Right Thoughts

McGruff De-Fanged

2006-02-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

Sexual predators in Washington got to breathe a huge sigh of relief today as the House passed HB 2411. This bill is nothing more than a half-hearted attempt by Democrats to claim that they are protecting our children. I have copied the following digest of the bill from the Washington State Legislature website (italics added for emphasis):

HB 2411 – DIGEST

Imposes more severe punishment for certain sex offenses against children by increasing the minimum sentences for rape of a child in the first degree and child molestation in the first degree, when the offender was unknown to the victim prior to the crime, and rape in the first degree, rape in the second degree, indecent liberties by forcible compulsion, and kidnapping in the first degree with sexual motivation when the victim was under a certain age at the time of the crime.

What is important to note is the italicized portion “…when the offender was unknown to the victim…” This means that if the offender was known to the victim (such as a teacher, coach, youth pastor, family member, etc) this law does not apply! According to some estimates, 80-90% of offenders fall into this category. What’s worse is that the abuse is often time an ongoing occurrence over a long period of time, rather than a shorter (albeit equally vile) period as is common when the offender is a stranger. Our legislature has just effectively told all of the dirty uncles, molesting step-fathers, and twisted coaches that their crime is not as serious as if it would be if they didn’t know their victim. The argument was that the victims are less likely to come forward when the offender is known to them, especially if there are serious minimum consequences. What was ignored by Democrats in the House is that it is undeniably more egregious when the rapist knows the child!

So what does this bill really do? Well, for 80-90% of the offenders and their victims, it does nothing. The Republicans in the House lobbied hard to remove that italicized segment, but ultimately didn’t have the votes. The Democrats have once again let the people of Washington down, and worst of all, they have betrayed our children.

Now for the good news: the State Senate has not yet voted on this bill. I strongly urge everyone who reads this to contact your state Senator and tell them that HB 2411 doesn’t go far enough! Just click on the link to find out who your Senator is and how to get in contact with him/her.

My friends, though we may live on the Left Coast, this is still America. Your Representatives and Senators will listen when enough of us make enough noise. Please help address this urgent matter immediately and give McGruff back his teeth! And if you don’t get the response you want, remember that they’re all up for re-election this November.

The Eroding Power of the People

2006-02-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

Our Declaration of Independence states that just powers of government are derived from the consent of the governed and “…that whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it…” In Washington, we take that right very seriously and have ensured it even further in our own state constitution (Article I, Section I). Our constitution also guarantees the right of the citizenry to pass or abolish law through the processes of Initiative and Referendum. These powers ensure that you and I, the regular people of the State of Washington, can check our Legislature and Governor if we disagree with a law they have passed (by Referendum) or to pass our own law because government has failed to do so (by Initiative). However, many in Olympia are frustrated by this amount of political power being vested in you. There are those who would take away your rights because it interferes with how they want to run your government. Take a guess as to which political party these big-government career politicians hail. I’ll give you a hint: it starts with a “D”.

The bill being considered by the Legislature is one that would forbid paying signature gatherers by the signature and require an hourly wage. Opponents of this suggestion say that it would make the cost of gathering signatures exponentially higher, thus placing citizen interaction with the government even further out of reach for the ordinary Washingtonian. An excerpt from a KOMO 4 news broadcast;

Keith Eldridge: "But the chair of the committee said that all of this is just for discussion purposes.

Puyallup Democrat Jim Kastama: "It's part of the dialogue. I assure you it is not the priority of this legislature to stop you from doing your business."

Eldridge: "Still, it's enough of a scare for Tim Eyman to go to this length to draw attention to the issue." (During this commentary, Eyman and Mike Fagan, with the Capitol Dome in the background, are shown chained and gagged holding orange signs that read: "Just get it over with. Pass a law that requires this.")

End excerpt.

Mr. Eyman’s response: “No bill ever has a disclaimer that says "For discussion purposes only." Most bills never get a hearing. So how exactly do the citizens know which are serious and which are not? We can't. And did these anti-initiative bills start out on a fast track and get switched to "part of the dialogue" only after our email campaign, protest, and hearing testimony? And do you believe this whopper: "I assure you it is not the priority of this legislature to stop you from doing your business."? I don't believe it for a second.”

My friends, we must be ever vigilant to protect our rights. While it would take a state constitutional amendment to completely take away our rights of Initiative and Referendum, they are trying to make it more difficult for us to exercise those rights by making them more and more expensive. Please write to your elected officials and tell them to protect the political rights of the public. If they have their way, soon only the very wealthy will have any say any more.

Here We Go Again

2005-12-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

In the coming legislative session, a bi-partisan group will introduce a bill increasing the Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) – currently 1.78% in most cities, possibly going up to 2.43% - which is imposed whenever you sell your home. In return, they propose eliminating the “Impact Fee,” usually $15k-20k, which is imposed on builders of new construction (and therefore passed on to the homebuyer). The argument for this increase is that the cost of new homes will go down. In the immortal words of Al Borland, “I don’t think so, Tim.”

