HorsesAss.Org

This is a bit old, but somehow, I’d missed it.

State Senate Democrats sent out a news release today about a bill introduced by their Republican counterparts that would eliminate the elected office of insurance commissioner, which has been filled by Mike Kreidler since 2001. He began his fourth term in office in 2012.

Since federal health care reform passed, Kreidler has been all about health insurance, all the time. He’s the one who determines which insurance plans get included in the state exchange, and last year rankled some critics when he decided that some plans initially did not have robust enough offerings to be included — effectively limiting the options that were available in the exchange. The four plans that were denied entry appealed his decision, and he later settled with them so they all got included after all.

The Senate Republicans’ Bill 6458, which hasn’t even been heard in committee yet, “creates the state insurance board which will be responsible for the oversight of the insurance code.” It “transfers the powers, duties, and functions of the office of the insurance commissioner pertaining to regulation of insurance to the state insurance board.”

I’m not generally a fan of the way we elect so many executive positions. So I could probably hear arguments that putting that power in the Governor’s office is more logical.

Still, it seems to me that at least part of the reason that this could get 13 GOP co-sponsors is because of the way that the office has kicked ass for consumers. Both on the ACA and long before it (Seattle Times link). But if they oppose him making policy they’ve had 4 chances to take that case to the people. This seems like a pretty silly runaround.

OK, it’s a legit story, I guess. And now I’m writing about it so it’s meta googlebait? Spokane may have an initiative for a ban on nude coffee. Or topless seems to be the problem.

The brewing debate about how much clothes must be worn by baristas could be decided by voters.

Spokane resident Beth Solscheid this month filed an initiative proposing to create a law making it a misdemeanor crime to expose at least half of a female breast, or any part of female areolas or nipples or any part of male or female genitals or anus at any place the general public has a right to be or see.

Those coffee places with topless women seem gross (I’m not going to judge anyone for taking a job, but it’s not for me as a customer). Still this seems rather prudish to force it. And making the criminal act on the individuals instead of the businesses seems problematic.

Also, I realize that a law like this almost by definition has to have a lot of specifics. But this seems to be a protect-me-from-me type of law. If you want to go to a coffee shop where everyone wears shirts in Spokane, I’m pretty sure you can.

Assuming I can connect to the internet from the Union Bar, I’ll be liveblogging the SOTU. Please leave your own observations in the comment threads.

5:53: [Darryl] Okay…so I am on the intertubes. The teevee is on here at the Union Bar, and there is a good group of Drinking Liberally folks here, so here we go…just as soon as that turn up the sound.

5:57: [Darryl] Look for Boehner shedding a tear as introduces Mr. President.

6:00: [Darryl] Future first ex-lady arrives!

6:04: [Darryl] The cabinet arrives…no word on where Obama’s many Tsars are.

6:10: [Darryl] The Gavel. Obviously, Obama was frantically rewriting his speech for 10 minutes. A sure sign that his whole administration is in a steep decline….

6:12: [Darryl] Obama has a solid light blue tie on. It must mean something important….

6:14: [Darryl] Obama slips Boehner and Biden envelopes of unmarked bills just before taking the podium….

6:16: [Darryl] Obama front loads the address with all of the anecdotes.

6:18: [Darryl] “…I believe this can be a breakthrough year for America.” Are you with us or against us in this quest?

6:20: [Darryl] Obama says “In a balanced way.” and the cameras cut to Sen. Patty Murray. Nice.

6:21: [Darryl] Obama talks inequality and the income gap, and then promises concrete proposals. Then he threatens Republicans that he will implement these things using executive authority if they don’t help.

6:24: [Carl] All this America is the greatest country on Earth makes me think Obama feels there are better countries on other planets.

6:29: [Darryl] “Congress should undo the damage done last year to basic research.” Yes. Seriously! I’ll never understand why these asshole Republicans want to turn America into a 3rd world-class country in innovation. Oh…wait, I do. They are petty, greedy, selfish, small minded fucks!

6:33: [Darryl] “Climate change is a fact!” Of course…if you don’t believe in science or facts….

6:37: [Carl] Yay unemployment insurance. Now how many people applauding it will vote against it?

6:40: [Carl] Is son of a factory worker a parallel to son of a barkeep? Good job, some of the best speechwriters in the world.

6:43: [Darryl] Obama channels Christine Gregoire on early education.

6:47: [Darryl] “I believe when women succeed, America succeeds!!!” It’s that Democratic War on Women thing again.

6:49: [Darryl] Obama calls out Costco as a company that has learned that paying living wages turns into better business. “Say Yes…give America a raise!”

6:51: [Darryl} Okay…while I was eating my fish & chips, Obama totally schooled Republicans on health care. It was brilliant.

