weird:

a Schlogg AM
from Yesterday
posted post-Noon
with Zero (so far) comments.

E. WA
getting
Overrun
with Server
Farms ('Cheapest
Power in the States!')
and now the Bitcoin Bosses
are Dismantling it, with Visions
of another ENRON (Elon's?) dancing
thru their numbskulls, making a Killing

wherever Possible.

When the Sonics left, I was pretty irritated. Now, I don't miss professional basketball at all.

Sounds like McConnell finally got the knock on the door he should have been expecting after his "no" vote on Polio, Jr.

McConnell could've stopped this. I hope he dies soon so I can piss on his grave. Or maybe take a shit.

He said he saw another firework on the ground at the scene that was more than a foot long and a few inches wide."

I'm pretty sure that's... like... dynamite. That sounds like dynamite.

a fwozen
MkMittch
statuesque
US Destroyer
undead the pigeons
unspooked the guano rising

Kentucky
in Shambles.

That "joke" was shockingly tone deaf for someone whose whole thing is supposed to be that he's tied into the city community. How could he not have known literally nobody would appreciate or find that funny?

I gather given the context, "gora" was a moniker for the white male Europeans who colonized southern Africa.

Charles, the risk to the region of the cuts at BPA, US ACE and the Bureau of Reclamation (the latter two agencies actually operate the dams and powerhouses on the Columbia) is much worse than it seems. Skilled trades and crafts (system planners to dispatchers to experienced turbine maintenance crews) that are required to keep the bulk electricity system operating were in short supply before covid, became critical thereafter, and we are now in a state of emergency.

And for the love of the God you don't believe in, please, please do not operate your generator indoors! Carbon monoxide poisoning is no joke.

Gora! Gora! Gora!
Now that Mitch is riding into the sunset with his millions, hope he is glad he sold the USA down the river.

@8,

On top of that, presumably these speeches are vetted by at least a couple folks on staff for anything potentially inappropriate or off-putting. How the hell did no one flag that line for removal!?! It even involved a freaking prop! As a certified bonehead, I always want to be sympathetic to even the most upstanding among us for boneheaded mistakes, but this one really stands out, yeesh.

Can some staff person put a Continue Reading onto the trans military article?

They looked at medieval europe's role on the world stage as a plague ridden, illiterate, religious backwater ruled by petty and wealthy tyrants and said "let's get back to the good old days"

@9 Yeah Phoebe, don't ask questions you already know the answer to. I venture to guess that those gora's are all represented well in your family tree.

@15: No, my gora ancestors colonized America, not Africa. Not that it would be insulting if they did.

Hey, I'm one of those "ratepayers" who will benefit from the BPA cuts. Thanks President Trump!

Bye-bye Droopy Dog (Cocaine Mitch). We greatly appreciate your efforts to refuse Merrick Garland a seat on the SCOTUS bench. Aside from that, you are a senile, war mongering old man and MAGA is not the least bit sad to see you go.

@10 - Grant County, Douglas County and Chelan County also operate Columbia River dams.

Yup. You. Are. A. Nazi. @16 Hows that curling iron up your keester feeling these days? You were pretty quiet yesterday. I was dreaming that you choked on your tongue or your vomit.

@18

so you
figure they're
Immune? please
no Nation's EVER BEEN More
fucking Ripe for Tyrannical Rule aka
Corporate Dominionism w/Republican Jesus

they'll make those Rapacious
Fucks @ENRON look like
rank fucking amatuers

because, cuz
who's gonna
Stop 'Em?

I love how the hardcore Socialist Lefites here suddenly think it's a priority to burn massive amounts of public money on pro-sports. Issues everywhere in education, homelessness, and infrastructure.

But let's prioritize burning a big chunk of the money on millionaires playing a kid's game. That makes sense.

Breaking news! Kash Patel has been confirmed as FBI Director. We are making America Great Again, one appointment at a time.

