Posted Sun, Mar 25, 10:21 p.m.

This is an excellent assessment of the status of public transit in the Puget Sound region. Many of you may have seen the picture in this publication of transit leaders of this region warning us all about potential cuts in transit funding in this region. Those are the same folks ...

Posted Sun, Mar 11, 2:53 p.m.

I've wondered why they call the period just ended "standard" time anymore, since it's only in place for one-third of the year!!! Why not at least call this period, now called daylight saving time, "standard," since it's in place for two-thirds of the year? Then call the other four months ...

Posted Thu, Dec 15, 8:25 p.m.

Question: What is the Legislature’s thinking in ending its session? Answer: they’ve got to get ready for the holidays! That's more important to them!

Posted Wed, Dec 14, 9:50 p.m.

But, do you cave in to those who are essentially blackmailers? Why raid from the Social Security trust fund without getting funding to replace it that's related, e.g. raise the earnings limit (earnings that are subject to Social Security taxes) to at least its historical 90% of total earnings...or whatever ...

Posted Wed, Dec 14, 9:47 p.m.

I think the Republican debates have shown that this is not a traditional year, thus I’d throw history out.

Posted Wed, Dec 14, 9:46 p.m.

Very enlightening, and sad to see such disregard for others. It sounds like some police officers need to be replaced. Unfortunately, they’re protected by their union and its seniority rules.

Posted Wed, Dec 14, 9:44 p.m.

R or D? Try D in Seattle (Rs don't fare). Ron Sims, whose name has come up, would be a formidable opponent on name recognition alone, and add to that what I suspect is a high percentage of an “anybody but McGinn” sentiment among most Seattle voters, including some that ...

Posted Tue, Dec 6, 9:43 p.m.

A lot of concerns here: (1) the untold cost to the individuals and families involved, from the physical and mental pain of maimed and fatalities; (2) the monetary cost that is shielded from the public: the tangible costs of the wars themselves is off-budget, with no tally of the total ...

Posted Wed, Nov 30, 9:38 p.m.

If Mr. Nelson and most of us can say that we get a 5% raise automatically every 12 months until we reach the top of our pay range, which is what the state’s classified (union) workers still get, then I might support this line of reasoning. However, this isn’t the ...

Posted Mon, Nov 28, 9:23 p.m.

It's insane to me that each fall, those of us who are employed at a place with health care need to pore through possibly a variety of plans, health coverages, etc. This is a waste of time and effort, much like our bloated tax code. I worked in health care ...

Posted Mon, Nov 7, 7:41 p.m.

@kieth Agreed, except for Mr. Clinton has - and had - a governing record to fall back on that looks extremely good these days, the last time the feds have balanced their budget (previous to that was 1969 with Richard Nixon). He’s also not a Republican, who regularly tout their ...

Posted Mon, Oct 31, 3:27 p.m.

One could easily substitute "Congress'" for "NBA's"...

Posted Mon, Oct 10, 7:01 p.m.

It seems to me that the Mariners need to move their left field fences in, proven by more than just Beltre, as Safeco is too much of a pitcher's park. Meanwhile, the Ms had more former players in the playoffs than any other team. I didn't do this this year, ...

Posted Fri, Oct 7, 9:46 p.m.

I disagree with the notion that Hillary would be too old by 2016. Maybe too old for the Democrats, perhaps, but the Republicans had no problem nominating "it's my turn" then-Senator Bob Dole in 1996, then age 73, then-Senator John McCain, then age 72, in 2008, or for that matter ...

Posted Wed, Sep 7, 8:47 p.m.

My experience at the UW was similar to Snoqualman's. The reason in the classified (now union) positions was simple: no matter what you do or don't accomplish, you get an automatic 5% "step" raise every 12 months, even today, until you hit the top of the range. This stifles initiative ...

Posted Wed, Aug 24, 5:46 p.m.

It looks like we can either pay now – via taxes to fill the potholes – or later – via a claim for damages. It would seem that the tax would cost less, particularly when more people become aware that they can file a claim, and find out where and ...

Posted Thu, Aug 18, 10:43 p.m.

