Washington Liberals

Since we are on the subject of Rob McKenna, there is something that has been weighing on me for a while that I’d like to get off my chest. Last fall, Washington Supreme Court Justice James Johnson and former Justice Richard Sanders caused quite a stir when they denied racial discrimination was a factor in…

At the 41st LD Dems’ meeting, Goldy (David Goldstein) spoke about the REAL Rob McKenna and about how progressives can win. State Attorney General Rob McKenna is a personable guy who presents himself as a moderate and who attends civic events everywhere. But his speeches and actions show that McKenna is deeply anti-union and anti-choice.…

Washington SB5566, passed in the State Senate on March 5,  has implications far beyond the actual benefits paid to injured individuals.  In a previous column in this forum I discussed how this bill could scam unsuspecting workers with inadequate legal representation out of receiving benefits they deserve.  This report reveals the enormous costs being run…

Cindy & Craig Corrie: March 16, 2011 Statement to Gaza from Johan Genberg on Vimeo. Heart to heart.

It’s March 16th and my life takes place in Olympia to a large degree. Rachel was an Olympia kid. I think she was a remarkable kid who grew up to be a remarkable young woman. I run into so many remarkable people around Olympia, so many wonderful kids, adults. I hope you have a similar…

There’s a discussion on the Washington Liberals yahoo group about the heartlessness of libertarian philosophy. The question came up: are libertarians sociopaths? Or are they just confused? I too have called libertarianism “sociopathic.” Some of them probably have a deficit of empathy. But I’m sure most of them are pretty regular people, loving parents, more…

Twenty years ago, smoking was permitted in most restaurants and public buildings. Nowadays, smokers have accepted that they have no right to force nonsmokers to put up with secondhand smoke. In a similar way, society needs to make the transition to a mindset in which driving a single-occupancy, non-electric passenger car is viewed as selfish,…

Saturday afternoon I attended the 41st Legislative District  Town Hall meeting at Mercer Island High School.  State Sen. Steve Litzow (R),  Rep. Judy Clibborn (D), and Rep. Marcie Maxwell (D) spoke.  There was a huge turnout, despite the rain. Most of the time was sent on questions and answers.  Almost all the questions concerned the…

People often complain that politics is depressing. Politicians are often dishonest and power-grabbing. Meetings are boring. Political activists are annoying. The media barely covers rallies. It’s all so frustrating and exhausting. They say all politics is local. That’s not quite true, but it is true that getting involved makes a big difference. Even though it’s…

Is Washington State SB5566, passed in the State Senate Saturday March 5, a dangerous step in the direction of Wisconsin? The measure, strongly opposed by Labor, would establish an option for lump sum payments. The text of the bill and the roll call vote are posted here on leg.wa.gov. Here are some links to articles…