This year’s short session starts January 13. With the state Senate controlled by the GOP even more so than last session, and the House and Governor’s Mansion firmly in the hands of Democrats, I think we’ll see more defense than either side being able to push an agenda. They won’t have to compromise on a budget, so I suspect anything that does get passed will be small and around the edges. Still, they might surprise us. And anyway, there’s no reason to start the session out without a wishlist. Is there anything you’re hoping for or anything you’re hoping gets blocked?

For me, I’m less and less sure that there’s any sort of transportation package that isn’t terrible, but you never know. If I had one thing that in an ideal world I’d have the legislature pass it would be a high earner’s income tax. That won’t happen, doy, but it’s worth saying I’d like it. If they won’t pass that, a local option income tax would be better, although I think localities have the right, because of supreme court decisions made in the 1930’s and political cowardice, they won’t use it without some prompting. Barring that, I’d still like the Reproductive Parity Act but given that when NARAL called me, they weren’t even pushing that, it seems unlikely.

– To protect and serve, I guess.

– Melissa Harris-Perry was right to apologize.

– I grew up as a Southern Baptist, where gays weren’t just sinners — they were a donation strategy.

– The website for the campaign for the $15 minimum wage is up now.

– Congrats to Boeing on the occasion of forgetting that you get what you pay for.

– Are we glad the Seahawks will face the Saints?

Because we need another open thread.

– I Was An NFL Player Until I Was Fired By Two Cowards And A Bigot

– What the fuck, Border Patrol?

– Run Goldy.

– Hey, schools and other public institutions. Handle rape allegations better.

– Many of the people advocating this theory are religious leaders — church people who criticize government for not “allowing” the churches room to care for the poor and the jobless through private charity. Here’s their chance to put their money where their mouth is. Here’s their chance to prove they’ve been speaking truth and not just spouting hateful anti-poor garbage.

– The gun show loophole will almost certainly be on the ballot in November.

– I will have to stop using American idioms.

– OK, I’m going to be back to normal next week. I think it’ll still be Monday-Tuesday-Thursday open threads, but if you’d prefer Monday-Wednesday-Friday threads, let me know and I’ll consider it.

1) Top 1 Top Lists of 2013 of 2013

(Feel free to use this as an open thread; no more of these unless I think of something even stupider.)

The last year end list wasn’t WA/Seattle oriented, like this blog ought to be. So here’s one for that.

In no particular order:

– General

– Primary

(seriously, feel free to use this as an open thread, and yes there’s more of this nonsense to come)

1-E
2-A
3-I, O (Tie)
5-U

(Feel free to use this as an open thread)

I haven’t done an Open Thread in like a week. Rather than collecting links, I’ve been not doing that, but here goes:

– Too big to jail sounds like a facile little slogan but it appears to be completely accurate

– Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) Signups/Applications (h/t to my friend R)

– Cascadian politics and how we vote in a primary around here

– In a few years when gay marriage is just “marriage”, there’s going to be a reckoning.

– The White Center food bank needs volunteers.

– The Life’s Not Fair doctrine

Give Senator Don Benton this: He is an asshole. No, give him this: He was able to get a non-story into the news. Anyway start with his Christmas Eve press release

Senator Don Benton of Vancouver said he wants an audit of Planned Parenthood following accusations of fraudulent Medicaid billing.

Oh gosh. That sounds serious. “Accusations” must be a government office. What it couldn’t be — because it would be embarrassing even to the credibility challenged GOP — is a random group with the fake grassrootsiest name in the history of organizations.

He called for the investigation after a group called The Alliance Defending Freedom accused Planned Parenthood of over-billing Medicaid and the state of Washington at least 50,000 times, costing the state $337 million.

Oh. I’m not including Benton’s link to it here, but he links to the group, who are doing some year end fundraising. He doesn’t link to the “accusation” just to their front page fundraising page.* I just looked around the page, but this ostensible millions of dollars in fraud, this supposed bombshell, this major revelation of fraud, wasn’t easy to find. I’m sure it’s on their website, somewhere, but it wasn’t obvious to me. There is a lot of complaining about the war on Christmas, so there’s that.

So a group nobody has ever heard of makes inflammatory accusations, and they’re repeated by Senator Benton who demands an audit. This is a Senator who is so concerned with the public money that he took a make work job for his off time (Columbian link), so you know he’s serious.

Anyway, the press release ends with a link to what looks like a real news org picking it up. Jesus, your liberal media.

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– The (Catholic High School) kids are all right.

– Linda Thomas’ goodbye to KIRO and Cienna Madrid’s goodbye to Stranger readers.

– I’m glad the city is looking into ways to not discourage marijuana tourism, but I find it a bit odd that it’s coming from the City Attorney’s office.

– Phil Robertson’s America

– Civilization doesn’t have to be a casino.

– At least it doesn’t have fucking video ads.

– I wold totally play about 8 of these, if given the chance.

– Holy shit were bus drivers awesomesauce this morning.

– I imagine my posting will be lighter than usual in the next few weeks, but really, your reading will be lighter, so it all balances out.

We got a dusting of snow Downtown but not too much. And there’s more snow further North and less South.

