As most of you know, I have been forced to crack down somewhat on pointless, off-topic comments that were making the threads unreadable. Nobody’s been banned, per se, but you’ll notice a certain individual hasn’t been around since I started to hold his comments for approval.
To balance the unaccustomed order, I’ve decided to create a weekly “Open Thread” where you are free to post on whatever subject you want. I hope you will all play nice, and use this as a forum for real debate — however angry and vitriolic — but this is your sandbox, so shit in it if you want.
In exchange, I ask you all to try to stay on-topic in the other threads. I understand that debate sometimes wanders in unexpected directions, so tangents are fine. But if you feel the need to hijack a thread for your own personal agenda, this is the thread to hijack.
We’ll see how this experiment goes.
Sitting in my office in a downtown high rise, looking north at I-5. Brakelights and headlights as far north as you can see. I can’t help but think that if we took all the money designated for the Ballard-West Seattle monorail and the proposed Sound Transit route, we could build a monorail (or some other el) over I-5 from Marysville to Tacoma and move a hell of a lot people. It has never been clear to me why our two major mass transit projects don’t have moving large numbers of people to and from work as their major objective.
No crap! instead they chuck the money into an utterly worthless route that minimal commuters take. What kind of rejects are these peole? If they at least put the monorail from the airport to downtown via West Seattle that would make sense, but once again elected officials weight the options and pull the ones out of the bottom of the waste basket and pick them.
Adriel @ 2
I was opposed to the monorail and voted against it twice, in part because the funding mechanism appeared untenable (as may still prove to be the case). However, I have no confidence that your diatribe about the routing has any merit. When you have some time on your hands, why don’t you ask someone in the know there why they chose the route they did? Enlighten us.
I agreed with you that I didn’t think it was a bright idea I just said if they had to…
Adriel, RDC, and steven:
I am in Texas (figured I would need the disclaimer just because I am here and not there), yet perceive the problem like this:
We always do it this way
Until people find a way out of business as usual, we’re stuck…
marks @ 5
Kinda sounds like the democrats in Congress not wanting to change social security. That’s the first thing that jumped in my head anyway.
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One more try….
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Hope This will pass muster on the “open thread” board!! Read on!!!! Multiple state and federal official inquiries — including the FBI’s — have been opened to examine Milwaukee’s situation as well as other electoral oddities across the state.
In Pennsylvania, Philadelphia has always been a nexus of Election Day shenanigans. As a Republican spokesman has said, “Vote early and vote often is as much a part of Philly as cheesesteak and the Liberty Bell.” Philadelphia voting machines were found to have votes already tabulated — before any votes were legally cast! Rep. Curt Weldon, a Republican who represents suburbs outside of Philadelphia discovered — and videotaped — members of the proto-Angry groups Move On.org and America Coming Together collecting absentee ballots from prison inmates and taking them to the local Board of Elections.
Well, it was supposed to be an ASCII Bicycle.
Try this instead:
http://www.biketoworkday.com/C.....le_art.cfm
One explanation for the monorail, albiet a poor one, is that the citizens of Seattle (I’m not one) wre willing to tax themselves for a system. They don’t care about Marysville or Tacoma, and they picked the route.
It is quite absurd that we have a Monorail Authority, Sound Transit, Metro Transit (an agency of King County), and WSDOT all with a role on transporting folks within the same corridor
Marks @ 5
Interesting link; who can explain it? Possibly the tendency to do things the way they’ve always been done comes out of the deepest part of our brain stem; preservation of the species and all that. Speaking of which, it’s time for dinner.
k @10
BINGO!
I just thought I would say that, since you are absolutely right that at least four agencies hold your metro riders and taxpayers in the same pocket. I understand the idea that business monopolies are bad, but government monopolies divided by name, not function? Yikes!
Similar ineffieiencies exist with water/sewer districts. I used to know how many there are in King COunty but have forgotten the large number. The number of elected officials in King County, again a forgotten number, is quite large. Library boards, utility districts, etc. You ofter see these names on the ballot and have no idea who they are. There is a “home rule” instinct which calls for an independent agency for many finctios. Add them up, and you get confusion.
