This began as a response to a well thought out set of endorsements by Roger Rabbit at HorsesAss.
King County Prosecutor – Sherman. My reasons for this are more than a bit disingenuous. While, all other things being equal, I would choose Satterberg, the emergence of DL backed candidates as a good alternative to what I see as a failed party system.
King County Council Pos. 6 – Richard Pope Basically because I agree with Roger Rabbit.
Initiative 960 – No! Latest fraud from Eyman to limit taxes. If Eyman wrote an intiative supporting evolution he could get me to vote for Intelligent Design.
Referendum 67 – Yes! Frankly, I resent being asked to vote on an issue like this where I lack expertise. For all his pixel abuse, Roger’s legal opinions are always well thought out. While I realize the rabbit is a shyster, he know more than I do on this sort of thing. So I will follow the rabbit sown the hole on this.
Senate Resolution 8206 – No. This is a stupid issue t put on the ballot, worthy of Eyman. I do not know enough about the budget to make this decision. That is why we pay accountants to to tell us where the money is and elect politicians to decide on priorities.
Senate Resolution 8212 –Yes . I disagree with the shyster bunny on this constitutional amendment to allow the state to provide inmate labor to private companies. While I agree that this could be abused, I fail to see the logic that incarcerated people should not be able to work. Indeed incarceration may serve a better purpose if we allow prisoners to work in jobs that provide real world training. Is there a potential for misuse of prisoners to compete against the free market? Yes, but the same can be said of almost anything we do as a government. Of course there needs to be oversight.
House Resolution 4204 – Yes I agree with the Rabbit that this constitutional amendment facilitates school levies but I think that is a good thing. In effect this would make the default to pass the levy. As long as we have elective school boards and the state does not do what the Constitution requires, the board should be elected to make exactly this decision.
House Resolution 4215 – Yes. Roger has it right. ” It’s a housekeeping measure to remove investment restrictions on certain dedicated higher education funds emanating from land grants; the same restrictions that were taken off investment of other state funds long ago. Passing this measure will make more money available for higher education.”
King County Initiative 25 – No! Again, damnit .. this obsession with electing folks for every job is nits. The elections director does a technical job. Hire her or him.
King County Proposition 1 – Yes Medic one is envied around the world.
Proposition 1 – YES, reluctantly I HATE this measure but see no choice. It is a dishonest abuse of the electorate, worthy of the criticism of Eyman. But, I think we have been thoroughly fucked by the bad leadership of our region and have no other choice. These facilities are needed, for the most part. Doing this the right way, telling voters what the real costs will be and doing it as a part of a comprehensive transportation plan would be a lot better, but not doing it will just cost us more money. I also see this as meat for competent Pubican running vs. Gregoir.
I will not vote on the following because I think it is absurd these are elective offices. Port of Seattle Pos. 2 – Port of Seattle Pos. 5 – The port needs to be managed professionally and report to a more logical regional political entity .. presumably the County, I am also highly suspicious of any high level job that is not recompensed. With the BEST of intentions, the result is always corruption or incompetence.
2 comments:
John, if you could forward this to Mr. Yoshitani, for a more focussed and briefer version of what then spilled out of me yesterday late afternoon..it will endear you to me for a certain duration.
I certainly was impressed with the way your new CEO handled a number of issues.
Then had a wonderful two hour chat with Bob Edwards outside Pier 69 in the settling dusk which I will write you about separately.
xxx
michael
ED PORT [draft]
I became involved in Port of Seattle matters during the 2005 election as supporter of a candidate whom his firm then forced to withdraw when it prohibited all employees from holding public office. Meanwhile I've made pleasant and more or less thorough acquaintance with the various commissioners and the CEO preceding the ascendancy of Tay Yoshitani; and with the by no means uncomplicated issues facing the port in the world such as it is - ah, yes, "the world such as it is!" As the child of a father who ran a fishing fleet I have always found ports sexy, and I think, perhaps mistakenly, that my take on the Port is benign and not colored by immediate self-interest.
In light of these considerations, I am wondering whether the Seattle Port Commission is still able to do the job for which it was designed. Something certainly is quite puzzling, if not amiss, about the way it is currently set up. Judging by the 100s of thousands invested in the last and current commissioner campaign you would assume these offices to be worth more than 6 k per annum. What is really at stake? Not only does the job pay a pittance, commissioners who take their jobs seriously, lacking support staff or a budget for over- and insight, will - on top of whatever other job they have - spend many many hours at slave labor wages poring over contracts and the like; something only millionaires and the retired can afford - unless civic minded beyond the call of duty. The Port C.E.O., knowing of the comparative ignorance of the commissioners, has little choice but to want them to be compliant. However, under these circumstances the commissioners would seem to be easily beholden to the businesses with interests before the Port, which pour such large sums into these elections; certainly not entirely unselfishly I don't think.
The commissioners only perk are much derided junkets to air and sea port related cities where you can either have a good time or, once again, take your job seriously; that is, you can get yourself a translator and, say, haunt the docks; certainly a good thing to get out of Seattle to get an other than rain-drenched p.o.v.!
Thus I ask myself, ought not the commissioners, when their supporters' contractual interests come before the P.O.S., recuse themselves, as some candidates with multiple interest already promise to do? If the answer is yes, would the commission still be a functioning entity?
But what if it were an appointed commission of specialists in the various areas that the P.O.S. touches, and if such a commission were sufficiently funded and staffed, might it not do a far better job? And work far more cohesively with the executive? That certainly is the case at other Ports that also run their affairs far more efficiently per cargo ton.
The second matter of ethics that I find odd is that the previous Port CEO promised to raise money to defeat the re-election of a sitting commissioner, as in the 2005 election he had campaigned for the re-election of a different commissioner. Ought the Port C.E.O. be permitted political activity; no matter how justified it may seem to him from the point of view of running the port? The commissioners themselves also take action to support or defeat each other. Not the sort of thing that is needed I don't think in this instance. It strikes me as though the commission is about to implode.
Taking a less than Seattle-centric p.o.v., I also feel that a regional or perhaps state-wide perspective ought be taken. The age-old {!} competition between the ports of Tacoma and Seattle makes little sense; together they could draw far better contracts with the big stevedoring and shipping companies. Taking the ports of Everett and Olympia, and the birth place of grunge, Grey's Harbor, into state-wide consideration might even make better sense.
MICHAEL ROLOFF
714-660-4445
Member Seattle Psychoanalytic Institute and Society
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Good and thought full post! Thank you.
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