Symptoms by which you may recognize a tyrant: 1. Fears losing their position; actions driven by this fear 2. Attempts to rise above the rule of law 3. Does not accept criticism 4. Cannot be called to account for their actions 5. Does not listen to advice from those who do not curry favor 6….
MONSANTO, PHRMA BP NORTH AMERICA AMERICAN INSURANCE ASSOCIATION WAL-MART BNSF RAILWAY THE BOEING COMPANY PAC GEORGE WEYERHAEUSER AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL PUGET SOUND ENERGY PREMERA BLUE CROSS FEDEX MARATHON PETROLEUM ALAN GOTTLIEB TESORO WELLS FARGO MILLERCOORS TIMOTHY M SHELDON Source: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.
In Bellevue and other Eastside communities, there is highly partisan debate underway, online and at city meetings, about the proposed men’s shelter in Eastgate, and about King County’s plan to have safe injection sites for the most addicted opiate users. The real reason for the fervency of the opposition on these issues is that Republicans…
How can cooperation emerge in a world of selfish individuals ruled by a Darwinian competition for survival? This is the question that Martin Nowak, Professor of Mathematics and Biology at Harvard University, discusses in Super Cooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and Why We Need Each Other to Succeed. Nowak and his collaborators have published a series of…
Strangers are poisoning you and your families with toxic chemicals. Even if you don’t agree with the vast majority of climate scientists about human-caused climate change, you should believe what the American Lung Association says about the effects of vehicle exhaust on health. In Living Near Highways and Air Pollution, The American Lung Association says…
Report: Walmart Workers Cost Taxpayers $6.2 Billion In Public Assistance Walmart’s low-wage workers cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $6.2 billion in public assistance including food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing, according to a report published to coincide with Tax Day, April 15. Americans for Tax Fairness, a coalition of 400 national and state-level progressive groups,…
Government and taxation are a form of cooperation and charity for those less well off.
The Official Local Voters’ Pamphlet for the primary election in King County includes statements for and against Proposition 1, which would impose a 0.1% increase in the sales tax in order to fund arts, science and cultural enrichment programs. The statement against Proposition 1 states, “it is unwise and inequitable to impose another $500 million…
Image courtesy of Jen Sorensen
In 2009 I voted against an “education reform†bill that, amidst devastating cuts, promised fully-funding K-12 education by 2018. As I asked then, how could we expect future Legislatures to possess the courage of our convictions if even we didn’t possess that courage? The 2009 bill’s promise was to avoid litigation, now known as the…