Once a necessity for women, a businesslike demeanor could be hurting the governor
Politicians, federal officials, and lobbyists helped enable Wall Street by limiting lawsuits
Business / Technology »A leading shareholder litigator says suing over WaMu would likely be a waste of time
2008 Election »The other Proposition 1: Seattle voters are asked to fix the Pike Place Market
American graffiti: The problem with third-party candidates
Amid a swirl of national affairs, two rock-steady debaters
How accurate is Battle in Seattle?
Move the meter: 'Buildergate' gains media legs
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Congestion conjecture: Eyman's I-985
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Amid a swirl of national affairs, two rock-steady debaters
(15 comments)
The screws of Buildergate tighten on Dino Rossi
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The prospect of a POTUS with PTSD
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American graffiti: The problem with third-party candidates
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B- for McCain; B+ for Obama
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Dear Sen. Murray: Please don't feed the rats
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The high cost of an empty taxicab
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Belt-tightening time for the Mercer Mess?
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Seattle: Coming back to earth
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An interesting follow-up to my story last week on the future of suburbia is a profile of Merced, Calif., in the Aug. 24 issue of The New York Times. Skeptical that some burbs might become the new ghost towns? Check out the picture of the Riverstone housing development that accompanies this story, of an unfinished project baking in the sun and dirty air of a boomtown gone bust.
Median condominium prices in Chicago, notes Harvard urban economist Edward Glaeser, are $232,000. That's very low, even a shade under those in Trenton, N.J. (The King County median price for condos is $285,000.) What do those smart urbanists in Chicago know about affordability?
Denver is about to have its 15 days of fame, as host to the Democratic National Convention next month. I suspect one star of the show will be Mayor John Hickenlooper, my idea of the best mayor in the nation. NewWest.net recently did a good interview with the mayor, and it's a fine introduction to his winning style. It's also an audio interview.
So far, not a lot of policy is coming out of the Dino Rossi campaign, but it may be very interesting when it does. That's because the Republicans are getting pretty desperate for bold new ideas to turn around their national tailspin. I'll give some examples below.
David Goldstein at Horse's Ass says everyone has missed the boat about the latest mess surrounding the "top-two" primary. The Seattle Times blamed the parties. The parties blamed the state. Others blamed the lawyers. Goldstein, however, says the person to blame for what could be the "most monumental legal fuck up in state history — one which puts the legitimacy of our entire 2008 election in jeopardy" — is state Attorney General Rob McKenna.
Chris Mulick at the Tri-City Herald has today's top story, reporting this morning that Tim Eyman's Initiative 985 and the Service Employees International Union-backed Initiative 1029 would — if passed by voters in November — increase the state's budget deficit by an estimated $300 million.
A report released today by Sightline Institute shows that per-capita gasoline consumption in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho decreased for the seventh consecutive year in 2007. That's an 11 percent decrease since 1999.
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There's a cool Web site that lets you look at the electoral college results in presidential races since 1789. It features a U.S. map that shows the color of states as they were carried every four years: red for Republican, blue for Democrat, purple for Whig. It's fun to look at the Great Nearby and see the trends.