It’s election time again! Oh joy.... This year is a bit different. The corruption in our society has reached such absurd levels that radical action is called for. From a government that ignores climate science to to one that allows parasites to commit endless financial crimes we have to do something very, very different because doing the same doesn’t work. For me that means stopping to vote for the parasite’s fully paid off lackeys, otherwise known as the Republican and Democratic parties. The parasites have sucked in enough cash and gotten enough court decisions to put themselves in absolute control of our politicians. So the only hope short of full revolution is to stop voting for the lackeys. So this year, with the honorable exception of Jim McDermott, I’m not voting for anyone who is part of or wants to be part of the Republican or Democratic parties.
Republocrat of Democan? As Clinton, Bush and now Obama have shown it just doesn’t matter which party we vote for. The results are the same. A tiny percentage of the country, the ones who pay for the bulk of the money in the elections, call the tune and the rest of the country be damned. The end result is a breathtaking level of corruption that has eaten away our most fundamental freedoms (such as the inalienable right to an inhabitable planet), our social protections and our economy. From the Libor scandal (which we know that American Treasury officials were fully aware of and did nothing about), to the mortgage scandal to the bail out scandal to the lack of meaningful healthcare (and no, Obamacare/Romneycare did not solve this by a long shot, millions will still be left uninsured and the insurance anti-trust exemption is still not touched) to a president who kills his own citizens in a star chamber, we have reached such a deep low that I can only wonder if America’s time is up. Every civilization eventually falls, maybe it’s now our turn?
But in the meantime because I’m part of the reasonably rich class I’m still allowed to vote (a right that Republicans in particular are working overtime to remove from those who aren’t sufficiently well off) so I have an obligation to use that vote. And the way I’m going to use it is not to vote for the lackeys of the parasites who have taken control of our government and our country. I am not going to fall anymore for the usual lie that there is some meaningful difference between the parties. Especially after Citizens United there is no difference. Their policies are identical in every meaningful way and I object to those policies across the board. So at the very least I can stop voting for the lackeys.
Instead I will only vote for independents. Where there is no independent or where all the independents who are running are wing nuts I will leave the position blank. Leaving a position blank makes me feel nauseous. But I believe it serves as a signal to independents who are waiting in the wings that there are people out there who will vote for them. That’s the difference, I think, between leaving part of a ballot blank and not voting at all. When someone doesn’t vote at all it’s unclear if they are lazy, disengaged or angry with the choices on offer. But when someone submits a ballot but leaves positions blank it is more likely (although I admit not guaranteed) that they did so because they hated all the choices and wanted another. Not a perfect measure of sentiment, I agree, but at least it’s something.
That all having been said occasionally there are people who really rise above their party and through long hard work have proven themselves to be honorable. One of those exceptions is Jim McDermott and I’ll be voting for him even though he is a Democrat.
- City of Seattle - Proposition No. 1 - Regular Tax Levy Including Seattle Public Libraries - Yes
- King County Proposition No. 1 - Children and Family Services center Capital Levy - Approved
- United States Senator - Blank
- United States Representative Congressional District No. 7 - Jim McDermott
- Governor - Christian Joubert
- Lieutenant Governor - James Robert Deal
- Secretary of State - David J. Anderson
- State Treasurer - Blank
- State Auditor - Blank
- Attorney General - Blank
- Commissioner of Public Lands - Stephen A. Sharon
- Superintendent of Public Instruction - James Bauckman
- Insurance Commissioner - Brian C. Berend
- Legislative District No. 46 - State Senator - Blank
- Legislative District No. 46 - Representative Position No. 1 - Blank
- Legislative District No. 46 - Representative Position No. 2 - Blank
- State Supreme Court - Justice Position No. 2 - Blank
- State Supreme Court - Justice Position No. 8 - Blank
- State Supreme Court - Justice Position No. 9 - Blank
- Court of Appeals - Division No. 1 - District No. 1 - Justice Position No. 4 - Ronald E. Cox
- Court of Appeals - Division No. 1 - District No. 1 - Justice Position No. 7 - Marlin Appelwick
- Superior Court - Judge Position No. 25 - Eric Schmidt
- Superior Court - Judge Position No. 29 - Hong Tran
- Superior Court - Judge Position No. 30 - Blank
- Superior Court - Judge Position No. 42 - Sue Parisien
- Superior Court - Judge Position No. 46 - Blank
City of Seattle - Proposition No. 1 - Regular Tax Levy Including Seattle Public Libraries - Yes
This proposition would raise property taxes to pay for the library. Property taxes are one of the very few progressive taxation methods available in Washington State. I do have sympathy for the argument made by those against this proposition that the library should have a stable funding source and not special levies. But I also see the experience of the King County Library system (of which Seattle is not a party) which has its own permanent tax levy that results in an awe inspiringly amazing library system. Seattle’s library isn’t in the same league and I suspect that levies are the only hope for getting it there so it’s not a constant political football. I would just like to see a permanent levy but for now I’ll take what I can get.
