FISA judge resigns in protest

Link to story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10538136/
(Sorry I have no HTML skills)

Notes:
FISA is the high court that grants wiretaps for domestic phones that call overseas. They are a rubber stamp court; in their over 25 year existance they have denied exactly *four* wiretaps. You are even allowed to place the tap and then retroactively get a warrant within 72 hours. The question is: who was the President tapping that he and his advisors believed weren't going to somehow qualify for a warrant? Bush and his advisors knew they would get legal warrants, unless something wasn't above board. Tapping a line that needs a FISA warrant without obtaining one is a felony and Bush has admitted to the tapping publically.

Gregoire Budget Proposal - Closing Comments

While I have an inkling of how Dino Rossi would've approcahed a $1.4 billion "shortfall", I do know how Gov. Gregoire is approaching it - a token call for fiscal responsibility, while calling for spending on additional state programs and more money for programs/issues that have yet to show any fiscally benefitial return.

If the money touted by Gregoire and her colleagues were truly a surplus, I'd have an immediate budget solution:

Use 1/3rd of the money to help relieve the fiscal burden placed upon counties for services that were funded by the state, but (due to excessive state spending) are now are the responsibility of the counties to provide on the county nickel.

Use 1/3rd of the money to fix the state's existing transportation woes (most of which weren't included in the biggest gas tax in state history (the remaining balance would be returned to the voters).

Split the remaining 1/3 of the money between healthcare and existing county corrections programs.

Gregoire's P.O.'d a number of her fellow Democrats by calling for fiscal reponsibility (hinting that the D's are incapable of doing that), but while the state is in the red, her budget proposal smacks of new spending, and she has left the remainder of the "shortfall" to her Democratic colleagues to spend however they wish.

Expect the state to go deeper in the red next year. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Gregoire's budget proposal - Point Five

A hefty portion of Gregoire's budget proposal literally throws money at education, an effort that has proven in years past to be costly and ineffectual. Education (under the guise of "smaller classrooms" and "Better teacher pay") is the largest single budget item in the state. Somehow, though, student test scores continue to drop statewide...

I come from a family with a 200+-year history in education. I understand the need for better working conditions for our state's teachers and I have a soft spot for them. I do, however, recognize three faults with the way the state legislature writes its budgets, and the education aspect of the governor's budget proposal:

Teachers in Washington State are represented by the second-largest union in the state, the WEA, wich has time and again flexed its collective muscle on behalf of teachers, merely to increase union spending and bargaining power. I think that if the WEA was truly doing what it was established to do, I wouldn't be seeing reports of teacher strikes and walkouts every year (meanwhile, teachers pay more and more dues to the union)... The state, and school districts, BTW, are also funded by the federal government. Where is that money going to?

Students now have the option of taking the WASL (the Washington Assessment of Student Learning) test - used to determine if a student is qualified to graduate from high school - five times to pass. When I was that age, we got one chance to pass the WASL. If we passed, we were more readily accepted to colleges in other states. If we didn't pass, it was our responsibily to convince an out-of-state college that we were worthy of an education leading to a professional degree. The "five chances to win the WASL" experiment was encated last year, and the result of that experiment have not been calculated yet (the current high school sophomore class is is the first to give any hard data on the matter). Meanwhile, "education-minded" lawmakers on both sides of the aisle - instead of waiting for data to confirm or deny the spending they continue to spastically shout to their constituents that even more money needs to be spent on education. The message portrayed by those elected officials is almost like the increased spending encacted in sessions past is either non-existent, or "thanks for your money! We can do it better this time by spending money on the same programs".

Regardless of how much the state has spent taxpayer money to "relieve the burden" on our teachers by providing them with smaller classrooms, etc., statewide classroom comditions have NOT improved. Teachers rely more and more on the bargaining power of unions for state spending outide of what's already provided, and student continue to fail in ever increasing numbers.

