I-912 Republican Flip-Flop Politics

Now that the Republican party has officially decided to support I-912, the initiative that would kill the funding package for the landmark transportation bill passed last spring, it is educational to look a little closer at who voted for the bill.

The bill passed in the state Senate 26 to 22, and in the House 54 to 43. This was a bill that received bipartisan support, with 7 Republicans in the Senate voting for the bill, and 11 Republicans in the House voting for the bill.

The graphic below locates the districts those Republicans represent:

Districts where Republicans voted for Transportation Bill

As you can see, they didn't just come from the Puget Sound area. Legislators in districts 8, 13, 14, 16, 18 and 20 were in support of the transportation bill, and the funding package, including the gas tax I-912 would repeal. Why would these people vote for a bill their party wants to kill?

Perhaps the folks from the Yakima area understand the need for improved roads and safe bridges. Maybe the populations of Grant and Kittatas counties recognize huge impact the transportation package will have on improving I-90 and the traffic that stems from being a crossroads in central Washington. Probably the constituents of Benton county have learned the need for safer roads and congestion relief.

Whether you are heading north and south, or east and west in Washington state, there is an urgent need for the money this transportation bill will raise so as to fully fund over 240 projects throughout the state. These legislators understood the importance of that need, and voted against their party's general stance then, and official opposition today.

That included Bill Finkbeiner, ranking minority member of the WA Senate. Finkbeiner understood the need for this bill and the tough decision to increase the gas tax, not just for his constituents in King county, but as the leader of his party in the state Senate.

It included Rodney Tom from the 48th District, who stated:

"This revenue package is a step in the right direction, but we’ve still have a lot more work to do. The 520 bridge replacement is still linked with the viaduct, which was my focus. Both projects will need the voter’s approval on a regional package in order to be built."

On his own Web site he adds:

Common sense says that if we spend our transportation dollars on those projects that are designed to relieve congestion and improve safety, the transportation problems that are plaguing our state can be resolved. The time for thinking about it is over. The time for bickering about it is over. The time for working together and taking action is now.

Agreed!

This is not a game. Our transportation needs are real and urgent. I-912 is bad policy, and very bad politics. 18 Republican legislators understood that back in the spring, during a very contentious period when the Governorship was under dispute, yet they held firm to their convictions and voted in favor of a healthier, safer future on Washington's roads and bridges.

So when the Republican leadership chooses to endorse I-912, you must consider why these legislators didn't vote against the bill I-912 wants to kill, and whether they will stand firm behind that vote, or wither like weeds under the scrutiny of us, their constituents, who want strong leaders, not sycophantic party hacks.

DeLay Indicted, Republicans Demonize Ronnie Earle

(Houston Chronicle) "I have done nothing wrong ... I am innocent," DeLay told a Capitol Hill news conference in which he repeatedly criticized the prosecutor, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle. DeLay called Earle a "unabashed partisan zealot," and "fanatic," and described the charges as "one of the weakest and most baseless indictments in American history."

Hardly.

Here are ten reasons why this is not one of the weakest and most baseless indictments in American history.

Meanwhile, seems like the Republicans have all received the same talking points memo that they should dismiss the validity of this indictment by bringing up the 1993 indictment of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Tom DeLay is as innocent as sweet victimized Kay. Right, and Mike Brown was an experienced and skilled emergency agency head.

How easily and conveniently they forget about Kenneth Starr's witchhunt of the Clintons.

Republican Party Exposed

In an editorial in Thursday's paper, the Seattle PI tells it like it is (and pretty much like I've been telling it the past few weeks, for that matter):

It's enlightening to see that the state Republican Party has formally endorsed Initiative 912, which would repeal the gas-tax increase the Legislature approved earlier this year.

It's enlightening in that it's more evidence of the growing rift in the state party's traditional relationship with business. Washington business leaders have been outspoken in their insistence that the state's economic future depends on a safe and efficient transportation system to get employees to work and products to market.

Disregarding the clear and manifest benefits to business, dismissing the creation of thousands of family-wage jobs, disregarding the votes of respected Republican legislators, ignoring Hurricane Katrina's lessons in neglected infrastructure, rejecting long-needed highway safety improvements on hundreds of miles of two-lane highways, forestalling repairs to dozens of dangerous bridges -- that's the GOP transportation agenda.

The official endorsement means the state GOP can write checks to the I-912 campaign (providing there's anything left in the bank account after the profligate spending on the ill-fated gubernatorial election challenge).

So now the state GOP is forthrightly opposed to funding $8.5 billion in transportation projects.

When it comes to actually getting something done about dangerous highways, crumbling roads, dilapidated bridges and replacing parts of the transportation infrastructure key to the state's economy, the GOP is the party of "no."

Good of them to set the record straight.

Yow!

Hard to say it much better than that. The Republican party chiefs have decided they have a better plan for Washington state than your bipartisan legislature worked hard to make law. At best they want something for nothing. They want miraculous transportation solutions, but they want them to happen at no cost. If they have any interest in your safety, they hope it can be achieved by crossing their fingers and praying something bad doesn't happen. If they want to retain their traditional business community support, they're praying businesses don't notice that they're backing an initiative businesses strongly oppose. If they believe that by backing I-912 they will become the party of the people, they've misread the pulse of the nation that has learned the hard lessons of the hurricane devastation, that you cannot gamble with infrastructure needs and the safety of citizens, and that government has the obligation to make the hard decisions, and to do the long term planning needed to keep our bridges and roads from falling apart.

