“It seems there are many visions of the oft described standard of successful achievement which leads our populace toward a variety of expectations.  Some of us expect only what we earn; others feel that just being here entitles them to the American Dream. “The American dream, to me, means having the opportunity to achieve . . . because I don't think you should be guaranteed anything other than opportunity.” -- Lenny Wilkens. “The American dream is, in part, responsible for a great deal of crime and violence because people feel that the country owes them not only a livin”  ...(more)

“It’s all over the national news this morning.  The jobless rate has jumped again.  Despite President Obama’s fundraising junket across the country, American optimism about an economic recovery continues to fall. Folks without jobs are thinking about mere subsistence, not about new cars, refrigerators, wardrobes and pricy restaurant meals.  Those with jobs are on the sam”  ...(more)

“As if there were not enough controversy already, another is making its way onto the scene.  Public education is working its way into attention of a broad scope of stockholders as a “broken” system.  Teachers unions, still clinging with tenacity to the rules and traditions won over the years in bloody skirmishes with state and federal administrations and legislative bodies and”  ...(more)

“One of the leading negative factors illegal immigration opponents cite is the population which evolves from children born to foreigners who are illegally living in the United States.  They call these kids “anchor babies." That description points to the hunch that mothers come here to give birth to youngsters who automatically become American citizens allowing their parents to remain as”  ...(more)

“Yup!  I’m one of those baseball fans.  And yes, I’m as disappointed with the Mariner performance as all their fans are.   They seem to get fairly decent pitching, but once someone gets on base they just can’t move him across home plate.  Lousy hitting – especially in the clutch.  They are just losing a ton of games by one or two runs; games their ”  ...(more)

“Commercial, service and retail enterprises in the private sector of America employing fewer than 50 workers are generally recognized as small business.  They are the source of 65% of national employment according to a variety of reports. And, at least half of the new jobs created.   With almost 10 out of 100 American wishing to work, out of a job, small businesses can be assumed to hav”  ...(more)

“Margret Thatcher is credited with saying:  “Socialism is great until you run out of other people’s money.”  However government run health delivery is labeled, it is “socialism.”While liberal Americans are hell bent to convert our private health care system into a socialistic program, Western Europe’s  50-year experiment with government plans is ra”  ...(more)

“Society again in is enduring a spate of social tinkering in the field of education.  Deven Black , Middle school special education and social studies teacher observes that the general education teachers at her school say only accomplishment should be reflected in grades. Most of the special education teachers say effort, even effort without accomplishment, should get a good grade.   In”  ...(more)

“There’s an awful lot of squawking these days about partsnship and statesmanship and civility and comity among others things Congress lacks that are plummeting  the public opinion of their performance.The public needs to know that all the partisan monkeyshines is about winning elections and has little to do with running the government, whatever level you’re talking about.   ”  ...(more)

“There’s an awful lot of squawking these days about partsnship and statesmanship and civility and comity among others things Congress lacks that are plummeting  the public opinion of their performance.   The public needs to know that all the partisan monkeyshines is about winning elections and has little to do with running the government, whatever level you’re talking about.”  ...(more)

“  The presence of the West Seattle Family YMCA and the Fauntleroy YMCA in West Seattle has uniformly beneficial to the community.  Though YMCA is an abbreviation of the organization’s founding name, Young Men’s Christian Association, folks here and I suppose wherever else a branch exists, usually refer to the facility as the “Y.”  So the parent organization ”  ...(more)

“Stuff may refer to: items, things, or matter.  Stuff may also refer to: woven cloth or fabric, usually woolen (mainly United Kingdom); a substance which is often placed in cavities of food items, i.e., Thanksgiving turkeys; a child's soft toy, stuffed or preserved animals, created through the art of taxidermy. Well, you get the idea.  The word is the classic catchall for “stuff”  ...(more)

“  If you follow the news at all, you must feel deluged by an overdose of ideology on the subject of immigration.  I’ve tried to keep a sensible viewpoint while appreciating the views of the stakeholders in this debate.   First; the federal government has done a dismal job of enforcing its own laws embodied in the U.S. Immigration Act of 1924.  Prior to its enactment, i”  ...(more)

