MoveOn's plan for a mass movement
Many of you probably got this email from MoveOn. It starts off well, describing the serious trouble America is in and the fact that we can’t depend on Obama or the Dems to set things right. Calling for a mass movement akin to the civil rights movement seems correct too.   But then they ask for…
Norman Goldman, Bob Hasegawa, and Adam Kline speak at the WPC banquet
Saturday evening I attended Washington Public Campaign’s Annual Awards Banquet, held at South King County Community College. The keynote speaker was progressive radio host Norman Goldman. State Senator Adam Kline was master of ceremonies . State Rep. Bob Hasegawa won the public leadership award. I’ll summarize some salient points from their speeches and from the…
What is the most likely scenario for the future of America?
Economic, political, and environmental mismanagement are threatening the well-being of America and the world. What is the most likely scenario for the future of America? Fast decline into anarchy or fascism. Slow decline: We slog along as best as we can, while conditions slowly deteriorate. Status quo: The economy recovers, technological growth and minor reforms…
Proposed initiative to end perpetual corporate welfare
Paula Joneli of Des Moines has proposed this brilliant citizen initiative. As Martha Koester says, “If it requires 2/3 to raise taxes, why shouldn’t it take 2/3 to enact tax breaks?” An act relating to all Washington State favorable corporate tax treatment. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON: INTENT: To ensure…
Rob McKenna: A Career Fighting Against Progress
(reposted from Fuse Washington) On Wednesday, Rob McKenna announced his candidacy for Governor of our state. We are taking the unprecedented step of alerting you right after his announcement because McKenna has made a career out of fighting against a progressive future for Washington. McKenna has been a leader against much of what we stand…
Interactive 3D Visualizations of Voting in the 111th Congress
3D Interactive Visualization of US Senators’ Voting Records Click to interact. 3D Interactive Visualization of US Representatives’ Voting Records Click to interact. Ron Paul is the outlier on the lower left. The data points were generated by a technique called multi-dimensional scaling with relaxation, in which the high dimensional space of votes is projected into…
Even the Chamber of Commerce wants this fee
The Seattle-PI has an article New business PAC to County: Support transit tax that should be an eye-opener for Tim Eyman and his anti-tax, anti-government allies. The article reports on the creation of a new business PACÂ that is affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce. One specific issue the new group feels strongly about is…
A 3D Interactive Visualization of Washington State Senators' Voting Records
Click here for visualization. You can use your arrow keys to navigate in 3D space and compare senators’ voting scores along three dimensions:Â labor, environmental, and racial equity. It’s amazing how far apart Democrats and Republicans appear in the 3D space. Feedback is welcome. I updated the page with clearer, brief instructions and explanation on…