These people are dangerously leading those that blindly follow them into a future built on wishful thinking, the gambling of lives for political gain, and a legacy of complete and utter disregard for the responsibilities our leaders swear an oath to when they take office, to keep us safe, to provide the citizenry with opportunities for prosperity and a healthy land to live in, and to do the right thing for all of us, and those that will come after. By backing I-912, the short sighted, selfish, political vision of the Republican leadership has been exposed for all to see. They should be ashamed.

Republicans, Rossi Back I-912

Well the Rossi vigil can come to an end, as we now know where he and his party stands:

Washington State Republicans are endorsing Initiative 912, the measure that would repeal the state's latest gas tax. The legislature increased the gas tax 9 cents per gallon earlier this year to fund new transportation projects. Now an effort to repeal the tax is on the ballot through I-912. Critics of the tax say gas prices are too high and repealing the tax will help consumers save money at the pump.

Pretty amazing. Dino Rossi supported the most recent nickel gas tax increase, and ran for Governor on a pro-business platform. Yet, this initiative, opposed by businesses across the state because it will set back road work improvements by years, if not decades, appears to be the stuff Republicans have decided to champion, thereby thumbing their collective noses at the support the business community has traditionally given to the GOP.

Of course, for my part, I believe I-912 is something all Washingtonians should be against, not just business leaders. We have hundreds of transportation project needs that are in desperate need of money, and this initiative simply cuts off the largest source of funding available to them. For mere pennies we could raise billions of dollars that will fully fund 241 projects, and partially fund the mega-projects that need the money to position them to a level that they can be considered realistic endeavors, as opposed to simply necessary, yet unfunded pipe-dreams. For example, the tax that I-912 would cut would raise 50 to 65 percent of the money needed to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

I-912 now not only looks like it will kill a plethora of important safety improvement and congestion relief projects if it passes, but it now appears it may kill the political future of Dino Rossi, whether it passes or not. As the de facto leader of the Republican party, there is no chance that this endorsement does not have his blessing, and if so he will surely face a political backlash from the business community that he and his party have now decided they are willing to stab in the back.

Another Monorail Vote - As It Should Be

While it is fashionable to call the Seattle Monorail dead, word is that a new initiative will be put to Seattle voters asking for their support on an 11 mile route, instead of the originally intended 14 mile route.

I have written about the Monorail's alternatives a number of times, and either called for the 1.4% MVET to be increased or supplemented, or the line to be shortened. Faced with no other alternatives, the Monorail board finally chose the latter, and will ask voters to approve the necessary change.

According to the Seattle Times

The proposed shortening of the planned 14-mile line would cut about $250 million from Cascadia's $1.64 billion contract offer. The new line leaves out Ballard, and a tall monorail bridge across the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

That's about a 15% cost reduction, which is significant, and could greatly reduce the long term cost.

Meanwhile the Seattle City Council and Mayor Nickels have withdrawn their support. Seattleites have voted four times in favor of a Monorail project, and should they vote in favor a fifth time, the City Council and Mayor would be taking an anti-monorail stance against the wishes of their constituents.

David Della said "It is time for Seattle to stop living this dream transformed into a nightmare and start a new day", but how is this a nightmare? The project was handcuffed into a revenue stream that was inadequate, but tried very hard to make it work. When it couldn't, the project responded to the concerns of the long term cost, and have now presented us with an alternative that meets the reality of the financing. Instead of asking for more money, which they realize is not what people would want them to do, they've asked if they can make a shorter, yet still highly useful line, which most supporters would be understanding about having to agree to.

So how is this scenario a nightmare? We're allowing people to vote on this. The people asked for this and they should have the right to vote for or against it continuing. It should not be shut down by the Mayor, who has failed to do much to help make the Monorail successful, or a City Council that have also made little effort to support the public's chosen endeavor.

The biggest problem the Monorail has faced is the fact that we've left all this up to Seattleites. This is a city that has voted against one public transportation option after another for a century. It has been like a disease passed down from generation to generation. Now that the people have finally voted for something, the leadership has done nothing to make it happen, and now would rather kill it than do the hard work to make it happen. The fact is, any public transportation solution in Seattle benefits more than just Seattleites, it also benefits anyone who lives and works in the area and who travels to or through the city. Yet, anyone who would like to support the effort, even financially, has not had the opportunity to contribute. This has always been short-sighted.

Hopefully, come November, this new realistic alternative will receive considerable support. If that happens, it would be criminal to deny people this transportation solution, after all the effort that has been made to date, not the least of which is the fact that the right of ways have been acquired - no small feat in a city that's always done more to kill public transportation projects than support them.

Let's Try This Again

Three plus weeks after Katrina became one disaster after another, we're going to find out this weekend just how many lessons were learned from that event when hurricane Rita slams into the Texas or Louisiana coastline sometime Friday night or Saturday morning.

For a nation with short memories, having Rita, which could be a stronger, more devastating storm, so close on the heals of Katrina, the focus on our preparedness will be just as intense. Were the agencies and administrations that so bungled the response to Katrina not faced with another emergency so soon, many would have forgotten how poorly they fared.

Looking at the storm path it is very possible Rita will veer north and slam into New Orleans, just as Katrina did following a similar route. This would be a double whammy for a city already down. Otherwise Galveston, Texas looks like the most likely target for the wrath of Rita, and beyond that, the President should be concerned that his own "ranch" in Crawford, Texas might find itself in the way of the raging storm.

Perhaps that will make all the difference in how he responds. We're soon going to find out.

