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Politics / Policy

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Recession, wrecking balls, and history

Posted Wed, Jan 7, 6 a.m.

The new year will be challenging for historic preservation in Seattle, but there are great opportunities and new initiatives ahead, too. Here's a breakdown of six front-burner issues for 2009. First of 2 parts

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2008: Year of Hope, Year of Fear. Essay 13

Posted Tue, Jan 6, 6 a.m.

Why the odds are long for an economic and social turnaround

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Think before you cut the state auditor's budget

Posted Tue, Jan 6, 6 a.m.

With some politicians calling for slashing funds for performance audits, consider all the money Auditor Brian Sonntag has been saving, and the dogs he's been watching.

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2008: Year of Hope, Year of Fear. Essay 12

Posted Sun, Jan 4, 1:20 p.m.

Yes, we can. Will we?

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Five things that make even a Mossback happy

Posted Sat, Jan 3, 6 a.m.

Set aside the nostalgia for a moment, and consider the good aspects of the new Seattle. Really.

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2008: Year of Hope, Year of Fear. Essay 11

Posted Fri, Jan 2, 2:21 p.m.

After a year of shattered illusions, are we just growing a new crop?

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2008: Year of Hope, Year of Fear. Essay 10

Posted Fri, Jan 2, 6 a.m.

The Northwest's progressive tradition is "shovel-ready" for some national programs.

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2008: Year of Hope, Year of Fear. Essay 8

Posted Wed, Dec 31, 9 a.m.

Is this the year the Republicans went down for the count?

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2008: Year of Hope, Year of Fear, Essay 7

Posted Tue, Dec 30, 4 p.m.

The biggest change must come from ourselves, shifting from a culture of greed to one of community. The national shift seems more likely than a local one.

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2008: Year of Hope, Year of Fear. Essay 6

Posted Tue, Dec 30, 11 a.m.

A perfect storm of opportunity, caused by our disorientation and our search for a new vision.

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2008: Year of Hope, Year of Fear. Essay 5

Posted Tue, Dec 30, 6 a.m.

An opportunity to transform regional politics

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2008: Year of Hope, Year of Fear. Essay 3

Posted Mon, Dec 29, 11 a.m.

Waking up to the new reality of curbing spending

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2008: Year of Hope, Year of Fear. Essay 1

Posted Sun, Dec 28, noon

A year of growing up and getting serious

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Six New Year's wishes

Posted Sun, Dec 28, 6 a.m.

New leadership, new hopes. And how about some smart decisions on some key issues?

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How to build a Northwest conservatism

Posted Fri, Dec 26, 6 a.m.

Conservatives in the region pay too much heed to national conservative themes and not enough to the deep values of the Northwest. These values do not necessitate liberal politics.

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Please pass the (road) salt

Posted Wed, Dec 24, 12:01 p.m.

A Seattle transplant sums up the region's snowstorm-response failings.

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Can Seattle be a Slow City?

Posted Wed, Dec 24, 6 a.m.

An international movement to change the ethic of growing cities seems right for the Northwest. But we'd have to check the boom-town impulses embedded both in our growth economy and our frontier DNA.

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Self-congratulatory environmentalism

Posted Tue, Dec 23, 6 a.m.

Back East, folks somehow think it's enough to carry a reusable bag to a farmer's market. That prompts a screed against saving the earth with symbols.

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Memo to city pols: times are tough

Posted Mon, Dec 22, 6 a.m.

While the rest of us tighten our belts, the Mayor and City Council pass around pay increases and raise fees. Hello?

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Humor: The Fear Olympics

Posted Sun, Dec 21, 3 p.m.

The competition over catastrophizing couldn't come at a better time, and our author is one of the contestants.

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Other media

EBay's Meg Whitman will run for California governor Formal announcement expected soon. She'll face strong opponents in Republican primary.

Meet the architect of Obama's economic strategy Lawrence Summers was booted from Harvard and now is mastermind of the US economy. His job will be to shoot down dumb ideas without shooting down the messengers.

Europe running out of gas The spat between Russia and the Ukraine over natural gas leaves European nations with little to burn as winter cold sets in.

They'll plow it when it falls in Chicago The Windy City, no stranger to winter storms, abandons a plan to save money on snow removal.

Blaming Barack for Gaza A top al-Quaida leader says the president-elect could have stopped Israel.

Blog posts

More political messes for Obama

Posted Sun, Jan 4, 12:43 p.m.

The Richardson case does not look good for this longtime public servant.

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Happy Nazi New Year

Posted Thu, Jan 1, 4:50 p.m.

2009 starts with a bang in terms of Nazi stories, which were a strong theme in 2008 too. In addition, we gained insights into the similar reading habits of Bush and Hitler.

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Oregon will move to tax cars by the mile

Posted Tue, Dec 30, 6 a.m. 2008

The gas tax would be phased out and drivers monitored by GPS and subjected to a mileage tax instead.

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You call that socialism?

Posted Tue, Dec 30, 6 a.m. 2008

In economic hard times many states are re-looking at privatization and "pawning the family silver" to raise cash.

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Sobering lessons for Puget Sound clean-up

Posted Mon, Dec 29, noon 2008

A Washington Post story indicates that after a major multi-decade, multi-billion-dollar effort, there's little or no progress in saving Chesapeake Bay.

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The politics of beards

Posted Sat, Jan 3, 3 p.m.

Is Portland the "beardiest" city in America? Should Prince William shave his new whiskers? And what will the impact of a baby-faced Obama be on facial hair fashion?

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Mayor Dynamite

Posted Fri, Dec 26, noon 2008

Greg Nickels got Northgate development unstuck by blowing up the entrenched sides. But is that the best way to make friends? Or to clear icy streets?

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Local politicians strike out in the cabinet quest

Posted Thu, Dec 18, 11 a.m. 2008

The state has only had three cabinet posts in its history, a distinct underperformance. But consider one forgotten success story involving former mayor Dorm Braman

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Dear Barack: Here's your handy green agenda

Posted Thu, Dec 18, 6 a.m. 2008

A large group of environmental organizations send Obama suggestions for his first 200 days or undoing Bush policies and getting serious about modern forest protection.

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Can Ken Salazar clean the stables at Interior?

Posted Thu, Dec 18, noon 2008

The office has attracted scoundrels who shamelessly favored private resource interests. Also, it's become a chance for presidents to make a political statement.

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