– The machinists have more spine in standing up to Boeing’s bullshit than our state legislators.

– The state makes Metro going it alone seem more and more attractive.

– And speaking of our legislature. I realize they just opened up some massive tax loopholes, but Majority Rules has a petition asking our legislature to cut some of them.

– In theory these changes should help safety-net hospitals become less reliant on DSH payments. In practice, however, twenty-four states run by troglodytes have rejected Medicaid expansion, and will thus voluntarily decimate their safety-net hospitals.

– Darrell Isa’s partial transcripts are total bullshit.

– I liked both of Rachel Held Evans’ books, but I didn’t realize they were like the Berenstain Bears.

A few election cycles ago, I wrote that the stereotype about Seattle always passing a tax increase was just that. I mean we’re probably more willing to tax ourselves than the average Washingtonian. And we’re able to pass library and school levies pretty easily. But we are concerned both with how progressive/regressive the taxes we pass are and what they pay for. Since it looks like Seattle has rejected public financing with a slight tax increase (albeit in a tight race) we can have a more proper discussion of what taxes Seattle will support and what taxes we won’t?

Since my post a couple years ago, we’ve rejected that transit measure and now the clean elections measure. We’ve also passed taxes for libraries and education in the last few years, and helped pass the Medic 1 and other King County measures.

Of course the iconic tax measure that Seattle rejected in the last decade or so is still probably Early Learning and Care Campaign, AKA the Latte Tax. That would have paid for education in the city. Now, we happily supported education in the city in other measures. Maybe it’s that it was made fun of pretty much everywhere, maybe there doesn’t seem to be much connection between education and espresso drinks, maybe it was somewhat regressive.

And the regressive nature of the transit package was even more evident. A flat fee as opposed to a more progressive tax on the value of the car was one of the main reasons people opposed the measure, at least one of the main arguments against it. Seattle doesn’t really oppose taxes, but we understand that when the poor end up paying a disproportionate share, they tend to be tougher to enact (I think that’s different from the state as a whole).

As more measures come forth, and Seattle and King County are asked to vote on tax measures, I hope we figure out how to make them as progressive as possible, and how to make sure they go to good things.

So, obviously, this idea is impracticable. And nonsense. Jamie Pedersen is almost certainly going to replace Ed Murray, as he should so long as we have a system where we replace people without elections. And the idea of a Republican representing one of the most heavily Democratic districts in the state clearly does not live up to our democratic ideal. But it would accomplish two things.

First, and most importantly, it would give the GOP a clear majority in the Senate. Now, I know that as a lefty blogger, that’s the sort of thing I’m generally opposed to, but the GOP are going to control the state Senate anyway, and this way they would probably not give the Majority Leader post to Rodney Tom. I mean, why would they elevate this whiny asshole who has already betrayed them once if they didn’t have to?

We all know they’re planning it if they manage to take another seat in the Senate in the next election, so might as well make it happen now. Give a fuck you to Rodney Tom, and oh by the way, have some clarity on what’s going on in the Senate, and how to negotiate. We wouldn’t get any positive social issues through, but we haven’t under Tom’s leadership anyway. It would basically be the same as it is now, but with a real Republican instead of a fake Democrat at the top.

So yes, it would mostly be a fuck you to Rodney Tom and Tim Sheldon. But it would also mean that the Senate seat isn’t just given to someone. It would mean that we could have a real election for the seat. In our democracy, primaries for open seats are important times to have a debate about the future of the legislature, and I never like losing that to it just being picked.

The seat would revert back to Democratic control after the next election given how Democratic the seat is, so it would be the equivalent to having a placeholder.

– The largest state subsidy in US history goes to Boeing. Because all of our other priorities are so well met.

– And speaking of priorities, Seattle is making cuts to expanding the LEAD program? Did the City Council actually believe the rhetoric about downtown crime during the election, and somehow think that it was that program’s fault? The economy is expanding, time to cut programs?

– I supported Hillary Clinton last time and will probably again if she runs for President again. And I’m the biggest supporter of primaries I know. But can we all just pick a narrative and run with it for a while?

– Anti-change advocates don’t assess facts. They just claim, absurdly, that America currently has “the finest healthcare system in the world” and then cite horror stories about sick people dying in streets because they have to wait so long to get the (terrible) healthcare services available to them under “socialist” healthcare. (h/t)

– The word “unlucky” presumes that virtually all adult white men can be found, at some point, in full-on Michael Richards-mode and those of us who would shame them for it are the real culprits.

– Legal Horseplay

– Happy Veterans Day.

– Reading Patty Murray’s Washington Post editorial on the need to close loopholes in the Federal tax code is yet another reminder of how intransigent the GOP really are.

– Here’s hoping Larry Phillips and Dow Constantine live up to their threats of going it alone.

