Monday, May 9, 2016

STATE GOVERNMENT

► From the Seattle Times — Vote: Are Boeing’s tax breaks worth it?

► From Teamsters 117 — “Freedom” Foundation threatens DOC members’ privacy — A group called the “Freedom Foundation” filed a Public Records Act request to obtain personal, sensitive information — like your full name and date of birth — from the state. The Freedom Foundation is a radical group funded by wealthy out-of-state special interests with a troubling agenda — to weaken our union and eliminate our right to negotiate.

► In today’s Seattle Times — When lawmakers can’t agree, Gov. Jay Inslee takes matters into his own hands — As Washington state lawmakers have deadlocked on bills dealing with gun safety and climate change, Gov. Jay Inslee has taken to using executive orders. He has written more than the state’s two previous governors did in their first terms.

► In today’s Seattle Times — Commuters, rejoice: Alaskan Way Viaduct reopens early — The Alaskan Way Viaduct reopened Sunday night, five days ahead of schedule as Bertha digs the tunnel that will replace the elevated roadway.

► In today’s Columbian — Stop stalling on I-5 bridge (editorial) — Lawmakers in both Washington and Oregon have been unwilling to embrace the need to talk about the bridge; leaders on both sides of the Columbia River have demonstrated that they prefer demagoguery to engagement. Meanwhile, the populace is suffering… Compromise is necessary.

CAMPAIGN 2016

► In the Spokesman-Review — Trump guarantees he’ll win Washington in November at Spokane rally — “I guarantee that we’re going to be back numerous times because we’re going to win the state of Washington,” Trump said. “I guarantee you.”

► In the Bellingham Herald — Trump vows better jobs, win in November at Lynden rally — Trump incited cheers from the crowd when he started talking about immigration from Mexico and reiterated his plans to “build the wall.” “We will build a wall. It will be a nice high wall. This is peanuts,” Trump said, gesturing at the stage cover maybe 40 feet above his head. “They sell the drugs. They destroy our children. They destroy our way of life.”

► In the Bellingham Herald — Hundreds rally against Trump, say he ‘doesn’t stand for equality’ — Hundreds of protesters gathered on Kok Road on Saturday, May 7, to protest Donald Trump’s appearance even as thousands waited for hours under a hot sun for a chance to see the Republican presidential candidate.

► From ABC (WISN) — Labor leader sees role of election ‘truth squads’ for unions (video) — AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler says organized labor will work to educate and activate working people on key issues in the 2016 election.

“FREE” TRADE

► From Huffington Post — How Oreos explain the 2016 election — This election cycle, bashing companies that offshore work is the one thing the candidates have been able to agree on. Mass layoffs like the ones at Mondelez — the snack conglomerate that produces Oreos, Ritz crackers and other treats — aren’t exactly uncommon, but Americans take notice when jobs making what’s been called “America’s Favorite Cookie” are relocated to Salinas, Mexico. Voters see robust corporate profits going to executives — Mondelez’s CEO Irene Rosenfeld raked in $19.7 million in total compensation last year, and $21 million the year before — and stagnating or disappearing wages for everyday Americans.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Click here to find out how to make sure the Oreos, Ritz and other Nabisco products you purchase are supporting good jobs in America.

► From Huffington Post — Sentiment on trade policy is shifting: TPP is bad policy, after all (by Stan Sorscher) — Trade, as much as any public policy, makes winners and losers. The millions of workers hurt by our trade policy are responding to the political messages from the candidates. In politics, when a public policy increases inequality, expands rights and power for global companies, makes workers more precarious, hobbles our response to climate change, and deindustrializes Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, we call that a bad policy. TPP and other NAFTA-style trade deals are bad policy. We could have different rules for globalization.

► From Huffington Post — Failure of Korean trade deal voids TPP (by Leo W. Gerard) — Just like NAFTA, just like China’s entry into the WTO, free traders swore that the Korean deal would shower jobs and economic prosperity down on America.  It didn’t happen. Actually, the exact opposite did. In all three cases, the schemes enticed corporations to close American factories and offshore work. That enriched CEOs and shareholders. But it impoverished millions of American workers and bankrupted communities.

► In today’s Washington Post — History lesson: More Republicans than Democrats supported NAFTA — Contrary to what Donald Trump says, Bill Clinton did not negotiate NAFTA, nor did he sign it. But he did put his political prestige on the line to get it approved by Congress… In both the House and the Senate, more Democrats voted against NAFTA than for it — a signal that the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party was strong even then.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

► In today’s NY Times — For Merrick Garland and Republicans, a tango of praise and rejection — With this tango of praise and rejection, the once sacrosanct process of filling a Supreme Court seat has taken a surreal turn. In the past, even eyebrow-raising nominees received a hearing and a vote. But Senate Republican leaders have said for nearly two months that Judge Garland, a relatively uncontroversial nominee, will get neither.

► In today’s Washington Post — A good prognosis for the Affordable Care Act as UnitedHealth says goodbye (editorial) — UnitedHealth’s selective exit from ACA marketplaces appears to reflect two positive features of the law. First, Obamacare was meant to spur competition among insurance companies, thus constraining premiums; in many markets, this dynamic appears to be at work, to the detriment of United. Second, the law has curtailed many of the ways that insurers used to contain their costs, such as refusing to cover certain people or certain treatments, or jacking up premiums for older customers.

NATIONAL

► In the Christian Science Monitor — Portland, Maine gave its minimum wage workers a raise. Here’s what happened next. — So far, Portland’s $10.10 wage hasn’t killed jobs, though some restaurants have cut hours. Many workers already earned above the minimum; tipped servers and bar staff make much more during the summer. Portland’s economy is booming and unemployment is below 3 percent. Even Greg Dugal, a prominent lobbyist for restaurant and hotel owners, admits that “the sky has not fallen.”

► From The Onion — Report: More companies offering paid maternity leave to mothers who complete 3 months of work ahead of time

The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.