Rebuild the Republican Party

Rebuilding the Republican Party will be a struggle on many fronts. I've heard two basic lines of thought: 1.) we have lost our way, gotten off message or some other variant and, 2.) we must rebuild our brand.

Let's be sure, we got whooped in the last two elections, but I believe the conservative voice is still alive and well in America.

I find it offensive to listen to people that think we need to rename the party and start from the ground up with a new platform. This is the Grand Old Party. If you think you can do it better, then go start your own Party.
I also find it offensive, that in a Republic, people want to find fault with everything and everyone else without first taking a long hard look in the mirror. Our party, and our government is a reflection of every one of us. If we want to instill change, that change needs to start at home with me. And that change needs to start at home with you.
From my perspective I think that we have been let down by our leaders at every level. But I don't blame them, I blame myself. I haven't been doing everything I can to recruit, support and lift up quality candidates at our local level. If each of us do that in every neighborhood, in every precinct in every town in every state across the country we will reclaim lost ground.
We believe in self reliance, in limited, responsible government and in protection of individual, inanlienable rights. We need to engage and talk to people about these beliefs in a meaningful way and let them know how these ideas can profoundly effect their lives.
Republicans can win elections in Thurston County. Together we will win.

Can Gregoire Balance the Budget?

Gregoire is going to announce her budget proposal tomorrow. This should be interesting. I wonder how she is going to make up the $5B shortfall that she created without raising taxes?

Posted on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008

Gov. Gregoire announcing budget cuts Thursday

Gov. Chris Gregoire is releasing her spending plan for the next two years and suggesting ways to make up a $5 billion revenue shortfall.

Her budget proposal Thursday will be carried live at 9:30 a.m. on TVW, the state cable channel.

Gregoire has pledged not to raise taxes and has said the state will have to make sacrifices to weather the economic crisis.

Read More...

GOP Pics New Leaders

Posted on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008

GOP picks leaders

By Brad Shannon

Thurston County Republicans have elected a new chairman, local realty salesman Scott Roberts, in a bid to win back some political turf from the dominant county Democrats.

Roberts is replacing Dan Cathers, a one-term chairman who resigned because he wants to explore options as a candidate for an as-yet-unnamed public office.

Several other changes in the GOP leadership were approved over the weekend in the Republicans' two-year reorganization meeting in Olympia, but activists say they don't expect a major shift in ideology or direction with Roberts.

Read More...

Blagojevich (D) Arrested: Illinois Governor Accused of Corruption

The Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich was arrested on charges of corrupton for trying to auction President-Elect Obama's vacant Senate seat.

MSN broke the story. Read the complete article here.

Gregoire (D): Liar or Incompetent ?

During this past campaign Dino Rossi warned of a 3.2 billion dollar budget deficit. Christine Gregoire espoused that WA State had an 800 million dollar surplus. As it turns out, we have a 5 billion dollar deficit.

Was Gregoire lying to the public? Was she misleading the public? Was she totally incompetent and didn't know we were heading towards a deficit?

The first duty of the Governor of our state is to keep the state in a healthy financial position. Was Gregoire lying, or incompetent? You be the judge.

Videos:

Gregoire Denies a Deficit

Gregoire Denies a Budget Deficit Again

Gregoire Wants a State Income Tax

Gregoire Blows Through Surplus - Campaign Ad

Gregoire Income Tax Quiz

Gregoire "We Do Not Have a Deficit Today"

News Articles:

Seattle Times 11/06 -- Balance Budget without Raising Taxes?

KREM.com 11/19 -- WA State Deficit Grows to Over 5 Billion

KIRO TV 11/22 -- Budget Cuts Will be 'Truly Ugly'

Seattle Times 11/30 -- Gregoire Faces Massive Buget Cuts

My Budget reflects my values and the values of the people of Washington state.

We are in a serious budget crisis. 5 billion dollars is a lot of money for Washington (read: you and me). Gregoire's proposed cuts as 'ugly' as they may seem, are not even a drop in the bucket towards getting our financial future secure.

You can bet that the tax increase rethoric is about to begin. Wouldn't it be nice to have the gambling revenue that Gregoire pissed away. I think I remember that it was about 160 million dollars a year that she gave away in return for campaign contributions?

Obsession: Radical Islam Threat to the United States

Obsession the movie: http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/

Radical Islam a Threat to the United States

Here is a link and part of an email sent to me. Brigitte Gabriel lays out why the radical Islam is a threat to the United States.

--------------------------------------

http://multimedia.heritage.org/content/wm/Lehrman-092706a.wvx

The attached video is nearly an hour long, so you'll need to save some time to watch it.  But watch it I do believe you should.  The speaker is Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese woman who was a girl in Lebanon when the Muslims took over.   Her theme is the infiltration of "radical" Islam into this country.  She has written two books, "Why They Hate" and "They Must Be Stopped."  I've read the first one and found it--and her--quite convincing.   In a very real way, I see Ms. Gabriel warning our country about the true design of Islam much as Winston Churchill warned Europe of the threat of Adolph Hitler.

Obama's Many Promises

Apparently the Investor's Business Daily tracked some of Obama's many campaign promisses and printed the list. I was emailed this list. Perhaps one of you will feel the urge to track if he lives up to his promises or not. Here is the email I received:

A Checklist Of Obama's Many Promises
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Monday, November 10, 2008 4:20 PM PT
Few presidential candidates have made more specific promises to American voters than Barack Obama. They came so fast and furious in the latter part of the campaign, you'd be excused for not keeping up. So as a public service, we've put together a handy checklist of some of the biggest Obama promises — culled from his "Blueprint for Change," his campaign speeches and advertisements. Clip it. Save it. And see how he did in four years.

