Posted Wed, Apr 25, 12:07 p.m.

Thanks for this excellent summary. It's hard to see how regional political leaders can remain disengaged from this issue, which impacts potentially so many communities.

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 11:48 a.m.

Checked back this a.m. to find this surprisingly long comment stream and all the attention paid to my dinner conversation some 43 years ago with Secret Service agents. First, the agents did not report to me any specific incidents of criminal activity, constitutional violations, etc. What they did report was ...

Posted Mon, Apr 23, 1:41 p.m.

Thanks for this, Bob. Beck was an important part of Seattle's history and of American labor history. You mention the tension between the Longshoremen and Teamsters. The Teamsters were notorious, at the height of their influence, for running their trucks through other unions' picket lines. Businesses liked the Teamsters because ...

Posted Mon, Apr 23, 12:53 p.m.

Thanks for the generally thoughtful comments. NickBob should know, by the way, that I am not paid for my Crosscut pieces. They are my contribution to a worthwhile venture. Pepper2000 wonders if the Tea Party and Occupy movements are not symptoms of the present sharp partisan divide. I think not. ...

Posted Mon, Apr 16, 11:44 a.m.

A P.S. to readers: I received over the weekend a personal e-mail from one of Dye's starting Husky players from the 1950s. He said that, at the team reunion over a decade ago, Coach Dye had acknowledged that he "tried to treat all players the same" but had sometimes been ...

Posted Wed, Apr 11, 11:56 a.m.

Thanks for the early comments. I plead guilty to not naming the Fox and MSNBC anchors who have transitioned from serious journalism to party-line advocacy. There was a time when I respected both and prefer to remember them that way. They are incidental, in any case, to the point that ...

Posted Thu, Apr 5, 10:59 a.m.

A couple signoff comments before leaving town for a few days. 1. I sympathize greatly with woofer's observation that we should take time off from politics to plant some vegetables and get ready for another Mariners season. I am a lifelong baseball nut, by the way, and follow the Mariners ...

Posted Wed, Apr 4, 3:26 p.m.

Thanks for your comments. --I believe Cheney did damage because his bad advice led the U.S. into a mistaken and expensive war. He also became a polarizing figure damaging his president's capacity to govern. ---Portman and Jindal are sometimes mentioned as possible VP nominees but I don't see either as ...

Posted Fri, Mar 30, 12:29 p.m.

Thanks for your comments. The Obama health-care plan, to my understanding, does make catastrophic coverage available to certain persons through a state exchange. The catastrophic coverage I am talking about, however, would be universal and provided to everyone, just as Medicare is provided to those over 65. This would make ...

Posted Tue, Mar 27, 12:01 p.m.

Thanks for your comments. A couple responses. ---I cited the gaffes by national-level candidates simply to illustrate that even those at the top can make misjudgments. As I pointed out, there is ample time for Jay Inslee to shift emphases. ---Dick Nelson, of course, is right that gubernatorial races can ...

Posted Tue, Mar 27, 8:40 a.m.

An interesting summary of developments at the P-I. I'd been wondering why and for how long Hearst would keep supporting it. The story gives reasons. We should worry about the Times as well. It keeps getter smaller in size and thinner in coverage....with a newsstand price now of $1. Print ...

Posted Mon, Mar 26, 5:36 a.m.

Thanks for your comments. A couple followups. 1. Falling demand in China affects not only U.S. exports, and our economy, but also has a domino effect on other economies around the world. A more drastic falloff than at present would have significant global effects. 2. The simultaneous expiration of the ...

Posted Thu, Mar 22, 8:50 a.m.

Thanks again, Floyd, for your continuing coverage of this issue. Instructive examples lie in similar battles in other places. For instance, my life partner, who lives in Prescott, Arizona, organized a five-year, ultimately successful battle against Phelps Dodge when it wanted to site an open-pit copper mine quite close to ...

Posted Thu, Mar 15, 8:57 a.m.

I hope Bass is more serious than depicted. Her views, as you describe them, sound like New Age junk designed to sell books and attract lecture fees. I am a secular person, although raised in religion by a Sunday School-teaching mother. In their search for faith, I see too many ...

Posted Thu, Mar 15, 8:19 a.m.

Good analysis, Jordan. The big ideas should be about policy, not about campaigning tools or even money-raising. For instance, in Washington state, what economic and tax policies would create economic growth and jobs; nationally, what mix of policies will generate near-term growth but, at the same time, get us on ...

Posted Tue, Mar 13, 2:51 p.m.

Update: In the short time since this was written, our presence in Afghanistan is quickly becoming an issue of urgent national discussion. The shooting incident, and its aftermath, have been a catalyst. We shall see shortly how it plays out in the Congress and in congressional campaigns---if not immediately in ...

Posted Mon, Mar 12, 9:33 a.m.

Leitmotif's comments probably express the feelings of a vast majority of voters in the state. They want the budget job done and are paying little attention to the to-and-fro between the parties and gubernatorial candidates. Whichever of those candidates seems most knowledgeable and businesslike about state-level issues is likely to ...

Posted Fri, Mar 9, 12:46 p.m.

Update: Since I wrote this piece, it appears that Romney, Santorum, and Gingrich are in fairly tight races in Alabama and Mississippi. That would show surprising strength for Romney in states where Santorum and Gingrich would be expected to do better. If he runs close to them there, he'll get ...

Posted Thu, Mar 8, 4:15 p.m.

Thanks for your commments. This piece apparently got further exposure via the internet and/or among media. Thus I've gotten a number of independent responses from out of town, including a couple from the pundits I faulted in the piece. (The latter were relatively good humored, by the way). I think ...

Posted Wed, Mar 7, 9:43 a.m.

Thanks for your continuing coverage of this issue, Floyd. As it happens, I was in Bellingham last week and drove past the waterfront site. I was surprised to see that old industrial buildings are still in the process of demolition. Things are moving more slowly than I thought they would. ...

Posted Tue, Mar 6, 3:26 p.m.

I was around and involved during many of the events discussed above. It is important to know what did and did not happen. The prime leaders of the civil-rights movement exhibited passive resistance and appealed to "the better angels of our nature" in the face of raw oppression by segregationists. ...

Posted Tue, Mar 6, 9:18 a.m.

A final thought on issues raised in the comment stream. It is important that political leaders have a clear view of genuine public opinion and not confuse true believers' views with those of the general electorate. NickBob mentions the late David Broder, a longtime Washington Post columnist, apparently with less ...

Posted Tue, Mar 6, 8:16 a.m.

I am sympathetic with Sarah90's comments. Yes, as the majority party, Democrats held budget hearings. Yes, the GOP budget was introduced late in the game. But it was the budget that passed, thanks to votes by Democratic legislators who preferred it to their own party's budget. I understand that Democrats ...

Posted Mon, Mar 5, 10:02 a.m.

Thoughtful analysis, David. Not so sure about the power shifts within the state. After all, power will continue to reside where votes and political money are most prevalent. But it seems certain that the comparative power of public-employee and teachers unions will diminish as their Democratic allies are forced to ...

Posted Sat, Feb 25, 4:06 p.m.

Pepper2000 is correct that Democrats lost votes, and the Presidency, in 1968 because of backlash against what were perceived as too avid efforts on behalf of the poor and minorities. Affirmative action was not a reason for it, of course, because it did not begin until the Nixon presidency. Yes, ...

Posted Thu, Feb 23, 7:03 a.m.

I should have added additional information regarding the pre-affirmative action policies of those who passed the Civil Rights Act and wanted minorities to rise. One dimension of the approach was the eradication of legal barriers to equality. The other, as reflected in Great Society job training, Title I and other ...

Posted Wed, Feb 22, 6:31 a.m.

The President had trade-negotiating authority until it lapsed several years ago at about the same time as President Clinton, having barely passed NAFTA with GOP support, essentially gave up on the global liberalization that had taken place since President Kennedy's Trade Expansion Act of 1962. One unforeseen problem that cropped ...

Posted Mon, Feb 20, 5:23 p.m.

Nope, Felix always has been and remains a Mariner. He was throwing impressively hard in a bullpen session Sunday and appears ready for a big year.

Posted Mon, Feb 20, 5:18 p.m.

Thanks for looking at this, Judy. As Plotnick pointed out in his opening presentation, the poverty rate has been dismayingly consistent ever since the Great Society efforts of the 1960s attempted to reduce it. I have spent some time looking at the issue, individually and with others, and have believed ...

Posted Sat, Feb 18, 6 a.m.

One several-day later comment. Of course the U.S. is not Greece and my piece nowhere suggests it. The shaky situation in Greece is threatening to our economy, however, because of its effect on the Euro zone. The zone is holding together (something greatly in the U.S. interest) only because of ...

Posted Mon, Feb 13, 4:33 p.m.

The reason the ExIm Bank is targeted probably is because it dispenses the same kind of subsidies we decry when extended by other countries. Such subsidies are Target #1 in trade negotiations because they are perceived as unfair trade practices. They are in the same category as "tax expenditures" (i.e., ...

Posted Fri, Feb 10, 9:10 a.m.

Thank you for this excellent summary. It does seem unlikely that Yucca Mountain ever will be utilized. Moreover, there always were questions about transportation there of nuclear waste from other sites. Nuclear waste at Hanford clearly will remain at Hanford. Our governor and members of our congrssional delegation need to ...

Posted Fri, Feb 10, 7:08 a.m.

Thanks for the comments. I wrote about the subject because Alford's book, and her several TV interviews, have resurrected long speculation about JFK's personal life. I deplored, then and now, Kennedy's predatory actions against women. I thought at the time that they should not be treated as a boys-will-be-boys matter ...

Posted Thu, Feb 9, 11:38 a.m.

Day-later comments: --It appears that Romney and his campaign are still struggling with their response to the Santorum surge. After Romney's successful run for Massachusetts governor, a respectable if losing campaign in 2008 for the GOP presidential nomination, and four years of preparation since, this does not reflect political professionalism. ...

Posted Thu, Feb 2, 8:43 a.m.

A timely article, Jean, and a reminder that these things can happen anywhere---even in a state such as ours. Washington Sen. Harry Cain also was a leading player in this Big Red Scare period, although he later came to regret his actions of the time. Supression of thought can come ...

Posted Wed, Feb 1, 9:33 a.m.

Since this was written, GOP candidates Gingrich, Santorum and Paul have said they will stay in the presidential-mominating race right up until their party's August convention. Paul, who has a small but devoted following, will be able to do that. He is not attempted to win the nomination but to ...

Posted Sun, Jan 22, 10:22 a.m.

A couple next-day additions. 1. I could have mentioned Sens. John McCain and John Edwards as recent candidates who entered their national campaigns with money--McCain's from his wife, Edwards from his trial-lawyer practice. 2. I also could have listed President Jimmy Carter among those candidates who campaigned as populist, anti-establishment ...

Posted Thu, Jan 12, 5:57 p.m.

Harris Meyer is clearly not looking for dialogue but for a place to vent his continuing anger and hostility. He can figure out where it's coming from. I have written about entitlement spending on numerous occasions and suggested specific ways it can be brought into check without undue hardship on ...

Posted Thu, Jan 12, 9:12 a.m.

Thanks for your comments on an issue which deserves more serious debate than it probably will receive. A couple responses to your comments: ---pepper 2000 is correct that we traditionally have relied on air and sea power, and technology, to project American power and defend our vital interests. We have ...

Posted Thu, Jan 5, 8:46 p.m.

Seattle has a particular problem in its governance because of apathy and passivity both among its so-called leaders and its followers. But there are special problems, nationwide, in big-city public school systems. Some mayors and councils have taken control of public schools. In some big cities, most notably New York ...

Posted Sun, Jan 1, 6:53 a.m.

Entertaining piece with truth in it. A good way to start 2012. Thanks, too, for your consistently informed and enlightened coverage of environmental issues.

Posted Sat, Dec 31, 8:18 a.m.

This piece, of course, was written before our November elections. As it happened, two School Board incumbents were defeated. We shall have to see if their replacements perform more ably than the rejected incumbents. The change, in any case, reflects a healthy public desire for School Board accountability. The City ...

Posted Thu, Dec 15, 8:24 a.m.

Thank you, Tony. Especially for those of us who are aging, the season brings thoughts of family, loved ones, and former colleagues departed or ill. Talking with childhood friends, I find that we in our Depression-born generation invariably associate Christmas with the poverty of that time and the tragedies of ...

Posted Wed, Dec 14, 8:33 a.m.

Reactions to later comments: 1. A moderate GOP challenger such as Romney need do no more than express non-threatening positions and seem experienced and competent. The election, remember, mainly will be a referendum on the Obama incumbency. If Gingrich is the GOP nominee, the election is likely, though, to be ...

Posted Tue, Dec 13, 12:26 p.m.

Thanks for the early comments. As most readers know, I don't indulge in partisan argumentation but instead present objective conclusions based on my knowledge and experience. Readers preferring partisanship can and do express it in their comments. It is always best to proceed from fundamentals, not from day-to-day shifts in ...

Posted Fri, Dec 9, 6:46 a.m.

An update: Sen. McGovern's condition was reported last night as improving. Let us hope he is out of the hospital and back on his feet quite soon.

Posted Fri, Dec 9, 6:43 a.m.

The U. of Oregon and other public institutions are facing funding gaps. On the other hand, they must face the fact that their expenses have run well beyond the rate of inflation for a number of years and that they must satisfy governors and legislatures with responsibility for their overall ...

Posted Tue, Dec 6, 10:29 a.m.

Woofer makes an interesting point. I have written before on this subject and will do so again. But it should be separated from this particular discussion. What later would be called Reagan Democrats began a departure from the Democratic Party after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...

Posted Sun, Dec 4, 8:22 a.m.

Thanks for this, Eric. As it happens, I knew Colby. When I served in the Johnson administration, and later was active in the anti-war movement and McGovern campaign, he generally was known on the inside as a sceptic of the Vietnam War. His closest CIA colleague was a friend of ...

Posted Tue, Nov 29, 9:24 a.m.

Thanks for your many comments. The new lightrail proposal relates to the late Prop. One because it asks taxpayers to allocate fresh tax dollars---how many and how raised?---to a lightrail add-on while existing transportation infrastructure requires modernization and when Seattle taxpayers already are burdened with costs for a deep-bore tunnel, ...

Posted Tue, Nov 29, 9:24 a.m.

Thanks for your many comments. The new lightrail proposal relates to the late Prop. One because it asks taxpayers to allocate fresh tax dollars---how many and how raised?---to a lightrail add-on while existing transportation infrastructure requires modernization and when Seattle taxpayers already are burdened with costs for a deep-bore tunnel, ...

Posted Tue, Nov 22, 2:36 a.m.

Mayor and council too often proceed from the presumption that there "must" be another car-tab fee increase--or introduction of fresh levies---when voters and taxpayers are under great economic pressure in their own lives and when they rightly question how prior monies have been spent. Before it even studies further a ...

Posted Tue, Nov 22, 1:47 a.m.

Some of the comments illustrate the problem. Hyper-partisan, cynical villainizing of the political opposition (of either party) will only insure more gridlock. In true blue Washington, most of the comments villainize the GOP. In red states, the opposite is true. Fact is, there are people of goodwill on both sides ...

Posted Mon, Nov 21, 5:48 a.m.