@21 The progressive wing of Seattle likes anything that sheds a bad light on Bruce. You can bet if he had been serious and announced a plan to publicly finance a stadium there would be plenty of outrage coming from them. I think the more interesting question around Harrell is the arrest story that just came out. Who tipped the Times off about that and why? Considering Kroman wrote the article it seems like it's probably an early election shot from the progressives aiming to take Bruce down. I have no idea who they are going to run though. If Lorena couldn't beat him there is certainly no one other progressive in the city even close right now.

@22
you mean
dismantling the
Administrative State
one loyalist-flunky\one
Brick at a time drown it in the

nearest Bathtub.
have you bought
off Bannon as yet?

@21

those 'hardcore Socialist Lefites'
"Clamoring for more Sportsball"!?
yeah, just like Bernie's Always Saying:

"we don't pay nearly
Enough Attention
to Spectacle!"

as he stiffed
the Citizenry
fucking Never

@21, 23,

Here's my $0.02.

Have Sawant commit to a mayoral run on the promise that she re-implement the head tax, but this time with the stipulation that the revenue be funneled to Mariner's ownership on the condition they use it to sign a legitimate MLB quality starting second baseman, something they've obviously shown no inclination to undertake on their own. I see this campaign having broad bi-partisan appeal, with backers from both the perpetually aggrieved suburban RWNJ-bro, and radical left-wing socialist sports fan factions alike, and finally unifying a once deeply divided electorate. The tax specifically targets the wealthy corporate interests while not diverting from social services, and all but guarantees the team sees that player get catastrophically injured in spring training, so as to continue on in the proud tradition of playing .500 ball and narrowly missing the playoffs.

Thoughts?

WereBackBaby, what will you do if your disability payment is cancelled or delayed?

@21, @23: Time for a quick retrospective on the issue of publicly-financed sports stadiums in Seattle:

“The Stranger's official editorial position on professional sports is hostile. The paper is especially hostile to the Mariners--we condemned the Stadium Initiative, and we urged the team to leave town.”

(https://www.thestranger.com/news/2002/03/28/10325/no-one-gives-a-shit-about-baseball)

Yes, hatred of Bruce Harrell (for defeating CM Gonzalez) runs the show here now. The Stranger doesn’t even try to hide it.

Charles, how do I afford a portable generator, much less find one for $400.00, as a 384 sq. ft. studio apartment dweller? I don't have space for one, and only have an indoor hallway entrance to my unit.
Please listen to Hydronerd (@10) if not to me.

@10 Hydronerd: No further questions, your Honor.

I hope Moscow Mitch McConnell dies slowly and nastily of the very polio he's gloated about avoiding for over 80 years, thanks to vaccines---and after decades of fucking up the Senate. And with a slice of diphtheria, advanced colon cancer, measles, mumps, and rickets. Roast in hell, Mitch. Your Mein Trumpf ad nauseum are next. You'll have to make a lot of room for the massive elephant stampede over your long plotted GOP cliff of global destruction in your race to the bottom.

@20 and @24 kristofarian: Don't worry about Baby Doofus. He'll either roast like a luau pig on the blood red MAGA fascist Eastern Washington prairie this summer with no hope of an AC, or the Snake and Columbia Rivers will dry up, and he and his fellow MAGA tools can always cheer on their getting nuked instead by Vlady with Bonneville out of commission. Heil Shitler, Mu$k'$ Napoleonic sock puppet!
Don't they know KKKorporate made climate change is for REAL?
And yet FOX TeeVee pre-programmed MAGA tools are still marching in lockstep over the GOP cliff to Hell.
They think they "own the Dems". No, Mu$k, Bezo$, Adel$on, ad nauseum own the MAGA tools.

@14
Don’t forget the Spanish Inquisition!
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

@29

much like
you AIPACers
don't try n' hide
your Ownership of
'America''s Congress

@17: you expect RATE CUTS because of BPA layoffs? are you running your generator indoors?