---

Taxes
• Give a tax break to 95% of Americans.
• Restore Clinton-era tax rates on top income earners.
• "If you make under $250,000, you will not see your taxes increase by a single dime. Not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes. Nothing."
• Dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes.
• Give American businesses a $3,000 tax credit for every job they create in the U.S.
• Eliminate capital gains taxes for small business and startup companies.
• Eliminate income taxes for seniors making under $50,000.
• Expand the child and dependent care tax credit.
• Expand the earned income tax credit.
• Create a universal mortgage credit.
• Create a small business health tax credit.
• Provide a $500 "make work pay" tax credit to small businesses.
• Provide a $1,000 emergency energy rebate to families.
Energy
• Spend $15 billion a year on renewable sources of energy.
• Eliminate oil imports from the Middle East in 10 years.
• Increase fuel economy standards by 4% a year.
• Weatherize 1 million homes annually.
• Ensure that 10% of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012.
Environment
• Create 5 million green jobs.
• Implement a cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Get 1 million plug-in hybrids on the road by 2015.
Labor
• Sign a fair pay restoration act, which would overturn the Supreme Court's pay discrimination ruling.
• Sign into law an employee free choice act — aka card check — to make it easier for unions to organize.
• Make employers offer seven paid sick days per year.
• Increase the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2009.
National security
• Remove troops from Iraq by the summer of 2010.
• Cut spending on unproven missile defense systems.
• No more homeless veterans.
• Stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq.
• Finish the fight against Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida terrorists.
Social Security
• Work in a "bipartisan way to preserve Social Security for future generations."
• Impose a Social Security payroll tax on incomes above $250,000.
• Match 50% of retirement savings up to $1,000 for families earning less than $75,000.
Education
• Demand higher standards and more accountability from our teachers.
Spending
• Go through the budget, line by line, ending programs we don't need and making the ones we do need work better and cost less.
• Slash earmarks.
Health care
• Lower health care costs for the typical family by $2,500 a year.
• Let the uninsured get the same kind of health insurance that members of Congress get.
• Stop insurance companies from discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.
• Spend $10 billion over five years on health care information technology

Gregoire Supporters in Deep Doo-Doo

A friend of mine has had a large 4x8 Dino Rossi sign for a few months. He has been plagued by one of Gregoire's supporters; they keep knocking his sign down. He has done something about it. Here is his email to me:

This is the Dino sign on my property.  Every time it gets put up, it gets knocked down.  In an effort to impede the casual efforts of those that think that I am not entitled to my right to freedom of speech, I have  bolted the sign to 4 x 4's in concrete and dumped 10 yards of steer manure around it.

If they want to knock it down, it will take more horsepower and they can step through some of the same BS that they like to dish out.

As I drive around Olympia, I see numerous Dino signs knocked to the ground.  I never see Christine signs knocked over.  Come to think of it, I don't see any large Christine signs at all.

It seems that Christine's supporters aren't able to engage in persuasive conversation supporting their candidate.  They can only attempt to silence those of us that can.

Standing in front of the sign is my friend Adolfo.  Adolfo left Cuba after Castro when to power.  He wanted to come to a place where freedom was a right.  Where freedom of speech was for all people.  I guess for Christine's helpers, freedom of speech is only afforded to those that they agree with. When only one opinion can be allowed, isn't that fascism?

Thanks,

J R

Olympian Endorses Gregoire

The Olympian Editorial Board endorses Christine Gregoire for Governor. It's not surprise, the Olympian is still working to advance their Liberal agenda. I've encluded the link if you are interested in reading the complete article.

One of the interesting things I've heard recently is that she needs 4 more years to prove her plan is working. I think Rossi will need a few decades to fix all the problems she has caused. Let's give real change a chance and vote Rossi.

Inflating Tire Pressure is Not a Viable Energy Solution

I agree that it is a good idea for everyone to try to live in a way that is more energy efficient, but come on, inflating your tires is not a national energy plan, or a national economic plan. I wonder after a few fillups where Bill's tire pressure is now?

In late July I pulled my 4-cylinder, '96 Toyota 4Runner with about 130,000 miles into the local tire retailer and asked for their recommendation. They suggested increasing the pressure in the fairly new 6-ply tires from 27 psi to 40 psi. I did it.

As an obsessive analyzer, I just checked the results — comparing gas consumption for the four fill-ups before increasing the tire pressure to the four fill-ups after. Before and after mileage both represented slightly over 1,100 miles driven on a mixture of forest roads, city streets and highways.

Gas mileage increased from 21.7 to 23.7 mpg, an increase of 8.9 percent. For every 1,000 miles that's a savings of 3.75 gallons and, at $4 per gallon, $15. Although I drive only 10,000 miles a year, this represents a yearly savings of over 37 gallons and $150. And the air pressure was free.

Imagine what those savings could mean nationally for family budgets, climate change and energy independence. I'll be contributing that $150 to the Obama campaign.

Bill Yake, Olympia

From the Olympian letters to the editor October 11, 2008.

Keep it Simple

McCain 'The One' Advertisement

McCain camp lobs their second volley at Obama. The celeb ad and the one ad are asking the question, "Is he ready to lead?"

