Mrs. Gregoire has the first of her town hall meetingstaxpayer-funded campaign events this evening at Town Hall in Seattle.
Curiously, when I mentioned this in a post last week, a commenter self-identified only as "GL" posted (#18) "Governor Gregoire's listening tour is actually REQUIRED by the legislature. They passed a law, they appropriated money for it, take it out on them." The comment came from a State Office of Financial Management IP address, so my hunch is the commenter was OFM spokesman Glenn Kuper, who wrote this press release for the Governor's Office:
These public meetings are required and funded by the Legislature, which passed a law in 2005 requiring that the Governor seek public involvement and input on state priorities.It's more than a bit of a stretch for Gregoire to claim that her town hall meetings were required by the legislature.
An observer in Olympia explained that they would be referring to ESHB 1242, which includes (Sec. 2):
The governor shall communicate statewide priorities to agencies for use in developing biennial budget recommendations for their agency and shall seek public involvement and input on these priorities.The source adds:
there is nothing in the bill that passed in 2005 that requires the governor to go on a "listening tour," much less to have eight such events around the state, complete with pollster. All that shows up in the act is the innocuous phrase "seek public involvement and input," and that can be achieved any number of ways. It doesn't require a listening tour around the state. Note also again that what they're doing is a bit more than was contemplated in the OFM fiscal note to 1242.Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at October 03, 2007 03:34 PM | Email This
What I find most amusing was GL's comment.
To use a Gumpism, "stupid is as stupid does". Or a Yogism, "I may be dumb but I am not stupid" in referring to GL.
Right now, I pity the AFLAC duck.
Posted by: swatter on October 3, 2007 04:16 PMI think the state government sucks, Chrissy. I think that when we turn over the rocks we find either cronies or nannies. I want neither in or of my government. MY priority is to have you as a lame duck, one term governor who disappears into obscurity. MY priority is to have elected officials who follow the will of the electorate not ignore it. MY priority is to slit the throat of the one party communist rule in corrupt King county and in even more corrupt Olympia.
Somehow, I don't think I'd make the cut at one of Chrissy's campaign stops...er, "listening" confabs.
Please try to be consistent...it adds (albeit a sliver) of credibility to your positions.
PS...when a republican becomes governor, the obvious thing is you'll *defend* his/her doing the same thing.
Posted by: Bill Anderson on October 3, 2007 04:51 PMone question is, will gregoire only allow dems in and what would her security forces do if someone were to wear a t-shirt that said "rossi won".
Posted by: dinesh on October 3, 2007 05:21 PMI believe the time is ripe for a 3rd Party that stands for cleaning up this mess....smaller, less intrusive, less costly government on all levels.
The R's are not the answer.
A 3rd Party is the only answer.
Posted by: Mr. Cynical on October 3, 2007 05:58 PMI am.
The LP is the third largest party in the US. We have over 600 people currently serving in public office. That's more than twice what the Greens have. The Mayor of Sumas, WA is a Libertarian.
If you really want a third party to challenge the duopoly, you have to start voting for one.
And because of the "socially tolerant" positions of Libertarian candidates, they have the opportunity to "take votes" right up the middle: some from the R's, some from the D's, a lot from the independent category, and even more from the dissaffected.
Free Minds and Free Markets.
Posted by: Bruce Guthrie on October 3, 2007 08:25 PMAfter all, if you had 1/5th on Gregoire that there is on Hague, you'd be on Post MMMCXIII about it...
Posted by: Bill Anderson on October 3, 2007 09:15 PMNow, after Guthrie got some coverage in the Senate race I question that thought. Libertarians seem to stand for anything. Isolationism is not an option at this time; I wish it were, but it is not. I believe in legalizing marijuana (another libertarian talking point) but I am not going to vote for anyone on that platform. The position by Ron Paul on the Iraq War is admirable, but again not practical. So, I am not sure Libertarian is the answer to my quest for a party either.
This time out, I need an R so that my affairs (society) can be in order before I cash out (nearing retirement); that is, my duty for my kids and grandkids. I don't have time to see a surge in the L party only to be left at the altar when the party gets seduced by power like the other two parties.
Mr. Cynical, maybe next election but not the one coming up in '08?
Posted by: swatter on October 4, 2007 09:02 AM"Please try to be consistent...it adds (albeit a sliver) of credibility to your positions."
Might want to take you own advice their Little Billy. You liberals are the big whiners about Rossi's NON-PROFIT so you really cannot complain about others wanting the same PDC scrutiny for elected officials campaigning with TAX MONEY. You see little Billy, the difference is that with Rossi, people VOLUNTARILY gave their money. With Gregoire, they were FORCED to give their money under threat of losing their homes.
Now run along Little Billy and wipe those Oreo crumbs off your chin.
Posted by: pbj on October 4, 2007 11:40 AM