.

Posted Wed, Feb 20, 10:20 a.m.

RE: Presidential politics: "I won't vote for Hillary - EVER! - because she's a crook and a grifter..." Glad to see you're still smoking, joking, and midnight toking, Steve!

Posted Wed, Feb 20, 2:01 a.m.

Presidential politics: I've read a lot of earnest, detailed evaluations of the candidates' stances on the "issues", mostly from young democratic journalists, many of whom seem to support Hillary. The assumption is that policies make the president. Certainly, a candidate's philosophical orientation on political issues is critical to choosing a ...

Posted Mon, Feb 18, 1:39 p.m.

"Silicon ": The best way to dodge the "Silicon Alley" label is to coin an equally catchy label of your own. ("Jet City" was pretty cool, but it no longer reflects the diversity of today's Seattle economy.) How about "Moneyland" or "Stock Option Sound".

Posted Mon, Feb 18, 1:30 p.m.

The UW needs some competion: Interesting read. As someone who has done time in the local academic and high-tech worlds, I loudly echo the calls for another major university in the Seattle area. UW's undergraduate program is solid, but it doesn't have the kind of reputation that draws the brightest ...

Posted Fri, Feb 15, 8:39 a.m.

RE: Glass houses that beg the throwing of stones: The last time an outsider promised us edgy architecture, we ended up with the EMP.

Posted Tue, Feb 12, 6:01 p.m.

I'm sure Sharkansky: will get to the bottom of this

Posted Tue, Feb 12, 3:38 p.m.

Mistaken Identity Politics: The premise of this article - that women should vote for women because they are women - couldn't be more antithetical to feminism. First, by suggesting that women vote based on the candidate's sex, the author is, ironically enough, playing right into the old arguments against women's ...

Posted Mon, Feb 11, 8:16 a.m.

McCain's real problem: He's too old. He shouldn't be allowed to drive a car, let alone lead the country. Reagan showed signs of senility during the scandalous end of his term, and Dick Cheney's increased rigidity and paranoia (not to mention his hunting skills) suggests his brain has deteriorated considerably ...

Posted Sun, Feb 10, 9:53 p.m.

RE: ..AND THE BEEF IS?: The premise behind your post - that there is a single right or wrong answer for most of these questions - is flawed. Take your question about raising or lowering taxes. Are you really looking for a president who promotes lowering taxes no matter what? ...

Posted Sun, Feb 10, 2:55 p.m.

RE: Knute you exceed yourself: This might be the best article I've read about the election yet. Truly inspired stuff, Knute.

Posted Sun, Feb 3, 9:39 p.m.

RE: Let 'em eat cake!: You're title says it all - the "problem" with leftie populists these days is that the workers are eating cake! And watching TV, drinking beer, listening to IPods, and talking on their cell phones. You really have to scrape the bottom of the economic barrel ...

Posted Sat, Feb 2, 3:24 p.m.

RE: the victims have to realize what they are: Working class people are not victims in this country, despite the attempts of Marxists to pidgeon hold them as such. It's time everyone on the left recognizes Marxism for what it is - a well-intentioned but cartoonish theory of economics that ...

Posted Thu, Jan 31, 10:03 p.m.

'Populism' is in the eye of the beholder: If anything, this discussion makes it clear that 'populism' as a political construct is even foggier than 'liberal' or 'conservative'. Populism seems to be less about any particular political philosophy and more about whatever it is that the 'common man' finds appealing ...

Posted Tue, Jan 22, 5:23 p.m.

RE: Auto Transportation wins Each Day: I'm actually in a mild state of shock, right now, because I agree with pretty much everything Mr. Morrill says in this article. Of particular importance is Morrill's point about not letting the extremists shout down common sense with poorly reasoned rants written in ...

Posted Mon, Jan 21, 12:01 a.m.

God bless Swedish Stan: Occassionally, my wife and I play the "where should we move to?" game. We bat around California for a bit, muse over Boston, imagine New York City, and eventually realize there's no where else in this stinking country worth fleeing to, at least for us. But ...

Posted Sun, Jan 20, 9:46 a.m.

Here's a plan: Taxes? Tolls?! The notion that we somehow need to pay for new bridges is typical malarky from the tax and spend liberals. We need a return to the good old days when you funded new projects by invading another country, looting it's treasures, and enslaving its population ...

Posted Sat, Jan 19, 10:39 a.m.

RE: Took my 3 year old son for a ride on the SLUT: That's the million dollar question, isn't it?

Posted Sat, Jan 19, 9:49 a.m.

Took my 3 year old son for a ride on the SLUT: Two buses roared past us as we waited at the stop. I caught a glimpse of one of the drivers, and I swear it was Richard Morrill. Just when I made up my mind to get on the ...

Posted Thu, Jan 17, 7:45 p.m.

If the burbs are the new Seattle,: then Seattle must be the new, ... um, ... anyone?

Posted Tue, Jan 15, 9:23 a.m.

Stirring video: Thanks for the link to the animation of the house decaying over 500 years. Clearly it wasn't based on houses in the Pacific Northwest, which would be lucky to last 50 years if left on their own. Reminds me - time to clean the gutters.

Posted Sun, Jan 13, 11:23 p.m.

My time is worth the money: I did the bridge commute for 9 years. Thankfully, I no longer have to, but if I did, I'd gladly pay a $10 toll for the privilege of a quick and uncongested drive home.

Posted Sun, Jan 13, 2:24 p.m.

Setting the record straight on Burgess: During the City Council races last fall, candidate Tim Burgess was put on the defensive for being a Christian "values" voter. In Seattle, that made him suspect despite his liberal, green, and pro-gay politics. Knute, I don't understand why you, Brewster, and Joel Connely ...