Ever since I heard that this committee was going to be formed, I predicted that the automatic cuts will go into effect. I still do, especially with Republican members already taking the no-tax pledge. The Rs are a funny lot. When they were in charge from 2000-06, they started two ...

Posted Thu, Aug 18, 10:26 p.m.

Well written. I've had fatigue of reading folks' comments trying to overturn the decision and degrading it, known as "The Seattle Way." Does anybody remember the impetus to doing something about the AWV? It was the Bay Area earthquake in 1989, when a freeway of similar age collapsed. The AWV ...

Posted Tue, Aug 2, 11:06 p.m.

I agree with "g-dub" in that the US taxpayer needs to stop subsidizing the citizens of overseas countries where we have bases. Last years' debt commission recommended a 30% cut, I'd go to at least 50%. The forces would be overrun within days, hardly a deterrent. "AW" needs to reach ...

Posted Tue, Jun 28, 8:31 p.m.

You also don’t need bicycle lanes if the bicyclists aren’t going to use them…in my neighborhood, I am routinely confronted with bicyclists riding on the sidewalk, even though marked bicycle lanes are but a few feet away…and we’re talking about a 25 mph street!

Posted Fri, May 6, 8:01 p.m.

Finally, a positive article on the tunnel! My view on the DBT decision: (1) Let's give it a chance. Thousands of hours were spent by people who took time out of their lives to study this issue. Unless opponents can find a flaw in their process, it's an insult to ...

Posted Mon, Apr 18, 11:02 p.m.

I agree with you, Mike. He's an expensive player at ~ 1/5 of the team's salary and could still bring back multiple players. It's made a lot of sense for a lot of time. Figgins, though, hasn't impressed, but the team couldn't get much worse. They're already in position to ...

Posted Sat, Apr 2, 9:35 p.m.

I think that any agency that receives government funding should be transparent. Some examples of what could be the standard for all might be: (1) all meetings where the final decision is made have audio or, for a large enough entity (TBD), video online; (2) all meeting agendas, minutes, recommendations ...

Posted Tue, Mar 29, 6:52 p.m.

How much longer with these one-sided pieces go on? There was a committee that studied the options exhaustively over a long period of time. Now, folks who didn't have the guts to serve on the committee continue to second-guess and thus disrespect them. The only thing I'll concede is that ...

Posted Sat, Mar 19, 11:04 p.m.

Re: the mandate issue, apparently AG McKenna hasn't heard of mandatory automobile insurance or paying for car insurance within the price of gasoline. If we allow people to opt out, chances are the healthiest folks will, while the remainder will pay higher rates. Next point: only a fool believes that ...

Posted Wed, Feb 23, 9:58 p.m.

Praise for the sake of praise only fools the fools. Giving the same award to everybody is similarly without merit unless it's for a team sport or for a group of volunteers. Praise with specificity that's accurate (vs. made up due to the leader not knowing about the follower's contributions) ...

Posted Fri, Jan 21, 1:12 p.m.

I agree, "business as usual" needs to be replaced with something more practical. In my view, this starts with personnel practices, where costs are needlessly high. With classified/unionized staff, however, pay scales are on the low side (see: http://www.dop.wa.gov/COMPCLASS/COMPENSATION/Pages/SalarySchedules.aspx). On the other hand, in addition to any COLA pay increases, ...

Posted Wed, Jan 12, 7:11 p.m.

It’s fascinating that crosscut.com has two pictures of the same person in two articles so close in proximity on their page, yet differing hairstyles and hair color. That aside, what’s tragic is that some folks condone the actions of a warped mind, one writing something to the effect that Democrats ...

Posted Wed, Jan 12, 7:10 p.m.

It’s fascinating that crosscut.com has two pictures of the same person in two articles so close in proximity on their page, yet differing hairstyles and hair color. That aside, what’s tragic is that some folks condone the actions of a warped mind, one writing something to the effect that Democrats ...

Posted Mon, Jan 10, 10:45 p.m.

Unions are needed in the public sector due to how some bosses treat their staff. Having a union is a measure of protection. However, it comes at a cost, for unions believe in paying everyone on the same scale and with the same increases. They choose "longevity" over "merit," and ...

