Motley Com(ments)

Seattle One Liners - Seattle Stranger

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:39:32 -0800

As the eminent Stranger newspaper notes, Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden believes "63% of Seattle residents are like birthers". I recall her colleague Sally Bagshaw stating on the same subject "virtually every lawyer in Seattle believes the State financial responsibility clause is unenforceable". Go figure!

The Future will not be Telerevised.

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:09:56 -0800

Tea Party Update? - Yahoo Internet News

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 09:25:42 -0800

Though what the Tea Party will become is still up in the air, me thinks this particular 'teabagger' doth protest too much.

Sign of the Times -Seattle Times

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 09:20:17 -0800

Former Tacoma News Tribune food critic Ed Murrieta writes on the irony of receiving food stamps in order to dine.

Seattle Council President Richard Conlin and Old School Highway Boys

Thu, 27 May 2010 15:41:51 -0800

Dominic Holden opines on the proposed Viaduct Tunnel, in my opinion framing the current issues exactly right on this tough subject, and **moving** target. I lived around the block from Conlin in the mid 90's, leading up to his election sitting with him on the Madrona Council. He is a good guy, but I fear he's doing a bit of an Obama on this issue - supporting the downtown Seattle 'business' folks with good intent, just like Obama supported the folks who Enron'd the mortgage market with enough foresight to short their own scam. FWIW, the public money folks HQ'd in Downtown Seattle are why Olympia hates Seattle, and rightfully so. Great piece Dominic, and I hope Conlin is using his vacation time to realize this isn't a situation with a completely positive outcome.

In Defense of the the Beta Male

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:51:12 -0800

This will blow your mind, if you have the strength to read it through.

Light Rail in Belleuve

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:37:36 -0800

Here's a very well thought out and written piece on the current status of light rail through the upscale (and becoming less conservative) Seattle suburb of Bellevue. Its only lack is an awareness of the regional prevalence of the general problems, and as such, I'd go a bit farther. Most pointedly, overruns on the I-90 crossing can be safely expected - as such it is necessary that the 520 Bridge continue to be a 'competitive' option for light rail - as the citizens of the Montlake neighborhood are calling for.

Wall Street Derivatives Explained

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:02:00 -0800

The best explanation of the derivatives market I've read yet.

Comments on the Highway 520 Lake Washington Bridge Environmental Impact Statement

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:19:22 -0800

If you wish to comment on the controversial 520 bridge replacement over Lake Washington today is the deadline. Here are my comments: *************************************************************************************** I am writing to comment on the 520 Bridge Design Process via the Washington Department of Transportation Environmental Review. Though I am no longer a citizen of King County I likely can claim ‘senior’ status as a citizen involved in this process – having originally suggested the general approach in option K/L, the additional crossing of the Montlake Cut, in 1988 . Additionally, during the time the project formally got started I served as Secretary of the Madrona Community Council. I am also a 1990 Honors graduate from the University of Washington, in the field of Economics. My senior’s thesis was a labor approach to economic development and education(1988), and I have also significantly studied Urban Planning and other public fields. Prior to the incidents referenced below I was employed with King County in the field of Geographic Information Systems – where I grunted out the first parcel database for the unincorporated County – and the first growth management boundaries. My comments today are solely my own, though hopefully I do have some remaining indirect connection with many communities in King County, including the Eastside, where I have worked often in both the public and private sectors. I would also hope to have at least some remaining respect among the members of my former profession, as well as other allied arts and sciences

Homeless in Seattle?- Seattle Stranger

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:55:01 -0800

In a strange bit of repeating history the Seattle City Council is getting ready to unconstitutionally harass panhandlers downtown with a very vague 'aggressive panhandling' ordinance, at the request of downtown 'business' groups. It appears that the vast majority of Seattle Citizens understand what this is about, as the Stranger reports. Curiously, when this happened before these same folks were also in need of a bailout for their own mistakes. Last time they did get it, this time I don't think they will be so lucky with their own (constitutionally) 'aggressive' solicitation.

