Do you have outdoor places you enjoy but visit only occasionally? If so, don’t assume they haven’t changed since the last time you were there. That’s what happened to a small, almost secluded parking area at the entrance to NAD Marine Park in Bremerton. As the photo shows, vehicle access is now blocked by a yellow gate.
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Every morning except Sundays and holidays I check Informed Delivery to see what the USPS has in store for me. As the screen capture shows, as of today I’m working on a streak of four straight days with zero mail pieces scheduled for delivery. Will it reach five tomorrow? I hope so.
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The Trump administration hasn’t given up on trying to restrict mail-in voting nationwide via an Executive Order. Their latest step is to petition the Supreme Court to allow its implementation. Distracting as this might be in a vote-by-mail state like Washington, their efforts are not the real voting issue as the August primary deadline approaches (see screen capture).
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Is it too late to ask President Trump for a birthday present for the nation given that tomorrow marks our 250th? It might be if the gift is something that can be unwrapped. But this isn’t a request for anything material. Instead, we need an intangible present — behavioral changes in the form of things the president could stop doing.
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I signed up on the Let’s Go Washington website as a volunteer to help IP26-645 (see screen capture) get on the ballot in November. IP26-645 is an initiative to the people that would repeal the 9.9 percent tax that was passed by the legislature in March and is to be levied on annual incomes above $1 million starting in 2028. Although the sample of people I talked to while collecting signatures is unscientific, that doesn’t keep me from having some observations about the process.
Continue readingPosted in Current Events, Government, Mud Bay & Rocky Point, Treasure Island
Tagged "Millionaires" tax, IP26-645
Condemnation of Caesar Chavez (1927 – 1993) has been swift and universal following the news this week that he sexually abused girls and young women during the 1960’s and 1970’s. States, organizations, and political leaders are participating in the backlash by removing (or calling for the removal of) his name from places and events that publicly honor him. His family has issued a statement that wishes for peace and healing for the survivors. The one thing no one can do though is to cover up, rename, or paper over the fact that Chavez was publicly honored on a USPS stamp (see screen capture).
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You can tell I’m bored when I’m writing about whether to open a piece of junk mail (see screen capture) that arrived a week ago. The USPS uses a more professional term — marketing mail — and that’s likely what it is. But are there enough outward clues to decide whether it is worth opening?
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Last week Washington state Democrats introduced companion bills in the Senate (see screen capture) and House that propose to tax high earners. Dubbed the “millionaires” tax, the legislation imposes a 9.9 percent tax on annual earnings above $1 million. Although “millionaires” tax is a catchy term, it won’t apply for long, not because the tax will be overturned by a voter or legal challenge, but because of some fine print in the bills.
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Last week the school levy ballot and the Bremerton School District’s justification for passing it (see photo) arrived in the mail. It’s not the increase in property taxes I’m objecting to as I will be voting “yes.” Rather, having lived in Bremerton since the 1970’s, I have seen this movie before many times and I’m bored with it.
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While riding my bike on January 16th I collided with the mailbox cluster shown in the photo. The result was a serious hip injury. A week later I’m still using a walker to get around. Yesterday, I reported this safety hazard to the City of Bremerton. It will be interesting to see if anything comes from my request.
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