Bad, Bad Tim Eyman

(click arrow to hear) (Re-recorded) From the state of Washington comes a dude named Tim Eyman. He hates government and taxes, Gives the rich folks all they want. You see, Eyman he is a hater. He thinks police and schools are bad. Poor and sick and old folks suffer. He don’t give a damn. Ain’t…

EOI on public employee compensation

Conservatives are slashing state budgets, as well as tax rates for the well-to-do. They’re blaming budget problems on the alleged high pay of public employees. This report from the Economic Opportunity Institute exposes some of the myths about public employee compensation. Wages of public employees are typically lower than those of people working in private…

"Could Washington Be the Next Wisconsin?"

Check out this sneak peek into the Anti-Labor Administration of Governor Rob McKenna, at the Stranger. On the campaign trail, McKenna will rail against state workers—their cost-of-living increases, skyrocketing health care costs, and “fat” pensions—but of course, that’s how all Republican candidates talk these days, so neither pundits nor plebs will take much notice.

HB 1366: The Limited Service Pregnancy Center Accountability Act

Call Speaker Frank Chopp at (360) 786-7920 TODAY with this message: Please pull the Limited Service Pregnancy Center Accountability Act (HB 1366) out of the Rules Committee for a floor vote. Women facing a possible unintended pregnancy deserve to know the truth about these centers and to have their medical information kept private. Limited service…

The Dirt on Coal

Special Series by the Sightline Institute The Dirt on Coal Here in the Northwest, coal feels like someone else’s problem. We know that much of the electricity that powers our homes comes from carbon-free hydropower, which can make flipping a light switch feel almost virtuous. But the numbers tell a different story: coal is big…

Are conservatives mean, greedy, and stupid? Or just different? A response to Lakoff

In a recent article The “New Centrism” and Its Discontents, George Lakoff wrote Progressives have to get over the idea that conservatives are either stupid, or mean, or greedy – or all three. Conservatives are mostly people who have a different moral system from progressives. That statement irked me, because it seems to me that…

Cameron Peters charts the path into – and out of – Washington state’s budget morass

(Originally published here.  Reprinted by permission of Economic Opportunity Institute) When you’re lost, it’s best to figure out where you are before trying to get to where you want to go. So if you’re finding it difficult to get a clear handle on what’s going on with the state budget, try reading these two succinct…