The Seattle Times is earning well-deserved kudos for its three-part exposé of abuse and neglect at adult family homes… which is kinda ironic considering how vociferously its editorial board has opposed an initiative that would require adequate screening, training and certification of long-term-care workers.
Initiative 1029 was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2008, securing 72.5% of the vote statewide, and passing by better than 20-point margins in all 39 counties. According to King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, writing in its defense, the measure was intended to do two simple things:
- It requires FBI criminal-background checks for all long-term-care workers.
- It requires home and community-based long-term-care workers to complete 75 hours of training — the national standards for nursing-home workers — and pass a certification exam to demonstrate basic competence.
Yet despite the glaring need for better qualified long-term-care workers, and the unparalleled popularity of the measure, the Times, our state’s paper of record, urged voters to reject the initiative before the election, and has repeatedly argued for its repeal several times since, including just days after it passed:
Voters’ good, compassionate intentions were abused by the sponsors of Initiative 1029, which purported to ensure higher-quality long-term-care workers for the elderly and people with disabilities.
This measure, which passed handily, is nothing more than an artfully worded ballot measure that belies the bad public policy it is and the serious blow it will give to our state’s troubled budget — about $30 million over the next three years. … The Legislature and the governor should exercise their right to overturn this initiative immediately.
Tim Eyman’s tax-limiting I-960, which passed with a bare 51% of the vote, that the Times argues should be inviolable. But I-1029, the first statewide measure ever draw over 2 million votes… well… voters were hoodwinked or something, so the Legislature should just toss that one right out.
Why? Well, the Times argues that we just can’t afford $28 million over three years for training and certification. Oh, and the Times liked a supposedly “bipartisan” bill better.
But if you read through its several editorials on the subject, one pattern quickly emerges:
“The SEIU spent $650,000 of union funds to promote its proposal as I-1029.”
“Workers already organized would be trained by the SEIU and paid by the state.”
“Then the SEIU drafted this union-building, state budget-busting initiative and played off voters’ good intentions to get a better deal.”
SEIU this, SEIU that. This isn’t about responsible budgeting or a deliberative legislative process — and it certainly isn’t about the welfare and well being of seniors. No, the Times editorial board’s vehement and relentless opposition to I-1029 stems mostly from its vehement and relentless opposition to SEIU, and organized labor in general.
See, if it’s supported by labor, it’s opposed by the Times, the painful, puss-filled, oozing bedsores of neglected seniors be damned.
yeah, seiu is mainly minority, yet it is led by andy stern, a jew. seiu is just another prong of jewish influence.
Here is real Junior abuse Goldy–
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....o_get.html
Obam-Mao jacks up the National Debt to help bailout Washington State from massive overspending…$435 Million!
The ultimate Democrat Ponzi Scheme…which abuses future generations….worse than bedsores!
Goldy, I work in that system.
I work with housing programs for autistic adults, not the elderly, but we’re part of the same system. Initiative 1029 was a huge need and will help, but the things profiled in the Times articles are more related to lack of oversight and regulation by the state. If the only changes to the system are the 1029 ones most of these abuses will continue.
2:
Republicanism 101: When all else fails, change the subject. Puh-leeze.
Why is the Seattle Times editorial board in favor of untrained criminals taking care of the elderly?
It seems to be the $30 million. Is that exactly equal to the tax break Frank Blethen cadged from legislators last year? Is Frank willing to sacrifice the elderly to preserve his tax break? Is that what this is about?
If things are so tough at the Seattle Times that Frank Blethen needs special tax breaks, maybe he should give up his $4.4 million Lake Washington waterfront home.
I don’t have a multimillion-dollar waterfront home. I only have a hole in a public park. Don’t I deserve a tax break more than Frank does? Where do I apply?
I think they should have given that tax break to me instead of Frank so I can get off this dirt floor.
@1 You’re just another evolutionary dead end.
I saw a car the other day with two bumper stickers. The one of the left said, “Reunite Pangea.” The one on the right said, “Shift happens.” This is geologist humor, but don’t try to explain it to wingnuts.
@9
@1 You’re just another evolutionary dead end.
lol, thats funny rog, cause thats what i always say when two guys get married.
but in that case, its factual.
@2 A Republican complaining about deficit spending is like Ted Bundy complaining about all the young women disappearing in his neighborhood.
@11 What guy would want to marry you?