Gregoire's budget proposal - Point Four

What's not mentioned in the two news items I've quoted in my initial posted is that Gregoire said that her budget proposal is akin to "spending money like a family would". In my family, if we were to budget for X amount of dollars in a year, and we were to come into some additional money, regardless of the source, we would use that money to pay existing bills, then sock away the rest for a financial crisis in the future. We would not, for example, spend the money on a digital flat-screen TV when we already have a television. The flat-screen would be nice, but the welfare of our family is not dependent on getting one. Nor would replacing our washer and dryer with new ones be. If something goes wrong with our TV, or with our appliances, we work around those problems, because we can't afford to put those items above our ability to pay our rent, our utility bills, etc. If the money in the state coffers were truly there to fund the sort of programs Gov. Gregoire is calling for, that would be nice. Tsunami warning systems? Great idea! But the "surplus" she's anxious to spend was gathered to pay for existing programs - it's not a new "revenue source". Budget-wise, what happened is that, under Gov. Locke, the state taxed everyone more than they thought they were, and now - instead of "paying bills like a family would", she wants to get a new flat-pannel TV on the assumption that everyone is dependent upon a cripser television image.

Gregoire's budget proposal - Point Three

Gov. Gregoire proposes to put $905 million into state coffers (to save for a "rainy day", I suppose), but at the same time, she proposed spending over $500 million for new programs and for teacher pay increases that were already voted down by state initiative.

Gregoire's budget proposal - Point Two

Today, Gov. Gregoire unveiled her supplemental budget proposal, which (to her credit) does not spend the entire $1.4 billion touted by her Democratic colleagues as a "surplus". NOTE: The $1.4 billion is not a surplus, though. It's tax moneys gathered to fund existing projects and programs. The majority of that money was collected through taxes enacted before the 2005 legislature "killed" the state spending cap, reinstated the constitutionally-illegal estate tax and enacted the heftiest tabacco and gas tax increases in state history.

Gregoire's budget proposal - Point One

Despite being in office for less than a year, Governor Gregoire's approval rating is abysmal. Regardless of how you consider the outcome of the 2004 gubernatorial election, Gregoire's assertion during her campaign that she would not support new statewide taxes (a campaign point she took from her opponent, Republican Dino Rossi), combined with her steadfast upholding of former Gov. Locke's tax policies (Locke, BTW, enacted more and higher tax increases than any other governor in state history), and her enthusiastic support of the bill that "killed" the I-601 state spending cap during the Democrat-controlled 2005 legislative session - the public opinion, by both Democrat and Republican voters, is that she's not doing what she said she would do.

Governor Gregoire unveils Supplemental Budget Proposal

About a week or so ago, it was disseminated to the public that the Washington State has a budget surplus of $1.4 billion. Shortly afterward, Governor Christine Gregoire announced she would release her Supplemental budget proposal, stressing to her Democratic colleagues in the legislature that the "extra" money in the state coffers was not to go for new programs, but to "pay the bills" (that is, existing expenses). Some R's (Republicans) in the legislature skeptically applauded her assertion that the money should cover existing programs. Some D's in the legislature took offense to what was construed by her as an indication that Democrats love to spend, spend, spend, and press releases were issued frantically to assuage the voting public that spending would be kept under control.

Today, Gov. Gregoire unveiled her budget proposal:

Gregoire releases budget that blends spending and savings

Governor Gregoire has proposed a supplemental budget that would take the one-point-four (b) billion dollar surplus and increase spending by about 500 (m) million dollars and put about 900 (m) million in savings. Her plan calls for 223 (m) million dollars in new or expanded spending on education, energy, pensions and Puget Sound cleanup. Her plan also includes 281 million for a teachers' pay hike, higher human services caseloads and school enrollments and health care. Gregoire wants to put 905 (m) million dollars into savings and paying down the state's pension liability. The supplemental budget adds to the two-year 26 (b) billion dollar spending plan that was approved earlier this year. The governor's proposal goes to the Legislature, which convenes January ninth.

