The 9th Order

Times Ads a Scandal? Oh, Pshaw — Not if You Look Back in the Microfilm

by The 9th Order , Washington State Wire , 0 Comments

Seems like a good percentage of the state’s political activists are shocked — absolutely shocked — by the ads the Seattle Times Company has been running on behalf of Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna and the campaign to affirm this year’s gay-marriage law. And you can definitely say the Times has proven that newspaper advertising gets results. But it’s nothing, really, if you know anything about how newspapers used to operate. A hundred years ago, newspapers knew how to do it right.

Recommendations on Ballot Measures

by Washington State Wire editorial board , 1 Comment

Here are a few no-brainer recommendations on the high-profile ballot measures that confront Washington voters this election. [Note: Washington State Wire reporter Erik Smith did not participate in these endorsements.]

Recomendations in a Few Legislative Races

by Washington State Wire editorial board , 4 Comments

If Inslee nabs the Governor’s Mansion it will leave the Senate as the last bastion of moderation. But that reputation hinges on a few key races. [Note: Washington State Wire reporter Erik Smith did not participate in these endorsements.]

Recommendations in Statewide Races

by Washington State Wire editorial board , 4 Comments

We asked a collection of staff, readers, occasional contributors and capitol insiders to help us fill out our ballots. Here are our endorsements for statewide races in 2012. [Note: Washington State Wire reporter Erik Smith did not participate in these endorsements.]

‘We’re Doomed’ – Public Records ‘Confirm Corruption’ in Gubernatorial Appointment, Senator Says

by The 9th Order , Washington State Wire , 5 Comments

A batch of documents generated by a public records act request might not provide courtroom-positive proof that there were dark dealings in the 5th Legislative District Senate race, but state Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, says they’re good enough for government work. And you have to love this: When the governor named state Sen. Cheryl Pflug to the state Growth Management Hearings Board, one staffer reacted, “We’re doomed. We’re all doomed.”

A Trippy Rally for Marijuana Initiative in the Capitol Rotunda Demonstrates Chaos in World of Pot

by The 9th Order , Washington State Wire , 4 Comments

A chaotic rally for this year’s marijuana legalization measure offers a metaphor for this year’s campaign for Initiative 502. Opponents mount a noisy and rather effective effort to drown out Rick Steves, the Edmonds travel personality who is acting as spokesperson for the campaign. But it’s all a bit disorganized. Steves tells Washington State Wire why he was willing to dump $450,000 into a campaign for a measure the feds will probably never allow.

Health Exchange Cost Debate Continues

by The 9th Order , 0 Comments

On Monday at a House Ways & Means Committee meeting, the Chair, Rep. Ross Hunter, questioned why the Washington State Health Benefit Exchange was going to cost over $50 million per year, and requested additional documentation. On Wednesday the HBE Operations Committee struggled with a related question, how to raise that kind of money.

An Ancient Newspaper Article Might Decide a Most Taxing Question – What Did the Seattle Times Say on Aug. 9, 1889?

by Erik Smith , Washington State Wire , 2 Comments

An ancient newspaper article figures heavily in the current challenge to the state’s two-thirds-for-taxes rule, and there are some, like our friends over at the Publicola website, who think the whole thing is made up. It’s a little hard to discern the argument just by looking at the microfilm. But it’s there, all right, and it’s real — and it shows that the state’s founding fathers never intended to place a limit on the number of votes required to pass a bill in the Legislature. It is a critical issue today as the Supreme Court tries to decide whether the rule is constitutional.