Posted Sat, Jan 12, 8:56 p.m.

Libertarian, idealism, and social recluses: If the software industry does indeed trend more towards Libertarianism than the population at large, there's a simple explanation. The software business is one of the few remaining places where someone with a sparse social network and limited social skills can earn a decent living ...

Posted Fri, Jan 11, 10:38 p.m.

Why the controversy?: Try as I might, I just don't understand what there is to argue about here. If a person is terminally ill and decides that they no longer wish to suffer through their last days, how is this anyone else's business besides that person and his or her ...

Posted Thu, Jan 3, 6:44 p.m.

RE: Which Capitol Hill buildings?: Wow, I had no idea that Sound Transit's footprint on Capitol Hill would be so huge. I suppose it would be a stretch to call those buildings historic landmarks, but still, it really sucks to see them go. What will go up in their place? ...

Posted Thu, Jan 3, 2:10 p.m.

Which Capitol Hill buildings?: Sorry if I'm missing something obvious, but the subtitle mentions 3 Capitol Hill buildings to be razed, but I didn't see anything in the actual article about them. What buildings are we talking about?

Posted Wed, Jan 2, 2:49 p.m.

same difference: The only reason Seattle can build new supply is because it's less populated than NYC. As the city's population approaches that of NYC, the number of single family homes available in Seattle's urban core will decrease to zero due to cost and zoning laws. In both NYC and ...

Posted Wed, Jan 2, 1:52 p.m.

How much space does a family need?: Currently, quite a bit it seems, but this wasn't always the case. Some friends of mine bought their 3 bedroom 2500 sqrt foot Capitol Hill craftsman 15 years ago from a family that raised 12 kids in that house. Sure, that's an extreme ...

Posted Tue, Jan 1, 11:42 p.m.

Happy New Year, Crosscut: Personally, I'm happy that Crosscut is filling the demand for intelligent and informed journalism in the northwest. The quality of writing and diversity of viewpoints in both the articles and comments sets you guys apart from anything else out there. Whatever you do, don't start publishing ...

Posted Sat, Dec 15, 8:55 a.m.

A war on christmas article?: On crosscut? Reallly? Is there no escaping this silly and polarizing media virus?

Posted Wed, Dec 12, 8:11 a.m.

Morrill's Rorschach test results unsurprising: The pretty colored map is neat, but when it comes to the question of why voters voted the way they did on Prop 1, it is as ambiguous as one of Rorschach's inkblots. Morrill stares at the inkblot, and quite predictably he sees an anti-transit ...

Posted Mon, Dec 10, 3:16 p.m.

The enemy of my enemy: With JFK, you could at least imagine that his speech was driven by principles. Romney's speech, in contrast, is nothing more than political calculation. Specifically, he's betting that he can win over evangelicals by noting that mormons and evangelicals share a common enemy - the ...

Posted Fri, Dec 7, 9:30 p.m.

Steinbrueck?: Any of you Crosscutters have inside info on whether Peter is going to run for mayor? Perhaps one of you could write an article making the case to him why he should run. I think he'd beat Nickels, even if he was outspent in the process.

Posted Thu, Dec 6, 5:17 p.m.

Great ideas: Thanks, you've given me a few ideas for a daughter who seems to have everything. I remember watching Free to Be You and Me in my first grade public school class. The skit with Marlo Thomas and Mel Brooks as newborn babies is the best!

Posted Wed, Dec 5, 2:20 p.m.

My REAL agenda: Since you ask, steptoe.fan, my real agenda is for our mayor and city attorney to get off their asses and deal with the increasing crime problem, as opposed to playing political games, picking petty fights with the council, and harassing innocent citizens. Too much to ask? Carr's ...

Posted Tue, Dec 4, 1:46 p.m.

Give me a break: "'The current council doesn't seem to be that interested in public-safety issues.' He offered up as evidence the fact they weren't willing to adopt a license requirement for nightclubs." The council is quite interested in public safety as evidenced by the legislation they passed putting more ...

Posted Mon, Dec 3, 10:46 p.m.

RE: OH YES IT DOES !!: So you think the answer to thugs shooting people is to arrest bartenders trying to make an honest living? Brilliant strategy! Next, we should go after the guys at the Cadillac dealerships selling them the Escalades.

Posted Mon, Dec 3, 8:05 a.m.

Remember, this is the guy: who spent $50,000 in city money on a publicity stunt that sent a bunch of bartenders and bouncers to jail on questionable charges, and that will consume thousands more dollars as the cases meander their way through the city court system. The "city" that Carr ...

Posted Mon, Dec 3, 6:04 a.m.

Maybe that's a typo in the first sentence?: You're putting Joel Connelly in the same league as Edward R. Murrow? You must be joking. Within Seattle, he's a B lister, and outside Seattle, nobody has heard of him. The guy's been a journalist for decades, yet he still doesn't understand ...

Posted Fri, Nov 30, 11:05 p.m.

re: a few platitudes from the right: "If the quality of anyone's life is dependent upon a government program, then I submit that life is pretty pathetic." Nice work, Piper, you've just insulted anyone who has attended public school, taken a road trip in a car, cashed a social security ...

Posted Fri, Nov 30, 8:33 p.m.

RE: NOBODY WANTS TO ARGUE, PIPER: Well, if you'd attribute your quote to an actual person, than we'd know who is lurching. Please tell me - who said that? My guess is that it was Chris Matthews or Bill O'Reilly. Or more likely, you copied it from some bs piece ...

Posted Fri, Nov 30, 4:20 p.m.

RE: A quick word from the right...: "Grover Norquist is right: much of what government does today deserves to be drowned in the bathtub" What government programs are you talking about, Piper? The unspeakably expensive and pointless Iraq war? The huge give away of public money to Halliburton for the ...

