NEWS ROUNDUP

COPE coverage, privatization pays, GOP austerity…

W.S.L.C. ENDORSEMENTS

EDITOR’S NOTE — See the full list of WSLC COPE (Committee on Political Education) endorsements here. Delegates will consider making additional endorsements at the WSLC 2012 Convention in Wenatchee on Aug. 6-9.

► At IAM751.org — ‘Job creation is my No. 1 priority,’ Inslee tells labor — Labor’s endorsed candidate for governor told Washington’s union delegates Saturday that there are two competing theories about how to grow an economy. Advocates of the “low road,” he said, believe you can somehow create prosperity by cutting workers’ wages, benefits and retirement plans and eliminating their collective bargaining rights. He vowed to take a “high road” instead: investing public money in education and workforce development to ensure Washington companies have “the most skilled workers and the best-educated workforce,” which will allow them to compete and win worldwide — and in the process create high-wage jobs to drive local economies.

► At PubliCola — Chopp, Miloscia snubbed by Labor Council over pension votes, social issues — Several liberal Democrats did not get endorsements from the Washington State Labor Council this weekend after they voted for Republican state Sen. Joe Zarelli’s (R-Ridgefield) bill to penalize state workers for taking early retirement. That vote received extra weight in this year’s labor scorecard.

► Also at PubliCola — A pain in the ass (?) — In the 1st CD, the WSLC gave its sole endorsement to Suzan DelBene; in a huge victory for upstart candidate Sylvester Cann, the WSLC handed out a dual endorsement to Cann and incumbent state Rep. Gerry Pollet (D-Seattle); Brett Phillips and Noel Frame won a dual endorsement to replace retiring Rep. Dickerson; WSLC delegates voted to support the Marriage Equality referendum expected to be on this fall’s ballot; and backed Dusty Hoerler in the crowded 46th District race to replace Rep. Kenney.

► At TheOlympian.com — Labor endorses Davis in 35th, also like Drew, Nickels

► At TheNewsTribune.com — Labor picks include Darnielle, Fey, DelBene

► At WFSE.org — State Employees ‘back’ Kastama

LOCAL

► In today’s Yakima H-R — Letter Carriers’ national food drive set for Saturday— Postal Service letter carriers will conduct their annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive Saturday. Food donations left at mailboxes will be picked up by postal workers, who will deliver them to food banks and other related organizations.

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Red-letter food donor day (editorial) — This Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the successful Letter Carriers Food Drive. Since its inception in 1992, over 1.1 billion pounds of food have been collected and distributed in communities all around the country.

► In Sunday’s Seattle Times — Rivalry between Seattle, Tacoma ports historic, detrimental(by Jon Talton) — The shipping world is undergoing massive change, and both of Puget Sound’s big ports have more to worry about than each other.

STATE GOVERNMENT

► In today’s News Tribune — Stick with I-1183’s voter-approved liquor fees (editorial) — Voters were warned that privatization could lead to higher prices, and they still voted for I-1183 — in part because they believed that local public safety efforts would benefit. State lawmakers should allow the initiative to take effect the way it was sold to voters — higher prices and all.

ELECTION

► In today’s NY Times — Liberals steer outside money to grassroots organizing — Instead of going head to head with the conservative “super PACs” and outside groups that have flooded the presidential and Congressional campaigns with negative advertising, liberal donors are focusing on grassroots organizing, voter registration and Democratic turnout.

► From AP — Romney taking credit for auto industry success — Romney re-ignites the bailout debate by suggesting he deserves “a lot of credit” for the recent successes of the nation’s largest car companies. That claim comes in spite of his stance that Detroit should have been allowed to go bankrupt.

PRIVATIZATION PAYS

► In today’s Washington Post — Top federal contractors get 10% raise — Uncle Sam isn’t as flush as he used to be, but he still has enough money to pay individual private contractors as much as $763,029. It’s worth pointing out that the latest 10% increase in the federal cap on reimbursement to executives of private firms doing government work comes as federal employees are in the midst of a two-year freeze on basic pay rates.

NATIONAL

► In The Hill — House GOP seeks austerity — A day after voters in France and Greece toppled governments in a European backlash against austerity measures, Republicans moved forward with legislation to replace $78 billion in automatic spending cuts to defense and discretionary domestic spending with a much larger $261 billion cut focused only on domestic spending. Democrats said the party-line vote showed Republicans were more interested in protecting tax breaks for oil companies than in funding programs that help the poor and needy.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Meanwhile, as Exxon Mobil supplants Walmart as the planet’s biggest corporation, America can afford to continue to subsidize oil companies with big tax breaks, but we can’t afford to put Americans back to work fixing our highways, bridges and other crumbling infrastructure…

► In The Hill — Insiders pessimistic about highway bill talks — The committee of lawmakers appointed to negotiate a new federal highway bill will meet for the first time Tuesday, beginning their talks amid low expectations for a deal in a charged election-year environment.

► In today’s Washington Post — GAO: Taxpayers could turn $15.1 profit on AIG bailout — The gains have come as a result of Treasury selling stock it owns in AIG, which has once again become profitable, and the Fed selling distressed mortgage securities it had obtained from the company during the crisis.

► From AP — Obama’s to-do list for Congress: Jobs, mortgages — Pressuring Congress, President Barack Obama is laying out an election year “to do” list Tuesday that urges lawmakers to take another look at economic proposals to promote job creation and help families refinance their mortgages.

TODAY’S MUST-READ

► At Huffington Post — Obamacare pays off — in real cash— Obamacare gave consumers just a little measure of power in their relationship with insurance companies. The law forbids insurers from dropping customers who get sick. It forbids insurers from refusing to cover children because of pre-existing conditions. And it requires insurers to spend a large percent of premiums on actual medical services instead of bloated CEO pay and profits. This is what Republicans in Congress and in state capitals across the country are trying to take away from health insurance consumers — that leverage Obamacare gave customers to deal with massive, faceless, bureaucratic insurance companies.

R.I.P., MAURICE SENDAK

► Maurice Sendak (1928-2012) proved that the best children’s books aren’t dumbed-down efforts to teach lessons or sell somebody’s morality. No, they are gloriously surreal, trippy adventures of the imagination. Rest in peace, Mr. Sendak.

The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 9 a.m. These links are functional at the date of posting, but sometimes expire.