Dino Rossi's Support Of The Gas Tax

We've just entered Day 8 of the "Where Does Dino Rossi Stand On I-912" vigil. We're still waiting for Rossi to take a stand, but it looks like we're going to have to replenish our stock of candles.

Meanwhile, in last Sunday's Seattle PI letters section, Aaron Schwitters, Campaign Coordinator for I-912, reminded us that Dino Rossi, when he was last in the public eye, supported the 5 cent gas tax increase in 2003. This prompted me to write a letter to the editor in response, and since they've not indicated they ever will publish it, I'm going to print it here:

Thank you Aaron Schwitters for reminding us in your letter that Dino Rossi supported the nickel gas tax, and probably supports the latest transportation package. The irony is that this is the man you and your I-912 supporters were so angry was not elected Governor that you want to "send a message" to Olympia in his name.

Only goes to show how extremist, and out of touch the activists for this ill-advised, reckless initiative are. Schwitters and his ilk have yet to learn the lesson all Americans are slowly understanding: that you cannot gamble the safety and lives of people for political points. Our transportation infrastructure is in dire need of safety fixes and congestion relief upgrades, and the gas tax increase is a small price to pay now, so we don't pay a huge price later.

But I guess we've come to expect nothing less from the "Something for Nothing" crowd supporting I-912. It will be the ruin of us all.

Don't Forget To Vote!

Tuesday is Primary Day in Washington state. If you haven't yet filled out your absentee ballot do so now and mail it in pronto. If you intend to vote at the polls make time to do so early enough that you aren't caught out by traffic or other last minute things.

For all the information you need go to the Washington Elections site.

Educate yourself about the issues - then vote! It is your civic duty.

A Disaster Waiting To Happen

The Seattle Times main Sunday story is about how ready Seattle is for a catastrophe. Highly recommended reading.

In it they have a couple of photos of the Alaskan Way Viaduct that surely must drive the point across that we need to address this disaster waiting to happen.

(Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times) A crumbling concrete
pillar holding up the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle

This is all that is keeping the double-decker roadway from collapsing. Experts indicate another earthquake of the kind experienced in 2001, will be enough to topple the structure.

If this isn't an emergency issue that needs to be funded, then I can't think of what would be, other than waiting until the Viaduct has already pancaked to act.

Earlier this year the Washington state legislature passed a critical transportation funding bill that would raise $2 billion for a replacement project for the Alaskan Way Viaduct, while also fully funding 241 other safety and congestion projects around the state. I-912 is looking to eliminate $5.5 billion worth of that funding, effectively eliminating a critical source of money for the Viaduct and all those other projects. I-912 is bad politics being played at the risk of our safety.

We must not neglect the very real needs of our aging transportation infrastructure, and exposed rebar and crumbling concrete are visual reminders of just how real those need are.

Making Time To Vote

German and Afghan elections take place today.

Tell me again why Americans don't vote on weekends, and instead have to go to the polls on a work day? Can anyone name another country that doesn't vote on a weekend or national holiday?

Rossi Vigil Continues: He Can Save Us From I-912

HorsesAss.org's vigil on Dino Rossi is soon to enter Day Four.

The candles are lit, and we wait in solemn quiet for the man who could save our roads, keep us safe, and protect Washington state from the misguided, dangerous, short-sighted Initiative that is I-912. Dino Rossi has the power to save the day, he has a duty to save the day.

This is a man who would have led this state. In its time of need, will he abandon the state to the unthinking mob that has created this costly, critically flawed ballot measure?

These are his people. These people are his responsibility.

So we continue to wait for Dino Rossi to come clean, and we're not alone.

Et Tu, Rossi?

Washington state business leaders are wondering if Dino Rossi is going to stab them in the back.

Initiative I-912 not only hurts every Washingtonian, it hurts businesses in this state. Supporters of I-912 will tell you that the gas tax will not solve congestion problems. They're wrong. The business community knows that I-912 will destroy funding that will fully fund 241 transportation projects and partially fund 29 others. These projects address both congestion issues and safety issues. Businesses are preparing a campaign to get the word out about the damage I-912 will do to our ability to upgrade our aging roads and bridges. They cannot do business if the bridges and roads they rely on may be out of commission due to a catastrophic failure.

However, businesses also backed Dino Rossi during the last gubernatorial election because he claimed he backed them. Yet now that Rossi supporters have turned their anger at losing the election into a reckless, short-sighted initiative to starve this state of critical funding, and to "send a message" to... whomever might listen to such a reckless, short-sighted, and irresponsible message, the business community is looking to Rossi to come forth and return their backing by publicly voicing he does not support I-912.

So far, Dino Rossi has not expressed where he stands on I-912. If you go by his platform, he would be against it, but that's not good enough. He needs to come clean because the rabble that has spawned this Initiative in his name are out of control, and his words alone would go a long way in convincing his many confused voters that this is an ill-conceived action that people must vote against, because it is bad for businesses, and therefore bad for Washington state.

Goldy at HorsesAss.org is starting a vigil, a watch, waiting for Rossi to publicly state his position. Carl at WSPR has suggested that Rossi participate in a joint advertisement with Governor Christine Gregoire against I-912. There is no time to waste on the matter as people try to make up their minds. We shouldn't have to wait for another disaster for people to realize I-912 is a wrong-headed idea, and Rossi has it within his power to remind everyone of that.

Leadership doesn't begin and end with a political campaign. You either have it or you don't. Whether Rossi has it or not, if Rossi so much as sneezes the Republican party gets a cold - he sets the table for the direction all others will turn.

Mike Brown Who?

