Posted Fri, Jan 7, 2:52 p.m.

This guy from King County Tobacco Compliance wants to lecture us about efficiency? I'd just as soon be lectured by a Nigerian email scammer. Before you lecture, you've gotta have some remote semblance of credibilty. About 15 years ago I had a friend who had been laid off temporarily from ...

Posted Mon, Jan 3, 7:30 p.m.

The state is slowly but surely taking over all the things that the mob once did. Numbers racket (lotto), booze. If they can ever truly crack down on payday loans, they will set the stage for a state loan-sharking operation. Prostitution and drug sales are possibilities too. I doubt the ...

Posted Fri, Dec 3, 11:07 p.m.

I did it, too. 3:25 despite a bad foot.

Posted Fri, Dec 3, 11 p.m.

Norm Stamper, misguided in some ways, but a great man without a doubt. He and Charlie Chong were the best two politicos that Seattle had in the past 20 years. Both not surprisingly failed to get anywhere in the morass of Seattle politics.

Posted Thu, Dec 24, 1:10 a.m.

Thanks so much for this article. I will definitely be sending a donation to help them even though I am not of Christian persuation. Just the thought that I might have played a tiny role in another Billy or Stephanie would be great.

Posted Thu, Dec 17, 8:19 p.m.

I don't have kids and had no idea that the school situation was that bad in Seattle. Wow. And I did not know that there is a high school in seattle with a 44% (!) graduation rate that sends out material to parents that is full of grammatical errors. Just ...

Posted Sat, Nov 28, 9:15 p.m.

haha great article. I am injured too but I just filled out my 2010 vacation and managed to get some time at the end of Nov. Hell nor high water will keep me from doing the Seattle marathon next year.

Posted Sat, Nov 28, 9 p.m.

amber gunn for gov, 2012

Posted Sun, Nov 22, 12:07 a.m.

note first sentence above should have been 'The WA budget has gone from $15.02 billion...'

Posted Sun, Nov 22, 12:05 a.m.

The WA has gone from $15.02 billion in 1985, to 34.1 billion in 1995, to $69.18 in 2007. Even after adjusting for inflation and population, that is sharp growth. We see example after example of ridiculous waste such as the 8 troopers on paid leave for a year after submitting ...

Posted Thu, Nov 5, 2:24 a.m.

yes liberal is somewhat a dirty word. Early in the 20th century people like Eugene Debs openly called themselves 'socialists.' But as socialism became unpopular, the label 'liberalism' was adopted in the 50's & 60's. This appealed to the hippie culture of the time--free thought, free love, etc. But as ...

Posted Fri, Jul 24, 3:50 a.m.

"Initiative I-1033 is a reverse Robin Hood scheme. It takes money from the poor and middle class in the form of sales taxes we pay (57% of state revenue last year was from the sales tax) and would use it to reduce property taxes. The more property you own, the ...

Posted Wed, Jul 22, 2:36 a.m.

jeez, I was just wondering--where are all the complaints about direct democracy such as are found over at the comment thread on Tim Eyman? For example this one: [i]"Timmy, you fail to understand the central tenet of representative democracy. If people are unhappy with the policies implemented by their elected ...

Posted Wed, Jul 22, 2:27 a.m.

Ask yourself why Seattle still has no Green Line monorail in spite of having spent $200 million on it. The answer to the question of why light rail took so long is strongly similar.

Posted Sun, Jul 19, 4:16 a.m.

Spot on PhilTG. It does not matter if it is Gregoire, Bush, Obmama, or the rock star who files for bankruptcy. Spendaholism is spendaholism. sjenner, the initiatives that increase spending have been few and far between. It is much easier for the beneficiaries of spending increases to go through the ...

Posted Fri, Jul 17, 3 a.m.

We are already in similar shape to California. Our deficit was proportional to theirs. There is no coaster only roller. State spending has gone from $39 billion per biennium to $69 billion in the last 10 years. If a family member is a shopaholic and plastic-addict sooner or later daddy ...

Posted Mon, Jan 12, 10:46 a.m.