Posted Fri, Nov 30, 12:56 p.m.

On moderate Republicans: Ivan is right - the Republican party's dramatic and frightening lurch to the right makes bipartisanship impossible for anyone who values civil liberties, not to mention sound military and economic policy. And keep in mind, Rossi emerged in 2004 when Bush was at the height of his ...

Posted Thu, Nov 29, 10:16 a.m.

I'm almost certainly wrong, but who cares, I've got attitude!: Once upon a time, attitude may have been a way for a columnist to distinguish himself. These days, most journalists (including bloggers) offer nothing but attittude. If you take in a lot of local journalism, all the self-righteous ranting and ...

Posted Wed, Nov 28, 8:07 p.m.

RE: Meh ....: What you think "it" is, and who you think has "it". The most effective way to get people to "sit-up-and-take-notice" is to be obnoxious, ridiculous, and controversial. Anne Coulter has based her entire career on that strategy. If that's what you mean by "it", then no, Danny ...

Posted Wed, Nov 28, 5:43 p.m.

Glad I'm not the only one who's noticed: Westneat is definitely among the city's best columnists. I only wish he would ditch the Times, which I try to avoid except for him, and move over to the PI already. I first really took note of him when he took up ...

Posted Wed, Nov 28, 4:50 a.m.

RE: Why bother?: Millionaires? That's a laugh. Even if they built mansions on that site, no one who could afford a million dollar home would ever want to live there. At best, you'd see some townhouses for 300 or 400K, which is what similar properties are going for in the ...

Posted Thu, Nov 22, 10:30 a.m.

Unamerican? Not.: The challenges facing professional soccer have nothing to do with the nature of the game. The problem is a combination of timing, as you pointed out, and tough competition with numerous encumbent sports for American's attention. People can only care about and follow so many sports, so for ...

Posted Wed, Nov 21, 9:38 p.m.

I guess my kids are blue collar: because they love the Fun Forest, at least the part that caters to the younger set. I have many fond memories riding the boat swing, mini-roller coaster, ferris wheel, dragon and elephant ride, and tornado with my kids clinging to me and screaming ...

Posted Mon, Nov 19, 10:16 p.m.

If you think that's bad,: did you know that Microsoft scans your document everytime you invoke the spell checker? Dude - that's way creepy.

Posted Thu, Nov 8, 9:47 p.m.

Consolation or gloating - it's a fine line: Not sure how you voted, Knute, but given your chipper outlook, I'm guessing things went mostly in your favor. Congrats. The political scene around here is really no place for romantics and optimists (unless you also happen to be masochist). Never fails ...

Posted Tue, Nov 6, 1:47 p.m.

Organizational principles for government agencies: I've never worked for the government, but I have worked for a very large well known corporation on the eastside. Given what I've observed of government from the outside and the corporate world from within, it seems that many of the same organizational principles apply ...

Posted Mon, Nov 5, 9:23 p.m.

RE: and by the way: I'm not at all surprised to hear that she is a great person. In fact, of all the current school board members, she's probably the one I'd be most likely to socialize with. For all I know, she was standing next to me at the ...

Posted Mon, Nov 5, 9:08 p.m.

RE: School Board elections: From what I can tell, Mr. Manhas deserves most of the credit for getting the district's books in order. Yet when it was time to make the tough decisions, the board (especially Soriano) left him alone to be chewed up by Seattle's kooky and vicious identity ...

Posted Mon, Nov 5, 4:12 p.m.

RE: the school board meetings.: I'm sorry if you think I'm stomping on you. Though my style isn't quite as diplomatic as Mr. Brewster's, my aim is simply to express my views of Soriano's performance on the school board, particularly her inability to stand up to the bullies who show ...

Posted Mon, Nov 5, 1:44 p.m.

RE: conspiracy, eh?: To clarify, I'm refering the ax-grinders who disrupted the school closure meetings with angry rants, threats, and a woefully misplaced rendition of "we shall overcome", hurled racial epitettes at the superintendent, and are trying to sue the district based on the paranoid and baseless theory that the ...

Posted Mon, Nov 5, 11:50 a.m.

RE: One disagreement: The fact that Sally Soriano is beholden to a small, obnoxious group of paranoid conspiracy theorists who have nothing better to do than disrupt school board meetings, and who are under the delusion that anyone who disagrees with them is an accomplice to "the man" is precisely ...

Posted Mon, Nov 5, 7:33 a.m.

The best thing about a return to pragmaticism: For me personally, the best thing about a return to common sense and pragmatism to politics is that I can go back to being politically apathetic. With Carter, Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton, I may not have agreed with everything they did, ...

Posted Sat, Nov 3, 4:42 p.m.

Ballot initiatives bring both boldness and stupidity to politics: I agree that ballot iniatives can be problematic, particularly when deciding complex issues like transportation. However, politicians are inherently risk averse in all regions of the country, and they will rarely stick their political neck out to do the right and ...

Posted Tue, Oct 30, 11:08 p.m.

RE: Not religion but politics: "the religious view the irreligious as missing a tremendous blessing." Likewise.

Posted Tue, Oct 30, 2:51 p.m.

The lord is my shepherd...: I've spent plenty of time with religious conservatives, including some virtual time here in the comments section, and I see much more diversity on my tiny little city block than among the hundreds of evangelical christians I've met. Religion is inherently about conformity of thought ...

Posted Sun, Oct 28, 7:55 a.m.

RE: IT'S THE PROGRAM: Garfield has the AP program for the city's brightest kids, yet most of the parent buzz I heard about the school was that the building was infested by rats. I have no idea if that's even true, but I do know the rumor turned many parents ...

