You are already paying for the drug habits of people with substance abuse disorder. Why not treat addiction in a more humane way that reduces crime, defunds drug gangs, better helps the addicted people, and saves society money? Lots of people complain about crime, especially property crime. People complain especially on websites such as nextdoor. […]
Author: admin
Time to escalate the war on cars: treat driving like smoking in restaurants
Here are some links about how harmful (fossil fuel-powered) auto and truck traffic is to human health. They also are a major contributor to green-house gas emissions and a major reason the U.S. goes to war so often. Air pollution linked to ‘missed’ miscarriages in China: study CBS News reports: Nearly half of Americans breathe […]
USAToday editorializes: Trump unfit to clean toilets in Obama’s presidential library
“A president who’d all but call a senator a whore is unfit to clean toilets in Obama’s presidential library or to shine George W. Bush’s shoes: ” in Will Trump’s lows ever hit rock bottom?
Quickie link: The GOP has become a dangerous cult
The GOP has become a dangerous cult
GOP Tax Plan: raise taxes on the middle class, students and the elderly, so the rich can get yet more tax breaks
The GOP Plan Is the Biggest Tax Increase in American History, By Far The big deficits in GOP tax plan aren’t a glitch — they’re the whole point. “Slashing taxes is going to cause big budget deficits. But the reason Republicans don’t really care is because they can use the resulting fiscal crisis to go […]
Who funded Washington State campaigns and initiatives in 2016 and 2017?
I downloaded from the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission a spreadsheet listing contributions to political campaigns and initiatives. After loading it into a database, I ran some queries to see who’s spending the most. Over $60 million was donated to campaigns and initiatives in 2017, according to the PDC data. In 2016, over $144 million […]
Employers should stop subsidizing free parking by employees
The Bellevue Planning Commission has recently suggested encouraging employers to stop subsidizing free parking by employees. The intention is to incentivize people to use public transportation and other alternatives to commuting by car. The benefits would be clear: less traffic congestion, less pollution, and a more pleasant environment. As expected, there’s a posting on nextdoor.com […]
Was the Noble Savage noble? Or savage?
There has been a debate in the press recently about whether the state (nation) is fundamentally a source of exploitation and war, or whether it’s a civilizing influence on humans’ natural brutal nature. The debate has echoes of Jean-Jacque Rousseau versus Thomas Hobbes, as well as echos of FDR versus the Koch brothers. In short, […]
Dishonest, negative campaign ads by Republicans in Bellevue
I got a flier in the mail today from Friends of Jared Nieuwenhuis, Friends of Steve Fricke, and Friends of Phil Yin that says “STOP THESE CANDIDATES FROM BRINGING HEROIN INTO BELLEVUE.” The candidates referred to are Karol Brown, Lynne Robinson, and Janice Zahn. What a scare tactic! If this isn’t negative campaigning, I don’t […]