McCain Celeb Ad

The first real volley of hardball politics was lobbed by McCain today. It was a television ad positioning Obama as a celebrity not a leader. It's the first McCain has taken the offensive and began to define his candidate as lacking experience. If Obama had to answer the question of experience, what would he say? How important is experience for the President? Post your comments below.

Sandra Romeo DUI Didn't Exactly End Career

Sandra Romero's political career didn't end the day of her DUI arrest. I've previously written, "She was a WA State Representative for 12 years when a drunk driving spree ended her political career." And I've recently been criticized because her career didn't end because of the DUI. True, her career did limp along for a handful of years after the DUI where she liked to show up drunk in the legislative session.

The DUI didn't end Romero's career, but it was the beginning of the end.

Romero showed a lack of respect and spewed animosity when she was arrested. She was quoted by her arresting officer, "You guys won. I will tell you that I have been drinking and I'm intoxicated. You have ruined my political career."

I'm curious, What steps has Sandra Romero taken to quell that animosity? I think it's a valid question especially since as a County Commissioner she will have the final approval of the police budget.

Robin Edmondson (R) for County Commissioner

I had a chance to interview Rob Edmondson yesterday. He is running for County Commissioner position 2; The same seat that will be vacated by Diane Oberquell at the end of this year. Simply said, Rob is one of those candidates that you wish there were more of. He is a fresh voice for politics and has a ton of new ideas. Edmondson said, "I call it the way I see it." He is a man with a direct leadership style crafted from his background as a CEO. Rob has an education in global economics and ties these concepts back to Thurston County. Edmondson said, "I accurately predicted the budget crises coming to Thurston County and I have a plan to fix it." And he quickly recites how he will prioritize needs vs. wants in each county department. He talks about how he will separate legislative mandates and scrutinize those. He has a plan to use new technology to automate bureaucratic processes, identify areas where he can combine resources and even outsource some services. There are some things he says are simple, "I don't understand why we are sending employees out in 6 passenger SUV's. Hasn't the county heard of Smart Cars? I will look at every single purchase and identify the best solution at the lowest cost." I like that thought ... downsize the County government from an SUV to a smart car. Simple isn't it? One of the ideas I like best is he has an idea to create a group of experts that would bring even better ideas to Thurston County. Edmondson said, "I want to create a group of super men and women, all of which are nationally recognized and have a minimum of 20 years experience. One will focus on financial matters, one will focus on goods and services, and three will be grant writers. I want to find unique solutions to our problems that can't be foreseen." It takes a combination of humility, experience, and knowledge to come up with these ideas. Robin Edmondson has a fresh approach and will be a breath of fresh air to the commission. Go to Edmondson's website.

Rossi Signs Conform to Lacey's Tough Standard

Dino Rossi supporters installed large political signs that comply with the onerous City of Lacey Sign code. The ingenious solution was to create three 10 sq.ft. signs that when installed next to each other read as one large sign.

Not to be discouraged by the sign ordinance Rossi supporters continue to get the advertising out for Rossi.

Scott Roberts, the volunteer sign coordinator said, "Regardless of how difficult the sign ordinance is, we need to comply. That is the first order of business. Then we are working to get Dino Rossi's name out in as positive a light as possible."

The issue however isn't over for Roberts. He continued, "We are now investigating strategies for changing the ordinance. I'm particularly upset that the City is censoring political messages, and limiting my freedom of speech. It's also highly unusual that a City would trespass and steal personal property."

Thurston County Budget Crisis Continues

Thurston County must find an additional $2.3M in cuts on top of the acknowledged $4M shortfall.

The Commissioners still aren't taking an active leadership role in making cuts. They have asked their 23 department heads to look at ways they can make cuts. This is the same thing the Commissioners have been doing for the past months with no results. Are they really expecting different results this time?

Since 2005 Thurston County has been spending money on a legal challenge from Futurewise. Thurston County estimates that they have spent $1.5M on this action. Ironically, Sandra Romero (D) is a Futurewise board member who is also running for County Commissioners. Romero says that she is just the person to fix the budget (after helping to derail it).

Sandra Romero (D) Endorsed by Brendan Williams (yawn)

Brendan Williams came out and endorsed Sandra Romero today in an Olympian letter. Surprise. Surprise.

He had already made his public endorsement on Sandra Romero's website. He is one of the few currently elected officials that endorsed her. The rest are 'former' elected officials. Read: The Public didn't like the job they were doing and didn't re-elect them. I can't wait until Brendan Williams is in the 'former' category.

Compare the endorsements that Sandra Romero has with Jon Halvorson's endorsements. He has a whole bunch of 'current' elected officials and a few 'former' elected officials. Most of the 'current' big wigs in Thurston County have endorsed Halvorson. Here is a partial list:

• Diane Oberquell, Thurston County Commissioner, District 2
• Bob Macleod, Thurston County Commissioner, District 3
• Dan Kimball, Thurston County Sheriff
• Robin Hunt, Thurston County Treasurer
• Patricia Costello,Thurston County Assessor
• Gary Warnock, Thurston County Coroner
• Betty Gould, Thurston County Clerk
• Ed Holm, Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney
• Dick Nichols, former Thurston County Commissioner

Did you notice that the first two endorsements are two of the County Commissioners? Cathy Wolfe has not made any endorsements as she is running again. Diane Oberquell has endorsed her preferred successor, and Bob Macleod has chosen Halvorson as his preferred co-worker. Keep looking down the list. Kimball, Hunt, Costello, Warnock, Gould, Holm, Nichols all prefer Halvorson. They would rather work with Halvorson than Romero. Res ipsa loquitur.I have previously written about Sandra Romero's endorsement by Brendan Williams:

"A quick look at Romero’s contributors and you will see the same old homogeneous supporters. People like Karen Fraser and Brendan Williams. They are the local Democrat Party fanatics whom I figure are a dying breed. The “real” Democrats are much more fiscally-responsible and socially-moderate than this group."

