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Open Thread 10/15

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– How do you know when a Koch brothers sponsored group is lying in a press release? If it issued a press release.

– And the goddamned town full of righteous assholes who populate Maryville, Missouri joined up to recite the sacred mantra of “boys will be boys” and to condemn and harass the victims.

– Maybe not letting King County fund its own transit is a way to fund the 520 bridge since people are switching in large numbers due to the tolling.

– “As a matter of policy I always wait a few days before reading anything Alessandra Stanley writes so editors have time to issue the necessary 3-4 corrections. So I admit I’ve yet to read the piece.”

– This weekend’s weird protest against the fallout of the government shutdown they engineered is just the latest primal scream from this slowly dying breed of American.

– Three Olympia local food options that aren’t the co-op or the farmers market

– I always try to write a quick email when I’ve had good customer service (although in fairness, I’ve never been great at following through on it). Lately though, it’s been harder and harder to find a good email address. I feel like I’m being pushed to Twitter and Facebook, but those feel too public for that. Is it that putting those addresses somewhere where I can find it means that it’s also somewhere where billions of spam bots can find them too? Has anyone else had this problem, or is it just me?

– Ayn Random

Comments

  1. 1

    On the 520, this is no surprise, everyone said that was going to happen.

    Here’s the breakdown: drivers with household incomes of less than $50,000 avoid the bridge, while drivers with household incomes of $200,000 or more say they don’t mind the tolls.

    Another impact of the toll is increased use of mass transit. Some 45 percent of people say they did so because of the 520 bridge tolls.

    So the legislators will consider tolling 90 to still hurt the under %50k crowd? Idiots, every last one of them.

  2. 2

    Anti democratic bastards.

    Cincinnati Tea Party Fails in Campaign to Intimidate the Urbanist Press With Fraud Allegations
    It’s not easy being an urbanist blogger in America. For the most part you don’t make any money, but you do accumulate lots of people who don’t like you. Randy Simes, publisher of Urban Cincy, has been a thorn in the side of the local Tea Party for some time. Having suffered a string of defeats trying to derail projects they don’t like, notably the streetcar, both in city elections and in multiple referendums, the Tea Party in the form of Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) apparently decided that if the couldn’t get what they wanted through democracy, they’d try silencing their critics by filing a vote fraud complaint against streetcar supporter Simes. Fortunately, a bi-partisan majority of the Hamilton County Board of Elections, rejected the allegations.

    Cincinnati Tea Party Fails in Campaign to Intimidate the Urbanist Press With Fraud Allegations
    It’s not easy being an urbanist blogger in America. For the most part you don’t make any money, but you do accumulate lots of people who don’t like you. Randy Simes, publisher of Urban Cincy, has been a thorn in the side of the local Tea Party for some time. Having suffered a string of defeats trying to derail projects they don’t like, notably the streetcar, both in city elections and in multiple referendums, the Tea Party in the form of Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) apparently decided that if the couldn’t get what they wanted through democracy, they’d try silencing their critics by filing a vote fraud complaint against streetcar supporter Simes. Fortunately, a bi-partisan majority of the Hamilton County Board of Elections, rejected the allegations.
    http://www.urbanophile.com

  3. 3

    From Susan Hutchison
    Chairman, Washington State RETHUG Party

    We need your help NOW in the most important race in this November’s election! In the 26th Senate seat, the polls show the gap between RETHUG Jan Angel and Democrat Nathan Schlicher is narrowing and the race is nearly even!

    We can’t let Tom Steyer, a billionaire extreme environmentalist from San Francisco, smear Jan as he funnels hundreds of thousands of dollars into the race. If we’re going to win, we’re going to have to fight back!

    But most of the out of state funding went to the RETHUG. Who would have thought?

    http://votersedge.org/washingt.....-schlicher

    http://votersedge.org/washingt.....-jan-angel

  4. 4

    Holy shit.

    During the 2013 legislative session from January to May, Missouri lawmakers took more than $750,000 in gifts from lobbyists. In Missouri, unlike in Congress and virtually every other state legislature, there is no prohibition against gifts. No limits. No caps. There’s nothing in the law that even indicates there might be an impropriety, even though most of those doing the giving have to live by such rules when they give in other states, or to members of Congress, or to clients in a regulated industry
    http://www.stltoday.com/news/o.....12771.html

    .