The FBI background checks mandated under 1029 are needed because the current checks are done by DSHS and they rely on applicants to be honest about any time they’ve lived out of the state or the country (and they take forever). Way back in the day, I worked for a program where we inadvertently hired someone who had been convicted of murder in Germany. She had, of course, received a clean bill of health from DSHS. Oops…
@14 My first client out of law school was a sweet 70-year-old lady who murdered people and set far to buildings only when she was drunk.
fire not far
@!3
@11 What guy would want to marry you?
jeepers, rog. dont tell me you didnt get it. i thought it was pretty witty.
kemper free man to group home
light rail to medina
far
far on the mountain
@17. You think you’re funny. Get a load of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v......be&a
Get some popcorn and watch it with your other lunatic anti-semitic buddies. I’d turn that picture of Ernst Rohm to the wall though.
@18
Kemper does have one thing in common with my non-verbal clients, they both have support staff that do their speaking for them.
Legislature Moves Against Public Records Golddiggers
It has come to my attention that a bill is moving through the state senate that would substantially change the penalty provisions of the state public records act.
The current provision reads:
Any person who prevails against an agency in any action in the courts seeking the right to inspect or copy any public record or the right to receive a response to a public record request within a reasonable amount of time shall be awarded all costs, including reasonable attorney fees, incurred in connection with such legal action. In addition, it shall be within the discretion of the court to award such person an amount not less than five dollars and not to exceed one hundred dollars for each day that he or she was denied the right to inspect or copy said public record.
The proposed bill would change this section to:
Any person who prevails against an agency in any action in the courts seeking the right to inspect or copy any public record or the right to receive a response to a public record request within a reasonable amount of time shall be awarded all costs, including reasonable attorney fees, incurred in connection with such legal action. In addition, it shall be within the discretion of the court to impose a fine on the responsible agency an amount not less than five dollars and not to exceed one hundred dollars for each day that the prevailing person was denied the right to inspect or copy said public record. The fine shall be deposited in the archives and records management account established in RCW 40.14.025 to enhance the preservation and availability of the state’s public records. However, the court may award a portion of the fine to the prevailing person in an amount that reimburses the person for any demonstrated financial loss caused by the failure of the agency to timely release the public record or respond to the request.
The bill is SB 6408. I think this is a good idea. Judges will still have discretion to award monetary penalties to legitimate victims of agency behavior that violates the public records law, but persons requesting public records will have no assurance of finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow even if the agency is guilty. People like Stefan will have to contemplate the possibility that the $225,000 fine may go to the state instead of into his own pocket. That will help deter the golddiggers while preserving a statutory incentive for agencies to comply with the law and meaningful penalties if they don’t.
@22
rog, it would be easier to just take the sandy bergerstein approach. just go in and stick the documents down your pants.
@23 Berger is a patriot. You asswipes are traitors.
Your last sentence summed up conservatives perfectly, Goldy. If it helps a union, it must be stopped, no matter what.
I don’t understand where that kind of calculated evil comes from. Make no mistake, letting the elderly suffer and die to uphold anti-labor principles is evil.
Actually listening to democrats on how to fix the economy has been like listening to an unemployed motivational speaker. All hat no cattle. No wonder everyone wants the spending to stop. At least with Bush we had less than 8% not over 10% unemployment.
@23 Berger is a patriot. You asswipes are traitors
Yes. Sandy “I have federal docs in my socks” Burgler is a perfect patriot for you loony libs. Covering up the 911 terrorists who trained in American flight schools under old Bubas watch.
@23
You mean the Fawn Hall, Ollie North approach. Dig through the records and you can find plenty of people on both sides that did that sort of thing.
@26
It was 8 years of neo-cons that broke the economy. Going back to doing things the Bush Way wont fix anything. The Dan Evans, D. Eisenhower, Republican’s did pretty well with the economy, too bad there’s none of those left.
And with one year of donk control it took a broken economy in recession and made it into a near depression. I am sure there is an answer, but it sure the hell won’t come from the current crop we have in power now.
@28
You mean the Fawn Hall, Ollie North approach. Dig through the records and you can find plenty of people on both sides that did that sort of thing.
wow, fawn hall. now thats a name from the past. i cant even remember the circumstances other than she was a cute blonde, i think.
i agree you can find people on both sides, but i guess it shows the amazing divide we have in this country when some people think sandy berger is a patriot and others think he is a scumbag that she be rotting in jail.
I can’t agree more. I am sure there are a lot of people who don’t think Scott Brown is a hero, but to most (including the majority in Massachusetts) he is a hero. Tomato… Tamoto…you know how it goes.