“ The explosion in the BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has re-introduced the periodically debated provisions of long-standing maritime law which arise in times when their application is inconvenient in the solution of some problem involving the intrusion of foreign flag vessels into American waters and movement between American ports. Case in point: The Jones Act is preventing the use of availa”  ...(more)

“The nation is divided by three widely separated views of the world and America’s place in it.  The liberal view sees civilization as a one world order. The conservative view insists on U. S. autonomy, insulated from foreign control at any level. Is it possible to find common ground between them?   At one extreme, liberal idealists would sacrifice American “exceptioanali”  ...(more)

“If you expect much benefit from the Wednesday vote for new sanctions against Iran in the United Nations, don’t hold your breath.  The document is replete with patty-cake language like “suggests,” “urges,” “asks,” words that allow nations to sidestep the so-called tough provisions of the sanctions they have agreed to impose.   I am no fan of dip”  ...(more)

“Lornet Turnbull, writing for the Seattle Times, Monday, June 14, a little-noticed attitude of another element of the swirling immigration debate – naturalized Americans. This is the group of citizens who entered the country lawfully and chose to become American citizens.   To become citizens, legal immigrants must be over 18 and show they have lived continuously in the United States f”  ...(more)

“WASHINGTON June 17, 2010  The National Labor relations Board’s considered and ruled on over 500 cases before two members when a minimum of three is required. A  U. S. Supreme Court opinion made public today.   Allowing two members to run the agency because Congress and the White House can't agree on new members would be letting the board "create a tail that would not only wa”  ...(more)

“With a troublesome level of gang criminality, inadequate firefighting facilities and little job creation, annexation of White Center would exacerbate the woeful problems of cash-strapped Seattle.   With the immigration issue on the front burner, a lot of extreme solutions are being promoted these days; everything from military force along the borders with orders to shoot first, to making Me”  ...(more)

“To use an old reference; if we can put a man on the moon, why can’t we seal up that oil leak . . . STOP THE DAMN THING!   Good thought, but you and I haven’t got the job of solving a seemingly impossible problem. Stii, if your thinking about it as I am, some ideas must be floating through your mind.   For example, why nat emulate a whale an gather up the spill like the wo”  ...(more)

“We're back from vacation and ready to roll with new stories and continued development on the site.   Regardless of the justification for firing General Stanley McChrystal’s as top general in Afghanistan campaign, it occurs to me that some lessons are to be learned from a stupid incident.   I have been unable to dredge up a copy of the Rolling Stone story which provided the dust”  ...(more)

“First it was Lena Horne, whose singing style could wring the last vestige of emotion from the songs she made hits on recordings, radio, TV and films.  She was one of the most courageous, talented and beautiful women in entertainment world. Her passing at the age of 92 was a statement to her capability through many racial barriers she confronted in her long, successful career.  I remember”  ...(more)

“What began as a project to satisfy the 2009-2010 theme of Kiwanis’ Pacific Northwest District Governor Patrick Ewing of Victoria, BC, has escalated into a big deal.  Ewing has a soft spot in his heart for “man’s best friend.” It seems that pet owners have gotten pretty enthusiastic about exercising their pooches in off-leash parks and they are popular exercise and dogg”  ...(more)

“This week I got an elaborate full color, four page brochure from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  It was titled, ”Medicare and the New Law – What it Means to You.”  It was disguised as an instructional piece for seniors, but had all the earmarks of a political mailer aimed at softening the growing opposition of seniors to Obama Care.   As the devili”  ...(more)

“My attention was captured today, by an Associated Press story by Rachel La Corte.  She was pointing to two 2007 statutes passed with the enthusiastic approval of the Democratic majorities in both House and Senate in the 2007 Washington State Legislature.   Sen. Karen Keise r (D-Kent), sponsored the tax refund measure in the Senate. She’s unhappy with the funding fallout.  Th”  ...(more)

“For those of us incline to take an interest, none of the issues on our plate commands near the attention devoted to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Among those most interested are politicians seeking to use the tragedy for political advantage while escaping the negative outfall of the negative blame game.   Realistically, there’s plenty of blame to spread among all the players.&n”  ...(more)