While I like the diversity too, I don't have any kids in school. A friend of mine who does (a liberal, BTW) complains that his kids' education suffers by all the resources required for English-challenged immigrant students. I think we would be better able to cope if we had, say, ...

Posted Mon, Jan 12, 10:23 a.m.

Well, the press studiously ignored Biden's many gaffes. His false claims about his academic background, his plagiarism, his claim of having invented the patriot act, his stingy charitable contributions, his racially-charged comments, his ties to MNBA, etc.--all were glossed over as just 'Joe being Joe.' Why would not the press ...

Posted Sun, Jan 11, 5:56 a.m.

Regardless of calendar sales, Sarah Palin has been taken out (politically speaking) successfully. It is certainly one of the prouder accomplishments of the liberal left. Lefties must be especially proud of how they trashed Sarah via Bristol Palin, Bristol's boyfriend's mom, etc. Hopefully the tactic will not come back to ...

Posted Tue, Oct 14, 9:26 p.m.

I don't think the writer meant to say that the circle 'caused' the murder to take place, so let's not stuff words into his mouth. It was the occasion of sin, so to speak. If a guy gets shot outside a hiphop club, hiphop did not commit the murder, else ...

Posted Sun, Jun 22, 2:35 a.m.

traffic & the Sonics: I thought that the Kemper Freeman proposal to build a stadium at the former Safeway distribution center in Bellevue would have been perfect for the Sonics. I wondered why it seemed to just disappear. So I found most interesting the item about how Microsoft nixed it ...

Posted Tue, Jun 3, 5:43 a.m.

RE: So is he worth $160,000 a year ?: I believe the Mak show was a replacement for the 'Compton Report.' Compton left to become a city councilman, so this makes two liberals in a row who have left a King 5 local Sunday show to go to work for ...

Posted Wed, May 28, 3:02 a.m.

ol white guys--cain't trust em: you can't trust them ol white guys. They're violent, and they're super sexed-up. I'd like to see every one of 'em locked up.

Posted Tue, May 27, 3:47 a.m.

RE: It's the game, stupid: I agree 100% with this. I was one of those kids who could reel of reams of baseball stats. Now, I could not care less. The $2 million .200 hitters, the DUIs etc. are bad enough, but when pro sports went on welfare and demanded ...

Posted Wed, May 7, 9:22 a.m.

RE: It's grandstanding, and here's how I know: OK then, my bad. The article here does not give any details on what Nickels said about gun control. In the past his two big items have always been gun shows and 'assault weapons' If he has now dropped those two useless ...

Posted Wed, May 7, 12:51 a.m.

It's grandstanding, and here's how I know: The fact that the mayor brings up gun control tells me that this is just intended as grandstanding. The two gun control measures he wants are 1) 'assault weapon' ban; 2) gun show restrictions. The 'assault weapon' ban is close to meaningless. The ...

Posted Thu, May 1, 9:57 a.m.

RE: Correcting a Straw Man travel time: U district to downtown: Wow 6mph, why don't we just give people tax-credits for running shoes, and save a few billion dollars, not to mention fight obesity.

Posted Tue, Apr 29, 10:31 a.m.

RE: Push Polling RE: sound transit=non-starter: Thank you, sjenner, you have more patience than me. I note finally that R from Beacon Hill never responded to my 'poll question' of whether he works for ST. I am pretty sure this is a guy who works for ST and posts comments ...

Posted Mon, Apr 28, 8:36 p.m.

RE: sound transit=non-starter: It was widely referred to as a 'push poll' at the time. If there is a technical definition of 'push poll' that doesn't fit, then call it a 'phony poll' as the guy quoted in the PI did. Either way it was a misuse of tax money.

Posted Mon, Apr 28, 2:03 a.m.

Seattle: middle class need not apply.: I work at a blue-collar, union job with about 75 co-workers. Many of the older guys grew up in Seattle, but I think we only have 1 or 2 left who still live there. Seattle is only suitable for the very rich and very ...