I must do better proof reading my posts.
Ok. I am going to intentially post off topic
1) Here’s the link to the flat earth society, they are great
http://www.flat-earth.org/
2) SASQUATCH is real:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com.....igfoot.htm
3) Rossi has a good chance to win the election contest:
http://www.soundpolitics.com/
Mass transit wont work here, you cannot tax people out of their cars, if you want to make it work make it self supporting as well as more convenient. As in New York, it is more convenient and paid for by ridership. People dont mind giving a financial jumpstart but expect things to fly themselves once stabilized. To harness the taxpayer permanantly without a vision of self support simply creates animosity and hatred for the program by too many people.
Erik @15
Wow! The Earth is flat! AND there is a Sasquatch!
Still can’t preclude your point on Rossi…but…
Chuck @ 16
BINGO!!!
Self sufficiency is the key, this plan will never be stable and that is the truth.
If you guys/galls feel you have better ideas why don’t you start pumping them to the people. All I see is constant venom with no real ideas. The one idea of the ‘flyover’ from Tacoma to Marysville is an example of a good idea. Lets here from you. I have lived in many cities with major trafic problems. The governments work, and are still working to convince the people to leave their cars at home and take mass transit. IF the system is functional it is the way to go. Not many things seem more of a waist than one person in his/her gas guzzler traveling too and from a job that has mass transit connedtions readily available.
Seattle needs light rail, kids.
If you had one from Bellevue and one from Everett to down town that would help congestion. We could also have the transit systems drop off their riders at the hubs to get downtown, thus eliminating buses on I-5 and I-90.
jpgee@19
I gave you a better idea, when you go to the people to support the initiation of a mono-transit-bus-van-train-mass transit program you say we need (blank amount) to get this program rolling and solvent. It will support itself by (MM/DD/YYYY) and upon that date your money will stop paying into it…PERIOD. If it cannot float at that date, sell it to a private interest to recoup funds, if private interest isnt interested, then it was not to be.
You people havent figured it out yet have you, if a train was the way to go they wouldnt have died in the last 75 years…the rail or train whatever you call it is DEAD. The feds cannot even keep trains solvent.
Now I feel slighted Goldy, I didnt even make it on your lame assed poll!
isnt bart a good transit system? i’ll look into it more.
Also, there is a guy named masstransitfan over at king5 occasionally, that is really up on transit it seems. He has lots of ideas.
Diggindude @25
I worked on the BART system (communications systems), and I can tell you that it is one of the better systems developed under the mass transit arrays in large metro areas.
Having been to several other areas developed, including San Diego (not horrible, but room for improvement), Dallas (never been a worse system, but improving), New York (master planning at it’s finest), and Atlanta (never been more lost), I would conclude transit is winning, but taxpayer money is likely loosing…
If you don’t mind your money pouring out your wallet, don’t question the expenditures…
zap @ 7 et seq.
You ride a bike if you want; I’m too old to be outside in the rain. I made my contribution to gas conservation when I was young and too poor to own a car.
marks @ 12
So, as I understand your post, when you have 4 different public agencies competing with each other for the same riders, they constitute 4 monopolies; but if you have 4 private businesses competing for the same customers, that’s competition?
Don @27
Clarification: No, they are four entities working for the same government. Thus, a monopoly.
Erik @ 15
Here’s the link to the local chapter of the Flat Earth Society.
http://www.wsrp.org/
Don @29, too funny! But wrong…
marks @ 28
No they aren’t. They’re separate political entities with their own governing boards.
Don @ 31
“They’re separate political entities with their own governing boards.”
And the difference is? Perhaps you can teach me?
Well, besides the obvious…
Don @27 – Carbon Fiber tricycle recumbent with windshield. Drink holder optional. Burke-Gilman one end to the other in an hour. It takes a certain mens rea though.
I’ve asked all my pals to vote for me in Goldy’s poll.
It seems like I always win!
Hey, I’m leading!!!
