Archive for November, 2007

The recent GOP debate brought the term “smashmouth” out of the NFL and onto the GOP presidential playing field as front running Romney and Guilianni wallowed in the mud over the GOP signature issue of immigration.  It was genuinely humbling to watch them eat their own to gain an upper hand the issue.  I’d love every one of them to eat their “Freedom Fries” with some French Immigration Policy simply to watch them swallow that pill and explain the American economical equivalent of doing so. 

By the early 1990s, even though immigration in all categories of legal entries had fallen, Jean-Marie Le Pen’s extreme-right National Front party was attracting a significant portion of the electorate with its demagogic demand to expel Muslim immigrants from France. Politicians across the political spectrum responded by arguing in favor of “immigration zéro,” and the right-wing coalition that came into power in 1993 translated the principle of zero immigration into policy. The “Pasqua law” of 1993, named after French interior minister Charles Pasqua, sought to stem the remaining legal flows in a variety of ways: by prohibiting foreign graduates from accepting job offers by French employers and denying them a stable residence status, by increasing the waiting period for family reunification from one to two years, and by denying residency permits to foreign spouses who had been illegally in the country prior to marrying.

These repressive measures rendered formerly legal migration flows illegal. Thus today, in spite of a partial regularization of undocumented aliens in 1997, there are still many people living in France known as inexpulsables-irrégularisables. This group—including rejected asylum-seekers from countries to which it is not safe to return, and foreign parents of French children—cannot be expelled, yet is not eligible for residency permits. They epitomize the contradictions of liberal democracies in the face of migration pressure, caught between respecting the human rights and norms embedded in domestic and international law, and an electoral logic that leads politicians to adopt a restrictive stance towards immigration.

Meanwhile, Rudy and Mitt were arguing semantics instead. 

I’m certainly not implying the French have it right. But most of the GOP playing field doesn’t even look at the “human capital” aspect of immigration from the bottom up.  Instead, these guys (and far too many of the electorate for that matter) are approaching immigration from an emotional and often racist perspective. And the dust up between Rudy and Mitt illustrates that they completely lack the ability to address the issue intellectually from both the economic or humanitarian fronts with their electoral logic.

So did the pig win? Well, they both got muddy so I guess they are both pigs.

I hope everyone had a great Turkey Day. I know I did. And now that we are drifting between the next big holiday, Drinking Liberally in the Tri-Cities is tonight!

Did you ever wonder about Drinking Liberally? Well, what started out as a way to get like minded folks connecting and enjoying each others company is expanding. Not only are there 226 DL chapters, but new areas of focus are emerging in what is called “Living Liberally!” Living Liberally seeks to create social communities around progressive politics through social interaction, and not just good beer! Other opportunities are out there such as:

Eating Liberally
Screening Liberally
Reading Liberally
Laughing Liberally

Each of these with their own niche to bring like minded folks together and a great way to build a more inclusive and progressive community right here in the Tri-Cities.

Take a look at http://www.livingliberally.org and do a little brainstorming of how we could incorporate some other “LIBERALLY” events!

And as always…

Drinking Liberally in the Tri-Cities
O’Callahan’s-Shilo Inn
50 Comstock Rd.
Richland

7pm till?

Oh, and if you show up and have read this post, let me know and you will get a Drinking Liberally “Button”!!!! (while supplies last)

And now for your viewing pleasure…

In talking about congestion pricing on my show Saturday night, I couldn’t contain a brief outburst over how our local media and political elite continue to take seriously the Discovery Institute’s transportation proposals in light of its embarrassing role in promoting Creationism Intelligent Design. My frustration stems not simply from the fact that Intelligent Design is ridiculous anti-science, or that it is part of a well planned and executed multi-year campaign to undermine science education in the US at a time we face growing global economic competition … but that it has been promoted in such a shamelessly dishonest manner.

The Discovery Institute has proven again and again that it makes no distinction between scholarship and propaganda, and that there is no ethical boundary it will not cross in the interest of foisting its Christianist agenda on the American people. This blatant disregard for the most basic rigors of academia—or even fair play—was highlighted recently by a virologist/blogger who discovered that DI fellows had stolen and manipulated a Harvard University/XVIVO video for use in their own presentations, without attribution, permission or license.

