This Seventh Inning Stretch is brought to you by DINO ROSSI!
I love it! Finally, one of our folks gets it. Advertising on news channels and talk radio only appeals to those who are already on board.
But for the average guy who works long hours doesn't want to be bothered by blather from the left or the right or to be bludgeoned with the nightly drive by news report.
He's gonna relax and watch sports. A quick little hello there during the stretch in the game will be noticed and especially by a civil little ad.
Now, me... I'm still waiting for a politician who isn't afraid to show beer and babes in his or her ads...
THAT WILL DEFINITELY GET MY ATTENTION!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!
What on Earth are you doing on the Internet today.
Stop That!
Go outside and play!
Oh and by the way, to all my good friends who are still subjects of the Queen (you know who you are)...
We Won!!! We Won!!!
Twice...
Anyway, I have to go wire up our local fireworks show, so get outside and enjoy the Day.
No Really, I mean it...
Stop That!
Go outside and play!
Oh and by the way, to all my good friends who are still subjects of the Queen (you know who you are)...
We Won!!! We Won!!!
Twice...
Anyway, I have to go wire up our local fireworks show, so get outside and enjoy the Day.
No Really, I mean it...
Friday, June 27, 2008
TIMMY SAYS GRINCH STOLE $30.00 TABS
(Well, not quite, but here is TIMMY!)
(When I last spoke with Timmy, he still gave me permission to reprint his updates, even with my picture pick of him...)
June 27, 2008
To: Our thousands of supporters throughout the state (cc'd to all media outlets -- reporters, columnists, editorial writers, and others in newspapers, radio, and TV)
From: Tim Eyman, Jack Fagan, Mike Fagan, & Mike Dunmire, ph:
425-493-9127, email: tim@permanent-offense.org, http://www.ReduceCongestion.org
RE: Aberdeen: latest city to back down on hiking car tabs
It's infuriating that our car tabs aren't $30. Voters have twice approved $30 car tabs and politicians promised to keep car tabs at $30.
Nonetheless, no one is paying $30. Christine Gregoire took away our $30 tabs twice: once in 2005 when she imposed weight fees on vehicles and once last year when she gave cities and counties the authority to unilaterally jack up vehicle tabs without a vote of the people. You may remember that I attended Gregoire's bill signing ceremony and appeared in the picture with a frown and gave it a big 'thumbs down.'
Ever since then, we've been banging away at cities and counties to NOT impose higher car tabs -- so far, we've been 100% successful -- not a single city or county has jacked up car tabs using the authority that Gregoire gave them last year.
This week, Aberdeen became the latest city to back down on hiking car tabs.
Here's a few highlights from Thursday's news story about it:
* The notion of boosting car tab fees in the City of Aberdeen appears
to be dead on arrival because "there's not enough political will to do it."
* Several council members were miffed that initiative guru Tim Eyman
had issued a warning that hiking car tab fees would be "like building a castle on quicksand"
* Councilman John Smith, who last week was one of the major proponents
of a new $20 fee on car tabs, said after the meeting, "Frankly, I don't think there's enough political will to do a car tab tax, even if it is the best direct user fee. Politically I think it's a dead horse and I don't think I'm going to beat on it. I tested the waters and I think it's been rejected. "So call off Tim Eyman," Smith had said during an earlier committee hearing. Eyman has spearheaded several anti-tax campaigns, including a measure bringing the cost of car tabs to around $30.
"Dare ya"
After he caught wind of the proposed car tab increase, Eyman wrote a letter to council members and the press, basically daring the city to implement the tax and promising to lobby hard against the measure.
"If your City Council jacks up car tabs, it'll be like building a castle on quicksand - it will not last," Eyman said. "With the 2005 Legislature jacking up car tabs by imposing weight fees on vehicles - in clear violation of their promise to keep tabs at $30; Sound Transit continuing to collect car tab fees the voters repealed in 2002, we're just waiting for cities and counties to jack up car tabs without a vote of the people to provide enough critical mass to do another initiative. It's not a matter of 'if' - just 'when' we do it. Not a single city or county has unilaterally hiked car tabs without a vote of the people using this authority. Everyone understands that it'll just throw gasoline on the fire for another initiative."
Steve Puvogel, an Aberdeen resident, said if the council wanted to move ahead with a car tab increase, it should.
"Personally, I'm not afraid of Tim Eyman," Puvogel said.
"Neither are we," said Councilman Fritts, who added after the meeting that he wasn't sure if he'd support increasing a car tab tax or even a utility tax but wants the discussion, at least, to move forward.
-- END --
Here's a link to the Daily World news story:
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/06/26/local_news/03news.txt
We've got just 7 days left to collect more voter signatures for I-985. We need your help to make it.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, please fill out the form below & send us a donation of $10, $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or more (there's no limit on amount that can be given) to our offices in Spokane. You can also contribute online using VISA or MasterCard or PayPal:
http://www.ReduceCongestion.org. However you want to do it, please send in your most generous contribution RIGHT NOW.