Posted Fri, Jan 7, 1:15 p.m.

I love this boldness in the Governor. To me, it's "leadership" vs. "stewardship." Most of our Governors have been the latter. Governor Evans was an example of "leadership." Whether one agrees or disagrees with this Governor, it's refreshing to me that she's taking positions, coming up with proposals, setting the ...

Posted Tue, Jan 4, 10:43 p.m.

Recipients need to re-qualify for this program annually yet haven't, and eligibility needs to be tightened. For instance, where folks have decided not to get married so as to qualify for BHP, with one with employment that has health benefits, why should state taxpayers be picking up the tab instead? ...

Posted Sat, Jan 1, 12:45 p.m.

I agree with MakeSense. Let a private firm have a crack at managing the Seattle Center property. Maybe they'd upgrade the dimly-lit, aging (and that's being charitable) Center House building as well as the grounds. What's been on the grounds over the years - the amusement rides - hasn't been ...

Posted Fri, Dec 31, 3:21 p.m.

I'd be surprised if we saw "serious." After all, while we can see the cliff, we're not quite yet at the edge. It's politicians' nature to ignore the obvious until it's the last minute. Evidence: Medicare, which recent reports indicate is only paying about 1/3 of the costs that most ...

Posted Fri, Dec 31, 2:07 p.m.

I agree with serial_catowner to some degree. The reason Metro's drivers should command a premium compared to the others Doug mentioned is the seedy areas that their drivers cover, the dense areas they drive in, the guff and situations they face due to the volume of riders they serve, and ...

Posted Fri, Dec 10, 10:10 p.m.

I like this idea, it makes a lot of sense to combine those small-population counties as well as having Seattle be its own county. However, I would not put the remainder of what's in King County - roughly looking like a backwards "C" on the map - into its own ...

Posted Fri, Nov 26, 1:32 p.m.

Will this “solve” the higher education funding crisis? No, because this doesn't address the expense side of the equation. Classified employees get automatic 5% "step" increases every 12 months, these having no relation to performance, until they reach the top of their pay grades. This is in addition to any ...

Posted Sun, Nov 21, 11:52 a.m.

My reaction to this piece - and I'm an independent who's sided with Democrats much more since the neocons started taking hold in the Republican party in the 1990s - is that this felt laced with the sarcasm of a sore loser. Instead, like it or not, voters directed government ...

Posted Tue, Nov 9, 9:42 p.m.

I agree with urbancharacter. They're right: it would be most enlightening to the taxpayers who foot most of Metro's bills that their "public servants" are getting far superior pay and benefits to themselves. These include the well-publicized annual COLAs with the minimum % plus typically some kind of longevity increase ...

Posted Mon, Nov 8, 10:03 p.m.

The Republicans of old, the Bob Dole/Howard Baker era, this would be possible. Today's Republicans do not, by and large, compromise, it's their way or the highway. Take the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. No compromise, they say. If the President capitulates, he loses. If he holds fast, the ...

Posted Mon, Nov 8, 9:55 p.m.

I noticed that none of the mayor's lenses included addressing personnel policies, i.e. pay, pay raise, retirement policies. That's the city's biggest expense (personnel). While it's important for city council members to know about projects, the public should also have a clue, as they're the ones footing the bill. The ...

Posted Mon, Nov 8, 9:49 p.m.

The biggest challenge for transit agencies is that they've built a cost structure that is no longer sustainable. Their revenues are mostly from sales taxes, which have dropped to 2005 levels and haven't changed much. On the expense side, their union employees have contracts that pay them COLAs and at ...

Posted Fri, Oct 29, 11:06 p.m.

I-1053 would guarantee cut after cut after cut. Why have legislators then? Aren't we supposed to have representative democracy, and "majority rules"? Re: the 2/3rds, I've wondered why that percent? Why not 91.5% 59%? 45%? The initiative that should be brought up is to force transparency on government, such as ...

Posted Thu, Oct 21, 9:29 p.m.

A fascinating read. It made me think that there should be something like a "McLaughlin Group" produced locally discussing our states' issues. I was surprised by a # of statements...I agree, the nation has lost their appetite to do "big" things, was shocked to see Vance admit that the GOP ...

