“We Wuz Robbed” seems like an incredibly bankrupt campaign strategy to me. But bankruptcy hasn’t stopped Dino Rossi, who is still perpetuating the idea that he was cheated out of being Governor:
Residents heard from Attorney General Rob McKenna, who’s seeking re-election, and Dino Rossi, who’s back on the campaign trail as a candidate for governor, jokingly telling people he’s seeking re-election as well, after an extremely close vote the last time he ran.
The Sore Loser Express™ is currently steaming through Eastern Washington saying things like this:
“It’s a different campaign, completely different,” said Rossi. “Last time when I decided I was going to run for governor, I only had 12 percent name ID statewide. Almost everybody in this county thought Dino Rossi was some sort of wine.”
Of course, another difference is that, recently, Washington state has been rated one of the best managed states, and as having one of the best business climates in the country. He continues:
“If people want to, they can control every single election,” said Rossi. “If they get their aunt, who doesn’t think their vote counts anymore to vote, get their 18-year-olds registered to vote. Just get everybody out to vote. If you exercise the vote that you’re given, you can control every election.”
Yeah…that’s it, Dino. Get Aunt Matilda to go out and vote. You’d better just hope that Aunt Millie doesn’t remember the cries of election fraud that were found to be without merit by a Judge in one of the most conservative county in Washington. And hope that she doesn’t remember your un-statesmanlike slamming the Washington state Supreme Court when you begrudgingly ended the contest:
“With today’s decision, and because of the political makeup of the Washington state Supreme Court, which makes it almost impossible to overturn this ruling, I am ending the election contest
Because, even Aunt Millie knows a sore loser when she sees one!
See, THIS is the fallout from Bush’s warrantless wiretapping. Anyone wonder (a) what federal authorties are doing listening in on a two-bit prostitution business, and (b) about the strange fact that SOMEHOW OR OTHER a prominent rising-star Democrat is smeared by federal resources with the only evidence being a wiretap?
It’s 3 AM. Across our country, kids are sound asleep. But somewhere in the nation’s capitol, a phone is ringing.
“Emperor’s Club. Yes, Mr. Spitzer. Your package has arrived.”
I’m kinda on Spitzer’s side in this, but I thought that would be funny.
DL,
This apparently started as an investigation of possible bribery because of some funny money shuffling on Spitzer’s part.
From the NY Times: “… Internal Revenue Service investigators conducting a routine examination of suspicious financial transactions reported to them by banks found several unusual movements of cash involving the governor of New York, several officials said.
The investigators… typically review such reports, the officials said. But this was not typical: transactions by a governor who appeared to be trying to conceal the source, destination or purpose of the movement of thousands of dollars in cash, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The money ended up in the bank accounts of what appeared to be shell companies, corporations that essentially had no real business.
The transactions, officials said, suggested possible financial crimes — maybe bribery, political corruption, or something inappropriate involving campaign finance. Prostitution, they said, was the furthest thing from the minds of the investigators.”
The misdemeanor prostitution charge will undoubtedly go away if he resigns and charging the Mann Act (interstate transport of females for immoral purposes) would look too much like payback for the Scooter Libby charges. However, the financial monkey business could come back to bite him.
I HOPE HOPE HOPE that Dino (real estate salesman NOT broker) runs on this platform. It will be so much easier to beat the little crybaby that way.
Daddy Love said: “I’m kinda on Spitzer’s side in this, but I thought that would be funny.”
Good for you Daddy Love. So don’t be so sanctimonious on other things then.
BTW I want Dino to run.
“It’s a different campaign, completely different,” said Rossi. “Last time when I decided I was going to run for governor, I only had 12 percent name ID statewide. Almost everybody in this county thought Dino Rossi was some sort of wine.”
“Now that they know I’m a whiner, Governor’s mansion here I come!”
4 TRM
This apparently started as an investigation of possible bribery because of some funny money shuffling on Spitzer’s part.
No, that’s what the Bush Justice department has said. That’s as far from “appaarent” as anything I know.
the financial monkey business could come back to bite him.
I’m just not so sure. It looks liek they’re after a charge of structuring, where the governmen has to prove that he had put together financial transations specifically structured to avoid financial reporting requirements. After all, there’s no law against creating companies to shuffle money around just for fun. So the government usually must construct a painstaking case that will reveal a patttern of transactions andpresent that as prima facie proof of intent.
Good lawyers and a willingness to use the system to fight may dissuade the government from bringing charges. But of course, if the government’s aim is to bring down a Democratic governor because the federal government is a tool of the GOP, then maybe they’ll carry though.