First a little background. The Impact Fee is assessed to pay for improvements to local infrastructure (schools, fire, water, sewer, roads, etc.) that are required whenever new homes and developments are built. The REET is used much for the same purposes and has been in place for about 40 years (increased to the current 1.78% level in the early 1980’s). This source of funding is crucial to maintaining vital state and local services. The necessity for state and local governments to collect these funds is not in dispute (at least not by me).

So, where is the fatal flaw in the proposed plan? On the surface it sounds pretty reasonable. Think again. Builders are able to charge a certain amount now for their product (new homes). This has established a market value for this product which does not go down based on whether or not the government is assessing an Impact Fee. These builders are in business to make a profit. When their costs go down, do they lower their prices to match or do they take advantage of it and increase their bottom line? I would argue that most builders are going to opt for the latter, thus NOT decreasing the price of new homes and therefore NOT accomplishing the stated mission of this bill’s proponents.

What will be accomplished is that the taxes you pay when you sell your home will go up. To put it in perspective, the average home price in Pierce County is about $180k at the time of this article. Currently, a seller would pay $3204 in their REET. If this bill passes, that number would go up to $4374. That’s more that a 33% increase! In the last 5 years – thanks to the increasing real estate prices here – the revenue to the state from the REET has already increased by about 50%. If the government still does not have enough REET money, what have they been doing with the increases they’ve gotten?

Frankly, the problem as I see it is the assumption the state is making about lowering the cost of new homes and how they’re using the money they get now. This is just another example of why we need to use the performance audit power of I-900. The government is not using our money wisely and it’s time we take them to task for it! Please contact your legislators to find out where they stand on this issue and know that this candidate stands firmly against it.

Hiding the Poor

2005-12-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

On Nov. 8 the voters of Tacoma struck a blow against socialism by striking down Proposition 1, the so-called “Homes Now” project. Prop 1 was to increase the property tax on everyone in the City of Tacoma by $0.18 per $1000 of assessed value raising an estimated $2.5Million per year for the Housing Trust Fund to build approximately 740 homes. Proponents claim that the cost is equal to about 9 cents per person per day.

On its face, it sounds good. The editorials read well about it and one is tempted to vote for the proposition and feel good about them self; like they did something really good for their community. Fortunately, the people of Tacoma could see through the political mire stirred up by the Left and rejected this tax increase.

Prop 1 is really nothing more than a way to get you to pay for more “projects” like Salishan, et al, where we stash away our poorest families like some dark secret, keeping them separate from the rest of the city. While it is important to have affordable housing for our citizens, we must not cloister them away. To bring our neighbors out of poverty, we must keep them integrated in normal, unsubsidized neighborhoods. The government is terribly inept at efficiently executing such a policy. This is the realm of churches, charities and private investors and 65% of Tacoma voters agree.

The results of this proposition also serve to illustrate the widening disconnect between the voters and their elected liberal leaders. Of course, the liberal play-book calls for communal funding for such projects! They see it as an entitlement, and until that changes, we can expect more of the same from our friends and neighbors on the Left. It’s a nice thought, and don’t we all wish we could live in this Disneyland version of the world?

In the real world, these social projects don’t work. People must elevate themselves out of poverty or they will usually fall back in. There are plenty of churches, charities and other organizations that help people do the heavy lifting and I encourage you all to voluntarily donate to these groups (I like the Tacoma Rescue Mission, the American Red Cross and the United Way of Pierce County myself). I am however adamantly opposed to the government taking by their power of taxation for the sole purpose of building more ghettos.

The answer is integration, not segregation.

Alexander Wept

2005-09-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

It is said that Alexander the Great wept when he had conquered the whole of the known world and realized there were no longer any more lands for him to subjugate. He had spent the entirety of his life expanding his empire and did not know what to do with himself once there were no further military pursuits ahead of him. This was over 2000 years ago. Less than one year ago, one could almost hear a similar wail from the Washington State Democratic Party when they won decisive majorities in both houses of the legislature and the governor’s mansion (the state Supreme Court has been left friendly for a long time). Unlike Alexander the Great, however, the Democrats in our state government were not satisfied with their victory. Instead, they set to destroying the economy and infrastructure of the land they fought so hard to rule. And rule they do with the iron fist of tyrants.
The 2005 Legislative Session was a textbook case study in what happens when socialist governments take over. There are plenty of other examples throughout history and around the globe, but Americans cannot seem to fathom that such dire consequences can happen here. Remember though that on December 5, 1941, we couldn’t fathom the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and on September 10, 2001, we couldn’t fathom that radical Islamic terrorists would use airplanes as massive guided missiles to knock down our Twin Towers, severely damage our Pentagon, and who knows the target of Flight 93. Does my analogy border on hyperbole? Let’s investigate that.
Once the Democrats had complete control of the state government, our 7% budget surplus turned into a 5% budget deficit due to a 12% growth in the state budget, despite the fact that inflation was only projected at 3%. 98 separate pieces of legislation were deemed “emergencies” (thus denying the citizens’ right to petition for referendum). Despite campaign promises to the contrary, taxes were raised on gasoline (raised about 33%), canned meat (previously untaxed), vehicle weight and licensing fees, to name just a few. All the while, state spending is out of control. Fraud, waste and abuse run rampant at every level of our government, and it is you and I who foot the bill. Whenever they start running low on money, they don’t try to find more efficient ways of spending what they have; they just pass more taxes and deem them “State Emergencies.” Despite record spending on transportation projects throughout the state, our commutes continue to get longer. Despite an effective 9% growth in state expenditures, state services remain at maintenance level at best.
My friends, this is no longer about petty disputes over pet issues or projects, this is about what is best for the people, the infrastructure and the economy of Washington State. The fact that we are in a serious decline is not a matter for debate. It is time to change Olympia. It is time to remind some of the career politicians just what it’s like to have to pay a utility bill while working a regular job at regular pay. It is time to force reality on Olympia and make them update their resumes. And it is time for Alexander to stop weeping and prepare for war in ‘06, because we’re going to bring this fight right to the Democrat’s front steps.