@27 Catalina Vel-DuRay (re: @18 and @22): +1 for the WIN!!!
He likely won't be able to afford a shiny new portable generator, as Charles highly recommends.
What are he and so many others in Eastern Washington going to do when the outdoor temps---particularly east of the Cascades---hit the triple digits (I hope your property out there will be okay)? All wildfire, smoke, no ACs, and no emergency assistance with Bonneville getting the ax.
And it has only been a month. Je-SUS WEPT.

@23 Harrell's approval rating is more or less in the toilet now. According to the only poll we have so far, he's got like 38% approval. Granted, that's from the Progressive Institute, so he might be doing a bit better than that. Incumbents under 50% are usually in trouble though. And given that 1B got a drubbing and Harrell was the face of the ads for that, he looks vulnerable.

Of the opposition, Armstrong appears to be the only one really trying to bring in contributions right now. Maybe he's got the secret sauce since he can run as an outsider and voters seem to be in an anti-incumbent mood right now. There's also a highly unlikely edge case where there's enough Liz Cheney Republicans in Seattle for Savage to squeak past him, especially if she and Armstrong both spend all of their time beating Harrell up. In reality, Savage is unlikely to pick up more than ~10% of the vote (see Victoria Palmer in LD 36 last November), but it's fun to think about.

This means Barron Trump as the next Bond, BobbieAlso as Q, and Elon Musk as himself.

@31 kristofarian: Yep. Mu$k'$ Mein Trumpf has its MAGA tools all AI figured out, KKKorporate pawns that they are. Doomed Storm Trooper sheeple are just biding time until our once resource abundant planet bites the Big One.

@32 Max Solomon: @17's brain is already hopelessly FOX TeeVee addled. At his rambling stage, what's a little carbon monoxide to help finish the job?

@21 (& 23) if/when they return the Sonics will play in their already-remodeled former home Key Arena, now known as Climate Pledge. No public investment required. Once again your attempt to bash "lefties" just made you look stupid.

@19: How often are you refreshing your browser to see if I've replied?

@37: If Harrell had pledged just to spend his time getting the Sonics to return, the Stranger would have sternly lectured him on how his priorities were out of line, just like @21 said. (And that’s even if there were “No public investment required,” but wealthy sports teams owners always make locales wage a bidding war for their teams, so a civic financial inducements package would likely be needed to get the team to move to Seattle.)

@31: NEED MOAR ILLUMINATI

@26 I like the head tax idea but I think it needs to be assessed against locally owned sports teams with payrolls in the bottom half of the league who strive to win 54% of games. The tax is returned but only can be spent on players salaries thereby forcing Stanton to actually pretend he cares about winning. Beyond that I'd rather see a big bat at 3rd base than go after 2nd base but I think we are in close enough alignment to get a deal done!

@34 Harrell's approval rating is not great but there is no way either Armstrong or Savage stand a chance of unseating him. Gonzales was a solid candidate last time with actual governing experience and she got trounced. Neither of those two have done anything political and while the Seattle electorate may be ok electing extremists to the council they have continually demonstrated they want a more pragmatic executive. I'm sure someone will throw a hat in the ring at some point (maybe Jessyn Farrell again)?

@37 that just went right over your head. The point is the only reason progressives pretended to care about the Sonic announcement is because it made Bruce look bad. If he was serious they would have found some other reason to chastise him.

@27 - woah dear, you're comment almost comes across as disability shaming. And I'm sure someone with your grace wouldn't engage in such despicable behavior.

@32 - no, I don't actually expect rate cuts, but I'll be happy with slower rate increases and cutting the dead weight should help with that.

@41 both aramis and you talked about spending public money which is not on the table regardless. I understood the point you wanted to make but you were conspicuously uninformed. Also, you may have missed it, but everyone is criticizing Bruce for this because his "joke" was in bad taste. So you were reaching in addition to being ignorant.

@39 omigod can you imagine if like, Bruce did something totally opposite of what he actually did, progressives would go so crazy lolol they're so dumb

@42, The amount of work isn’t going to change, only the number of people to perform it, which will mean increases in overtime pay for the remaining workers, and longer, more frequent service delays.