Here is the original Harvard/XVIVO video The inner life of a cell, with its scientifically accurate narration intact:

And here is a clip from a Discovery Institute presentation that features an excerpt of the video, now redubbed and retitled The Cell as an Automated City. Notice how the presenter describes the video as “state of the art computer animation”, implying that it is somehow the work of the institute:

As ERV points out in his her post, this isn’t just a naive case of copyright infringement. The Discovery Institute has plenty of lawyers on staff and on retainer, so they sure as hell know that scrubbing the Harvard/XVIVO copyright and credits off the video is not only dishonest, but illegal.

Maybe they think it is “okay” because they gave the animation a new title (Inner life of a cell became The cell as an automated city) and an extraordinarily unprofessional new narration (alternate alternate title—Big Gay Al takes a tour of a cell!). Harvard/XVIVOs narration, all of the science, is whisked away and replaced with a “surrealistic lilliputian realm”, “robots”, “manufacturing”, “circuitry”, “nano moters”, “UPS labels”. Maybe they think it is “okay” because they turned all of Harvard’s science into “MAGIC!”.

Hmm. From my point of view, as a virologist and former teaching assistant, this isn’t just copyright infringement. This is theft and plagiarism. Taking someone else’s work without their consent, manipulating it without their consent, pretending it supports ID Creationists’ distorted views of reality, and presenting it as DI’s work.

ERV further points out that if the DI fellows responsible for this were at his her university, they would be expelled for their plagiarism.

But this is just business as usual at the Discovery Institute, and it raises a question: if the Discovery Institute can’t be trusted to produce independent academic scholarship on its signature issue, Intelligent Design, how can its Cascadia Center be trusted to produce independent academic scholarship on regional transportation planning? Of course, it can’t, and the media, business and political elites who ignore the institute’s established track record of distorting scholarship and science in the single-minded pursuit of its own private agenda, are little more than willful dupes.

Our region’s transportation planning is too important to be trusted to a faux “think tank” with such a shameful and embarrassing record, and every time one of our local media outlets unskeptically cites one of its reports or recommendations, it grants the Discovery Institute credibility it simply does not deserve. Unlike a real think tank, the Discovery Institute produces “scholarship” to support its existing agenda, not the other way around, and thus it cannot and should not be considered a trusted partner in planning our region’s transportation future.

Of course this is all just really ironic huh?

I’ve been a Joe Biden fan for a long time and I really think he should be doing better than he is.  During the last debate, he really nailed it.  No matter who you like, you gotta like Joe.  If Joe were to get the nomination, I think he’d win big. 

NYT=Stem Cells, Reuters=Dangerous Virus’, Fox News=hairball….

Ahhh Turkey…

Oh those misguided protesters… 

An interesting editorial in the Tri-City Herald today.   Protesters in Olympia were getting a bit frisky and some got tossed in the can.  It happens.  Some folks simply direct their energy in seemingly nonconstructive ways. 

Rock-throwing, assaults on police officers and pouring concrete on railroad tracks leading from the Port of Olympia were among the offenses committed.

The anti-war protesters were trying to block shipments of military gear for the Army Stryker brigade that returned recently to Fort Lewis from Iraq.

Their logic was tortured at best.

The equipment was coming from the war, not going to it.

Protest leaders claimed the vehicles might be sent back to Iraq, and that the protest was not against the soldiers but against the war.

Sending troops back to Iraq without their equipment hardly sounds like a supportive gesture.

The protesters are hardly alone in their opposition to the war. Polls show a majority of Americans hold similar views.

But then in the next sentence we get this…  

But simply withdrawing our forces without delay could be catastrophic, military and political leaders say.

That’s a shallow as statement as “some people say” and entirely out of the context of scolding 40 or so misbehaving protesters.  Besides, we’ve heard that argument over and over again and as it is turning out “some people say” that might not be the case.

Iraqi police said eight al-Qaeda fighters were killed in a separate incident in a Shiite village near Muqdadiyah, about 60 miles north of Baghdad. Shiite townspeople, backed by police, drove the Sunni militants out of the village and killed eight of them, police said.

Meanwhile, a top British commander in southern Iraq said attacks plunged 90 percent across the country’s south after London withdrew its troops from the main city of Basra.

The presence of British forces in downtown Basra, Iraq’s second-largest city, was the single largest instigator of violence, Maj. Gen. Graham Binns told reporters Thursday on a visit to Baghdad’s Green Zone.

“We thought, ‘If 90 percent of the violence is directed at us, what would happen if we stepped back?’” Binns said.