This plan exemplifies what I think of the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland school of public decisionmaking----quite popular here. Mickey: Hey, I've got an idea; let's put on a show! Judy: Yeh, we could use the old barn down by the crossroads! Next scene: Mickey, Judy, and all their friends are shown ...

Posted Tue, Nov 15, 10:12 a.m.

This is to make a final response to comments above as well as those received independently by e-mail or phone. 1. How did the FBI come to have such a wide information base about so many U.S. citizens? Agents not only were on the lookout for criminal or seditious activity ...

Posted Mon, Nov 14, 4:10 p.m.

I greatly admired Kent and regularly attended his Neighborhood Coalition meetings, first in Belltown and then at the Salmon Bay Cafe. He had no agenda except the wellbeing of ordinary citizens and always displayed integrity and independence. A truly good man lost to his city.

Posted Mon, Nov 14, 1:07 p.m.

Thanks for your comments. A response to John Hamer re the Hoover/Tolson lunches at the Rib Room at the Mayflower: I don't know if they ate the same lunch every day but would not be surprised if they did. The Rib Room's principal fare included prime rib, mashed potatoes and ...

Posted Thu, Nov 10, 3:37 p.m.

I've known both Matthews and Galston for many years and know that both revere politics and take it seriously. Matthews worked for Jimmy Carter, an unpleasant loner, before he worked for congenial Tip O'Neill. He is quite right that JFK related to "pals" and that those around him were lively ...

Posted Fri, Nov 4, 6:53 a.m.

Several days later, it seems clear that the story is still unfolding. New reports of sexual harassment by Cain have surfaced. No one knows if they are true or false. The two women involved in the original charges have refused to speak publicly but reporters have their homes staked out. ...

Posted Thu, Nov 3, 7:01 a.m.

You are right, Tony. One problem is that individuals, if asked, will say that they are prepared to sacrifice. But the groups to which they belong often owe their existence to resisting sacrifice and claiming more for themselves. We most of all need truth-telling leaders who will stop watching polls ...

Posted Tue, Nov 1, 7:44 a.m.

Comments on these early responses: I did mention Clinton in the story. His indisctiminate womanizing while Arkansas governor was well known when he became a presidential candidate and, thus, its continuance in the White House came as no surprise to voters. He got in real trouble, as it turned out, ...

Posted Sat, Oct 29, 8:26 a.m.

Checked back in this a.m. for a final look at comments on this piece. No, coolpapa, I am not gone entirely but have been absorbed in other matters, including preparation of a long piece on another subject for publication elsewhere. Some writers submit their articles and do not respond to ...

Posted Tue, Oct 25, 10:21 a.m.

Thanks for the postings by those advocating a house cleaning at the School Board. I find myself sympathetic to your chapter-and-verse recitation of shortcomings by the incumbents. How did I arrive at my decision to endorse the incumbents, with the proviso that they get straight quickly or risk being rejected ...

Posted Mon, Oct 24, 12:59 p.m.

Thanks to supersinic for spotlighting a Seattle problem: That of major capital projects whose debt service and operating costs continue to eat a huge proportion of city revenues. One of my principal concerns about Jean Godden, who has chaired the City Council budget committee, is that she has not seemed ...

Posted Sun, Oct 23, 9:05 p.m.

Thanks for your early comments. I tend to think that a majority of voters are uninterested in public life here not because they think they are powerless but, instead, because they are complacent and focused on other things. I have lived in several major cities; Seattle is by far the ...

Posted Thu, Oct 20, 11:55 a.m.

Ben: I doubt that Americans would accept an atheist or agnostic as president, although I personally would have no problem with it, and suspect it would be a very long time before that would change.

Posted Thu, Oct 20, 8:26 a.m.

A good examination of the issue, Tony. One might even step beyond religion to say that race, gender, ethnicity and many other factors should not cause voters to choose one candidate over another. As the 20th century progressed, it was thought that a Catholic, southerner, African American, Jew, or woman ...

Posted Wed, Oct 19, 9:42 a.m.

Bob: Thanks to you and Floyd McKay for staying on top of this issue. I was ignorant of the CB&I; battle until reading this story. It underscores the need for large-minded people to cross party lines when conscience and the public interest dictate it. This spirit is missing at national ...

Posted Tue, Oct 18, 9:12 p.m.

One final response to comments. I'm a bit perplexed when I get comments such as Benson's: "Why do you hate unions?" I am from a strong union family and have worked closely with unions over a long career in policy and politics. For many years labor unions were at the ...

Posted Tue, Oct 18, 12:13 p.m.

To Chris Vance: Your comment crossed mine, otherwise I would have responded to you above. I did not know you were the author of the anti-1183 media campaign. You might want to watch it with fresh eyes and decide whether or not it seems misleading and off-the-wall. Keep state stores ...

Posted Tue, Oct 18, 11:53 a.m.

Thanks for your early comments. Lincoln is correct that I think light rail is not justified on the I-90 bridge. But, on the overall measure, I remain opposed. Breneman and I agree that the state has no business being in the liquor business. Let's raise a glass to that. Apologies ...

Posted Thu, Oct 13, 9:17 a.m.

Thanks for our comments and, in particular, to louploup for referring us to another instructive website. I also find it useful to read the London Economist's weekly economic coverage. Many readers, I suspect, do so. Among economic journalists, I find myself respecting Bob Samuelson of The Washington Post and Paul ...

Posted Thu, Oct 13, 8:45 a.m.

You are right, Tony, the issue is fairness---and fair play. Interestingly, leaders at the Treasury, New York Fed, and Fed all thought at the time of TARP that the bailed-out institutions would use their bailout money to keep other parts of the economy afloat. They, of course, did not do ...

Posted Sat, Oct 8, 6:48 a.m.

Thanks for the comments. Mike James makes especially good points about the Italian legal system. In many ways it is superior to ours, as he points out. It took a beating, in particular, from Knox allies who sought to discredit it. As my piece pointed out, Knox's behavior after the ...

Posted Thu, Oct 6, 7:44 a.m.

Many of us, I am sure, have had the same thoughts, Eric, after viewing the first Burns episode. As with so many other things in our culture, the question must be asked: Where do we draw the line? Attitudes tend in part to be generational. My depression-born generation had heard ...

Posted Tue, Oct 4, 5:42 a.m.

It is good that we talk about tax-code changes. However, a flat tax---long referred to as a "flat earth tax" by former Council of Economic Advisors Chair Walter Heller and his friend James Tobin of Yale---has the allure of simplicity but the drawback of harsh regressivity. As difficult as it ...

Posted Mon, Oct 3, 8:23 a.m.

As we all know from the popular song, "Short people have no reason to live." That could be extended---and it has been--- to weight, religion, you name it. There is a more serious concern about Christie's weight, however, and it is not partisan. I wrote a piece last Friday about ...

Posted Mon, Oct 3, 7:26 a.m.

An interesting piece. There is no doubt that inequality---and perceptions of inequality and unfairness---are contributing to social unrest not only in the U.S. and Canada but, currently, in Europe as well. One thing Tea Partiers and Wall Street protesters have in common is their perceptions that ordinary people are getting ...

Posted Fri, Sep 30, 9:26 a.m.

A sad tale, John. The issue, of course, is not whether one likes or dislikes Sam Reed or agrees with his political views. This is about media accuracy and fairness. We've seen in recent years the decline of standards in conventional print and electronic media and sometime absence of standards ...

Posted Fri, Sep 30, 6:20 a.m.

Responses to your early comments. Christie's most recent approval ratings were at 54 percent, which is strong for a Republican in New Jersey. It is important to remember that the odds will be strongly against Obama's reelection unless the economy picks up dramatically in the next 12 months. As I ...

Posted Mon, Sep 26, 12:59 p.m.

Thanks for the many comments. I had not intended to comment further but will respond to "pragmatic's" request that I suggest why President Obama has been unsuccessful in pressing his stimulus/debt-reduction proposals. I, as many others, enthusiastically supported Obama's nomination and election. We neglected, however, to note his degree of ...

Posted Mon, Sep 26, 9:54 a.m.

To Dick Nelson: Yes, these are short term poll findings which ratify that, in the current economic/political environment, a majority are OK with higher taxes on upper-income individuals and business. These no doubt are the same findings on which Obama advisers are basing their approach. And they probably see it ...

Posted Sun, Sep 25, 11:26 a.m.

At the risk of boring other readers, I will repeat for "pragmatic" the general programmatic approaches I have suggested previously re the economy. --By all means extend the payroll-tax relief and unemployment-benefit extensions, as now proposed. --Send more money to the states to see them through their Medicaid crisis. --Make ...

Posted Sun, Sep 25, 8:16 a.m.

Thanks for the comments. In considering the issues discussed, I would urge that readers focus on practical solutions to the real problems we face. The global financial system, and our own economy, are on shaky ground. Stability and then growth must be restored. From growth will come jobs. What mix ...

Posted Thu, Sep 22, 9 a.m.

A valuable piece, Tony. We can become agitated when loved ones do not react as we expect them to do. But, in their minds, they are experiencing another reality which may be quite satisfying to them. My late wife's mother was a sharp-minded educator who died in her early 90s. ...

Posted Tue, Aug 30, 4:53 p.m.

A couple followon comments. Since I wrote this piece, President Obama has appointed Alan Krueger, a Princeton economist, as the new chairman of his Council of Economic Advisors---the third person to serve in that job in a three-year period. I have followed Krueger's work for many years. He is a ...

Posted Mon, Aug 22, 9:43 a.m.

Surprised that there were this many responses to a blog which I wrote mainly for my classmates. Pepper2000, always a thoughtful commenter, considers what such a piece would look like after his 60th h.s. reunion. That is something I would have been unlikely to consider only 10 years after my ...

Posted Fri, Aug 19, 12:58 p.m.

It is out of line to impute anti-minority, anti-female, and anti-gay attitudes to people and a community of which the commenter is ignorant. As it happened, Bellingham in our growing-up years was a remarkably tolerant and open community. We had few minority residents---there are more there now---but I cannot recall ...

Posted Fri, Aug 19, 11:35 a.m.

teagesmania: Where did you get the idea that I want the LDS to apologize for polygamy by some of its members? I do believe the LDS, and states with large numbers of LDS members, do need to pursue more aggressively legal violations which in many cases could include child abuse ...

Posted Fri, Aug 19, 7:29 a.m.

A timely and relevant piece. I will read the book. Mormonism has gotten much public attention recently because of the Presidential candidacies of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman; the HBO series Big Love, which focuses on polygamy within the LDS; and the recent trial and conviction of Warren Jeffs, the ...

Posted Fri, Aug 12, 9:49 a.m.

Judy, thanks for doing this piece and stimulating so many commments. Real Change vendors are earning their way and never accost people. But, living in Belltown and walking frequently there and downtown, I often see tourists and families accosted aggressively on the street by threatening solicitors and/or panhandlers. For what ...

Posted Fri, Aug 12, 8:18 a.m.

This piece was intended to focus on S&P;'s unjustified downgrade and its aftermath. However, many commenters prefer to continue their focus on tax levels. It should be emphasized that Debt-to-GDP ratios are the first thing to examine in deciding which countries have long-term debt problems.

Posted Wed, Aug 10, 9:48 a.m.

I wonder if this does not reflect common-sense decisionmaking by minority journalists or would-be journalists. Why seek a career in a shrinking industry? I was surprised several years ago, when participating in a Columbia U. J-School seminar, to find that current-year graduates (both Caucasian and minority) were nearly frantic about ...

Posted Mon, Aug 8, 5:54 a.m.

P.S. Readers might be interested in Bob Samuelson's take on last week's modest deal in this (Monday) morning's online Washington Post. He's been consistently on the money over the many years he has written his Post column.

Posted Sun, Aug 7, 7:16 p.m.

Responding to several comments: --Many of the Tea Partiers elected as freshman Members of Congress do come from conservative districts. But many do not; they come from swing districts which went GOP in 2010 but could go Democratic in 2012. The big losers in the 2010 congressional elections were moderate ...

Posted Sat, Jul 30, 3:39 a.m.

This is a dialogue we need to have with ourselves. The debt crisis is real and not the work of either political party. It is the work of both parties and of a society which has made demands beyond its ability to pay. The financial meltdown was the short-term triggering ...

Posted Fri, Jul 22, 9:32 a.m.

I should have added a word about Mike Milken, who drew comment as well. He violated securities laws and paid for it. Contrary to the comment made, above, no one lost billions because of Milken's conduct. There was no insider trading or other conduct cheating investors. He is a hero ...

Posted Fri, Jul 22, 8:49 a.m.

Hey, Swifty, Rupert also was the model for the father in the Brady Bunch series. You probably did not know that. Murdoch has been tough minded and demanding in his business/financial dealings. I have found, by the way, that most people successful in those realms possess exactly those qualities. As ...

Posted Wed, Jul 20, 10:19 a.m.

A couple additional thoughts: Tolling is far more widely used, and accepted, in eastern states where there is a long tradition of same. After all, we call them "freeways" here in the west. There is a good case to be made that tolls should be instituted until the bridges, highways, ...

Posted Mon, Jul 11, 7:20 p.m.

I certainly agree that Defense expenditures should be reduced. But, right now, neither party is prepared to do it. We are involved in three foreign interventions in countries where no U.S. vital interests are at stake. Medicare is in far worse shape than Social Security. But both are on spending ...

Posted Mon, Jul 11, 5:01 a.m.

Thanks for this, Floyd. I got to know Murdoch a bit during three years I spent in Santa Monica prior to returning home to Seattle some 10 1/2 years ago. I had no business or financial dealings with him but found him, as a person, to be friendly, straightforward, and ...

Posted Fri, Jul 8, 10:21 p.m.

Thanks for the advice, Gary P. Normally my skin is thick. I was angry in this instance because the subject matter was serious and somber and it was irritating to see smart-assed, gotcha comments offered on such a matter. I am still depressed by the story itself. The latest: Casey's ...

Posted Thu, Jul 7, 7:12 a.m.

To Harris Meyer: I normally would not respond to a comment such as that above. Over a period of several years, you have promptly posted shrill, often personal comments after anything I have written. You come from a certain ideological viewpoint and seem unable to view anything except from that ...

Posted Wed, Jul 6, 8:07 p.m.

DannyK: According to the letter of the law, the defense did not of course have to "rebut" the state's case. As a practical matter, though, by the time of the defense's closing presentation, the weight of the state's case seemed overwhelming and it would seem to have behooved the defense ...

Posted Wed, Jul 6, 3:18 p.m.

Thanks for the early commments. Lukoff makes a good point about gender and race. The other early comments appear directed at some straw man or offered as argument for its own sake. Of course the trial was conducted according to the rules of the game. So are many trials which ...

Posted Tue, Jun 28, 7:35 a.m.

Responses to a couple of the later comments: Nixon's late Vietnam strategy was exactly what I thought it was. That is, by annnouncing regular U.S. troop drawdowns, and ending the draft, Nixon thought he was holding off domestic dissent and buying time. He only prolonged the war and, in the ...

Posted Fri, Jun 24, 11:21 a.m.

Thanks for your comments. The piece was intended to give an accurate portrayal of the current state of things on war/peace issues and financial/economic policy. Not an endorsement, for instance, of the Ryan Plan or, at the other end of the spectrum, a single-payer health plan. Just my assessment of ...

