(published at the Bellevue Reporter) with the title “Blame politicians, poverty for school problems”) The fundamental economic fact of the last 30 years is the relentless transfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich. During the 1950s and early 1960s, the top bracket income tax rate was over 90%. Now the top rate…

I’m reading the Complete Idiots Guide to The Gnostic Gospels, by J. Michael Matkin. It’s exciting stuff — kinda like from Indiana Jones. The book reveals how contingent orthodox Christianity is. The early Catholic Church relentlessly suppressed alternative sects, some of which were close to winning out.  For example, the second century gnostic Valentius came…

Someone in my precinct emailed me (their PCO): “What is the difference between Yes on 594 and Yes on 591?” I explained I-594 is a gun control measure that requires background checks on gun purchases. Most Democrats support it. I-591 is the initiative from the gun lobby to make sure that Washington State’s gun laws…

Joshua Greene’s Moral Tribes — Emotion, Reason, and the Gap between Us and Them is a mixture of political philosophy, evolutionary psychology, and ethics. The cool thing is that Greene is a clear thinker and superb writer, so the book is accessible to the educated layperson. The central question of the book is:  In a…

The King County Council has just canceled plans for further bus cuts, largely by reducing Metro’s reserve fund. They’re banking on a booming economy, which is a dangerous bet – another downturn in sales tax revenue & we’ll be in serious trouble. But in the meantime, if Seattle TBD Proposition 1 passes, there will be $45…

This afternoon I attended Rep. Adam Smith’s salmon bake in Bellevue. I mentioned problems with our military: ex-military generals whose punditry is corrupted by connections to military contractors; cost over-runs and design flaws in the F-35; and our history of supporting the wrong side in conflicts.  As always, Smith acknowledges the existence of the problems. …

Thomas relates history of the Olmsted Brothers, influential landscape architects and sons of the eminent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Examples of their designs in various U.S. cities, displaying their principles of green belts, wide avenues etc. are presented. Seattle’s park system was created in 1902-1908. Most of its major parks and the layout of…

InspireSeattle invites YOU to join us at our Social Forum: Saturday, October 4th at 6:30PM. Main discussion topic for this evening: The Political Mind, Climate Crisis, and A New Science of Social Change Have you ever wondered how popular support for sensible gun laws, universal health care, and financial reforms that serve the majority of…

The Buffett Legacy Project is our moral appeal to multi-billionaire Warren Buffett, owner of BNSF. We launched a petition on Sunday and released a series of video letters asking that Buffett: (full letter below) “End BNSF railroad’s dependence on hauling and burning fossil fuels. Partner with Gov. Inslee to electrify BNSF, increase track speeds, and…