Sorry guys, I’m just keeping up with the news… (Hey! Are those protesters on to something?)

George Fearing Gets Press!

The Yakima Herald had a decent piece on George Fearing including a good picture which I stole for here (I beg forgiveness):

George is and excellent candidate with a real heart for this district.  And beating Doc Hastings is a serious endeavour in a district that has strayed so far from its Democratic roots. 

It sounds quixotic, but George Fearing is serious. He has support from the state Democratic Party. He sees Republicans losing momentum nationwide and thinks 2008 represents a window of opportunity. And, perhaps most importantly, he thinks voters will rally around his “Bring the troops home now” message.

“That is the big one,” Fearing said.

While Hastings has not officially announced he’ll run for re-election next year, it is widely believed that he will. And Fearing hopes to use Hastings’ unwavering support of the Bush war strategy against him. The idea espoused by Hastings that leaving Iraq could lead to terrorist attacks in the United States doesn’t ring true to Fearing.

“It’s a mantra — ‘We’ve got to fight them there or we’ll have to fight them at home,’” Fearing said dismissively. “I don’t think he’s even thought that through. I don’t buy that.”

Hastings and the GOP dismiss this challenge and continue to believe that despite very low public opinion on the war, this seat is safe. 

“Even in as bad a year as 2006, Doc’s numbers were still very strong. Most folks would like to have 60 percent in a good year,” said Luke Esser, chairman of the state Republican Party.

Of course, the state Democratic Party takes a different view. They look at the 40 percent Democratic candidate Richard Wright got in 2006 as a step forward. Indeed Wright put up bigger numbers against Hastings than any of the previous four Democrats. And he did so with a fraction of the $500,000 that Fearing believes he can raise.

A fraction indeed.  Washington State’s 4th Congressional seat is only as safe as Democrats make it for Hastings.  Larger and more aggressive campaigns than Wrights 2006 run drew less percentages with far more advertising (Wright had just 1 television advertisement). And with Hastings unrelenting support of the farthest right dogma, it makes this race winnable.  Voters just need to know they have a better choice.  And Democrats need to facilitate that choice.

[note: a good interview with George can be found at Evergreenpolitics.com and you can visit the George Fearing Campaign website here to learn more.]

Rudy Just Loves September 11th

Rudy is a foreign policy disaster.  I wish a real Republican would knock the squeegee out of his hand.  But this September 11th thing is getting very comical… (via TPM)

While you are all out having fun on Saturday night, I’ll be keeping the airwaves safe for Democracy on Seattle’s 710 KIRO David Goldstein show on the regional blogger round up with myself and TJ from Loaded Orygun. So tune in at 9PM!… oh wait… WE don’t get Seattle radio out here in the sagebrush.  But never fear since you can listen to the live stream online.  Just click here! (click the “Listen Live” button… may require registration).

Update: Looks like Yakima Councilman Ron Bonlender will be on the show as well. Obviously to discuss the recent shennanigans in the Yakima Council race.

Call in on 877-710-KIRO (5476)!

Update (7/9/2007):  I just crossed 800 votes.  That is 800+ people who took the time to write my name in on the ballot!!   And more counting on the way.  Amazing!!!

What the heck happened to the Simple Majority? Why did the Tim Eyman Initiative pass? Don’t you like your insurance company? Who the heck needs a rainy day fund? Does prison labor equal slave labor? And how the heck did a write-in lefty blogger get over 600 votes in a conservative city council race?

The 2007 election was full of surprises for sure. There were initiatives that I figured would gain broad support, candidates that I thought had a chance, and issues for sure that would turn the average voters stomach… and I wasn’t about to predict any of it. And I was still surprised as heck.

Simple Majority

People don’t like taxes. Old as history itself. Unless of course it serves a self interest. Which makes the failure of the Simple Majority perplexing in that so many agree that if we can vote in a new sports stadium on a simple majority vote we should be able to fund our schools in the same manner. But alas, it looks like we like the Seahawks better than our kids. Well… its not that simple. I think it’s fear. School districts have become the latest boogieman in years past and are viewed as a bureaucracy like any other government entity. We are willing, as voters, to pass school levy’s usually only after the second round because at first blush, it all just seems like too much to absorb. It’s not rational. All the effort and time administrators spend trying to convince voters that a levy is a good idea is time wasted spending time trying to convince voters of the genuine need, instead of dealing with the important issues.  Wasteful, but there is no battling that. And this vote was proof.  Voters would rather fend them off at least one round before succumbing to the awful truth that educating our kids costs money. 

