DAILY NEWS
Our long nightmare, Port vs. Arena, Wisconsin redux…
Thursday, June 7, 2012
STATE GOVERNMENT
► From AP — Some Washington liquor buyers head for the border — Oregon liquor stores near the state line report an uptick in business from Washington residents who say they’re paying more for spirits, not less, since the privatization of the state-run sales system took effect June 1.
► In today’s Seattle Times — State lawmakers says stores should list full cost of liquor — Rep. Gerry Pollet (D-Seattle) says private retailers aren’t doing enough to prevent sticker shock among consumers under Washington’s new liquor-privatization law.
ALSO at The Stand — Liquor privatization’s false promises exposed (255 “likes”!)
STATE ELECTIONS
► In today’s Seattle Times — Can Suzan DelBene close gap in 1st district? — DelBene’s spokesman says the campaign is ramping up its ground game, bringing in field organizers and organizing tele-town hall events. Early polls simply reflect name recognition. “I truly think you’re going to see a shift” in the polls, he says. “There’s not been much voter contact yet.”
► In today’s NY Times — Opponents of gay marriage face tougher test in Washington state — As groups opposed to the state’s four-month-old gender-neutral marriage law filed their petitions here — the first salvo in a battle to repeal the statute at the ballot box in November — independent polls suggest that the playing field, at least here, may be leveling.
LOCAL
► At Slog — Could a Sodo arena sink the Port of Seattle (by Goldy) — Maintaining a competitive seaport is absolutely crucial to our economy, and in fact should take priority over other land uses in the Sodo neighborhood, regardless of how much we might want an NBA and/or NHL team. The question is whether these two goals are mutually exclusive, and that’s a question that’s not quite as easy to answer as both sides in this debate insist.
► In today’s Seattle Times — McDonald’s finally gets the OK for restaurant at SeaTac — Port the commissioners had misgivings about McDonald’s for all kinds of reasons — they were concerned about the timing of the proposal, the restaurant’s wages and the effect on surrounding merchants.
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — K-C mill set for demolition as soon as July — Kimberly-Clark hopes to have the demolition of the 66-acre waterfront site completed by the beginning of next year.
WISCONSIN REDUX
► At NPR — What’s in store for unions after Wisconsin recall? — Robert Siegel talks with the AFL-CIO’s Thea Lee about Tuesday’s result in Wisconsin and what it might mean for unions in November.
► From ABC News — Unions, Dems renew criticism of Citizens United following Walker recall win — “Texas billionaires” and “multinational corporations” can “spend unlimited money to sway an election,” says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, adding that this fundraising change holds “serious repercussions for our democracy.”
► In today’s Washington Post — Wisconsin’s dangerous result (by E.J. Dionne) — For the left, conservative hubris would be the best outcome from Wisconsin. Nothing would do more to push swing voters the progressives’ way. But liberals and labor are operating in a difficult environment. They need to pick their fights carefully and match their energy with a new discipline and a cool realism about the power arrayed against them.
► In today’s NY Times — The message from Wisconsin (editorial) — From the beginning, the money behind Governor Walker was intended to turn a once-reliable blue state into a laboratory for Republican ideas, where business could grow free of union fetters, taxes could be cut and thousands of people could be removed from Medicaid rolls. Labor, so long in decline in the private sector, is also losing its clout in states and cities, unable to match or withstand the unfettered bank accounts of industry. The people who kept Walker and his policies in power are just getting started.
NATIONAL
► At Politico — Secret talks under way about ‘fiscal cliff’ — A growing number of lawmakers are alarmed that Congress’s do-nothing posture ahead of the year-end fiscal cliff could provoke a massive voter backlash and economic catastrophe if they don’t start laying the groundwork right now to cut a deal. So behind the scenes, there’s a scramble taking shape.
► In today’s NY Times — San Diego, San Jose lead way on pension cuts — The city’s residents voted to cut not just the benefits of future hires, but also those of current city workers.
► At Yahoo! News — Miss me yet? No. George W. Bush still unpopular — He’s the only living president with a favorable rating that’s under 50%.
► In today’s Seattle Times — Amazon workers cool after company took heat for hot warehouses — This time last year, Amazon had ambulances parked outside its Breinigsville, Pa., warehouse complex on hot days, with emergency-medical personnel ready to take workers suffering from heat injuries to nearby hospitals. Today, after media scrutiny and criticism of the company prompted installation of a new cooling system, Amazon warehouse workers say the facility is refreshingly cool.
TODAY’S MUST-READ
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