Please do everything you can to help. FULL STEAM AHEAD!
Best Regards, Tim Eyman, Jack Fagan, Mike Fagan, & Mike Dunmire, ph:
425-493-9127, email: tim@permanent-offense.org, http://www.ReduceCongestion.org
P.S. Here's a quick summary of this year's initiative:
ReduceCongestion.org I-985 implements the State Auditor's recommendations to reform the Department of Transportation and reduce traffic congestion by using existing public resources more effectively. It opens carpool lanes to everyone during non-peak hours, requires local governments to synchronize traffic lights on heavily-traveled arterials and streets, and increases roadside assistance funding to clear out accidents faster with the implementation overseen by the State Auditor. These policies are funded by taxes and charges we already pay: 15% of vehicle sales taxes, revenue from fines generated from red light traffic cameras, and a percentage that previously went to art on transportation-related public works projects. Finally, I-985 doesn't impose tolls, but it institutes critical taxpayer protections if tolls are created and levied.
ReduceCongestion.org (Reduce Traffic Congestion Initiative) . PO Box 18250 Spokane . WA . 99228 . PH: 425-493-8707 . FAX: 425-493-1027 .
http://www.ReduceCongestion.org . email: jakatak@comcast.net
To: Our thousands of supporters throughout the state (cc'd to all media outlets -- reporters, columnists, editorial writers, and others in newspapers, radio, and TV)
From: Tim Eyman, Jack Fagan, Mike Fagan, & Mike Dunmire, ph:
425-493-9127, email: tim@permanent-offense.org, http://www.ReduceCongestion.org
RE: Aberdeen: latest city to back down on hiking car tabs
It's infuriating that our car tabs aren't $30. Voters have twice approved $30 car tabs and politicians promised to keep car tabs at $30.
Nonetheless, no one is paying $30. Christine Gregoire took away our $30 tabs twice: once in 2005 when she imposed weight fees on vehicles and once last year when she gave cities and counties the authority to unilaterally jack up vehicle tabs without a vote of the people. You may remember that I attended Gregoire's bill signing ceremony and appeared in the picture with a frown and gave it a big 'thumbs down.'
Ever since then, we've been banging away at cities and counties to NOT impose higher car tabs -- so far, we've been 100% successful -- not a single city or county has jacked up car tabs using the authority that Gregoire gave them last year.
This week, Aberdeen became the latest city to back down on hiking car tabs.
Here's a few highlights from Thursday's news story about it:
* The notion of boosting car tab fees in the City of Aberdeen appears
to be dead on arrival because "there's not enough political will to do it."
* Several council members were miffed that initiative guru Tim Eyman
had issued a warning that hiking car tab fees would be "like building a castle on quicksand"
* Councilman John Smith, who last week was one of the major proponents
of a new $20 fee on car tabs, said after the meeting, "Frankly, I don't think there's enough political will to do a car tab tax, even if it is the best direct user fee. Politically I think it's a dead horse and I don't think I'm going to beat on it. I tested the waters and I think it's been rejected. "So call off Tim Eyman," Smith had said during an earlier committee hearing. Eyman has spearheaded several anti-tax campaigns, including a measure bringing the cost of car tabs to around $30.
"Dare ya"
After he caught wind of the proposed car tab increase, Eyman wrote a letter to council members and the press, basically daring the city to implement the tax and promising to lobby hard against the measure.
"If your City Council jacks up car tabs, it'll be like building a castle on quicksand - it will not last," Eyman said. "With the 2005 Legislature jacking up car tabs by imposing weight fees on vehicles - in clear violation of their promise to keep tabs at $30; Sound Transit continuing to collect car tab fees the voters repealed in 2002, we're just waiting for cities and counties to jack up car tabs without a vote of the people to provide enough critical mass to do another initiative. It's not a matter of 'if' - just 'when' we do it. Not a single city or county has unilaterally hiked car tabs without a vote of the people using this authority. Everyone understands that it'll just throw gasoline on the fire for another initiative."
Steve Puvogel, an Aberdeen resident, said if the council wanted to move ahead with a car tab increase, it should.
"Personally, I'm not afraid of Tim Eyman," Puvogel said.
"Neither are we," said Councilman Fritts, who added after the meeting that he wasn't sure if he'd support increasing a car tab tax or even a utility tax but wants the discussion, at least, to move forward.
-- END --
Here's a link to the Daily World news story:
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/06/26/local_news/03news.txt
We've got just 7 days left to collect more voter signatures for I-985. We need your help to make it.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, please fill out the form below & send us a donation of $10, $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or more (there's no limit on amount that can be given) to our offices in Spokane. You can also contribute online using VISA or MasterCard or PayPal:
http://www.ReduceCongestion.org. However you want to do it, please send in your most generous contribution RIGHT NOW.
