While I’ve had problems with Mayor Murray before, I have to say, his stance on keeping Seattle a sanctuary city has been pretty great. The federal money could be a hit in places. But it’s not even near as bad as turning the city into an arm of Trump’s anti-immigrant goon squad.

I was also heartened to read the outlines of a legal strategy. I’m not a lawyer, but Trump’s usual strategy of bullying people with an incentive to settle probably won’t work as well in this case. Our elected officials have a much greater incentive to fight him.

In the mean time, I’m all for creative ways to make up the money.

A while ago, I wrote my Seattle elected officials asking to keep Seattle a sanctuary city. Now here’s one asking my legislators (find yours here) to keep, and hopefully improve our health care system:

I don’t know exactly how Donald Trump and the GOP Congress plan to change healthcare in America, but I’m urging you to make sure Washington residents still have access to healthcare after the Republican Congress repeals Obamacare. I hope that means a health care exchange, and I would love to see a public option included in that. Or if you can find the votes, just universal health care.

If Congress allows sales across state lines, I would hope we sell a public option as widely as possible. Without a motive to skim off the top, it might be able to make money for the state and provide better health care for the rest of the country.

Thank you,

Carl Ballard

HorsesAss.org

I’m glad to see that homeless people are suing Seattle and Washington State about the sweeps (h/t to Geov on Facebook, I’d recommend a follow if you aren’t already). As long as Seattle is mostly going to be sticks, there has to be this sort of push back.

Well, the Womxns March in Seattle was a grand success. Great crowds, amazing energy. You can see some great pictures at the link above or the hashtag on Twitter.

I will note 2 things: First off, it was pretty white. You can “Imeanit’sSeattle” it if you want. And it was certainly more diverse than a lot of protests and marches I’ve been to. But it is worth noting.

The other thing, I was thinking was that the only 2 other protests I’ve seen of a similar magnitude were WTO and the Anti-Iraq war ones. While they were both important, and probably had many positive long-term reverberations, they didn’t succeed in their initial goals. I hope that’s a note of let’s keep working rather than of despair.

It’s the last few hours of the Obama administration. The last few hours of decency at the top of our government for at least 4 years.

I’ve talked to a lot of people who aren’t political who are going to the Womxns March in Seattle tomorrow.

The Republican Senate, and particularly Matt Manweller, are sure into local control. Let the locality make its own decisions, they say. You wouldn’t want the state to micromanage where it’s not even their business.

You know what, I can’t keep this joke going. It’s pretty bad, but their desire to not let Seattle do commercial rent control is bad policy on its own. And hypocrisy is the laziest charge in politics.

Also, when a literal socialist cares more about small business than the freemarketwillsolveeverything guy, it’s time to just ignore labels.

A lot of us were shocked when the Islamic Center of the Eastside was burned. (video autoplays) Thank goodness they have a suspect in custody, but it still must be horrible for the people who use the facility. It’s a helplessness and not knowing who in your community would maybe be on their side. Even if it’s only a small fraction, it’s got to be scary as fuck.

If you want to do something a bit more tangible, this is the place I’ve seen on social media to donate to the repairs.

Paid family leave would be great. Make it happen, the state and or Seattle. At the link above, Seattlish has the details.

If you’re in Seattle, Geov has plenty of protests going on. Before and during the inauguration. I heard some people say they didn’t realize there were anti-Trump rallies going on in the immediate wake of his election. So there you go.

It’s the first day of the Washington legislature. And that means it’s the what-do-you-want-from-the-legislature thread:

Mostly for me it’s playing defense against some of Trump’s excesses. It’s making sure that don’t tangle ourselves up in any attempt to deport people. It means making sure that the people kicked off Obamacare get health care in Washington; Maybe it means keeping up the exchange. Maybe it means universal health care from the state. But it can’t mean we let people die for want of health care.

But I don’t think we can just be stuck in react to Trump mode. I was kind of inspired by California’s we’ll launch our own satellites thing (a reaction to Trump, sure, but would also be pretty cool if Clinton had won the election). I’d like Washington State to build a space elevator. It seems like with Boeing and the universities and some good places to build it East of the mountains, it’s the sort of thing the whole state could be involved in.

Every year I say I’d like the reproductive parity act, or whatever we’re calling it. Every year, it doesn’t pass, but it’s still a good idea.

Anyway, those are the things I’m hoping and maybe dreaming will happen in the legislature. What do you want to see?

Did you get your democracy voucher? I did! I’m super excited to use them. Like, should I just find one candidate I like and give them all of the money? I can’t just use them to reject Tim Burgess due to the fact that he’s retiring. But surely there will be someone.

It’s kind of amazing that when the Office Of Congressional Ethics gutting vote came about all of Washington’s Republicans were either for it or Didn’t vote (it’s not organized by state, but I’m pretty sure that’s right). Remember when Reichert was running as a straight arrow? Well, it was always bullshit, of course, but now it’s even more exposed as such.

Oh hey, people’s minimum wage just went up. It’s still needlessly complex in Seattle. Washington’s is not as much as I’d like it. Still and all, the sky hasn’t fallen yet.

Also, everywhere in Washington has sick leave/safe leave now. So use that if you need it. I don’t know how strong the enforcement will be (it has been pretty weak in Seattle).

Good riddance 2016.

The precinct maps of ST3 are both illuminating and about what you expect. The cities, especially Seattle, and the close in suburbs are for it and the rest of the area isn’t as much or are against it. I hope as rail gets further and further out, that more people between the cities and further out can enjoy it as much as some of us in the city.