“While Senator John McCain was on his way back to the Hill from a meeting to discuss border security in the oval office, President Barack Obama ordered up to 1,200 additional National Guard troops to the border area and requesting an additional $500 million from Congress to slow the flow of migrants.   Besides the troops, the money would be targeted at Justice Department and Department of Ho”  ...(more)

“If you think the political skullduggery over health care, energy and immigration has been out of sight, take a look at the high stakes Wall Street makeover, now in conference.  The resulting overhaul of the banking and investment industry was supposed to have a section putting the clamps on derivative trading scrubbed out.  At least that’s what the high rollers have counted on thei”  ...(more)

“The prescription drugs in your own medicine cabinet can be the most dangerous source of abuse among your teen-aged sons and daughters and their friends who may visiting them.  This source of narcotics is usually innocently unsupervised and available to any youngster able to reach it.   Pain killers are frequently prescribed by physicians and dentists to ease the discomfort during post-”  ...(more)

“I don’t mean to characterize the subject as Ho-hum.  However, most of us in the area thought that replacing the Alaska Way Viaduct with a tunnel under First Avenue was a done deal.  And now, we learn that the Mayor, who campaigned on killing the project, is still at odds with the City Council which has voted to support it.   A story in this morning’s Seattle Times (5/1”  ...(more)

“In the Political foray swirling about the D. C. Beltway these days, Wall Street, Arizona’s illegals statute, unemployment, the Gulf Oil Spill and Cap-and-Trade issues are using up the supply of blame.  With the November 2010 election lurking on the horizon, both newbie and veteran members of Congess – both parties -- are looking over their shoulders with job security in mind. The ”  ...(more)

“You may have a Libertarian bias against the questions asked of all American homes by the U. S. Census Bureau.  However, the final report they deliver to the President early next year will have some important local consequences.   When the numbers filter down to States early next year, they’ll dictate how many congressional districts Washington has for the next ten years.  Pu”  ...(more)

“Surprise, surprise, an AP reporter finally discovered that Congress writes too many vague laws. A story by Mark Sherman released at 3:17 a.m. (Eastern Time) Tuesday, May 4 detailed the grim news.  He kicked off the piece reporting, ”A conservative think tank (Heritage Foundation) and criminal defense lawyers are forming an unusual alliance to try to get Congress to quit writing criminal”  ...(more)

“An electronic medical record is usually a computerized legal medical record created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital, clinic or medical office.  Current Electronic medical records usually are a part of a local in-house health information system that allows storage, retrieval and manipulation of records by doctors, nurses and ancillary personnel armed with appropr”  ...(more)

“An unscientific, on line poll by FOX News drew 23,534 responses by viewers with opinions of who should be responsible for cleaning up the Gulf Coast oils spill. 76% believed Both British Petroleum, owner of the exploded rig and the feds should be working together to combat the oil spill before any more damage is done.  I agree.  The wise approach is to get everyone qualified and avail”  ...(more)

“I’m grateful for an opportunity to step away from the stench of unstateman-like politics and pay a little respect to a guy who didn’t mess around with trivia while he “got the job done.”  He didn’t need to pull any shenanigans to keep his job.   I have in mind today’s (April 30, 2010) announcement that Seahawk icon Walter Jones has hung up his jock. ”  ...(more)

“The State of Arizona has really stuck its finger in the eye of traditional politics with an explosive solution to its problems with illegal aliens. Proponents and opponents are lining up with political opportunists in an effort to make political hay by turning an inflammatory issue into an advantage in an election year.  The fallout will not be confined to the State of Arizona, but has natio”  ...(more)

“It appears that current job creation is primarily in federal government agencies. With an infinite limit on funding sources, it’s safe to predict there will be vicious competition for available dollars.   Everyone will be in a protection mode to save their own jobs and bennies – from the President down to the dog catcher.   Meanwhile, legislative bodies – state”  ...(more)

“What in God’s name are “derivatives?” My suspicion that they are sneaky instruments of wildly speculative gambling has led me to a little web-world digging. I admit I’m no more than marginally informed; knowing about enough to be dangerous.   I remember a scandal a decade or so ago where a California city manager was fired for investing municipal funds in deriva”  ...(more)