Posted Fri, Jun 17, 7:41 a.m.

A classic economic growth/environmenal tradeoff issue here. I grew up in Bellingham at a time when almost all the good jobs were industrial jobs. My father was an unskilled worker who fought for the unionization of the largest waterfront sawmill, the Bloedel Donovan mill. Bellingham had a coal mine, the ...

Posted Thu, Jun 16, 9:27 a.m.

Ammons is right. The top-two factor is mentioned in the story. As a practical matter, though, the odds strongly favor the top two 2012 gubernatorial candidates being a Democrat and Republican. And candidates continue to think in terms of their parties' primaries as a necessary first step toward election. It ...

Posted Mon, Jun 13, 4:40 p.m.

Thanks for your comments. I agree with those who say Brian Sonntag would be an excellent governor. I have no idea whether he is interested in a candidacy for that office. He would be a formidable opponent for Attorney General McKenna, the likely GOP candidate. Rep. Jay Inslee, who appears ...

Posted Mon, Jun 13, 2:21 p.m.

It is useful to put things in context. Not a matter of taking shots at anyone...a matter of expressing informed opinion. I suspect you would find few historians, political scientists, and social critics who would not agree that we have moved increasingly to a narrow, Me society over the past ...

Posted Thu, Jun 9, 8:59 a.m.

Thanks, Dick, for these continuing pieces. They mainly validate what we can see all around us---but which policymakers, in particular, sometimes seem unable to grasp. I've felt for some time that Seattle was becoming a theme park for tourists and residents mainly interested in lifestyle. Families with children are simply ...

Posted Thu, Jun 2, 7:05 a.m.

P.S. I could have included in this brief blog the fact that some people in AZ think Palin might run for Sen. John Kyl's open seat next year. Not only has Palin recently purchased a home in AZ; so has her daughter. Palin's presence no doubt is driving Sen. John ...

Posted Tue, May 31, 4:04 p.m.

You are right, animalal, it is Arpaio. My misspelling. Sheriff Joe would be pleased to know that animalal is looking after his best interests.

Posted Sun, May 29, 11:18 a.m.

The subject is worth pursuing because "freedom of the press," as it was known before the new-media revolution, is vital to our national health. Henderson expresses a view held by many publishers and editors---that is, that no one, absolutely no one should question what they do except through a lawsuit ...

Posted Sat, May 28, 10:53 a.m.

Good point, John, about the compromised position of ombudsmen. Some are treated in their organizations about as Internal Affairs officers are treated in police departments. I regularly read ombudsman comments, in particular, in The New York Times and Washington Post. Even when the errors they discuss are egregious, the ombudsmen ...

Posted Tue, May 17, 11:42 a.m.

Ah yes, the immortal Mark Sanford. I did forget him, as has everyone else. But don't cry for him; he presumably has found consolation in Argentina. Since this was written, of course, the news of Governor Terminator's secret child, by household staff, has been made public. Maria Shriver is known ...

Posted Wed, May 11, 11:04 a.m.

Thanks, Floyd. We miss Ancil Payne more than we know---this is particularly true of NW viewers seeking serious TV news coverage. I had the good fortune to spend time with him during the last weeks of his life and, until the end, he remained actively interested in current issues and ...

Posted Wed, May 11, 9:45 a.m.

A couple of wrapup thoughts on the debt/deficit issue: Some facts we all must face: When you clear away all the noise and rhetoric, the fact remains that there will be no substitute for dealing definitively with Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. There is not one member of the U.S. ...

Posted Tue, May 10, 4:58 p.m.

For the record, the Gang of Six consists, on the Democratic side, of Senate Whip Dick Durbin, Senate Budget Chair Kent Conrad and Mark Warner and, on the GOP side, Saxby Chambliss, Tom Coburn, and Mike Crapo. Their evolving plan is quite close to that presented earlier by the President's ...

Posted Mon, May 9, 4:30 p.m.

Koch clones? The leading Democrat in the group is Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat and President Obama's closest ally in the Senate.

Posted Mon, May 9, 8:37 a.m.

Sorry, but this is an argument which does not pass the smell test. Many public and private universities conduct searches with far more transparent processes than that which the UW employed. It is in fact normal procedure that faculty and others would meet with three or four finalists to engage ...

Posted Tue, May 3, 8:42 a.m.

You probably read my blog yesterday on this subject. I mentioned some reasons for restraint, including the fact that we helped facilitate bin Laden and Al Qaida in the first place, when they were opposing the Soviets in Afghanistan, and that we bumbled a number of chances to stop them ...

Posted Fri, Apr 29, 6:40 a.m.

Bkochis: Thanks for getting those compensation numbers right for Young. They are more in line with what a college president should receive; Emmert's compensation was completely out of line, with corporate directors' fees on top of it. As to faculty participation: Yes, the chair of the Faculty Senate served on ...

Posted Thu, Apr 28, 9:26 a.m.

NickBob: My apology re Panetta. I did absentmindedly identify Panetta as a former Democratic congressman; I knew he was a former GOP congressman and thought that was what I wrote.

Posted Thu, Apr 28, 9:18 a.m.

Thanks for bringing this to us, Floyd. I still follow events in my hometown of Bellingham and have been concerned about this issue. After reading this piece, I went to the Bellingham Herald and saw that 2,000 additional jobs would be generated during the construction period. Growing up in Bellingham, ...

Posted Wed, Apr 27, 8:32 p.m.

NickBob: Always welcome your comments. But you should read more carefully. I noted in the piece that Panetta is a former moderate GOP congressman. I also noted that Gates announced last year that he would leave in 2011. But the timing of the announcement today came as a surprise, coming ...

Posted Wed, Apr 27, 5:02 p.m.

MM: He will exit as soon as his successor has been confirmed by the Senate. If the process is expedited, that could be within a month. Or the process could drag into June, depending on whether Senators want to turn the confirmation hearings into a tutorial on Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, ...

Posted Tue, Apr 19, 9:12 a.m.

John: Those you know your work know it to be highly professional. The shift to new media no doubt has hurt your chances. Although age discrimination is not supposed to exist, it does. You are truly middle-aged, at the peak of your abilities, but some will not grasp that. Your ...

Posted Mon, Apr 11, 11:17 a.m.

Thanks for your early comments. Hearstscribe asks if I witnessed the events discussed. In fact, I did. I also witnessed the shelling of Baltimore Harbor when Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star Spangled Banner" and expect to be around for the next millenium as well. One word on leadership: I ...

Posted Mon, Apr 4, 9:46 a.m.

Over many years I had the experience of working with and knowing a number of household-name figures in public life, journalism, the arts, education, business, and other fields. Some were wonderful human beings, some near sociopaths, and others just ambitious people given notoriety and, sometimes, wealth because of being in ...

Posted Wed, Mar 30, 8:18 a.m.

Thanks for the comments. Since this was written, the U.S. and its partners have upped the ante. President Obama indicates he is now considering supplying arms to rebel forces. Which means that we will. In London, the partners are meeting to chart a post-Qaddafi path for Libya and at the ...

Posted Thu, Mar 24, 6:29 a.m.

Congratulations to Ambassador Locke. But the U.S. ambassador to China also must handle matters having nothing to do with Washington state-China trade---including sensitive national security issues. Locke, as governor, extended huge tax and other benefits to state businesses. In subsequent private law practice, he continued to serve many of the ...

Posted Wed, Mar 23, 9:42 a.m.

I'll respond to some phone feedback I've received regarding this piece. One question: Are not officeholders and candidates just as much the aggressors in fundraising as those who give the money? Well, in most cases, yes. Another: What's wrong with spending time with those who finance your campaign? Nothing per ...

Posted Mon, Mar 21, 9:17 a.m.

Yes, but there remains the need to address the huge "tax expenditures"--loopholes benefiting favored companies and sectors---which cut a huge hole in the state revenue base. Successive governors, Gregoire included, keep pledging to review and reduce them but, in the end, increase them. Time to get real.

Posted Wed, Mar 9, 9:21 a.m.

Next you'll tell us that Howard Shultz never owned the Supersonics!

Posted Tue, Mar 8, 9:13 a.m.

Really heartening to see the Crosscut pieces, and ensuing dialogue, about the plight of Seattle public schools. Some really informed opinion being expressed. Dick Lilly is right that we should not keep waiting for a superman or woman to take over as superintendent and immediately transform things. On the other ...

Posted Fri, Mar 4, 9:21 p.m.

Seattle's public schools are not too different from other major urban school systems. Many have low test scores, high dropout rates, high turnover in teachers, and enrollments mainly from minority and low-income households. The local system began its downward course in the late 1970s when a well meaning school board ...

Posted Tue, Feb 22, 2:25 p.m.

Thanks for the many excellent comments. I could also have listed JQ Adams, Polk, and Cleveland as presidents who would deserve consideration for a top-tier list. Historically, as you know, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and FDR led the "best presidents" lists---all leaders at defining times for the country. Surprising that such ...

Posted Tue, Feb 15, 10:25 a.m.

One way to address this question, of course, would be to elect our City Council members by district rather than at-large. Most American cities do it this way. The reason: Members elected by district are responsive to their districts. Voters in their neighborhoods reelect or reject them. Members elected at ...

Posted Tue, Feb 15, 7:09 a.m.

There are two points I omitted in the article re current policy steps to be taken: 1. I wrote, but unintentionally deleted, that Defense cuts would be necessary. These mainly should be made by eliminating big and expensive weapons systems which Secretary Gates and others consider redundant. This always is ...

Posted Wed, Feb 2, 1:15 p.m.

For those interested in this issue, there is a good article in this (Wednesday) morning's New York Times business section by David Leonhardt. One aspect of tax expenditures, not receiving enough attention, is that they distort the nature of economic activity wherever they are applied. Companies or sectors getting preferences ...

Posted Wed, Feb 2, 5:59 a.m.

An excellent summary. Total state and local "tax expenditures"--i.e., breaks for favored companies and industries---now amount to three times the size of the state's biennial budget. Elimination of only a few would close the state's budget gap imnmediately. President Obama has proposed a review of these breaks at federal level, ...

Posted Wed, Jan 12, 12:04 p.m.

Thanks for your comments. I continue to consider the Tucson shootings and their aftermath. For one thing, it seems clear that elected officials at federal and state level will become more security conscious from this point forward. (In the early 1960s, even after JFK's assassination, you could walk into the ...

Posted Sun, Jan 9, 7:38 p.m.

Answer: There are historic speeches---Lincoln's Gettysburg address comes to mind, as well as FDR's Four Freedoms speech---which stand as historic landmarks. It seemed to me that the Four Freedoms speech was one of a kind and that an LBJ speech, 25 years later, using the Four Freedoms as a point ...

Posted Thu, Dec 30, 11:58 a.m.

Jordan: Timely piece. A couple additional thoughts: --The starting point for anything is a balanced, functional state economy. That means fewer subsidies (including for exporters) but a progressive tax system, relatively low business and personal taxes, improving productivity, a modern transportation system (not weighted toward boondoggles such as Sound Transit ...

Posted Thu, Dec 16, 5:28 a.m.

Jordan: I suspect we will have to fall back on many competent career diplomats who have not had Holbrooke's high visibility. He sought and got a lot of publicity but career types have been brought up to do their jobs more quietly. I may be wrong but I suspect his ...

Posted Wed, Dec 15, 12:59 p.m.

Thanks for your comments. You are correct that a "family tree" of connected political, media, corporate, union and other types would be of interest. I won't do it for awhile, if at all, because it would be a depressing exercise. I do not know Katie Marton, Holbrooke's last wife and ...

Posted Tue, Dec 14, 7:20 a.m.

Good question by NickBob. When I say "non-partisanship" I do not mean goo-goo, can't-we-all-get-along governance devoid of active debate or political differences. I mean, instead, the kind of governance in which leaders of both major political parties put the national interest first---and are willing to make necessary compromises to address ...

Posted Wed, Dec 8, 7:56 a.m.

Update: Further comment, following Assange's detention and the release of additional documents. First, documents released over the past couple days contain classified information about vital facilities not only in the United States, but in Europe, Russia, and Asia, which would be particularly vulnerable to terrorist attack. Other cables deal with ...

Posted Sat, Dec 4, 3:05 p.m.

Thanks for the comments. One word on Wilson and Plame. I do not take anyone's "line" but instead weigh information independently and reach conclusions of my own. A novel idea, I know. Wilson and Plame were both government officials operating under security requirements of their jobs when Wilson undertook his ...

Posted Fri, Nov 12, 7:42 a.m.

Thanks for your comments and, also, for comments received at my e-mail address from several others. Since I wrote this, Obama advisors have suggested that the U.S. presence in Afghanistan could last until 2014. This is unthinkable. I presume the President, on his return from overseas, will stop this kind ...

Posted Thu, Nov 4, 2:02 p.m.

One final thought on Tuesday night's aftermath. It will affect more than legislative outcomes at federal level (President Obama, earlier today, announced he was abandoning an attempt toward cap™ legislation, for instance). It also has affected the political balance of power outside the capital. Republicans gained control of governorships and ...

Posted Thu, Nov 4, 12:38 p.m.

Thanks for the comments. I fear that some of the commenters remain in denial about what happened Tuesday. Over many decades, no major systemic or policy change has been successful if not undertaken on a bipartisan basis. In the early 1960s, major civil-rights and social legislation was passed which its ...

Posted Tue, Nov 2, 10:57 a.m.

Comments appreciated. Specifically to John Hamer's question about Jimmy Carter: In my memoirs, published three years ago by UW Press, I listed some of my reservations about Carter. They flowed mainly from the fact that, aspiring to the Presidency, he knew very little about either domestic or foreign policy. He ...

Posted Mon, Oct 18, 12:57 p.m.

Day-Later Comments: Suggest that it is important to disengage from partisan issues du jour---such as the present debate about extension of the Bush tax cuts---to the longer-term issues suggested in my piece. Many Presidents and Congresses, of both parties, have raised or cut taxes according to their judgments about the ...

Posted Sun, Oct 17, 1:09 p.m.

Thanks for your early comments. They illustrate why addressing and solving these big problems will be difficult. First, blame placing and reflexive partisanship will get us nowhere. Second, the mortgage-interest deduction was cited only as a major example of a "tax expenditure" among many others. Of course, the initial effect ...

Posted Tue, Sep 28, 10:20 a.m.

Good piece. As someone who lived in Boston, NY, DC and LA before returning home to Seattle 10 years ago, I can attest that local transportation congestion is minimal compared to that experienced in those metro areas. We are not at some transportation crisis point. The Alaskan Way Viaduct and ...

Posted Tue, Sep 28, 7:21 a.m.

Peppar raises some interesting points. Some random thoughts in response. Pepper is right that today's Tea Partiers have lineage dating back to Andrew Jackson's populist base. I would not characterize them as conservative so much as reactive. In recent history we have seen Wallaceites, 1968 and 1972 Nixon Democrats, Carterites, ...

Posted Mon, Sep 27, 9:03 a.m.

See that Knute Berger is "Knuite" in the copy. Apologies for the typo.

Posted Fri, Sep 24, 12:38 p.m.

Will be sure to see this, Bob. Thank you for telling us about this exhibition in my hometown, and in a museum I have not yet visited. Like most of our age, I am familiar with the FDR writers and artists programs. The art and literature of the time left ...

Posted Wed, Sep 15, 8:43 a.m.