Told you so.
JCH….you need to be a little more obnoxious brother (if that’s possible!!) Perhaps you need to start on about parasite guv’ment hack Don again!!! LOL!
Politics of
personalself-destructionHow do you left wingers feel about all of the “foot in mouth disease” going around the Dem Party of late?
The latest, of course, is Reid calling the Greenspan a “political hack.” But you also have a couple of Dean-isms like the overreaching “I hate Republicans” and the comment about blacks being hotel service staff.
Marks
Didn’t BART cost a great deal more than was originally planned? It is a good system, but I think (that means IMO based on some imperfect knowledge) what happened in the Bay area was that as BART extended its lines, more people moved out to the distance reaches of its service. Traffic on the highways improved for a time, but now both the highways and BART are crowded.
I’m only being a bit facetious when I tell people that the only way to solve the traffic problem in the Seattle area is to bomb Bellevue. Some problems don’t have solutions; they can only be addressed by sequential ameliorating measures (extra buses;; carpools; a new I-90; carpool lanes; heavy rail; light rail; monorail. My hat is off to all persons, elected or no, who have and are trying to get a grip on what is, ultimately, an unsolvable dilemma. Build more, and more will come, putting even more pressure on existing services.
Dear Readers,
Apparently some of you have been offended by my posts making fun of the Fighting Quakers. For that, I wholeheartedly apologize. The F.Q.’s are an excellent football team. Well, not excellent, but really nice. Actually not nice, but very sportsmanlike. Well perhaps not exactly sportsmanlike — “cowardly” – can I use that word here? Now, it hasn’t always been that way. I remember one year when they played Penn State and totally KICKED THEIR BUTTS!
True, it was a down year for the Penn State High School for the Blind. And like Vassar, they had just gone coed so there were only three men on the team. But oh, but what a 3-0 victory for the Fighting Quakers!
RDC –
Touche…no system either begins nor ends perfectly. But the RF communications system is excellent (my area of expertise)…
And, of course, I am able to get to my uncle’s house in Berkely without much trouble…getting back is a different story, for differing reasons…
Mark @ 35
It would be a useless waste of time to debate it, but in five years or so we should revisit the Greenspan legacy. I don’t approve of Reid’s labelling (I hadn’t heard this), but I think the sentiment is on the money. Greenspan could have been a voice of reason to mellow somewhat the current administration’s cacophony of nonsense vis-a-vis sound fiscal policy, but instead chose to add his own offkey voice to the howling. But, I may be wrong. If I am, five years from now I’ll buy you a beer (and hope it doesn’t cost $3,250,000.
rdc @41
…but for Reid to call Greenspan a political hack was arrogant, foolish, and disrespectful to a man who has served under both dem and repub administrations. And politically, a bone headed flub. What possible good can it do for Reid to disrespect Greenspn like that? The dems are in for a rough period with Reid in lthe leadership unless he grows some self control.
zap @ 35
My mens rea was superseded by Detroit iron about 30 years ago.
I find this very interesting. In one articles’ title, Goldy posts–“BIAW–Bungling Idiots Association of Washington.” In the very next he ends by saying, “So let’s try to keep this relatively civil.” What’s wrong with this picture? And every time I come on he is telling the “righties” ONLY to keep a civil tongue. Seems that he can’t take the heat, maybe.