  5. 5

    More fucked up shit from MO!

    STEELVILLE, Mo. (AP) — An eastern Missouri woman is facing charges for allegedly taking nude pictures of her middle school-aged daughter, posting them on the Internet and allowing men to have sex with the child.

    Is it something in the water?

  7. 7

    @1 If they slap tolls on I-90, they’ll also have to set up toll boths on I-405, or people will simply drive around the lake to avoid the bridge tolls.

  8. 8

    House GOP’s Bad Faith

    The House GOP “blindsided” (Sen. Reid’s words) senators working on a budget/default compromise today by floating a proposal that included, as one of its provisions, a prohibition on the Treasury Department using “extraordinary measures” to avoid default in future debt ceiling standoffs.

    That, of course, is a poison pill. The fact they’re even talking about it strongly implies that House Republicans don’t want to settle the standoff, they want to take our country over the default cliff.

    Shame on the voters who elected these rabble.

  9. 9

    @7 – WADOT is getting closer to setting tolls for all drivers on I-405. They’re now in the process of widening out the lanes so that the HOV lane turns into a HOT lane (similar to SR-167) from Lynnwood to Bellevue. The HOT lane will allow 3-person carpools (as opposed to 2-person that are currently allowed) and charge everyone else.

  10. 10

    I might question the demographics a bit regarding who does and doesn’t use the 520 bridge. I travel on it every day from Seattle to Redmond and back, most of the time on the bus so I can pay attention to things other than avoiding bashing into the asshole who just cut in front of me. The main choke point in the evening now is the backup from the ramps from westbound 520 to north-and southbound 405, and I see plenty of Benzes, Beemers and Esclades qeued up to take some other route to Seattle without paying the toll. I take this as an indication that wealthy people who don’t live really close the bridge are being just as cheap-ass as the po’ folks, going miles out of their way to duck paying a $3.75 toll even if they shelled out $75K for their ride.

    On the other hand, Rodney Tom and his neighbors from “the Points” and Medina would surely love to have a shiny, deluxe new bridge built mostly at someone else’s expense that turns out to be mostly for their exclusive use.

  11. 11

    @9 They have to get money for the 520 bridge from the locals. If one trick doesn’t work, they’ll try another. My guess is they would prefer a car tab tax if they could get away with it. From my point of view, charging bridge users is preferable to charging everyone. I cross Lake Washington maybe 3 or 4 times a year. There’s no way I should be forced to pony up the same amount as daily commuters. Tolling I-90 was discussed a while ago, and as a I recall, there was some federal issue that prevented WSDOT from doing that. It wouldn’t surprise me that they’re still trying.

  12. 12

    Re: the second item, I’ve had female acquaintances who grew up in “White Trash America” (including parts of our own state) describe that environment as a “rapeteria” in which violation even by family members is routinely used as a punishment.

  13. 13

    It looks like even Boener is getting upset with the Tea Party guys in the House, as well as quite a few Senate Republicans. This deal has to be finalized sometime tomorrow or we go into default.

  15. 15

    @13 rhp6033,

    Not to pick nits, but

    This deal has to be finalized sometime tomorrow or we go into default.

    is not true.

    If the US Treasury does not receive authority to borrow, the probability of default rises indeterminately.

    There is just no way to know past 17 October whether the revenues received will equal the obligations on a day to day basis.

  16. 16

    Oct. 16, 2013
    Attorney General Ferguson files suit against Grocery Manufacturers Association

    AG alleges association skirted disclosure rules in $7.2M contribution to No on Initiative 522 campaign

    SEATTLE – Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed suit in Thurston County Superior Court alleging that the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) violated the state’s campaign disclosure laws. Ferguson alleges the GMA illegally collected and spent more than $7 million while shielding the identity of its contributors. The funds were spent to express opposition to Initiative 522, a measure requiring labeling of genetically engineered foods, seeds and seed products in Washington.

    “When Washington state voters overwhelming approved Initiative 276 in 1972, they voiced their desire for transparency and openness in elections,” Ferguson said. “Truly fair elections demand all sides follow the rules by disclosing who their donors are and how much they are spending to advocate their views.”

    The Grocery Manufacturers Association … is the biggest donor to the No on I-522 campaign.

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