“It appears that current job creation is primarily in federal government agencies. With an infinite limit on funding sources, it’s safe to predict there will be vicious competition for available dollars.   Everyone will be in a protection mode to save their own jobs and bennies – from the President down to the dog catcher.   Meanwhile, legislative bodies – state”  ...(more)

“School districts across the nation appear to be faced tough belt tightening. They are telling a whole lot of teachers that their jobs may be scrubbed in June. Diminished of their customary money sources, — state sales and property taxes — they have felt the bite of the economic downturn. And, the federal stimulus bailout for education is running – barely – on emp”  ...(more)

“To be honest, there are already too few physicians in family practice, especially in many inner-city and suburban areas. The addition of 30 million insured people to the patient load certainly will exacerbate the problem.   Some of the extra load will be absorbed by ancillary providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. With few doctors in solo practice or clinics, ”  ...(more)

“It’s certainly fair to observe that school kids’ exposure to creative art has lagged appreciably over the past two or three decades. With education in general focused on social services, languages, math and science, creative arts have a hard time fitting into shrinking budgets. Though the state constitution mandates state support of education, the interpretation of the term ̶”  ...(more)

“The excruciating slicing and dicing of Washington’s recently enacted budget, product of a month long extra session of the legislature, reveals some cuts along with an array of picky-picky taxes designed to achieve a mandatory balanced posture.   The cuts interestingly subject the state work force to some of the squeeze being felt by a broad swath of folks in the private sector.  ”  ...(more)

“There’s been a lot of chatter recently about the direction the Democratic majority is taking the nation.  I wonder if the rank and file of the party really want to live in a Socialistic Society; much less, in a totalitarian-ruled nation. If you are one who embraces a political philosophy without scrutinizing the motivation of its leaders, “be careful what you’re asking ”  ...(more)

“Well, folks, if you got your IRS tax return under the deadline wire on April 15, breathe a sigh of relief. Timely filing is probably the only thing you’ll enjoy in the process. Ever heard the quip, If I don’t laugh, I’m afraid I’ll cry? Today, April 16, while meandering through the worldwide web, I chanced to run across the following list of humorous pokes at this do”  ...(more)

“47 nations have been represented for the past two days at a White House summit. Despite the flurry of media coverage, I’m darned if I know what the conference hopes to accomplish. Frankly, I find myself more than a little irked by all the ceremonial scraping and bowing; especially toward the tyrannical nut-cases of the world. I’m reminded of a phrase in Christian doctrine that refers”  ...(more)

“As the deficits in government treasuries – state and federal – mount, the urge or necessity to find new sources to tax is on the front burner in state legislatures and in the U. S. Congress. This morning on the tube there was some frenetic discussion of value added taxes, widely popular in Europe and Asia where cradle to the grave welfare is eating up more than half of gross natio”  ...(more)

“As one who has experienced a ballpark menu limited to hot dogs, soda and peanuts – can’t remember Cracker Jacks at Dugdale Field, Civic Field, Sick’s Stadium or the Kingdome.  I’m encouraged by the choices of cuisine available at Safeco Field. At least, the improvements have outstripped the 2010 Mariners. Their season is off to a rough start. I’m sure ”  ...(more)

“On a recent Saturday, I had an interesting experience. I sat in front of a local food market tending a donation barrel for the West Seattle Food Bank. The store which features natural foods has a fascinating stock of produce, grocery and health products unavailable in most markets. The patronage on an overcast, but dry day was continuously brisk and seemed to attract a loyal custome”  ...(more)

“In an admittedly unscientific poll posted today (April 9, 2010), Fox.com asked responders to express their concerns about the futures of coming generations. The queries and the percentages of participants choosing each of the listed reasons their kids, grandkids and great grandkids will be in for tough futures are listed were offered as follows: Our country is sinking under a mountain of d”  ...(more)

“For a nation of people aggressively protective of privacy, Americans seem even more intense about “Freedom of Information.”  Congress has enacted laws governing both and so have many states, including Washington. According to the U. S. Department of health and Human Services website the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 (P.L.104-191) (HIPAA) Priv”  ...(more)