Well, I have found that the “tolerant liberal”, though he is always telling the right that THEY are the INtolerant ones, is himself the most intolerant creature ever to walk the face of the earth. He won’t tolerate someone asking for clean and fair elections, so that NONE of the voters is disenfranchised. He won’t tolerate anyone who disagrees with him. He won’t tolerate someone wanting to defend the helpless unborn child. He won’t tolerate anyone wanting their religious right to pray over so much as a school lunch. He won’t tolerate the Ten Commandments being posted in public and understand it simply ACKNOWLEDGES that the law stemmed from religion, not that the government is mandating a specific kind of faith. He won’t tolerate the pledge of allegiance by those who WANT to say it, but do NOT insist that the liberal follow suit. They will not tolerate our troops actually winning a battle they are called by their commander-in-chief to win. They will not tolerate anything that smacks of morality, integrity and wholesomeness. Nor will they tolerate constructive criticism. Their governmental policies will not tolerate any program whereby the individual may eventually become INdependent of government “aid” and control or interference. They will not tolerate being told that there is no such thing as “entitlements”, that only hard work and determination will suffice. They will not tolerate having it pointed out that they themselves ADMIT that our country is in debt to its eyeballs (but somehow they insist Socialist INsecurity is solid as the Rock of Gibralter–if they even know where that is–they don’t tolerate real Geography classes, either). They don’t tolerate that someone may not want their “drug dealer” approach to federal aid–even if it’s for the children. They won’t tolerate that someone may think Robert KKK Byrd is a nut and Ted (the hero of Chappaquiddick)Kennedy may be a communist. They wion’t tolerate that your opinion may be different without you being labaled a whacko of some sort. They won’t tolerate anything but a total nanny state from cradle to grave and if you don’t like it, they won’t tolerate you. Basically, if you are not preaching to the choir here, they won’t tolerate you being on their web site! The tolerant liberal is a MYTH formulated by the far left and as Hitler knew, if you tell a big enough lie long enough and often enough, there are always enough suckers who will believe it. Oh, and lest I forget–they don’t tolerate free speech or freedom of the press unless it agrees with their point of view. Things must be very different in King (George III) county. And this is one Republican who will NOT do the Dems’ homework for them–study it out for yourselves or go heckle yourself!
Adriel @2,
I fail to understand why people think extending rail to the airport is such a great idea in a city like Seattle? Think about it… who flies? Business people who are reimbursed for their taxi, so they won’t use it. Families going on vacation with lots of luggage, so they won’t use it.
Airport links are underutilized on almost every US city that has built them. They just don’t work unless there is a supporting mass transit infrastructure… which we don’t have.
Erik @16,
Funny.
Chuck @25,
I had intended to put you on the poll, but you had been so quiet for such a long time, you got edged out by some newcomers. Maybe next time.
Zapporo @39,
Hey… the Fighting Quakers were Ivy League champs all four of my undergraduate years. (Yeah… I know that’s not saying much.)
Steve @44,
Hey… I tolerate you.
And I think you entirely miss the point about my call for civility. I don’t mind an angry, vitriolic debate, and I’ve said that repeatedly. I have great respect for appropriately used foul language, and clever insults.
What I object to are efforts to intentionally disrupt these forums with off-topic postings and content-less attacks. I think if you ask the righties here, they may hate my opinions, but I bet I’ve earned their respect for my efforts to keep this an open forum.
zip @ 42
As I said, I don’t like the choice of term, but my guess is that the Ds sense, with a good chance of being right, that Greenspan and by extension in the public mind, the administration, is becoming more vulnerable to criticism because of increasing public concern about deficits and suspicion about the SS proposal. I don’t care for the language used, but, just by reading this blog, I can tell that many people of both persuasions do like and use street (gutter?) language.
O’Dell what world did you just fly in from? Planet Limbaugh via the Faux News wormhole?
That rant of yours was so full of long-ago shredded wingnut talking points I won’t even bother. I’ll just mention that some of it was unconstitutional maybe? As for freedom of speech and civility, Goldy has yet to ban a wingnut from here. They’ve graffiti’d this place plenty just as have you done.
Here’s a nice place where you can complain how the bad liberals at Goldy’s treated you. You’ll feel right at home there:
It’s called Sound Politics.
Otherwise feel free to hang around a bit. Maybe someone will get so annoyed with you they’ll put your familiar style of comments through the shredder – yet again.
Airport links are underutilized on almost every US city that has built them. They just don’t work unless there is a supporting mass transit infrastructure… which we don’t have.
A good example is the Metro link to National Airport in DC. Dulless and BWI are far more popular airports, despite being “far away” because most people drive to airports (or take taxis).
