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A Day on Lake Washington part 2

I'm a little slow on the draw but a commenter asked me to talk about the difference in the Bellevue and Seattle Shorelines. Before I continue I must admit that I only saw a fraction of the Seattle and Bellevue shoreline, I spent most of my time looking at the Renton shoreline. The major difference that I saw between Seattle and Bellevue is that the Seattle shoreline (or the portion I saw) had development that was done prior to major regulation of the shoreline or the Shoreline Master plan. The Bellevue shoreline (or the portion I saw was more consistent with the Shoreline Master plan.

On the other hand Renton is right in the middle, you have some older homes that has shoreline development prior to the shoreline master plan and newer developments that are consistent with the plan. Overall as I said in a earlier post this was a wonderful experience- even if it was freezing in the morning- and I'm glad I did it.

~Ed

Interesting article in Seattle PI

An article published in the Seattle PI on April 22 highlighted the role "younger" voters are having on the presidential election by underscoring the impact of social networking sites and related technology.  It continues to fascinate me that this kind of participation in the political process is called a "revolution."  The idea that other generations marched in the streets and had sit-ins while the current 18-30-year olds blog or rally on Facebook is a comparison that doesn't ring true to me.  However, identifying that "taking action" means something entirely additional for people under 30 resonates.  To me, this kind of participation obviously has influence while also placing unusual suspects (an entire generation, perhaps?) in positions of leadership.  I hope the energy created in online communities and communication translates to the ballot box.  It must, if we don't want our values to continue to be ignored by the elected establishment. 

Social Networking Alters Terrain of the Campaign Trail by Chris McGann, Seattle PI:  http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/360036_obamaorg22.html

Are your parents listening to you?

As a self confessed political junkie, I've been tracking the presidential race very closely. I love that this election is about change--and really I believe all three candidates want to represent a big vision of America's possibilities.

In watching the race for superdelegates on the democratic side, I've been struck by how many superdelegates have given credit to their kids for influencing their decision.

This weekend on "This Week with George Stephanopolous" President Jimmy Carter (who has not endorsed either candidate) said his children and grandchildren are all supporting Obama and one could surmise his support based on the politicking of his family.

Last week, an article in the New York time discussed this very trend, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/us/politics/08kids.html?ex=1208318400&en=b9601c284cd9e852&ei=5070&emc=eta1.

Tell us, do you chat with your parents about the election? Are they listening?

US Supreme Court rules on Washington State Primary

Intersting news for Washington State voters! Ever since our "blanket" primary (where voters could select from both parties when they were voting - i.e. pick a Dem for Governor, Republican for Mayor, etc.)  was declared unconstitional, Washington State has been in debate over what an appropriate structure is. And the battle has gone all the way to the Supreme Court.

According to The Seattle Times:

"The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld Washington's top-two primary system, delivering a huge defeat for the state's political parties.

The decision means the state will dump its unpopular "pick-a-party" primary that's been in place while the top-two system was being challenged in court.

The new system will be used for the state primary on Aug. 19.

Under the top-two primary, the two candidates with the most votes would move on to the general election, regardless of political affiliation."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004289949_webprimary18m.html

p.s. in case you haven't been following this issue along the way, the article also has a timeline of our primary system and how the issue has unfolded over the past few years.

-- Tara

The future of Seattle Center

There has been a lot of talk in the last couple of weeks about the future of the Seattle Center. What's going to happen to the Fun Forest? Memorial Stadium? Key Arena? The Seattle Times is allowing readers to create their own vision for the Center. What would you do with it? Follow the link and design a center and let us know in the comments how you envision the future of the Center.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/local/seattlecenter.html

#Ed

Did you caucus this weekend?

If you did we would love to hear what you thought of the process. If you didn't we would love to hear what kept you away.

~Ed

Legislative Preview with CityClub

This past Friday I had the opportunity to attend a Legislative Preview put on by CityClub. House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown represented the Democrats, while Deputy House Leader Doug Ericksen and Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt represented the Republicans. Both sides had a lot to say about the future of our state and both sides made very good points. The two highlights of the event for me were "Yes, No, or Waffle" a lightning round where the panel is asked a question and can only answer by holding up cards that say yes, no, or waffle and The question ans answer session where audience members asked the panelist some very pointed questions.

All in all it was a great event that prepped me for one of my favorite days of the year.

~Ed

An early New Year's resolution...

Join a board! Jerry Large had a very good story in today's Seattle Times about Boards and Commissions, perhaps this is something you might want to do in your 2008 spare time.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrylarge/2004068623_jdl13.html

~Ed

Road and Transit Measure - why it did not pass

Sound Transit conducted a poll to understand why voters did not agree that the Roads & Transit Measure was the right step in moving our transportation infrastructure forward. Here's a useful summary article:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004041565_transpopoll29m.html

-- Tara

Glassbooth--helping you find your right candidate!

The presidential race is really starting to heat up, barely a month until the first caucus and primary.

I'm a junkie, I love it. I must admit my favorite Sunday morning activity is to watch Tim Russert on Meet the Press with a big cup of coffee. However, word on the street is some people are just starting to pay attention.

It's pretty overwhelming when you see how many candidates are in the race.  Who's viable, who's electable and more importantly who actually shares your beliefs?

Check this out, it's fun and fast--and very interesting.

http://glassbooth.org/Result/results/7

Tell us who is your favorite candidate?