I still think that. The bulk of the Democrats are regular people that are blindly being led by this small group. I recently heard a description of Brendan Williams as, "A child in a man's body." The more time that passes, the more I believe this statement.

It takes misguided fortitude to endorse Sandra. As an elected official, I would think it almost political suicide. After all, her political career ended after a drunk driving spree that included an exciting high-speed chase through Olympia and culminated in a rear-end collision downtown. Since then, she has joined on with a powerful special-interest group called 'Futurewise' that levied a frivolous claim against Thurston County and cost taxpayers an estimated $1.5M.

Sandra Romero thinks she is the best candidate to fix the budget. What she is not telling people is that she has been the direct cause of over 25% of the current budget shortfall. The agreed shortfall is about $4M. Does Brendan Williams really think that Sandra Romero who created the bulk of the shortfall is the best person to fix the budget? "A child in a man's body." The phrase rings even more true.

Brendan Williams says he views a an endorsement for Romero the fact that she was not endorsed by the Olympia Master Builders an affiliate of the Building Industry Association of Washington. I think he is still sore that the 'homeowners bill of rights' proposed by (former on 1/1/2009) Senator Weinstein and supported by Williams died, twice. What does that say for Williams when the Democrats have the super majority in both the Senate and the House? It says simply that he does not have any traction with his group. He is not respected at all by his peers. "A child in a man's body." That phrase rings even more true today.

Brendan Williams ends his letter, "Romero has never been in any interest group's pocket."

That is a flat out lie. Romero is a board member of one of the most powerful special-interest groups in our state, "Futurewise". Many of her endorsements and contributions are either directly or indirectly from this group. I take special exception to a candidate for County Commissioner being a board member of a special-interest group. You would think that she would have given up the position long before declaring her candidacy. Not smart. Not my choice for Commissioner.

Thurston County Budget Crisis

Today in the Letters to the Editor in The Olympian, there are two letters that talk about the Thurston County Budget. The first is another blow by Dan Kimball and the judges. They talk about their services are mandated and it's going to be hard to cut them further:

"Our offices represent the major priorities of government: public safety and the rule of law. In responding to ongoing fiscal realities, we've already pared our budgets to minimal feasible levels. Many of our core functions are mandated by constitution, statutes and court rules and cannot be legally eliminated. Much of our financial stress is caused by unfunded mandates, which come without funding for such services."

The other is by Debbie Neely pointing out that the Commissioners are being conspicuously silent.

"Not only did the county commissioners count on revenue that had not materialized, they are conspicuously silent when it comes to accepting responsibility."

I agree, in a time when the commissioners should be rolling up their sleeves and tackling the budget problem, they are retracting and not showing strong leadership. Someone was asleep at the switch. What people aren't talking about is that Sandra Romero and her special-interest group called 'Futurewise' have cost the County $1.5M of the approximate $4M shortfall. Are the Commissioners being conspicuously quiet because they don't want to shed a dark shadow on Sandra Romero's current campaign for County Commissioner? Afterall, Cathy Wolfe, and Sandra Romero worked together back in the day.
Download the letters here.

Erik Lee Surprise Challenge to Fraser

Erik Lee (D) posts a surprise challenge to longtime incumbent Karen Fraser (D) in the 22nd Legislative District. Lee is challenging Fraser for the State Senate seat in that district. Both Democrats will advance to the general because of our new top-two primary system. Lee recently had an epiphany and said:

"I just decided that supporting small business is the best possible way of keeping the economy alive."

The Republican Party. has been promoting that idea since about 1858. Here is a history from widipedia. The Republican party was formed to fight slavery, the Democrats wanted to keep it. Republicans are for less government, the Democrats for more. Republicans believe in the free enterprise system, the Democrats believe in equality. The Republicans strive to create a place where people like Erik can pull themselves up by their bootstraps, have hope, and work themselves out of poverty, the Democrats want to tax the rich, give it to the poor. From what I can see about Erick Lee is that he looks and sounds like a Democrat that is really a Republican. I wish you the best in your campaign. Download 2004 Republican Platform.
Download The Olympian Article.

Rossi Signs Downsized in Lacey

The Dino Rossi signs in Lacey have been downsized. The city ordinance states that temporary political signs may only be 10 square feet in size. Doug Kramer the city's code compliance officer demanded that the signs be taken down or the city will confiscate them. The volunteer sign brigade took extra care to ensure that all signs installed were on private property and had the owner's permission. There were a few signs that were not installed because the volunteers had some question about the specific location or some other reason. Scott Roberts the sign volunteer coordinator said, "It feels like the secret police. I feel censored. The part about the city coming on private property and confiscating signs? Something just doesn't feel right about that. What's next? Will the city decide to take your radio if you violate the noise ordinance? Where will this stop?" Apparently, the city's code does allow for them to confiscate signs, even if on private property. The sign code reads:

http://www.ci.lacey.wa.us/lmc/title_16/chapter_16-75.htm

5. Political signs. No sign permit is required. Political signs or posters may be placed upon private property only and shall not be larger than ten square feet of sign area and shall not be posted or attached to telephone poles, power poles or other public utility facilities. Such signs must be removed seven days after the election in which the candidate or issue advertised on a sign has been determined. For a successful candidate in a primary election the sign may remain until the final election, but shall be removed within seven days after the election. The candidate or committee for which the sign is displayed shall be responsible for its removal and subject to the penalties as provided in this code.