– At 95, Graham is frail and in ill health. His image and his legacy have been usurped as political tools used by his son Franklin Graham, who seems desperate to be a political player and kingmaker. Not content with living off the interest of his father’s legacy, Franklin has been burning through the capital.

– You know how gun nuts are always telling us that their having all the guns is protecting all the freedoms? I’m pretty sure they meant this sort of thing.

– Dudes Are Such Whiny Baby Liars About Girls With Short Hair

I cannot express how annoyed I am at the fact that it looks like the legislature is going to punt on transit in the special session.* I mean, Boeing — like everyone else — needs decent transportation around the state. And King County should be able to fund Metro, goddammit.

Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom, a Democrat from Medina who leads the predominantly Republican Majority Coalition Caucus, also said that the transportation package was never tied to the overall aerospace package.

There was some discussion of this in the Open Thread yesterday. I don’t even with this guy. I mean for him to act flat footed on the thing that everyone expected there to be a session on is just, gah. I don’t even have words for it, just incoherence. Either he didn’t do his homework, or he’s pretending to keep the caucus together.

And who knows? Things are fluid, and the GOP districts need infrastructure as much as the rest of the state so maybe we actually will get a transit package. I wouldn’t hold my breath, but stranger things have happened.

That said, at a certain point, King County should really just figure out a way to go it alone on Metro if the state can’t get it together. There always seems to be a next horizon to find. Oh, we’ll push for it in the session. Then they didn’t pass something. Oh we can just wait for the special session. If, as it’s looking like there’s nothing, I’m sure we’ll hear to just wait until the regular session come January. Etc. Etc. But we need to not have cuts.

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Since I mostly exit at the rear these days, I’ve had less of a chance to say “thank you” to the bus drivers. But when you exit from the front, it’s still a nice ritual. I’m sure it’s mostly rote for the people who say it, but it is a nice reminder that they conveyed us to work, or to go shopping, or to have some fun, and that we are thankful for that. They tend to do a good job of it.

There are so many jobs in the city that make it work that are thankless. It’s nice that there’s one that literally isn’t.

In the state Senate race that N in Seattle wrote about before the election, the Republican won. So, congrats to Jan Angel. I’d have preferred if she lost, but sometimes the person I want to win doesn’t. You know who’s really happy about that result though? Rodney Tom (Trib link).

“When everybody thinks they’re that 25th vote, well, they’ve got leverage,” Tom said. “It just makes it a lot more difficult.”

Seriously. He said that. Rodney. Tom. Said. That!

You know what? I’m really sad for Rodney Tom, everybody. How could he have predicted that in a caucus there might be people who are willing to blow the whole thing up? How could he have known that whiny entitled assholes might destroy a caucus to get what they want?

Just think of how a few years ago when Lisa Brown was trying to figure out a budget, if she’d realized, like Rodney Tom said:

“When everybody thinks they’re that 25th vote, well, they’ve got leverage,” Tom said. “It just makes it a lot more difficult.”

Just think when Ed Murray was trying to keep the majority that the Democrats had won at the polls if he’d had advice like:

“When everybody thinks they’re that 25th vote, well, they’ve got leverage,” Tom said. “It just makes it a lot more difficult.”

Honestly, Rodney Tom complaining about the possibility of defections in a caucus is so not self aware that nematodes read that and roll their eyes.

So now that Seattle is going to have a mixed districts and at large City Council, I wonder how it’s going to shake out. I linked this morning to a piece in this morning’s Open Thread on some of the possible political ramifications of that vote. But I’m also curious about what this might mean for how the city is governed. Are there going to be committees that are chaired by at large or, specific districts?

Just looking at the list of committees, it seems like the Central Waterfront, Seawall, and Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program, the South Lake Union, the SR 520 Project, the Town Hall, and the Yesler Terrace committees would be chaired by people who represented those specific geographic areas. You could also argue that there are some that might be downtown heavy like Public Safety, Civil Rights, and Technology and some that are less so like Parks and Neighborhoods, although obviously there is crime and are parks in all of the districts. There also might be some things that make more sense to be chaired by an at large person: Transportation, City Light Strategic Plan, or the Budget committee.

Also, I wonder how constituent services will work. Presumably most people will go to, or be directed to, their individual council member like happens in Congress or the legislature now. But will the at large members have constituent services related to their committees or just if people aren’t interested in going to the person who represents their district?

– I’m pretty amazed that the requirement in the health care law that men and women pay the same is the hill the GOP have decided to fight on.

– Congrats to Whatcom County on electing anti-coal export terminal candidates (Seattle Times link).

– I think the fallout from the district elections will be interesting. Erica C. Barnett teases out some of the political implications.

– I liked reading about Jeff Merkley’s role in ENDA.

– I think I knew the date that the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapsed, but 1940, on this date seems ludicrously recent in my mind.

– Flying is safe.