Hmmm, the first story out of the Justice Dept. was that they were investigating the call-girl ring as part of a racketeering/money laundering investigation, and Spitzer just happened to get caught in the net.
But now when people are beginning to ask why the Fed is investigating a call-girl ring when they are crying that they don’t have enough resources to investigate real crime in the U.S. because of their new anti-terrorism responsibilities, suddenly it becomes a targeted investigation into fraud by the governor????
Yea, and all those federal attorney generals were fired for “performance issues”.
“Yea, that’s the ticket. Nothing political here. Move along, move along, nothing to see here, just a Democrat’s dead career, plenty more of them to come in the future, courtesy of a warrentless wiretap near you.”
Has anybody ever asked McKenna in a public formum what he thinks about Rossi’s claim that he would have won but for the election fraud?
Actually, it looks (from the Federal affidavit) that they are trying to pin Spitzer with more than the Mann Act. He didn’t want to use a credit card, so he sent cash across state lines. If he used the U.S. mail, that could be mail fraud. Either way, the telephone conversations over interstate lines could be interstate wire fraud. And they can charge the business itself with racketeering, providing a big incentive for everyone to point their fingers at anybody the prosecution wants them to in order for a reduced sentence.
Seems like a lot of effort being made to establish federal jurisdiction, for a simple call-girl ring. I guess the U.S. Attorney Generals got the message from the last time around – their targets are Democrats, everything else can wait.
Okay, back to the topic:
Last night I was surrounded by a group of Rossi supporters. They are friends of mine, but we all have some friends with some problems of one sort or another, don’t we? At least these guys have pickup trucks, and are willing to help with a move.
Anyway these guys are still back in 2003, politically. They still think Rossi won the 2004 governor’s election, which was stolen from him by the Democrats in King County and a “liberal judge”. They think that WMD were either (a) actually found in Iraq, but the “liberal media refused to report it”, or (b) moved by Saddam to Syria, which “the liberal media knows, but refuses to report”. Anyway, you get the drift.
So last night they were all laughing confidently about how when Rossi get’s elected, he’s going to fix “the mess” in Olympia, and agreeing with each other about what a terrible job Gregoire is doing as governor. I asked them what, specifically, she had done wrong as governor. “Well, you know, she’s just made a mess of things”. Like what? “Well, spending in Olympia is out of control”. Got any specifics? “Well, EVERYONE KNOWS how much money they are wasting down there”. No, I don’t know. Please enlighten me? “Oh, there’s just too much to go into now, we would take all night”. Okay, give me just one example. “Oh, I can’t remember ONE EXAMPLE from the HUNDREDS which are available. Let’s talk about it next week, and I’ll give you lot’s of examples”.
Okay, I let them off the hook for now, on that one. Then I ask them who they rely upon for political news and analysis. “Well, it sure as hell isn’t the “Commie News Network” (CNN), and they all have a fit of laughter. “You have to remember”, one told me in a conspiratorial whisper, “all the news media is run by the liberals. You can’t trust anything they say”. They all nod their heads in agreement.
So, then where do you get your news? “Well, Fox News is better than most, but it’s still controlled by the liberals”, one volunteered. “You have to have some pretty brave people on there with enough courage to not care if they are fired in order to speak the truth.” Like who? “Well, Hannity is pretty good.” They are all nodding again. “But if you really want the truth, you have to listen to Limbaugh on the radio”.
They then all agreed that all the news media projections and polls that indicate the Republicans are in trouble in 2008 is just so much liberal propoganda. They assure me that more voters are turning Republican than ever before, and that we will see a huge backlash against the Democrats in 2008 which will create a landslide victory, with Republicans taking the White House and re-taking both houses of Congress, the Governor’s Mansion, the state House & Senate, etc. “The people are just fed up with Democrats running things in Washington”, they assure me.
Anyway, this has been rhp6033, reporting to you from Wingnut Central. Back to you, Katie.
I still think Dino Rossi is some kind of whine.
Ah,
On a national level we want and demand change. But on a state level we want more of the same?
That statement in itself is sad.
Our state leaders (including the queen) have shown us what our state leadership does when the going gets tough, they punt.
I have always thought that Dino was a better choice than Christine to run this state. She’s done absolutely nothing in four years to disprove that theory. That being said….I am voting for change this year…both nationally and in our state. (Obama and Dino 2008)
David @ 14,
“I still think Dino Rossi is some kind of whine.”