King County Proposition No. 1 - Children and Family Services center Capital Levy - Approved
This levy will raise funds to fix the children and family justice center facilities. Using property tax to do this makes sense as it’s one of the least regressive options we have available in Washington state given that we don’t have an income tax.
United States Senator - Blank
The only independent candidate is Will Baker and honestly he’s um... a bit out there. So this literally leaves me no one to vote for. But I believe it’s better to intentionally leave this section blank so as to send a message to potential (seriously) third party candidates that if they show up there are voters who will vote for them.
United States Representative Congressional District No. 7 - Jim McDermott
Jim McDermott is my one exception to the no Republican/Democrat rule. He has served his constituents with high honor. He even voted against the Patriot Act. Something that took real courage. As for his independent opponent, goodspaceguy, um... yeah.
Governor - Christian Joubert
James White I can’t say his resume does much for me. I think before you run for a position like governor you should have some serious executive and electoral experience.
Christian Joubert Last time Joubert ran I called his website ’scary’ and he actually responded to that comment on my website. I think his website is slightly less scary than it used to be. And the website certainly presents an expanded focus. In the end I’m voting for him mostly because things are so bad we have to take some kind of risks if we want any hope of making things better. Voting for status quo candidates like Inslee or McKenna aren’t going to help put people back to work or keep our environment from deteriorating further.
L. Dale Sorgen The first comment on his election pamphlet is “I have no experience collecting a government paycheck.” What a deeply disrespectful thing to say. I have nothing but respect for the people who take pay cuts to work for government and help serve us all. And yes, pay cuts, it’s true that the average government employee makes more than the average non-government employee but that’s irrelevant since when you adjust for equal experience/education people working for government make less than those who have equal experience/education in the private sector.
Lieutenant Governor - James Robert Deal
None of the candidates really get me super excited but we really need to change the people in government to folks who aren’t beholden to the corrupt infrastructure that is drowning us and Mr. Deal seems to at least be focused.
James Robert Deal A fairly conventional tree hugger type with a real focus on the possible dangers of Fluoride. I’ve long been unsure about the whole Fluoride issue, it sounds too much like a conspiracy theory.
Dave T. Sumner IV The voter pamphlet description sounds like stereotypical angry person. As the saying goes, if you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention. But it takes more than anger to be Lieutenant Governor. It takes... um... the ability to sit in a seat?
Mark Greene I’d like to see more experience before taking an office this high (although, to be fair, it doesn’t seem to actually do anything) but at least he is very active in the community. Unfortunately his websites don’t say much and he mainly seems to be pushing Darcer Burner as opposed to his own candidacy.
Secretary of State - David J. Anderson
David J. Anderson Well at least he says the right things in terms of trying to rip districts out of the hands of the politicians but I don’t think he can actually accomplish much since my understanding is that most of the real power in these areas is firmly in the hands of the legislature.
Sam Wright His candidacy seems more about promoting his new party than actually running for the position.
Karen Murray The constitution party has a bunch of fairly unpleasant beliefs like no immigration, no right to choose, etc. So next.
State Treasurer - Blank
There are no independent candidates for me to vote for.
State Auditor - Blank
There are no independent candidates for me to vote for.
Attorney General - Blank
There are no independent candidates for me to vote for.
Commissioner of Public Lands - Stephen A. Sharon
O.k. he is a bit out there but his heart seems in the right place.