@32
I am sure there are a lot of people who don’t think Scott Brown is a hero, but to most (including the majority in Massachusetts) he is a hero.
i’m from mass, and this is what i always noticed, but i’m quite sure it is true throught the country. you know how they say soldiers fighting to defend their country fight harder than those attacking?
well, it is just a human trait. the same goes for voting. people who have something directly to gain from the government, i.e. welfare, section 8, government job, etc, have more of an incentive to go vote than a 40 year old, white accountant. he’s usually not getting anything directly from the government. many of those type of people are apathetic about voting. in massachusetts, the anger quotient was at fever pitch and lit a fire under some of those “accountants”.
@24….stealing documents in an attempt to cover up information makes berger a “patriot”??
OH WAIT, I forgot, we are talking about Goebbels/Himmler Rabbit, where everything is OK as long as its from a Democrat. Once again, our propagandist has spoken.
@33
Yeah a 52% to 47% win is a real landslide. Scotty will be beamed up and out at the next election in 3 years.
@30
Actually, we’re better off now than we were a year ago.
A strong case could be made that none of that improvement was Obama/Reed/Pelosi’s doing. A strong case can also be made that the Republicans haven’t done anything to help out in the last year either.
We’re in a contracting economy. The way I see it there’s nothing either party can do to reverse this contraction, but we can reorganize within what’s going on and lead perfectly happy, healthy, lives.
Two links to check out.
http://www.anglofareast.com/research/crash-course/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_von_Hayek
@32
Which explains why 40 year old white accountants vote more often than welfare moms do. They, also, have more money to donate to politicians.
See, there’ew these things called data and facts…
@35
@33
Yeah a 52% to 47% win is a real landslide. Scotty will be beamed up and out at the next election in 3 years.
you missed the point. all i was saying is that many more people were inclined to go out and vote in that election than usually would.
@30
The first year of the “donk” being in control he was operating under the last year of the Bush budget, btw.
@2: National Debt 9/01 $5.67 Trillion
National Debt 9/08 $10.03 Trillion
What did we get for bush’s 4.3 TRILLION increase in debt? An economy in a free fall and a collapsing banking system.
And the only thing conservatives complain about is that Obama didn’t just stand by and let the whole collapse and watch as the world descended into mass dystopia.
The only thing Bush regrets, in his own words, was saving the banking system. His ONLY regret is that he didn’t complete the total destruction of our banking system and the world economy. He left Obama a glimmer of a hope of saving it. That is Bush’s big regret.
Do you really think tax cuts and/or spending cuts were going to solve the problem of insolvent banks, mortgage crisis, and .5 million per month new unemployment which is what Obama inherited?
You act like everything was humming along just fine until Obama took over and screwed it all up.
What I want to know, from all those Tea Partiers and GOP radio talkers, where were your concerns about the deficit before Jan. 20, 2009?
Huh? Show me please; you know, citations and all that.
@17 I liked the geologist’s bumper stickers better.
@26 “At least with Bush we had less than 8% not over 10% unemployment.”
Of course you’re too stupid to understand this is Bush’s unemployment, not Obama’s unemployment, and it would have been 25% if Obama, Bernanke, and Geithner hadn’t saved the world from another Great Depression.
Meanwhile, Republicans have learned nothing, and their economic prescription is the same in 2010 as it was in 1930: Cut spending, let the banking system fail, let currencies deflate, and otherwise do nothing.
@32 The funny thing about Scott Brown is he’s pro-choice and parts company with you wingnuts in a lot of other ways too. In short, he’s a RINO, not the rabid foaming-at-the-mouth winger idiots like you have talked yourselves into believing he is.
@36 “Actually, we’re better off now than we were a year ago.”
Incredibly, vastly, immeasurably so. A year ago, America was on the brink of tipping into a replay of the 1930s, and investors were dumping stocks for pennies on the dollar. The whole global economy was a whisker away from blowing up. The last time that happened, we got a world war that left 50 million dead. Stop and think about it, how dangerous would the situation have to be for Bush to throw 750 billion dollars at the bank? Yet, that’s exactly what he did, and he had to, and Obama had to throw additional billions at the banks, because civilization was going to collapse if they didn’t, and they knew it.
@38 We saw similar turnouts — in the 80% range — in 2006 and 2008 when an angry America threw the Republicans out on their asses.
Gov. Gregoire has again postponed implementation of this initiative for budgetary reasons.