P.S. to readers: I probably should have included in discussion of the Tea Party movement that there are many strains of protest inherent in it. Yes, tea partiers in general oppose more public taxing and spending and the accumulation of public debt. They also are angry about what they see ...

Posted Thu, Sep 2, 3:35 p.m.

Responding to issues raised in the above comments. 1. An Islamic takeover of Pakistan is our worst nightmare but not at this point a probability. But it is important to prepare for worst-case situations. Any such takeover, of course, would not take place through normal electoral processes but through a ...

Posted Wed, Aug 18, 10:48 a.m.

Thanks for your comments and keep them coming. I meant the piece to stimulate discussion and rethinking. There are many possible scenarios for the period between now and 2020. I suggested one that is not as outside-the-box as partisan Democrats or Republicans might think. The agendas of both major parties ...

Posted Wed, Aug 4, 7:57 a.m.

It is worth commenting one more time in the seemingly endless discussion about the best option for a future state Highway 99 through downtown Seattle. (I am old enough, by the way, to remember the waterfront and downtown Seattle before there was an Alaskan Way Viaduct). As Wells points out, ...

Posted Mon, Jul 26, 10:28 a.m.

The comment stream reflects the polarizations noted in the piece. A couple observations: First, it would be a mistake to underestimate the degree to which Obama's switch from 2008 consensus-builder to 2009-10 partisan has weakened his support---especially since independent voters, who made the difference in his election, have peeled away ...

Posted Sat, Jul 24, 11:44 a.m.

Readers, FYI. There were a couple late copy changes which did not get picked up before publication Saturday a.m. The only one worth noting is this: I added at the end of the piece, in discussing the 1994 Democratic loss of a U.S. House majority, that President Clinton had been ...

Posted Fri, May 28, 11:47 a.m.

Thanks, Woofer, for your comments. I have come to appreciate most of them online. I am not, however, being peevish about a couple of the posters who habitually are abusive and uncivil. If you regularly read their comments, and consider them OK, I suggest you read again. As I and ...

Posted Fri, May 28, 9:37 a.m.

Final P.S. to Riehard Borkowski. Richard, I noted your frequent letters to the P-I and elsewhere defending Sound Transit policies and generally following the ST talking line of the day. I was informed by Sound Transit critics that the organization with which you identified yourself in your letters was subsidized ...

Posted Fri, May 28, 8:48 a.m.

Thanks for your regards, Quinn. I do not expect the world to be beautiful, silky and manageable. On the contrary, I know it to be often dangerous and less than we would want. That is why I take the trouble to base my articles on knowledge, experience, and research among ...

Posted Fri, May 28, 5:54 a.m.

Thanks to all who offered serious argument, one way or another. Too many of the last comments in the stream, regrettably, prove my point.

Posted Thu, May 27, 4:07 p.m.

At end of day an observation: I of course did not refer to online comments on Crosscut alone. I referred to all online dialogue in which anonymous postings take place. I understand the rationales expressed by those with contrary view. But, in the end, the rationales to me seem rationalizations. ...

Posted Thu, May 27, 8:08 a.m.

Rhino: Please read my comment, posted above, in the comment stream. It should answer your question. It would be nice if all anonymous comments did, indeed, present "actual arguments" based on fact and knowledge. I have taken plenty of heat in the kitchen of public service and politics, and do ...

Posted Thu, May 27, 6:10 a.m.

Thanks for the many comments. I obviously did not make clear that anonymous comments hostile to me are not the problem. The same posters often direct hostile comments toward other posters and, additionally, toward third persons, by name, whom they wish to smear. Others purvey just plain low-grade rhetoric or ...

Posted Mon, May 24, 10:01 a.m.

Real Change is exactly the kind of entity Pioneer Square should welcome. It is constructive and is reflective of the best instincts of the city. Would a vacant storefront be more helpful to Pioneer Square's revival? Given that kind of thinking, it makes you wonder if the place can have ...

Posted Fri, May 14, 4:01 p.m.

Yeh, Woofer, Staten Island always is forgotten and left out, except when there is a ferry acciddent.

Posted Fri, May 14, 9:27 a.m.

Amen, David. Let us hope the next UW president also is someone with a genuine respect for scholarship and academic excellence. Emmert butchered his relationship with Chopp and other legislators by being condescending and demanding---as if a new UW stadium should have precedence over far more pressing public priorities in ...

Posted Wed, May 12, 6:05 a.m.

Excellent summary, Kent. There also are big, pending capital projects such as the Mercer Project, continuing Sound Transit light rail, the 520 bridge and Alaskan Way Viaduct projects, and Mayor McGinn's proposals for extensions of light rail to Ballard and West Seattle. The Council recently approved, without much thought, a ...

Posted Tue, May 11, 5:35 a.m.

Thank you for the generally constructive comments. Frank: I am afraid I am old enough to remember both the Great Depression and World War II and, thus, continue to have faith in our country's resiliency. My friends are of the same age. I was most startled by Dave Obey's exit. ...

Posted Wed, May 5, 1:11 p.m.

Some of the responses above would appear to prove my point. Let's take it from the top. There is a genuine, indisputable illegal-immigration crisis in AZ and elsewhere--but felt most heavily in AZ, which has the heaviest flow of cross-border human, weapons, and drug trafficking. There has been a failure ...

Posted Tue, May 4, 1:03 p.m.

Pepper: That would be a responsible approach. Afraid, however, that it will be tempting to play it in a low-politics way. Even the mayor and City Council in Seattle, for instance, have bought into the "punish Arizona" formulation, as if the state as a whole had committed a human-rights offense. ...

Posted Sun, May 2, 11:06 a.m.

Final P.S. to Bella: The federal Department of Homeland Security says there are 450,000 illegals in AZ. Probably as good an estimate as any. Figure out how many of those might be in the Phoenix metro area. I say a six-figure number.

Posted Sun, May 2, 7 a.m.

This will be my final post on this piece, responding to Bella. Yes, Mexico is important to the U.S. economically. Drug trafficking and sales exist because there is demand for drugs. Most of the illegals have come here, over the years, in search of employment (the flow decreasing during the ...

Posted Sat, May 1, 7:36 p.m.

Checking back in for late comments. Bella: A bit puzzled by your first query. Sure, there is cross-border commerce between Mexico and Arizona and a regular flow of visitors both ways. Estimates, I am sure, could be obtained through the AZ Dept of Commerce or, on flows alone, through the ...

Posted Sat, May 1, 9:10 a.m.

Pepper: Thank you for your regular, positive contributions to Crosscut dialogue. Calling a spade, your analysis is too simplistic. It should be remembered that the torpedoing of the Bush/Democratic/some GOP (including John McCain) initial immigration bill had opposition from unions, employers, pro-immigration and anti-immigration groups. In the end, its principal ...

Posted Sat, May 1, 5:30 a.m.

Yes, I usually ignore comments such as spock's because one assumes that most readers will recognize their irrelevance. But in this instance, I responded. I did so because it is stunning, that after years of a building immigration crisis in Arizona, spock could be so obviously ignorant of the facts---which ...

Posted Fri, Apr 30, 9:57 p.m.

Reget that the thoughtful comments had to end with spock's contribution. Of course there is an Arizona immigration crisis. "Suburban malaise?..." You've got to be kidding. People blaming Latinos for the housing collapse?...a novel theory out of the blue. The state is hip-deep in trouble totally unrelated to the housing ...

Posted Fri, Apr 30, 5:50 p.m.

Thank you for the many thoughtful comments. Heartily subscribe, in particular, to woofer's observations. There is an old saying in politics that "sometimes it is better to have a political issue than a policy solution." Somewhat akin to the old saw that doctors prefer patients with chronic but not critical ...

Posted Wed, Apr 28, 12:13 p.m.

Checking in this a.m. to respond to later comments. It is easy to see how the whole "progressive" designation might have become confused. First, Crosscut and other authors do not write the headlines and lead-in paragraphs preceding their copy. Editors do. In this case the headline said that "progressive voters" ...

Posted Wed, Apr 28, 10:11 a.m.

Thanx, richardinseattle: I wrote Foxx but somehow it got printed Fox. Perhaps due to an editor less schooled than you and I in the great ones of the sport---or perhaps due to my own careless drafting error. I certainly know better. Thanx for spotting it.

Posted Wed, Apr 28, 8 a.m.

P.S. to readers: I should have mentioned that Griffey hit a double earlier this season which moved him one ahead of Lou Gehrig in extra-base hits. That double, however, has been Griffey's only extra-base hit in 2010 in 58 total trips to the plate.

Posted Tue, Apr 27, 1:57 p.m.

Pathetic stuff, MadisonAve. No conspiracy theories. Simple policy analysis of the kind any self respecting and experienced analyst would undertake before pressing forward with a hugely expensive and cost-ineffective light rail system for this region. Ordinary working, taxpaying folk are paying the bill for all of this. They keep being ...

Posted Mon, Apr 26, 4:22 p.m.

cphilips: In a perfect world, we would from this moment begin designing a more appropriate state tax system. I have outlined my own ideas. (Others will have their own ideas). But, since this is not a perfect world, and attempts at comprehensive reform have not succeeded over prior decades, we ...

Posted Mon, Apr 26, 10:06 a.m.

Stuart: Good question. Of course, over the past decade, both incomes and property values have fluctuated greatly---rising strongly for most of the period before falling off with recession and the bursting of the housing bubble. The question usually is asked about income and sales taxes, both of which generate strong ...

Posted Sun, Apr 25, 2:37 p.m.

Regret that MadisonAve, per his name, keeps weighing in with personal insults and "spin" rather than addressing the facts regarding light rail costs, financing, and ridership. To my knowledge, none of the persons cited by MadisonAve is a Kemper Co. employee. Contrary to what he says, I have never brought ...

Posted Thu, Apr 22, 7:19 a.m.

Pleased to see so many comments. The more, the better. Disappointed, though, that Sound Transit advocates do not address the cost, financing, ridership and other practical issues surrounding the projected light rail system. Public budgets are under great pressure. So are taxpayers. Priorities must be reexamined--particularly those involving multi-year commitments ...

Posted Wed, Apr 21, 10:21 a.m.

NickBob: Good to hear from you again. Local passenger light rail in no way can be compared to inter-city freight rail. From the beginning, there has been one inescapable fact about light rail in this region. It is far more costly on any basis than bus rapid transit or just ...

Posted Tue, Apr 20, 11:55 a.m.

Berger's piece has triggered some healthy responses. It is good that folk hereabouts care sufficiently about their community that they offer alternative visions. One thing constantly missing from these discussions are practical financial/economic considerations. The national, state, and local public sectors are deep in red ink and struggling just to ...

Posted Wed, Apr 14, 10:37 a.m.

A P.S. to readers: Rather than deepening Polish-Russian tensions, as appeared likely immediately after the crash, the accident has led in the past couple days to a promising reachout to each other by leaders and ordinary citizens of both countries. Both countries, by the way, underwent brutality and suffering over ...

Posted Tue, Apr 13, 5 a.m.

Woofer, yes, much better commments deserving consideration. Keep 'em coming.

Posted Mon, Apr 12, 11 a.m.

Thanks for the comments. I suspect all of us, as Seneca, would prefer that policy be framed on a broad conceptual basis rather than being based on case-by-case exigencies. The Cold War period, which ended only with the collapse of the former Soviet Union, made conceptions of "containment" and "deterrence" ...

Posted Tue, Apr 6, 3:11 p.m.

Thanks, Vince. I have known about a VAT since the early 1960s, when I worked as an American for the then European Communities (now the European Union). It was known in Europe then as "a cascade tax" and some still refer to it as such now. As I noted, above, ...

Posted Tue, Apr 6, 12:30 p.m.

The purpose of this piece was to explore a VAT, which has been talked about recently by many people who do not truly know what it is---except that it raises big chunks of revenue in other countries. I've written often previously about the taxing/spending changes which could close our entitlement-spending ...

Posted Tue, Apr 6, 10:25 a.m.

Yes, you could design a VAT with all kinds of exemptions---in fact, many countries' VATs have them. Problem is, when we are under such deficit/debt pressure, the emphasis would be wholly on revenue-raising. Hard to see a comprehensive package, of the kind discussed in the NY Times, being passed. General ...

Posted Mon, Apr 5, 1:14 p.m.

NickBob: Appreciate your regular participation in Crosscut dialogue. As you might imagine, Holland is irrelevant to any of the above discussion. I mentioned it merely to make the point that over many generations newcomers knew that facility with English was a sine qua non for opportunity in their new place. ...

Posted Mon, Apr 5, 11:37 a.m.

Trevor: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was necessary because we had not kept faith with our ideals. Of course there were restrictive covenants and other impediments. That does not mean that they should have been replaced by new policies bestowing "group rights" establishing preferences and directing resources on a ...

Posted Sun, Apr 4, 9:58 p.m.

You were there, Sarah, I saw you.

Posted Sun, Apr 4, 2:59 p.m.

Thanks for your comments to date. Yes, Ralph Nader could well have been included as leading an insurgency that had significance. He made little impact on the overall 2000 popular vote but did draw enough Florida votes from Vice President Al Gore to make the difference there. There also was ...

Posted Thu, Mar 25, 9:07 a.m.

Thanks for the comments. One thought about the closing comment from animalal: Yes, there were Cabinet members and White House staff who did good jobs in Republican administrations---as well as in the Carter and Clinton Democratic administrations, also not mentioned in the above piece. But, in my judgment, none as ...

Posted Tue, Mar 23, 11:04 a.m.

Woofer's analysis is particularly astute and what the Obama White House and congressional Democrats hope will happen.

Posted Mon, Mar 22, 2:45 p.m.

Thanks for the correction on the Medicare prescription-drug benefit. I absent-mindedly had it being enacted ahead of its time. It was indeed enacted during GW Bush's first term, with strong bipartisan support led by Sen. Ted Kennedy. The other information in the piece is factually correct and/or my independent commentary ...

Posted Mon, Mar 22, 11:56 a.m.

Yeh, I thought of the "Old farts never die" headline myself. Some readers, I know, would put me in that category. But I have my own category for them. Interestingly, I've heard independently since writing this piece from a formal organization associated with Fort Ord and from some who also ...

Posted Thu, Mar 11, 6:20 a.m.

Suggested additional reading: This (Thursday) morning's Wall St. Journal essay by Michael Barone, editor of the Almanac of American Politics, outlining the difficulties of getting a House Democratic majority for pending health legislation. Barone also discusses the number of safe-seat Democratic congressional districts (such as Nancy Pelosi's in San Francisco ...

Posted Thu, Mar 11, 4:38 a.m.

Amen. Seattle often mistakes schlock for quality. The Kenny G. comparison was right to the mark regarding Chihuly's work. A Chihuly museum would be an upgrade from bumper cars and thrill rides. But surely we can do better.

Posted Wed, Mar 10, 4:18 p.m.

Interesting comments representing several viewpoints. Of course politics has changed since the 1960s and the drive toward civil rights and Great Society legislation. But, if you think the environment was less partisan then on sensitive issues, think again. The sruggle over civil rights issues---as exemplified by the filibuster against the ...

Posted Wed, Mar 3, 4:42 p.m.

dn: Suggest, to meet your objective, you go to Google and find the old- and new-media sources listed for the subject matter. Otherwise, there is no substitute for day in, day out reading of some of the sources I suggest as well as others you may favor. The Economist, for ...

