While Bank of America’s CEO and shareholders meet in Charlotte, NC, tomorrow, the 99% is took to the streets across the nation to protest BofA. As the economy declined, BofA made millions in profits by dodging taxes and foreclosing on homes, which hit communities of color especially hard.
Bad publicity is like kryptonite to big corporations—that’s why thousands of people are protesting, marching, and raising our voices in solidarity to draw the media’s attention to BofA’s shameless practices. Nearly 200 communities are standing up to Bank of America this week, and there’s one near you. More reallies are coming (Much of this text came from an email by Cynthia Hamilton, May 8, 2012).
While this may seem like a sudden decision to many, it was probably planned for a month or more by Senator Lisa Brown and her close supporters. Because she is the Senate Majority Leader and Democrats control the Senate by a narrow margin, her decision not to seek re-election does have consequence. However, Rep. Andy Billig, a Democrat, has declared that he is running for the open Senate seat in the 3rd Legislative District, and he should be a strong candidate.
Okay. He already had my respect. Rich Cowan is an accomplished professional who has brought hundreds of jobs to Spokane through his business North by North West. Of course I admire that.
This last week he gained my respect in a more significant way. I now know a bit more about the “stuff from which he is made.”
This is great news for anyone that holds a fondness for the working class, tolerance of one’s neighbors, restoring the state budget, and the general idea of sanity. Democrat Denny Dellwo is challenging incumbent John Ahern for the 3rd Legislative District Seat in Spokane.
Denny should be a very strong candidate, and the eccentric Ahern appears vulnerable. Dellwo was elect to the Washington State House of Representatives years ago, but then chose not to seek re-election. He instead wanted to go back to the private sector. Now he is eager to return to public service.
Plans for the proposed new jail near Medical Lake, Wa
It came as no surprise, but it is now official. The County of Spokane will not be placing a construction bond on the 2012 ballot to finance their proposed new Spokane County Jail.
New Spokane County Jail
Back in 2011, the Spokane County Commission and the Sheriff’s Department were planning to place their construction bond on that years’ ballot. However, they retreated from that election year as well. There was and still is a growing public reluctance to spend tax dollars on massive new public works projects like a new Spokane County Jail when alternatives have not been fully explored.
You know . . . sometimes you meet another person and realize you have met a great human being. While speaking in Spokane on the need for police reform, retired Seattle Police Chief, Norm Stamper, gave me that much respect. It was not because of his accomplishments, knowledge, or oratory skills. While significant, these are not the source of his exceptionalism.
It is his humility and courage behind it. Norm Stamper has the self-honesty to share his own mistakes and lessons learned, and do so in a way that compels others to examine their own life and strive for self improvement. In the movement for police reform, Norm Stamper is a leader in the best possible way . . . by example.
In the video to the right, Chief Stamper discusses the time he falsely arrested a citizen out of power lust, and how having to confront what he did changed him into the reformer he is.
St. Paddy’s Day has been celebrated in different ways by different people. Sometimes, it has been used as a day of protest in the Irish tradition of fighting the establishment as this video documents. Of course, the most common tributes to Irish culture have usually been parades, bagpipes, and partying. It was also occuppied by Occupy Spokane.
For 1,000 years, St. Paddy’s Day was a religious day of observance of Saint Patrick and celebrated with Irish bacon and cabbage. It became more secularized when Irish Immigrants formed the Charitable Irish Society of Boston and held the first St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 17th, 1737 to draw attention to their plight.
After a bit of a hiatus, Spokane Watch is back. If the site looks different, it is because I recently moved it to WordPress. I transfered as many of the posts and pages as I could could from Soapblox to our new WordPress blogging platform . –Bryan E. Burke, Administrator
A new jail will not make us safer. But it will make us poorer. It will cost every resident of the county nearly $3,000 over the course of the project. I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford an increase in my taxes unless it’s absolutely essential.
What would make a new jail absolutely essential? Would it be an overflow of dangerous violent offenders, so many we would be renting beds in other jails because we had no room for them in our existing jail? Even if this was the case, and it is NOT, we could still explore more cost-effective options, like remodeling existing buildings. If the state can do that, why can’t the county?
Spokane Watch is a project of Eastern Washington Voters. The views expressed here belong to the authors, and do not necessary reflect the position of Eastern Washington Voters.
Spokane is the major city in Eastern Washington. For a century, it has been a cultural, economic, and political hub of the Inland Northwest. It was once a railroad town. However, the trains are now few. Our economy has become more centered on light industry and the information economy.
We held the World's Fair in the 70s, and we still host Hoopfest, Pigout in the Park, and the Lilac Festival. If you like small town's that feel big. You will like Spokane.