I’m a fan of mass transit, when done right, but I don’t see the airport as a crucial connection point. I’d be far more interested in something that goes from Everett to Seattle to Tacoma and/or connects the Eastside with Seattle (and vice versa) for the average commuter.
The tough thing about Seattle is our population puts us right on the threshold of the type of city that can really support a mass transit system. We’re too big not to have one, but too small to really afford one (like DC, New York, SF, etc.). Our geography (hemmed in by water, hilly, etc.) doesn’t help matters either (can’t build a beltway or bypass toll roads very easily).
Well, I have found that the “tolerant liberal”, though he is always telling the right that THEY are the INtolerant ones, is himself the most intolerant creature ever to walk the face of the earth.
Nope, intolerant would be these guys.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....mbaugh.jpg
http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.co.....tually.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi.....Kkklan.jpg
http://www.temple.edu/history/images/nazis.gif
http://www92.homepage.villanov.....0laden.jpg
Those things that Torrid Joe would Just Rather Not Admit
My newest computer is a 386SX (-40 no less).
I have a polished 12 inch green screen monitor
Most of my net surfing is done with a 300 baud modem
I wanted to run Linux but Windows 3.1 is all I can handle
I voted Republican in the last election
zapporo @ 50 he would rather not admit that you are an imbecile, he is much to civil for that. I commend him for his ways. But I will say it. zapporoibecile
steve odell @45 – Your ideas are just too practical. I mean radical. Yeah, radical, that’s it. They make too much common sense. Oops, I meant no sense. Yeah, they make no sense, that’s it. I think that your entire post is very progressive, er reactionary, yeah reactionary for the people that post on this blog. Why don’t you go somewhere else and post?
Goldy @45 — It was only a bit of jesting to make the moderator laugh. We all know that our educational experiences are far greater than the sum of the football wins that we witness.
I for one, am thankful for every Monster Truck and Tractor Pull, boat show, paintball, beer bong, amusement park, beach resort, jello and mud-wrestling wet t-shirt contest that I was able to experience during my formative years in school. I feel that these experiences have made me much more culturally sensitive.
steveodell@45–
Right on brother!
The LEFTISTS love those hollow buzzwords like tolerance, diversity, a rainbow, open-mindedness (so open everything always falls out!)
They are the experts at mistaking motion for action. They plan, re-plan, re-re-plan…never accomplishing anything but huge bills for costly empty process all in the name of being open-minded.
JUST LOOK AT THE TRAFFIC IN KINGCO AFTER 20 YEARS OF LEFTIST RULE. HOW MANY BILLIONS HAVE BEEN SPENT ON PROCESS ALONE??
It is hysterical to watch these LEFTISTS driving up each others tailpipes, road-raging….angry, angry, angry.
Yet they seem to have forgotten. THEY HAVE BEEN IN CHARGE FOR 20 YEARS!!!
It is so laughable. When the big earthquake hits and levels Seattle…then there will be some hope to improve things.
jpgee @52 – Oh father fount of eternal wisdom, kiss my ass.
zapporo,,, I probably would,,, but you would need to bathe more than once per semester…lmao@U
TWO DEATHS IN OLYMPIA. A Republican attempt to “clean up” the voting rolls by having all Washington voters REREGISTER died in committee. So did a proposal for a REVOTE of the 2004 governor’s election.
marks @ 27
I looked at some of the financials at bart, it seems they are bleeding tax dollars well.
zap @ 53 re Steve O’Dell as an example of progressive thinking
I read a news story once about a guy who drove his car in reverse on the turnpike all the way from New Jersey to New York City because his transmission was busted and the reverse gear was the only one that worked. No lie, this is true.
Question for Goldy
I recently learned of a somewhat dated story that the author of Daily KOS accepted thousands of dollars from the Dean campaign to say positive things about Dean. He also got press credentials to the Dem. Nat’l Convention. The different snippets I read conflict as to how clearly he posted this payment on the site.
Goldy, would you ever accept money from political candidates or parties to “guide” the content of your site? If so, how much would it take?
