30K for a holiday party at a Trump hotel seems on the low end actually, Barr's getting a sweet deal.

Man Inslee is just soaking up the benefits here getting that Hip replacement after spending all that money on his failed presidential run that was paid for by donations and Washington tax dollars.

Impeach Inslee while we're at it!

He's entitled to it as an employee of the state. I hope it goes well for him.

In a very real sense it is the state's voters who are responsible for the fact that we have such a regressive tax structure. The cumulative effect of voting down progressive tax proposals and taxes have left us with such crappy options.
So what I propose is a referendum to gauge the will of the voters for whether they are ok with this.
Perhaps something to the effect "should all future tax, fee and license proposals have to have the effect of increasing the net progressiveness of Washington State taxes?"

Ok, that's clumsy and awful, it could be worded more elegantly.
But I think it is something we need to establish- are state voters ok with having the most regressive taxes in the nation or are they not?

Re:Uber

screw your workforce and rape the customer: it's certainly disruptive but hardly can be called innovation

Grandpappy Uncle Joe oughtta carry around olive oil or whatever and challenge all comers to a greased pole climb. His finest hour.

Woo hoo!!! We only have to pay rent when it is warm outside! What, you mean your landlord still has to pay the mortgage in winter? The property taxes are still due? How grossly unfair.

Consider whether this will make landlords any more willing to rent to those who are economically struggling (hint: it will not). Not only do you have to consider, in the usual manner, whether you will get paid, but you have to face the prospect that someone could stop paying rent, say, now, and you would have no recourse until spring.

The best way to avoid getting tangled up in all of this is not to rent apartments at the lower end of the price scale, and raise the income requirements to rent an apartment at all. The Council has already guaranteed that qualifications for tenants will go way up with the First in Time ordinance. This will make it even harder for marginally qualified people to rent an apartment.

If the City wants to control how rentals are operated, and mandate that they do so at a loss, then the City needs to raise some money and build some public housing.

And he could shout out the multiplication tables on the way back down! State Capitals!

"most important issues for Dems and GOP"

this survey sure seems like an outlier because health care and the environment have been identified as the most important issues for voters by multiple surveys over the last year. I don't doubt that governance/impeachment issues have become more important (as they should) but their becoming most important should taken with a grain of salt so far.

@4
Your initiative idea is perfectly fine!
Better yet, just name yourself Tom Eyeman, and you can get the big bucks rolling in for your vote for progressive taxes in WA state!

UGH Joe Biden needs to GO. As for Uber and Lyft (and Airbnb and all the other sharing economy wunderkinds), fuck off and die already. There are reasons for licensing, regulations, laws and accountability.

To be fair, he WAS fat.

That said, fuck Joe Biden.

I’m happy that Biden stood up to that dumb Iowa bore. That slob is probably living off the government and marinating what passes for his brain in Fox or AM Radio all day. He needs to be called on his nonsense.

Time for Biden to put his money where his mouth is and show us how many push ups he can really do. This is at least the second time he has done this, and the more talking and less up-pushing I see, the fewer I think he can do.

That being said, push ups are a bodyweight exercise so with two untrained people, the lighter person can likely do more all things being equal. I would propose the following contest: whoever can run 6 miles, do 100 push ups, 100 bodyweight squats and 100 sit ups first wins. Any order is fine.

Much better measure of overall fitness. Frankly, completing this moderate workout should be a requirement to continue on in the primaries.

Biden says that if you want to transition to renewable energy NOW, "you oughta vote for somebody else": https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/status/1202664144585023495/video/1

@15 Biden asked his protagonist if he had checked his policy record:

Vice President Joe Biden Promotes U.S. as Fracking Missionary Force On Ukraine Trip

During his two-day visit this week to Kiev, Ukraine, Vice President Joe Biden unfurled President Barack Obama‘s “U.S. Crisis Support Package for Ukraine.”[...]

The U.S. oil and gas industry has long lobbied to “weaponize” its fracking prowess to fend off Russian global gas market dominance. It’s done so primarily in two ways.

One way: by transforming the U.S. State Department into a global promoter of fracking via its Unconventional Gas Technical Engagement Program (formerly the Global Shale Gas Initiative), which is a key, albeit less talked about, part of President Obama’s “Climate Action Plan.”

The other way: by exporting U.S. fracked gas to the global market, namely EU countries currently heavily dependent on Russia’s gas spigot.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vice-president-joe-biden_b_5201051

I like Biden. He has spunk.

@18 Yep. Not only his record is dismal (from Iraq war to bankruptcy bill, and much else) but he can't even fake the I-have-changed-bit properly.

@17 a livable planet versus Biden's spunk? Boy, that's a hard one.

@14
Does your fitness test apply to incumbents, as well? Because i'd love to see Hair Furor attempt a push up or two. I'm snickering in my fists even as we speak.

@20: Well, had I been in charge in the first place he never would have gotten through the primary as I doubt he can pass that test. But yes, incumbents too. Otherwise you just get the obese cop problem where the guy passes his fitness test in 1982, but never has to ever again, and now he can't chase anyone down.

That being said, there is no time limit, so it really is not a very high bar. Honestly, Trump is the only candidate who would probably fail it. Per his latest physical he is 243 pounds, which I don't actually believe. I am 5' 10'' and was once that weight, and Trump is fatter than I was in addition to being four inches taller.

He's probably closer to 270 or so, which would make doing more than a few push ups pretty challenging, since he brags about never working out at all.

@19 - Well, better than a planet with 4 more of years Trump's "spunk."

@23 May be not as there is no "middle ground" on climate despite Biden claim to the contrary, and especially considering his commitment to fracking, natural gas, non-existent carbon capture, and non-existent nuclear technology.