And the penalty is:

Any unlawful temporary or portable type sign located on private property which has not been removed after twenty-four hours from notification may be removed by the city. The sign may be reclaimed by the owner after a civil penalty of $100 has been paid. If the sign has not been reclaimed within thirty days of its removal by the city, the city may sell or otherwise dispose of the sign and apply the proceeds toward costs of the removal. Any proceeds in excess of costs of the removal shall be paid to the owner of the sign.

Do you feel this is in violation of your constitutional right to free speech and involvement in the political process? Comment below!

RSS Feed Request

The traffic that this blog is generating is awesome! There must be tons of quiet conservatives here in Thurston County. I have placed an RSS feed so you can subscribe to this blog. It is in the right-hand sidebar.

Thank you for the suggestion.

Rossi Sign Defaced in West Olympia

This past weekend, vandals attacked three large political signs in West Olympia. The political signs are in support of Dino Rossi in his race for Governor. Scott Roberts, the event coordinator said, "We really wanted to project a positive message that is reflective of how we feel about Dino Rossi. It's too bad that the opposition has to stoop this low. Why don't they just support their candidate of choice? This is mean-spirited politics at its worst." The vandalism is on the heels of the controversy surrounding BIAW for installing billboards in Eastern Washington. The billboards said "Don't let Seattle Steal This Election." and were denounced by both the Rossi and Gregoire campaigns. Roberts said, "I think the billboards in Eastern Washington created such controversy because there is a certain element of truth to it. We really wanted to stay away from controversy and promote a positive message about Rossi. It's sad that the opposition had to resort to vandalism. It doesn't speak highly of their candidate."

Fuel Prices -- Nozzle Rage

A friend sent this to me. What makes satire humorus is that there is an underlying truth to it. When I saw this video, I said, "How true ... it says it all."



See more at http://www.nozzlerage.com/

Romero Already Cost Thurston County $1.5M

Sandra Romero is a board member of a powerful special-interest group called ‘Futurewise’. Her group filed a growth management appeal in 2005 challenging Thurston County’s comprehensive plan and cost the County an estimated 1.5 million dollars defending against this frivolous claim.

The County Commissioners have a duty to administrate the State laws and provide for public safety, heath and roads. The Commission doesn’t need to be sidetracked by having to deal with lawsuits generated by special-interest groups.

In Romero’s own words, “[the] budget is the biggest problem right now, it is the driver of all of our woes ... with almost a 4.5 million dollar shortfall it's going to be very difficult to get out of it.”

Romero’s special-interest group is responsible for over 25% of the current budget crisis, and I’m not willing to send her in to try and fix it. This would be like sending the fox to the hen house.

Please join me in voting for any one of the other three candidates.

Source: anonymous email submission

Don't Confuse Subsidised Housing with Affordable Housing

Cathy Wolfe seems to be confused.

She is currently promoting a plan to help the low-income with subsidised rents and first-time homebuyers with downpayment assistance. This is subsidised housing. This is not affordable housing.

Affordable housing is when the people that live in your community can afford the rents and mortgages. You need subsidised housing when the people in your community can't afford the rents and mortgages -- or when there is a lack of affordable housing.

The need to increase subsidised housing is evidence that there is a delcine of affordable housing.

Let's call it what it is. Wolfe is promoting subsidised housing and wants to call it affordable. If she had any foresight, she would be working on an economic development plan that would encourage affordable housing. Then there would be less of a need for subsidised housing.

Download article here.

Hypocrite

The definition: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.
Today I saw someone I never thought I would in a new light; as a hypocrite. Share your story.

Jon Halvorson Recieves Sheriff Kimball's Endorsement

Dan Kimball, the Thurston County Sheriff gave Jon Halvorson an extended endorsement today in The Olympian. He said that Halvorson can:

• Manage Budgets
• Is Fiscally Responsible
• Analyze Complex Problems
• Makes Priority Decisions
• Is able to Make Balanced and Fair Decisions

I agree. Let's all vote for Jon Halvorson in this next election. Download original article.

Lawn Mower Exchange Program (LMEP)

There is so much talk these days about air pollution and global warming. I think that most elected officials like to just sit around and talk about the perceived problems, sound important and inhale each other's exhaust. A few weeks ago, I purchased a 4 or 5 year old Newton rechargeable lawn mower from my father. He boxed it up and sent it to me. I feel guilty because it is replacing my old reel push mower that I use to cut about 1500 sf of lawn. I think I'm going backwards on my carbon credits, darn it. Today he sent me a link to Clark County's website. Apparently they are having a Lawn Mower Exchange Program (LMEP). Leave it up to the government to create an acronym that sounds like 'limp' -- I digress. It sounds like a great program. I think a new Newton lawn mower costs around $400. They have an exchange where you bring them your old gas-guzzling, air-polluting mowing pig, and they will exchange it for the green, dainty Newton. It only costs you $100.00. It's a first-come first-served program. They are only exchanging 1,000 mowers. At the time I'm writing this, they only have 80 reservations left. Hurry if you want one of these. I can say that it is a really cool lawn mower, especially after using my old push reel mower for a couple of years. It is simply a brilliant design. There is one very easy lever to operate the height adjustment, it is light, it's quiet, the bag is easy to change. What more can I say? It's one of those things that is just done 'right'. I take my son out with me when I'm mowing and can actually talk to him, not like the old days of the Snapper when my mother was yelling at me and I could hardly hear her, "Be careful!" If my math is right, 1,000 mowers at $300 per mower then Clark County is forking over about $300k. I'm not sure if they have a special deal with Newton or not but my hat is off to you Clark County. You're getting it done. This is a great example of how to stop pontificating and start acting. I hope that other jurisdictions take note and do similar projects. Good stuff. Maybe the Feds will start exchanging SUV's for the Volt, Tesla or this cool electric car I found on YouTube. Link to Clark County's Website

