Archive for the ‘Election’ Category »
The Shoreline Caucus held a straw poll at February’s meeting, and some members replied to news of the results with notes of strong concern that those voting in the straw poll didn’t see it their way, the majority voting instead for Rick Santorum.
This gave us an idea – we would like to host a virtual debate for the presidential nominee. Simply write a paper, 650 words or less, and submit it to the Shoreline Caucus at “debate@shorelinecaucus.com“. We will post your papers by category “President Candidates” (see left side panel), and you can express your views for all the world to see. This is especially important in advance of the Precinct Caucuses coming up in two weeks on March 3rd, because we will be electing delegates at those caucuses, some of whom will ultimately end up at the national convention voting for the party’s presidential nominee. Read more »
Post Election Musings
The election has finally come and gone, and while we didn’t get everything we were hoping for, things look a lot better than they have for the past couple of years. That took a lot of work on everyone’s part, and it’s certainly worth a celebration!
But, we didn’t get all we worked so hard for – Patty Murray, Jay Inslee and others are still making mischief in congress, many of our state legislators are still solidly on the side of tax and spend, and even if this election goes for Dino Rossi, we still have a very liberal US Senator in Maria Cantwell. And of course there’s Barack Obama.
So where do we go from here as tea party supporters? Can we sit back and congratulate ourselves on a job well done, then take a year off until it’s time to start ramping up for the next election? Read more »
Congressman Jay Inslee is so used to saying one thing in DC and another to the folks back home that he thinks no one ever checks. Wrong! This time he gets caught on video lying to his own neighbors in a Bainbridge Island meeting.
Inslee was bragging about getting Congress to name a local post office for Bud Hawk, a genuine World War II hero awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, but when James Watkins pointed out that Inslee couldn’t even bother to attend the Bainbridge Island dedication ceremony, Inslee accused Watkins of a “low blow” for not recognizing that Inslee had been doing his job that day voting in Congress. Watch the video to see how fervently Inslee lies right to this audience – many of whom are his neighbors on Bainbridge Island.
Unfortunately, a quick check of the Congressional Record shows Inslee wasn’t in Congress voting – he missed all 6 roll call votes that day – he skipped out because he was busy having lunch in Seattle with a bunch of corporate executives. Read more »
From Albert Einstein: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Our state and our nation have serious debt and spending problems. Our kids and grandkids will pay for the consequences if we keep electing the same people. Inslee and Murray have had their chance. It’s time to give Watkins and Rossi the opportunity. Chase and Kagi have shown that fiscal responsiblity is not a priority, and Ryu has questionable ethics. Vote for Baker, Gagliardi and Coday.
Gary’s opponant, Ruth Kagi, is a nice, soft spoken woman. But her priorities (early childhood education) do not address critical issues in Washington. Gary wants to correct the financial mess in Olympia without compromising essential services provided by the state.
From the Evergreen Freedom Foundation
In the third annual “Hey! Big Spender” report, we used ten-year projections compiled by the state Office of Financial Management to determine which legislators wanted to take the most from your wallet over the next decade. We added up proposed ten-year tax and fee increases for each legislator, using the list of bills they sponsored.
Maralyn Chase from the 32nd does us proud as the biggest spender out of 98 representatives and 49 senators! She is being challenged by David Baker, a fiscal conservative and superior choice.
The motto “Reaching the American Dream” has traditionally meant an American could transform from rags to riches if he or she worked hard enough. Over the past decades, there have been countless stories of Americans reaching the dream by starting with nothing but building up to success. A legal immigrant arriving in the U.S. with only the cash in his pocket could have reached his dream by years later being able to buy his own house. Or an even larger dream could have been a person beginning as the janitor of a company and then eventually becoming the company’s CEO. In our country’s first 200 years, the sky was the limit for what Americans’ dreams could be and what successes could possibly come true. That is why the U.S. has been the dream destination of people from other countries.
But fast forward to 2010, and due to the last two years of having a combination of a weak economy, a radical expansion of our government spending, and an unchecked majority party in charge, “Reaching the American Dream” may soon be out of the reach of our children’s and grandchildren’s generations. We could be just a few weeks away from permanently redefining what the “American Dream” is and making it less significant and meaningful. This is because the more progressive politicians want to limit the dream, and if they continue to hold the majority in Congress after November 2, they will believe they have been given a mandate to limit and redefine. Read more »
To my Democrat friends
As a former liberal, I can relate to Democrats who can’t stomach the idea of voting for a Republican. The current gastronomical upset concerns the candidates running for Washington State Representative in the 32nd Legislative District, Cindy Ryu (D) and Dr. Art Coday (R).
Ryu had been the mayor of Shoreline until she was defeated last year. The local paper published a letter about her, and here is a post about her failure to be open and transparent in her government dealings, as well as an opinion by a disgruntled citizen regarding her obsession with micromanagement.
Art Coday is a primary care physician, serving mostly Medicare (seniors, permanently disabled) and Medicaid (very poor) patients. He graduated from Harvard Medical School and is a small business owner. He will demand government accountability, slash wasteful spending (without compromising top priorities like education), and audit for performance to track how our money is spent The Seattle Times discredited him because isn’t a seasoned bureaucrat.
My Democrat friends are opposed to everything that Ryu stands for but are saying that they cannot bring themselves to vote for a Republican. Dennis Prager explains in this great article why it is so hard for Democrats to vote Republican: “The answer lies in emotion. For many non-leftist Democrats, it is emotionally impossible to vote Republican.”
My hope is that my Democrat friends will take a deep breath and vote for the person, not the party. That person is Art Coday.
James Watkins Richmond Beach Community Candidate Forum
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 – 7:00pm
Richmond Beach Congregational Church
15th Ave NW & Richmond Beach Road,
Shoreline, WA
The RBCA meeting is usually the largest gathering in Shoreline each election season, showcasing the candidates in all the major races. Come hear James’ goals for the 1st District, scheduled for the 2nd hour of the forum, and stay for the meet & greet afterward.
James Watkins Meet & Greet on Bainbridge Island
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 – 7:00pm
Meslang residence
16310 Euclid Ave NE
Bainbridge Island, WA, 98110
Come hear James Watkins’ plan for the 1st District and start the countdown to good government! Dessert & coffee served.
James Watkins Meet & Greet in Silverdale
Thursday, October 14, 2010 – 6:30pm
Johnson residence
8523 NW Anderson Hill Road
Silverdale, WA, 98383