Stories for Nov. 29, 2007

A Democrat in Olympia thinks his party has panicked over I-747

By Austin Jenkins

Not all Democrats are pleased about today's special session of the Washington Legislature. Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat, called the one-day gathering to reinstate Initiative 747, the 1 percent cap on non-voter-approved property tax increases. Earlier this month, the Washington state Supreme Court threw out the cap on a technicality. "I do think we've panicked on it," observes state Sen. Ken Jacobsen, a Seattle Democrat. Jacobsen says it's pretty obvious the governor and Democratic leaders in the Legislature called the special session - at least in part – because next year is an election year. "I assume they wanted to take an issue away" from Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi and initiative promoter Tim Eyman, says Jacobsen.

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In Olympia, a shouting match: Tim Eyman vs. state Sen. Adam Kline

By Austin Jenkins

A longstanding feud between initiative king Tim Eyman and Democratic state Sen. Adam Kline of Seattle boiled over this morning at the Capitol. Lawmakers are back for a one-day special session to reinstate Eyman's Initiative 747, a 1 percent cap on annual property tax hikes, which was thrown out earlier this month by the Washington state Supreme Court. At the end of an Eyman news conference outside the Senate chambers, Kline held up a copy of the state budget and challenged Eyman to suggest specific cuts in programs and services. What erupted next was a good old fashioned shouting match. By the end, Kline's voice was breaking and the two men were shouting over each other. Here's an audio file [940 KB]. This a good, but not perfect, transcription:

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Paying the SuperSmart to watch the SuperSmarter

By Mike Henderson

The conceit has been that if you're rich you must be smart. This even applies to those who actually happen to look kind of stupid. Think of Ebenezer Scrooge, Scrooge McDuck, or their modern equivalent, Clay Bennett. The latter, undeniably wealthy and stupid-looking, in fact may be a brilliant lead owner of the Seattle SuperSonics. Just look at what he accomplished merely by having his management guys free the team of unneeded shooting guard Ray Allen and expendable forward Rashard Lewis, the two Sonics marquee mainstays of the past few seasons. Not only did he help make Allen's new club, the 11-2 Boston Celtics, better than it's been since the Larry Bird years. He also raised the Lewis-led Orlando Magic to perhaps the best team in the National Basketball Association.

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Profiles encourage: Wisdom for today's politics

By Pete Jackson

Political junkies and bibliophiles commence drooling: High on my bookshelf sits a first edition of John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage. You heard me: a pricey (at $3.30) Harpers hardback with the original, fraying dust jacket. The profiled politicos, from John Quincy Adams to Robert Taft, are listed vertically along the spine. On the back, JFK is identified as a 38-year-old senator and decorated WWII veteran. Improbably it reads, "In 1952 he became the third Democrat ever elected to the Senate from Massachusetts." (!) Political times, how they change.

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The Ron Paul conundrum

By Knute Berger

Why are so many progressives flirting with one of the most conservative Republicans to ever seek the presidency? A Seattle blogger is trying to out Paul's extremism, but others claim he is smearing a principled libertarian. Meanwhile, Western Washington cash flows into Paul's campaign.

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Look out! The Olympic mascot's got a gun!

By Knute Berger

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics has unveiled their cuddly new mascots: Quatchi, Miga, Sumi – and a sidekick named Mukmuk, a Vancouver island marmot. Picking mascots for major events is never easy: they have to be a graphic icon, irresistible to children, and ridicule-proof. Sometimes mascots are based on real animals, sometimes they're totally invented creatures. Vancouver seems to have followed a middle path by basing theirs on local First Nations mythology: Sasquatch (Quatichi), Sea Bear (Miga) and Animal Guardian Spirit (Sumi). Cuddly as they are, they have a serious job to do. One of Sumi's jobs is to brandish a gun in peace-loving Canada.

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