Author Matt Miller says America is being held captive by dead ideas. He says these dead ideas, like local control of schools and employer provided benefits no longer work. Among his targets: school standards need more federal control; employers need to get out of the health care and retirement business; and Americans need to learn to live with higher taxes. Miller also thinks this moment in history, with the economy in severe recession and l...
Congress is in so-called recess, Members are facing voters on a number of issues but especially health care reform. President Obama is also taking time in August to make his pitch for changing the health care system and including a public option in the final package. The public option is essentially a government run health insurance plan that would compete with private insurance plans and, according to the President, help drive down health ...
The agreement to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep bore tunnel is a complicated project. Multiple governments are participating and most are relying on multiple sources of funding to pay their share. The project is also a lot more than just a tunnel. It includes replacement of Seattle's seawall, a promenade for pedestrians and cyclists, street improvements, utility improvements, and mass transit improvements.
In the August primary, Seattle voters get a chance to weigh in on a proposal to place a 20 cent fee on disposable paper and plastic bags. This is Seattle's attempt to reduce the number of disposable bags people use and encourage them to grocery shop with reusable bags. Disposable bags used in retail stores and those used for bulk foods would be exempt. Governments around the planet are increasingly getting involved in disposable bag use, som...