Posted Fri, Oct 15, 10:55 p.m.

The opposition won me over on the points of: (a) it can be extended to the rest of us in two years; and (b) nothing prevents them from moving the money elsewhere, and they've done it before. I already disliked the throwing money at education and health care without having ...

Posted Sun, Oct 10, 11:53 p.m.

I challenge the assertion that wages have "barely kept up with inflation." The COLA is based on a "market basket of services" and is an educated guess at "inflation" at best. Even so, a COLA increase increases the pay *range* of the (in this case) drivers. From what I know, ...

Posted Wed, Sep 29, 10:05 a.m.

If Metro is like most, the drivers get their wage rate increased after they've driven a certain # of miles. Without overtime, this happens about every 12 months. This wage increase is in addition to the COLA. Meanwhile, sales tax, Metro's main revenue source, is flat. Even if sales tax ...

Posted Mon, Sep 27, 10:42 p.m.

Even more the reason not to shop downtown on Sundays or evenings! Meanwhile, nothing that I saw about collecting the $52 million (I think it was) in uncollected, overdue parking fine revenue!

Posted Fri, Sep 10, 1:14 p.m.

If we only had an income tax, we'd be in a similar situation to Oregon. My proposal, which will probably never happen, is this: (1) income taxes, which are more sensitive to voters, would fund all state functions, which primarily are used by residents; (2) sales taxes, which are conveniently ...

Posted Wed, Sep 8, 9:51 p.m.

You've mentioned them as an afterthought, which is more than most of the city's sports outlets did until they clinched their conference in July, but respectable and respected, the Seattle Storm went 28-6 in the regular season, at least 2 of those losses while resting their starters heavily after they ...

Posted Mon, Sep 6, 7:59 p.m.

LOL, the emphasis is on "some." Governor Brown was progressive in the sense that California of the mid 1970s didn't collect sales tax on food (Washington state was at the time), were using geothermal energy, and the state was giving state income tax credits for use of solar energy, long ...

Posted Mon, Sep 6, 7:47 p.m.

I generally agree with this. For David Brewster to use a single factor to draw a conclusion is in accurate. There are many factors despite income taxes that could share blame for economic growth; here's afew: transportation, regulations, access to and the cost and quality of labor, proximity to related ...

Posted Wed, Aug 25, 5:50 p.m.

This captures the issue in a general sense. The problem with transit is from a financing side, but that's in part to how they're managed financially. In many transits, which are quasi-governmental agencies, their personnel costs rise faster than the private sector due to their salary administration tending to have ...

Posted Mon, Aug 16, 9:42 p.m.

The fact is, any of the surface options would require 3-4 years of the AWV being closed. The cost of that has not been factored in to the comparisons, making the tunnel look like a weaker option from a financial standpoint and fodder for surface option proponents. Another thing that's ...

Posted Thu, Aug 12, 10:25 p.m.

revenant beat me to it in terms of noting that now-Shoreline City Councilmember Christopher Roberts got elected despite being rated "Not Qualified," but their point seems to imply that Roberts got elected in spite of the rating, i.e. voters did the opposite. If they were a Shoreline voter, they would ...

Posted Sun, Aug 8, 10:29 p.m.

I wouldn't call Tulsa a "rival," but there were some reasons the Storm blew them out. In no particular order: (a) Tulsa is a last-place team with no marquee player (yes, their win in Tulsa was a fluke); (b) they had played the night before; (c) they played a close ...

Posted Mon, Jul 26, 7:03 p.m.

I agree with Harris. Bringing health care costs under control is paramount and excellent article, Mark. What's been mostly characterized is covering more people, costs are secondary, while even the Republicans would perk up with the prospect of lowering costs. And, there are plenty of opportunities to do this, as ...

Posted Tue, Jul 20, 10:32 p.m.

Well written, Doug! It's too bad some of the commenters can't move on. There was a process, and we aren't in a direct democracy no matter how much some people want that when the policymakers who study the issues choose something other than what they'd do with their base of ...

Posted Tue, Jul 20, 10:04 p.m.