You people seem to be operating under the delusion that you can save money on vital government services by cutting the headcount. But the amount of work to be done is fixed and entirely out of your control, and the headcount needs to be scaled to meet demand. Reducing the number of people doing the work will only make it more expensive and less efficient, and whatever cost savings you get from fewer salaries will be dwarfed by the economic loss from your crumbling, under-serviced electrical grid and all the workers making time-and-a-half to fix it.

wouldn't
it be More
Cost-effective
to simply create
another ENRON?

for
Strip-mining
the Citizenry it was
the fawking Bomb, bitches

@43 Again, the joke and the Sonics were not the point. The point is progressives hate Harrell and will jump on any bandwagon that drags him down. If you asked them who The Glove was they would probably give you a blank look. I also don't know why you think public money would be off the table for the NBA. I realize there is an arena but do you honestly think the NBA won't try to shake down the city to pay for part of the expansion fee or a new practice facility somewhere?

Good on you Charles for getting the $200 solar panels! However, you were not smart to buy a $400 generator. When the power goes out it will harm your neighbor's and family's ears, noses, and lungs for 4 hours before it runs out of gas then you find out that gas pumps require electric power to operate. A lot of people found their generators were nothing but high-cost paper-weights this winter when they really wanted power. Be smart, lean into the solar and battery solutions! No need to support the MAGA puppet-masters.

@46 "the joke and the Sonics were not the point. The point is progressives hate Harrell and will jump on any bandwagon that drags him down"

I know, that's why I said you were reaching.

"do you honestly think the NBA won't try to shake down the city to pay for part of the expansion fee or a new practice facility somewhere?"

Yes. No city has ever paid toward the expansion fee in any sport as far as I can tell, and the only city that's ever contributed to a practice facility in any sport was Charlotte for the Hornets.

This,
just in:

6 days ago -- The average National Basketball Association team is worth $4.66 billion, according to CNBC Sport's official NBA valuations.

wow. bread and circuses're
fucking Spendy these
days.

of course
it's all on "paper" so
it ain't really 'worth' anything Atall.

@31
was for @28
sorry, auntie Gee!

@49 exactly. I’m glad you’re learning finally. The league could have a huge gambling scandal tomorrow and the franchise value would plunge and nothing would change for the rest of us.

@51 "nothing would change for the rest of us"

So you are admitting that wealth is real since 'something' would change for them once their wealth is gone. Are you finally learning that independently wealthy individuals leverage their wealth to generate income?

and life would change to varying degrees for professional sport fans once their team undergoes a major financial crisis. Professional sport is also the part of the sport pyramid so its health impacts the rest of sport, which is an essential part of education and individual well being so wild financial speculation at the top has real impacts.

Thedonolde's
concluded that
taxing the top 10%'s
'too challenging'* & so'll
remove tonnes of IRS Agents
so's the IRS can Focus on 'the bottom
90%' for the Lion's Share of the USofA's

tax liability -- because it's less tangible or fungible

or I'm sure You could Explain it all away to us?
don't Forget the hand-wave part -- it's
what we, the Little People're used to
tho many'e Prefer the 'it's just
Too damn Complicated.'

*'Destroys Innovation!'
'Unmotivates all the
Jobs Creators!'
'damn Incon-
Venient!'

or,
'if we
Defund
the hated
Government
we can sell it off
cuz it's too Busted!'

we just wanna
be Hungary

starving
people
but not
the fucking
rich who do NOT
'taste like chicken,' or,
as Some would say, 'like Lobster.'

@18 - yes, the three Mid-C PUDs are the only beneficiaries of the current purge of experienced federal employees. The “pension double-dip” where you vest and accumulate a federal pension then transfer to a PUD to vest and accumulate a state PERS pension has been a tradition in central Washington for decades. Even a triple-dip for those who started their career in the military and then lateraled to a federal agency before ending their career at a PUD.

