Budget "disaster"
why is it that government can never benefit from an increase in productivity? They should be able to maintain the same level of services with slightly less dollars every year. Every other actor in the world does this as computers, phones, many things become cheaper. Innovation 'n' stuff dontcha know also again folks.

But no, if there is a budget shortfall the first response is "we're going to have to harm the public" esp. w with cuts to front line services in fighting crime.

It's the liberal version of the Politics of Fear.

Obama's doing great but:

realclear, Nevada Obama: 48.0 McCain: 45.7 = Obama +2.3

Um, that's a tie.

Inless you are volunteering in the 8th dist. for Burner or doing Gregoire stuff whilst volunteering for OBama here in Wash. state I'd say it's more efficient, and more productive, to get on a plane and fly to Reno and go to Elko NV or some place like that and volunteer for a few days.

Why there isn't a big bus or 5 loading up this Friday at 5 pm right on capitol hill is beyond me.

Every state that goes for Obama is another state where he cantell those senators he has a mandate so vote for his legislation. Planes are cheap. It may be sunnier in NV. It's fun to go meet a whole crew of folks from another place.

Sadly I cannot do this kind of thing this year, though I have done it in other elections. And if not NV then try NM CO hey FL is pretty warm, too.

You missed a story:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/21/religion-advertising

I went to donate, and they'd already far exceeded their goal. I want it to happen here!

Raccoon meat makes my mascara run with histrionic pith, making me look like both a raccoon and Tammy Faye Bakker--and I don't even wear mascara! Please post more videos with cute little pussies in them.

cute raccoon. Congrats, homeowner. Yr house just got teh rabeez.

We will never support and not re-defeat terrorismist Yo-Mama-Bama in November and 2012! Burgle Bargle Burgle arf snarf fnarf barf!

Of course, the Stranger doesn't mention anything about Nader's rally last night- the REAL change Washington needs. I really hate to say this, but Obama won't be passing any of those dreams of ours through the legislation. His hands are tied to the corporate powers. That's the way it is, and the way it will be. And please don't tell me Nader never has a chance of winning, because that isn't the point.

Call McCain 'Grampa' all you want, but at 72 he's two years older than my grandfather.

Ah Ralph Nader . . . self-absorbed candidated for the self-absorbed voter.

That raccoon made my morning. If they knew to tape him, presumably he's done it before. It's scary how smart, adorable, and vicious they can be all at once.

@9- self absorbed? Really? Self aware, civic aware more like it.

Nader could've cashed in his public respect for something useful. He could've run for Congress at least, and started there to build a movement. Instead, he's been focused on this onanistic notion of running for President. But it takes more than one man to make a movement. Sorry, Ralph - even Chomsky says to vote Obama:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNpNzDoH1II

Congressman? Nader could have been the first Secretary of Consumer Protection. Carter offered it to him. But he didn't want it, because he wanted dictatorial powers. Nader's a fifth-rate human being, and his supporters, today, make Ron Paulistas look like brainiacs.

We all thank Mr Nader for his fine contribution to the electoral process in the 2000 election. It's all been good since then.

Blah blah news blah.

You know what's really amazing is that the 'coon was smart enough to open the cat door by pulling it outward. If he had used it the way animals normally do, and pushed it in, he wouldn't have been able to pull the mat out. Very clever. I believe he may be qualified to be vice president.

That raccoon made my day.

This isn't 2000. Vote for Nader if you want, but don't expect the rest of us to give a crap.

There was a great presentation at Camp Long last night about living with wildlife such as rug-running raccoons.

http://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=11370

For all the intelligent, well-educated readership that SLOG attracts, I would think you would agree that Obama is bound by the system. But go ahead, vote for the lesser of 2 evils. It will bring a bit of good. Not a lot. And right now a lot of good is what we need.
Sure, Nader isn't as collected, polished and focused as Obama, but if you run down his list of platforms you would agree with him:
http://www.votenader.org/issues/
Please open your minds a bit more. You're all very progressive, but the D.C. powers WANT you to believe you can't change things on a large scale.

face it, nader's as old & as senile as mccain. his time is past.

GENERATION JONES, BITCHES.

Dear Naderites: RESULTS MATTER.

I heard of one bailout suggestion that would bring down interest rates on all mortgages to 5.25 percent. That certainly won't cost $4 fucking trillion, it'll help many more people than just the stupids who got an ARM at the top of a real estate bubble, it'll free up some cash every month for a large number of Americans, giving them the chance to increase savings, pay off other debts, or spend a little more during a recession, and it could take a little of the burden off unemployed homeowners.

That plan has to be better than McCain's insane $300 billion package which would stupidly pay asking price on those mortgages and would help only about one-fifth of the people legitimately facing foreclosure.

See, there goes spendthrift PC @1, proposing we waste more tax dollars.

In real life, police jails courts all have been growing as a percentage of our city and county government percentage of the budget, with no positive result.

Better to axe them too, especially the counter-productive drug-user crimes they shouldn't be spending time on while real crimes are left unpunished.

If the raccoon incident took place in Texas it would have taken to barrels in the face and we would have a recording of the 9-11 call before the blast!