Posted Wed, Mar 3, 8:45 a.m.

Author's note: Perhaps to illustrate the point about failing print media, the accompanying photograph to the article shows "The Newstand" in Bellingham. Newsstand is of course incorrectly spelled on the storefront. And, from what I understand, the shop recently closed due to too little patronage from customers with a print ...

Posted Fri, Feb 26, 1:53 a.m.

Interesting comments. Some, as usual, do not relate to content of the article--intended to give a summary of the day's events and state of play--but reiterate the commenters' opinions on the health-care issue. Comments also reflect the fact, as I mentioned in my article, that such events do not change ...

Posted Thu, Feb 25, 5:24 a.m.

Kent: A good piece. It highlights both the attractive and maddening aspects of our local governance. The goals in many cases are commendable. But are they priorities? Usually, setting of priorities for the year ahead is tied to the public budget. The city enters the year deeply in the red. ...

Posted Tue, Feb 23, 3:04 p.m.

NickBob: Your comment deserves an answer. It reflects a common misperception about how important legislation gets drafted and passed. It is quite true that Republican legislators could not be found to sign onto the Democratic bills which passed Senate and House. We will never know how many might have signed ...

Posted Tue, Feb 23, 2:31 p.m.

An update for readers as of late afternoon Tuesday: It now appears that bipartisan compromises will not be struck in advance of the meeting. White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, in unusual interviews, told media yesterday that he had lost an argument within the White House for a more ...

Posted Tue, Feb 23, 6:26 a.m.

It is important to distinguish between talking bipartisanship---which Obama did in 2008 and which he periodically has done since---and governing accordingly. One of the new President's biggest mistakes was leaving the drafting of his stimulus, financial-bailout, cap-and-trade, and health-care proposals to Democratic congressioal committee chairs, entering dialogue himself only after ...

Posted Thu, Feb 18, 4:26 p.m.

Enjoyed the many comments. First, I did exercise my critical faculties in the Johnson Administration and opposed Vietnam policy (I wrote Humphrey's speech in Salt Lake City breaking with LBJ during the 1968 campaign). I continued to oppose the policy actively over many subsequent years. The war should never have ...

Posted Thu, Feb 11, 7:11 a.m.

Jordan: You are correct that the Republicans lack a unifying plan, such as Newt Gingrich's Contract. Usually, though---especially in congressional elections---no such unifying alternative is necessary. Voters cast their ballots yes or no on the basis of their satisfaction/dissatisfaction with current conditions. An alternative agenda is more important in elections ...

Posted Wed, Feb 10, 9:27 a.m.

Danny K: You are right about jobs. But, as noted above, all credible projections point to unemployment near 10 percent right up to election day. As to deficits, they of course are and should be incurred in recessions. But the present scale of the deficits.. the unpopular financial-bailout and stimulus ...

Posted Mon, Feb 1, 6:16 a.m.

Peter: Yes, branding---as in cattle branding.

Posted Fri, Jan 29, 1:45 p.m.

NickBob: I was active in the movements toward equal rights and equal opportunity...and much other landmark liberal legislation, both in and out of government, as policy director for several Democratic Presidential candidates, as principal author of several Democratic national platforms. and as president for five years of the party's unofficial ...

Posted Thu, Jan 28, 6:14 p.m.

The matter of the economic stimulus package, and jobs generated, is worth some discussion. The $787-billion package, undertaken early in the Obama administration, might be one place where the President would like a do-over. Ordinarily, a "stimulus package" is understood to jump start economic growth and employment. It would include ...

Posted Thu, Jan 28, 5:50 a.m.

Thanks for the early comments. I presently am on jury duty and will respond to later comments at the close of the day Thursday. Yes, I have been a lifelong and active Democrat but would do a disservice to readers if I offered formulaic partisan responses to issues and events. ...

Posted Sun, Jan 24, 7:30 a.m.

Seattlelifer: We agree that accountability (and, thus, responsibility) keeps getting drained out of our political system. But please do not give up on it. Withdrawing only makes it worse. If you read closely, you saw that I predicted unions would be short-term winners---because they are more comfortable and experienced with ...

Posted Thu, Jan 21, 7:31 a.m.

A couple closing observations, following later commments above. First, the revenues to be derived from new taxes/fees, and the savings to be derived from new Medicare cuts, would not automatically become law if health-care legislation in its present form were enacted. These revenue increases and spending cuts would have to ...

Posted Wed, Jan 20, 7:46 a.m.

Matthewsbeachmike: Good comments. One other major problem regarding formulation of health-care legislation: The Obama White House essentially ceded control of its content to Democratic congressional committee chairs, entering discussion only after its outlines already had been defined. A President should never cede control of a main agenda item to someone ...

Posted Wed, Jan 20, 5:54 a.m.

Here in Seattle we are distant from other places and sometimes the last place to get the message. What happened Tuesday night was that Massachusetts voters, including large numbers of traditional Democrats, voted "no" on the content of the present agenda being pushed by President Obama. Being a loyal Democrat ...

Posted Tue, Jan 19, 6:31 a.m.

I regrettably must add Harris Meyer to the category of those who prefer partisan or ideological slants to any kind of objective or professional coverage of events. The facts are as follows: Cap-and-trade, economic stimulus, and health-care legislation all began last year with Democratic committee chairs in House and Senate. ...

Posted Mon, Jan 18, 10:20 a.m.

The hyper-partisanship contained in the some of the comments, above, testifies to the polarization which has overtaken our politics. Rage, apparently, for the sake of rage. I will continue to offer analysis to readers, based on knowledge and experience, which I hope will inform and sometimes enlighten. I counsel those ...

Posted Sat, Jan 16, 8:05 a.m.

Good piece, Tony. I believe strongly in separation of church and state and am, myself, a secular person. But I regret the trend toward the presumption that religious- or church-based activities, in and of themselves, should be excluded from respectable civic life or, in some cases, derided as having ulterior ...

Posted Wed, Jan 13, 11:16 a.m.

Fly is right about the employment situation. If you include those who have stopped looking for work, or who are working only part-time, the unemployment number ranges from 17 to 20 percent. I have pointed this out several times in the past but, in this piece, mentioned only the "official" ...

Posted Thu, Jan 7, 3:51 p.m.

Just trying to provoke thought, Fly. Eyman gets pasted regularly by media, public officials, and those who depend on public spending. Yet he keeps getting votes for his ballot measures. Why is that? I am no fan of his. But, as I said, Eyman exists only because those we elect ...

Posted Wed, Jan 6, 7:53 a.m.

It is clear that the Legislature will consider this and related matters when it decides on levels of support for the UW. Both the President's and Provost's outside directorships---and overall compensation levels---are legitimate questions for public officials overseeing a public, taxpayer-supported institution. The UW Regents and senior administration have seemed ...

Posted Sat, Dec 26, 10:30 a.m.

FlyintheOintment: Your computations are correct and I am guilty of having looked at past post-recession numbers which were far too optimistic in the current environment. Among private forecasters, I trust Macroeconomic Advisors (with which, disclosure requires, I once had a several-year consulting relationship). It has a strong track record of ...

Posted Fri, Dec 18, 9:12 p.m.

Kieth: Locke of course would be expected not to exert special influence on the NOAA siting decision. However, as a practical matter, he would have been expected to assure that the decision was reached in an above-board, objective manner--especially since it impacted his home state. Given what we have seen ...

Posted Mon, Dec 14, 6:23 a.m.

Spock: The government certainly needs to invest in infratructure. But, contrary to your assumption, much of the money in the so-called stimulus package was not devoted to that purpose. Little job creation. Little upgrading of necessary public infrastructure. I presumed---as I expect you did---that the package would include a) immediate ...

Posted Fri, Dec 11, 9:29 a.m.

P.S. One thing I should have mentioned and did not. Bernanke's Federal Reserve has maintained what amount to zero interest rates throughout this downturn, facilitating recovery. But this cannot last forever. As deficits continue to mount, the Fed inevitably will need to tighten to head off inflation. When? Perhaps a ...

Posted Tue, Dec 8, 7:17 a.m.

Judy: Enjoyed your piece greatly. I would question Eddie Hill's quotable comment that "white folks came to Seattle to get away from black folks." Seattle's early settlers were, of course, white but there also were black early settlers whose descendants remain active in the community. In Oregon, of course, there ...

Posted Wed, Dec 2, 1:39 p.m.

Pepper: I hope you are right about Pak nuclear weapons. But we can't be complacent about the possibility that Islamic extremists either could takeover power in Pakistan and/or somehow acquire a nuke weapon or technology. It is the presence of the nukes, above all, that compels us to do whatever ...

Posted Tue, Dec 1, 2:34 p.m.

I have not confused the issues. The fact is that mixing up environmental and labor standards with trade policy has retarded trade liberalization globally. It was difficult enough to negotiate big, global trade deals when tariffs and other barriers to trade were on the table. With these additional issues, it ...

Posted Thu, Nov 19, 11:07 a.m.

Douglas: Polling data consistently have shown independents to be most greatly concerned with federal deficit spending---related, of course, to the fact that much of that spending has flowed to those perceived as having caused the financial/economic crisis (your primary point). Bob Reich, as Clinton's Labor Secretary, and before and since, ...

Posted Tue, Nov 17, 9:51 a.m.

Sarah: I indicated I was a living survivor of 1960s national politics, not JFK's assassination. An obviously failed attempt at irony. It is interesting what people will do, and how they will act, under tension or strain. The people at the Defense Intelligence lecture all were career officers and trained ...

Posted Thu, Nov 12, 1:11 p.m.

Heywood: Yours is the conventional explanation. It could be right. However, Oswald's long history was one of a pawn---someone's pawn. And there are just too many unconnected dots...and too many intersecting coincidences to make the explanation fully convincing. Yes, Ruby was a fringe character but he did have a background ...

Posted Wed, Nov 11, 10:53 a.m.

dbreneman: Any CIA types involved would have been "contract employees"---that is, independent contractors typically hired for operational activity-- rather than career CIA officers. Many of such were involved in the Bay of Pigs operation and, for that matter, in other places during that Cold War period where the agency itself ...

Posted Wed, Nov 4, 2:10 a.m.

Thanks for the early feedbck. Advocates of light rail should be pleased by the election of Dow Constantine, a stalwart supporter of light rail, and delighted if Mike McGinn is elected Seattle mayor. McGinn, if that is possible, is as supportive of light rail as outgoing Mayor Greg Nickels and ...

Posted Sun, Nov 1, 10:20 a.m.

Interesting comments. I suspect many following this issue are not "trashing" the Mercer Project---I certainly am not--- but, instead, questioning its prospective public costs (against its benefits) and whether taxpayers are paying too large a share of the cost of a project primarily designed to conform to a private developer's ...

Posted Sat, Oct 24, 6:49 a.m.

Sarah: Thanks for the advice. I receive no pay for what I write. I do it as a public service. I write, long or short, depending on the subject. I thought the election choices were worth the wordage given to them in this case. The shorter the copy, the less ...

Posted Fri, Oct 23, 1:19 p.m.

Appreciate the many comments to my piece---especially those, whether agreeing or disagreeing with me, discussing the candidates and issues. We shall see how things turn out. Continue to be surprised by the number of people who use their anonymous comments to rage or to vent personal hostilities. Suggest they reread ...

Posted Thu, Oct 22, 12:24 p.m.

To reassure those who express various concerns: I not only watched last night's debate but have either watched or read the transcripts of all campaign debates and media interviews; have reviewed the candidates' public statements; have read commentary by third parties; and have watched and read the candidates' commercials and ...

Posted Sat, Oct 17, 11:18 a.m.

Interesting dialogue. This clearly is a place which cares about what it is and can become. A couple thoughts: First, there are things we can do regionally but they cannot be separated from what is going on in the global and national economies. Katz, for example, stresses exports as an ...

Posted Thu, Sep 24, 9:21 a.m.

A genuine success story. We always knew you would amount to something! But, for every Knute Berger, there probably are a number of students who are slacking through and not at all being prepared for what they will face in the outside world. Our state and city have had trouble ...

Posted Wed, Sep 23, 12:09 p.m.

Harris: You are determined to find reason for argument in anything I write or do not write about health care. I have written often that everyone should be covered...think of the auto-insurance analogy whereby individuals are required to have coverage or, otherwise, pay to be included in a pool. I ...

Posted Wed, Sep 23, 10:02 a.m.

dn is correct except for this complicator: If reconciliation were used, the bill would have to be split into at least two parts---with the budget/spending part being separated from the rest of the legislation. Another problem with use of reconciliation: Major legislation, such as health-care reform legislation, has always been ...

Posted Wed, Sep 23, 8:43 a.m.

Good point by Vince about use of the filibuster. Both political parties have abused it. As Vince says, even the threat of a filibuster in recent years has been enough to keep legislation from coming to a Senate vote. I should have stressed more greatly, in my piece, the effect ...

Posted Wed, Sep 23, 7:39 a.m.

Thanks, Austin, for these reports on the Legislature. Local media, not only in Seattle but elsewhere in the state, simply do not give adequate coverage anymore. Generally unseen and unknown by the public, legislation thus becomes increasingly an insiders-only game.

Posted Sat, Sep 19, 7:47 a.m.

The percentages in 2008 authorizing new taxes for a three-county light rail system were 57 percent yes, 43 percent no. A similar measure in 2007 was defeated. I had remembered the margin as far more narrow. It was not, however, as large as that claimed by MadisonAve, the ever present ...

Posted Fri, Sep 18, 5:25 p.m.

Of all the topics discussed, the issue of race is by far the most sensitive. I entered politics principally motivated by civil-rights issues and participated directly in the political action and legislative processes of the 1960s and 1970s--including passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts. I spent time ...

Posted Sun, Sep 13, 8:15 a.m.

P.S. I accidently deleted the name of Doug MacDonald as "former WSDOT chief." Sorry for the typo.

Posted Sun, Sep 13, 8:13 a.m.

Good work, John Fox. I wrote earlier in Crosscut that the announcement of so-called Phase II---delayed until after the mayoral primary---should have been noted at the time by The Seattle Times and other local media. But Crosscut was the only place to give it coverage and examination. The whole Mercer ...

Posted Fri, Sep 11, 10:16 a.m.

Harris: I have said in the past that some legislation will pass---but not necessarily the legislation passed by the three House committees. My summary was intended to provide insight into what now will happen in the legislative process. Suggest you and others check back a month from now to see ...

Posted Thu, Sep 10, 5:54 p.m.

Thanks for your various comments. I agreee with my friend Floyd McKay that prior expenditures on foreign wars, weapons systems, etc. have often been questionable. I would add to the list "earmark" pork-barrel spending sponsored by legislators of both political parties...much of the non-stimulating 2009 stimulus package...a good share of ...

Posted Tue, Sep 1, 3:10 p.m.

Aaron Pickus, McGinn's spokesman, feels that I have not accurately represented McGinn's position on the Mercer Project. Before the primary both McGinn and Mallahan came, separately, to Crosscut editorial luncheons. We questioned both on their positions on transportation issues. The tunnel: Mallahan said he considered this "a settled issue" and ...

Posted Tue, Sep 1, 8:47 a.m.