Please do everything you can to help. FULL STEAM AHEAD!
Best Regards, Tim Eyman, Jack Fagan, Mike Fagan, & Mike Dunmire, ph:
425-493-9127, email: tim@permanent-offense.org, http://www.ReduceCongestion.org
P.S. Here's a quick summary of this year's initiative:
ReduceCongestion.org I-985 implements the State Auditor's recommendations to reform the Department of Transportation and reduce traffic congestion by using existing public resources more effectively. It opens carpool lanes to everyone during non-peak hours, requires local governments to synchronize traffic lights on heavily-traveled arterials and streets, and increases roadside assistance funding to clear out accidents faster with the implementation overseen by the State Auditor. These policies are funded by taxes and charges we already pay: 15% of vehicle sales taxes, revenue from fines generated from red light traffic cameras, and a percentage that previously went to art on transportation-related public works projects. Finally, I-985 doesn't impose tolls, but it institutes critical taxpayer protections if tolls are created and levied.
ReduceCongestion.org (Reduce Traffic Congestion Initiative) . PO Box 18250 Spokane . WA . 99228 . PH: 425-493-8707 . FAX: 425-493-1027 .
http://www.ReduceCongestion.org . email: jakatak@comcast.net
Friday, June 13, 2008
CONSTITUTION SOCIETY
Today on C-SPAN the American Constitution Society will be presenting a discussion on Guantanamo Detainees access to US Justice System.
Marsha Siegel Berzon , U.S. Court of Appeals
and Alberto Mora , U.S. Navy appear to be the guests.
Might be interesting.
C-SPAN 2:45 EDT
Is that 11:45 our time in the Northwest?
LUCKY 13 to everybody!!!
Marsha Siegel Berzon , U.S. Court of Appeals
and Alberto Mora , U.S. Navy appear to be the guests.
Might be interesting.
C-SPAN 2:45 EDT
Is that 11:45 our time in the Northwest?
LUCKY 13 to everybody!!!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
MY OWN GREED AND SELF INTEREST
Lately there is a new group of folks who claim that I have been stating the party line and am only representing the Opinion of the Whatcom County GOP.
This is not the first time that I have been accused of representing someone that I am not.
On several occasions, I opposed the EMS LEVY, the EMS sales tax and the Jail sales tax.
All for the reason is that I believe that public safety should be the first line item in any governmental budget from city to Federal.
I can't count how many complaints my poor fire chief got from other fire chiefs and folks in public insisting that I be muzzled and that I represent the fire service 24 hours a day and should not be allowed the same right to press and free speech that other citizens enjoy...(This is only a little taste of history for illustrating my point.)
Anyway,
I am not a McCain Spokesman, even though I think he is our best choice for a competent Commander in Chief. I am not a spokesman for the National, State or County GOP. Of course I prefer the Reaganesque way of deliberating policies and ideas amongst Republicans and not the Goldwater vs. Rockefeller fights that some folks would like to see the GOP revert back to.
So to prevent any more misunderstandings, here is my disclaimer:
I SPEAK ON BEHALF OF MY OWN GREED AND SELF INTEREST AND BY NO MEANS DO I REPRESENT ANY FIRE DISTRICT, YOUTH OR ADULT SPORTS ORGANIZATION, POLITICAL PARTY, CANDIDATE, OR ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION OR BUSINESS INTEREST THAT I MAY BELONG TO.
(Did I leave anything out?...)
This is not the first time that I have been accused of representing someone that I am not.
On several occasions, I opposed the EMS LEVY, the EMS sales tax and the Jail sales tax.
All for the reason is that I believe that public safety should be the first line item in any governmental budget from city to Federal.
I can't count how many complaints my poor fire chief got from other fire chiefs and folks in public insisting that I be muzzled and that I represent the fire service 24 hours a day and should not be allowed the same right to press and free speech that other citizens enjoy...(This is only a little taste of history for illustrating my point.)
Anyway,
I am not a McCain Spokesman, even though I think he is our best choice for a competent Commander in Chief. I am not a spokesman for the National, State or County GOP. Of course I prefer the Reaganesque way of deliberating policies and ideas amongst Republicans and not the Goldwater vs. Rockefeller fights that some folks would like to see the GOP revert back to.
So to prevent any more misunderstandings, here is my disclaimer:
I SPEAK ON BEHALF OF MY OWN GREED AND SELF INTEREST AND BY NO MEANS DO I REPRESENT ANY FIRE DISTRICT, YOUTH OR ADULT SPORTS ORGANIZATION, POLITICAL PARTY, CANDIDATE, OR ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION OR BUSINESS INTEREST THAT I MAY BELONG TO.