I’m pretty disappointed with the result of I-522. I’m not sure anyone has called anything yet, but after today’s 4:30 ballot drop, it’s still no at 54.33%. And yes, it still proves –as if further proof were needed — that rather depressingly, big money can buy elections in this state, at least initiatives. Still while the $22 million spent to get a victory can be thought of as dispiriting: breaking records of spending made a big difference in the end. Suck!

Still, I think there may be a small bit of hope in a staggeringly large number. First, given that only a tiny tiny ity bitty fraction was from in state, that’s money flowing in here. More important though is that they had to spend that much money. Sure, they won, but it might put some big money interests off in the future if they think they might have to spend that much on a campaign.

It may be a hollow victory in the face of an actual loss, but it’s better than nothing.

Boo.

Flanked by Boeing and union leaders, Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday announced a tentative deal to win assembly of the Boeing 777X in Washington state.

The deal hinges on a legislative special session to pass $8 billion in tax incentives for Boeing through 2040. Other elements of the plan are a long-stalled $10 billion, 10-year transportation package, fast permitting for manufacturers, and education for aerospace workers.

“The bottom line is that this is what Boeing and the Machinists need to compete in the global marketplace and build this airplane in our state, and for us to secure our economic future,” Inslee said, adding that he hopes the package will be passed in the next week.

Look, I know that politicians know that if they don’t offer these sorts of deals, and Boeing up and moves production elsewhere, they’ll get some blame. And they should do some things to make sure Boeing does stay. But man are these sweetheart deals annoying. And as Goldy points out, Boeing is a profitable company.

Hopefully, as long as they’re using the special session to give Boeing everything it wants, the legislature can find time to pass a decent transit package.

– Vote if you haven’t already. The Washington State Democrats want to make sure you do. Remember Seattle, if you don’t vote, the slightly worse candidate might be mayor.

– You don’t say, coal trains cause coal dust? Actually, in all seriousness, these sorts of studies are important, and even if the answer seems obvious, it’s important to have data.

– Construction starts in a few weeks on the seawall.

– Oh look Rachel Maddow mentioned the I-522 campaign:

$550 of the $22m raised against WA proposal to label GMO food comes from in-state. Not $550k, but $550: http://t.co/nJNuRFtlKu

— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) November 4, 2013

– So how is it that the US government was caught flat-footed about foreclosuregate? How is it that the UK government was caught off guard by the London Whale and Libor Rate-Rigging scandal? How is it that ANY of the financial shenanigans of the past decade took place and yet there have been few, if any, prosecutions?

– The Parks Legacy Citizens Advisory Committee (PLCAC), appointed to consider Seattle Parks and Recreation’s future funding options, has released a first draft of 37 newly prioritized investment initiatives (funding recommendations) that are being considered for a possible ballot measure in August 2014.

– I’m not sure why zombies are so popular right now, but they can draw in cartography nerds.

I like Linda Thomas. I think she’s one of the smartest people doing radio, and I’ve linked positively to her on numerous occasions. But I think there’s a hook she has used in some of her pieces.

You might drive by public art and not realize you paid for it. The Ballard bridge, for example, has eight sculptures attached that represent fish nets, propellers and other aspects of the neighborhood’s history.

And

He walks with a limp along North 105th Street in Seattle at the intersection with Aurora Avenue. He asks motorists stopped at the traffic light, “Could you help me please?” His sign says he’s “severely disabled.” I’ve seen him talk on a cell phone. He often wears Seahawks clothing. That’s all I know about the man who carries a cardboard sign at the same spot every day.

You know, if you’re in a city, one of the nice things is that you can get places outside of your car. I mean maybe not 99 North, but for much of the city, you can walk past people and art. You can get a lot out of Seattle on a bike or on foot, that one of our smartest newspeople thinks it’s natural to miss. I hope for those of us who take advantage of it, being able to get around in non-car ways lets us appreciate the artistic, and natural beauty, as well as seeing more of the people around us.

And I will add that, obviously, I’m not telling anyone how to get from point A to point B in this town. If you want to drive, God bless. And as an able-bodied guy, it often is, or can be perceived to be, safer for me to be on the street than for other people. Still, being on ground level out of a car is a valuable part of city life.

– Shelter Beds or Westlake Park

– You know what, I’m sort of coming to the conclusion that I don’t like that Mitt Romney fellow all that much.

– Cascade Bikes is going to make a push for safe routes to parks in a levy in 2014. Here’s a change.org petition if you’re interested.

– The tea party has the same political effect that original Bircherism had — making good and necessary things harder to do. And it has the same human effect — ensnaring the gullible and the fearful in a miserable cocoon of falsehood, fright, indignation and baseless resentment.

– My biggest hope here is that Jay Inslee embarrasses Dori Monson on the basketball court half as much as Monson embarrasses the medium of radio on a daily basis.