Dateline - September 2, 2005 (4 days after hurricane Katrina smashes into the Gulf Coast):

(White House) 10:35 A.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first I want to say a few things. I am incredibly proud of our Coast Guard. We have got courageous people risking their lives to save life. And I want to thank the commanders and I want to thank the troops over there for representing the best of America.

I want to congratulate the governors for being leaders. You didn't ask for this, when you swore in, but you're doing a heck of a job. And the federal government's job is big, and it's massive, and we're going to do it. Where it's not working right, we're going to make it right. Where it is working right, we're going to duplicate it elsewhere. We have a responsibility, at the federal level, to help save life, and that's the primary focus right now. Every life is precious, and so we're going to spend a lot of time saving lives, whether it be in New Orleans or on the coast of Mississippi.

We have a responsibility to help clean up this mess, and I want to thank the Congress for acting as quickly as you did. Step one is to appropriate $10.5 billion. But I've got to warn everybody, that's just the beginning. That's a small down payment for the cost of this effort. But to help the good folks here, we need to do it.

We are going to restore order in the city of New Orleans, and we're going to help supplement the efforts of the Mississippi Guard and others to restore order in parts of Mississippi. And I want to thank you for your strong statement of zero tolerance. The people of this country expect there to be law and order, and we're going to work hard to get it. In order to make sure there's less violence, we've got to get food to people. And that's a primary mission, is to get food to people. And there's a lot of food moving. And now the -- it's one thing to get it moving to a station, it's the next thing to get it in the hands of the people, and that's where we're going to spend a lot of time focusing.

We've got a lot of rebuilding to do. First, we're going to save lives and stabilize the situation. And then we're going to help these communities rebuild. The good news is -- and it's hard for some to see it now -- that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house -- he's lost his entire house -- there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch. (Laughter.)

GOVERNOR RILEY: He'll be glad to have you.

THE PRESIDENT: Out of New Orleans is going to come that great city again. That's what's going to happen. But now we're in the darkest days, and so we got a lot of work to do. And I'm down here to thank people. I'm down here to comfort people. I'm down here to let people know that we're going to work with the states and the local folks with a strategy to get this thing solved.

Now, I also want to say something about the compassion of the people of Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana and surrounding states. I want to thank you for your compassion. Now is the time to love a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourselves.

Governor Riley announced the fact that they're going to open up homes in military bases for stranded folks. And that's going to be very important and helpful.

My dad and Bill Clinton are going to raise money for governors' funds. The governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama will have monies available to them to help deal with the long-term consequences of this storm.

The faith-based groups and the community-based groups throughout this part of the world, and the country for that matter, are responding. If you want to help, give cash money to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. That's where the first help will come. There's going to be plenty of opportunities to help later on, but right now the immediate concern is to save lives and get food and medicine to people so we can stabilize the situation.

Again, I want to thank you all for -- and, Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job. The FEMA Director is working 24 -- (applause) -- they're working 24 hours a day.

Again, my attitude is, if it's not going exactly right, we're going to make it go exactly right. If there's problems, we're going to address the problems. And that's what I've come down to assure people of. And again, I want to thank everybody.

And I'm not looking forward to this trip. I got a feel for it when I flew over before. It -- for those who have not -- trying to conceive what we're talking about, it's as if the entire Gulf Coast were obliterated by a -- the worst kind of weapon you can imagine. And now we're going to go try to comfort people in that part of the world.

Thank you. (Applause.)

END 10:39 A.M. CDT

Dateline - September 9, 2005 (1 week later):

(Bloomberg) Michael Brown, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was removed from on-scene management of the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort after lawmakers criticized his performance and qualifications.

Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, named Thad Allen, a Coast Guard admiral, to replace Brown. Allen was named as Brown's assistant just four days ago. Brown, 50, will return to Washington, Chertoff said.

"I have directed Mike Brown to return to administering FEMA nationally," Chertoff said at a press conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "Mike Brown has done everything he possibly could to coordinate" the federal response to the hurricane, he said.

Chertoff said the recovery effort is "moving forward" and there is "a lot of work ahead of us."

The Bush administration has drawn criticism from Louisiana officials and from congressional Democrats for a sluggish federal government response to the Aug. 29 storm that probably killed thousands and caused an estimated $100 billion in damage.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi urged President George W. Bush on Sept. 6 to fire Brown, saying he had "absolutely no credentials."

A Time magazine report questioned his official biography, which claims he served as an assistant city manager in Edmond, Oklahoma, in the 1970s with "emergency services oversight."

A statement released by FEMA earlier today stated he was an "assistant to the city manager."

Chertoff declined to answer questions about Brown's background and wouldn't let Brown respond.

At the White House, spokesman Scott McClellan at two separate briefings today declined to defend Brown and wouldn't say directly whether Bush has confidence in him. McClellan would only say that the president "appreciates the work of all those working around the clock" on one of the biggest natural disasters in U.S. history.

Dateline - September 12, 2005 (3 days later):

(Seattle Times) Federal Emergency Management Agency director Mike Brown resigned Monday, three days after losing his onsite command of the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. The White House picked a top FEMA official with three decades of firefighting experience as his replacement.

R. David Paulison, head of FEMA's emergency preparedness force, will lead the beleaguered agency, according to three administration sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.

Paulison is a career firefighter from Miami who was among emergency workers responding to Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the crash of ValuJet Flight 592 in the Florida Everglades in 1996, according to a biography posted on FEMA's Web site. He also has led the U.S. Fire Administration since December 2001, according to the site.

