Election Predictions 2010

Election Predictions:

11 Republican new seats in the Senate, including a win for Dino Rossi in Washington.

70 seat Republican pick-up in the House.

YES 1100 --- NO 1105

Regarding the Washington State election, most of the issues are clear. However there are two different initiatives to privatise State liquor stores. (As with soda pop, which another measure wants to stop taxing, I never touch the stuff.) Go to this site to find out the difference.

"http://yes1100no1105.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-are-differences-between-1100-and.html?spref=bl"

Apparently, 1105 designates certain private distributors as the only source for liquor sold in the state. That makes no sense to me. The point is to free it up. As usual, there will be businesses that use the police powers of government to support their enterprises. I never said business is always ethical. I have said that free competition can only come about without government intervention. That is what initiative 1100 aims for and I hope can deliver. Many commentators have the "It's Golden" Blogovich attitude when they see all of the revenue from liquor sales. In other words, they want to skim some off for themselves or for the State. (Which, for state employee unions is the same thing.)

Other Washington State Ballot Measures:

Initiative #1053 -- The voters keep passing initiates requiring two-thirds legislative votes or voter approval to raise taxes. The legislature keeps repealing the peoples wishes. (and you wonder why this is called chickenshitnewworld). Vote yes to reinstate the requirement. (The legislature MUST cut spending, not raise taxes, get it?)

Initiative #1082 Vote Yes to end the state monopoly on workers compensation insurance. Companies would be able to purchase private insurance, which would have to comply with state guidelines. This would eliminate the higher cost of inefficient government services and save the state and businesses money. It is a step in the right direction.

Initiative #1098 No, a thousand times no on state income tax. (I suggest a voluntary state income tax for a few millionaires who have publicly supported it. Oh, excuse me Mr. Gates, I meant billionaires.)

Initiative #1107 - Yes, obviously. This would reverse interesting government attempts to nudge us by tax laws into "green" or other "socially desirable" behavior. (Tax on candy and carbonated beverages and a few other benign sounding recent legislative enactments. Kick that camel in the noise. There's no room for him in this big tent.)

Referendum #52 To authorise funds, via a bond issue, for "energy efficient" construction projects in schools. I am surprised they let us vote on this. Vote no, no, no. Do not trust anything that they call energy efficient. That would no doubt include every lamebrain "green" proposal that their brother-in-law's company came up with. Environmentalist seem incapable or unwilling to make break-even calculations to determine what is actually efficient. This smells like another environmental boondoggle scam.

Senate Joint Resolution #8225 would amend the State Constitution to use an accounting gimmick to raise the State debt limit. The Statement For in the voter pamphlet is either disingenuous or leaves something out. This, I believe, has nothing to do with whether the State receives federal money as they seem to suggest. The federal government is, for now, giving states money for shovel ready projects. This will not last long (we hope). The resolution would allow more state borrowing, based upon receipt of those funds. The payments on that borrowing would last a long time. As Rep. Jim McCune in the Argument Against states, "Change our addiction to spending, not our constitution. Vote no."

House Joint Resolution #4220 would amend the constitution to allow courts to deny bail to those accused of a crime possibility punishable with a life sentence. I do not like the idea of legislation tying the hands of the court regarding sentencing or bail. It would be reasonable to deny bail to anyone who is likely to commit other violent crimes. I think I will vote yes on this because it is not mandatory on the court. On the other hand, it could encourage changing sentencing guidelines toward more life sentences. I do not support mandatory sentencing either. The constitution should not be amended lightly. Courts already are able to impose very high bail requirements in cases where there is a propensity to violence. Maybe it should stay as it is for now. Your choice.

The Federal Offices:

Dino Rossi over Patty Murray, of course. In Dino's radio and television spots, he comes across like a candidate for Certified Public Accountant. He says the right things in a passionless way. That seems to be his only weakness. (I do not think he would ever vote for Cap-and-Trade, which was my only fear about him originally.) In any case, he gets a score of 95 to Patty Murray's 0. If she ever voted other that liberal statist progressive down the line, I do not know when. (Not that she seems to know what Statist Progressivism is. She needs to educate herself regarding the other side of the argument. The argument between freedom and tyranny, that is.)


