It’s been regionally popular for some time, across the entire political spectrum, to generally dis outgoing King County Executive Ron Sims, but as the nation faces a potential flu pandemic, it would be a nice going away present from our media-political complex to give him a little credit where credit is due for the county’s extraordinary preparation and foresight.
Under Sims’ watch Seattle-King County has run one of the best public health agencies in the nation, putting its pandemic flu preparations in the capable hands of the widely respected Dr. Jeff Duchin. And while the rest of the nation is nervously awaiting its allotment of anti-viral drugs from federal warehouses, King County is already sitting on a stockpile of 190,000 courses of Tamiflu, making us one of the few local governments to have invested tax dollars in such precautions.
Chances are still that the Mexican swine flu outbreak will fizzle out before becoming a worldwide health crisis, and if we’re lucky, the county’s supply of Tamiflu will expire long before the next flu pandemic strikes. But it shouldn’t require a worst case scenario for the citizens of our region to thank Ron Sims for his leadership.
I wonder if Ron owned any stock in the company that manufactured Tamiflu?
Thank you Ron Sims for singlehandedly putting all that money into the bank account of Stefan simply because you played partisan politics instead of looking out for what is best for the taxpayers.
An extra shout-out to obama for his “joke” on new york, only the smartest and brightest would consider flying a big jet 1,000 feet off the ground with an f-18 in chase without telling the mayor and the citizens. I wonder if I laughed as hard watching those idiots in new york run in fear as obama did.
1 No, Cyn…You must be confusing Ron with your pal Donnie “You go to war [squinty grin] with the bullshit you have…” Rumsfeld.
I’ve taken exception at times to some of Ron Sims’ actions, and have something of a problem with the way the Seattle/King County Health Department has been decimated on his watch…I’m still not sure who’s supposed to be administering all that Tamiflu if push actually comes to shove. He’s had a sometimes frustrating habit of letting his reach exceed his grasp and promising stuff he should have known the county wouldn’t be able to deliver.
That being said, I’ve always respected him as a man of faith and high ideals, who’s always tried his best to do right by all the people of the county, not just those who supported him. I wish him nothing but the greatest success in his new gig, and hope his replacement here carries on in his spirt of service and respect.
Marvin and Al,
I hope you stand by your principles and refuse that Tamiflu shot. That will show Ron.
@ 2:
The FAA did inform the mayor prior to the flyover.
And you are still an idiot.
@1 How long have you been constipated and when did you first notice that your retained shit exceeds your body weight?
This last week, I’ve come to really understand what the CAO (critical areas ordinance) fight is all about, and my respect for Sims has gone up several notches.
Since the original Earth Day in 1970, the state and federal laws enacted to control “point” sources of air and water pollution have been very effective, and today 85% of the pollution entering Puget Sound is in stormwater runoff.
A recent TV documentary aired on KCTS explained that the CAO is crucial to efforts to save and rehabilitate Puget Sound, because paving over King County’s remaining rural lands will make the stormwater problem far worse than it is now. And it is the goal of saving Puget Sound that is behind Sims’ support for the CAO.
The CAO limits rural property owners to building footprints of 35% of their lot area. That’s exactly the same restriction that King County’s urban homeowners have lived with for decades. The county hasn’t taken anyone’s land away from them, and the CAO hasn’t made anyone’s home smaller, or their lot worth less than they paid for it. The only economic effect of the CAO is to limit the potential for windfall profits from subdividing rural property and building it up to urban densities.
The screaming (and death threats to Sims) are coming from people who believe they have a right to do anything they want with their land. No one has ever had such a right in this country; there have always been restrictions on land use for the protection of the landowners’ neighbors.
In this case, the county is telling these selfish landowners they don’t have a right to undermine all the public efforts and money being invested in the recovery of Puget Sound for personal profit. I agree with Sims and the county on this issue. There’s an old saying that “your freedom to swing your fist stops where my nose starts.” When what you do with your land destroys public property, it’s everyone’s business, and the government that represents the rest of the public has the right to regulate you.
I’ll rely on the stockpiles that the bush administration assembled. Thank you for your concern.
Say, you didn’t mention anything about stefan profiting because of the failure of sims to obey the law. Still standing on your principles I see.
Wow, from the link you provided, oops, you didn’t provide a link.
Is this why you didn’t provide a link, because you routinely make stuff up?
Bloomberg insisted that no one had told him of the visitors to New York’s skies, and denounced the flight as deeply insensitive to New Yorkers still reeling from the worst acts of terrorism on US soil.
Roger,
You had better reread the CAO.
Marvin,
It was reported in the media that the Mayor’s OFFICE was notified. Bloomberg may have as equally stupid people working for him as the POTUS does.
Considering how democrat feinstein funneled tax dollars to her husbands company during the “most ethical congress ever,” Cynical thought that ron sims was like her.
Don’t you think it’s a fair question?
Does ron own stock in the company that makes tamiflu?
Is this the same ron sims?
When the investigation into his alleged links to Abu Hamza were first revealed in 2002, community leaders flocked to his defense. He and his younger brother, Mustafa, were “community activists, not terrorists,” then-King County Executive Ron Sims told The Los Angeles Times.
Wasn’t william ayers a community activist?
13 “Don’t you think it’s a fair question?”
Nope.
“Does ron own stock in the company that makes tamiflu?”
Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn…and I’ll bet you won’t either if you get this particular cootie. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a whole lot of righties suddenly forget their cherished dogma that says that except for blowing up other countries, the government couldn’t possibly do anything right.
Mind you, I won’t be at all unhappy if my hypothesis doesn’t have to be tested.
So….I’ll refrain from signing off with “Cough, Marvin, cough!”
Jon, Goldy at al KLOWNS–
I hope you KLOWNS will join Stefan and the SP folks in suing Ron Sims & Dean Logan personally to collect the money King Kounty was forced to pay ($225,000). I know Goldy was particularly upset about the award, as was Rog Rabbit…complaining about the impact of the Kounty Kbudget. Well, now a solution exists!!
Can you all imagine…a bi-partisan effort on behalf of all the taxpayers! Seems like something we can all agree on. If successful, King Kounty will get it’s money back…and Ron/Deano will kick a kick in the rump on the way out the door.
It’s WIN-WIN Baby!