What is happening now is a uni-directional transfer of talent that will certainly help friends at Grant, Chelan and Douglas PUDs who are also in need of staff. Unfortunately, the Columbia is a river whose coordination and operation requires the work of people across different agencies in two countries, as well as affected Tribes, local communities, etc.

Punching holes in the federal organizations doing that critical work is going to be a problem - and eventually a tragedy - if not mitigated.

@Hydronerd

what's to prevent
Thedonolde from
seizing our PUDs?

'specially when
settled law
holds no
Sway
over
the
djt.

For someone who at least appears to have a scientifically savvy mind, Elons wanton "chain-saw" approach to cutting is excruciatingly paradoxical.

@52 It's not real in the sense that it impacts anyone else. Progressives love to scream about wealth inequality and cite how the wealthy only pay 1% in taxes but none of that is true. They only pay 1% in taxes if you take into account the equity they are sitting on. Again that could go away tomorrow and no one benefits from that. It doesn't shift to another person, it it just simply gone. A wealth tax only works if you force them to sell some of their assets to pay for it. It's like the government is going to accept shares of stock or a piece of land as payment of the tax. That is exactly why wealth taxes never work.

@57 " It's not real in the sense that it impacts anyone else"

So the financialization of everything like for example, housing, isn't affecting everybody? including when the bubble burst like in 2008? The employees of that sport franchise you were talking about aren't affected when it goes down the drain? etc .

"They only pay 1% in taxes if you take into account the equity they are sitting on. Again that could go away tomorrow and no one benefits from that."

so Bezos taking only a small income to avoid taxation and the community would not benefit from actually taxing him for what he is worth perhaps?

"It's like the government is going to accept shares of stock or a piece of land as payment of the tax"

No, government will take a check, which can be had by selling assets if necessary, until wealth concentration has returned to a reasonable balance.

"wealth taxes never work"

It works just fine, don't worry.

@58 you really do need to take a couple of economics/finance courses. Comparing a tangible asset (house) to a financial instrument isn't apples to apples. In the sports franchise example the franchise can still run if the value goes down. There is a difference between everyday operating expenses (P&L) and what the franchise is worth if it is sold. So yes if the franchise value declines no one is injured and no one really benefits (not even the owner unless he was looking to sell). Bezos will get taxed when he sells his stocks. That is how it should be. Again using the government sledge hammer to fix wealth inequity is about the worst thing you can do. It has never worked but feel free to provide an example, there are many examples of wealth taxes that were implemented and ultimately rescinded.

@50 kristofarian: No worries, kris. I hear ya. ;-)

O, Canada, say fuck you, Mu$k and Trumpf.
Take a zamboni and stuff up MAGA rumpf....

@59 "Comparing a tangible asset (house) to a financial instrument isn't apples to apples."

Right, because unrealized gains from appreciation of the house value are taxed but equivalent gains from financial instruments are not. The largest asset owned by regular people is taxed annually, and they just have to figure out how to pay, while major assets owned by billionaires are tax free. Gotta love capitalism.

WeBackBaby, I do apologize. I just assumed, given your constant stream of inanities and fetishization of trump, that you had suffered a head injury sometime in the past.

Hydronerd dear, I don't think what's happening at BPA will benefit anyone. The PUD's may be able to pick up some labor from the people who are being let go, but can they afford them? I would be much more economical to pay for their services through BPA rates. And the unified marketing of Columbia River power (along with Handford and the wind/solar plants) benefits everyone. The last thing we want is a race to the bottom or preferential dispatching.

Also, as you know, the transmission system is a complicated and somewhat delicate beast. Part of my current job involves power quality issues and that means monitoring BPA conditions and researching issues for large industrial customers. There's very little, if any, "fat" and only so much that can be cut before you hit the bone. It can easily become a house of cards.

I was at a beauty parlor in Eastern Washington this morning, having my wig washed and set. To say that people in that community (which is heavily dependent on the Federal Government for highly paid jobs that require specialty skills that many of those people learned while in the US military) are vexed is a complete understatement. There were even protesters - yes, protesters in Eastern WA - in front of the post office, and people driving by were honking.

