DAILY NEWS
Inslee’s veto | Trump’s tariffs | Uber’s poverty wages | Ratt’s grapevine
Friday, March 2, 2018
THIS WASHINGTON
► In today’s News Tribune — Inslee vetoes controversial legislative public records bill — Legislators had rushed SB 6617 at extraordinary speed through the legislative process last week in response to a Jan. 19 ruling from Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Lanese that individual legislators have always been subject to the Public Records Act.
ALSO TODAY at The Stand — Full disclosure: Historic bills are passing! (WSLC Legislative Update) — While the commercial press has focused its attention (and advocacy) almost exclusively on the public disclosure bill, several truly historic pieces of legislation have passed in recent days that will improve state government and help working families. Progressive policy bills that for years have been killed by partisan obstruction are finally getting floor votes. And they are passing — often with bipartisan support.
► From AP — Carbon tax bill dies in Legislature — Another ambitious effort to pass a carbon tax in Washington has faltered as both Gov. Inslee and the bill’s prime sponsor said that there weren’t enough votes to pass the measure out of the state Senate.
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Senate OKs new way to calculate Sound Transit car fees — It should result in reduction of the cost of vehicle licenses. The bill now goes to the House.
LOCAL
► In today’s News Tribune — Seattle’s two cents on Tacoma LNG plant not worth much (editorial) — Turns out Seattle doesn’t have enough trouble of their own. In a breach of jurisdiction, the City Council issued a resolution saying it’s “troubled by” Tacoma’s LNG plant.
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Sound Transit chief executive gets ‘an important wake-up call’ — An investigation found CEO Peter Rogoff has used offensive language and made the agency’s staff feel threatened.
THAT WASHINGTON
► In today’s NY Times — Trump calls trade wars ‘good’ and ‘easy to win’ — A day after stunning markets, Republican lawmakers and even his own advisers by announcing stiff tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, President Trump doubled down on his approach on Friday, saying in an early morning tweet that “Trade wars are good, and easy to win.”
► From Reuters — U.S. corporate share buybacks ‘explode’ in February — U.S. corporations have announced more than $218 billion in share buybacks since Congress enacted the Republican tax overhaul in December, an investment research firm said on Wednesday.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Just imagine if U.S. corporations had spent that much to create jobs and raise wages (as we were promised they would), instead of artificially boosting stock prices for their shareholders. Sigh.
► In today’s NY Times — The cruel ploy of taking immigrant kids from their parents (by Dora Galacatos, Alan Shapiro and Brett Stark) — Using children as bargaining chips with parents who seek refuge in America is horrifying.
► From Politico — EPA’s Pruitt says he will start flying coach
NATIONAL
► From Reuters — West Virginia teachers strike continues Friday amid stubborn pay dispute — West Virginia teachers were set to strike for a seventh day on Friday as state lawmakers balk at the governor’s promise to raise salaries that are close to the bottom for U.S. educators. An end to the strike that kept more than 277,000 students out of school since last week appeared in sight on Tuesday, when Republican Governor Jim Justice promised a 5 percent raise for teachers in the upcoming fiscal year. The $58 million proposal went through the Republican-controlled state House of Delegates on Wednesday, but the state Senate sent the bill to its Finance Committee for study.
► From The Nation — Why today is a sad milestone for minimum-wage workers — A worker earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour this year needs to work 41 extra days just to make the same amount as he or she would have made at the same wage back in 2009, once inflation has been factored in. March 1 is the 41st day of the year, and it’s over a week later than “Minimum Wage Workers’ Equal Pay Day” last year, which occurred on Feb. 21.
► In today’s LA Times — Disneyland’s workers are undervalued, disrespected and underpaid (by Peter Dreier and Daniel Flaming) — Disneyland is famously promoted as the “happiest place on earth.” But for many of the theme park’s 30,000 employees, it isn’t the happiest place to work. That’s what we discovered after spending a year talking with Disneyland workers and conducting a survey of about 5,000 “cast members,” as the company refers to its employees.
T.G.I.F.
► We know. Mashups are so 2012. Or older! But sometimes, somebody nails one so perfectly that it just seems meant to be. And such was the case last week when somebody out there on the Internets spliced together Ratt with Marvin Gaye, much to the enjoyment of The Entire Staff of The Stand. Enjoy.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.