Damn the Torpedoes

2005-08-24T03:09:00.000-07:00

In recent weeks we have seen tremendous hand wringing from the leadership of the Republican Party, from President Bush all the way down to the county level. The President doesn’t seem to know how to handle Cindy Sheehan, the House and Senate at times seem to forget that we now hold the majority, and here at the Washington State level, we are doing nothing to bring the Democrats – who hold majorities in both the state house and senate as well as the governor’s mansion – to task for their continued tax and spend policies which are driving not only the Washington State economy but our very infrastructure into the ground! It’s not that the Party doesn’t stand in direct opposition to the forces that work to destroy our civilization (and I don’t mean radical jihadists). The problem comes back to the one thing that causes all problems in politics: money and the big donors who give it.
While I might be beating a dead horse with this, the prime example (at the state level anyway) is the indecision over I-912, the No New Gas Tax Initiative, which would repeal the 9.5 cent gas tax increase enacted by the legislature in the 2005 session. The Republican Party – which is over $1 MILLION in debt - is so afraid of alienating big business donors because big business likes the gas tax hike (they’re shooting themselves in the foot, but to each their own). This raises the question; just who exactly do our politicians serve? Is it big business and other special interest groups who donate tons of money, or is it you and me, the every day, average, hard working citizen? While it may seem this question is so absurd as to be worthy of a Monty Python sketch, the actions of our political leaders lead one to seriously ponder.
As I’ve said before, I am not opposed to paying taxes. What I am opposed to is our government wasting taxpayer dollars and targeting those taxpayers who are least able to afford higher taxes, such as our poor and senior citizens. The Transportation Bill of 2005 does nothing to increase road capacity or decrease congestion, yet they want $8.5 BILLION to do nothing. Frankly, it’s a jobs package for labor unions. Add to that the fact that purchases made by these contractors on behalf of the state are still subject to state sales tax, and it’s just another way of getting money that is dedicated to transportation into the general fund! I say this is nonsense and that is why I support I-912. One other issue that bothers me greatly is the “spam tax.” The legislature passed a bill that will extend state sales tax to canned meat products (which were previously tax exempt). All this does is increase the cost of cans of chili and spam and other such products. Now ask yourself who is going to feel the burden of this tax more, the rich or the poor?
What ever happened to political parties that stand their ground for what they believe in? I know the Republicans don’t want to capitulate to these policies. Where are the leaders who will say “Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead”? Well, this writer hopes to be one in the 2006 election. Who will sail with me?

