Get Your Ballots In Today!

It's election day. Whether you vote by mail or vote at a poll site, today is the day to get 'er done. Remember: Only you can stop Tim Eyman.


-- Dennis

Stephen Colbert Tackles the Tough Issues Raised By R71

I get all my news from the Comedy Channel. It's more accurate and more balanced than the garbage the networks churn out.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Don't Ask Don't Tell
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Religion

-- Dennis

Approve R71 -- It's the Patriotic Thing To Do

America is built on the idea that "all men are created equal" yet some still want to draw lines between us. The good news is we all have an opportunity to strike a blow against hate and division. We can vote to approve R71. It's the patriotic thing to do. -- Dennis

Attention King County Voters!

There is a lot of confusion over the unfortunate placement of I-1033 on King County vote by mail ballots. It would be a shame if folks didn't get a chance to vote "No" on the latest knuckle-headed tomfoolery from professional demagogue Tim Eyman just because they didn't notice the appropriate box in the lower left-hand corner.



Tell your ma. Tell your pa. Vote No on I-1033!

Trick Or Vote 2009

From our friends at the Washington Bus:

"The Last Halloween, 300 of our closest friends knocked on over 6,500 doors to get out the vote and we're doing it big again this Halloween.

The Bus is looking for organizations to sign on as co-sponsors and for individuals to sign up as captains. All you need is a costume and a love for democracy. Sign up here and get all you need to know to be in the know for the hottest GOTV party...EVER.

WHO: You and 300 of your closest friends. ALL AGES!

WHERE: Super secret location in Georgetown

WHEN: Saturday, October 31st, 1pm – 9pm (canvassing from 2-7)

WHY: GOTV and YES on R-71 and NO on 1033.

You may be too old to trick or treat, but you’re never too old to Trick or Vote!"

Mainstream Republicans oppose I 1033

No matter how you look at it, 1033 is a bad idea with bad timing and a insidious agenda. Here is a story that tells us that the word is finally getting out about this wrecking ball of an initiative.

http://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2009/10/mainstream-republicans-of-washington.html

This is what they had to say directly from the MSR blog page:

Mainstream Republicans urges voters to vote “No” on I-1033. Although Mainstream acknowledges that legislatures have failed to control the growth in spending, we believe that I-1033’s meat axe approach to revenue/appropriations reform is irresponsible. The remedy proposed by I-1033 is worse than the problem it purports to fix.

Vote no on 1033 and drag your neighbors along with you.

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Why We Need a Public Option -- In 30 Seconds!

The latest TV commercial from Health Care For America Now! explains, in simple terms, why a public option is a critical component to any health care reform legislation.



-- Dennis

I-1033: The Colorado Experience

Tim Eyman's I-1033 is actually an old idea -- known as TABOR -- that has been on the ballot in numerous other states over the years. I-1033 would put a restrictive and arbitrary cap on all state, county and city government spending -- with the current recessionary budget levels as the baseline. In 2009, TABOR is on the ballot in two states: Washington and Maine. [Note: I'm not sure if Maine also has an unemployed watch salesman who makes a living by qualifying crazy ballot measures. If not, we'll be glad to send Eyman there.]

Only once has TABOR actually been implemented: in Colorado. And the results there were horrific. At last week's WFSE convention, we were treated to an extremely compelling video on the harm TABOR caused in Colorado. Since not everyone was able to attend, I thought it would be helpful to post that video here. Feel free to pass it along!



Of course, just because we know Eyman is a demagogue peddling yet another destructive scheme from the lunatic fringe doesn't mean we can take the outcome of this election for granted. The No on I-1033 campaign is running phone banks in Federal Way, Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Spokane, Tacoma, Olympia, Vancouver, and Bellingham -- and they need volunteers. Unless we want Washington state to be the Alabama of the West, we need to step up to the plate and lend a hand.

To get plugged in, send an e-mail to April or give her a call at 1-800-562-6002, or visit the No on I-1033 website. Thanks in advance for your support. -- Dennis

Yours truly visits Eastern Washington

I just got back from a 4-day tour of Eastern Washington last week. While there I had the pleasure of visiting some of our folks at Pine Lodge, Lakeland Village and Ahtanum View Correctional Center. All three of these facilities are being considered for closure or vast down sizing in this year’s legislative session.

The “meat saw”, designed by last years legislature to tear apart institutional care within our state, came to us in the form of a budget proviso. Not only did that proviso not provide public hearing regarding the expenditure of $500,000.00 to fund a study, the proviso language was also crafted in such a way as to limited the full range of options that the consultants could consider. Top that with the fact the both the consultants hired are former executives at DOC and DDD. It could leave one believing the outcomes were set before the study was conducted. The proviso also attempts to limit the choices of the legislature once it receives the consultant’s recommendations. The proviso mandates cutting 1500+ beds from DOC, 250 beds from RHCs and 235 beds from The Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration. Telling the legislature what they can and can't do should fly like a lead balloon with them. As always, they do have the choice of not choosing any of the consultants recommendations and proceeding as they see fit. They have done that before, I am told.

