A disproportionate opposition to proposals for improvement is the sign of  pugnacity, when a more cooperative stance could have led to new requirement more fitting to the repair. To expect massive change of government is just not in the reach of current political milieu. To expect that gradual change will bring more gradual change is more in line with reality expectations. What disappoints thoroughly is the jejune and foolish attitude that pushiness coupled with disdain for partnership and synergy will arrive at acceptable levels of change.

We should all be convinced, by now, that gridlock only generates added gridlock and frustration. It also forces the image that  some greymatter is not, or may not reach, full development. Merely producing the opposite does not mean that you have found an answer. It’s a pretty easy  to always seeks the opposition, rather than attempting to ferret out an answer from the possibilities.

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather is a novelized biography of a Spanish priest who lived in the late 1800’s and served Indians and Mexicans living in territory that would later become Arizona and New Mexico. European-Americans have little presence in the novel. It is a great piece of American literature.

Blood Meridian by Cormac MacCarthy has to be the least forgettable book written about the Mexican-American War. It takes a stomach for slaughter to finish the book and the author actually apologizes in the afterword for his descriptions of brutality.

It matters that the indigenous Arizonan is not of European descent. Sure, we need border control and advanced technology for ID cards. But ethnocentric exclusionism is particularly misplaced in Arizona.

Point:  If there were background checks for every purchase, there would likely be few TERROR WATCH people purchasing. And one caveat is that BG checks are not infallible. Even the dealers and the feds could be outsmarted by the right individual. The maniac Army doctor at Fort Hood, for example.

The question is though, why have an open gun show where there are no checks on anyone, allowing them to lay down their money and walk off with the machine which might be the next killing instrument.

This is an excerpt from the new party in power in the U.K. They call themselves the Conservative Party.

The establishment of a high-speed rail network.
The cancellation of the third runway at Heathrow International Airport.
The establishment of a smart grid and the roll-out of smart meters.
The full establishment of feed-in tariff systems in electricity – as well as the maintenance of banded ROCs.
The creation of a green investment bank.
The provision of home energy improvement paid for by the savings from lower energy bills.
Measures to encourage marine energy [wave and tidal power].
The establishment of an emissions performance standard that will prevent coal-fired power stations being built unless they are equipped with sufficient CCS to meet the emissions performance standard.
The provision of a floor price for carbon, as well as efforts to persuade the EU to move towards full auctioning of ETS permits.
Measures to promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity.
Mandating a national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Continuation of the present Government’s proposals for public sector investment in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology for four coal-fired power stations; and a specific commitment to reduce central government carbon emissions by 10 per cent within 12 months.

First off, either the Snohomish County Assessor and Treasurer can or cannot verify that a certain real estate firm has some unpaid property taxes. What is so outrageous about putting out that information.

Secondly, of course Rossi is an unannounced candidate. He visited DC to explore his prospects. Chris Cillizza blogged that he thinks Rossi is a likely candidate. That is how he caught the attention of the DSCC.

Do the Herald editors think that Rossi needs their protection from finger pointers checking into his BIAW and real estate developer friendships and connections?

We experienced a lost decade from 2000 to 2008 when real income didn’t budge. According to Jon Talton and The Brookings Institute median household income in the greater Seattle metropolitan area rose to $66,995 in 2008 from $66,881 in 2000. Among blacks, income dropped to $39,748 vs. $46,738 in 2000. Hispanics also lost ground. Only a small upper echelon really got ahead during the Bush Republican era, while government deregulated safety controls, mortgage companies fabricated greater bubbles and traders leveraged the entire economic system.

You should know that the recession began in the 4th Q of 2007, long before you would have felt the repercussions. That is important to know because it helps to illustrate something called lagging indicators. If it were not for TARP, a low Federal Reserve interest rate and the fiscal stimulus we would now be in a second Great Depression. An overwhelming flood of money was what rescued the financial system. It worked, but at great cost. The recession ended in the 4th Q of 2009. We are in recovery, although, because of lagging indicators, it’s not obvious to everyone yet.

Back to the bright line in the Utahan sand, you do know that the TARP money is nearly repaid. Treasury has begun to divest itself of corporate stocks. The Fed will pull in excessive liquidity when they are confident that job growth has taken hold. The stimulus will drop off drastically next year. I understand that people are angry about all the interventions because taxpayers had to bail out the banksters. Because there was no choice once we were into the crisis, TARP had to be the result of desperation.

In the aftermath is the best time to engineer the strong protections needed by our financial system. There is a Financial Reform Bill in the Senate right now. The House passed an earlier version of the bill. Investors will respond to protective regulation and greater certainty with a positive effect on job growth. And if taxpayers will only remember lessons learned, they will never again have to bail out the banks. Back to that bright line in the political sand: DO NOT REELECT TO CONGRESS ANYONE WHO OPPOSES FINANCIAL REFORM.

Recent Senate Votes
Continuing Extension Act of 2010 – Vote Passed (59-38, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this measure that would extend for two months federal unemployment benefits, flood insurance programs, increased payment rates to Medicare providers and COBRA health care premium assistance. It was then sent to the House.

Sen. Patty Murray voted YES
Sen. Maria Cantwell voted YES

Recent House Votes
Clean Estuaries Act of 2010 – Vote Passed (278-128, 24 Not Voting)

The House approved this bill that would authorize $50 million annually through fiscal 2016 for the EPA’s National Estuary Program and would require the EPA to evaluate estuary management plans every four years. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Rep. Doc Hastings voted NO

Continuing Extension Act of 2010 – Vote Passed (289-112, 29 Not Voting)

On Thursday, the House passed this legislation that would extend for two months federal unemployment benefits, flood insurance programs, increased payment rates to Medicare providers and COBRA health care premium assistance. It was then sent to the President, who signed it into law later that night.

Rep. Doc Hastings voted NO