Schisms

2005-07-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

Washington, we have a problem. The people speak and the political elite do not listen. I wish I could point the finger squarely at the Democrats in Olympia (and they do deserve their share of the criticism) but I am sad to say that the problem has metastasized into the leadership of the Republican Party as well, at least at the local level. These so-called “mainstreamers” have allied themselves with what they think are the prevailing political winds in this state and in doing so have betrayed the very principles which distinguish the Republican Party. Just to make myself clear, this is an indictment leveled most directly at the Pierce County Republican Party (PCRP) leadership. The State level Party probably needs to own some of this as well, but I shall focus my criticisms, and encouragements, on those about whom I know the most.
First and foremost in the list of offenses is the Republican Party’s refusal to endorse Initiative 912 (the No New Gas Tax Initiative). Talk about a break from the populace! In just 32 days, in the face of legal delaying tactics and with an ALL VOLUNTEER force, we collected and submitted over 420,000 signatures (slightly over 13,000 per day). The Republicans should be jumping all over this opportunity to slam the Democrats on their tax and spend policies, their practice of thwarting the will of the people (by changing, and effectively rendering impotent, I-601), and their apparent inability to tell the truth (Gov. Gregiore has gone back on almost every one of her campaign promises).
In fairness, it should be noted that the PCRP Central Committee will meet in the first week of August and may endorse I-912 at that time. Better late than never, I suppose, but it should not take these many months for the party leadership to endorse a popular movement that is founded quite firmly in the same principles upon which our own party stands! Instead of uniting behind a very popular issue, our leadership sits in meetings, argues parliamentary procedure, does NOT actively seek new Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) in our weak districts (the 29th and 27th to name a couple) nor offer meaningful support to serious candidates in districts they don’t think can be won.
I think that leads me to the root of the problem, as I see it. Republicans are so used to losing in Washington State (at least here in Pierce, King, and Thurston counties) that it seems to be an institutional defeatist mentality. Oh, sure, a few will make some noise, get in the news, and bring some issues to light, especially during election seasons, but where are they during the “off season”? Something that I think these folks have forgotten is that the ’06 congressional and senatorial campaign, along with the ’08 presidential campaign, started on Nov 3, 2004 (the day after the last election)! We must not be found asleep at the wheel!
So what can be done? We shall stop talking and continue our doing. The PCRP leadership is apparently reluctant to address the hard issues which really differentiate us on the right from those on the left. In their refusal to take up the banner and charge the hill, they are complicit in the continued reign of the left. In the absence of effective formal leadership, the rank and file will pick up the banner, dust it off, and carry it proudly without regard to the protests of our leaders. We shall take the fight to our political opponents where it hurts them most; the grassroots level. We will make them defend their long unassailed strongholds, we will set the tone of the debate long before they know it’s even begun, and we will do it all under their radar. How so? We will attack where the Democrats are paying least attention; the common voter.
And now a word of encouragement for our PCRP Executive Board: all is not lost, particularly not our faith in your ability to run this party. You can still come back to the TRUE mainstream of the Republican party and lead us to unprecedented victories in '06 and '08! This is going to mean a rededication to the founding principles of the GOP, particularly the fight hard, no backing down approach that we all admire so much in our current President. And it's going to mean that the work of winning elections never ends. We are fighting an uphill battle but it ABSOLUTELY CAN BE WON!!!

Just 25 More Years, Mom!

2005-07-30T02:03:00.000-07:00

NOTE: This is not my writing. This is the transcript from a speach given by US Navy Capt Ouimette. The spelling and grammar has not been changed from the format in which I received it. This is definately a must read historical account of Terrorism against the US . This is not very long, but very informative You have to read the catalogue of events in this brief piece. Then, ask yourself how anyone can take the position that all we have to do is bring our troops home from Iraq, sit back, reset the snooze alarm, go back to sleep, and no one will ever bother us again. In case you missed it, World War III beganin November 1979... that alarm has been ringing for years!

US Navy Captain Ouimette is the Executive Officer at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. Here is a copy ofthe speech he gave last month. It is an accurate account of why we are in so much trouble today and why this action is so necessary.

AMERICA NEEDS TO WAKE UP!

That's what we think we heard on the 11th of September 2001 (When more than 3,000 Americans were killed -AD) and maybe it was, but I think it should have been "Get Out ofBed!" In fact, I think the alarm clock has been buzzing since 1979 and we have continued to hit the snooze button and roll over for a few more minutes of peaceful sleep since then. It was a cool fall day in November 1979 in a country going through a religious and political upheaval when a group of Iranian students attacked and seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This seizure was an outright attack on American soil; it was an attack that held the world's most powerful country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. The attack on this sovereign U. S. embassy set the stage for events to follow for the next 25 years. America was still reeling from the aftermath of the Vietnam experience and had a serious threat from the Soviet Union when then, President Carter, had to do something. He chose to conduct a clandestine raid in the desert. The ill-fated mission ended in ruin, but stood as a symbol ofAmerica's inability to deal with terrorism.

America's military had been decimated and down sized/right sized since the end of the Vietnam War. A poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly organized military was called on to execute a complex mission that was doomed from the start. Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans began to be kidnapped and killed throughout the Middle East. America could do little to protect her citizens living and working abroad. The attacks against US soil continued. In April of 1983 a large vehicle packed with high explosives was driven into the US Embassy compound in Beirut. When it explodes, it kills 63 people. The alarm went off again and America hit the Snooze Button once more. Then just six short months later in 1983 a large truck heavily laden down with over 2500 pounds of TNT smashed through the main gate of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut and 241 US servicemen are killed. America mourns her dead and hit the Snooze Button once more. Two months later in December 1983, another truck loaded with explosives is driven into the US Embassy in Kuwait,and America continues her slumber.

The following year, in September 1984, another van was driven into the gate of the US Embassy in Beirut and America slept. Soon the terrorism spreads to Europe. In April 1985 a bomb explodes in a restaurant frequented by US soldiers in Madrid. Then in August 1985 a Volkswagen loaded with explosives is driven into the main gate of the US Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, 22 are killed and the snooze alarm is buzzing louder and louder as US interests are continually attacked. Fifty-nine days later in 1985 a cruise ship, the Achille Lauro is hijacked and we watched as an American in a wheelchair is singled out of the passenger list and executed.

The terrorists then shift their tactics to bombing civilian airliners when they bomb TWA Flight 840 in April of 1986 that killed 4 and the most tragic bombing, Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing 259. Clinton treated these terrorist acts as crimes; in fact we are still trying to bring these people to trial. These are acts of war!