7:12: [Darryl] Until he got into all this foreign policy stuff, I was convinced this was Obama’s best SOTU address so far. It still may be.

7:16: [Darryl] This SOTU isn’t HIPPA compliant (Cori’s story).

7:20: [Darryl] Great closing. Definitely Obama’s best SOTU to date.

7:22: [Darryl] Here is my rebuttal prebuttal: Kathy McMorris Rodgers is a generic wingnut. So there.

The Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally is still “on tour,” searching for a new permanent home. We’ve received a number of excellent suggestions, and will be following them up and voting on new locations to check out in the coming weeks.

This evening is, of course, the Presidential State of the Union Address. And that will be followed by a “response” from the highest ranking Republican woman in the House, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R WA-5).

We’ll watch those while checking out the state of the Union Bar, 5609 Rainier Ave S Seattle. Our normal starting time is 8:00pm, but this week we’ll start at 5:30pm for the 6:00pm start of the SOTU address.

The Union Bar assures us they will have the SOTU on the TV. But I am not sure what the acoustics are like. Bring a radio and ear buds if you must hear every word.

Can’t make it to Seattle to watch the SOTU? The Northwest Progressive Institute will host a SOTU watching party at the Bellevue Regional Library, Room 1, 1111 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue.

Besides the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally, the Tri-Cities chapter meets tonight and every Tuesday night. And next Monday, the Yakima, South Bellevue and Olympia chapters meet.

With 213 chapters of Living Liberally, including eighteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and three more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting somewhere near you.

Peter “Pete” Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014)

As recounted by Stewart Hendrickson of the Pacific Northwest Folklore Society, Pete (traveling with Woody Guthrie in 1941) first encountered the word hootenany as a term for rousing singalongs right here in Seattle.

Pete stood up to HUAC on August 18, 1955. He stood up for all of us, to this day and far into the future.

– This is the polite way of saying the CRC is fucked, right?

– I have nothing to add about Dinesh D’Souza, but his defenders make me sad.

– After a while, I stopped linking to Macklemore local-boy-makes-good stories. I mean he was crushing it, so whatever at a certain point. But I will say, I’m glad he’s pissing off the right people.

– Oh, Northwest rate payers are subsidizing Kentucky. Seems fair.

– Will the last Republican woman turn out the lights?

– Who could have predicted that Rodney Tom would keep dicking people around?

– I dig the Seattle buildings turning blue and green, but holy cowThe Empire State Building blue and green.

As the scandals around Chris Christie continue to pile up, it made me revisit the story of how Christie handled – well, mishandled – the implementation of New Jersey’s medical marijuana program. I didn’t pay too much attention to it at the time, but it was certainly a reason that drug law reformers were some of Christie’s loudest detractors in the 2013 campaign for governor.

From April 2011:

The aspirations of New Jersey’s first medical marijuana businesses range from modest to potentially massive, but marijuana advocates say the state’s startup dispensaries have stronger ties to traditional medicine than most — and an unusual number of politically connected people involved in them.

Christie inherited the law from his predecessor, Jon Corzine, but has done just about everything possible to keep it from being implemented in a way that might actually help people – well, not counting well-connected people hoping to make money.

Fast forward to this month:

A state appeals court today ruled the state Health Department must produce a report within 45 days that explains how New Jersey’s medical marijuana program has been implemented, the status of dispensaries that have not yet opened, and whether there are enough growers to meet patient demand.

The decision, however, is only a partial win for the patients and physician who sued the Christie administration in 2012 for intentionally delaying the program. The plaintiffs wanted the court to nullify the health department’s choice of three nonprofits that have yet to have their plans for dispensaries approved nearly three years later.

Yesterday, Jay R. Lassiter in PolitickerNJ also called out Christie for this horrible track record:

Now that the entire universe knows about Chris Christie’s insatiable appetite for recriminations, it’s a good time to reexamine the scandal-plagued Governor’s role in destroying NJ’s medical marijuana law. Why? Because the five-year-old program — signed into law shortly before Christie took office — has been a case study in big-government incompetence.

Yes, worth taking a much longer look.

Sen. Michael Baumgartner has a bill to lower the minimum wage for teens. Because of course he does.

To combat Washington’s high teen unemployment rate and generate more opportunities for teen employment, Sen. Michael Baumgartner has proposed Senate Bill 6471. Baumgartner’s “Teen Summer Jobs Act” will provide employers the latitude to pay seasonal teen workers the federal minimum wage of $7.25 from June to the end of August.

Is there any evidence that our teen unemployment rate is particularly high? I couldn’t find recent stats. He’ll mention them later on in the press release, but not have any link or much context. I mean, our unemployment rate is about the middle of the pack, and probably worse the further East you go. It also wouldn’t surprise me if the teen unemployment rate is higher. But is it higher than in states that have lower minimum wages? In any event this press release certainly doesn’t provide any evidence to support this claim.