Sandra Romero Drunk on the Job

Sandra Romero is running for the Thurston County Commissioner's seat that will be vacated by long time Commissioner Diane Oberquell. She is running on a platform of experience trying to link her tenure as a Washington State Representative as a qualification for County Commissioner.

It looks like Romero used to show up to the job drunk. As an eye witness to the event, a staffer noted, "(Romero and Patterson) Drunk as skunks, on the floor, making floor speeches in an attempt to 'filibuster' bills until the clock struck midnight and we were constitutionally done."

I could use a little less drama in the County Commissioner's office.

Former Governors Oppose Isthmus Height Increase

This is a great example of poor leadership. I wouldn't have known about this unless it was in the editorial section of The Olympian. I guess this is one time I'll have to thank them.

As reported by Micki Hemstadt -- all of the past Governors have signed on to oppose the height increase being proposed in the City of Olympia. The are: Albert Rosellini, Mike Lowry, John Spellman, Booth Gardner, Gary Locke, and Dan Evans. My friend Ralph Monroe, former Secretary of State also signed on to the idea -- what were you thinking Ralph?

Here is why they should not have signed on to any opposition. The Growth Management Act encourages higher density growth within our Cities. It also gives each jurisdiction deference to grow how they see best fit. It is the Governor's job to make sure that the goals of Growth Management are carried out by appointing people to the Growth Management Boards. The state sets the guidelines, the local jurisdictions figure out how they want to implement it. Mostly a bottom up style management. GMA is supposed to be a self-governing program.

It is not the job of the Governors to impose their opinion in a top down style management. They have no place in signing on to the opposition of the height increase especially when the height increase is consistent with the goals of Growth Management.

I think that the proposal is asking for enough height to put another story on the buildings in this area. There will be some very minor impact to the views, but access to Bud Bay really won't be impacted at all. It is a proposal that would add a lot more than it would take from downtown. It would be a great public benefit to have development in this area.

I think that the Governors grew tired of looking at the old Department of Corrections 10-story building. It's the most prominent feature when looking out from the Governor's mansion. The Proposed height increase will only allow buildings to be half as tall as this old one.

Sandra Romero (D) Wrong About Sprawl

Sandra Romero Has it wrong when it comes to her view on development sprawl in Thurston County. She wants to scare you by saying, "Sprawl development is endangering the very things that make us unique." She talks about "auto-dependent" development. "Auto-dependent" means you will need to drive your car to places rather than walk. Here ye, Here ye, sell your car, you won't need it if Sandra is Commissioner! Then she says, "Therefore, I will work to bring sanity to our land-use practices." But she doesn't offer a solution. All of this is simply scare tactics. Here is the real way it works. We have something called the Growth Management Act. It makes Counties plan to have higher density development near the cities (like townhomes and condos) and lower density development away from the cities. It is intended to make the Cities more 'city-like' and the rural areas more 'farm-like'. Okay, I can buy that. Thurston County was one of the first Counties to adopt a comprehensive plan that was in compliance with the Growth Management Act. And Thurston County has had a continual program in cooperation with the Thurston Regional Planning Council to keep the comprehensive plan updated. What does this mean? It means that Thurston County is on the leading edge of balancing the need to preserve our environment with the need to provide affordable housing. Sandra, we don't need your scare tactics. Thurston County doesn't need your ideas of bringing sanity to our land-use practices, whatever your plan may be. And one more thing. Sandra Romero and her group Futurewise recently cost Thurston County $1.5 million to fight a frivolous lawsuit that was filed on a land-use action. Is this your idea of bringing sanity to Thurston County? Download Sandra's Sprawl Views

Jon Halvorson (D) Commissioner Qualified

Jon Halvorson has spent the bulk of his adult life serving our community. He has done it from the trenches. Jon knows Thurston County. He knows the people here. He knows how to simply get things done.

Here is what Jon has been doing the past few years:

• Thurston County Parks Board (since Oct. 2002, Chair since Oct. 2006)
• Thurston County MEDIC ONE Council (1995-1999 & since March 2006)
• President, Capital Area Regional Public Facilities District Board of Directors (since March 2003)-which is funding Olympia's Hands On Children's Museum and the Thurston/Lacey Regional Athletic Complex.
• Retired Public Employees Chapter 2 Executive Board (2006-2007)
• North Thurston Education Foundation (since 1998, President 2006 and 2007)
• Community Youth Services Board of Directors (since 1999, President 2004 and 2005)
• Board of Directors, Olympia Kiwanis Club (1999-2006)
• Lacey Chamber of Commerce (since 1981)
• Capitol Land Trust (since 1995)
• Lacey Historical Society (since 1996)
• Olympia Genealogical Society (since 1999)
• American Legion Post 94 - Lacey (since 2000)
• Friends of the Trails (founding member, since 2003)
• Thurston Olympia Chamber of Commerce (2007)
• Yelm Chamber of Commerce (2007)
• Nisqually Land Trust (2007)
• Citizens for Fire Protection Yelm/Rainier (2007)
• Family Investment Committee (2007)

I would like to post his entire biography since he moved here in 1973, but we would be here for awhile.