Here's something you might find interesting...yesterday, I glanced over the rosters of the AL and NL teams in search for ex-Mariners. Now, granted, I've lost interest in the Ms for a few years, but especially this year, but ex-Ms, not including pitchers, are collectively batting .270 (.363 OBP, .441 slugging ...

Posted Tue, Jul 20, 9:36 p.m.

I agree with many of the comments, particularly the "guttural rendering of "Gutierrez" (like, who's he trying to impress?), the overkill of the use of "the Hall of Famer" - but I'm talking about broadcasts, and Niehaus no longer being able to locate the ball (I've noticed that it's been ...

Posted Mon, Jul 19, 10:25 p.m.

Ludicrous idea. If we vote on this, why not abolish all elected bodies and have voters vote on everything. After all, they have and are willing to spend the time to examine and weigh all of the issues and make a decision. While we're at it, let's compensate all of ...

Posted Wed, Jun 30, 10:37 p.m.

I wondered the same thing, i.e. Why didn't the team keep Branyan to begin with? Not only were "all of his 2009 offensive numbers ... exceptional by M's standards," but if they were a fluke, why weren't the career-year type numbers posted by Lopez, Gutierrez, and Aardsma considered flukes as ...

Posted Tue, Jun 22, 10:12 p.m.

jon_sayer provides great insight as to why relying on reports alone is foolhardy. From the article, it would seem that, since the outlying areas rejected the sales tax increase that they should bear the brunt of the forthcoming cuts, at least down to a level that represents their approximate contribution ...

Posted Sun, Jun 20, 2:44 p.m.

I agree, this mayor is different. He wants to impose what he wants without any concern about the taxpayers, i.e. there doesn't seem to be spending he doesn't like. This includes - but is not limited to - the viaduct surface option, which would leave Seattle without the viaduct for ...

Posted Wed, May 26, 4:17 p.m.

I found this column interesting. I found myself drawn to make comments particularly where I have inside information about a topic that would shed light on a comment typically made by someone other than the author. Where it's the author, I typically express my agreement or disagreement. My comments on ...

Posted Thu, May 13, 8:15 p.m.

I agree with Doug. My impression is that they're trying to saturate the committee with information, much of it that isn't relevant, coupled with most members likely not even being regular transit riders. I'd rather see someone "out of the box," such as the recent performance auditors, providing them with ...

Posted Sun, May 9, 10:19 p.m.

I agree. The Ms are near the top of the AL in pitching, but 2nd to last in hitting...only the Whitesox have a slightly worse batting average, and only the Houston Astros in the NL have comparably-poor batting stats. Before today's outburst (2 of the most-productive were unexpected, Wilson and ...

Posted Thu, May 6, 8:20 p.m.

It's amazing how big cities somehow manage to get by without professional sports. Good article!

Posted Thu, May 6, 8:12 p.m.

I don't think the climate has changed, although the appeal of taxing somebody else always has appeal to a majority of voters (see Oregon's recent passage of a high-earners tax). In WA, the wealthy, who would pay more-a.k.a. their share-under the discussed income tax scenarios, have successfully fear-mongered people away ...

Posted Thu, May 6, 7:55 p.m.

The report out today is that ~1/2 of Seattle's deficit could be made up with unpaid parking fines. I'd speculate that misuse of disabled parking placards might close some more. Before Seattle gets to measures such as this article describes, their fiscal house needs to close some of the torrential ...

Posted Wed, Apr 28, 9:35 p.m.

I’ve been noticing similar, specifically that he’s been an even-easier strikeout this year than last, when he was fairly easy for opposing pitchers to whiff. I agree with you Ted, it may be time for him to hang it up. If he was, say Brad Wilkerson, he would’ve been cut ...

Posted Wed, Apr 21, 10:08 p.m.

I agree. Backers of light rail across either bridge aren’t thinking what makes most financial sense. Replacing a – if not the most – productive route from Bellevue to Seattle on I-90 with light rail seems ludicrous. Then, there’s 520. A light rail line across the new span would go…to ...

Posted Tue, Apr 20, 9:58 p.m.