(Did I leave anything out?...)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
PREPARE TO STAND BY...
TODAY'S COLUMN IS ONLY A TEST
IF THIS WAS A REAL COLUMN IT
MIGHT MAKE SENSE...
THEN AGAIN,
IT MIGHT NOT.
<<http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pUtK98dll2QCjdZa5yjHpJA/>>
By the way... How 'bout the Kid?
Ken Griffey Jr. hitting the 600 mark yesterday!
Anyone else remember him here in Bellingham with the Mariners Farm Team?
IF THIS WAS A REAL COLUMN IT
MIGHT MAKE SENSE...
THEN AGAIN,
IT MIGHT NOT.
<<http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pUtK98dll2QCjdZa5yjHpJA/>>
By the way... How 'bout the Kid?
Ken Griffey Jr. hitting the 600 mark yesterday!
Anyone else remember him here in Bellingham with the Mariners Farm Team?
Monday, June 9, 2008
TRANSPORTATION COLLECTIVE
There is a new Car Co-Op in town.
I came across this during a debate between DJ and Stan over at Eye on Whatcom: http://www.eyeonwhatcom.com/yaf_postst188_Bike-Lanes-to-Replace-Parking-on-Cornwall-Avenue.aspx
Stan mentioned "flex cars" during their debate on removing rare parking for bicycle lanes.
Of course, a couple of us chimed in like Statler and Waldorf heckling Fozzie and Kermit,
but I was curious about this Flex Car thing.
My first thought of course was, "is it some kind of articulated thing like a 988 Cat Front Loader?"
So, in the middle of my throwing tomatoes and kibitzing, I asked Stan what it was?
He posted a link to a local group, that I found interesting. If I comprehended what I read on their website it seems to be some kind of Co-Op like Cenex, the Bellingham Food Co-OP or some such.
It Appears that for purchasing a membership, one gains access to Bicycles, Cars and it looks like they even have a pick up truck now too. ( I wonder if they'll ever add Motorcycles and Muscle Cars or Farm, Timber, and Mining Equipment? I won't hold my breath.) Obviously, for those who know me, my perspective is if it looks like a collective, smells like a collective, talks like a collective, it'll probably cost me some of my hard earned pay at some point.
Anyway, I'm curious about this, even though it offers nothing for someone like myself, but if it is truly a membership paid for operation, or better yet, a for profit business, then I could favor something like this, as buses are not much more than cattle trucks for shoe wearing primates and very limited in their capacities to do work such as carrying groceries, animal feed, or hauling lumber, gravel or even tools.
But I suspect that similar to other collectivist ideas, at the first sign of fiscal failure, they will run to the city and county councils and want some of our taxes to keep it afloat. So, here is coffee and toast to these folks proving me wrong and creating a successful for profit Business or (yeccch,) CO-OP, and not asking for a single plug nickle from us taxpayers.
Good Luck, duck.
I came across this during a debate between DJ and Stan over at Eye on Whatcom: http://www.eyeonwhatcom.com/yaf_postst188_Bike-Lanes-to-Replace-Parking-on-Cornwall-Avenue.aspx
Stan mentioned "flex cars" during their debate on removing rare parking for bicycle lanes.
Of course, a couple of us chimed in like Statler and Waldorf heckling Fozzie and Kermit,
but I was curious about this Flex Car thing.
My first thought of course was, "is it some kind of articulated thing like a 988 Cat Front Loader?"
So, in the middle of my throwing tomatoes and kibitzing, I asked Stan what it was?
He posted a link to a local group, that I found interesting. If I comprehended what I read on their website it seems to be some kind of Co-Op like Cenex, the Bellingham Food Co-OP or some such.
It Appears that for purchasing a membership, one gains access to Bicycles, Cars and it looks like they even have a pick up truck now too. ( I wonder if they'll ever add Motorcycles and Muscle Cars or Farm, Timber, and Mining Equipment? I won't hold my breath.) Obviously, for those who know me, my perspective is if it looks like a collective, smells like a collective, talks like a collective, it'll probably cost me some of my hard earned pay at some point.
Anyway, I'm curious about this, even though it offers nothing for someone like myself, but if it is truly a membership paid for operation, or better yet, a for profit business, then I could favor something like this, as buses are not much more than cattle trucks for shoe wearing primates and very limited in their capacities to do work such as carrying groceries, animal feed, or hauling lumber, gravel or even tools.
But I suspect that similar to other collectivist ideas, at the first sign of fiscal failure, they will run to the city and county councils and want some of our taxes to keep it afloat. So, here is coffee and toast to these folks proving me wrong and creating a successful for profit Business or (yeccch,) CO-OP, and not asking for a single plug nickle from us taxpayers.
Good Luck, duck.
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