Superintendent of Public Instruction - James Bauckman
James Bauckman He wants lots of nice things but doesn’t explain how he will make them happen. I actually wanted to vote for John Patterson Blair since he actually has a concrete plan. Unfortunately the plan scares me to death. So I’m stuck with Mr. no commitment. Note that although it’s pretty clear that Mr. Bauckman is actually a Democrat he has raised no money so any debts he owes are in the future.
Randy Dorn He has so far raised over $123,361. As opposed to the other candidates who have raised nothing. If you are taking that much money you have to earn it. I don’t want a Superintended with political masters. Next.
Don Hansler He wants full school funding but a ban on school levies and elimination of state business taxes? Um... o.k. It seems like he wants to spend money, just not raise it. And the rest of his goals seem odd, like how having three levels of diploma will help or exactly what are his issues with the state testing system (of which I can imagine many but he doesn’t talk about them). Apparently I can e-mail him for his book but really that’s a bit much. How about a nice website? Next.
John Patterson Blair He basically wants school vouchers. He does try to address some of the flaws in school voucher programs, such as only allowing the vouchers to be used at schools that only accept vouchers and fill at least 80% of their openings without qualifications and don’t allow religion. Reasonable enough. But I suspect that will just turn into what we have now, only worse. Today, in Seattle, all public schools are free but they aren’t equal because school funding is awful and in rich areas parents can use the PTSA to dump in more money (something I’ll be doing) while poor schools can’t. I have trouble seeing how a voucher program won’t just make that worse. And in practice poor parents can’t really put their kids into just ’any’ school due to mobility and time restrictions. So it will be rich parents who really get the value from vouchers. The real killer in this plan is that schools can dismiss students who don’t meet their educational and behavioral goals. Public schools aren’t allowed to give up and this particular exemption is just custom written to let schools pick the ’right’ (right money, right religion, right attitude) students and keep out the ’wrong’ ones. No thanks.
Ronald L. (Ron) Higgins - Sigh... Yeah. Next.
Insurance Commissioner - Brian C. Berend
The only independent candidate is Brian C. Berend who owns an insurance agency! I mean, come on. But he has raised almost no money (around $5k) and well, he doesn’t seem completely nuts. So I guess I’ll vote to put the fox in charge of the hen house. O.k. O.k. I’m being bad. I really should leave this blank but I really do like voting for someone if I possibly can.
Legislative District No. 46 State Senator - Blank
There are no independent candidates for me to vote for.
Legislative District No. 46 - Representative Position No. 1 - Blank
There are no independent candidates for me to vote for.
Legislative District No. 46 - Representative Position No. 2 - Blank
Stan Lippmann is either out there or covering all his bases. I have no idea which but without further useful information I really have no one to vote for.
State Supreme Court - Justice Position No. 2 - Blank
When it comes to voting for judges I look for a few things. First, who rates them as qualified? I’m certainly not qualified to know. The other thing I look for is how much money they raised. The more they raise, the less likely I am to vote for them. Thankfully the excellent website votingforjudges makes both pieces of information easily available!
I am unwilling to vote for the obvious candidate, Susan Owens because she is just another cog in the payola machine, so I really have no one to vote for who I think is qualified.
Douglas W. McQuaid He has raised no money and refuses to have himself rated which is deeply worrying. He also doesn’t really give any insight into his judicial philosophy besides saying he isn’t corrupt. “I’m not a crook” has never been a particularly good tag line.
Susan Owens She is the incumbent and has raised $83,867 so far. Everybody on earth seems to love her.
Scott Stafne He has raised no money, has been rated unqualified by just about everyone but at least has a website. Oh joy.
State Supreme Court - Justice Position No. 8 - Blank
It doesn’t seem like Mr. Danielson is qualified and Mr. Gonzalez’s fund raising puts him beyond the pale, so again, no one to vote for.
Bruce O. Danielson The few who managed to rate him mark him as unqualified and no one endorses him and he has raised no money. His voter pamphlet entry marks him out as an ’original understanding’ type which is dangerous. But compared to his opponent he has some claim to independence.