Diggindude @59
You might also look at the BIG DIG (I think that is MBTA-Metro Boston Transit Authority). You want to see a program hemorrhaging tax money, there is no better place to look than there. The scale of it is staggering…and it is not yet finished.
Having said that, I don’t have poll numbers to cite, but the Boston folks (last I heard) just want it done regardless of cost. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, I am just glad I don’t pay taxes there.
ya, i have family there. you dont want to get them started talking about THAT!
Mark @ 61
Kos was retained by the Dean campaign to advise them on internet outreach. Kos hid nothing about his involvement from the DailyKos readers. He was completely upfront about it on the blog. Some in the Dean campaign expected him and the DailyKos to be “on their side” but Kos was careful not to play along.
Kos’ partner, Jerome Armstrong, of MyDD.com quit blogging entirely when he was hired by Dean.
All of this is in complete contrast to the two bloggers that were paid by Thune in South Dakota to blog for his campaign and couldn’t be bothered at all to mention this fact to their readers.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if someone or some organization (like the BIAW) is paying Sharkansky.
John @64 – What do you offer as proof for your assertation/speculation that Sharkansky is being paid for his services?
zapporo @ 65
He’s attending meetings, calling officials all over the state, slicing/dicing data and blogging almost 24/7.
John @64,66
I think it would be interesting from an outside-the-box perspective to find out if the Sharkansky theorem you propose is true. Problem is, how to obtain the info? Until proven in the pocket (or on the payroll), it is only a theory. Perhaps a survey should be sent to him? :)
John @66 — Good point
Marks @67 — Very funny, very funny
I suppose someone could just flat out ask him and get him on the record. Some future journalist or historian can find out if he really told the truth.
However, I really don’t care if he’s paid or not because I’ve seen a group of people come together, pool their efforts and to my satifisfaction at least, thoroughly debunk Sharkansky’s analysis.
I guess i’ll ask this question here.
So when did the “BUSH JR” recession begin?
http://www.nber.com/cycles/november2001/
http://mediamatters.org/items/200405010002
I remember my own personal “depression” started when i realized bush was going to get elected. I havent come out of that one yet.
Diggindude. Thanks dude for making the connection. By golly, the makers of antidepressants saw their sales sky-rocket right after Bush was elected. Heard their graph went off the chart. Add that to Bush’s credit, the one part of the economy that experianced a market boom. They are working now on capitalizing on one of Bush’s education slogans. They are going to put a warning on all their pill bottles that reads, “leave no antidepressant behind.”
DON.
Being well-informed on many subjects, can you tell us anything about the press by the Republicans for tighter regulation on public information? According to an article appearing in the news yesterday it is happening behind the scenes but not before our very eyes yet. I propose, the Leg. Hotline has information on this coming to be. I can not see the media standing still for this, you know how they feel about freedom of the press. This scary issue is not fiction nor a fairy tale or rumor. Question arises! Just why does the Republicans want to suppress the public and what do they want to hide from us. This movement by the Republicans must have a gain in it for them or they would not be proposing. As the newspaper revealed, Republicans are working to shut the public down, limiting of public information. Maybe they want to make Big Binders off limits, say it is not so Don. I think Mr. Cynical may be involved. :-)
Since this is an open thread: Here’s a fun newsflash: Republicans craft new bankruptcy bill to hurt consumers (including the troops and people with huge medical bills) and help their most profitable donors (credit card companies).
http://dailykos.com/story/2005/3/6/63144/06015
Time to start asking: Why do Republicans hate Americans so much?
jcricket
An anecdote that proves something, I’m not sure what: Have you noticed all the cars around Seattle with the “Bush lied” or “John Kerry” bumper stickers STILL on their cars four months after the election? Well today I spent 2 hours in the Wal-Mart parking lot at Martha Lake, chaperoning Girl Scouts selling cookies. I was bored enough to watch all the cars go by. Out of 400 cars, I saw ZERO “democratic” stickers and ONE “Bush/Cheney sticker. I estimate that roughly 10 percent of the cars had some sort of adornment, mostly flags and various styles of troop support ribbons. (I saw one “Yankees suck” sticker too.)
