As of this writing, this year’s legislative session is winding down, with the focus narrowing to closing the projected $2.8 billion budget deficit. The Democratic-controlled legislature has made it abundantly clear it doesn’t give a damn what voters facing the worst economic times since the Great Depression think or want. Both the House and Senate votes to suspend I-960 sent a clear message that the state employee unions — who bused in thousands of people off work for the President’s Day holiday to counter the Push Back Rally — are in charge, not the people who voted them into office. read more »

As President Obama closes out his first year in office, perhaps it’s time for an assessment of his progress — a report card if you will.

The Obama presidency is very much a work in progress, and to be fair, his record pales in comparison to the extraordinary expectations of the people who swept him into office. His performance must also be accurately assessed against the huge challenges he inherited — two wars, record deficits, and the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression. read more »

Considering both the financial situation of our state and the City of Bremerton, I was certainly surprised to see the Bremerton City Council approve spending $250,000 of state money on the installation of some statues of fish and fisherman on Pacific Avenue. Ostensibly, these statues are going to bring tourists downtown.

What I have a serious issue with is the statues being designed by a Colorado firm — and built by a company in Mukilteo read more »

Sarah Palin’s new book, Going Rogue, hit the best-seller list the day before it was released. I watched her interview with Oprah and thought she handled herself exceptionally well, considering Oprah — a highly skilled interviewer and avowed Obama supporter — was looking for the opportunity to trap Palin with her own words. She failed. Palin openly admitted mistakes, accepting responsibility, while correcting misperceptions. read more »

Was anyone really surprised when Boeing made the announcement that it intends to locate the second 787 production line in South Carolina?

Reading an online Seattle Times story the weekend before, and then reading the comments, made me understand how badly the Boeing machinist’s refuse to “get it.” They remind me a lot of the Republican Party here in Washington State — they would rather be “right,” than move towards the center and actually win. read more »

It seems that the longer the health care debate drags on, and more things about what is being proposed in HB 3200 come out, the worse things get for the average American — or at least the ones that will be footing the bill for this boondoggle.

I routinely receive enormous amounts of email from both “conservative” and “progressive” sources. The amount of misinformation being intentionally distributed, and the blatant lies being told — by both sides — is absolutely astonishing. read more »

I hope this troubles you, as much as it does me…

A recent post on the White House blog written by Macon Phillips, the White House Director of New Media stated, “There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, both on the web and floating around in chain emails. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag [at] whitehouse [dot] gov.” read more »

While researching something else, I came across a fairly unbiased Web site for political polling results called Real Clear Politics. It averages poll results from several different organizations such as Gallup, ABC News, Rasumussen, CBS News and McClatchy Newspapers, as well as showing those individual poll results as well. read more »