The folks I talked to at the three facilities were worried. Of course they were worried about the impact this consultants report could have on their jobs and their families. But not surprisingly, they were just as worried about the impact such closures could have on their neighbors and community. The issue of diminished public safety and protection of our most vulnerable came up time and time again. Who better to know how dangerous or fragile the folks these state employees work with are than them? Who better to forecast the gaps in service and security if their job or facility went away than them?

The message was clear in each place I visited. “We are ready to educate anyone who will listen about the importance of the service we provide. We are ready to fight for safety and a responsible level of service to our communities, the clients we serve and our families.”

I was very clear in describing the up hill battle we faced with the budget and the seeming agendas of some of our legislators. For the folks I talked to at Pine Lodge Correctional Facility, Lakeland Village and Ahtanum View Correctional Center, their response was clear, their tone was strong and their stare unblinking.

“Bring it”, they said.

This will be an interesting session.
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Adrienne For Edmonds: Hop On the Band Wagon

Our friend Adrienne Fraley-Monillas is in the stretch run of her campaign for Edmonds City Council. Adrienne is an adult training supervisor at Fircrest School and a member of the WFSE Executive Board from Local 341.

The exciting news is Adrienne finished first among three candidates in the August 18th primary -- and the incumbent council member was eliminated. The task now is for Adrienne to carry that momentum on to victory in November. And we can help.

Adrienne has scheduled doorbell events in bucolic Edmonds on Oct. 17th and Oct. 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. A lunch will be provided. So please check your calendar, sign up for one of those dates, and bring a friend or two with you.

I hear Edmonds is quite nice in October.

-- Dennis

Will Ferrell's Call To Protect Insurance Companies

Have Insurance? You Need Health Care Reform

Opponents of health care reform have certainly had their voices heard over the past few weeks. It appears the main arguments against reform are “socialism is bad” and “Obama is Hitler.” My proposed response is to engage in a rational discussion about public policy.

Much of the debate so far has been focused on the uninsured, the public plan, and death panels. What we really need to be talking about is how people who already have insurance are being taken to the cleaners by our dysfunctional health care system.

Just this month, the Commonwealth Fund released a study documenting what most of us already know to be true: “Middle-income individuals and families have been losing ground as the cost of health insurance continues to rise at a faster rate than incomes.” Among the Commonwealth Fund’s findings:

- “Between 1999 and 2008, employer-sponsored family health insurance premiums rose by 119 percent nationally, while median family income rose by 29 percent.”

- “Studies indicate that slower growth in wages and lower savings for retirement (worker and employer contributions) have been part of the trade-off to preserve health benefits.”

- “Despite such trade-offs, the monthly cost of premiums paid by workers and their families is up—consuming an ever-greater share of any wage increases they might receive.”

- “Absent significant reforms, current projections estimate that national per-person spending on health insurance premiums will increase by 94 percent from 2009 to 2020, increasing an average of 5.7 percent annually.”

The trends are true for Washington State as well. A series of reports released by Health Care For America Now demonstrate in each state how health care costs are growing much faster than wages. Among the findings:

- “Health insurance premiums for Washington working families have skyrocketed, increasing 87 percent from 2000 to 2007.”

- “For family health coverage in Washington during that time, the average annual combined premium for employers and employees rose from $6,496 to $12,120.”

- “The combined cost to employers and workers of health insurance for a Washington family of four is equal to 21 percent of the state’s median family income. Given current trends, that share will grow to 42 percent in 2016.”

- “The cost of employer-sponsored health insurance in Washington is growing at an annual rate of 8.6 percent, compared to a 1 percent growth rate for income.”

In fact, people who receive health insurance through their employer have a greater stake in reform than just about anyone else. As columnist Froma Harrop wrote, “Your company health plan does not come free… Employer-provided health coverage cut cash wages by nearly 8 percent last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

The 2009 Milliman Medical Index, an annual industry survey, had similar findings. According to reporter R.H. Sheldon, the latest MMI study found that “A family of four covered by employer-sponsored health insurance now incurs $16,771 per year in medical expenses, which represents a 7.4% increase over 2008 costs… Add to this the trend toward greater cost sharing on the part of the employee, and families are paying more out-of-pocket medical expenses than ever... [2009] is the third consecutive year in which there has been a double-digit percentage increase in the amount that employees and their families are spending for health care services.”

Researcher David Grande wrote, “Most working Americans underestimate how much they are already paying for health insurance, since most get it through their employers… Their employers' share is really paid through lower wages… Health-care costs are rising at more than three times the rate that middle-class wages are. Any pay increase workers might receive is chewed up by rising health care costs, and many workers have less money available for things other than health care with each passing year.”

The bottom line is the standard of living for every state worker, as well as everyone else, will continue to erode until Congress finds the courage to enact meaningful reform. Boy, I sure hope Congress comes through. I'm tired of getting ripped off. -- Dennis