Here's another one:

Washington governor wants to boost emergency systems

Washington coastal counties would get a new radio warning system for tsunamis under Governor Gregoire's plan to boost emergency preparedness. The governor's supplemental budget proposal to the Legislature includes half-a-million dollars to install hazard broadcasting radios (in Grays Harbor, Clallam, Jefferson and Pacific counties). She also is asking lawmakers for another half-million dollars to improve communication networks for emergency workers. Gregoire says lessons from the country's worst disasters have shown that the state should be ready for up to five days without help from the federal government.

In the interest of my readers, I will be making my rebuttal points one at a time (I've found excessivly long posting to be a real "snore", and I'm sure you do, too.)

Christmas gift worries

It's Christmastime, and once again, I worry about whether or not my niece and nephew will enjoy the presents Wifey and I have purchased for them. The kids are growing so quickly, and they are such clever kids, I wonder if what we got for them isn't up to their standards... Over the weekend, we purchased toys for them that were labelled "appropriate" for their ages. Earlier in the year, while on vacation in Canada, we also bought for them a couple of "thinking" gifts - where you "unearth" some archaeological treasures with tools in blocks of sandstone.

BTW - we got most of our Christmas shopping done over the weekend - something I do not recommend. If you've already finished your shopping, imagine bee-lining to Pier 1, than making your way to the local supermall. We shopped early Sunday morning, assuming that many shoppers would be at church, rather than buying gifts. As it turned out, a lot of other folks thought likewise. We still managed to finish our shopping for relatives, as well as buying a couple of gifts for Wifey. I'm still shopping for a particular set of PJs and slippers for Wifey, and she wants to get me a new computer for Christmas.

Twas The Night Before Christmas... in Washington State

Twas the night before Christmas, despite R'’s in the House,
tax increases were coming, for you and your spouse
The tax bills were hung by the chimney with care,
in the hopes that St. Gregoire soon would be there.

Voters were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of state spending danced in their heads.
And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
had just become friendly with a 601 cap.

When out on the roof there arose such a clatter,
I yelled from my bed, "“government shouldn'’t get fatter!"”
Away to the window I hastily made tracks,
to try to stem off an increasing gas tax.

But the mood of the voters in greater Seattle,
gave the lustre of slaughter in fat moon-eyed cattle,
when, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a Governor dressed like a quick marketeer.

Like a Gary Locke counterpart binary star,
I knew in a moment it must be Gregoire.
More rapid than eagles, her coursers they came,
and she whistled and shouted and called them by name:

"Now Brown! Now Doumit!
Now, Eidie and Franklin!
On, Prentice! Kastama!
On, Berkey and Haugen!
To the top of the porch!
To the top of the wall!
Now tax away! Tax away!
Tax away all!"

But before voters could say they'’ve had quite enough,
she backed a tax plan that told us all, "“tough!'”
Up to the capital, the Democrats they flew,
to increase state spending, saying "“601'’s through"”!

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the fly,
that R'’s want the gas tax to go bye-bye.
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
the Democrats poo-pooed the idea into the ground.

She campaigned "“no new taxes'”, but we found that was glossy,
a Dem-crafted try to campaign just like Rossi.
A bundle of tax increases flung on her back,
and increasing regulations on the fast-track.

Her eyes--how they twinkled! Her dimples, how merry!
like an anti-war protester backing John Kerry!
Her mouth was drawn up like a big Christmas bow,
with her lawmaking pen bathed in a Locke/Lowery glow.

Forget what the voters need, forget all the laws,
she said, "“let'’s enact an Emergency Clause!"”
"“Lets pass all the things that the people will need,
while feeding our collective left-leaning greed."”

She passed lots of increases, like a sly elf,
against her campaign and in spite of herself.
A wink of her eye and a twist of her head,
soon gave me to know that all tax breaks were dead.

She spoke not a word, but went straight to her work,
and filled the state coffers, then turned with a jerk.
And laying her finger aside of her nose,
she called for more WASL bucks, and KingCo pros.

She sprang to her sleigh, to her team gave a whistle,
and away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard her exclaim, 'ere she drove out of sight,
"You're screwed at the pump, and to all a good night!"