Seattle Councilmember Tim Burgess, 'Satan' Sidran Reborn?-Seattle Times

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 05:45:16 -0800

Newbie reporter Emily Heffter opines in favor of Tim Burgess and attacks popular Mayor Mike McGinn via a panhandling law debate. This might be a good law, irregardless, the political tradition stinks. Much of Sidran's civility effort was political cover for the demise of Frederick and Nelson from the corporate welfare politics of the bus tunnel and Westlake. Not taking responsibility for your failure is not acceptable in public service or business, as Kemper Freeman knows well. It's time to get these baby boomer losers out of City Hall, and the aggressive 'solicitors' out of the Courts and the Downtown Chamber.

Highway 520 April Fools - Seattle Crosscut

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 10:01:14 -0800

Seattle Council President writes an April Fool's piece on the highway 520 Project - with a political spin, as reprinted in Crosscut. This reads like a light hearted slam against folks who are stilling making good points about the preferred 'A+' design, the Montlake cut tunnel, option 'K' become option 'M'. It may well be the case that this approach is too expensive, it however was not a fantastical idea not worthy of study. WashDot has spent over $200 million on studying various alternatives - this is too much - but it makes it all the more clear that we should have the public money spent on fairly and fully analyzing various alternatives. Instead what we got is a finely tuned fix against constructive public involvement, padding costs on the neighborhood suggestion while underestimating the costs of the 'status quo' option, for no other reason than the denigration of the public. This is perhaps best seen on the design of transit service in the area. Though the legislature is going full speed ahead on their 'A+' alternative, the design, and costs, of the still needed transit improvements to the original option 'A' have not been finished. This is a major red flag for a planned cost overrun. The big question of whether light rail will **ever** go across this bridge, and how it will share the Montlake Station need to be answered. Though I'm not a fan of converting the third lane to transit only from the opening, the negotiating position of McGinn is a good one and any media member, or politician, who dismisses it is only damaging their credibility as a steward of public monies. Engineering a facility such as the 520 Bridge is a major task, but we must insist that our professional engineers in service of the public respect the public. The public must also respect the engineers, and the Montlake neighborhood, in spite of the corporate media effort to 'tea party' has the ability and attitude to do this. And, FWIW, their ability likely exceeds that of both our local reporting staff AND our electeds.... -Douglas Tooley P.S. Here's a link to my first writing on the subject, back in 1988! http://www.motleytools.com/blog/1988/06/20_years_ahead_of_its_time.html

Bullying and Suicide -Boston.com

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:09:37 -0800

This case, involving a High School student who committed suicide after a pattern of school bullying, reminds me of another suicide, at my Alma Mater, Hampshire College. This was a protest suicide, against administration 'bullying', during the Reagan era. That particular incident forever changed my view of political correctness and what it is actually all about. South Hadley, where this recent incident occurred, is the first Town south of the Hampshire Campus, and also home to the all woman college, Mount Holyoke.

Gender Discrimination Suit over Wall Street Bonuses - Nationwide Web Site Huffington Post

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:50:09 -0800

New York female employees of Bank of America and their recently acquired subsidiary the dominant brokerage firm Merrill Lynch are alleging gender discrimination on the payment of bonuses and other compensation. Now, lord knows I'm not one for a feminist rant, however Wall Street folks, bankers as well as Lawyers, epitomize the white male stereotype in all the worst ways. That said, BofA is perhaps the best of the big banks and it would be a tragedy if this lawsuit were in any way leveraged by the competition. It too would be a tragedy if we needed to redo the bailout in order to pay bonuses to the female brokers!

Math and Alcohol in Schools - Western Washington's King 5 TV News

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:35:59 -0800

Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction (Public Schools Chief) Randy Dorn got a DUI over the weekend. Dorn is know for his opposition to standard testing, starting with Math education. Too bad he couldn't pass same himself, elsewise he might have known the answer is .08!