Aaron: Thanks for this. In other places McGinn had expressed general support for the project, emphasizing that his main point of disagreement with Mayor Nickels was on Nickels' proposal to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel. It would be good if he clarified his position on the Mercer ...

Posted Mon, Aug 31, 2:51 p.m.

Interested in ClaraM's comment. I do not hate the mayor or anyone else in politics. It is not in my nature. My concern, always, is that our elected officials pursue policies that promote the well being of the citizens they represent. I have no objection, for instance, to Vulcan's desire ...

Posted Mon, Aug 31, 10:57 a.m.

Greg Nickels is leaving office and there will be many assessments of his performance. Voters, of course, made the ultimate assessment when they rejected him in the primary election. There always is a risk when leaders, in the private as well as public sectors, are put in place with little ...

Posted Fri, Aug 28, 11:03 a.m.

Good luck to Seattle or Bellingham in trying to reverse this decision which, quite obviously, was taken outside such considerations as public law. Perhaps Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who has NOAA within his jurisdiction, should take a second look after not having taken a very thorough first look. Seems to ...

Posted Mon, Aug 24, 6:01 p.m.

Here are responses to some of the most relevant points raised. I am sure David Brewster of Crosscut would be pleased to consider any piece submitted by someone associated with the Aerospace Competitive Council. The problem with such bodies, to begin with, is that they proceed from the question: How ...

Posted Mon, Aug 24, 9 a.m.

Mr. Baker: Thanks for your continuing comments re my and other Crosscut contributors' pieces. Your comment is well taken. Of course any company, union, trade association, consumer group or other entity has a perfect right to lobby for its interests at federal, state and local level. Yes, the SEIU is ...

Posted Wed, Aug 19, 3:16 p.m.

afreeman: Greens were motivated to vote for the bag tax but they were outnumbered by other voters and the tax lost. The vote for the tax (and for McGinn/O'Brien) would have been less without the green turnout. This happens whenever a ballot measure generates voter turnout among a particular group ...

Posted Mon, Aug 17, 7:09 a.m.

It is true that the administration made deals, at the beginning of the process, with the pharmaceutical industry and medical groups in which they would drop opposition to a plan in return for White House pledges that they would remain relatively unharmed. Of course, such deals made by the White ...

Posted Wed, Aug 12, 8:45 a.m.

Thanks for your comments. I mentioned in my piece that other recent surveys had produced similar outcomes. This was not a survey done by Lou Dobbs or for any particular program on CNN. It proceeded over a several-day period and was promoted both on the air and via the CNN ...

Posted Wed, Aug 12, 7:58 a.m.

Erik Smith's comments were excellent. I doubt that credit markets are jittery because tax increases are becoming more difficult in Washington state. They become truly jittery when they believe a state or municipality is financially mismanaged---as in running huge deficits or increasing public spending recklessly, as has been the case ...

Posted Fri, Aug 7, 11:29 a.m.

Good article, John. As you know, I voted for some but not all of the candidates you support. But it was a good summary of the alignments in local politics---in many cases involving people and groups who are supporting candidates who oppose what they purport to stand for. A bit ...

Posted Wed, Aug 5, 11:43 a.m.

coolpapa: Thanks. I marked my voter guide and, then, marked my ballot accordingly and mailed it. I wrote the piece thereafter with referral to my voter guide, which contained both the School District 5 and 7 contests and candidates. A few years ago, when the system was in near-term crisis, ...

Posted Wed, Aug 5, 8:37 a.m.

rhino: The imposition of a new tax always imposes new costs on those affected by it. Moreover, it would be levied on people already among the highest taxed in any U.S. city. Yes, it would be particularly untimely now, during a deep downturn, when any tax increase should be avoided. ...

Posted Wed, Aug 5, 7:05 a.m.

Bob: Of course I meant to say Newport rather than Astoria. I did it twice! ted

Posted Wed, Aug 5, 6:39 a.m.

Bob: Yes, a particularly surprising decision. Such decisions routinely are made on a quasi- or wholly political basis. For instance, Naval facilities in Everett exist only because of Sen. Scoop Jackson's insistence that they be placed there (rather than somewhere closer to San Diego, where Pacific Fleet exercises take place). ...

Posted Wed, Aug 5, 4:53 a.m.

T.M. At national, state and local level we have made commitments which are structural and which will not be remedied solely by a recovery from the present deep downturn. That is a fundamental problem which must be addressed.

Posted Tue, Aug 4, 7:24 p.m.

Thanks for your comments, some of them constructive, others not. The always angry, always nasty Madison Avenue is back again with typical comments. "The Man?"..."rebel?"...what nonsense. My views on candidates and issues, as always, flow only from my concern for the public interest. My piece makes clear the criteria on ...

Posted Mon, Jul 27, 9:47 a.m.

Kent: This is an interesting development. It is happening elsewhere. My oldest son has an architecture firm in Raleigh, NC and has been a member for a number of years of various city advisory bodies dealing with just such issues. He generally favors higher density in a city given to ...

Posted Tue, Jul 21, 9:15 a.m.

Good analysis, David. The principal reason light rail took so long was that it was a truly bad idea brought about only after millions of public and private dollars had been spent campaigning on its behalf---and then Prop. 1 carried only narrowly last fall after having been soundly defeated the ...

Posted Tue, Jul 21, 4:08 a.m.

dn: I now recognize that my discussion of a carbon tax as substitute for the messed-up cap-and-trade legislation appeared in my WSJ piece rather than the Crosscut piece, above. However, I am less worried by the possibility that Obama will go to Copenhagen "empty handed" than by the prospect that ...

Posted Mon, Jul 20, 1:33 p.m.

dn: Strange comment. I am not pro-global warming. I am for addressing it, and all other issues, with the most sensible and practical approaches possible. I suspect you find that people who have followed the issue closely will tell you that a carbon tax would be far more efficient, and ...

Posted Mon, Jul 13, 12:44 p.m.

benjamincm: Thanks for your comment. Candidates should be appropriate to the needs of the times. I would greatly prefer McGinn as mayor over either Nickels or Drago. But both Seattle and King County presently suffer from overbloated, overpaid bureacracies...inadequate management of hugely expensive public projects...and incumbent leadership more responsive to ...

Posted Wed, Jul 8, 9:37 a.m.

I should have added further comments about the technocratic, data-based approach to policy which was so popular during McNamara's heyday. Walt Rostow, an MIT professor before becoming a JFK/LBJ key security advisor, had written a long paper, "The Stages of Economic Growth," which purported to show how various economies would ...

Posted Mon, Jul 6, 8:43 a.m.

Reuven has brought some needed energy to the legislature and to our local politics. Inertia and complacency have ruled both for some time now. Some of his analyses seem correct, others not thought through. The task now, as he points out, is to move beyond rhetoric and general objectives toward ...

Posted Thu, Jul 2, 10:30 a.m.

Phyl: Thanks. You added things about your grandfather, Art Fletcher, and the Philadelphia Plan which I did not know. I could also have included in the piece the many legal cases---including the Bakke case, locally---which have been heard on these issues since the 1970s. A major unintended consequence of affirmative ...

Posted Thu, Jul 2, 7:03 a.m.

Interesting piece, Judy. You describe something quite common among people involved in causes or movements. Many such persons may not necessarily be deeply committed to their cause (social, political, cultural, etc.) but often participate because they want to create a portrait of themselves which they wish to communicate to others....or ...

Posted Sat, Jun 27, 9:36 a.m.

I agree completely with debo's comments about the need for a county executive (and county council members) with an orientation toward and experience with management of a taxpayer-funded entity. Same could be said about a Seattle mayor and city council members. Big voter turnout will be necessary to make this ...

Posted Fri, Jun 26, 5:40 a.m.

The big difference, of course, between the Seattle and Phoenix systems is that Sound Transit gets federal funding. Another big difference, however, is that Phoenix's topography is more suited to light rail than ours. Tunneling and water crossings are expensive and technically difficult. The opening of our light rail system ...

Posted Sun, Jun 21, 12:20 p.m.

Thanks to all for your comments. A bit puzzled by the last ones, from Gregory Wade. I have no ax to grind regarding Greg Nickels or any other political figure. My motives are quite simple: As someone from this area, returned home 8 1/2 years ago, and who has spent ...

Posted Fri, Jun 19, 9:46 a.m.

Kieth: Some of the examples. . The hundreds of millions proposed for a Mercer Project, designed mainly to conform to Vulcan Inc.'s development plans for South Lake Union, which would not ease one bit the traffic congestion of the so-called Mercer Mess. The city transportation department reported that a much ...

Posted Tue, May 26, 9:50 a.m.

I stand corrected on the balloon-caused fatalities in Oregon. Thanks to The Piper and kinupiaq for setting this straight. Until now I had always believed earlier reports that the only casualties were bovine.

Posted Mon, May 25, 11:16 a.m.

A P.S.: I have just heard from a Bellingham High School friend and classmate (class of 1951), Courtney Lindell, attesting to the influence World War II movies had on him personally. The Korean War broke out during our senior year in high school. Courtney and several others in our class ...

Posted Mon, May 25, 9:41 a.m.

EastKing: Yes, in the early days of the war, it was thought an invasion---or at least, raids and submarine attacks--might be imminent here (German submarines were causing great damage, and sinking much cargo shipping, along the Atlantic coast. German agents were landed on Long Island and elsewhere). Some shipping was ...

Posted Fri, May 22, 3:18 p.m.

Responding to Jenner and Breneman: It is not only the U.S. entering a dangerous debt box. You may have seen in this a.m.'s WSJ the report that, between 2008-2013, net-debt-to-GDP ratios will rise in Japan from 110 to 120 percent; in the U.K. from 49 to 97 percent; and in ...

Posted Thu, May 14, 8:29 p.m.

steptoe.fan and bmaryman: My impression of Mallahan derives from a recent interview he gave to the online P-I. I mentioned same in my piece but that fact was removed by the editor. My impressions of McGinn derive mainly from his positions on transportation issues, which I regard as central to ...

Posted Mon, May 11, 9:15 a.m.

I note that Tim Eyman has logged on twice on this issue. He was the initial sponsor of I-900. I usually oppose his proposals but this one was clearly in the public interest and was approved by voters overwhelmingly. Some legislators would like to blur debate by dismissing the performance ...

Posted Mon, May 11, 6:54 a.m.

To davidrsmith: Yes, many like you "who don't get into the details" may have such an impression. That is why I write so that you may know more of the details. We agree that Obama can go only so far with the bully pulpit. The Congress must pass his proposals. ...

Posted Fri, May 8, 10:05 a.m.

Ammons is quite right about partisan tactics by a minority party. As we get closer to 2010 elections, it is highly likely that Congressional Republicans will employ such tactics---casting votes and making statements for the record. However, when 2009 dawned, Congressional Republicans were quite prepared to cooperate with a popular ...

Posted Mon, May 4, 9:29 a.m.

Peter Robison is indeed correct when he says that early Dreamline orders have been strong. However, as has often been demonstrated, such orders tend to evaporate when the economic climate forces cutbacks on prospective purchasers. The plane's long delay, combined with a worldwide financial/economic squeeze, is likely to have that ...

Posted Mon, May 4, 8:34 a.m.

A few observations to add to David Brewster's. First, Gov. Gregoire pledged in her campaign for a first term that she would raise neither spending nor taxes and that, moreover, she would review the "tax expenditures" (loopholes and subsidies) extended to favored companies, such as Boeing, and entire sectors which ...

Posted Fri, May 1, 1:58 p.m.

Tacoma Friends: I hope The Russell Co. finds an appropriate place in Tacoma. I am presuming, however, that it will not or it would long since have done so. If Russell does move to Seattle, the WaMu Tower would seem an appropriate place, although I understand there are various issues ...

Posted Fri, Apr 24, 8:41 a.m.

hinklem has a good observation. There are two ways to look at impacts on future generations. You could conclude, correctly, that trillions in future federal debt will reduce policy options and burden those generations with unacceptably high taxes and levels of inflation. You also could conclude, correctly, that education, health ...

Posted Thu, Apr 23, 10:06 a.m.

OlyEric: Thanx for your comments. In this instance, I think you missed my point. I remain critical of both Carter and Clinton for their lack of commitment to strong agendas seeking and serving in the Presidency. I admire Obama's willingness to present and act on an agenda. But his proposals ...

Posted Wed, Apr 22, 2:11 p.m.

It would be a mistake to characterize the tea parties as "stunts." Were the early anti-Vietnam War protests stunts, even though some at the beginning had questionable sponsorship? Lots of ordinary folk were out there April 15 and savvy politicians heard them. It also is important not to see the ...

Posted Tue, Apr 21, 6:06 a.m.

A loving and appropriate tribute to Stim Bullitt by David Brewster. As it happens, I saw Stim Bullitt periodically over the past eight years. Despite his advancing age, he was always engaged. On one occasion, perhaps five years ago, he brought to luncheon a 10-point outline---a new public-policy agenda for ...

Posted Mon, Apr 20, 12:57 p.m.

dfish: State and local "tax expenditures" in this state, as of two years ago, amounted to three times the state budget deficit at that time. Since then those expenditures have been increased substantially. Yes, one person's loophole is another's incentive. But I think you would find few serious policy analysts ...

Posted Tue, Apr 14, 4:50 p.m.

George: Chancellor is not president; it simply means he ran the Baton Rouge campus of LSU (as, for instance, the UCLA chancellor runs that part of the U. Cal. system). As to the importance of senior-executive salaries, whether they be in academia, Wall Street, or in corporations, it is important ...

Posted Tue, Apr 14, 12:33 p.m.

As a loyal UW alum, I deplore the cuts being imposed there. But this situation illustrates what happens when an institution (City of Seattle, University of Washington, Boeing, etc.) becomes over time perceived as arrogant and entitled. UW tuitions have been modest in comparison to those of other major state ...

Posted Sat, Apr 11, 2:32 p.m.

Hey, Sean, enjoy your pot. I presume you share it with your kids. Yes, marijuana has its medical uses. It also has a lot of deleterious health effects. Your choice. But that does not mean the city of Seattle should spend financial and human resources facilitating marijuana's celebration.

Posted Fri, Apr 10, 12:17 p.m.

JimCap probably is typical of many in Seattle who would romanticize a lifestyle that does not deserve it. I visit Hempfest because I find it an interesting sociological event--and I like the musical stage events. Although JimCap would not believe it, I once was a musician and played with a ...

Posted Thu, Apr 9, 2:54 p.m.

Interesting comments all around. The matters of our Seattle attitudes toward public safety, and toward the weakening of traditional two-parent families, are connected because both reflect acceptance of social norms which are questionable. Former chief Norm Stamper's comments, although he probably would deny it, tend to ratify his general reputation ...

Posted Mon, Mar 23, 7:13 a.m.

Madison Ave: You are up to your usual smearing and personal attacks. They are pathetic. I never was involved in sending any briefcase full of cash to "Nixon's people" or to anyone else. Sheer fantasy. I served for two years as Exec. VP and COO of the Milken Institute, an ...

Posted Sun, Mar 22, 8:14 p.m.

The facts are not in dispute. Light rail, on any basis, provides fewer benefits for far more money than bus transit. I have no "roads and highway agenda." My only concern is that the people who live here be provided necessary transit on the most cost-efficient basis possible.

Posted Sun, Mar 22, 5:20 p.m.