Michael’s bias is obvious, but he does make some good points; here’s where I differ. In my view, most commuters prefer their car and accept the higher cost of driving because of our preference to "cocoon" (be alone), the comforts of the automobile (heat/cool, CDs or whatever as loud as ...

Posted Wed, Apr 14, 9:41 p.m.

How come it's always a slow start and the same familiar excuses for the Mariners, e.g. "it's early" and "all we need is a come from behind win"? Meanwhile, the teams that are supposed to be good may start out 5-4 vs. digging a hole that becomes increasingly harder to ...

Posted Sun, Apr 4, 1:54 p.m.

The Tea Party members are rightfully concerned about federal deficit spending, which neither of the two major parties-who have vigorously and successfully protected their duopoly, is attuned to. On the other hand, my guess is that Tea Party members don't return their Social Security, Medicare, and other federal benefits, either. ...

Posted Sun, Mar 28, 10:52 p.m.

"...we must remain aware that we do not possess Truth full, complete, and unimpaired. 'We see,' as St. Paul said, 'through a glass darkly.'" --Citizens do well to heed this advice as well, as we have little or no access to the reports, the viewpoints (beyond our favorite media sources), ...

Posted Sun, Mar 28, 10:45 p.m.

"Government might argue that they try to inform voters, but they don't all get the message." This depends in part on the office holder: since it takes so much money and time to get elected, a variety of folks are there, generally falling into one of these categories: (1) want ...

Posted Sun, Mar 28, 10:37 p.m.

Excellent analysis, Kent. My gut feeling is yes, rate games are being played. Any time there is a lack of accountability, and the public sector often has more than the private sector, it's too tempting to play such games. Plus, I know people who work for the city, and problems ...

Posted Sun, Mar 14, 6:48 p.m.

To evoke Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz," albeit with the text slightly altered, "we're not in the 1960s anymore." Partisan rancor is at its highest, and strategic advantage, i.e. filibusters of even average legislation, holding up judicial appointments, and embarrassing the party that's in power in efforts to show ...

Posted Thu, Mar 4, 6:40 p.m.

Excellent article, as it touches on one of my pet peeves about government and its so-called leaders. Insufficient transparency in their income and expense statements, then they expect the public to back their initiatives, withholding whatever they fear will cause a backlash. Almost exclusively, we voters are taking a leap ...

Posted Sun, Feb 28, 9:20 p.m.

I think the days for a 60- and 105-day session are numbered. There doesn't seem enough time to evaluate issues that need more. Merely raising the sales tax across the board is a lazy/easy way of governing, for it assumes that: (a) everything in place is still valid/reasonable/sensible; and (b) ...

Posted Sun, Feb 28, 7:33 p.m.

I've always said that the President should have been out front on this, supposedly an important issue, from day 1, instead of dumping the leadership on it to Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi, neither of whom was elected nationwide. It's a common thing I've seen in business: those "in charge" ...

Posted Tue, Feb 23, 9:25 p.m.

I agree. The people who are profiting by the expense will defend their turf to the end, for few will admit that there's waste in their job, or that their job's not needed. All government entities should be required to make more information public, from an income statement to a ...

Posted Thu, Feb 18, 5:44 p.m.

I agree with Chris, there's plenty of evidence. The Rs are making dents in the Ds due to their "filibuster everything" strategy that makes the majority Ds looks like do-nothings. The bulk of the voters are clueless that it's because of the U.S. Senate's arcane 60-vote minimum that this is ...

Posted Mon, Feb 15, 10:59 a.m.

That's one way to get universal health care, but the French should invade us, their negative balance of trade is nowhere near as negative that of the last-place-by-far U.S.'

Posted Sun, Feb 7, 7:09 p.m.

The above might take a lot of courage to publish in any of the "red" states (e.g., Wyoming) or "red" areas (e.g., Eastern Washington). In Seattle, it's a sobering, but true reminder of the hammerlock the 41 Republican Senators have over the nation's agenda; Senator Shelby is single-handedly holding up ...

Posted Fri, Feb 5, 2:20 p.m.

If anybody is still left not knowing what "the Seattle way" refers to, here's yet another reminder. A decision has been made. New folks get elected who disagree with it; they have their own plan. They want to reset (to use a popular term) the process all over again, and ...

