Seattle approves of more food trucks and medical-marijuana providers, but kiboshes Initiative on the deep-bore tunnel. In other news, some national weather schmuck thinks we should be happy with our weather. A little bit of everything today in Headlines.
Tuesday Morning Headlines
We Won What? A Brand-New Jail?!
The PostGlobe reports that I-100 gathered about 5,000 less signatures than required. If placed on the ballot, the initiative would have asked Seattle voters to require "the city to analyze successful and cost-effective jail diversion programs, address the effects of racial disparity within the incarceration system, work collaboratively with King County, and put the matter of a new jail to a public vote before a new jail could be constructed." Even the pro-jail website admits, "No one wants to build a jail," but argues that the King County Jail is planning on turning city inmates away, once a jail space agreement concludes in four years.
Seattlest Vote 2008 Poll: I-1000
Initiative I-1000 is the Death With Dignity Initiative that would allow end-stage, terminally ill patients to have access to prescribed life-ending medication. The Times elegantly argues, "On the grounds of compassion for the suffering, and recognition of the individual as a moral agent, death with dignity is a right that should be allowed." Attorney Margaret Dore objects to I-1000's exact phrasing because it "would put vulnerable persons at risk of abuse (and worse) at the hands of others." And finally, local doctors are ambivalent.
Eyman's I-985 Would Send Eastern Money Seattle's Way
Sightline's Clark Williams-Derry has discovered a funny thing that will happen if Eyman's iniative passes--eastern Washington will be paying for Eyman's scheme to "fix" Seattle-area traffic congestion.
And whatever Mr. Eyman might hope or claim, I-985 would wind up shifting about $180 million in revenues from the rest of the state into greater Seattle. Over 5 years, we expect that the average family of four outside of the Seattle area will ship about $229 in tax dollars to pay for Seattle-area road projects.It's not actually that surprising--this isn't the first time that Eyman hasn't known precisely where the money was going. But it's not exactly strategic to soak eastern Washingtonians on behalf of election-stealing Seattleites.
Marijuana on Oregon Store Shelves?
Add this to the list of "another reason to consider moving to Portland." A statewide initiative is being launched in Oregon this week to legalize marijuana and to sell it as a taxable, controlled substance at Oregon stores, similar to alcohol.