R: The taxing authority can be extended, at the rate approved by voters, so long as the light rail system remains under construction. That could be a far longer period than that promised and result in a far larger overall pricetag. I don't know what you call "sound planning reasons"---the ...

Posted Sun, Mar 22, 1:35 p.m.

To clarify: I meant that Sound Transit has what amounts to open-ended taxing authority which, as a practical matter, will allow it to far exceed the originally anticipated $23 billion for a regional light rail system. John Niles correctly points out that ST also can cancel promised stations arbitrarily, as ...

Posted Fri, Mar 20, 8:32 a.m.

T.M.: No, your memory of my suggested stimulus plan is incorrect. I favored a package containing immediate personal and business tax cuts, including possible temporary suspension of the payroll tax (thus favoring people at the middle and bottom of the income scale); money to the states to cover unemployment and ...

Posted Tue, Mar 17, 12:31 p.m.

A good summary of what has been happening. Skip Berger points out that newspapers in smaller communities still have held their own because they are seen as vital sources of local news. One could point out that many larger newspapers, including both the Times and P-I in Seattle, have lost ...

Posted Tue, Mar 17, 12:55 a.m.

demgrl: You should talk with Obama staff, who had an entirely different view of Hillary's operation at the Democratic convention. This is not about attacking the Clintons or partisan politics. It is simply reporting a flood of reports from convention delegates, Senators, Members of Congress, journalists and others who have ...

Posted Sun, Mar 8, 1:11 p.m.

Comments in response to several of yours: Yes, of course, patience will be required until we rise out of our current financial/economic troubles. And no one suggests---I certainly do not---that bold measures will not be required to do it. My concern, as expressed, is that the measures currently being employed ...

Posted Wed, Mar 4, 8:54 a.m.

RForce needs to wait a minute. General polling always trails moving attitudes. It's like waking up Xmas morning and seeing snow on the ground. Those who know there are seasons can predict that snow will not be there in March. There is more than one worrisome factor for Obama (and, ...

Posted Tue, Mar 3, 3:26 p.m.

A constantly recurring subject in a laughably self-obsessed place. I was born and raised in Bellingham, was graduated from the UW, then lived variously in Boston, New York, D.C. and Los Angeles over many years, periodically spending time here until returning in semi-retirement some eight years ago to finish things ...

Posted Wed, Feb 18, 5:04 p.m.

MukMan: Agree with you entirely on pay raises in order for the President of the U.S., governors and others who presently are underpaid. But, in the public sector as well in the private sector, a sense of entitlement about outsize compensation levels has taken hold in recent years. People will ...

Posted Mon, Feb 16, 10:55 a.m.

dn: Urge you to get past partisanship and partisan interpretations. Fact was, both Dems and Republicans on January 20 wanted in the worst way to collaborate in an economic-stimulus package which would bring the economy out of the trough and help the country. Republicans were not thinking: Let us oppose ...

Posted Thu, Feb 12, 11:42 a.m.

No, not just an "image thing." The process by which the package was developed, prior to Geithner's announcement, went directly to both the substantive and presentation sides of the program. I had expected that Geither would have been ringed by Paul Volcker, White House economic czar Larry Summers, bipartisan members ...

Posted Sun, Feb 8, 8:18 a.m.

Ragtop: It is normal procedure, when any administration is formed, to be sure that vetting has been thorough and complete before any announcements have been made. Bill Clinton had the same experience in 1992 as he prematurely announced two AG candidates who then had to be withdrawn. Has nothing to ...

Posted Sun, Feb 8, 4:15 a.m.

Many useful and informed comments in this dialogue. Thanx to Ammons and Mikos for their compliments. One point should be made: We are in the midst of the most serious financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression. It is not a time for careless, business-as-usual politics or bloggery. I ...

Posted Fri, Feb 6, 10:50 a.m.

A typo in my comment, above. I say that "tax cuts create fewer immediate jobs than spending projects." I meant to say "tax cuts create fewer jobs than spending projects." The major point is that tax cuts create an immediate jolt whereas it takes public-works and other programs a long ...

Posted Fri, Feb 6, 10:45 a.m.

dn: What I am doing is providing balanced analysis but you apparently cannot recognize it. There is plenty of criticism due on all sides on the stimulus issue. But my piece dealt with Obama and his early troubles. McCain's proposal was defeated and had no chance in the first place. ...

Posted Fri, Feb 6, 8:43 a.m.

Appreciate, as always, the comments of Arizonan and others. Some of the comments reflect the problem Obama now faces. Our economic house is on fire. Immediate, focused action is needed to put out the fire. If Obama succeeds in that effort, the American people will be grateful and inclined to ...

Posted Mon, Feb 2, 7:20 a.m.

Spud will need to watch things unfold in coming months. Seattle is not "unscathed" because of lessons learned in 1969-74 but because, in part, it has benefited from a convergence of fortunate circumstances, including the emergence of Microsoft and related enterprises. Big layoffs at major local employers, and some outright ...

Posted Mon, Jan 26, 9:48 a.m.

Doug: Good summary of where we are and what is needed. You know better than anyone, from your tenure running WSDOT, how difficult it is to resist bad ideas sponsored by politically influential interests with ties to elected officials. The Rice-Stanton proposal to create a directly elected governing body to ...

Posted Fri, Jan 23, 6:58 p.m.

Interesting if uninformed comment by reprobate. Obama mentioned in his meeting with congressional leaders that he had won (i.e., and therefore had a responsibility to press his own proposal) but, then, went on to say that he continued to want a package with contributions from both political parties. He did ...

Posted Wed, Jan 21, 10:32 a.m.

Chris: The silence from Obama on trade is because he took positions on trade in his Presidential campaign, to head off Hillary in Midwest rustbelt states, which he otherwise would not have taken. With the financial/economic crisis intervening, he has gotten agreement from key labor leaders that his jobs program ...

Posted Mon, Jan 19, 9:53 a.m.

Just about everyone in the Puget Sound area has some personal memory of the P-I. I was born and raised in Bellingham at a time when the P-I's out-of-Seattle circulation surpassed the Times'. In fact, we were barely aware in Bellingham of the Times. As a Bellingham High School senior ...

Posted Mon, Jan 12, 8:17 a.m.

It would be nice to think that the P-I could survive and prosper solely online. It would seem extremely difficult if the Times continues both print and online editions. The Times strategy, it would be appear, is to hang in there through a difficult 2009, sell and/or borrow against whatever ...

Posted Fri, Jan 9, 9:42 a.m.

Reprobate: We need swift and sure stimulus. The only concern is that some of the things now in the package, version I, will not provide that. If we are going an additional $1 trillion into the red this year we need to be sure that all or most of it ...

Posted Wed, Jan 7, 8:32 a.m.

I suspect most peopole knowledgeable about higher education would put the UW in the top-third of public universities--not as strong as Berkeley, Ann Arbor, Madison or Chapel Hill, for instance, but certainly stronger than most PAC-10 colleges. It certainly lags behind the major private universities. The UW itself often cites ...

Posted Tue, Jan 6, 10:38 a.m.

CKuehn: The governor's Office of Financial Management included performance audits as the largest single item on a Do Not Buy list submitted to Gov. Gregoire and the Legislature. Several legislators and executive officials were then quoted, anonymously, as suggesting the audits remain on the list. Following media coverage of the ...

Posted Sat, Jan 3, 6:14 a.m.

To Ross: Of course we are guided by the Democratic process. That does not mean that decisions taken through that process are unflawed and cannot be examined. You may remember, locally, the monorail project. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which led us into fullscale war in Vietnam, was opposed by only ...

Posted Thu, Jan 1, 4:13 a.m.

Sean: I final thought on light rail. I am not a zealot. I am a responsible citizen, who knows about transportation and other policy options, and has been just plain sickened by the degree to which ordinary citizens have been misled and, then, raped of their tax dollars by a ...

Posted Wed, Dec 31, 10:48 a.m.

Thanks for your comments. I continue to mention light rail because it illustrates perfectly how complacent we have become. Contrary to dahlstrom, the light rail system approved via Prop. 1 is not designed to connect cities of the Puget Sound region. Instead, it is an extension of the local Seattle ...

Posted Sat, Dec 20, 2:24 p.m.

My last and final comment in this exchange, which has been useful. Obama's most successful appeal, in the nominating and general-election races, was the one to put aside partisan and ideological rancor in order to address big problems together. Thus "reaching out" is very important for him and for the ...

Posted Sat, Dec 20, 6:34 a.m.

A response to Lloth8's comment: I was pleased that Hillary spoke out against the Dubai Ports deal while her husband was advising the UAE side. But why, as a former President with a wife who was a Senator and Presidential candidate, was he advising the UAE side in the first ...

Posted Fri, Dec 19, 7:41 p.m.

Thanks for your comments. As you may know, I strongly supported Obama's nomination and election. But it does no one service to suspend critical faculties---especially when it is all too easy in the White House to be insulated from objective views. It is not a matter of someone being strong ...

Posted Thu, Dec 18, 6:04 p.m.

Having been born and grown up in Bellingham, I was pleased to read Bob Simmons' account of my hometown's continuing evolution from a blue-collar cannery, mill, fishing, and coal mine community to a white-collar, no-collar education, service, tourism, and retirement center. From what I hear, GP felt fortunate to escape ...

Posted Wed, Dec 17, 2 p.m.

Skip Berger's piece, and the study it discusses, should not have roused so much intense reaction. What he wrote, and what the study affirms, is what everyone conversant with big public-works schemes has observed--- whether the projects be in Seattle, Boston, New York, or overseas. The projects, often as not, ...

Posted Fri, Dec 12, 8:22 a.m.

An excellent piece. Some 30 years ago, I took a sabbatical from Washington, DC and did a three-year stint as a Weyerhaueser executive (it was during the period in which Jack Creighton ran "the country's largest REIT" as he puts it). The company then was completely different from the company ...

Posted Mon, Dec 8, 10:44 a.m.

Good comments all around. Yes, I have spent far more time in my working life in Washington, DC than locally. However, all told, I have spent some 36 years in the Puget Sound area, graduated from the UW, worked here on two previous occasions, and have spent the past eight ...

Posted Mon, Dec 8, 7:44 a.m.

Amen. Brian Sonntag was reelected by a huge margin and deserves voters' trust. His performance audits are opposed by public and quasi-public agencies and elected officials with something to hide. His recent audit of the Port of Seattle unearthed abuses that were suspected but not previously brought to public light. ...

Posted Mon, Dec 8, 7:44 a.m.

Amen. Brian Sonntag was reelected by a huge margin and deserves voters' trust. His performance audits are opposed by public and quasi-public agencies and elected officials with something to hide. His recent audit of the Port of Seattle unearthed abuses that were suspected but not previously brought to public light. ...

Posted Sun, Dec 7, 7:41 a.m.

JayDee23 is correct on all points. Moreover, the Times story to which he/she refers related that the reports of better-than-projected ridership on the Allentown trolley came from drivers' informal estimates. I have ridden the Allentown trolley twice, and observe it frequently, and have never seen more than a half-dozen passengers ...

Posted Mon, Dec 1, 10:12 a.m.

Appreciate your comments, citymaking, but not quite sure where you meant them to head. "Tenacity, determination, and intelligence" are positive words describing positive attributes in anyone of any gender, race, etc. A lot of people in high places lack one or more of those attributes. Same thing for "tough minded ...

Posted Fri, Nov 28, 7:10 a.m.

Jan makes a goood point. Regional and state appointments will come down the line. There always is early excitement, at the outset of a new administration, about Cabinet and major ambassadorial appointments. But, after the initial excitement, it dawns on safe-seat Members of Congress, such as Smith and Inslee, that ...

Posted Wed, Nov 26, 1:28 p.m.

Thanks, political. I omitted mention of former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan, who facilitated the bubble, and following chaos, with several years of permissive policies at the Fed. Bernanke has inherited the wreckage.

Posted Sun, Nov 23, 3:38 a.m.

Update: Since this was written, it appears Larry Summers will head the National Economic Council in the White House---a job coordinating economic/financial policy as the National Security Council coordinates foreign/national security policy. It is reassuring that Obama will have Summers close by on a daily basis. With Geithner at Treasury, ...

Posted Fri, Nov 21, 9:54 a.m.

Arizonan: Think the time and place to speak out is when and wherever you hear such talk. To talk about it generally would seem to do no more than heighten anxieties and even put the idea into twisted minds.

Posted Wed, Nov 19, 8:38 a.m.

Have just read through all the comments, concluding with Ivan's retort to bkochis. Ivan's comments are similar to those of many who log on, anonymously, to various sites and often make offensive and personal comments about those with whom they disagree. We all would be better served if those commenting ...

Posted Tue, Nov 18, 11:34 a.m.

Here is a word on behalf of Crosscut, whether for-profit or non-profit, and other online publications which are trying to fill the gap formerly filled by daily newspapers. Seattle's two dailies are prime examples. Both have been losing money and circulation for several years. Editorial budgets and staff have been ...

Posted Wed, Nov 12, 4:16 a.m.

In closing, I am somewhat surprised that anyone would think this discussion was inappropriate for Nov. 11. I cannot think of anything more appropriate. I launched the discussion to provoke thought. Grizzlan, for instance, generally repeats the conventional arguments of the time in citing pre- World War I and pre-World ...

Posted Tue, Nov 11, 9:48 a.m.

Drumcat: Thanks for reminding re Desert Storm. I omitted a sentence in my final copy which dealt with it. Desert Storm was made necessary because of false perceptions both by Saddam Hussein and by the U.S. and its partners, Saddam thought he could invade Kuwait with impunity, and threaten Saudi ...

Posted Thu, Nov 6, 10:38 a.m.

Glad Ross wrote this piece. Mainly I find myself agreeing with dn, who decries the lack of enterprise and investigative initiative by journalists content to do least-common-denominator, horserace-driven coverage. There used to be an old rule about national campaign coverage. First, come the political reporters who mainly focus on the ...

Posted Thu, Nov 6, 6:27 a.m.

Thanks for your comments, although some had nothing to do with the subject matter. Re Palin: I wrote originally that Palin's selection was a Hail Mary by McCain. Romney and Lieberman, for instance, were substantively more qualified to be No. 2 on a national ticket but Palin might be able ...

Posted Mon, Nov 3, 12:42 p.m.

Responding to comments by Political and dn, the democratic process has a way of refreshing itself. Republicans, since 1980, have ridden along on the memory of Ronald Reagan just as Democrats, for many years, lived off Franklin Roosevelt's memory. Then, in time, jarring reversals force reexaminations. I expect Sarah Palin, ...

Posted Mon, Oct 27, 4:11 p.m.

Having s SENSE of nuance and ambiguity...not necessariy being nuanced and ambiguous themselves: Certainly FDR, Eisenhower, JFK (sometimes), Nixon (sometimes), Bush I (sometimes) and Clinton (occasionally). Even Reagan, at times, showed this sense in framing his policies.

Posted Mon, Oct 27, 12:39 p.m.

Nuance and ambiguity: You need only read and hear what McCain has to say and it becomes obvious that this is a man who sees things in clear yes-and-no terms. Our post-World War II experiences--in Korea, Vietnam, Central America, Somalia, Haiti, the Balkans, Iraq I and II, Afghanistan, the Middle ...

Posted Mon, Oct 27, 11:15 a.m.