In 2004, Dino Rossi was some sort of wine…in 2008, Dino Rossi is some kind of whiner!
reggie @ 15:
Even though they both profess to be “uniters,” McCain will likely give you some flavor of a Republican presidency and Obama will definitely give you a liberal Dem one. Neither will give you TRUE change. For that, you should vote for Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey of the Vampires, Witches and Pagans Party.
In fact, the more I read about the guy, the more I’m convinced that he is EXACTLY the kind of candidate Loony Left Seattle would vote for:
“Jonathon ‘The Impaler’ Sharkey is a self-proclaimed satanist… While living in Florida, he assumed the name Kathleen Sharkey, claiming that he was his own half-sister and his Pagan wife…”
I don’t see the above as being much different than some of the candidates the Democrats have put up for public office.
reggie,
“On a national level we want and demand change. But on a state level we want more of the same?”
Absolutely! There are huge differences in the quality of government at the national and state level…
At the national level the Bush administration has looted our treasury, demolished our country’s good name in the rest of the world, sent our youngest citizens to a war built on lies, and filled the government top posts with incompetent political cronies (think FEMA, Department of Justice).
Yeah…there is a big need for change in D.C.
Here? Let’s see…
Washington state is the third best performing state government in the country (with even better scores than we got in 2005), we have one of the best business climates in the country, and modest taxes (about the middle of the packin straight dollars, but as a percentage of income, we’re 37th). That makes us the fifth most cost effective state government.
So…no, I’m not particularly interested in changing a good thing.
13 – LOL!
Darryl, Goldy – that MUST be front-paged.
I don’t see the above as being much different than some of the candidates the Democrats have put up for public office.
Surreal Mark – if you truly believe that then you’re as freaky, nutty right wing as any loon who comments at (un)SP.
And no, it’s not that this blog is so “far left” – it’s that you’re so FAR RIGHT.
Well, Dino Rossi could probably be Elliot Spitzer …
The financial wrongdoing allegations is the basis for federal criminal involvement with Spitzer. I wonder exactly how much money he spent on prostitutes? That company was charging between $1,000 and $5,000 per hour. And where exactly did he get this money from? Did he make massive cash withdrawals from his joint checking account, where his governor’s salary gets deposited? Or did it come from some “unreported” source of income …
I wonder whether Spitzer was “targeted”, but it seems the feds may have hit the bullseye in this one. Reports say that someone tipped off the feds, based on unusual transactions that Spitzer was apparently having at the bank. I would hope that if similar allegations are made against a Republican, they are also vigorously pursued.
I don’t possibly see how Spitzer can survive politically. Likely there are federal financial felony crimes that would stick against him. Certainly public opinion in New York will be massively against Spitzer if he tries to stay in office. Probably the New York legislature will boot him out through impeachment, if there is tenable evidence of a crime. This seems much more serious than lying about an extramarital affair … And more serious than simply paying for a call-girl or making an indecent proposal in a bathroom.
We can certainly be thankful that Christine Gregoire is supporting Barack Obama, and Elliot Spitzer is support Hillary Clinton!
Darryl @ 18
Actually, there is need for a lot of change in this state. Major problem is that we don’t need the kind of change that Dino Rossi is offering, and that Rossi isn’t offering the kind of change that we need. We have the nation’s most regressive tax structure. Rossi opposes progressive tax reform, such as an income tax, but we don’t exactly see that kind of reform being offered by most Democrats either. We could use progressive legislation such as payday lending regulation and a homeowner’s bill of rights, but Rossi opposes these even more than the obstructionist Democrats who block the will of the majority. And the argument that having one party in power for 24 years merits changing leadership certainly does have a lot of popular appeal. We don’t tend to tolerate one party in power nationally for more than 8 to 12 years at a time. All that said, our state government is at least being run quite efficiently — keeping in mind the Pew survey didn’t consider regressiveness of taxation or lack of progressive reform legislation. Christine Gregoire does seem to be quite reform-minded in spirit (and sometimes in practice), but she often doesn’t take the risk or initiative to stand up for many of the reforms that she would probably like to see implemented.
So the righties don’t really care about special interests in state government – they just want to switch who gets the money – they want their pals at the BIAW to get paid. Reform my ass.
The problem Rossi has – in addition to being a proven liar and a crybaby, is that the current Governor’s approvals have continually improved since her election. The state is highly ranked as a good place to do business – our taxes – despite lies from the right – are about in the middle of the 50 state ranking – and our state’s economy is in much better shape than republican-controlled states.
Nothing for Rossi to do but get his ass kicked again.
Almost everybody in this county thought Dino Rossi was some sort of wine.
Well, we can all agree he’s on the rocks, no?
