Some conservative-leaning coworkers were saying yesterday that the problem with America is that 47% of people don’t pay taxes. Echoing Mitt Romney, my coworkers said democracy leads to a situation in which people vote for candidates who promise them public money. I replied: I agree we have too much socialism and redistribution of wealth: socialism…

Jeff Lyles and I wrote: Jingle Bells, something smells, Santa is a spy. He works for the NSA. What a sneaky guy! Jingle Bells, something smells, in the USA. The Constitution is at risk. Our rights have gone away. It would be nice to fit Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and Chelsea Manning in the song….

Dedicated to the memory of Nelson Mandela who died on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95.  He led Africa’s struggle for freedom and justice.  A hero to millions, he will be mourned around the world.   We the People need to speak truth to power.  We need to be heard.  We need to…

The passage of I-502 which decriminalized possession and use of recreational marijuana could threaten access to medicine for Medical Marijuana patients in Washington State if the Legislature implements the state Liquor Control Board’s plan. The father of a 5 yo child who suffers from a rare and catastrophic form of epilepsy which has been found…

In rejecting Medicaid expansion to serve the uninsured in the poorest, unhealthiest state, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant piously urged eating better and exercising more (in a stranger-than-fiction twist, he then signed a law, pushed by a barbecue chain owner selling sandwiches called “L’il Piggies,” preventing restaurant calorie disclosure). Bryant has not objected, though, to the…

Most debates about politics in America concern the question of how big the government should be. Conservatives want small government. Liberals want big government. At least that’s the standard framing of the issues. Of course, it’s not quite true that conservatives favor small government.  When it comes to national security, most conservatives have been strong…

Matt Preedy, deputy WSDOT viaduct replacement program administrator, and Chris Dixon, project manager with Seattle Tunnel Partners, announced today that engineers had discovered what’s blocking Bertha, the giant tunnel-boring drill stuck beneath Pier 48 on the Seattle waterfront:  Rodney Tom and Pam Roach of the Senate Majority Coalition. Engineers discovered that Tom (D-48th LD) and…

The Constitution says that the county central committees must send 3 names to the county councils so that a choice may be made on who should have the appointment.  As much as we would wish it, the vote of the PCOs is not the final say.  Over the last few decades, we have had the…

If government is broken, fix it, don’t destroy it.  For further explanation, see: Anarchism, Libertarianism and the way forward Without Government We’d Still be Hunter-Gatherers Government is like a Computer Operating System

State lawmakers are at an impasse, with Sen. Rodney Tom‘s Majority Coalition Caucus stubbornly holding our transit funding hostage to their austerity agenda.  Dow Constantine has announced that King County will pursue a “Plan B” to save Metro, sending a regressive tax package (a flat Vehicle License Fee of up to $100 and a sales…