Jon's competitor, Sandra Romero, has done a few things. She was a WA State Representative for 12 years when a drunk driving spree ended her political career. She is a board member of a Seattle-based, powerful special-interest group called Futurewise. Thurston County recently spent $1.5 million to fight a frivolous lawsuit filed by Futurewise. She has a handful of supporters that she met at the State Legislature, but her endorsements don't even come close to comparison with Jon's.

Jon Halvorson Endorsed by Oberquell

Jon Halvorson, currently running for Thurston County Commissioner district 2 has been endorsed by long time Commissioner Oberquell who will be retiring at the end of this year. It's a special and noteable endorsement. By making this endorsement, Oberquell is telling the public who she would like to see replace her.

Oberquell doesn't stand along in her endorsement of Halvorson. Commissioner McCloud gives him his endorsement as well. And here is a list of other County officials that endorse Jon Halvorson in his bid for Commissioner:

• Diane Oberquell, Thurston County Commissioner, District 2


• Bob Macleod, Thurston County Commissioner, District 3


• Dan Kimball, Thurston County Sheriff


• Robin Hunt, Thurston County Treasurer Patricia Costello,Thurston County Assessor


• Patricia Costello, Thurston County Assessor Gary Warnock, Thurston County Coroner


• Betty Gould, Thurston County Clerk


• Ed Holm, Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney


• Dick Nichols, former Thurston County Commissioner

Sandra Romero Drunk Driving Illustrates Bad Judgement

Click the link above to read the drunk driving views of Carol Shawver. She wrote that it's not getting drunk, but getting behind the wheel that demonstrates the lack of judgement. And many of us have been impacted by a drunk driver.

Sandra Romero had an exciting drunk driving arrest that included a high-speed chase through downtown Olympia and ended in a rear-end collision. Thankfully nobody was hurt. Her lack of judgement ended her career as a State Representative and is just another reason why I can't give her my vote for Thurston County Commissioner.

Sandra Romero Credentials

Peggy Bruton, a Sandra Romero supporter echos the beliefs of Romero in her editorial titled "Romero Has Solid Credentials" appearing in The Olympian on July 1st, 2008.

Bruton has it wrong and it is indicative of Romero's ideology of putting the interestes of her special-interest group Futurewise (and Liveable Thurston) ahead of the interests of the people of Thurston County.

First Bruton writes, "In the long term, the county has failed to adopt measures, such as impact fees, to slow development in rural Thurston County and redirect it to urban growth areas." This would be an incorrect use of impact fees, but one that is popular with Romero and her group Futurewise. Impact fees are intended to "To ensure that adequate facilities are available to serve new growth and development." (RCW 8202.050) And that is it. Impact fees are not a mechanism to improve or restrict growth, that is the job of the marketplace and the law of supply and demand.

Secondly, Bruton writes, "Short-term, the county has made serious mistakes, such as wasting taxpayer dollars to challenge the Growth Management Hearings Board decision that the county's growth management plan needs more rural zoning options." This is again the position of Romero and Futurewise, but not the truth. The truth is, that under the Growth Management Act, jusidictions have the ability to plan with defrence. In other words, each local jurisdiction can create a plan that makes sense for them. 1 unit per 5 acres is a rural zoning, and when Thurston County adopted their comprehensive plan, the pople of Thurston County adopted their rural zoning plan to be 1 unit per 5 acres.

It was an out-of-town, Seattle-based group called Futurewise that challenged the Thurston County comprehensive plan, and caused Thurston County to defend, and revise the existing plan where needed. Sandra Romero is a board member of this group and now wants to be a County Commissioner. Isn't this like sending the fox to the henhouse?

There are much better options available for this postition:

Robin Edmondson

Jon Halvorson

Pick one!

Rossi will Restore Inegrity

Since this letter is so short, I've included it in this post.

"What a sweet deal Gov. Chris Gregoire negotiated for herself with the state’s Indian tribes. She killed a 2005 compact that would have brought millions to the state coffers from tribal gambling. In exchange, the tribes have contributed hundreds of thousands to her campaign.
As democratic Sen. Ken Jacobsen put it, “Why would you give someone a monopoly without taking a cut?”
A sweet deal indeed — for everyone but the taxpayers. In 2008, vote Dino Rossi to restore integrity to the governor’s office!
Dennis Anderson, Lacey"

The reported amount that Gregoire saved the Tribes was in the range of $150 million per year. Re-elect Rossi!

Change Gregoire

Christine Gregoire has worked 39 years in government. She has never had a private sector job. It's time for a change. Yes we can!

Thurston County Budget Woes

Earlier this week The Olympian blamed the Thurston County Commissioners for overspending the County's budget. Of course they are to blame, they approve and administer the budget. It is usually simple math -- spend less than you make. We all understand this in our own personal budgets. Why is it so hard for our elected officials to 'get it'?

I'm elated that The Olympian published the truth and was finally critical of our Commissioners. Hurray!