Richard Pope @ 21,
“I don’t possibly see how Spitzer can survive politically.”
Do you mean because of the sex or because of the crimes?
Sex? Naaaaa…John McCain is the Republican nominee for President. Fooling around on his first wife doesn’t seem to have hurt him. And Clinton got a blowjob and survived the
aftermouthaftermath.The crime? Sen. David Vitter purchased the services of a prostitute, too. He’s been embarrassed, but it is not clear whether he will go down (so to speak) 2010. Sen. Larry Craig was even found guilty of disorderly conduct while cruising for sex, and remains in the Senate (although he will not run again.)
An interesting twist on Spitzer’s case is that his crimes are somehow much worse because the arrangements crossed state lines.
Apparently, calling an escort in Pullman, WA, from Pullman, and arranging to meet at a hotel in Moscow, ID, is a far, far more serious crime than calling an escort in Spokane from Seattle and meeting in Wenatchee. The former scenario makes you an interstate human trafficker. The latter is just your ordinary solicitation misdemeanor.
In any case, what will bring down (so to speak) Spitzer is the shocking hypocrisy. That a man who dedicated himself to fighting crime and corruption would purchase the services of a high-end prostitute for a secret rendezvous on a business trip to D.C. is deeply disappointing. We expected better from him. Republicans? Ehh…nobody really has high expectations from them anymore.
@22 I absolutely agree with you on that, Richard, but you know, the income tax is the political third rail in this state. I wish Gregoire would show some leadership here, but you know if she so much as mentions it, she’s going to have the BIAW and Frankie Blethen and little Timmy all the other wingnuts calling for her head (more than they do already).
Richard Pope,
Actually, there is need for a lot of change in this state. […] We have the nation’s most regressive tax structure. Rossi opposes progressive tax reform, such as an income tax, but we don’t exactly see that kind of reform being offered by most Democrats either.”
We agree on a serious need for restructuring the tax system. Yet the voters, by passing I695, have apparently decided that it is okay to make the poor spend a much higher percent of their income on taxes.
“And the argument that having one party in power for 24 years merits changing leadership certainly does have a lot of popular appeal.”
Hmmmm…it doesn’t seem to bother Utahans! But the argument is vacuous. People don’t elect a party to power…they elect individuals who have membership in a party. I suspect that an important part of well-performing governments is consistency of vision and implementation.
The time for change is when the government isn’t working well. And by many objective measures, Washington state is working very well right now.
“Christine Gregoire does seem to be quite reform-minded in spirit (and sometimes in practice), but she often doesn’t take the risk or initiative to stand up for many of the reforms that she would probably like to see implemented.”
As Joel Connelly pointed out a couple of weeks ago on the podcast, one of Gregoire’s biggest problem is that her communications office has, until recently, been ineffective. She has accomplished many things that have gone unnoticed.
@25: Good Point – where are all the calls for Senator Vitter (the champion of religion) to resign from the republicans? He admitted paying for a prostitute, also.
Gee if every politician who paid for a prostitute had to leave offfice then….who would be left in Washington?
I also see that Wall Street was cheering when they heard the news – of course it wasn’t al qaeda dancing in the street – they did that when Bush was elected.
‘We Wuz Robbed’
Perhaps you people could have stickers and bumper stickers made up for Mrs. Gregoire’s election campaign: “Stealing elections since 2004”. But wait, what to do now that buddy Dean “Incompetence” Logan has left and is now rigging elections down in the Golden State? Ppl remember the 2004 mess, and I think The Illegitimate Queen is in for an unhappy surprise come November. What goes around comes around….and before I see the next 100 posted drivels by the delusional Roger Rodent and YLB, let me say to you both: the unemployed are hereby dismissed. Now be good and go round up your felons, dead felons, pets, apparitions, ghosts, phantoms, and illegal aliens; Queen Crissy will certainly need them….
Yet the voters, by passing I695,
No the voters wanted affordable registration tags. The politicians enabled a snake oil salesman like Eyman.
That should be a civics lesson for all of us.
Darryl @ 25
Probably both. But I think the crime would (and should) do Spitzer in by itself. The sex just makes him that much more repugnant politically. Bad enough cheating on his wife, but lots of people do that. Not so many people use prostitutes. And to pay thousands of dollars per hour? Insane!
It is incredible that federal law would make it a serious crime to cross state lines to patronize a prostitute, or use interstate mail or electronic communications for this purpose. I can certainly agree with felony prosecution for people running the prostitution business. But for the customers? If the prostitute is an adult, the customer should only be guilty of a misdemeanor.
