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Bob Hasegawa promotes a state bank: what matters is what works
Today at the Renton Library, State Representative Bob Hasegawa gave a presentation and talk about the efforts to establish a Washington state bank. Hasegawa began by saying that there’s really no downside to creating a state bank. It’s a no-brainer. (Sigh, that means most Republicans will oppose it.) Currently, sales taxes and other general funds…
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Beauty and Safety in Downtown Olympia, Step 1 of 2
let’s do the Downtown Oly two step. Let’s tackle beauty first: Step 1: Holy smoke, there has been a lot discussion about how scary and disgusting it is to walk the street of downtown Olympia. The latest installment of this sad story ran in the Daily Zero on Sept 4th. It led with a line…
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On Obama's fear of a coup
According to a scary and eye-popping article, Obama Team Feared Coup If He Prosecuted War Crimes, President-Elect Obama’s advisers feared in 2008 that authorities would oust him in a coup and that Republicans would block his policy agenda if he prosecuted Bush-era war crimes, according to a law school dean who served as one of…
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Virtually Speaking: Cliff Schecter, NYCeve, Susie Madrak, Stuart Zechman, Jay Ackroyd
Virtually Speaking on Second Life (a 3d virtual world) Schedule for Sunday, Sept 11 through Thursday Sept 15. With help from your commentary and questions, we talk with some of your favorite writers: political analysts, media critics, technologists, historians, etc. Virtually Speaking is public affairs, progressive voices, current events. Comments and questions courtesy of a…
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Texas calls for help as wildfires worsen
Texas calls for help as wildfires worsen “Gov. Rick Perry complained about the slow pace of assistance from Washington and Ft. Hood as Federal Emergency Management Agency officials arrived in Bastrop, where 600 houses were burned, to survey fire damage.” “the governor, a Republican presidential hopeful who’s made his mark blasting federal spending, asked Washington…
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Reagan Dunn: Death penalty required for "civil society"
Attorney General candidate Reagan Dunn began his recent Times opinion piece in support of the death penalty with this paragraph: “The most important function of local government is to protect the public through enforcement of the rule of law. It is what separates a civil society from lawlessness, keeps our neighborhoods safe and establishes an…
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On Bilking The Sophisticated, Or, Check It Out: We’re Suing Banks!
I took a break to enjoy the holiday, as I’m sure many of you did, but my inbox kept busy, and on Friday came a doozy, courtesy of the Washington Post. You remember that little bit of a banking crisis we had a couple of years back, where banks around the world might have possibly,…
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Why is this billionaire happy?
Because of tax cuts and loopholes favoring the rich. Because of outsourcing of jobs overseas. Because of union busting. Because they’ll cut Social Security and other social programs to pay for his tax breaks and subsidies, as well as for the profitable imperialist wars of aggression. Because of the Citizens United ruling declaring corporations to…
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Quickie: Rick Perry's extremism revealed
In The message from Rick Perry’s book: Repeal the 20th Century Seattle P-I columnist Joe Connelly describes the extreme anti-government views of Rick Perry. The 1930s are in the crosshairs. Social Security has been America’s most successful social program in lifting our seniors out of poverty. In Perry’s view, however, it is “a crumbling monument…