Posted Sat, Oct 27, 8:21 a.m.

Facilities matter to parents: The quality of the facilities do, in fact, matter to parents. These improvements will certainly help the public schools compete with private schools for students, particularly those from upper middle class families.

Posted Tue, Oct 23, 6:19 a.m.

An awesome place to party: "The views are great, but despite its setting, the downtown has the cold, generic feeling of a developer's boom town." I had quite the opposite impression on my last visit during the Cascade Bike club's RSVP (Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party). Downtown was ...

Posted Mon, Oct 22, 10:13 p.m.

RE: Since when does advertising equal education?: Piper, no one is calling into question the efficacy of advertising. Of course it works, usually by misinforming people. The score: Piper 1, Straw Man 0. Are you actually trying to say that you agree with Chris's claim that more political ads would ...

Posted Mon, Oct 22, 2:16 p.m.

Since when does advertising equal education?: Chris, I'll accept your premise that not enough money is spent on educating voters. But what does this have to do with campaign advertising? Political ads are no more a reliable source of information than ads for laundry detergent or cars. The ones that ...

Posted Thu, Oct 4, 3:34 p.m.

Being realistic: Personally, I support smart highway investments in combination with aggressive spending on transit. Both have a important roll to play in keeping our economy chugging along.

Posted Sat, Sep 29, 9:49 a.m.

Transit as investment: Critics of mass transit like to argue that Seattle doesn't have the density to justify the huge costs associated with building rail, although everyone seems to agree that the density will eventually be there. The implicit message is that we should wait until we have the population ...

Posted Tue, Sep 25, 10:12 a.m.

Better to have a goat nextdoor: than a Pitbull or Rottweiler.

Posted Wed, Sep 19, 9:30 p.m.

Cool article: Terrible pun. By the way, I finished The Good Rain by Timothy Egan a while ago after your gracious recommendation. Great book, and I feel like I finally get some of the eccentricities of old Seattle for having read it.

Posted Wed, Sep 19, 1:07 p.m.

RE: The ghost of Joe Hill...: Piper, you've proven the WASL does have at least one purpose - as Republican ammunition against their longtime political nemesis, the teacher's union.

Posted Wed, Sep 19, 12:24 p.m.

RE: You tried to heal the wrong wound: I couldn't agree more.

Posted Wed, Sep 19, 11:36 a.m.

The WASL is for at risk kids?: So, from what I can tell, your reasoning is roughly this: At risk children are being allowed to graduate from public schools without basic skills. The reason is that the schools, for some unspecified reason (laziness? incompetence? communist infiltration?) have conspired to shortchange ...

Posted Tue, Sep 18, 4:01 p.m.

RE: Two things: Yes, they are called "grades". The public schools have them, too.

Posted Tue, Sep 18, 1:04 p.m.

RE: Two things: 1. By making the WASL the primary measure of a school's success, you've all but guaranteed it will drive the curriculum. This is just management 101. 2. I'm surprised you are asking me this. Did you not talk to any parents before unleashing your disastrous plan on ...

Posted Tue, Sep 18, 11:10 a.m.

Wish I could send you the bill: So Chris Vance played a key role in screwing Seattle's public school system. Thanks, your misguided efforts are costing me over $14,000 annually in private school tuition. As the parent of a kindergardener, I spent untold hours last year visiting public and private ...

Posted Mon, Sep 10, 10:47 a.m.

Atlanta?: Surely you can't be serious in comparing Atlanta's transportation problems with those of Seattle. The bulk of Seattle's commuters, being constrained by large bodies of water, follow a rather simple pattern - north/south on I-5 or 405, and east/west on 520 or I-90. Rail works when you have highly ...

Posted Sun, Sep 9, 11:31 a.m.

RE: What about the good old boys?: JvA, your comments are entirely orthogonal to the article. Blockwatches, the annual night out, and a graffiti task forces have nothing to do with the "third home" places this article is talking about. The article is mourning the loss of places where a ...

Posted Sat, Sep 8, 9:34 p.m.

Which came first, the community center or the community?: Nice article. It's interesting to see these old community centers, lodges, and churches die off with nothing growing back in their place. So many aspects of modern living -- television, sprawl, commuting, long work days -- seem to be conspiring to ...

Posted Fri, Sep 7, 12:47 p.m.

Mourning or partisan cheerleading? Impossible to say.: Sorry that Jennifer passed away before her time. I honestly don't know anything about her, and unfortunately, after reading this I still don't. Given Chris Vance's thoroughly partisan viewpoint, it's impossible for me to know whether Dunn actually deserved these kind words, or ...

Posted Sun, Sep 2, 8:35 a.m.

RE: Hoisted...: Despite being in the middle of the country, Minnesota is as blue as they come. The state hasn't voted for a Republican president since Nixon in '72. As I understand, this little dragnet was the result of several complaints about the activity in that bathroom.

Posted Fri, Aug 24, 9:50 a.m.

RE: crosscut or crossfire?: Have you read any of your articles? Most your time is spent cheering for a GOP come back. Your contribution here basically boils down to "Go team!" And Chuck - hiring a political operatives to write for your publication is a significant move, much more so ...

Posted Thu, Aug 23, 10:15 p.m.

RE: those pesky facts: With very few exceptions, Republican's in all positions have been marching in lock step with Cheney since 9/11. Cheney has set the agenda of the Republican party, and his authoritarian brand of conservatism has demanded unconditional loyalty and obedience from party members. Remarkably, Republicans all the ...

Posted Wed, Aug 22, 8:53 p.m.