Time to start asking: Is this why lefties hate Wal-Mart so much, because they know that they have no base among the Wal-Mart shoppers? (Note: the handicapped parking spots were almost continuously full, many elderly people were observed, as well as several people who looked to be “down on their luck”). If the lefties succeed in forcing Wal-Mart to unionize how will this help all the Americans who shop there? Is gaining more power for unions fair to the people who will be forced to spend more when they shop at the Union Wal-Mart?
How out of touch with the portion of America represented by “Wal-Mart shoppers” is a person who is still driving around with a “John Kerry” or a “Bush lied” sticker on their car?
How about a “FIRE BUSH” sticker…….do i qualify?
Hey, I voted against Bush and I shop at Wal-Mart (when need be). Personally I think all the liberals are shopping at Target (much better style), or if they’re too poor, K-Mart (which still has more inner-city presence than Wal-Mart). Or maybe you should go to the Costco in Seattle, where I regularly see hundreds of liberal bumperstickers.
Are we now a country divided along party and retail lines? Red vs. Blue, Republican vs. Democrat, Wal-Mart vs Target, Sam’s Club vs. Costco?
How sad :)
Gee sorry guys, I must have been distracted when you 2 drove by.
Zip @75,
But I saw tons of Kerry stickers in the parking lot were I was chaperoning girl scout cookies yesterday. (Um… the Seward Park PCC.)
So you’re telling me that Walmart has different demographics than the PCC? And that’s supposed to be news?
One would have to surmise that those with election stckers still on their autos are telling us something. Either those consumers keep forgeting to buy Gum-Off or they have bought Rossi’s propaganda and are convinced consumers confused about a revote.
Ah, yes, the open thread…
Some history with an amusing political side:
Don’t shoot, we’re Republicans!
And don’t shoot the messenger, please…
zip @ 75
How can you be so ignorant? Did you know 10 percent of what China exports goes into Walmarts? What kind of a human rights and personal liberties record does China have? Did you ever think that the cheap tool or bauble you bought at a Walmart was produced by someone in a prison shop?
Did you know that many people who work at Walmarts are so poor that they qualify for food stamps and other state assistance? Did you know that Walmart managers have loads of tricks they use to force employees to work extra hours without pay so they can meet their unreasonable cost targets?
The real trajedy of the Walmart culture is that the US economy has degraded so much in some places that some communities can’t afford to lose their Walmarts but in many cases the Walmarts close down anyway. Walmart is the ultimate bottom-feeder in the inexorable, race-to-the-bottom portion of the US economy.
Dump Walmart. Shop at Costco (if you can). At least they treat their employees like human beings.
Er, John…
Isn’t Costco a China-based store?
John @82
I stand corrected. I was thinking Cosco…
John @ 82, Goldy @79
Did I ever say I shop there or that I am a “Wal-Mart defender”, John? (why don’t you read slower you ignorant jerk). What I’m pointing out is that the people who shop at Wal-Mart are not “card carying” members of the Bush-hating, keep-the-Kerry-sticker-on-your-car-in-March wing of the democratic party. Maybe it was already obvious to smug know it alls like you, but when I saw that you are batting ZERO out of 400 I was surprised.
All I’m saying here is they have an awful lot of customers, ZERO of whom seem (based on my sampling) to be of your “ilk”. Of course you’re better represented at PCC or Costco, that is not the point. This is the biggets retailer in the country we’re talking about here, guys, you can’t just blow it off by implying that all their customers are worthless idiots.
Naturally neither you nor Goldy answered my question: “How out of touch with the portion of America represented by “Wal-Mart shoppers” is a person who is still driving around with a “John Kerry” or a “Bush lied” sticker on their car?”
So go ahead and keep beating up on Wal-Mart, and get your representatives to do the same, and see how “compassionate” the Wal-Mart shoppers believe the Democratic party to be after you’ve screwed up one thing that actually saves them money.
marks, no Costco the store is based in Issaquah. You’ve got them mixed up with COSCO which is Chinese based.
