The rights of single family homeowners in this state to pursue their builders for shoddy construction are extremely limited. First, you have to have a contract with your builder, which most new homeowners do not. Second, you have to have damages amounting to near collapse of your building or at least a serious threat to life or safety. 33 other states have better consumer protections for homeowners than Washington.

The FACT is that Frank Chopp killed a good bill for political reasons - to keep a good relationship with BIAW and other builders groups for the future - because BIAW is powerful. It is not about a single meal - at least one homeowners advocacy group raised money for Chopp's re-election thinking he supported homeowner rights. It's about the overwhelming disproprortionate amount of money that BIAW and other builders groups spend EVERY YEAR in Olympia - literally millions. Only the strongest of our representatives like Williams and Weinstein -- who believe more in representing their constituents than hoarding political capital -- are willing to make a stand against them.

How could this avowedly liberal Dem kill legislation that gives home owners basic assurances that the house we just leveraged our souls for ain't a piece of crap? As Sen. Weinstein is fond of saying, one gets a better warranty in a new ($30) toaster than one does in a new (um, HALF MILLION DOLLAR) house.

Fraidy-Frank just rolled, plain and simple. This bill didn't need "further study." This bill needed to get out there and start helping redistribute the risk of shoddy construction where it belongs: on the builders.

This was a pure power move on the part of our state's Democratic House leadership, and it's not what the people wanted. Frank can go get his funding directly from BIAW next election. I'm done with him.