As chief of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, Paulison led 1,900 personnel under a $200 million operating budget. He was also in charge of Dade County's emergency management office, according to his biography.

Paulison will lead an agency that has been under fire for its response to the Katrina disaster. Local officials and members of Congress have cited confusion and a lagging response to the Gulf Coast devastation.

Brown had taken much of the heat and was relieved of his onsite command on Friday. In an interview Monday with The Associated Press, Brown said he resigned "in the best interest of the agency and best interest of the president." He said he feared he had become a distraction.

"The focus has got to be on FEMA, what the people are trying to do down there," Brown said.

His decision was not a surprise. Brown was abruptly recalled to Washington on Friday, a clear vote of no confidence from his superiors at the White House and the Homeland Security Department. He also was accused of padding his resume, which Brown has denied.

The president ducked questions about Brown's resignation. "Maybe you know something I don't know. I've been working," the president said to reporters on an inspection tour of damage in Gulfport, Miss. Bush said he planned to talk with Brown's boss, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, from Air Force One on the flight back to Washington.

"There will be plenty of time to figure out what went right and what went wrong," Bush said.

Polls show most Americans believe Bush could have done more to help Katrina's victims, though they also blame leaders of Louisiana and New Orleans. Bush's overall job approval rating is at the lowest point of his presidency.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi called Brown's departure long overdue.

"His resignation is the right thing for the country and for the people of the Gulf Coast states," Pelosi said in a statement.

Brown, who said he last talked to Bush five or six days ago, said the resignation was his idea. He spoke Saturday to White House chief of staff Andrew Card, who did not request his departure, according to Brown.

"I'm turning in my resignation today," Brown said. "I think it's in the best interest of the agency and the best interest of the president to do that and get the media focused on the good things that are going on, instead of me."

Shortly after Brown was recalled to Washington last week, officials close to the FEMA director said he would probably resign. They said that even before Katrina, Brown had been planning on leaving the administration late this fall to go into the private sector.

So I have a few questions:

How does a man who was doing a "heck of a job" in the President's mind get removed from his duties within a week, and resign only 10 days after the praise? What does that say about the judgement of the Commander in Chief? Did he make a mistake?

Why is Mike Brown the one deciding what would be in the best interest of the President by resigning? Shouldn't Bush be making that call? After all didn't Donald Rumsfeld twice offer to resign to Bush, only for Bush to decide not to accept the resignation?

Is the real reason Bush seems to not know what's been going on the whole time due to the fact his job is hard work, and he has been working hard at it?

When Bush says, "Maybe you know something I don't know", is that a rhetorical question?

I-912 Will Make Us Less Safe - Vote "No" On I-912!

(Seattle PI) David Horsey

Hurricane Katrina is a warning to us all that we must not neglect the infrastructure of our cities.

In New Orleans the levees and bridges were at risk and the they failed, despite warnings that they would.

In Seattle we also have bridges that might sink, a double decker roadway that may not survive an earthquake, and an aging seawall. Throughout the rest of the state of Washington there are countless other important safety improvement needs.

A hugely vital transportation bill was passed this year that will raise money that will help us deal with these problems, fully funding 241 projects. However, Initiative 912 seeks to undercut the primary funding source of this bill, a funding source that was agreed on by members of both the Republican and Democratic parties in the legislature, by repealing the gas tax portion of the bill.

Initiative 912 is shortsighted, and reckless. It appeals to everyone's natural desire to pay less taxes, and less at the gas pump, but ignores the reality of the state's transportation infrastructure needs, and flies in the face of prudence and safety. Repealing the transportation bill's funding source puts our region's aging transportation infrastructure at great risk, for the sake of mere pennies. Gas prices meanwhile have increased by half a dollar since the Initiative was placed on the ballot, benefitting no one but the oil companies and countries like Saudi Arabia. Drivers today would be hard pressed to identify that a gas tax increase of 3 cents was even a part of the $3 dollars they are now paying for a gallon of gas. If that was the only reason for the increased price of gas we'd be paying far less than we are.

Passing I-912 will not stop gas prices from going up, and it will not eliminate the need to raise taxes to fund these transportation infrastructure projects, but it will severely delay our ability to address them, and given how long the larger projects will take to complete, it will increase the chance of a natural disaster - an earthquake, gale force winds - occurring before we've prepared our infrastructure to survive.

We need to get our priorities in order, or we'll find ourselves paying for it far worse later - in lives and in dollars. The aftermath of hurricane Katrina should be a wake up call for all.

Vote for safe roads and bridges in Washington state. Vote "No" on I-912!

For more details about what the transportation bill seeks to fund I suggest you read this good article from the NW Progressive Institute.

Doh-volutionary Indicators

In an article from Friday, the NY Times reports that researches have found evidence that the human brain is still evolving:

Two genes involved in determining the size of the human brain have undergone substantial evolution in the last 60,000 years, researchers say, leading to the surprising suggestion that the brain is still undergoing rapid evolution.

The discovery adds weight to the view that human evolution is still a work in progress, since previous instances of recent genetic change have come to light in genes that defend against disease and confer the ability to digest milk in adulthood.

It had been widely assumed until recently that human evolution more or less stopped 50,000 years ago.

What with all that's going on these days, I'm inclined to believe that human devolution is actually occurring. As a nation we are going backwards.

We appear to be unprepared for disasters on our shores, even while supposedly fighting the enemy in far away lands to keep them at bay.

We continue to allow millions of Americans to live in poverty and uninsured.

We seem on the cusp of rolling back women's rights, and the Gulf Coast hurricane blew the cover off the dirty secret of America's ongoing racial unease.