RE: those pesky facts: Because the majority of candidates are Democrats, labeling them as such doesn't convey much information. It's kind of like pointing out that they all have two arms and legs. Labeling a candidate as Republican, however, is both informative and relevant, as most people in Seattle would ...

Posted Wed, Aug 22, 3:48 p.m.

RE: crosscut or crossfire?: Mossback is your liberal? Now that is comedy, especially when you consider that "mossback" literally means "an extremely conservative or old-fashioned person." That title sort of fits Knute's perspective, which is why he adopted it I'm sure. Much of his writing, after all, runs quite counter ...

Posted Wed, Aug 22, 2:54 p.m.

those pesky facts: Chris, how is labeling Bill Bryant a "Republican" an example of a liberal bias in the media? His party affiliation is a simple fact. Facts, I'll remind you, are neither liberal or conservative. They just are. And this fact is plenty relevant to the election. For an ...

Posted Wed, Aug 22, 2:32 p.m.

crosscut or crossfire?: Chris, it seems you've become crosscut's Republican in residence. Who is your Democratic counterpart over there, and when can we look forward to reading articles from him/her?

Posted Tue, Aug 21, 4:03 p.m.

You, Seattle, are to blame: It's satisfying to blame city officials for inaction, but if we can be honest with ourselves for a moment, this paralysis isn't their fault. We live in an adolescent city that doesn't know what it wants or who it is. We say we want leaders ...

Posted Tue, Aug 21, 6:48 a.m.

yet more process: This article, of course, represents yet another mandatory phase in Seattle's indecision-making process. Once officials appear to have made a decision, it's now the press's turn to relentlessly comb through the process for anything unfair or less than ideal, and then start hammering on it incessantly until ...

Posted Tue, Aug 7, 1:07 p.m.

RE: I'm dying to know: Ha ha ha, wise guy. :-)

Posted Tue, Aug 7, 11:01 a.m.

I'm dying to know: What exactly is a "political cave of winds"? I've never heard that phrase before. Nice article, by the way.

Posted Tue, Aug 7, 10:47 a.m.

RE: Back it up, please: Thanks, Carless, you nailed it. Chris, you should check out his edited version of your article if you haven't already. The changes are subtle but important if you want to pitch your article as an unbiased ethnographic report.

Posted Mon, Aug 6, 11:50 a.m.

RE: Such insightful commentary: This reminds me, Mr. Clifford - any worthwhile article on site seeing in Issaquah should mention its famously slow moving traffic. The seemingly endless parade of SUVs and minivans inching along every morning and evening, just as reliably as Old Faithful, is truly a sight to ...

Posted Mon, Aug 6, 7:34 a.m.

Look out Rick Steves: Now that was some compelling travel writing! I've heard that Expedia is offering some competitive all-inclusive Issaquah vacation packages. Get 'em before they're gone!

Posted Thu, Aug 2, 4:32 p.m.

RE: Back it up, please: To be clear, I'm not suggesting Crosscut is advocating anything. You're doing a wonderful job staying away from the advocacy journalism game, and I hope that continues. I'm just pointing out that the articles by Morrill, Brewster, and now Vance all assert that the numbers ...

Posted Thu, Aug 2, 2:43 p.m.

RE: Analysis, not advocacy: Great, then perhaps you can help me because I'm having troubling figuring out which group I belong to. I support rail because it, in point of fact, is only way to move people quickly, thereby solving the problem that we all care about - reducing commuting ...

Posted Thu, Aug 2, 2:16 p.m.

RE: Back it up, please: Take another gander at the article, Chuck. While Chris doesn't endorse any of the 5 camps, he very clearly states that the rail is not about solving traffic problems, it's about "values" (ie. reducing sprawl, cutting greenhouse gases). Relevant quotes below: "this group [Freemanites] believes ...

Posted Thu, Aug 2, 1:36 p.m.

Back it up, please: "This green-eyeshade accounting leads to obvious conclusions: Rail doesn't pencil, buses are OK, but people prefer cars." There is nothing obvious about this conclusion. This is the third time I've read something in Crosscut stating as fact that rail doesn't work, and not once has the ...

Posted Tue, Jul 31, 10:31 a.m.

RE: Say it ain't so: It's a fair point - myths need to be simple and familiar in order to resonate with people, especially the ignorant. Your phrasing is curious, however, given today's political context, which prominently features an authoritarian administration that regularly employs simple myths and memes as propaganda ...

Posted Mon, Jul 30, 5 p.m.

Say it ain't so: From Knute's Denver article: Somewhere along the line, ancient forests were buried on a flood plain, infused with minerals, and turned into old-growth-log-sized agates of sparkling jasper and crystal. Then this land-mass migrated from the equator to Arizona. Be honest: Is this account any more believable ...

Posted Thu, Jul 26, 6:54 p.m.

Some additional feature requests: I'm hoping we'll also see the following features in Crosscut 1.1: 1) More writing from the likes of Mr. Raban. 2) Fewer multi-part essays from Republican party operatives.

Posted Thu, Jul 26, 1:28 a.m.

Wow, there are a lot of rail haters in this town.: No wonder it took so long to finally build one. Go Ron!

Posted Tue, Jul 24, 6:56 p.m.

Does it matter?: This article presumes that a Republican comeback is an interesting and desirable thing in and of itself. Maybe it is if you are a career Republican, but why should anyone else care? The author simply repeats one of the biggest blunders the current administration has made - ...

Posted Tue, Jul 24, 2:44 p.m.

RE: No room for nostalgia: I'm at a loss to explain why so many people support tearing the Fun Forest down. An amusement park is a perfect use of that space, even if they turn the rest of the Center into a park. Even Central Park has a carousel! Perhaps ...

Posted Tue, Jul 24, 2:31 p.m.