Posted Thu, Jan 28, 9:43 p.m.

From what I've seen, the Rs are out for blood, i.e. they see big electoral gains by continuing to stonewall the Ds, and with the 41st vote in the Senate from arguably the most liberal state in the nation, they have that confidence and now that power. Consider this: one ...

Posted Thu, Jan 28, 9:22 p.m.

This quote is one that I’ve been using since the Great Recession became evident a couple of years ago, with minor modification: “The realization has started to dawn that fundamental assumptions about how {name the public agency, or even we as individuals} operates needs rewiring.” Unfortunately, leaders aren't equipped with ...

Posted Sat, Jan 23, 8:32 p.m.

Meaningful health insurance reform is gone until there's a crisis that warrants taking what will then necessitate a drastic action. The Ds can look in the mirror as to why it did not happen. They had a tenuous 60 votes, yet the administration delegated the bill to Senator Reid and ...

Posted Fri, Nov 27, 8:52 p.m.

I agree, and this applies at the public sector leaders, state legislative/executive, and national levels, i.e. tax-dependent leaders/legislators are sitting around hoping for the best. They don't know how to make these most difficult decisions. It's even manifested itself in schools, at least for me. I had a graduate level ...

Posted Fri, Nov 27, 8:29 p.m.

The politicians are getting closer to coming to the reality that then end of spending freely is here, particularly so at the state level where they can't merely print more money. I read today where adding a Keno game, a.k.a. another voluntary tax, is being considered. But, as the writer ...

Posted Wed, Nov 4, 9:48 p.m.

I agree with most of this. Change will be incremental until "significant" becomes obvious, as ours is a system of management by crises; see airline safety for exhibit A. Real estate taxation needs reform, as in King County - if that is any guide - the assessor's office only values ...

Posted Tue, Nov 3, 10:48 p.m.

Dr. McKay’s on the right track, but I think if she's successful - in doubt as I write this - the new formula for Republicans will be: get all elective offices reclassified as "non-partisan," avoid taking stances on any major issues (see the movie "The Distinguished Gentleman" for a hint ...

Posted Thu, Oct 22, 11:02 p.m.

It takes a lot of guts to share one’s voting choices with the broad audience and hold them up to scrutiny, and Ted deserves our applause for doing so. As a former candidate, I also appreciate his statements in the second to last paragraph about the rigors of campaigning. It ...

Posted Tue, Oct 20, 5 p.m.

This article is spot on, except I think that many of the politicians are still in office once their creations are revealed to be way over budget and underutilized, whichever the case might be, as it's the lobbyists footing the bulk of the politicians' re-election campaigns who share the blame. ...

Posted Mon, Oct 12, 10:45 p.m.

I appreciate Kent's point of view, but it seems to support endless debate. As a result of "the infamous 'Seattle Process'," our region's taxpayers have spent more and have gotten less. At some point, one should decide and move on. If you had been asked in, say, 1980, who would ...

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

I do believe you have some credibility, Chris, as you've gotten far less partisan since you've left elective office. Your arguments/case is sound. Thank you for sharing your perspective on this.

Posted Sun, Oct 11, 11:11 p.m.

Great ideas. All in a position of power - private or public sector - should walk in the shoes of their constituents or employees to get a flavor.

Posted Mon, Sep 14, 10:46 p.m.

I'm sure glad that I didn't sit on the committee that reviewed reams and reams of information, heard eons and eons of testimony, had the state tell them what their 2 options were, and then another option - which many of them favored - be chosen, then now, have a ...

Posted Sat, Sep 5, 6:21 p.m.

I agree with Ted's assessment. The president waited until late in the game, to get fully engaged in healthcare...in my view a classic case of leaving the details to staff - in this case legislators - and then wondering why their version came out different than what he expected, a.k.a. ...

Posted Fri, Aug 28, 4:24 p.m.

I agree. The renaming of Sea-Tac was short-sighted and prompted by shock, not by reason. I remember thinking at the time "what will they name after Senator Magnuson, who's done even more than Senator Jackson?" Frankly, I prefer an airport that’s named for the destination and not after a person. ...