We're consuming more gas than is sustainable long term, while opposing global efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions.

We're returning to an era of intolerance and religious politics, where the Bible Belt is pushing for a greater role for God in our classrooms.

Science might be telling us we're evolving, but all indications are we've still got a very long way to go, if we're even paying attention to science.

I-912: No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No!

During a debate sponsored by the City Club, Seattle City Council incumbents and candidates give their responses when asked yesterday if they would repeal the gas tax. From left: Darlene Madenwald, Councilman Richard Conlin, Paige Miller, Casey Corr, Councilwoman Jan Drago, Robert Rosencrantz, Councilman Richard McIver and Dwight Pelz. (Photo: Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)

No doubt. No dispute. No discord. No hesitation. No equivocation. No pandering. No politicking. Just eight simple, informed "No" votes on I-912.

Vote for safe roads and bridges in Washington state. Vote "No" on I-912!

Arnold To Kill Gay Marriage Bill

Last Friday I wrote that meanwhile on the West Coast...

LA Times) The California Senate voted Thursday to allow homosexuals to marry, becoming the first legislative body in the United States to embrace the idea and setting off a scramble for three votes needed for passage in the Assembly.

With so much of the nation's attention being focused on New Orleans and the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, perhaps enough of it has diverted the usual hellfire the religious right would typically unleash on such heathen behavior.

Well they found the three votes they needed, but Arnold has decided he knows better and will veto the bill.

Schwarzenegger's press secretary, Margita Thompson, said the governor "believes that gay couples are entitled to full protection under the law and should not be discriminated against based upon their relationship."

But since California voters approved a ballot measure five years ago defining marriage as between a man and a woman, the question of gay marriage should be put to voters again in a referendum or decided by courts, she said.

Except, by denying them the full rights of a married couple, gay couples are discriminated against.

I guess there is still plenty of hellfire to go around, whatever the circumstance.

Oh, and let's not forget how hypocritical this crowd is. They say the question of gay marriage should be decided by courts. Oh, really? That's certainly not the tune we've been hearing in the past couple of years. Remember what happened in Massachusetts early last year?

(CNN - 2/6/04) Underscoring its original ruling last November, Massachusetts' highest court said Wednesday that only full marriage rights for gay couples, not civil unions, would conform to the state's constitution.

The ruling sets the stage for Massachusetts later this year to likely become the first state in the nation to allow same-sex marriages.

In a statement released Wednesday night, President Bush said the ruling was "deeply troubling.

"Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman," Bush said. "If activist judges insist on re-defining marriage by court order, the only alternative will be the constitutional process. We must do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage."

It's going to be a long battle yet before gay couples can legally and lawfully marry, but I believe that one day it will be possible, if for no reason other than the fact that it is only right and fair, and a country built on such principles cannot deny these freedoms to a segment of its population indefinitely. One day America will join the global community in realizing that.

Failing The American People

F '05

Laying Blame At Our Own Doorstep

Washington has shifted into high gear in the blame game regarding the mess that the Katrina emergency relief has been, and Bush has decided he's going to look into it himself.

Well that pretty much ensures the investigation's report will not lay blame at the President's feet. Where's Harry S. Truman when you need him?

Yet, there is plenty of blame to be had all around, and none of us should consider ourselves immune. Thanks to Jay at Black & Blue Heart for so poignantly reminding us of that.

Meanwhile, TJ at Also Also offers concrete proposals being made by Democratic leadership to get us through this crisis.

Of course, if you haven't done so yet, please consider giving to a Katrina relief fund, such as the one at the Red Cross.

Are We Smart Enough For The Smart Car?

America's favorite pastime these days is watching the price of gas going up. We seem to believe that for some reason the price of gas is just too high. However, that's all relative. Folks in Europe pay far more for a gallon of gas than we do. But of course, if you're a gas price watcher, you know that, and perhaps don't care. What matters to you is the price of gas at your local gas station, not what it costs in some town thousands of miles and an ocean away.

Problem is the price of gas is still relatively low. In the past couple of decades, gas prices have defied inflation, and recent increases have only just brought prices back to a point reached in 1981, when a gallon of gas cost $2.69 in today's dollars. Today, $2.69 adjusted for inflation would be $6.02, which is double what we are paying now.

So, no, gas prices really aren't that high.

Still, that probably is of little comfort to most Americans. If you think the price of gas is too high, then it is too high. Screw inflation, screw what the Europeans pay, you have a God given right to drive a vehicle that gets 15 miles per gallon, and dammit, that's what you're going to do!

Right?

Maybe not.

More and more Americans are starting to rethink the kind of vehicle they drive. They're looking around at whether or not they might not be able to counteract the rising price of gas with a car that gets better mileage (or by switching to public transportation, of course). Much in vogue these days are Hybrid electric cars such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrid, which are being purchased faster than the manufacturers are making them. While Toyota and Honda have been slow to increase production, perhaps leery of the pandora's box that has been opened, there is a clear trend of car owners who are willing to pay for these vehicles, even while the price remains relatively high. But they're ramping up.

Governments are also offering incentives. The recent energy bill provides Toyota Prius buyers a $3,150 tax credit next year, the most for any vehicle, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Get this: in California, if you drive alone in a Toyota Prius you can now drive in HOV lanes.

Meanwhile, in Europe it is clear that car drivers have opted in droves for small cars. Every manufacturer is making a small two-door hatchback type vehicle that is both a good fit for tight parking spaces in heavily populated areas with narrow roads, and easier on the wallet at the gas station. Perhaps the car that leads the pack in the field is the Smart Car from Mercedes-Benz Daimler-Chrysler.