Here is the good news: It is an election year! Dianne Oberquell will be retiring and Cathy Wolfe is running for re-election. Send Cathy Wolfe a message with your vote in November; Send her packing.

Rising Fuel Costs Force Choices

About the only thing I can agree with Robert here is that the rising fuel costs are causing Americans to make choices.

You can do two things: 1. cry about it like the woman and her two children suffering between the choices of renting a video and putting fuel in their car, or 2. you can get your household budget in order.

Of course I feel for a single mother and her two children. However, I cannot fall prey to a heartfelt logic that tries to lure a George Bush conspiracy theory.

The high prices of oil aren't some conspiracy at the white house and George Bush. It is simply a matter of supply and demand. The solution is for America to become energy independent. We can do this by drilling our own vast oil reserves and at the same time develop new, sustainable technology.

My only question is, "Why is this taking so long?"

County Budget Shortfall

I agree with Lois Powell and his comments below. The Commissioners should have foreseen the budget shortfall. Administrating the budget is their primary duty. The only reasonable explanation is that they were asleep at the switch. I believe the budget fiasco is a result of a lack of leadership. Louis Powell's comments as Published in The Olympian below:

Commission should have seen budget shortfall
I agree with Sgt. Dave Odegaard of the sheriff’s office. The county commissioners and their administrative staff have demonstrated their incompetence and fiscal irresponsibility.
Are they in na-na land?
I didn’t see them decline their pay raises.
Lois Powell, Rochester

Budget Control Key

Yesterday I had the privledge of moderating a Candidates Forum on TCTV. I moderated a panel of 4 out of 5 Commissioner candidates that are vying for Dianne Oberquell's vacant seat.

The primary issue facing the new Commission will be the shortfall in the County budget. Each candidate had a different idea on how to tackle this problem

It was a fun experience and one that I would like to try again sometime.

The title links to the article published by The Olympian.

Sandra Romero 'Institutionalized'

Lack of Diverse Opinions Breeds Bad Decisions

I used to say, “Give up the goat.” I once saw an interview with Ozzy Ozborne and he used to think Jimmy Hendrix’s lyrics to Purple Haze were, “’Scuse me while I kiss this guy”. The former is, “Give up the ghost” the latter, “’Scuse me while I kiss the sky”.

I think Ozzy’s reaction would have been about the same as mine when my friend told me, “It’s give up the ghost, not give up the goat!” I remember having a good laugh. I’m thankful that I have friends that correct me. Reminds me of Hans Christian Anderson’s tale The Emperor’s New Clothes where a child finally cries out, “The Emperor has no clothes!”

These are stories of humility. These are examples of why it’s important to have people around you with different ideas, different perspectives. This is why groups through debate can produce solutions far better than most individuals. It’s stories like these that remind me I’m not a genius. It’s why I believe in having a diverse group and vigorous debate all of my committee meetings. I’m not afraid of different ideas. I believe that our differences define who we are. If I was afraid of different ideas I would have become a hermit long ago. Holly is a liberal to the far left, my father a Republican zealot. I feel like a moderate and compromiser most of the time. And to think -- at least one Thurston County Commissioner feels I’m strident; I digress.

I have a belief that diversity of input produces quality ideas, and quality ideas produce quality results. It scares me when people surround themselves with homogeneous people and ideas. Sandra Romero is one that scares me.

Sandra Romero worked for 12 years in the WA State Legislature as a Representative for District 22. She introduced 82 bills and made about 3,000 votes. I challenge you to find some that represent a fair and balanced approach. When I reviewed her voting record, I thought to myself, “She is for IT”. And she is for it. She is for more regulation, more taxes, more government, and limiting your personal rights.

If you don’t believe me, maybe you will believe these groups: The Washington State Labor Council (AFL-CIO) and the Association of Washington Businesses. They both keep a voting scorecard. It’s a way that they communicate to their membership what legislators they like and dislike. Romero has a nearly 100% lifetime voting record with Labor and under 25% with Business.

She is currently running against another Democrat, Jon Halvorson for Thurston County Commissioner. To date he has outpaced her contributions more than 2:1 with Halvorson garnering over $28k in campaign contributions to Romero’s lackluster $12k. The bulk of the Thurston County Democratic Party is backing Halvorson. A quick look at Romero’s contributors and you will see the same old homogeneous supporters. People like Karen Fraser and Brendan Williams. They are the local Democrat Party fanatics whom I figure are a dying breed. The “real” Democrats are much more fiscally-responsible and socially-moderate than this group. They are the old guard that has no new ideas, who lean hard towards socialism and who think that they are better at making decisions than their constituents.

Where Sandra Romero once thought she could make a difference by bringing new ideas to the institution, over time she has become the institution. She has, as I have titled this column, become “Institutionalized”. What’s worse is that she has since surrounded herself with others that share exactly her same view, her homogeneous bunch of fanatics.
Sandra Romero’s current campaign platform and slogan is: “We must strike a balance between respecting private property rights and personal freedoms, while promoting public health and daily living here.” I wonder if her board position with Futurewise is now compromised? Maybe since she left the state, she had an epiphany and now really believes in personal property rights. What Sandra Romero needs is some diverse opinions around her and friends that are willing to tell her that her ideas are more likely to make since in a socialist country than in a free republic. Perhaps some new friends would tell her it is “give up the ghost”, “kiss the sky” and growth management is a bad deal. At least there would be some debate.