Posted Sun, Apr 27, 9:08 p.m.

RE: Nobody believes your crap either Niles: Is that why we just spent $4 million on sewer plant artwork? Because Bush is bleeding us dry?

Posted Sun, Apr 27, 8:01 p.m.

RE: sound transit=non-starter: Note also that the push poll story is mentioned under related stories in this very post by TVD. A pretty good example of how people tend to spew first, read later. I am as guilty--I commented first and then went back to reread, when I noticed the ...

Posted Sun, Apr 27, 7:39 p.m.

RE: sound transit=non-starter: In your thorough coverage, you missed a spot. The push poll was well-covered by Crosscut here. As for the glossy flyers, shift the blame to the legislature if you wish. It was still $400,000 of tax money spent to assist a campaign, in violation of the spirit, ...

Posted Sat, Apr 26, 6:16 p.m.

the TaxDome: The naming rights should go to those who paid the lion's share to build it. I'd call it 'Taxpayer Park,' or maybe the 'TaxDome.' Then I'd have a statue out front of a little guy, say about my size (5'6") lifting over his head a yacht filled with ...

Posted Sat, Apr 26, 6:07 p.m.

sound transit=non-starter: For a while there the mantra about Sound Transit was that this was a new and different ST that had 'cleaned up its act.' In other words, the old "We didn't do anything wrong, and we've stopped doing it" line. I will make the same comment I made ...

Posted Fri, Mar 28, 4:59 p.m.

second hand sausage fat: My friend that 'salty goodness' of cooking sausage that 'smacked' you 'in the nose' was nothing more than dead animal fat wafting through the air, enticing you to devour and dine. Are children exposed? I certainly hope not! I once worked at a restaurant, where as ...

Posted Tue, Mar 25, 10:20 a.m.

What about McIver: The attendent will need to be armed. In fact, McIver has a concealed weapons permit, why not have him do it?

Posted Sat, Mar 22, 10:42 p.m.

If we let this shoe drop....many more to come.: SJenner hits on the number one reason to reject the Ballmer offer: it is just one step in an endless vicious cycle. The Mariners were quietly lobbying against the tax going to the Sonics because the Mariners know that at some ...

Posted Tue, Mar 18, 5:58 a.m.

trust your first impulse: Your first impulse was right. People will do much better to run in a 10K, join a tennis club etc. than to tax themselves for a Sonics stadium and watch 10 freakishly tall people play. And people would be better off to paint a painting or ...

Posted Wed, Mar 12, 5:54 a.m.

Seattle--land of the very rich, very poor, and very old: Rhetoric notwithstanding, Seattle progressives have created a city unsuitable for the middle class. Only rich and poor are in effect welcome. And despite constant progressive claims of doing things 'for the children' neither are they effectively welcome. I work at ...

Posted Tue, Mar 11, 1:36 p.m.

RE: This One is Easy - Cut The Deal: I enjoy pro sports as much as anybody, particularly the NBA, but you fail to make a case for gov't involvement in pro-sports w/ your 'audacity of hope' argument. Many people get the same kind of community warmth and fuzziness over ...

Posted Tue, Mar 11, 1:21 p.m.

Baby Jesus Tax: I call this tax the "Baby Jesus Tax," because it taxes a bed, meal and the modern equivalent of a donkey to get around, on any out of town visitor. If Mary and Joseph wanted to come to Seattle, they would be asked, make that demanded, to ...

Posted Sat, Mar 8, 8:13 a.m.

circular logic: And as for your retort that anyone caught w/ a .45/70 would be in deep doo-doo: the question asked by the post was 'do we need guns at Paradise?' Mr. Berger noted that a commonly carried gun like a .357 was ineffective against grizzly bears. My response was ...

Posted Fri, Mar 7, 8:09 p.m.

good yahoo, bad yahoo: Now it's getting better. We've got the good gun owners and the minority of bad ones, the NRA ones. It's just like the good ol' boys around the stove told me as a kid--there's good "coloreds" and bad "n's," but the bad ones are runnin' things. ...