Snow will is now peaking in the greater Puget Sound area and it will snow heavily for the next two hours or so then lighten and change to rain. Changeover to rain has already occured along the coast (as planned) and that changeover will gradually spread from southwest to northeast. We’re still thinking Seattle changeover to rain around 9 am or so.

Leave extra time to get to work as people might finally realize it’s OK to slow down a bit (and be one of those people if you drive) and public transit is extra crowded. I’m already regretting my decision to go back to work today, but I’m feeling OK, so I guess I should. Here’s a list of school closures/delays.

How is it in your neck of the woods?

I’m feeling like crap, so I’m heading to bed as soon as I get home. If I’m feeling better (or knowing me if I just can’t sleep) later on, I’ll post something. But otherwise, zzzzzzzzzz for me. Here are some topics:

– Christmas recipes

– Newtonmass recipes

– Carl is a dummy for walking to DL when he was already feeling a bit down.

– Carl should have taken his car, so it’s his own fault.

– How this won’t change Carl’s WARONCARZ stances, that are totally real.

– Something something Ed Murray

– Socialism!

– Communism!

– Is there a difference between the two?

– Obama

– Thanks Obama!

– #THANKSOBAMA!

– Oh, the Senate passed a shitty budget, but it’s probably better than the sequester budget.

– Get well soon, Carl*

– The State GOP. What, why?**

– How many pieces on this list before it feels like it’s just padding?

– Have we hit that already?

– Was it somewhere between “Here are some topics” and “Christmas recipes” or did it manage to be before that?

– Does Carl know his stupid lists are stupid, and even worse when he’s only going at 50% at the most?

– Whatever you want: you’re an adult

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The major issue next year in Seattle will be the push to get a $15 minimum wage either passed by the City Council or the voters. And I’m heartened to see that Council Member Elect Sawant is going to keep the pressure on.

Asked whether she’d be willing to wait until the end of mayor-elect Ed Murray’s first four-year term—Murray has said he wants to get to $15 an hour by the end of his first term in office—Sawant said no. “I think that’s too late, because working people … have to put food on the table today. They have to pay the rent every month. They can’t tell their landlord to wait four years.”

However, despite the emphasis on urgency, she struck a more conciliatory note on the specifics. “This is not something that we want to come up with unilaterally.” (Sawant has a habit of referring to herself in the plural).

I think that’s a bit of an unfair characterization given that she’s there with a large group of people, but whatever. The larger point that there will be a continued push from Murray’s, and the median council member’s, left probably bodes well for passing it.

I know Murray campaigned on passing it and I have no reason to doubt he wants to pass it for political as well as moral reasons. But I worry that he’s more concerned with irenic posturing to business interests than pressing ahead when there’s momentum. So hopefully this campaign will be a check on the people who are surely trying to process it to death.

If you’re interested in checking it out, there’s 15now.org. Looks like right now, they’re just trying to get your contact info. But there will presumably be more info once the push kicks into high gear.

– Congrats to the happy couple, but man alive do I not like public proposals.

– I’m not sure if Frank Chiachiere’s FrequentRide model over at Seattle Transit Blog would work to help save Metro, but I’m glad it’s pushing something beyond the status quo as the maximal position of transit advocates.

– A willingness to critique both sides isn’t evidence of any particular wisdom–the critique could simply be wrong. (Journalists, in particular, make this mistake with alarming regularity.) False equivalence isn’t nuance. And moderation in writing style isn’t depth. But there is something to be said for real nuance.

– Mike McGinn is still feisty on his exit.

– I’m as big a fan of Sriracha as anyone, but no. (h/t)

Cathy McMorris Rodgers is being horrible again.

“This is a Democrat party that has no interest in working with Republicans — one that’s openly hostile to American values and the Constitution,” said McMorris Rodgers, a member of the House Republican Leadership.

House Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Washington. They have resisted strong, Senate-passed Violence Against Women Act bill, but appear resigned to letting it pass.R-Wash., Republican leaders in the House

McMorris Rodgers did not identify which “American values” to which her Democratic colleagues, including eight in the Washington delegation, are hostile.

“Just look at President Obama’s actions on Obamacare and immigration — he has been using unprecedented executive power to rule by decree: The Left will stop at nothing to achieve their goals,” added McMorris Rodgers.

Man, the imaginary Obama is really a horrible person. Why first he gets a moderate health care plan through Congress and then he doesn’t support repealing it! Then he supports immigration reform and takes some minor actions on the fringes that are well within his power as he waits to push reform more broadly and still deports lots of people! Is there nothing this monster isn’t capable of?

Seriously, there have been things that the executive has done that I don’t like: NSA spying is too far, and as I say, I wish there were a lot fewer deportations. Mostly though, it’s the routine executive overreach that we see in every administration. But she can’t very well write a fundraising letter, “Obama has a rather broad interpretation of his war powers, but it’s less than Bush, who I supported. Also, most other presidents since Adams almost got us into an undeclared war with the French have had a pretty broad idea of their war powers. Finally, the drone program that I supported under Bush is following it’s natural course, but we should probably reign it in. A contribution of $25, $50, or $100 will make sure we can continue to have nonsense hearings on whatever the right wing echo chamber is blathering on about now.”