Don @60 ??? What? I said his post was reactionary, radical and made no sense at all.
????
I for one, can’t say enough good things about King County Election Officials. Other blogs that I detest describe these hard-working public servants as “those lazy, lying, cheating, election-stealing, commie liberal fascists“. I so totally couldn’t disagree more. In closing, I just want you to know that I really appreciate your turnpike story. Most people would think that calling a tow truck would be more reasonable. You’re a damn cool person Don. Reasonable, well read, able to articulate an argument, and endowed with a great sense of humor. Not like some of those other stale, dry, unhumorous liberal wingnut wackos that inhabit this blog.
Don @60 ??? What? I said his post was reactionary, radical and made no sense at all.
????
I for one, can’t say enough good things about King County Election Officials. Other blogs that I detest describe these hard-working public servants as “those lazy, lying, cheating, election-stealing, commie liberal fascists“. I so totally couldn’t disagree more. In closing, I just want you to know that I really appreciate your turnpike story. Most people would know deep down inside that calling a tow truck would be more reasonable. You’re a damn cool person Don. Reasonable, well read, able to articulate an argument, and endowed with a great sense of humor. Not like some of those other stale, dry, unhumorous liberal wingnut wackos that inhabit this blog.
sorry about the double post. For some reason my word processor is dropping extra html code. go figure.
Well hello to you too zip,
Calm down will you! You don’t know the first thing about me so put a lid on it!
You asked why lefties hate Walmart so much so I obliged you. Care ful of what you ask for! I don’t even consider myself all that lefty but because you righties think anyone to the left of Ronal d Reagan is a communist then I guess I might as well be.
I’ve shopped at Walmart a few times. I can count the things I’ve bought there on two hands. One time I was travelling and I wanted something interesting to read in my motel room. I couldn’t find a damn thing in the whole store! A supercenter! Not one interesting magazine or novel! All trash!
A Walmart is a sterile cavern stocked full of shoddy goods. Those stores depress me more than anything when I think about what’s behind them.
And Guess what? A lot of small towns work night and day to keep Walmarts out because of the destruction they wreak on their local economies and these people by far are not of the PCC shopping, Birkenstock wearing class.
Yes, a lot of people depend on their local Walmart. That’s the most depressing thing of all. Even after people become fully aware of how awful they are and what they do – they are still forced to patronize them.
I’m not for the government forcing Walmart to unionize or anything like that. However I’m all for standards in the workplace like breaks, lunches, safety, a minimum wage and overtime – all of which the Bush administration is doing everything they can to undermine – at the urging of companies like Walmart.
John, From your post 82 I do know you shot from the hip with your “ignorant” jab.
So the shoppers are “forced” to shop there, eh? Did the evil ones also force them to remove the Kerry stickers from their cars?
So the shoppers are “forced” to shop there, eh?
Similar to how WalMart regularly locks the doors on its employees after work to force them to work over-time?
Did the evil ones also force them to remove the Kerry stickers from their cars?
Wouldn’t surprise me if the BIAW was out there at the Washington Wal-Marts forcibly removing Kerry stickers :)
Boeing ousts CEO for affair with another Boeing executive
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....ing07.html
Clearly Boeing’s woes are the fault of WA state’s business-unfriendly policies. I’m still looking for the one that covers this situation, but I’m sure if I ask the BIAW, they’ll “find” it for me.
jcricket@92. Have to run to see what Wal-Mart’s Blue Light special is today and while I am at it will check out the count of Kerry auto stickers. Looking forward to returning and reading Seattle Times link about the ousted Boeing CEO who had an affair with a Boeing Executive. Your heading was unclear as to what kind of affair. Guy and Guy? Girl and Girl? Boy and Girl? Or some other kind of juicy Cat and Mouse.
Ya still couldn’t do a post with out a four-letter word. Try , try again.
WEA made my point:
http://www.washingtonea.org/in.....8;Itemid=0
What a sad bunch of hypocrites!
Testing a table