Doug Cloud to replace Norm Dicks

Keep Dave Reichert, instead of Suzan DelBene

Dick Muri, not Adam Smith

Unlikely Saviors of Capitalism and the Nation

Tonight Washington State Senatorial candidates Pattie Murray (D) and Dino Rossi (R) debated. Mr. Rossi has a record in the Washington State Legislature of cost cutting to balance the budget. Senator Murray has a voting record in the US Senate making her the most liberal member of that body. She is running away from that record to a certain extent while also reminding voters of government money that she brought to the state. Dino reminded us of the practice in congress that our representatives use to get support for spending in their state. They vote for projects in other states in exchange. Dino Rossi is no RINO (Republican in Name only), but neither is he a Tea Partier. He seemed to be lack-luster in his early TV spots denouncing the Obama policies. He seems to be only half-heartedly against Cap-and-Trade, if he is against it at all. Nevertheless, his vote will be 90% conservative as apposed to Murray's 99% in favor of BHO and Majority Leader Harry Reid's agenda. Several other House and Senate races involve similar match ups. The Republicans and the nation need to win a majority of those races.

The conservative view is that economic difficulties stem from government intervention in the economy. Rossi gives this view lip service. Senator Murray does not seem to even understand the concept. Our current national economic problems were caused not only by decades of government actions but specifically by laws requiring banks to loan to bad credit risks. Because Freddy and Fanny were buying most of these loans from the banks, the banks were not too worried. The government was implicitly promising a bail-out if needed, and it was needed. All kinds of other bail-outs and government 'stimulus' spending followed. Those government actions are what is causing the current economic slow-down. It will turn into economic collapse unless we change course immediately.

BHO and his allies in congress have taken over the domestic auto industry, except for Ford Motor Company. They have taken over the biggest insurance company directly, and through the health care law, have taken over all of the health insurance industry. They have directly taken over many banks and investment companies and through the Wall Street 'Reform' bill, have effectively taken over all of the rest of that industry. In the Health Care bill there were provisions to take over more aspects of the economy, student loans, for instance. The laws granting bail-outs to state teachers and other government employees, have taken more control from the states over these employees. Many, many, laws and obscure provisions hidden in the massive Wall Street and Health Care monstrosities, set up new government agencies to control the people even more. Now, with Cap-and-Trade, they plan on controlling energy production, use, and distribution. Those industries are already highly regulated. To help them gain and keep control over the people, they want even more control over the Internet and talk radio. Since they already have control of the mainstream TV and print media, they will gain virtual complete say over what we, the people, are told to believe.

These massive government actions, most of which are for political not economic purposed, will not help the economy. In fact they are causing many problems that continue to get worse. As stated here and elsewhere, prices must lower and bankrupt concerns must be liquidated for markets to return to normal functioning. That is not happening. Government is creating money and debt at breakneck speed to shore-up housing prices, wages, and many industries (such as banking). This is postponing the inevitable and making the inevitable worse. Even if Republicans were to gain control in congress, there would likely be a long uphill climb.

Regarding Senate races, after the debacle of Reid's performance in his debate with Sharon Angle today, his chances of retaining his seat declined dramatically.

Washington State Demos Support BHO Agenda (Openly)

The local television campaign ads may not be examples of all that is wrong with American politics, but they are not far from it. Democrat Senator Patty Murry says that Dino Rossi is a pawn of big corporations, especially Wall Street. To prove it, she plays a short clip in which Dino says he would vote to repeal the Wall Street Reform Bill. He should have said he would repeal the Wall Street so-called reform bill. Obviously no one is against reform but he opposes the bill for what is in it, not for its title. The bill is over 2,000 pages of who knows what. Like the other bills passed by the sitting Democrats with the help of a few Rinos, it enacts into law more of the socialistic, state control agenda of the far left.

This blog and many others along with talk radio have explained some of the aims of recent Wall Street take-over attempts by government. The Party's primary purpose is to funnel power and money to the constituent groups of Barack Obama and his leftist associates, and Wall Street is where the power and money is. Mr. Rossi should obviously want it repealed. Unfortunately, his message is, "Our problems did not start yesterday, but I will start fixing them tomorrow." A Tea Party candidate would go to the the heart of the current debate and point out that Democrat Party socialistic policies are what caused our problems. In other states, the Democrat candidates are facing that kind of opposition and respond by disavowing their support of Obama / Pelosi / Ried. Unfortunately, almost all these 'blue dog' Democrats vote with their party when they are back in Washington, DC. In Washington State, the Demo's don't have to distance themselves from their Masters in the other Washington.