(Maybe Tlazolteotl can tell us how the Aztecs handled these sort of social relations. But then cutting the heart out for a human sacrifice can hardly be considered enlightened.)
Aside fron Spitzer being a political outrage and disgrace, the possible financial crimes really should be the most alarming. Where did he get the money for pay for this?
before I see the next 100 posted drivels
LOL! Speak for yourself loser.
Gregoire, winning the 2004 election by the slimmest of majorities, simply doesn’t have the political capital to tackle the Alaska Way Viaduct, SR520 Bridge, AND state tax reform (i.e., an income tax). At least not in an election year. Maybe in 2010, at the earliest?
But it’s going to be hard going. Any politician who advocates an income tax may be doing the political equivilent of a Kamakazi attack – sacrificing their careers in Washington State in an attempt to leave a better system behind them. This might work for Gregoire if she has a national office waiting for her, but it would probably be the end of her career in the state. The only way I see this scenario working otherwise would be if there were a serious budget crisis in this state which would require a state income tax as the only way to resolve it – which would defeat the purpose of making it “revenue neutral”, which is the only way it could pass now.
Darryl @ 27
The repeal of the car tab tax in I-695 was actually considered to be slightly progressive, in that the car tab tax was a bit more regressive than average for Washington state and local taxes. Here is the link to the 2003 report from the Institute on Tax and Economic Policy:
http://www.itepnet.org/wp2000/wa%20pr.pdf
The biggest problem, of course, is that Washington really doesn’t have any state or local taxes that are progressive. Which probably explains why tax limitation initiatives and politics tend to be pretty popular here.
Think about this one for a minute — you never see any traction in California for state initiative measures to repeal or limit the income tax, now do you? Wonder why?
Tlazolteotl @ 26 & rhp6033 @ 33
They keep saying that talking about a state income tax is political suicide in this state. It may not be a popular thing to adopt by initiative, but when you look at states that have income taxes and initiative rights, you really don’t see any traction to repeal or reduc state income taxes by the initiative process.
In California, the property tax has proven to be the most hated tax politically, with Proposition 13 and everything else. But you just don’t see any strong public desire for an initiative to reduce the state income tax. Nor do you see that in other states either.
Actually, I’m kind of curious about how guys pay for this, myself. What REALLY puzzles me are the stories about guys who engage in bigamy (two wives, two families) where the wives don’t know about each other.
Personally, I can’t even buy lunch without my wife knowing about it. She keeps pretty close tabs on our finances, and knows everything going in, as well as everything going out. It pretty much makes it impossible for me to even surprise her with a birthday or anniversary gift (Honey, what’s this $384.66 you spent at Macy’s yesterday afternoon at the jewelry counter?)
I can’t even fathom how someone who is married finds thousands of dollars to spend on this kind of conduct without the wife knowing about it.
@35: Richard Pope
the way to get a fair (graduated) state income tax is to be up front and promise to abolish – forever – the sales tax.
People are scared of having both – but if democrats put in writing that we would have NO sales tax (and fix the BO tax and put in a tax on corporate profits (including boeing)) that would be popular.
If you do that richard – I am voting for you.
36 – The shell company involved should be a pretty good clue.
Mark1 wrote:
“Perhaps you people could have stickers and bumper stickers made up for Mrs. Gregoire’s election campaign: “Stealing elections since 2004″.”
Awww…isn’t that special. We have ourselves a sore loser. Can we call you “Dino Jr.”?
“Now be good and go round up your felons, dead felons, pets, apparitions, ghosts, phantoms, and illegal aliens; Queen Crissy will certainly need them….”
Why would we do that? The only felons and dead people whose vote could be demonstrated in 2004 turned out to be Rossi voters.
And the only pet owners to vote on behalf of a pet turned out to be one of you WingDings!
We also need to tax companies that move their headquarters (boeing) or outsource jobs.
correctnotright @ 40
I thought we gave Boeing a $3 billion tax break. And then, after we did that, they moved their headquarters. Just make Boeing pay a fair tax, as opposed to an extra tax.
@36
Get a Bassett Hound. They shed more, but ask less.
Daryll,
Your ignorance is very amusing. Meant to tell you: There was a coupon for those tampons you were sent out to buy in Sunday’s Times. See ya sport.
@32 YLB:
How do you exactly think you can call anyone a ‘loser’ when you’ve admitted you’re unemployed? Things don’t work that way kid, sorry to tell you.
Richard Pope,
“The repeal of the car tab tax in I-695 was actually considered to be slightly progressive, in that the car tab tax was a bit more regressive than average for Washington state and local taxes.”