Meanwhile, the Seahawks are looking to have a terrible season and the average Eastern Washington voter to visit a game is set to spend far more money on the tickets, gas, and junk food to watch a game than they will on the average school levy. Not to mention the money the already spent for the stadium.  But at least you know up front you were getting screwed.

(Confession:  I am an insufferable Seahawks fan.  I’m just trying to make a point so no death threats - you know who you are!!)

Update:  Simple Majority (4204) may just go over the top Monday.   I guess schools are good… maybe the Seahawks will win tomorrow too!

I - 960

Tim Eyman should just start asking voters in Eastern Washington to send him money to build a “Tim Eyman Center for Tax Fairness” 10 story headquarters complete with a sprawling parking lot in the most prime of real estate we have to offer.  While discussing I - 960 over e-mail today with some conservative friends, one suggested I send money to Tim thanking him for being a hero to us tax payers.  Hmm… to me, that would be like paying a toll on a bridge 200 miles away I have never used (Ironic because that is the general theme of their anti-tax sentiments).  Giving Tim money is like that in it’s a waste of my hard earned money supporting a waste of hard earned money on poorly written initiatives.  The kind that expensive lawyers get paid to have overturned time and time again.  The only initiative Eyman got nearly right was the car tab initiative and even that was struck down in the courts (at taxpayer expense).  Fortunately, the legislature got the message and implemented a far less regressive car tab tax that is pretty palatable to the average Joe.  But they fight on!!!  (pass the PBR) 

Ironic huh. But it doesn’t stop there.  Just 2 days after 960 gets the voter nod, Timmy’s last endeavor, I-747 gets shot down in the courts as unconstitutional.  And 960 is just a court challenge away from the same fate. 

Look (and I’m talking to you Eastern Washington), if you want to change how you are taxed, quit sending money to Tim Eyman and start a lobby organization that will work with the legislature to make fair changes for the average Joe.  Right now you are being duped.  With wealthy Michael Dunmire largely funding Eyman, you aren’t actually supporting an outcome that favors your middle class conservative views.  Instead what you are getting is a group of overly wealthy interests counting on your anger to help them achieve their goals.  Leave the initiative process for when the legislature really screws up and don’t cheapen it by continually supporting the ego of Tim Eyman.  He isn’t worth it.

R - 67 

I laugh at this initiative.  And I voted for it.  I did, because I know people with legitimate claims that insurance companies have fought rather than pay.  I don’t like it.  It won because it was another pissed off vote against the perceived evil of bureaucracy… in this case the evil bloodsucking insurance industry.  What I find ironic is that if after the millions of dollars spent by the insurance industry to tell you your insurance rates could go up by $200, and it does, you’ve still spent more than the average tax increase from either a school levy or your untrusted legislature.  The jokes on you voter… you weren’t paying attention.

But we will see.  There was quite a bit of overblown hyperbole on this issue and frankly, I think the passage of R - 67 will help a relatively small number of people and only when it counts the most.  Denying legitimate claims is simply wrong and it seems that wrong has a habit of being so in the worst of situations. 

When It Rains, It Could Pour

Winning by a comfortable margin, a great idea.  And Dino Rossi is still running on what?

Senate Joint Resolution 8212 - Prison Labor and our Busy Prison System

Summary: The Legislature has authorized the Department of Corrections (DOC) to establish and operate a comprehensive work program for inmates. At the next general election, an amendment to the Washington Constitution will be submitted to the voters authorizing the state to let out the labor of inmates in the state by contract, if it is allowed by statute. The constitutional provision requiring the Legislature to provide for the working of inmates for the benefit of the state is amended to include the working of inmates in state-run inmate labor programs. The constitutional amendment requires that inmate labor programs be operated so that they do not unfairly compete with Washington businesses as determined by law.

Under that statute, the wages of Class I industries workers are comparable to wages for similar work in the same geographic area, as determined by the director of the DOC. The DOC must take 5 percent of a Class I worker’s income for crime victims’ compensation, 10 percent for the inmate’s savings account, 20 percent for the cost of the inmate’s incarceration, and 20 percent for any legal financial obligations that the inmate owes, including victim restitution.