The Smart Car

The above photo was one I took on my recent trip to France. These cars are truly functional, and not merely a gimmick. You see them everywhere these days. Everywhere, that is, except in the United States. They are not yet for sale in this country. Meanwhile, our neighbors to the north can buy the Smart Car, and they, like us, are feeling the pinch of rising gas prices.

Smart Cars are much cheaper than the hybrids you can buy these days, and they get 60 miles per gallon.

Yet there is considerable question as to whether the Smart Car can find a market in the U.S.A. We have seen the new VW Bug and Mini Coopers become big hits, but as small as these cars are, they are quite big compared to the Smart Car which can just about park head-in in a parallel parking spot. However, in our large cities small is less of a liability, and indeed a real asset. Don't expect country folk to dump their Ford trucks for a Smart Car, but there will definitely be an urban population that would, and should, consider the benefits of a Smart Car.

In these days of gas price watching, for many the smart choice may be a smaller set of wheels, and the Smart Car could soon be the vehicle trend of the future.

Iraqi Occupation - Day 900

900 days.

Yet another dubious milestone reached: as of today we've been in Iraq 900 days.

It was on March 20, 2003 that the U.S. began its invasion. "Major" combat ended within weeks we were told. We're now at 1886 U.S. casualties and counting. 85 in the last month alone.

And there is still no end in sight.

A Culture Of White, Well-To-Do Republican Life

President Bush and his righteous religious supporters would like you to embrace their "culture of life". However, the past week's events in New Orleans, in the wake of hurricane Katrina, clearly demonstrate just how narrow their definition of a "culture of life" really is:

(The Times Of India) No one knows how many were killed by Hurricane Katrina's floods and how many more succumbed waiting to be rescued. But the bodies are everywhere: hidden in attics, floating among the ruined city, crumpled on wheelchairs, abandoned on highways.

The last refugees at the Superdome and the convention center climbed aboard buses Saturday bound for shelters, but the dying goes on.

Governor Kathleen Blanco said on Saturday that she expected the death toll to reach the thousands. And Craig Vanderwagen, rear admiral of the US Public Health Service, said one morgue alone, at a St Gabriel prison, expected 1,000 to 2,000 bodies.

Touring the airport triage center, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R--Tenn., a physician, said "a lot more than eight to 10 people are dying a day".

...

Three babies died at the convention center from heat exhaustion, said Mark Kyle, a medical relief provider.

George Bush's "culture of life" is really a "culture of white, well-to-do Republican life". It doesn't include poor African Americans in Louisiana. It doesn't include poor, undoubtedly black, babies in New Orleans. It is all being revealed for the back-slapping, ass-kissing, you-scratch-my-political-back-and-I'll-scratch-your's sham that it really is.

Bush Quick To Respond ...

... to a Supreme Court vacancy:

(Voice of America) President Bush is leading the nation in mourning the passing of the chief justice of the United States, William Rehnquist. Justice Rehnquist died late Saturday at his Washington-area home after a battle with cancer.

The president said he will move quickly to select a new chief justice. "There are now two vacancies on the Supreme Court, and it will serve the best interest of the nation to fill those vacancies promptly," he said.

Bush has been planning for this ever since he was first elected President in 2000.

Yet when it comes to events such as 9/11, the Asian Tsunami, or the devastation of hurricane Katrina, Bush has been AWOL (as has the Vice President). Where was the planning (and funding for such planning) to protect New Orleans? Obviously, he has a different set of priorities than the rest of this nation.

Where The Hell Is Cheney?

A major U.S. city is in turmoil following Katrina, and we've not heard a thing from the second most (some would say most) powerful man in the world. Just where the hell is Vice President Dick Cheney? Has he gone into hiding again for fear the angry citizens of New Orleans will come after him? We do know he has cancelled a trip to Canada, but otherwise is he still on vacation in Wyoming, and simply decided to extend it?

War On Hurricanes

Four years ago 20 terrorists commandeered commercial airlines and slammed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Bush declared it an act of war and we have been in a "war against terror" ever since.

Last weekend hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast and the damage and storm surge caused New Orleans to be flooded and fall into a chaotic mix of death, despair, suffering and lawlessness.

So just when is Bush going to declare a "war on hurricanes"?

This isn't as cockamamie as it sounds (unlike trying to rid the world of "terror" - puleeeze!). Scientists have an increasing amount of evidence that global warming is contributing to an increase in devastating hurricane activity:

An implication of these studies is that if the frequency of tropical cyclones remains the same over the coming century, a greenhouse-gas induced warming may lead to a gradually increasing risk in the occurrence of highly destructive category-5 storms.

The Pew Center on Global Climate Change also chimes in on the effects of global warming on hurricane intensity:

Because of the link between higher ocean temperatures and hurricanes, there is speculation that hurricanes will increase in frequency or intensity in a warmer world, with higher wind speeds and greater precipitation. We have more confidence in the link between global warming and increased intensity and precipitation than in increased frequency. However, higher ocean temperatures also appear to influence the track of hurricanes, increasing the likelihood of hurricanes tracking through the Caribbean or making landfall on the U.S. east coast.

So what can be done to give us the upper hand in our global struggle against violent hurricanes?

It’s quite clear that the United States is not prepared to handle multiple catastrophic events in a short time period, with many other countries being even less capable of bearing the economic consequences of catastrophic weather events. We probably will never be completely prepared, but we could do better. We can plan our communities better, we can design our buildings and infrastructure better, and we can manage resources better. And we should also be taking more active steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help reduce the added risk of global warming.