That’s odd, and there is no explanation in the report. The tax should be progressive in that it is something of a luxury tax—the more valuable the vehicle, the more tax. That is more progressive than a engine displacement tax, since affordable used cars don’t always have small-displacement engines.
Mark1
“Your ignorance is very amusing.”
LOL! As if I’m the one who believes there was election fraud despite an utter lack of evidence and a court dismissing an election challenge that was supposed to prove fraud.
Are you a lunar landing denier, too, Mark1?
I wonder how “New York values” will go over in today’s presidential primary in Mississippi?
Signs are pointing to a heavy Democratic turnout today. Turnout was extremely heavy in many predominately Democratic-voting precincts in the Jackson, Mississippi area, and relatively light in predominately Republican-voting precincts.
http://www.clarionledger.com/a.....S/80311024
Darryl @ 45
A car tab tax may be more progressive than an engine displacement tax, while at the same time, be more regressive than a sales or property tax.
“Progressives,” your silence over the racist and degrading comments Geraldine (what kind of sick asshole names their daughter Geraldine?) Ferraro made about Obama aren’t going unnoticed by me. Fucking cowards.
Pope @ 35:
The anti-tax people tend to get a lot of traction when taxes aren’t properly indexed for inflation. By jumping in just when the impacts of inflation creates a “sticker shock”, they can use it to promote & fund a general anti-tax, anti-government crusade. The California Income Tax isn’t a problem for most there because it is indexed, but property taxes in the 1970’s were not, so Prop. 13 took advantage of that situation.
Republicans nationally used inflationary bracket-creep for their political advantage in 1980, attacking the income taxes in the 1980 election, and calling it a “hidden tax increase”. In an era of high inflation, there is some truth to that label. But now federal income taxes are adjusted for inflation, so it isn’t as much of a problem.
Eyman used a similar form of inflationary bracket-creep for political advantage when he launched his initial $30 license tab initiatives (and his professional initiative-for-hire career) here in Washington State. In the 1990’s a lot of us had been holding onto cars for a long time, so when we replaced them with new cars we were shocked by prices which almost doubled from the last time we bought cars, the sheer size of the sales tax added to the bill, and finally by the license tab fee, which was quite high because the average car value had bumped up into what before had been considered “luxury car” territory. The situation might have been addressed by the legistlature in a year or so, but Eyman took advantage of the lull to insert himself and his perpetual (annual?) initiative campaign into the Washington political landscape.
Nationally, the Republicans did nothing during the Bush presidency about the inflationary bracket-creep of the Alternative Minimum Tax which was to begin hitting middle-income taxpayers this year. Karl Rove was fairly open that they were hoping it would provoke outrage when it hit, and then blame the Democrats. But Congress delayed that hit for another two years, which puts off the problem until the next President takes office.
How do you exactly think you can call anyone a ‘loser’
One who does the same thing over and over and expects a different result is often considered less than sane.
Calling Christine Gregoire and Darcy Burner names, repeating the government cheese and unemployment epithets aren’t going to help Republicans this fall.
Loser.
Richard Pope @ 48,
“A car tab tax may be more progressive than an engine displacement tax, while at the same time, be more regressive than a sales or property tax.”
Property tax, sure. Sales tax, no. A sales tax…probably not. The sales tax is a pretty straightforward regressive tax in that lower-income individuals will pay a higher percentage of their income than will high-income people under a pure sales tax. (By “pure” I mean no exceptions for food and clothing.)
A car tab tax CAN be extremely progressive–e.g. charging tax as an exponentially increasing function of the blue-book value. Or it can be regressive–like a flat $30 fee. I moved here in 1999, so I didn’t learn the subtitles of the pre-I695 tax, but I remember the tax on my little 1988 econobox was minimal (maybe $30?) and Kathy’s three-year-old SUV was $300. It is hard to see how that can be more regressive than a sales tax.
aren’t going unnoticed by me. Fucking cowards.
How about this? We don’t notice YOU.
Always remember. We don’t take orders from your kind.
Fucking idiot.
More news from New York:
Fed throws Bush Another Life Line
After dropping another 150+ points yesterday, the DJIA was within reasonable striking distance of actually leaving Bush with a legacy of a negative increase in stock values over the eight years of his Presidency. To forestall this, the Fed has pumped another massive infusion of money into the lending markets (over 200 billion dollars), hoping to restore investor confidence.
The stock market is reacting with positive numbers, rising 293 points slightly above 1200) within an hour of the closing bell (final numbers to come later).
If this “bull market” continues, it might recover, with the Fed’s help, at least a portion of the money lost over the last week.