Steven C. Gonzalez He has raised $295,430.46. He is bought and paid for and that isn’t someone who should be sitting on the state supreme court.
State Supreme Court - Justice Position No. 9 - Blank
All of the justices are poisoned either by their own happy announcement of partisan support (e.g. McCloud) or by raising crazy amounts of money.
Bruce Hilyer He is rated qualified by everyone and endorsed by many and has also raised the most money at $197,400.57.
Sheryl Gordon McCloud Everybody but, interestingly enough, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys think she is qualified and she is the second biggest fund raiser at $114,422.58.
Richard B. Sanders I have voted for him on a number of occasions because even though I didn’t agree with him I felt he was a truly independent voice. Although to be fair the last time, when he voted for a particularly obnoxious decision on gay rights his opponent said he would have voted the same way, now it’s not so clear. He is the third biggest fund raiser at $107,137.04.
John W. Ladenburg He is mark as qualified by just about everyone, not well endorsed and he isn’t a very good fund raiser at $60,805. Which is still way the hell too much money. His voter pamphlet material is also very off-putting, especially the sex predator notification law. This is exactly the kind of PR oriented drivel that makes a mockery of our legal rights. If someone is dangerous put them in jail. Otherwise, once they serve their time, leave them alone.
Court of Appeals - Division No. 1 - District No. 1 - Position No. 4 - Ronald E. Cox
He is running unopposed.
Court of Appeals - Division No. 1 - District No. 1 - Justice Position No. 7 - Marlin Appelwick
He is running unopposed.
Superior Court - Judge Position No. 25 - Eric Schmidt
Elizabeth Berns She has raised $21,167.20 of which $5,000 she raised herself. Everybody likes her but the King County Bar Association. Both the Seattle Times and the Stranger endorsed her. But she actually teaches at the University of Phoenix. They say you can judge someone by the company they keep, well this company is the type who lives off federal loans that it gets its students to sign up for and then in many cases never be able to pay back because the education they got at the University of Phoenix was worthless.
Roger Davidheiser Reviewed well although not endorsed and he has so far raised $33,377.
Eric Schmidt Has the most positive ratings, no endorsements and has raised $7,818 of which $1,000 he put in himself. So he gets it.
Superior Court - Judge Position No. 29 - Hong Tran
Hong Tran Although not as well rated (or endorsed) as her opponent she raised $4,055 of which $1,500 was her own money. That makes her less ’owned’ than her opponent.
Sean O’Donnell Besides having raised $57,374 dollars he all but wallows in the endorsements of as many politicians as he can find. These are the same people who made the mess we are trying to get out of. Remember, judges are supposed to be non-partisan. Sucking up to the political types is not non-partisan.
Superior Court - Judge Position No. 30 - Blank
Kimberly Allen She proudly announces she was Shell Oil in-house counsel. Well I guess I should thank her for making it easy to disqualify her for my vote.
Doug North He raised $18,336 to his opponents $11,578. He is highly rated and endorsed by both the Times and the Stranger. I can’t say I’m happy with his involvement with the Boy Scouts, an organization famous for its homophobia. He is also happy to list partisan support for what’s supposed to be a non-partisan post. I’m just not comfortable with him so I won’t be voting for either candidate.
Superior Court - Judge Position No. 42 - Sue Parisien
Sue Parisien O.k. folks, let’s try this again. A judge is a non-partisan position. Putting recommendations by partisans is not a good idea. On the other hand she is well reviewed, well endorsed and best of all raised $0.
Marianne Jones Her ratings aren’t good. No endorsements. She raised $20,027.
David Ruzumna Reasonably well reviewed, no endorsements and raised $14,409.
Chris Washington Extremely well rated, no endorsements and raised $22,900.
Superior Court - Judge Position 46 - Blank
Too much money and partisan endorsements for me to feel comfortable with either candidate.
Judy Ramseyer Well rated, well endorsed and she raised $35,058. She also proudly boasts of her endorsement by various Democrats. Really, folks, it’s supposed to be a non-partisan position.
Gary Ernsdorff Well rated, although not quite as much as Ms. Ramseyer, no endorsements and he has raised $20,057 of which $5,000 is his own money. Same type of political endorsements.
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