Political: I don't think the Presidential election will be sufficiently close to allow any candidate to blame defeat on fraud. Since Florida, 2000, Democrats in particular have been quick to find fraud and, now, Republicans have raised the same cry. Fact is, in each national election perhaps 1 percent of ...

Posted Mon, Oct 27, 7:04 a.m.

Let me support Benjamin Lukoff's comments about "real Americans." AIPAC's members are Americans and not "Jewish lobbyists." You need not agree with HR362 to recognize that its sponsors are Americans who have every right to put it forward.

Posted Sun, Oct 26, 9:18 p.m.

Adexterc: Thanks for your comments. You have set up a straw man in your arguments about the WASL. No one believes the WASL, of and by itself, will make the American economy more competitive. Nor could many CEOs, elected officials, and others pass it. Of course it is not comprehensive ...

Posted Thu, Oct 23, 10:07 a.m.

I should have mentioned in my initial comment, Jon, that I found a huge omission in your piece. Namely, that a record, regressive tax increase in the three-county region is exactly the wrong medicine in the current economic/financial environment. I presume you were setting aside your economic/financial-analyst clothing for a ...

Posted Thu, Oct 23, 6:39 a.m.

Jon: I have enjoyed your pieces in the Times. However, in this piece, you miss the main point. Light rail would not be part "of a great transit network," as you put it, but a hugely cost-ineffective and expensive project which would eat funds which could be devoted to building ...

Posted Tue, Oct 21, 2:43 p.m.

A couple of additional comments: A state legislative analyst, who asked to remain anonymous, has e-mailed Crosscut to attest that ballot measures indeed are troublesome, difficult to interpret and apply, and cannot be corrected or tweaked at last minute, as legislation can be. To MadisonAve and others who apparently believe ...

Posted Tue, Oct 21, 7:20 a.m.

Madison Avenue's comments are characteristic of the arguments made by light rail true believers. They follow the old dictum that, if you do not have a substantive case, smear the critics, change the subject, do anything but focus on (in light rail's case) the benefit to be derived from the ...

Posted Mon, Oct 20, 4:23 p.m.

To dericjones: Strange comments. I don't attempt to paint myself as anything. I offer honest opinions about subjects with which I am conversant and let the chips fall. You can agree or disagree with them. Vietnam era mindset? Don't know what you mean by that. I opposed the Vietnam war, ...

Posted Sun, Oct 19, 9:29 p.m.

Bob Barr's vote is likely to be negligible under any circumstance. He could get some support in his former congressional district. Obama's endorsement by Colin Powell, made after I wrote my article, will have little impact---although it might have had if extended during the nominating contest or around Labor Day. ...

Posted Tue, Oct 14, 6:23 a.m.

When I said too many were doing business as usual, while things had changed dramatically, I did not mean many local-level enterprises and households. My oldest son, as it happens, has an architecture firm which quickly has felt the chokeoff of credit to developers. Surveys indicate ordinary people are changing ...

Posted Wed, Oct 8, 1:14 p.m.

Van Dyk comment: Spike is probably right. Candidates' handlers should take a stool sample before they sit them down. More seriously, I was disappointed that neither candidate seemed aware of the nature of the current global financial crisis. Neither offered any relevant solution. Instead, they fell back on formulations relating ...

Posted Mon, Oct 6, 10:29 a.m.

Ted Van Dyk comment: Useful piece, Jack. I have spent a lot of time, over the years, observing McCain and on several occasions talking with people who knew him at various stages of his life. What you write rings true---in fact, may all be valid. At the same time, McCain's ...

Posted Fri, Oct 3, 3:15 p.m.

Van Dyk comment: I have written here and elsewhere that I thought Palin was not prepared for the vice presidency or presidency. Yet she did comparatively well last night despite her inexperience. National candidates do a lot of hard work to prepare for televised debates. Even experienced ones sometimes make ...

Posted Fri, Oct 3, 12:20 p.m.

Van Dyk comment: Congratulations, David, on your new job. You are fast and aggressive four days in. I was not at the meeting Wednesday morning. In the past the group has been regarded mainly as a cheerleading rubber stamp for the Vulcan agenda. Some of its key members do not ...

Posted Wed, Oct 1, 10:26 a.m.

Ted Van Dyk comment: A good and informative piece by Jim. A couple additional thoughts: First, those experienced with handling such demonstrations know that it is best to bring adequate numbers of police to the scene, beforehand, in order to deter the kind of later, chaotic outbreaks and police reactions ...

Posted Tue, Sep 30, 11:28 a.m.

Van Dyk response: Observer's and Arizonan's comments express clearly the differing reactions to Monday's vote rejecting the financial package. Observer, I fear, simply does not recognize the huge damage that lack of a bailout could do, down the road, to the savings, jobs, and everyday lives of ordinary people. It ...

Posted Wed, Sep 17, 2:20 p.m.

Ted Van Dyk comment: Good to see this piece. The whole project follows a pattern with which local residents have become familiar. For a variety of reasons---substantive, political, or otherwise---a huge public works project is promoted. Once approved, government and agency officials in charge proceed pretty much as they please. ...

Posted Tue, Sep 16, 4:48 p.m.

Van Dyk comment: Good response to a timely topic. One thought: Both Obama and McCain would do best, in the end, to state their views on major issues and to compare them with their opponent's. That, after all, is what campaigns are supposed to be about. Presently both campaigns are ...

Posted Sat, Sep 13, 9:51 a.m.

Further Van Dyk comment: I presume, Arizonan, that you are not John McCain by another name. All good points and in line with McCain's recent rediscovery of populist views. One point I did not make was that the Masters also have disdain for federal regulators---except for when they get into ...

Posted Fri, Sep 12, 2:30 p.m.

Van Dyk comment: Thanks for your comments re the piece. Actually, I have made them before in Crosscut and in other venues. But these issues never come to full notice until they reach crisis point. I have spent a lifetime in politics---which, I guess, makes me a politco---but always as ...

Posted Tue, Sep 9, 9:26 a.m.

Van Dyk response: Yes, Cameron, there are some big financial holes to fill out there. I also could have mentioned additional spending proposals on the fall ballot in Seattle in November. I limited myself, in this piece, to discussion of events which had taken place since the end of last ...

Posted Tue, Sep 2, 3:27 p.m.

Van Dyk P.S.: Re polls: Those I cited, when I wrote Monday evening, were those which had been made public at the time. Others were released subsequently which show Dems. a bit more in the lead. Bear in mind, though, that the margin of error in these polls ranges from ...

Posted Fri, Aug 29, 2:49 p.m.

Van Dyk P.S.: Don't get me wrong. I still think McCain should have selected Romney, because he seemed to me the Republican best prepared substantively and politically to assume the presidency, if events caused him to do so. That should have trumped all other considerations. On the other hand, I ...

Posted Tue, Aug 26, 9:16 a.m.

Van Dyk response: Yes, I should have mentioned that C-Span ran uninterrupted coverage. I finally went there myself, out of frustration. There is a preaching-to-the-converted aspect about the party conventions because, as I mentioned in my piece, they are mainly watched by partisans. The parties' intention is to get true ...

Posted Tue, Aug 19, 11:08 a.m.

Van Dyk Response: Thanks for your spirited response. Primary elections today are less important than those in November, when vital ballot measures will be decided as well as the ultimate winners for key public office. It is still important to vote today, however, so that the final November choices will ...

Posted Wed, Aug 13, 6:59 a.m.

Van Dyk P.S.: Sometimes the obvious is omitted. I did not state, but should have, that two things are the necessary foundation for any successful foreign policy. First, we require a balanced, productive domestic economy. That means an economy of full employment, low inflation, reduced federal budget deficits, and a ...

Posted Sat, Aug 2, 8:55 a.m.

Right to the mark: Skip: Right to the mark on all points. Nickels and Ron Sims wrote matching op-eds in the Seattle Times regarding the looming Sound Transit ballot measure this fall. Sims' dealt with the issues and made substantive arguments against the ballot measure. Nickels gave us nonsense and ...

Posted Wed, Jul 30, 7:58 a.m.

Van Dyk P.S.: This first comment makes a good argument for the Doha Round and global liberalization. Microsoft and Boeing have issues. Other companies and industries, both in the U.S. and in other countries, have similar issues. The best place to resolve them is in a WTO global negotiation, where ...

Posted Tue, Jul 22, 4:24 p.m.

Van Dyk P.S.: It is good that we are having this dialogue before the Sound Transit board meeting Thursday. A similar dialogue is talking place among board members and elected officials and candidates in the region. Seattle Mayor and Sound Transit Chair Greg Nickels and King County Executive and former ...

Posted Tue, Jul 22, 7:23 a.m.

Comment by Ted Van Dyk: The proposals in my article are based on objective observation of transportation and related decisionmaking in the region. I have no bias in favor of any transportation mode. I derive no benefit from any interested party. My only concern is that we move people and ...

Posted Wed, Jul 16, 8:05 a.m.

Van Dyk P.S.: One final thought regarding regional transportation. Sound Transit light rail advocates habitually characterize those, including myself, who question light rail as being "anti-transit," "pro-bus" or "highway freaks," among more polite descriptions. I cannot speak for others but I am none of the above. Having spent a lifetime ...

Posted Tue, Jul 15, 1:06 p.m.

Ted Van Dyk response: A couple thoughts regarding comments. First, the New Yorker cover. I do not believe that the editors purposely ran the cover so as to generate controversy and attention. I think they genuinely believed the cover to be satire or, as some have put it, "a joke." ...

Posted Wed, Jul 9, 10:05 a.m.

Ted Van Dyk response: I wrote the article but I did not write the subhead. To be clear: I wrote that the desire for change would benefit Obama in the presidential race---unless events intervened to help McCain. I wrote that, at state level, the desire for change normally would be ...

Posted Thu, Jul 3, noon

This is common practice: There is a reason presidents and presidential candidates release their tax returns. It is the same reason that nominees for federal appointment submit their tax returns to those considering them. It is to show how much money they get from what sources. Are there present or ...

Posted Sun, Jun 29, 4:43 p.m.

Ted Van Dyk comment: Good dialogue on an important subject. I have always felt that writers should be willing to sign their names to their comments. Crosscut has done a good job, as Chuck Taylor relates, in screening off those few inappropriate comments which have gone beyond civility. This has ...

Posted Thu, Jun 19, 12:45 p.m.

Response by Ted Van Dyk: Excellent comments. Others of similar quality have been received via e-mail. There is one factor I neglected to mention: Although the politicos and public officials paying tribute to Russert no doubt meant their tributes genuinely, I can assure you that many of them also felt ...

Posted Fri, Jun 13, 2:06 p.m.

Ted Van Dyk response: My first reaction to three of the four posted comments was: They must be kidding! The comments are a parody of politically correct justification of unjustifiable behavior by a public official. Native Americans have been badly treated in the past. Tribal casinos have unleashed a torrent ...

Posted Thu, Jun 12, 10:39 a.m.

Van Dyk response: Dear Rat: Actually, my knowledge comes not from my two-year (not 10-year) stint running an economic policy institute in Santa Monica headed by Mike Milken but from 30-plus years in and out of government and politics in Washington, DC. tvd

Posted Tue, Jun 10, 11:41 a.m.

Van Dyk P.S.: Thanks for the comments. A couple of you have inquired, outside Crosscut dialogue, why I did not include Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy, the other two members of the Obama V.P. selection troika, in my piece. I focused on Johnson because he chairs the effort and because ...

Posted Tue, May 27, 11:51 a.m.

Van Dyk afterthoughts: Taking the time to review on Tuesday a.m. the comments filed re my weekend piece filed last Friday afternoon. A few reactions. I, too, agree that there were too few comments about Memorial Day, and the respect due our veterans and current serving troops, as there were ...

Posted Sun, May 25, 8:46 a.m.

Van Dyk P.S.: A final thought on transportation comments. Puzzled in particular by Carless' comments. His pen name, by the way, suggests that he/she is or wants to be carless. Regrettably, most people in our region will have continuing need to drive cars---thus the urgent task to repair and upgrade ...

Posted Sat, May 24, 5:19 p.m.

Further Van Dyk comment: I am glad we are having a continuing discussion about transportation options. I have no doubt, Chuck, that rail service might take you on your particular trip more rapidly than current bus service does. But an entire region cannot make multibillion-dollar spending decisions, about various transportation ...

Posted Sat, May 24, 6:27 a.m.

Response from Ted Van Dyk: Here are responses to two of your comments in particular. First, current high oil prices are due in small part--but only in small part-- to speculators and traders rather than fundamental market forces. We can expect oil prices to fluctuate, rising and falling, but at ...

Posted Sun, May 4, 9:50 a.m.

Ted Van Dyk response: Beyond the comments here, I have received several directly by phone and personal e-mail. They fall into several categories. I noted in my article that academic managers and operators had increasingly taken leadership in running colleges and universities. The commenter who suggested that this would become ...

Posted Mon, Apr 28, 12:09 p.m.

Comment by Ted Van Dyk: Charley Royer was a good Seattle mayor and was recognized as such by his peers in other cities. A couple thoughts to add to his: First, reader miller is correct in pointing out that much of today's "consultation" or community input is not real consultation ...

Posted Fri, Apr 25, 10:58 a.m.

Ted Van Dyk: Thanks for your excellent comments. 1. It is not in the cards that Obama and Clinton would form a ticket. Historically, the runnerup for the nomination most often has been the Vice Presidential nominee. But that will not happen this time. The two clearly are not personally ...

Posted Thu, Apr 17, 5:17 a.m.

Ted Van Dyk response: I was informed by a local transportation analyst that Borkowski's organization had in fact received Sound Transit support in the past, as other supposedly "independent" organizations in the region have. If that was incorrect, I will publicly so state after further research. It seems apparent that, ...

Posted Wed, Apr 16, 2:35 p.m.

Comment by Ted Van Dyk: I do not know Borkowski. I do know, however, that whenever I wrote a P-I column critical of Sound Transit light rail, Borkowski quickly followed with e-mails or letters to the editor accusing me of being pro-highway or anti-transit. (I am in fact strongly pro-transit ...

Posted Wed, Apr 9, 8:23 a.m.

P.S. by Ted Van Dyk: These are excellent comments. Crosscut, as online dailies in other markets, depends in part on research and writing done by print dailies carrying large overheads. I worry that the loss of one of Seattle's two print dailies not only would remove healthy competition but would ...

Posted Sat, Mar 29, 6:09 a.m.

Ted Van Dyk comments further: When one does not like the subject, he/she cannot change it arbitrarily. The issue is not whether the war in Iraq was mistaken. Nor are those who question McDermott's junket fear mongers or Rumsfeld lovers. The vote on the war resolution came much later and ...

Posted Wed, Mar 26, 1:38 p.m.

P.S. from Ted Van Dyk: I've received several comments, by phone or at my personal e-mail address, in addition to those here. Some have asked why, as an Obama supporter, I would wish to keep Clinton's campaign alive. I have no particular wish to keep Clinton in the contest. But ...

Posted Thu, Feb 21, 11:11 a.m.

RE: I just read the Bob Samuelson piece...: Thanks, Kwok, for your comment. You can be sure that I do not sum up soneone else's work innacurately. Samuelson did not mention unions. I did. Samuelson cited positions taken/not taken by Obama. For the most part, Obama's postures on the issues ...