DAILY NEWS
Election results, McKenna’s cuts, Occupy inspires…
WASHINGTON ELECTION
► In today’s Olympian — People voting to shut state liquor stores — Costco is toasting its success while state liquor-store employees could use a drink. The 166 stores where they work will close by June 1.
► In today’s Seattle Times — Long-term care training approved — For the second time in four years, voters have approved an SEIU-backed initiative to increase training for long-term-care workers. Initiative 1163 would more than double required training — from 34 to 75 hours — for most new long-term-care workers. The measure also would require certification and more rigorous background checks.
► In today’s Columbian — Wylie keeps state Legislature seat
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Reardon coasting past Hope in county executive race
► In today’s Bellingham Herald — Louws leading Ericksen for Whatcom County Executive
► In today’s Kitsap Sun — Kitsap voters reject proposed tax increase for human services
► In today’s Seattle Times — Seattle rejects car-tab fee, passes levy boost for kids
NATIONAL ELECTION
► At AFL-CIO — Ohio voters to Kasich: ‘No, no, no’ — Ohio voters resoundingly overturned the anti-worker agenda pushed by Gov. John Kasich (R), Republican state lawmakers and outside interest groups, which took away the right of some 350,000 public employees to collectively bargain for a middle-class life.
► In today’s NY Times — Ohio turns back a law limiting union rights — A year after Republicans swept legislatures across the country, voters in Ohio delivered their verdict Tuesday on a centerpiece of the conservative legislative agenda, striking down a law that restricted public workers’ rights to bargain collectively.
STATE GOVERNMENT
► From AP — Rob McKenna: Cut number of state workers — Attorney General Rob McKenna says private companies should be able to bid to provide more government services, the number of state workers should be reduced and employees should pay more for health insurance premiums.
► In today’s Olympian — Union rejection to reopen contracts may trigger cuts (editorial) — Union leaders missed an opportunity to engender public support for state workers. By refusing to renegotiate, union leaders have fostered the false criticism that state workers are not sharing in the sacrifices that the recession has forced upon other Washington residents.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The way to engender public support for state employees is for them to impose more wage and benefit cuts upon themselves?! How much public support have they engendered — or support from legislators, for that matter — for doing that to themselves repeatedly in the past few years?
LOCAL
► In today’s Columbian — Health care change set for January — Starting in January, most Clark County employees will pay a portion of their health insurance premium. Employees — 1,362 people who have full-time equivalent positions — will pay 7%, which will save the county $1.6 million.
► In today’s Yakima H-R — City of Yakima lays out budget plan with layoffs
SUPERCOMMITTEE!™
► In today’s Washington Post — What counts as a tax increase? (by Ezra Klein) — The Bush tax cuts have cost about $2 trillion since their passage, and will cost another $3.7 trillion if extended for another 10 years. And that’s before you count interest on all the new debt that will rack up. But they have a hidden cost, too. They make it almost impossible for Republicans and Democrats to agree on what to do over the deficit.
► In The Hill — House Republicans want out of Norquist tax pledge — A growing number of GOP lawmakers have disavowed Grover Norquist’s pledge against supporting tax increases in recent days, saying they no longer feel bound to uphold a document that they signed, in some cases, more than a decade ago.
NATIONAL
► In today’s NY Times — Letting the banks off easy (editorial) — A settlement in the works would not hold banks accountable for mortgage abuses. State attorneys general should keep fighting for a better deal. (That includes you, Mr. McKenna.)
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 9 a.m. Make this electronic “clip service” your first stop each morning! These links are functional on the date of posting, but sometimes expire.