The wake up alarm is getting louder and louder. The terrorists decide to bring the fight to America. In January 1993, two CIA agents are shot and killed as they enter CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The following month, February 1993, a group of terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed with explosives is driven into the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. Six people are killed and over 1000 are injured. Still this is a crime and not an act of war? The Snooze alarm is depressed again.

Then in November 1995 a car bomb explodes at a US military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven service men and women. A few months later in June of 1996, another truck bomb explodes only 35 yards from the US military compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It destroys the Khobar Towers, a US Air Force barracks, killing 19 and injuring over 500. The terrorists are getting braver and smarter as they see that America does not respond decisively. They move to coordinate their attacks in a simultaneous attack on two US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. These attacks were planned with precision. They kill 224. America responds with cruise missile attacks and goes back to sleep.

The USS Cole was docked in the port of Aden, Yemen for refueling on 12 October 2000, when a small craft pulled along side the ship and exploded killing 17 US Navy Sailors. Attacking a US War Ship is an act of war, but we sent the FBI to investigate the crime and went back to sleep.

And of course you know the events of 11 September 2001. Most Americans think this was the first attack against US soil or in America. How wrong they are. America has been under a constant attack since 1979 and we chose to hit the snooze alarm and roll over and go back to sleep. In the news lately we have seen lots of finger pointing from every high officials in government over what they knew and what they didn't know. But if you've read the papers and paid a little attention I think you can see exactly what they knew. You don't have to be in the FBI or CIA or on the National Security Council to see the pattern that has been developing since 1979.

The President is right on when he says we are engaged in a war. I think we have been in a war for the past 25 years and it will continue until we as a people decide enough is enough. America needs to "Get out of Bed" and act decisively now. America has been changed forever. We have to be ready to pay the price and make the sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues. We cannot afford to keep hitting the snooze button again and again and roll over and go back to sleep.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto said"... it seems all we have done is awakened a sleeping giant." This is the message we need to disseminate to terrorists around the world.

Support Our Troops and support President Bush for having the courage, politically or militarilly, to address what so many who preceded him didn't have the backbone to do, both Democrat and Republican. This is not a political thing to be hashed over in an election year this is an AMERICAN thing. This is about our Freedom and the Freedom of our children in years to come. If you believe in this please forward it to as many people as you can especially to the young people and all those who dozed off in history class and who seem so quick to protest such a necessary military action. If you don't believe it, just go back to sleep.

So Much for the First Amendment

2005-07-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” I quote the First Amendment in its entirety so that there is no confusion. We Americans take the rights guaranteed by this simple sentence for granted most times. We know, and we figure everybody knows, that you can say whatever you want here as an individual, and that the press has not only that right, but also a responsibility to report and comment on the issues of the day. Last Friday, our legal system allowed a direct hit to these rights in a ruling that must shock and offend all save the enemies of freedom.
“What can a judge do?” you may ask yourself. Well, on Friday, July 1, 2005, Judge Wickham of Thurston County ruled that talk radio hosts (whose entire job is to… well… talk, particularly about political issues) and their stations must report their commentary as an “in kind donation” under the new campaign finance reform laws. This is really no big deal to the campaign against which the lawsuit was filed. Initiatives do not have contribution limits so really it’s just a ruling that created more paperwork, right? WRONG!!! For almost every other type of campaign the law sets limits as to how much an individual may contribute. If you exceed this amount, you are breaking the law. This is to try to take the big money out of politics (the bill is known as McCain/Feingold if you want to read it). It hasn’t worked (as evidenced by all the 527 groups you heard of last year, such as MoveOn.Org and the like) but that’s not the point. The point is that it is the law of the land and Judge Wickham has allowed it to abridge the freedom of the press. Because air time on TV or the radio is expensive, whatever amount of time the commentators spend on a campaign topic must be calculated for value and reported to the PDC. Well in a campaign where individual donations are limited to, say $1300, that doesn’t allow for a whole lot of commentary or conversation on the air. And what if you go over time and the so called “donation” is too big? Well, then the station is in violation of the law.
“Oh, stop it,” you might be saying,”Nobody is going to say that the press can’t editorialize.” Wanna bet? This establishes a precedent. Judge Wickham basically said in his ruling that he can tell the press what to talk about and what not to. Not by setting out guidelines (which he did not) but by instilling fear in the management of all the TV, radio and newspaper outlets. And let me tell you, nothing gets a board of directors trembling like legal liability.
Fortunately, we do have some few true journalists remaining in this state of ours. AM570 KVI radio, AM770 KTTH radio, along with a few TV stations and newspapers all over the state have editorialized against Judge Wickham’s ruling.
Normally I am not a fan of big media (TV and newspapers mostly… radio is media’s saving grace). I think they are biased while trying to play themselves off as impartial and I have no respect for that. On this issue however, I find myself lying with strange bedfellows on the Left.