“Right now, too many teens are losing the chance to develop a strong work ethic because they can’t find summer jobs,” Baumgartner said. “We need a change that can give today’s teens the same chance at the American dream that I had.”

There was a minimum wage in the early 1990’s when Baumgartner was a teen. It was less than it is now — that’s why we had that initiative to raise it — but as far as I can tell it was the same for teen and adults. So, when he was a teen he had the same opportunity as when it’s now, more or less at least regarding the minimum wage.

Baumgartner, who represents the 6th Legislative District, notes that teen employment has been dropping in recent years, creating what can be described as an “experience gap.” The Department of Employment Security has published data expressing if someone is unable to find a job during their teen years they are much less likely to find satisfying work later in life. Baumgartner says while it may seem counterintuitive, requiring employers to pay a lower wage to workers until their 20th birthday will actually entice employers to hire more teens and summer help.

Don’t worry, he doesn’t link to the DOE findings.

Also, now is as good a time as any to mention that Spokane County went 79224 to 48180 in favor of Washington’s minimum wage initiative. I don’t know how his district went, but I’d guess it was pro the minimum wage. Of course, a lot can happen in over a decade, but I doubt slowly dismantling the minimum wage is the reason his constituents voted for him.

Also, too, holy shit, his bill applies to 18 and 19 year-olds? Good thing nobody ever had to raise a family at 18 or 19. God.

“Statistics for 2013 were just released, showing Washington’s teen unemployment rate at thirty percent,” said Baumgartner, who serves as vice chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. “If we don’t make a move to provide more of these kids with job opportunities, we’ll really be doing them a disservice later in life when the time comes to begin their careers and become fully-functioning members of society.”

Again, I still don’t know what that means. I don’t know if it includes every child who is looking for work, or if it includes teens who aren’t looking for work. We still don’t know how it compares to the national average, or if his policy would take jobs away from people being paid higher wages, and give them to lower wage children.

I don’t know if he just made it up.

Anyway, there’s a bit more press release, but I’m done. And look I did a metacommentary piece without any swearing; I must be losing my touch.

– Dear bigots, please feel free to leave Washington. Sorry people in states without marriage equality.

– December numbers for Washington’s exchange.

– I still love it when national media mention lil’ ol’ Washington. But maybe not when they make fun of our stuck tunnel machine.

– Oh hey Texas, enjoy the next however many months of this garbage.

– I agree with Oliver that marriage equality is hurting the religious right. But I don’t think they’re on the run, as evidenced by all the anti-choice (for example) legislation.

– Pie Fest is coming to Olympia in February.

– I know I goof on Seahawks fandom here, but I am pro it. I’m more against early or annoying fandom. What I’m saying is I for one look forward to all of the green and blue vomit we’ll get next Sunday.

Last week’s contest was won by milwhcky, who remains undefeated in 2014. The correct answer was Middletown, CT.

This week’s contest is related to something in the news from January, good luck!

1 Timothy 2:12
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

Discuss.

David Pakman: WI Republicans propose 7 day work week bill.

N-S-Ay What?

• Mark Fiore: Translating Obama.
• Five movies that predicted U.S. surveillance.
• Sam Seder: Why Obama’s “trust me” isn’t enough
• Liberal Viewer: Justin Bieber beats NSA spying on MSNBC this week.

Stephen discovers a Chinese knockoff.

White House: West Wing Week.

Because Freedom!

• Ann Telnaes: Take your chances WV.
• Roy Zimmerman: “Freedom Industries”:
• Thom: The WV Water poisoning show the trouble with Libertarianism
• Maddow: West Virginia Governor tells residents they have to decide for themselves if water is safe or not

Stephen: Net neutrality.

Thom: Could a Rand Paul candidacy be the best thing ever for liberals?.

Absurdity Today : The end of democracy, justice, AND cat videos.

Fighting World Poverty:

• Bill Gates’ Viral video.
• John Green: Are poor countries doomed.
• Pap: Time for a new war on poverty
• Dennis Trainor, Jr.: Open letter to the 85 richest people on the planet

David Pakman: SF’s $10.74 minimum wage has not hurt the economy.

ONN: Onion Week in Review.