Oh, in reading the article, there’s a bit there I missed previously. Part of the deal is that foreign banks and governments are buying troubled mortgage-backed securities at fire-sale prices as part of the “rescue effort”.
I wonder how many people will feel if they find that their mortgage from their local bank is now being held by a foreign entity?
Halfmark
We’re supposed to take seriously a guy who spends his time looking for tampon coupons?
TrollL:
It’s certainly gone unnoticed by me. What the hell are you talking about?
Richard Pope says:
“I thought we gave Boeing a $3 billion tax break. And then, after we did that, they moved their headquarters. Just make Boeing pay a fair tax, as opposed to an extra tax.”
Boeing has had high-level staff members develop a Plan B in several other States including Alabama just in case some lunatic gets in State Office and starts pounding on them.
Fair Tax….sounds like an extra tax to me.
Have you ever looked at the study done on the impact of Boeing on our Puget Sound Economy??
If Boeing leaves…you will see a revolution in Washington State.
Regarding State Income Tax…I can assure you that many wealthy people will simply changed their State of Residence. It’s not that hard. Just ask Joel Connelly.
Joel had 2 out-of-staters registered to vote in Washington allegedly living with Joel and Joel’s gardener in a 700 sq ft. cabin in Island County. Joel proved home is where one’s heart is.
On a lot of these populist Tax The Rich schemes, the unwanted consequences are painful to the average citizen.
Seems to be the mantra of the LEFTIST PINHEADED KLOWNdom in King Kounty.
buying troubled mortgage-backed securities at fire-sale prices as part of the “rescue effort”.
In anticipation of a federal bailout of some kind upon which these buyers get a windfall?
58 – 43 state at last count had an income tax.
Where do YOU live now Mr. Irrelevant?
I’m typing this from our timeshare near Port Townsend. Now, before y’all get the impression that Alice and I are a couple of swells or something, we just happened to discover a couple years back that 25 years after Kala Point Village got built, a large number of the original owners put their timeshares on the market at the same time, because they all reached the age where they weren’t making use of them any more. So…we were fortunate enough to be able to pick up a one-quarter share in a nice two-bedroom condo with a view of the water and the trees and a quarter-mile walk to the beach for less than the cost of a decent used car.
Funny thing about this place….Jack Sikma was one of the original developers, but there’s nary a single basketball court here.
Anyway, we’ve seen quite a few Rossi signs around here, and the local papers have plenty of letters to the editor dissing Gregoire–the necks are pretty red here, between the loggers and the BIAW folks throwing up the new houses for the semi-retired Microsofties. The irony in all this is that the Number One Problem in Port Townsend right now is the ferries. These folks apparently have no idea that if Rossi gets in, the chances of continuing ferry service between here and Whidbey Island are going to be slim to none, and the fares on the Edmonds-Kingston and Seattle-Winslow routes will go through the roof. That will be an inconvenience to us four times a year, but a disaster to the business owners in Port Townsend and the people who commute from here to some place on the other side of the Sound several times a week.
Sure, the present administration deserves some of the blame for the ferry system getting so screwed up, but as the article in last week’s Weekly points out, this has been brewing for decades. If the people here think electing Rossi is going to solve their problem, they must think a dose of arsenic is a good cure for a bellyache.
Not that a republican would ever care about facts – but during President Clinton’s time in office, he raised taxes on the rich and all that happened was he created a budget surplus that GW Bush wasted away in a minute or two.
The thing I keep wondering about, is what the real purpose is for nailing Spitzer at this particular time. I have absolutely no doubt that there’s something Roveian going on similar to what they did to Siegelman in Alabama, but the Publicans have to be pretty focused on retaining control of the White House after this year. Dumping Spitzer mid-term means he gets replaced by David Paterson, who’s probably more liberal than Spitzer. It may or may not derail Spitzer’s campaign to gain control of the state Senate in this election cycle. It might mean Pataki becoming Governor again in two years, but what effect all this might have on the Presidential election remains unclear. One thing’s for sure, though–if the righties can figure out some way to jig the vote count in November in a state with that many electoral votes, they’re damn well gonna do it.
Mr. Cynical @ 58,
“Boeing has had high-level staff members develop a Plan B in several other States including Alabama just in case some lunatic gets in State Office and starts pounding on them.”
…just one more reason to keep Dino Rossi in the real estate business.
Boeing stock is down $1.20 while the Dow is UP 340 points.
Boeing stock was at 107 last October…now it’s at 73.
If your stock isn’t up on a day like today, there are some serious issues ahead.