Posted Fri, Mar 7, 12:04 p.m.

This deal good today only.: A lot of people have wondered about the timing. Are Steve Ballmer & pals really so disorganized that couldn't put this together before the session? These guys who went from garage to world dominance in under 20 yrs? The only thing I've seen ithat makes ...

Posted Fri, Mar 7, 11:49 a.m.

Mak's point goes unnoticed: Robert Mak interviewed Howard Shultz and Wally Walker when Shultz was lobbying for a stadium revamp. Mak said the biggest problem with KeyArena (considered a great deal when it was made) was that when Safeco & Quest fields came along, their superior luxury box offerings stole ...

Posted Fri, Mar 7, 9:31 a.m.

weak hand gets weaker: Several have said that Bennet way overpaid for the team, If he doesn't make close to what Shultz made on a sale, especially after all his troubles, he looks like a dufus. Will the new money guys want to pay another $100 million for a team ...

Posted Thu, Mar 6, 5:41 p.m.

ST's Pre-owned Car Lot: I do not have sufficent time to study to the level of detail of some. I did take the poll and found the questions to be very loaded. There were comment spaces, but I wonder what will be done with the comments--largely tossed, I'm guessing. This ...

Posted Thu, Mar 6, 5:26 p.m.

temporary of temporary of temporary.: The taxes to fund Safeco & Quest fields were notoriously temporary, promised to expire when the stadia were paid off. Now Sonics boosters propose "temporarily extending car-rental and restaurant taxes" (from the Seattle Times article). No doubt that when the new Sonics stadium is paid ...

Posted Thu, Mar 6, 4:54 p.m.

yahoo, continued.: Well stated, Breneman. Yarrow: the biologist also used the term 'yahoo.' He quoted an imaginary figure as saying "'My balls are bigger than any 350 pound bear's," and concluded, "The result will be crunchy NRA yahoo." Great minds, right? What is the evidence for all these overconfident gun ...

Posted Thu, Mar 6, 4:49 a.m.

'yahoo' logic: The comments of biologist S.E. regarding NRA members remind me of nothing so much as a good ol' bigot talking about some despised minority group. He has worked up such a caricature in his mind about gun owners (yahoos, as he calls them) that he can no longer ...

Posted Mon, Feb 11, 6:54 p.m.

RE: hope is a lot of hooey, its just another mindless drug: Mike, McCain's VP choice will be huge due to his age, rumors that he is committed to one term only, and his need to mollify the R conservative base. Add to that the likelihood of a close race ...

Posted Sun, Feb 10, 1:15 a.m.

fascist Bush: People have labeled Bush as a 'fascist' for the last 8 yrs w/ no supporting evidence, so it's a little late in the game to complain about the inappropriate use of 'fascism.' I think that only a tiny percentage of people who use that term could provide a ...

Posted Sun, Jan 27, 5:07 a.m.

point: Obama: Good article. And what I take from it is, chalk up one more point for Obama. He's a guy who shed his convenient, Americanized nickname for his given name. That bespeaks fortitude and forthrightness. Whether that actually translates to his character, I don't really know Hillary on the ...

Posted Wed, Jan 23, 2:21 p.m.

republican canard: I have noticed over years of watching, that we only hear the point about our republican form of gov't("deliberative process") in connection w/ Eyman. We didn't about it when the WEA ran their sales tax initiative. Dittos for the cig tax, the min wage, the monorail, and many ...

Posted Mon, Jan 21, 4:54 p.m.

counter weight: Damn you folks are wordy. Tim Eyman is a fiscal conservative/social liberal like most of us taxpayers are. There is a natural bias in Olympia toward ever-higher taxes and spending. When there's a hearing in Olympia, I don't have time to show up, but those drawing a gov't ...

Posted Sun, Jan 20, 5:12 p.m.

stadium follies: Will the stadium follies never end here? The $million+ salaries of Husky coaches are always justified on the basis that big-time college sports is self-supporting. Now they want $300 million of tax money for a stadium. So much for self supporting. If the stadium can't be funded with ...