Against All Odds

2005-07-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

How appropriate is it that just four days after our annual observance of our Declaration of Independence, we the people of Washington issued a new declaration. Once again the principles of representative government triumph over powerful opposition. Like our founding fathers, our struggle was not against some foreign power, but against our own government gone out of control. And once again, it was all about the common misconception of governments that they may tax their populace indiscriminately without risking revolt.
As frequent readers of mine will have gleaned (and as any Washington resident should know without my help) the 2005 legislative session was a three month assault on the sovereignty of rule by the people. With the passage of legislation that completely disregarded the will of the voters on transportation, taxes, and legislative spending limits (to name a few of the most egregious subjects), and nearly one hundred “state emergency bills” that deny the voters’ right of referendum, the majority of our officials in Olympia told us exactly what they think about us and just how far they are willing to push. This has been building for nearly twenty years. This time we pushed back.
Immediately after the passage of the transportation bill, which included the 9.5 cent gas tax increase to partially fund the projects the bill created, a small group of citizens came together to undo the damage caused by the legislature by proposing what we in Washington call an Initiative (some states call them Propositions) to enact the will of the voters, repeal the gas tax increase and thereby de-fund the transportation package. Championed by talk radio hosts Kirby Wilbur and John Carlson, the No New Gas Tax Initiative gained rapid and widespread popular support. The opposition to this Initiative held up the process in court for as long as they could, even challenging the name of the Initiative, so that those of us who supported it only had 32 days to collect 225,000 valid signatures from registered voters in order to get this on the November ballot.
The No New Gas Tax Initiative (Initiative 912) did not have the funds available to hire paid signature gatherers and therefore had to rely on the efforts of an all volunteer force. As a member of the steering committee and coordinator for the I-912 efforts at the Tall Ships and Freedom Fair events (two large events held in Tacoma), I can tell you the outpouring of public and bi-partisan support what overwhelming, but there was still a great deal of doubt that we would be able to collect the required number of signatures, especially when the very well funded opposition was paying people to go into the communities and spread rumors and half truths about the initiative, falsely claim to be a part of our efforts and pick up signatures at business locations, never to turn them in (a felony by the way), and even went so far as to threaten the job of our state chairperson and sponsor of the Initiative. With the notable exception of our friends in radio, every media outlet editorialized against signing the petition, predicted we would fail, and tried to convince the people of Washington that it just was not worth it to sign the petition.
Despite all of their efforts and thanks to the truly awe inspiring grass-roots efforts of the common man, we have accomplished something very uncommon. My friends, in just 32 days, with no paid signature gatherers, we did not collect 225,000 signatures. We collected 420,570! I think I’ll have a pint.

Tax the Poor to Feed the Rich?

2005-06-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ever since I announced my candidacy for the Legislature I have been asked repeatedly why I am opposed to the State raising capital by raising taxes, such as was done in 2005 and as we may expect to be done again in 2006. The answer is that I am not opposed to levying or raising taxes so long as a) they are not funding fiscally irresponsible State programs and b) they do not unfairly target the poor. The tax hikes passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor in 2005 met neither of those criteria.
Most Washingtonians know the evils of smoking and drinking and so we don’t blink when such “sin taxes” are raised, in fact, most of us applaud the measure and think that it will not only raise money, but also discourage smoking and drinking; good results all. The facts are unfortunately contradictory. Increasing the tax on cigarettes by $6 per carton (that’s 60 cents per pack) or $1.75 per liter of alcohol is not enough of an increase to make smokers or heavy drinkers quit. Consider that just 10 years ago cigarettes only cost about $1.50 per pack. People complained when they went over $2 but they kept smoking. Today, a pack of smokes costs upwards of $5 per pack! People complain, but they keep smoking. If gradually raising the price were truly an effective deterrent, we’d all hear about Phillip Morris and R.J. Reynolds filing bankruptcy rather than our airlines. The same can be said of alcohol. Also consider who is going to be hurt the most by these increases? Who tends to smoke and drink the most? I’ll give you a hint; it’s not the rich, and those among the well-to-do who do smoke and drink won’t notice these increases one bit.
Another hot-button issue is the 9.5 cent gas tax hike. Now I don’t mind making people who use the roads pay for the roads. That just makes sense. The reason I oppose this increase is because it raises and spends a ton of money and accomplishes nothing! The State wants $8.5 BILLION and not only is it not enough to finish anything (because it’s spread out over so many projects – almost all of which are in King County), but even once completed these projects will not significantly increase capacity or shorten your commute. To top it all off, construction is not even scheduled to begin until 2013! Don’t think for one second that your commute won’t be even longer once it does begin. I supported the 5 cent increase of 2003, even though the voters did not. At least we can see now, only two years later, the positive impact of where that money is going. The difference between the two tax bills is like night and day.
Look, I hate paying taxes as much as the next person, but I like having cops, firefighters, parks, schools, and roads so I pay. I don’t mind as much because I can see the real benefit and it doesn’t unfairly tax those least able to pay. But when the State starts taxing things like Spam (the canned meat, not the annoying email) ask yourself this; what is this tax going to fund and how many rich people do you know with Spam in their pantry?

