9:21 AM
Citizen R commented on Dow Constantine Is Now the King County Executive.
Good speech, Dow, but citizens in a free society are not mere "customers" when it comes to their relationship with local government. Yes, I'm a customer of City Light because I buy my electricity from them, but I'm not a customer of the Department of Public Health or the Sheriff's Department or the county Parks' Department. To them I'm a Citizen, thank you very much.
3:41 PM yesterday
Citizen R commented on The Fundamental Question About McGinn's Win.
Geez, can't they both be correct? I've been around here nearly 40 years and active in (or at least paying keen attention to) local politics all the while.
Yes, the electorate evolves over time; old voters die; some huge percentage of the City's population has been here fewer than 5 years; people who choose to live in the city as opposed to the 'burbs are more liberal/progressive (pick your term).
And yes, R-71 and I-1033 and Suzie H. (not Dow per se; any of the other D contenders could've done as well had the primary turned out differently) were huge motivating factors as well.
Let's just call it the perfect political storm.
Yes, the electorate evolves over time; old voters die; some huge percentage of the City's population has been here fewer than 5 years; people who choose to live in the city as opposed to the 'burbs are more liberal/progressive (pick your term).
And yes, R-71 and I-1033 and Suzie H. (not Dow per se; any of the other D contenders could've done as well had the primary turned out differently) were huge motivating factors as well.
Let's just call it the perfect political storm.
Nov 23
Citizen R commented on Taking the Padicabs to Court.
Why should the victims in this tragedy even have to file suit? The pedicab company's insurer should be offering a 7-figure settlement from the start. There is no legitimate question of liability here.
The company cannot dodge responsibility to the victims (their customers) by pointing to the driver or the pedicab manufacturer (let the insurer go after the manufacturer if they wish).
Businessmen and insurers like to rail against trial lawyers, but they have only themselves to blame; seems to me.
The company cannot dodge responsibility to the victims (their customers) by pointing to the driver or the pedicab manufacturer (let the insurer go after the manufacturer if they wish).
Businessmen and insurers like to rail against trial lawyers, but they have only themselves to blame; seems to me.
Nov 18
Citizen R commented on Conlin Assails Plan to Replace 520 Bridge.
Where can we get more info, more detailed illustrations, for Option M?
WSDOT Web site only has A, K, and L.
WSDOT Web site only has A, K, and L.
Nov 18
Citizen R commented on Swinging at the Speaker.
While not commenting on the merits of the issue, any campaign against Speaker Chopp would have to be much better thought out and executed than the debacle against Helen Sommers a few years back.
Paraphrasing the old saying, when you strike at the King, you have to be certain of the kill.
Paraphrasing the old saying, when you strike at the King, you have to be certain of the kill.
Nov 18
Citizen R commented on Legislators Pick 520 Bridge Plan Over Chopp's Protest.
Among the 3 alternatives they have at the moment, this panel selected the only viable one.
The non-selected options are just wierd, K and L. They have no connection to Montlake Blvd -- no way for 520 traffic to get to Capitol Hill, unless you detour over the Ship Canal and back, or snake through Montlake back streets (bet the neighbors would just love that!)
The non-selected options are just wierd, K and L. They have no connection to Montlake Blvd -- no way for 520 traffic to get to Capitol Hill, unless you detour over the Ship Canal and back, or snake through Montlake back streets (bet the neighbors would just love that!)
Nov 16
Citizen R commented on Celebrate the Gerrymandering.
Huge topic here if someone really wants to get into it. Fact is the two parties negotiate, in private thank you very much, to divide up the state into the maximum number of one-party districts, roughly evenly divided between the two parties. And then the rest of the state gets divided into more closely-matched "swing" districts that ultimately determine the partisan outcomes in each house of the Legislature.
A more public-spirited goal would be to attempt to maximize the number of such swing districts, but as long as the process is totally controlled by the two parties, that will never happen.
A more public-spirited goal would be to attempt to maximize the number of such swing districts, but as long as the process is totally controlled by the two parties, that will never happen.
Nov 13
Citizen R commented on Seattle Times Death Penalty Reader Poll.
Fair trial, anyone? Prosecutor Satterberg and police investigators have hopeless tainted the jury pool here in Puget Sound country by releasing and discussing all the damning evidence they have accumulated.
However much evidence we have that he "dunnit", he's not going to plead guilty to a capital offense. There WILL be a trial, and at one time I thought that public officials like Satterberg and the SPD were interested in having fair trials for all, no matter how brutal the crime.
Guess I was wrong.
However much evidence we have that he "dunnit", he's not going to plead guilty to a capital offense. There WILL be a trial, and at one time I thought that public officials like Satterberg and the SPD were interested in having fair trials for all, no matter how brutal the crime.
Guess I was wrong.
Nov 8
Citizen R commented on Deep Thought.
Ummmm, Seattlerik @20; your -- " At least give the monorail agency credit for including that provision to kill the project. Sound Transit has never been so accountable, that's for sure."
I'm surprised that you would knock Sound Transit at this late date. They built a system and have it operating, and voters gave them a mandate last November to greatly expand the system. If the voters had any problem with Sound Transit's accountability, they surely wouldn't not expanded their light rail mission by a margin of 57 percent.
I'm surprised that you would knock Sound Transit at this late date. They built a system and have it operating, and voters gave them a mandate last November to greatly expand the system. If the voters had any problem with Sound Transit's accountability, they surely wouldn't not expanded their light rail mission by a margin of 57 percent.
Nov 5
Citizen R commented on Ballot Box Vandalized.
I dropped my ballots into that box about 6:00 p.m. on election night, and the place was teeming with election staff waiting to close it down at 8:00 when the "polls" closed.
WHY ON EARTH WAS THE BOX NOT EMPTIED AT 8:00 P.M.?????? What were all those people doing there if it wasn't to empty the damned box?!
This is more stupid than putting I-1033 at the bottom of the instructions column on the ballot.
We have an ELECTED director of elections, now, and things were supposed to get better? And we're still getting shit like this?
WHY ON EARTH WAS THE BOX NOT EMPTIED AT 8:00 P.M.?????? What were all those people doing there if it wasn't to empty the damned box?!
This is more stupid than putting I-1033 at the bottom of the instructions column on the ballot.
We have an ELECTED director of elections, now, and things were supposed to get better? And we're still getting shit like this?
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