So President Bush, when are we going to hear you lay down the gauntlet to defeat this enemy once and for all? When are you going to bring all the resources of this nation to bear on this massive problem so that we can have safe harbors? When are you going to call all Americans and Congress to join you in this crusade against this unrelenting force of nature that has created havoc on our shores?

This is the war we need to be fighting with an even greater fervor than the one that has veered off course and left us stuck between Iraq and a hard place.

Our nation turns it's waiting eyes to you Mr. Bush.

Meanwhile On The West Coast...

(LA Times) The California Senate voted Thursday to allow homosexuals to marry, becoming the first legislative body in the United States to embrace the idea and setting off a scramble for three votes needed for passage in the Assembly.

With so much of the nation's attention being focused on New Orleans and the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, perhaps enough of it has diverted the usual hellfire the religious right would typically unleash on such heathen behavior.

There have got to be some other progressive advances in human rights out there that might also benefit from the glare of the TV cameras and front page headlines focusing on the disaster along the Gulf Coast. These days we need all the help we can get.

Duh Concrete Solution

Some things you just think would be obvious, but I guess not:

(Seattle Times) "My recommendation would be to build the levees of something other than earthen materials that would not be so subject to erosion, like concrete."

So spoke Richard Weggel, a civil engineer at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Mr Weggel is supposedly an expert in coastal engineering issues. Either I too am an expert, or the concept is so bleeding obvious that if you want to dam a body of water, and failure is not an option, you don't rely on a mound of dirt to do it!

I've found myself considering another structure that was built over 20 years ago to protect a major city. The stated rationale is certainly of relevance to the after-effects of hurricane Katrina (I've adjusted the wording to see if you can figure out which city this refers to):

A severe flood ... could paralyse the central part of the [transportation system], cause damage to fresh water and sewer systems and disrupt power, gas, telephone and vital data services.

Thousands of homes, shops, factories, businesses and buildings would be affected. It could take months to get [the city] functioning again.

The financial cost of a major flood could be enormous, possibly topping [$55 billion], without counting the cost in human suffering and potential loss of life.

The structure is the Thames Barrier, and it protects London, England from North Sea tidal surges. It was completed in 1982 at a cost of £1 billion. Half a million tons of concrete were used. Sure, this dam system works differently than something that would protect New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi river, but the fact is money was spent on a real solution, rather than wishful thinking that the inevitable failure of an earthen wall wouldn't occur, even while everybody expected it would.

Take this story from July 2000 that USA Today has reprinted:

[Joseph Suhayda, director of the Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge] says the 15-foot levee will protect the city from a minimum hurricane of Category 1 or 2 intensity and at best a fast-moving Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale.

"A slow-moving Category 3 or any Category 4 or 5 hurricane passing within 20 or 30 miles of New Orleans would be devastating," Suhayda says.

The storm surge — water pushed into a mound by hurricane winds — would pour over the Pontchartrain levee and flood the city. A severe hurricane could push floodwaters inside the New Orleans bowl as high as 20-30 feet, covering most homes and the first three or four stories of buildings in the city, he says. "This brings a great risk of casualties."

In this type of scenario the metro area could be submerged for more than 10 weeks, says Walter S. Maestri, Director of Emergency Management for Jefferson Parish, which encompasses more than half of the city. In those 10 weeks, residents would need drinking water, food and a dry place to live.

Besides the major problems flooding would bring, there is also concern about a potentially explosive and deadly problem. Suhayda says flooding of the whole city could easily mix industrial and household chemicals into a toxic and volatile mix. Coupled with an estimated 100,000 tons of sediment, a cleanup could take several months. In the worst case scenario, the mix of toxic chemicals could make some areas of the city uninhabitable. "It could take several years for the city to recover fully, economically, from a strong hurricane," says Suhayda.

Nope, none of this is a surprise.

Of course that doesn't make it any less shocking.

The question is, how do we make sure a real concrete solution is what the Army Corps of Engineers comes up with. Where else do we have a looming disaster that we've been neglecting for too long simply hoping it will never happen?

I can think of at least a couple in my neck of the woods, but that's a topic for another day.

Par For The Course

Bush might as well be playing golf what with his pathetic response to the Katrina devastation, and its aftermath in New Orleans.

But this is par for the course for him.

It took about five days for Bush to make a public statement regarding the Asian Tsunami late last year. The initial U.S. aid was insulting to all Americans who looked for their leadership to make a statement worthy of our wealth.

When New York was under attack he was like a deer in the headlights, unable to react, unsure what to do, and now he's over compensated because it serves the purposes of his personal interests and that of his oil baron buddies.

Yes, we've now seen photos of him looking out an airplane window in his "I am engaged and active" blue jacket. However, that's Air Force One he is in, on his way to Washington, D.C. He isn't flying around with emergency personnel on the scene making his own assessment of the catastrophe that has befallen the people of New Orleans. Not enough Caucasian Americans in that area probably. African-Americans don't vote for him (and why the hell should they!) - so they don't matter.

So much for supporting the red staters of Louisiana! Can't imagine how he'd react if such a thing happened to Seattle, blue bastion of the Pacific Northwest. Then again, more Caucasian Americans live in this area, so maybe he'd care more.

This is a big black eye for Bush, and we should all be taking notes so we do not forget how yet again this President was so far behind the pulse of the rest of the nation.

We need a change of leadership, and it can start as soon as the next elections.