Um… ok.  Good call all!  It’s bad enough we are locking up record numbers of people in this country.  The PI put it well:

The measure has drawn little attention on the Nov. 6 general election ballot, but it could do a world of good. It would, first of all, allow more inmates to earn more money to pay for room and board, victim compensation and, in many cases, the child support they owe.

With busier inmates, prisons also would tend to be safer places. More important, studies have shown that inmates who work in prison do better when they get out, both in avoiding future crimes and becoming productive members of society. Their release, then, is less likely to lead to a downward spiral in which their good intentions are torn away.

Congratulations Eastern Washington, we got one right!  Now if we could just stop sending so many people to prison…

Eastern Washington Lefty Blogger gets more than 600 votes in Richland Washington’s City Council Race

First of all, in this race, I was a candidate first and a blogger second.  Being a non-partisan race I fully treated it as such and I certainly respect the views of the constituency.  I entered this race wondering about my inclinations and quickly came to the conclusion that whatever my views were, the views of Richland residents are paramount.  Yet, the most important thing I could do, had I won, was to bring an alternative voice to the council for consideration and always fully appreciate other views as well.  It’s how good city government works!  So when the headlines came out that “Blogger wants to replace Rob Welch” I chuckled because I was a candidate, not a loudmouthed Internet pundit.  Some folks couldn’t separate the two.

So how did I come up with 600 plus votes in a write in campaign?  Well, I didn’t have much time to get the “who the heck am I” out and certainly wasn’t able to do so in the small TV, press and radio spots I was fortunately able to get or pay for.  But what I did do was be honest.  I simply want what’s best for my town and I’m willing to work hard for that.  For that I got 600 votes (as of today’s count) and I’m pretty happy with that.  With that said, here are a few bulleted highlights from my brief 3 week campaign.

• Deciding to Run - Scary stuff… kinda like skydiving for the very first time.  That first jump is very apprehensive. (Irony - The company I jumped out of my first plane with has folded)
• First Newspaper Interview - I did my first newspaper interview with the Herald’s Michelle Dupler… what do you say when you have had all of one day to lay out your campaign!? (much less find it on a Hydro Racing link:  http://www.hydroracing.com/tch/local/elections/story/9389164p-9301087c.html  ???? Um… I always wanted to drive one…)
• Having Your House TP’d - Flattering but messy.  Lightweight vandalism that is messy… still funny though!
• First Unexpected Visit - City of Richland Council Position 4 Candidate, Kent Madsen, stopped by rake me over the coals.  Not happy that a guy who hasn’t paid dues on committee’s etc… is running.  Although I suspect Kent told folks to be sure to vote for Welch, our conversation ended well… I voted for Kent… we agree on much!  Kent lost unfortunately.  He is a good egg.
• Wierd Phone Call - Rob Welch called to make sure I didn’t think the TP vandalism I suffered had anything to do with him… suspicious!  But no… and my sense of humor wouldn’t allow me to get mad over that anyway.  C’mon Rob… geez! (Oh, also beware of commenting on blogs… man that was brutal.  Next time just call me for a clarification.  These guys are rough!)
• Best Campaign Moment - Stranger I’d never met: “Jim, hey!  I already voted for you!”  Me:  “Thank you!” (immensely gratifying)
• Best Secret - Knowing that local republicans trust me enough to support me as much as my left leaning friends.  In a race like this, it’s about the people and not the party.  I appreciate that.

By the way… as of today, I have 9.7 percent of the vote.  Not bad.

My totals have gone up to over 500 now. Not bad for a write in. For a bit of perspective, in the Seattle City Council Position 3, with over 70,000 votes cast, the write in(s?) tallied less than 300 at last count. In this race, with roughly 5600 votes cast my total equals roughly 9%. Getting any kind of numbers without your name on the ballot is pretty spectacular. Getting close to 10% is just amazing.

Now comes the interesting part. Richland City Council will have to choose a replacement for the Position 3 seat. I have to ask the question: Will I be considered? Will the votes I received be a factor, or will they choose a replacement outside of the election process? I’ll be checking on that.

Thanks again to all of you who supported this campaign.

