Joel Connelly has a piece on coal interests giving to Republicans who then spend it on pro-coal candidates in Whatcom County.
– State Republicans, on May 1, received a $10,000 donation from Pacific International Terminals. Pacific doubled down with a $20,000 contribution on Sept. 17.
– The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, on June 25, made two donations totaling $10,000 to state Republicans.
– The state Republican Party, on May 1, gave $5,000 to the Whatcom County Republican Party. It followed with a second $5,000 donation on May 24, and a third $5,000 donation on July 19.
– The state party has given $500 apiece to four candidates — Kathy Kershner, Michelle Luke, Ben Elenbass and Bill Knutzen — who have been endorsed by the Whatcom County Republican Party. The county party strongly supports the proposed coal export terminal.
–The Whatcom County Republican Party, between July 29 and Aug. 1, made donations of $900 apiece to Kershner, Luke, Elenbass and Knutzen.
I’m not here to say that they can’t do that. If the law allows it, corporations are going to make political donations that maximize their profit. But it is scuzzy. And perhaps it shouldn’t be allowed. It should definitely be called out.
Several local pols have also gotten max contributions from BNSF this year, including Ed Murray and alleged environmentalist Richard Conlin.
Park loudspeaker trucks outside the homes of those candidates and entertain them with train sounds day and night as a gift from Sleepless In Seattle.
It’s a free country and BNSF can give to whomever. We hear airplane engines, train, and ferry whistles all the time. Music to Puddy and Mrs. Puddy’s ears.
If they gave $LARGE to DUMMOCRETINS would this thread be here?
@2 this brings to mind what happened after the former Navy housing project on the east side of Magnolia was surplused to a developer who turned it into a condo development. Apparently some of the new residents didn’t think to come by and check out the noise of freight trains being “humped” together in the Interbay yard all night before they signed up. Some of ’em banded together and filed suit to try to get the railroad to close the whole thing down. It didn’t go very far.
After all GOATBOY gives it to the GOATS.
@3 In #1 I specifically called out Murray and Conlin, who are Democrats. And Conlin, in particular, even fancies himself an environmental champion. (Though as The Stranger keeps pointing out, his actual record on things like spearheading the downtown tunnel, pulling money from public transit, etc. is quite bad.) Both parties are badly corrupted by corporate money; the Republicans are just less hypocritical about it. The problem is, Conlin (and Murray) are both very smart men, so even if they wanted to, there’s clearly no place in the modern Republican Party for them.
Which explains you.
Poor Pete… Puddy asked
The thread Pete…, not your silly commentary! Yet you go ad hominem on Puddy.
Sheeesh, another diseased DUMMOCRETIN!
Well you did nail something down… DUMMOCRETINS are hypocrites!