Posted Mon, Aug 24, 11:26 p.m.

Qualified candidates: while for most with the lust for political office-fueled by friends and others disgusted with the status quo-so long as someone else is doing the running-face the reality of the need to raise tons of money, having a lot of such folks biting at him like a flock ...

Posted Sun, Aug 9, 5:19 p.m.

If I was a Seattle resident, I'd vote N-O on this tax until they take an intermediate step: make it convenient to recycle plastic bags. If plastic bags are so bad, why not an outright ban on them? Plastic bags, as I recall, were foisted on the public at least ...

Posted Fri, Aug 7, 7:52 p.m.

I agree, and have been saying this for quite some time. Tunnels such as this have been used successfully around the world. They last 100 years, not 50 as another viaduct (the latter options should have had their costs multiplied by 2 in all fairness). They involve minimal surface disruption ...

Posted Wed, Aug 5, 10:31 p.m.

I agree with much of his rationale. I don't know of all of the mayoral candidates, but I haven't been impressed with Councilmember Drago, and I've likened Mayor Nickels to the Daley machine for quite some time. For KC Executive, Ross Hunter has my support, because he's the only one ...

Posted Mon, Jul 27, 10:33 p.m.

I read an article today about how much our delay on light rail has cost us. Seattle has the need to please everybody, and those whose choices aren't chosen never move on; we have to keep discussing until their choice is chose. My reaction to this article: (1) who's to ...

Posted Mon, Jul 20, 12:01 a.m.

This is a good article, as I've seen many people write things like if we had an income tax in WA, it would be just like CA, where their taxes are high for real estate, sales, and income taxes. The short answer is that they're not comparing apples to apples...a ...

Posted Mon, Jul 6, 7:43 p.m.

I agree with the general gist of Mr. Vance's article. However, most voters are clueless about what the county is and is not responsible for; that's why the candidates have on their websites whatever they think will get them the most votes. Next, I disagree with the topics he suggests ...

Posted Fri, May 29, 6:11 p.m.

I think it was a mistake to: (a) keep single-payer advocates from the table - all alternatives should be considered; and (b) to have the crocodiles, i.e. the industry interests, so closely involved in the solution. I worked in health care for ~ 5 years. My entire department was responsible ...

Posted Sat, May 23, 12:10 p.m.

Fantastic discussion that you've provoked, Matt. It's a problem without an easy/palatable solution. We have entered an era where this situation is going to be the norm, whether it be at the local, state, or federal level. We don't have enough money to provide the services that people are clamoring ...

Posted Wed, May 6, 8:06 p.m.

I agree with Eric. However, I would use the $ to expand our "direct access" ramps and other infrastructure improvements for transit (e.g., transit signal priority, HOV and HOT lanes, etc.) to improve its speed and reliability.

Posted Sun, Apr 26, 6:55 p.m.

Kent has been drinking the Seattle Koolaid re: the viaduct replacement; here's why. All of the non-bored tunnel options would have resulted in 3-5 years of no Alaskan Way Viaduct, with those 110,000 cars/day having to find another place to be. This cost was not factored in. The (surface) total ...

Posted Sat, Apr 18, 1:18 p.m.

I agree with most of Ted's points, especially closing the loopholes in the sales tax, which are plentiful and non-sensical. With health care, where I worked for 5 years, I'd add these items: (1) pay for physical exams from birth through age 20 at the recommended intervals to head off ...

Posted Sat, Mar 7, 2:58 p.m.

The folks who seem to be against VMT are those who gain from the current system, e.g. drive high MPG cars and possibly lots of miles. Yet, as more people drive higher MPG vehicles and eventually plug-in vehicles, they're contributing less to the transportation system yet using it just the ...

Posted Mon, Feb 16, 2:05 p.m.

Under any of the non-bore tunnel options, you'd be faced with 3-4 years of no viaduct (with the bored tunnel, the gap is months in later 2015). Those 110,000 cars would be going to I-5 or city streets in search of an option. That is a cost that was not ...

Posted Thu, Feb 12, 9:28 p.m.

I agree. The politicians only feigned having their eye on the ball, with politics as usual butting out any good intentions they might have had going in.