Best headline yet: That's a great metaphor, but I see her more as a wild beauty stuck living in a trailor with a cheap, possessive husband who won't buy her anything for fear she might get "uppity". How about a pretty new baseball stadium? "Hell no!" A beautiful new park ...

Posted Fri, Jul 6, 11:33 a.m.

There ought to be an 's' at the end of Seattle: Welcome to Crosscut, Jonathan. As someone who arrived way way back in 1992, I can say with authority that rebirth is as much a part of Seattle's character as are the mountains and water. The Seattle of the 2000s ...

Posted Tue, Jun 26, 8:24 p.m.

RE: Denny's should go: Level the Seattle Center Fun Park? My kids vehemently disagree with you.

Posted Tue, Jun 26, 8:23 p.m.

RE: personal taste?: It's totally feasible to save this building while making better use of the land. The simplest solution would be to lift it up, plunk it down on a corner of the lot, and build the mixed use structure on the rest of the lot. I repeat - ...

Posted Tue, Jun 26, 9:52 a.m.

History vs density is a false choice: I reckon that most people in Seattle value neighborhoods that are both vibrant and walkable, and that have some history and character. That's the whole point of living in a city like Seattle, as opposed to, say, Woodinville or Kirkland. It seems both ...

Posted Sat, Jun 23, 11:09 a.m.

Bridging political chasms: There's a recurring theme in the topics and subtext of many recent crosscut articles and comments - the puzzling and sometimes frustrating political chasm between the Northwest's old school populist/libertarian crowd (whom I affectionately refer to as the "Yosemite Sams"), and the progressive lefties perched both above ...

Posted Fri, Jun 22, 5:23 p.m.

RE: Comment for David Brewster and reply to comments to me (Morrill): In a previous life, I was also an academic social scientist like yourself. During my years in the soft sciences (and make no mistake about it, economics is among the softest of the social sciences), I found that ...

Posted Fri, Jun 22, 11:49 a.m.

Things I'm (slowly) learning about discussing transportation in Seattle...: 1). Always smile while speaking or typing. 2). Avoid hyperbole. 3). Seattle has a sizable population of Yosemite Sams. 4). Get back to work, which is within walking distance so it's not really your problem anyway. ...

Posted Fri, Jun 22, 11:13 a.m.

RE: This isn't helping: When I was in 7th grade, my honors math teacher set aside math one day and instead spent the hour debating the class about the shape of the earth. He maintained, for purposes of this exercise, that the earth was flat. Over the hour, he explained ...

Posted Thu, Jun 21, 3:35 p.m.

RE: This isn't helping: First, Morrill claims as fact that trains cannot possibly meet more than 1 percent of demand for trips. What? Is this a general statement about all trains? The first phase of Sound Transit's light rail? The second phase? A particular route? The New York subway system? ...

Posted Thu, Jun 21, 9:14 a.m.

This isn't helping: Rail just doesn't work? Oh brother. Hey crosscut folks - I'm sure that publishing this kind of nonsense plays well with the cranky old guys who seem to gravitate towards your publication, and who seem to know so much about the ways of the world even though ...

Posted Wed, Jun 20, 2:02 p.m.

RE: Perceived School Quality: Fair question. If you live in a neighborhood where you actually have a choice between several decent schools, I'm sure you end up factoring in superficial information or "buzz" (you've got to decide somehow, afterall). As for our situation, the disparity between the good (Stevens, McGilvra, ...

Posted Tue, Jun 19, 3:38 p.m.

RE: Predictability isn't always good: Interesting post. As I see it, the problem is that the schools system allows people to segregate themselves along racial and economic lines, and in this city, separate is definitely not equal. Once a school gets a critical mass of at-risk kids, the administration abandons ...

Posted Tue, Jun 19, 9:04 a.m.

For most, "choice" is an illusion: Based on my experience with the kindergarten enrollment process this year, choice doesn't play much of a role in the admissions process. If you live in a neighborhood with a good school, you send your kids there. If you live in a neighborhood with ...

Posted Wed, Jun 13, 7:35 a.m.

are tolls equivalent to gas taxes?: You raise an interesting point - why not just raise the gas tax instead of charging tolls? From what I can tell, the differences between and a tax and a toll are: 1) tolls apply to specific roads whereas gas taxes apply to all ...

Posted Tue, Jun 12, 3 p.m.

Transportation indecisions: The indecision we have right now on transportation issues (see David Sucher's comments) is a tug of war between Seattle's reactionary old guard and the younger progressives that have been steadily arriving in town since the hey days of grunge. The recent viaduct vote marked the moment at ...

Posted Fri, Jun 8, 1:42 p.m.

Jeff is back?: Sweet. No doubt the stands will be filled with Jeff Weaver jerseys. Go number 36!

Posted Thu, Jun 7, 9:36 a.m.

Point is lost on me: You seem to be suggesting that these studies are invalid, yet you don't offer any specific methodological critique. You express skepticism because they all conclude a positive economic impact, but this shouldn't be surprising since they all focus on industries that do, in fact, have ...

Posted Mon, Jun 4, 11:47 p.m.

RE: WORST TIRESOME BOOK: Thanks for the tip, and for reminding me of another book I need to read. I loved Raban's Hunting Mr. Heartbreak.

Posted Mon, Jun 4, 11:41 p.m.

RE: What Gates could do: I can only assume neither of you have kids, because if you did, you'd know that King County already has dozens of highly selective, abundantly endowed schools that cater to elite, gifted, and "eager" students. In fact, some of them have already received piles of ...

Posted Sun, Jun 3, 11:54 p.m.

RE: gan book recommendations?: Many thanks, Nancy, I mean Knute.

