It will be interesting to see how Tom "Tunnel" Rasmussen goes on this.

Sawant always looks like the most unhappy person in any picture that is taken of her.

@2 It's called projection. She doesn't have any expression on her face.

How happy would you say you are?

@3: I guess I should clarify that I mean she looks like the most unhappy person in a picture in question, not the most unhappy person on the planet.

My favorite is the celebratory $15 now image of her and a group of people, all smiling fists raised high in the air, but Sawant just kind of has a half smile, and her fist is right about at face level. Makes me chuckle.

But I am a pretty happy person I guess, thanks for asking! How are you doing?

"Burgess worries that having a bunch of progressive measures on the fall ballot—from pre-K to transit funding, and now maybe public financing, too—will make it less likely that pre-K will pass. "

That's what he thinks will be worrisome? Because it's basically his fault there will be two Pre-K measures on the ballot which I think will actually be the more confusing thing to voters.

Watching him, in person, manhandle Licata at the last full City Council meeting over Pre-K (Licata was only seeking clarification and Burgess seemed to almost refuse to answer his clarifying questions. It was rude to say the least), I have to wonder if Burgess has some bigger reason for Pre-K. He seems almost in a rush to get it done almost as if he doesn't want too many questions asked.

Problem is, he has now dragged the Seattle School district into this and SPS parents are NOT going to vote to lose resources and space for pre-k when the schools are already out of space and underfunded.

Fogt? how is that pronounced? I hope it sounds like "fucked"

@6, how are Seattle schools underfunded when they spend more per-pupil than all but 2 or 3 other countries in the world?

Clark is absent from the Council meeting.

And fails 4-4.

@5. Okay, good! Doing very well here, too, thanks.

I think she is just a more serious person, not one to ham it up for the camera like her colleagues on the right. Personally I appreciate a politician that doesn't have a fake practiced smile glued to their face.

She also doesn't even seem to realize she is being photographed.

@6 - we really have to go over this again?

- The US educates everyone. This is not true in many other countries like China.
- The US is one of the least homogenous countries around and provides services to immigrant children beyond what any other country does.
- The US, in educating everyone, also educates children with special education needs, who are largely ignored in other countries. This is a very expensive undertaking but a moral one.
- WA state ranks nearly at the bottom for funding in this country. And yet, almost at the top for SAT scores and numbers of students - across all ethnic groups - taking the test continues to rise. Meaning, our state does more with fewer dollars.
- the WA State Supreme Court has determined that because the Legislature has not considered basic education funding since the late '70s (I'll assume you were around then but guess what, no computers in schools back then), that the Legislature is not fully funding public education.

Do you want arts? PE? Computers in every school (and this is a requirement in order to give the new Common Core assessments)? Civics? Science labs? Athletics?

The modern day classroom - at least in the US - costs money. And the states that do fund to the highest levels - NY, NJ, MA - all have the highest test scores in the country.

CM O'Brien delivered one of the most brilliant speeches ever. I supported him on bringing public funding to the voters. I am sorry we couldn't make it happen.