Man I like that title just for the beauty of it. In my case, it is exactly true. So far, I got roughly 450 votes. Now Rob Welch got 4557 votes but look at it this way. So a guy (me) runs a write in campaign, with little money and just 3 weeks before election day… starts his campaign the day ballots hit the mailboxes… gets minimal press… and pulls off 9 percent of the vote. Well to me, that is a win… of sorts. What really blows me away was not how many, or how little votes I got, but how many Rob Welch got. It’s pretty clear that folks didn’t get the message that Welch resigned. I know the local media thinks I really like to give them a hard time (and sometimes I do), but it seems to me a better bet for them would have been to continue informing folks about the implications of this race. I doubt it would have helped my short campaign but it certainly would help inform Richland voters that indeed, any vote for Welch was getting thrown away… whether my name was in the discussion or not. And it probably would have sold a few more newspapers… at least 450 or so. But all in all… I don’t have much to complain about. And the press I did get was pretty dang good!

I’m pretty drained so I’m going to relax and enjoy the evening. Maybe by the morning I’ll have some more votes! I’ll certainly will have more to say.

To those of you that voted for me… Thank you so much!

More later…

It’s getting down to the wire with November 6th just days away so this will be my last post until after then. Be sure and vote and when you do, write in my name for Richland City Council Position 3.

This race is about choice. As it stands, Mayor Welch’s decision to resign leaves his open seat after the election to the Richland Council. I entered this race as a write in candidate primarily due to my severe disappointment over those events. But there is more to it than that.

Richland Waterfront

Over the years I’ve watched Richland grow and change from the small town I spent the majority of my childhood in. I still remember the “Rose Bowl”, the two lane bypass highway and the shelterbelt where we would ride our motorbikes. And I also remember the Columbia River the way it was years ago when Leslie Groves park was home to the small boat docks where I first learned to water ski and the many care free summer days spent roaming the river shore from one end of Richland to the other. As I grew up, so did Richland and as any small town grows, there is always a mix of good and bad.

Our water front in this city, at least those area’s available development, is essentially gone. Condominiums line the shore of the south end of town and the retail shops and general vision I expected from river front development never materialized. For me, it started with the property sale for the Hampton Inn where the Greek Theater once stood. Then the Winco, office buildings and yet another hotel. Not all these things are bad, but the development lacked a certain amount of discretion and that became glaringly apparent when there was actually consideration for an auto sales lot in that area. The thing about the gem that is our water front is once it is gone, it is gone forever and we won’t get it back. The decisions that will come for the very little of our waterfront that is left, should not be hasty.

Utilities

Richland has some pretty decent rates for services and we are lucky. While rate payers across the west coast were gouged in recent years, Richland residents were protected from wild increased rates. We need to keep it that way but there could be some challenges ahead.

Waste Management

The Richland Landfill isn’t going to last forever and we need a big push to not only increase the lifespan of the landfill, but to plan ahead as well. We can start with curbside recycling. It’s being done across the country. Richland needs to look for the systems that work and model one to fit our needs.

Composting is another opportunity. Face it, we love our yards in this city. But with that comes quite a bit of waste that takes up space. Composting would be another piece in reducing the amount of landfill waste. And making that compost available to residents will be great for our gardens!

Affordable Housing

It’s interesting that Richland’s core neighborhoods have some of the best housing prices (and neighborhoods) in the area. Not only that, but there is a historical value as well. We need to do everything we can to preserve that value and keep these neighborhoods viable and not neglect them.

Being Business Friendly

We hear this allot. Everyone wants a solid business economy. But at what cost? Our quality of life? To me, there is a balance. Being business friendly simply means being consistent and forward thinking. Regulations such as zoning rules are often seen as a burden to business yet if well planned, actually supports sustainability. Connecting the economy plays a huge part as well. Business not only serves consumers, but other business as well. While competition is healthy, businesses that pit against each other can be counter productive to a community when one wins over another through lost jobs and wages and empty buildings. Though that scenario isn’t always avoidable, it should always be a factor in any cities business development efforts.

Cultural and Recreational Opportunities

Richland’s potential for Culture and Recreation opportunity is amazing. Yet, it seems to be squandered by one persons vision of “fun” vs. another’s. I love sports, museums and art galleries, but I have always felt that Performing Arts with music and theater, combined with those, really define culture. I feel any opportunity in this area should be pursued vigorously.

I could go on forever, but thanks for stopping by. I’ve written more about the race below (keep scrolling down). If you have any questions, feel free to drop a line to jim (at) mccranium.org. And if you haven’t voted yet, don’t forget to write me in:

Jim McCabe for Richland City Council, Position 3!