Posted Sun, Jun 3, 7:51 a.m.

Egan book recommendations?: For those of us who haven't read any of Egan's books, what's a good book to start with?

Posted Sat, Jun 2, 9:48 a.m.

Great article, sensible proposals: Thanks for the article, expertise, and research. My first reaction to the Bicycle Master Plan was that the intentions are great, but that we need more dedicated paths and less white paint. I imagined a network of Burke-Gilman trails throughout the city, but I knew that ...

Posted Sun, May 27, 12:11 a.m.

Interesting point, but: I don't follow why this stepping stone is more suitable for Republicans. It seems like an even better opportunity for a Democrat seeking to establish moderate credentials and broaden his/her political appeal to the law and order crowd.

Posted Sat, May 26, 11:56 p.m.

Blowing smoke about the viaduct: Uncle Mike says: "Sean has been huffing on that bong too long, and he apparently just can't remember that the council came out for the surface-transit plan, which is now being implemented." Sorry for the confusion, Mike, but in early 2006, Licata and Della spoke ...

Posted Sat, May 26, 11:23 p.m.

Uncle Mike's curious obsession with bongs: What a bizarre post. Is this "bong" thing supposed to be an humorous insult? Ho ho ho, how original! How clever! I can only imagine what it is you are smoking. I'll respond to your most absurd claim - that the "the city has ...

Posted Fri, May 25, 8:15 a.m.

Council has no spine: Nick, is this response intended as a rebuttal or to prove Brewster's point? The council has shown no leadership on any of these issues. Adult Cabarets: this issue was driven entirely by Nickels and the voters - the council watched from the sidelines. Zoo Garage: Hooray, ...

Posted Wed, May 23, 10:28 a.m.

On a related note: We now know that prosecutors were illegally hired for political reasons: "I may have gone too far, and I may have taken inappropriate political considerations into account on some occasions," Goodling said. "And I regret those mistakes." But for McKay to suggest that he was fired ...

Posted Tue, May 22, 9:24 a.m.

I hate to say "I told you so", but...: Ok, Knute, we get it - thanks to your tremendous foresight and common sense, you could easily see the flaws in the monorail plan that the big idea people and their fancy educations could not. We are all quite impressed. Now ...

Posted Fri, May 18, 1:08 p.m.

Sean: The team's financial troubles have little to do with Key Arena, and everything to do with disastrous personnel decisions made by hapless managers. The front office crushed the franchise with Jim Mcilvaine's contract, and when the Sonics finally showed signs of coming back to life, they curshed the team ...

Posted Thu, May 17, 7:30 a.m.

Personally: I love just about everything in this city that was built around 1900 to 1930 - the warehouses, apartment buildings, houses, and high rises. No, there's not much in these old structures to arouse the academics, but I've never been a fan of architecture built for architects. The buildings ...

Posted Wed, May 16, 11:42 a.m.

RE: NEWSFLASH: Conservative shill finds 100s of improper votes!: "My son's absentee ballot didn't reach him until AFTER the deadline for mailing." That is unfortunate and no doubt frustrating, but why are you scapegoating King County for the military's slow and inefficient postal system? The military screwed your son over, ...

Posted Tue, May 15, 9:23 a.m.

RE: NEWSFLASH: Conservative shill finds 100s of improper votes!: Piper! Where's that sense of humor you love to lecture us about? Boy oh boy, you conservatives take yourselves way too seriously. If you actually cared about the principle of election integrity, you'd be focused on the 2000 presidential election, which ...

Posted Tue, May 15, 7:56 a.m.

NEWSFLASH: Conservative shill finds 100s of improper votes!: Hard to believe, in an election involving 2.8 million votes, that somehow a few hundred potentially improper votes were allowed to slip by. I'd report the percentage, but the number is so small that my calculator will only display it in scientific ...

Posted Sun, May 13, 8:06 a.m.

The lack of evidence for election fraud is already public: "We do need to see the evidence arranged against Gregoire" Great, then go look at it. If you've never heard of Google, then Wikipedia might be a good place to start, with jumps to all of the sources. The Republicans ...

Posted Sat, May 12, 7:46 a.m.

Unanswered questions?: "Why is it OK for them to implicitly accuse the White House of orchestrating their dismissals as political payback without citing specific evidence?" You've got to be kidding me. There's no question the white house ordered the firings. Were they politically motivated? Ok, no one has found the ...

Posted Sun, May 6, 8:38 a.m.

We shall overcome: Why are you marginalizing non-English speaking members of our community. Because they tend to be people of color? I have filed a discrimination lawsuit mandating that translators be present at all such meetings, that your proposal be translated into 36 different languages, that transportation be provided to ...

Posted Fri, May 4, 3:31 p.m.

For whom the toll helps: "What they are actually doing is changing a crucial demographic equity -- all people can use the highways -- to a service for the wealthy." What? Tolls no more target the poor than auto insurance or the $3+ a gallon (including taxes!) we all pay ...

Posted Fri, May 4, 3:13 p.m.

It's not whether you pay for traffic, it's how: Tolls aren't free candy, nor do they impose costs that everyone does not already pay. Tolls simply trade off the costs of sitting in congested traffic (gas and man hours burned as you idle on the freeway, babysitters paid overtime, taxes ...

Posted Wed, May 2, 1:50 p.m.

Piper, for someone who likes to lecture about humor: you seem to be taking Greg's article pretty seriously.

Posted Wed, May 2, 1:46 p.m.

Ha ha. ha?: I suppose the line about meetings and advanced degrees was cute. But, hey, The Piper sure seemed to like it!

Posted Tue, May 1, 7:50 a.m.