This Week in the Wingnut War on Women™:

• Young Turks: “Birth control is how Dems control horny women” says prominent caveman.
• Sam Seder: FAUX and Fiends—Feminism is a national security threat?!?
• Sarah Silverman is visited by Jesus:
• Young Turks: A “Huck You” to American women.
• WaPo: How one man blew the the McDonnell corruption case wide open.
• Thom: Republicans have a bizarre view of morality.
• Huckabee: The New G.O.P.
• David Pakman: Republican Dick Black, “Raping your wife can’t be a crime”
• Sharpton: When it comes to talking about women, will the GOP ever learn?
• Lawrence O’Donnell: Autopsy update—GOP re-affirms anti-abortion goonery
• Alex Wagner with Sarah Silverman and Lizz Winstead: Failed Pres. candidate, “Uncle Sugar” Huckabee, wants women to control their libido!
• Ana Kasparian: Is Antonin Scalia ignorant, biased or just plain lying about abortion clinics?
• Sam Seder with Janet Reitman: The stealth war on Abortion
• Dennis Trainor, Jr.: Reproductive rights in a state of emergency

Young Turks: Dinesh D’Louza.

Mental Floss: 33 fun facts about Colleges.

Republican Voter Fraud Fraud:

• Sharpton: Jim Crow vote-rigging and poll taxes—50 years later.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: The “Ginsburg” Report: Republicans rebuked for sinster vote-rigging tactics.
• Chris Hayes: Southern white Republicans say that Voting Rights Act is racist.
• Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: House tries fixing Voting Rights Act.
• Sharpton: It’s time to fix Republican vote-rigging

Maddow: Does fracking cause earth quakes.

Stephen: Mars has doughnuts.

G.O.P. Corrupt Governor’s Club:

• Jon: Why are so many GOP governors under fire right now
• Pap: Chris Christie’s “boardwalk empire” crumbles.
• Christie Creamed: 11 weeks later.
• Thom: The Christie–Koch connection
• Sam Seder: Christie’s Lt. Gov or Hoboken Mayor…Who could possibly be lying?
• Maddow: Gov. Bob ‘Blagojevich’ McDonnell…Will ‘Mr. Ultrasound’ go to jail?
• Young Turks: Was the bribe legal?
• Chris Hayes: Gov. Bob McDonnell & the perils of being powerful, but not rich
• Ed: McDonnell & Christie—A tale of two corrupt GOP Governors
• Truth teller: The time Chris Christie lied to voters.
• David Pakman: Republican party collapses in Virginia.
• Sam Seder: Republican Bob McDonnell is a world class moocher…and felon!

Chris Hayes: ‘President Obama is black’ is the latest FAUX, right-wing racial freakout.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Thank you for opposing a sanctions bill against Iran at this time. While we don’t know the future, it’s important to give negotiations a chance to work, if we want to find a long-term fix to Iran’s nuclear problem. While most of the hard work remains, it would have been hard to imagine getting this far, even a year ago.

If future negotiations fail, there will be time to impose new sanctions. If we have to go back to more belligerent actions and rhetoric, at least let us say we did what we could to have real peace.

And hopefully these sorts of negotiations will lead to advances on human rights and other issues where we differ with Iran. Being able to sit at the table and make real progress can often lead to more sitting around the table and making more progress.

Thank You Once Again,

Carl Ballard

You can write Senator Murray here if you want on this or any other issue.

That’s the proposal from Representative Jessyn Farrell for the entire state. Goldy has the details and some speculation about what it could mean for Seattle’s efforts.

Washington’s current inflation-indexed minimum wage of $9.32 an hour is already on pace to exceed $10 an hour by 2017, so the actual net increase on final phase-in would be less than $2 an hour. But that’s not nothing to the half-million or so Washingtonians who see their wages go up. It’s also arguably good for the economy and good for taxpayers.

“If families have more money in their pocket, it lessens the demand for government assistance,” Farrell explained in a press release. “That saves all of us money.”

True. Although it’s first and foremost a moral issue. People ought to be able to survive and raise a family in this state. And a minimum wage ought to be reflective of that. I’d still prefer a $15 minimum wage statewide, but this is an obvious improvement.

The news broke today that Cathy McMorris Rodgers is going to do the rebuttal to the State Of the Union. I think it’s actually a decent choice to not have it be someone who is running for president. The linked piece makes it sound like she’s going to talk about her personal story. The only policy stuff they mention is:

She said through Boehner’s office that she was “honored” to be sharing the Republican vision for the future: “one that trusts the American people and doesn’t limit where you finish because of where you started.”

So it leaves us guessing exactly what she’ll be talking about. Maybe how the Democrats’ support of strengthening the Violence Against Women Act, The Affordable Care Act and talking about immigration reform, are against American Values. Maybe she’ll talk about made up fetal pain and her party’s plan to force women to stay pregnent. Perhaps she’ll complain about how high taxes are even though Federal taxes are lower for most Americans than they’ve been in a long time. Maybe she’ll talk about her brave opposition to Sandy relief. Perhaps she’ll finally be able to name some of the specific spending cuts she’s for. She’ll probably try to turn the rhetoric of the war on women on its head. Maybe she’ll just make stuff up about marijuana.