The state ferry system could float two ways in the next chunk of the future: either stay pretty much as is, full steam ahead with plans to build ten ferries, or slim way down and increase fares. It's hard for us to get too worked up about this, maybe because we can't even imagine leaving the house, let alone driving to Mukilteo, this week. Or maybe because we've been reporting on the multi-millions of dollars cut from Washington state health and human services, for God's sake, and we'd rather see the ferry system build only five new ferries and kick up the fares than to see more cutbacks in health care for kids and poor people.
more ›

Thanks to dramatic state budget deficits, the Washington state Department of Health has decided to discontinue three of its programs: colorectal screenings (poor people don't get cancer), water-contaminant testing, and the state's prescription drug monitoring system. The colorectal screening program--targeted towards low-income communities--and the prescription drug monitoring system were not yet in full swing, and by axing them both, the department will save $14,000. If there's one department we don't want to see make any more cuts, it's this one. Bill and Melinda Gates, have you considered donating to the state of Washington this year? more ›

Washington Basic Health, the state's health care plan available on a sliding scale to people making under $22,800 a year, is feeling the budget squeeze already; the program will stop filling half of the slots that open up for new applicants starting December 5th, this Friday. The aim is to reduce the number of people covered by 7,700. We'd usually be worried about this, as several of our friends are covered by Basic Health and we expect to need the program ourselves in the near future, but our radical left buddy tells us health insurance is all a big scam anyway and even if it weren't, Obama probably came up with a great plan to fix this problem before anyone knew it was even an issue. Our president-elect is just that good. more ›

Over the weekend we got an email from our friend in Wisconsin asking, "Why does Washington have a caucus and a primary? I don't get it. How does this work?" more ›

The other day we walked into KeyBank with a KeyBank check, asked to cash it, and they said, "Are you a customer?" We said, no, but it's your check. They said, "That'll be $5 please." more ›

Quick, while Paris is in jail and the politicians annointed as "official" candidates by CNN and Fox are poking each others' eyes out, let's take a moment to talk about the Farm Bill. (Yeah, right.) Seriously, because you are what you eat, you know. (Yeah, right.) more ›

In a town where it’s not uncommon to see cars still wearing Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers, we’ve noticed a new trend--stickers for Obama. They seem to stand out more, because they are newer, fresher, full of hope. Not to mention cleaner. more ›

The 2007 Washington Legislative session begins today, and Governor Gregoire wants to spend big. Her argument, we have a $1.9 billion surplus, and we should spend that money on education, health care, and other gross poor people things. more ›

Ron Sims graces the editorial pages of the Seattle Times today to dangle the carrot of a "re-imagined Seattle Center" in front of us. The Center sucks, he says, and it does. We can do better, he says, and we can. Some things like the Needle and the fountain should stay, but the Center House and the Fun Forest are crap he tells us in colorful metaphor: "Too much of Seattle Center remains like a relic from the '60s: a beloved but worn-out eight-track tape playing a dated, low-fi tune in an iPod world." more ›