“One time I had a customer refuse to pay a bill because he thought the item I’d had made for him was overpriced. I responded that it cost me $40 and hour to complete the work. “You don’t pay your help that much,“ he responded. “Of course not,” I said. “But in addition to their salary, I pony up payroll taxes, rent, insurance, permits, license”  ...(more)

“One hopes the devil in the details of the atomic missile treaty agreed to by President Obama and President Medvedev of the Soviet Union pans out as satisfactorily as its announcement predicts.  Slim Pickens riding a bomb in the movieDr. Strangelove. The Russians still got a dig in. Prior to Obama’s official White House Announcement, Friday, March 26, FOX News was reporting that the p”  ...(more)

“The good news is that King County will be penalized half as much. The bad news is that $371,000 is a pile of bucks for a county government strapped for cash. In my usual scan of the items posted in the on line version of yesterday’s Seattle Times, my interest focused on a story by Gene Johnson on the Associated Press wire. To his credit, Johnson didn’t pound the Fourth E”  ...(more)

“In the midst of a public spasm of sports and political luminaries forsaking their reputations to embrace risky behavior the consequences damage many others besides themselves.  Paramount among the values sacrificed is the trust of family, friends and associates.  Like dropping a pebble in a pool of water, the agitation of the pool is most noticed at the point of entry, but the ripples co”  ...(more)

“Amongst all the gut-wrenching animosity of recent political turmoil, It’s hard to remember any smiling countenances.  Well, put those scowls away.  I’ve dug up something to ratchet up your good cheer.  At least, for those of us who are sports fans?   A dismal half decade among the local teams has begun to turn optimistic.  In all likelihood The Seahawks, Husk”  ...(more)

“It should surprise no-one that Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna ® has latched onto the suit filed in Pensacola, FL today, attacking the constitutionality of Obamacare. Nor is it any more surprising that Governor Chris Gregoire (D) is vitriolicly lashing back.  WA State Att.General,Rob McKenna (r)    WA State Gov.Chris Gregoire (d)It’s not lost on th”  ...(more)

“It seems that the more you rely on your computer to manage your life, the greater your risking your life, your fortune and your sacred honor – especially in SEATTLE.Symantec, owners and marketers of Norton antivirus products, has ccompared the number of cyberattacks, malware infections, spam zombies and so on with the prevalence of wireless hotspots, frequency of online purchases, number of ”  ...(more)

“I fervently hope everything works out OK.   I am, however, saddened by the widening gulf between two vastly different ideologies.  To me, the essence is disagreement between half of the people, passionate about individual responsibility and half as firmly embracing group responsibility.   Despite the enactment of Obamacare the chasm will continue to widen.  The vitrio”  ...(more)

“According to the on-line encyclopedia Wikipedia, A blog (a contraction of the term "web log")[1] is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video (sometimes referred to as a Vlog). Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning ”  ...(more)

“Recent tests given to students in our most prestigous universities reveal a serious shortage of knowledge about the most fundamental aspects of American history and who governs them and how their government works.  Why?  Am I missing something? U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) put it succinctly in 2001 when he said,  “At a time when we are asking young Americans to ”  ...(more)

“In the current blame game concerning skyrocketing health care costs, fees for physician services have experience their share of scrutiny.  In the interest of fairness we should all take a look at what it takes to become a physician and the economics of the focal player in the health care industry.   It’s a long tough road from ambitious calling to patient care giving.  A”  ...(more)

“You can’t run an election campaign any cheaper. That is, I mean unopposed; where an incumbent is so safe in his/her office seat no one will invest the time and money to run against them.  That’s pretty much the way things are tin Western Washington – Oregon and California, too. What we have at present is one-party rule, except in rare instances.  While this may afford s”  ...(more)

“A whole bunch of buzz words seem to complicating the financial world.  Words never part of the vernacular I grew up with.  My mother – she managed our household income and expenses – put her philosophy pretty directly.  “You never spend more that you earn.”  I’m sure she never heard of a derivative or a hedge fund.  By their very nature they w”  ...(more)