Move On Indeed!

2005-06-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know, there has been a recent media burst (albeit a quiet and altogether unimpressive one) about the so-called “Downing Street Memo”, a mid-2002 British memo stating the US was planning to “fix” intelligence to fit plans to invade Iraq. “The shock! The horror! The outrage!” the left seems to say. “How dare this administration use intelligence to justify a policy decision? Why didn’t they just take Hans Blix and the UN at their word? There were no WMDs! Saddam had no direct ties to Al Qaeda! In fact, he wasn’t such a bad guy at all, as far as brutal, murdering dictators go.” Ok, so let’s concede every one of those points to the left. Let’s just say for one second that they are right on the money on every issue. So what? What does that get them at this point? The answer is a great big, grin generating, nothing!
Something that the left seems to have forgotten, or maybe would just like to forget, is that this is 2005. President Bush was decisively re-elected! If this memo had come out prior to the election, might it have made a difference? I sincerely doubt it. The fact is that there were plenty of people on plenty of soap boxes screaming at the top of their lungs to anyone who would listen about how “Bush lied!” and “Bush manipulated intelligence!” and all manner of hysterical speeches that we heard last year. Do you think they had any effect other than polarizing the country? Not according to election results.
So what’s the point? The election is over; Bush can’t run again, Cheney has already stated that he doesn’t even want to run. We’re already in Iraq and doing very well. What does it matter at this point why we went in the first place? Is that going to negatively affect your opinion of the war effort? By now, you’re either for it or you’re against it. Don’t you think there are plenty of other, more pressing, more relevant matters to which we might attend? What could be more important than this, you ask? Oh, I don’t know… the new Paris Hilton commercial maybe?
Seriously, though, let’s ask the left follow their own advice for a change and just move on! It’s obvious that the American voting public doesn’t really care about this issue. Let’s talk about the truly important matters of the day, such as Social Security reform, which incidentally has been gaining support according to a new Zogby poll cited in today’s Washington Times. Let’s discuss the issues that face us in our own back yard, such as the first segment of the new gas tax which was just implemented today. Let’s even talk about things that aren’t current hot buttons such as our public school system, our police and fire coverage, the condition of our roads, our libraries and our parks relative to how much of our tax dollar goes into such things. We can even talk about the weather, for crying out loud! At least that is a current event!

You Say “Partisan” Like it’s a Bad Thing

2005-05-30T02:51:00.000-07:00

By now we have all heard the word “partisan” being used as a pejorative, especially in the political arena. Lately the main culprits have been the Left Wing of the Democratic Party (which just so happens to be all of them with the exception of Senators Lieberman and McCain… oh wait, McCain’s supposed to be a Republican, isn’t he?) and those dwindling media outlets that they still control. But to be “fair and balanced,” we in the majority have used the word as such before and some still do. Why?
Our good friend, Mr. Webster, defines the word “partisan” thus: a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person. What’s wrong with that? I, for one, appreciate knowing where someone stands on an issue, particularly our elected officials. In my decreasingly humble opinion, it has been the wishy-washy back and forth business in politics which has confused any number of issues. For goodness sake, pick a side already!
Certainly I do not advocate the surrender of all of our decision making ability to any Party’s official stance or platform, and there is something to be said for hearing out and understanding both sides of an argument. HOWEVER, much of the political discourse that goes on does so long after the salient facts and details are already on the table. I appreciate that it is the very nature of politics and politicians, as a general rule, to attempt to bring others over to their way of thinking (when the Republican’s do this, however, it’s called “spin”). That is an important part of our leaders’ function in government. But this republic was not founded on the principle of “consensus rule,” nor do we generally run things subject to “supermajority” approval. That kind of requirement would go well beyond preposterous and firmly into the territory of the absurd. The examples of this are both current and legion.
To be quite frank, I do not blame the state Democrats for their votes in the 2005 legislative session. They’re Democrats. Raising taxes while increasing bureaucracy and lowering return on taxpayer investment is what they do best! In fact, this year went just about as bad as predicted. I congratulate those Democrats who voted the way they believe! I condemn those who did not as political cowards. At least we all know without a doubt where the honest ones stand. We know where the rest stand too, but now they get to hide behind a vote cast for political capital. No matter; in November of 2006 we will give them all ample opportunity to reflect upon their poor judgment and general disdain for the voting public by removing them from office!
So in short, go ahead and be a partisan. Be heard! Let everyone around you know what you think and stand by it! Having the courage of our convictions is what sets us apart from the moral relativists and helped us gain seats in the U.S. House and Senate and re-elect President George W. Bush. It’s the reason why Dino Rossi won the Governor’s race and will win again this November. Once the rest of us here in the great State of Washington figure it out, it’ll work for us too!