Does that 31%+ decline in Boeing stock prices help the State Economy?
How much Boeing Stock is held by the State Treasury??
Starbucks stock is also waaaaaaaaaay down.
And Microsoft has been mighty soft.
We have created a real deep hole here in Washington State….and you KLOWNS are salivating over sticking it to the Construction Industry?????
CYNICAL TIP OF THE DAY—
When you find yourself in a deep, dark hole….STOP DIGGING you boneheads!
Jobs come from somewhere….not the government.
Ah, yes, the Construction Industry….leading hirers of all those illegals that are so great for our economy. Let’s hear it for for all that job creation.
Sempersimper–
Cite the source of your allegation “the Construction Industry….leading hirers of all those illegals that are so great for our economy.”
Many illegals have excellent forged documents.
There are great costs & liabilities to hiring illegals a pinhead like you is incapable of understanding.
Example–
If you hire an illegal and they file a workers comp claim, the employer cannot rehire this illegal or even offer him a light-duty job….evan if the Illegal has fraudulent documents. Subsequently, the employers workers comp rate increase….while Pancho is sitting in Guadalajara waiting for his L&I check!
There will always be some stupid employers in any industry. The vast majority of employers in every industry do there best to not hire illegals.
And by the way, ask the Teamsters and other Unions how important the Construction Industry is!
Do you really think that the interests that drill/provide oil have any interest in keeping oil prices down?
The vast majority of employers in every industry do there best to not hire illegals.
Hmmm. Yes like Wal-Mart with their janitorial crews or just about any clean-up crew in any office building.
Somehow over 11 million illegals live and work here.
I think the realities are a little more complex yet a wingnut will always dumb down things to match their twisted world view.
Boeing stock is down $1.20 while the Dow is UP 340 points.
Their latest plane is behind schedule. Radical new light-weight materials. Supplier problems. A lot of bugs to work out.
If they work them out, they’ll run the table. The plane will be the cheapest airliner to operate by far and in a world of climbing fuel prices, that counts for a lot.
See there’s a reason..
“If people want to, they can control every single election,” said Rossi.
We can, we did, and we will continue to.
@3 When all is said and done, the Spitzer prostitution scandal will turn out to be a Republican hit-job on the country’s single most effective advocate for consumers and small investors.
@21 “Dino Rossi could probably be Elliot Spitzer … ”
Comparing Dino Rossi to Eliot Spitzer is like comparing Jim Johnson to Learned Hand.
Roger;
Your reference to Learned Hand is undoubtedly lost on the trolls here.
Darryl @52
Nice try but an 88 model anything before I-696 ran you mor like $75.00 or more. To get tabs for $30.00 you car would have had to be 1960s model or very early 70s. A 1970 bug was $60.00!
So if Rossi wins the Governors office which I believe he
will, would this be his second term? Should he be introduced as incumbant Governor Rossi?
RIHARD@21 ILL TELL YOU ONE THING THE MONEY DID NOT COME FROM GOLDY.THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOLDY AND A ROW BOAT THE BOAT TIPS.
DARRLY SPEAKING OF BLOW JOBS WHY DONT YOU GO INTO TOWN AND GET TWO BLOWJOBS AND BRING ONE BACK FOR ME ASSHOLE.
@33 THAT WOULD BE CALLED HEN PECKED.AFTER 44 YEARS MY WIFE HAS NEVER BEEN IN MY WALLET.
Big frikkin’ deal. So they propped the stock market up a few more days. How delightful that your shares are worth more dollars. Too bad the dollars are worth less.
Idiots.
@74…RHP6033…
Actually, Learned Hand would probably find a lot of common ground with Jim Johnson since by today’s standards he would be considered a conservative and would be the object of profanity-laden calumny by the HA Happy Hooligans since, on many subjects, his stated opinions run counter to their dogma.
FYI…I was first introduced to Learned Hand in 1969. His “Spirit of Liberty” speech with the famous caveat that “The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women.” I have kept a small volume of his writings next to my desk for well over 30-years.
Since his level of ideological tolerance is anathema to most of the HA Happy Hooligans, I strongly suspect Judge Hand would find most of what’s posted here deeply offensive personally and contrary to the best interests of the nation. Yet he would still defend their right as Americans to make absolute fools of themselves.
I’m especially fond of Hand’s reasoning on the right to pay as little in taxes as legally possible observing, as he did here:
“Any one may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which will best pay the Treasury; there is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s taxes” Gregory v. Helvering, 69 F.2d 809, 810-11 (2d Cir. 1934).
This “troll” is well familiar with Learned Hand…
The Piper