Who's revising history?: J.R.: "Don't worry, Sean. Paul Allen did just fine, even though he had to forgo the government subsidy of the Commons Park and pay fair market value for the properties he is now redeveloping." What? To refresh your memory, Paul Allen already owned a huge chunk of ...

Posted Tue, May 1, 7:25 a.m.

RE: A correction for "Sean": What's with the quotes, "Geof Logan"?

Posted Tue, May 1, 7:19 a.m.

Chong and Fox, Fox and Chong: Ok, I admit it, Chong didn't personally kill The Commons. If anyone deserves credit for that, it was Chong's campaign manager, Matthew Fox. Perhaps he's the little guy?

Posted Mon, Apr 30, 4:35 p.m.

The little guy complex: Ah, yes, "the little guy". I'd love to meet this little guy. I'm guessing the little guy has neither the time nor means to read this not-a-blog, but if you see him, please give him this message. Hey, little guy, do yourself a favor and get ...

Posted Mon, Apr 30, 10:49 a.m.

Thanks, Charlie: Without you, we would have had a beautiful public park in South Lake Union instead of acres of condominiums.

Posted Sat, Apr 28, 10:11 p.m.

Rossi's prospects summed up in a single letter: W. Yes, this make for boring political journalism, but come on, it's all about Bush these days. The Bush white house and Republican congress had an unrestricted opportunity to advance their agenda. They did, and the results could not have been any ...

Posted Sat, Apr 28, 6:31 p.m.

Forgoing opportunity for opportunism: Thanks for the inside perspective, Knute, all the more interesting in light of Nina's excellent article (Nina is a rocking journalist, by the way). I was a working class kid who attended St. Paul, MN's version of Lakeside, so I can relate to feeling out of ...

Posted Thu, Apr 26, 7:40 a.m.

A right not worth dying for: "Any solution shouldn't penalize pedestrians by reducing our rights." It seems that our city values pedestrian rights more than it does pedestrians. I agree with the spirit of the law, but in practice, it's a game of Russian roulette. As a pedestrian, I'm happy ...

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 2:50 p.m.

Don't clearcut the fun forest: This is a favorite destination for me and the kids. They love it. It's fun watching them work up the courage to go on a new ride that was previously too intimidating. If the place doesn't draw enough people, then spruce it up with newer ...

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 9:42 a.m.

Increasing risk or increasing hysteria?: You note that it seems like the risk of getting mowed down in traffic has increased. This is not supported by the data, at least in King County. Read the "Ten-Year Trends" section of this report. I'll bet if you did a similar study on ...

Posted Sat, Apr 21, 11:03 a.m.

RE: $30 million to $100 million: Say there were 30 homes valued at an average of about $600,000, that's $18,000,000 to buy them out. Costs of razing the houses and landscaping the wetlands would be in the millions. And there will be adminstrative, legal, and political costs in the millions. ...

Posted Wed, Apr 18, 10:19 p.m.

RE: Don't let the door hit you...: I stand corrected (about Cheech that is). Looks like I didn't notice the sub-comment, which is a very cool feature but perhaps should be expanded by default? Anyway, I'm not claiming any violation of rights - that would be ridiculous. My claim is ...

Posted Wed, Apr 18, 10:02 p.m.

Waterboarding: Oh, I'm smiling ear to ear right now.

Posted Tue, Apr 17, 11:27 p.m.

RE: Oh come on, editors: I see. So, a comment from someone who calls himself "The Piper" declaring alcohol-related humor to be off limits does meet your high expectations. And a humorous rebuttal does not. That's cool, you guys are just getting started. I'm sure you'll figure out this whole ...

Posted Tue, Apr 17, 11:18 p.m.

RE: Don't let the door hit you...: Piper, either Cheech is a figment of your imagination, or his comment was deleted by Chuck Taylor, the comment overlord. Chuck, while you're at it, you might as well delete Piper's response to Cheech's deleted comment since it doesn't make any sense on ...

Posted Tue, Apr 17, 1:45 p.m.

Oh come on, editors: Why did you delete my "pipe" joke? It was free of obscenities. This kind of over-moderating is a rookie move. Most successful established blogs let the comments alone except in extreme cases. Perhaps you could clarify your censorship policy so I won't waste any more time.

Posted Mon, Apr 16, 9:08 a.m.

Newsflash: Bush, not Chopp, responsible for Democratic gains: If we're going to give Frank Chopp credit for the Democratic supermajority in our state, we might as well also give him credit for engineering Maria Cantwell's brutal thumping of the Safeco guy, the enormous nation-wide Democratic gains in Congress, and for ...

Posted Mon, Apr 16, 8:26 a.m.

It's not the green's fault: Seattle is going to get more crowded and more expensive regardless of what the environmental moralists say. Singling the greens out as the cause of urban density is like blaming the Seagals for a Seahawk's loss. The real cause is macroeconomics, but that doesn't make ...

Posted Thu, Apr 12, 8:51 p.m.

Soriano/Bass are part of problem: The fact that they are suing the district says it all. They are misusing the public school system as a stage for politics, protest, misguided activism, and fruitless experiments in social engineering, and the system has suffered for it. The mission of the schools is ...

Posted Wed, Apr 11, 2:11 p.m.

RE: Mixing Driving Cultures: "reach agreement on what our transportation culture will be." You hit the nail on the head - the problem is that we're not all on the same page. Seems to be general characteristic of Seattle. Ever been to Athens, Greece? During my first few days there, ...

Posted Mon, Apr 9, 11:24 p.m.

And?: Hey crosscutters. So, what exactly is the news here? That Rossi granted someone an interview? That might be interesting, except that he conveyed exactly 0 bits of information (we already knew that he may or may not run for governor again, just as certainly as we know that it ...