"There were even protesters -
yes, protesters in Eastern WA -
in front of the post office, and
people driving by were honking."

Joyous News,
Catalina! let la
Revolution be begun
by Rednecks, 'rednecking'
the Oligarchs w/torches pitchforks
Mickey's 40s and AfuckingK-forty-sevensies

you may be
Back, baby
but you're
gonna
Pay
for
it

just say NO
to Fascists.

@59 So now you are going to pretend that hedge funds haven't heavily invested in the housing market and that it doesn't have any impact on the availability of housing. It's like you are living in a parallel universe entirely unaffected by reality or more likely you are gaslighting us. On top of which you go on posturing about your somehow superior knowledge. Geez

"there are many examples of wealth taxes that were implemented and ultimately rescinded."

There are examples of wealth taxes rescinded by neoliberals doing favors to their favorite constituency, yes, but it has no bearing on the viability of the wealth tax

@64 then regulate investment in housing instead of taxing their unrealized gains. Duh

Thanks for throwing out the eternal progressive excuse for every failed policy. It’s not the actual policy is bad it’s that it was undermined/didnt go far enough. Lol

Actually, investment needs to be regulated AND disproportionate wealth needs to be taxed

Every policy torched by neoliberals over the 40+ years has been so because it worked too well and stood in the way of financial capitalism taking over the economy, like Glass-Steagall for example, not because it failed

@65 can you explain why levying taxes on the assessed value of a house is entirely workable and accepted but levying taxes on the value of for example stock is, in your opinion, unworkable and absurd?

@67 there are plenty of articles on this if you Google them but the simplest answer is a property tax is not a wealth tax. It’s the rent you are paying the city for occupying the land your house sits on to pay for services in the communitiy. That is why the appraised value of your home for tax purposes is rarely equal to the market value. It’s not perfect and it does impact home ownership and rental prices but it’s the best we have for now. Using that as justification for an even worse tax that is also more difficult to administer is not a winning argument.

@68 that's not a practical explanation it's philosophical, and it's not even intellectually honest. If property tax was "rent" for "occupying land" it would be based solely on lot size and not consider improvements. Beyond that you could just as easily claim a wealth tax is a "fee" for the privilege of doing business in this country to pay for services.

@68 but a wealth tax isn't about doing business is it? That would be a B&O tax or capital gains. A wealth tax is simply that government has determined that there is an upper limit on the value of something you own and anything above that should be theirs because they can put it to better use than you can. This is untrue of course but you and Bob will never be willing to accept that. I asked Bob above to provide an example where a wealth tax actually worked and produced the benefits you both claim it will produce.

@70 "but a wealth tax isn't about doing business is it?"

Correct, just like property tax isn't about occupying land. That was the point.

You two are great examples of why we can never move forward around here. Despite zero examples of this policy even coming close to what you claim it will do and numerous examples of its abject failure around the world somehow, someway WA state will get it right. It’s a delusional pipe dream and thankfully we still have some saner heads in the legislature and I seriously doubt this will go anywhere.

@72 that's rich coming from someone who refuses to acknowledge the basics of being independently wealthy, like the many ways to leverage wealth in order to generate income. All so that you can keep on to better claiming that "wealth isn't real" or pretending that the wealthy playing monopoly with housing doesn't affect everyone who needs lodging (everyone)

You certainly haven't provided any example of wealth tax rescinded because it failed, a central claim of yours. I have neither the time nor the inclination to delve into the details of wealth taxes but Spain has a smallish wealth tax, which doesn't solve everything but it contributes to offsetting inequality. I'd consider that a success.

@73 you keep talking in circle. Taxing wealth will have zero impact on the housing market. Most of the wealth you are trying to tax is tied up in financial securities. If you go after real estate what will happen is farmers and ranchers will be impacted far more than the likes of Bezos. There used to be 12 countries in Europe that had wealth taxes of some form in the 1990s, now there are only 4. They do not solve the problem you think you are solving.