Keep it About the Message

2005-05-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

How can I even begin to stress enough the importance for us to set the agenda for the 2005 and 2006 political debates and most importantly to STAY ON MESSAGE??? Hopefully this article is a good first step. Unless we want to relive the same fate that we Republicans have faced in our state’s government for decades (i.e. being in the minority), we absolutely must learn the lessons the Democrats taught us last year with John Kerry’s disastrously inconsistent campaign, followed by what can only amount to blind shots in the dark by the rest of his party. Do not let yourselves be lulled into complacency. We won mostly because they ran a shoddy campaign. We must and will do better.
This starts, believe it or not, at the grassroots level. While it is important to look to our leaders such as Dino Rossi and Chris Vance to bring our agenda into the public light, it is OUR agenda! You and I are the front lines. Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) need to have the pulse of their precincts. That information needs to be passed on to District Leaders (preferably at District meetings) and the PCRP Executive Board (which, by the way, PCOs may attend… hint, hint). Our State Committeeman and Committeewoman will then take that up to the State Executive Board where the WA State Republican Party will then determine the agenda, especially for the major statewide races such as our coming re-election of the once and future Governor Dino Rossi. But it all begins with you!
So that’s setting the agenda. Now what do we do with it? Not to put too fine a point on it, we stick to it! ALL OF US!!! I know there is some disagreement within the party. That’s natural and healthy. There is a time and place for lively, even heated debate within our own ranks. That place is not in the face of the media. We need to be out there pushing our agenda and keeping it in the public eye every day in every way possible. Talk radio is already our friend with Kirby Wilber, John Carlson, Mike Siegel, and or very own Barbara Lord-Nelson Print media is not. That may sound obvious, but follow me on this. It is imperative that we keep our message in print, as well as on the air. Letters to the editor may go overlooked, but not if we flood their inboxes every day. If we let the people editing our newspapers know just how many of us read their publications and just what we think of it, they will not ignore us. It’s just not good business.
It is also important for our candidates to run on similar agendas. A “co-branding,” if you will. The more our message gets out, the more people who hear it, the more it will be talked about. Exposing the lies of the left, extolling the virtues of our candidates, and hammering home day after day after day the issues we’re strong on. That’s how we will win back Olympia and eventually turn our beloved Washington as red as the apples we grow.
As always, none of this can be done without your support. Get active. If you don’t know your PCO or you just don’t know how you can help, call your PCO or PCRP HQ at (253)383-1795. The friendly people there can help you. And of course, don’t forget to vote!

The Problem with Democracy is that it’s Full of Democrats!

2005-05-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

When Thomas Jefferson envisioned our form of government, he made a deliberate assault on the feudal system of Europe where the “nobility” ruled and the “commoner” was ruled. A government “of the people, for the people, by the people” was established specifically to prevent those in power from thwarting the will of their constituents. You know this. I know this. Anyone who has taken high school civics knows this. It is apparent that many of our elected officials, who should know this, do not.
The 2005 Legislative Session was the single most blatant attack on the sovereignty of the voters in Washington State (possibly American) history. With a strong majority in the House and Senate and our Governor Pro-Temp, the Democrats waged a bureaucratic war against the very people whom they are elected to represent. As concerned and informed citizens, I know I don’t have to remind you what I-601 was or why we passed it, but with a simple majority vote and the underhanded tactic of inserting an “emergency clause,” the Democrats reversed every meaningful line in the people’s initiative. A similar tactic was used to gut at least 3 other initiatives and pass the largest increase in gasoline tax in state history. What makes it worse was that it was 11 Republicans that gave the Democrats their margin of victory!
Is this truly representation? Do we really have to send our legislature back to high school? The answer to both questions is “no.” As discouraging as the first quarter of this year has been (with the exception of the many small victories enjoyed by the Rossi legal challenge), I encourage you all, “let not your heart be troubled.” Regardless of what is done in Olympia for three months each year, the power still resides in your hands! Yes, my friends, I am speaking of the power of one vote. If any state is more cognizant of the importance of each and every legal vote than we Washingtonians, then I know not of it. So why am I talking about voting in May of 2005? Because every year is an election year, and the fire districts, school boards, city council seats, etc. are every bit as important as the legislature, congress, even the President. I cannot stress enough the importance of your vote on every issue. Not only are there various ballot measures and local elections, but there’s also I-900, “The 900 Pound Gorilla,” requiring independent audits of government offices, the No New Gas Tax initiative, reversing the irresponsible passage of that terrible bill, and God willing, we will get the chance to re-elect Dino Rossi as our right and true Governor.
To the PCOs, I ask you to begin canvassing your precincts now. We have “Elephant Hunt” training material for you if you need it or if you’d just like to have it. For those of you who are not PCOs, please get in touch with your PCO to see how you can help or (if you live in a vacant precinct) volunteer to be appointed and start your own Elephant Hunt.America is unique in the world because of our system of government. We are strong because ordinary people like you and I can do extraordinary things just by knocking on some doors, making some phone calls, and most importantly, voting. We need your help. From identifying Republicans, to gathering signatures for initiatives, to campaign sign waving, to the final get out the vote drive, every bit of your support is much needed and very much appreciated.