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PCOs must be maintained

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State must maintain PCO elections (Olympian)

KIRBY WILBUR

Republican Party chairman Democratic Party chairman • Published January 16, 2012

Modified January 15, 2012

For more than 100 years, Washington’s laws have mandated the elections of precinct committee officers, grassroots officials who organize the state’s political parties and prevent the corruption exhibited by party bosses like Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall.

Sadly, The Olympian criticized our united lawsuit to stop Secretary of State Sam Reed from abolishing PCO elections without looking at the full scope of the issue.

The Olympian joins Reed in arguing that the state should abolish PCO elections because parties are private institutions on par with Rotary clubs, unions or trade associations.

False. Political parties are part of our elections and governance. They are referenced 10 times in our constitution and more than 150 times in statute. Rotary clubs, machinist unions and chambers of commerce are never mentioned and for good reason: they play no role in selecting party nominees or elected officials.

We also believe that Secretary Reed is breaking the law.

Last year, the courts ruled that due to Washington’s top-two primary system, the current method for holding PCO elections is unconstitutional. However, the laws requiring the state to conduct these elections remain in place.

In December, Reed overstepped his authority by adopting rules dismissing the state’s obligation to conduct these important elections. Our constitution prohibits the executive branch from overriding statutes passed by the Legislature.

We stand ready to work with Secretary Reed to find a constitutional method for preserving these crucial elections. Losing PCOs would be a loss for transparency, accountability and good government.

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2012/01/16/1950843/state-must-maintain-pco-elections.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/01/16/1950843/state-must-maintain-pco-elections.html

Commissioner Sandra Romero Wins First Place In Dog & Pony Show

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Opinion/Observation by Mark

I am new to politics. I attended my first coffee meet-and-greet with Thurston County Commissioner Sandra Romero last week to hear what she had to say about the Prairie Ordinance.

Politicians are funny. When giving a speech they can talk all day. When being asked questions by the public they are as evasive as a teenager.

For reasons only she can confirm, Commissioner Romero decided to have Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim drone on for 50 minutes during her meet-and-greet. Well, that’s an interesting way for constituents to get to know you. (Mission accomplished, Sandra! I did learn something about you)

With only 10 minutes left for Q&A--and no end in sight from Mr. Tunheim--a reporter from the Liberty Blog could take no more and interrupted Tunheim to ask Ms. Romero some questions. Just seconds, I might add, before I lapsed into a bureaucratic-induced coma.

Romero took four or five questions in that hour. All of them were regarding the Prairie Ordinance. (see previous article) I thought two stood out:

When asked if she had ever spoken directly to any of the 57,000 parcel owners whose land the county has taken, Ms. Romero smiled and replied that she talks to "lots of people" but refused to acknowledge that she has ever granted an audience with any of the affected property owners.
When asked what was so vitally important about the Pocket Gopher, Ms. Romero responded, “We only have 3 percent of our native prairie land left in the South Sound area.”

So I asked myself, "What does a pocket gopher have to do with the erosion of “native” prairie land?"

From what I understand, “prairie land” isn’t native at all. It is an artifact of the natives burning the land on a fairly regular basis before the area was settled. It is man-made and there is nothing “native” about it. Besides, whoever heard of a geographical area that rains so often being a prairie? It is about as likely as there being native rain forest areas in the Sahara Desert.

Next I called Glen Morgan of the Freedom Foundation and S.T.O.P. (Stop Taking Our Property) to ask about the importance of native prairie land to the pocket gopher. Turns out, they are found all over Thurston County including clear cut areas and low land hills.

I guess the question I would like to ask Commissioner Romero would be, "Is a gopher’s property rights more important than mine?”

Republican Resurgence Rally

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RNC Chairman Michael Steele, delivers a message of action to WA Republicans on July 9th. Here is the full Republican Resurgence Rally video courtesy of http://www.tvw.org/ .

Protest the Infringement of your 2nd Amendment Rights

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2nd Amendment

Join in a protest of H.R. 45 Blair Holt Firearms Licensing and Record of Sale Act.

Date: April 7, 2009

Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM

Location: 2209 Pacific Ave, Suite B, Tacoma WA 98402

Contact: Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information (253) 677-0568.

Details: Bring your own signs, expressive t-shirts, and your resolve to not take this kind of treatment from our government. This is a peaceful protest and members must not obstruct traffic.

Three Pierce County Republican members are meeting with Adam Smith to DEMAND, that he openly oppose this H.R. 45 and formally request that it be withdrawn. They would like to have a protest group outside of Adam Smith's office while they are meeting with him.

The proposed bill impedes on our 2nd Amendment rights by further regulating firearms registration and transfers of sale. This bill is an infringement on our right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by our constitution, and to insure that our country remains free and strong.

You may read the entire text here.

Tea Party Protest

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Boston Tea Party IMPORTANT UPDATE: Apparently if you send a tea bag in the mail it is going to be thrown out as suspicius mail. Plese send a picture, drawing or the tea bag label instead. This way it will actually be delivered.

I'm tired of higher taxes and unrestrained government spending. I want to limit and reduce the amount of government in my life, AND there is nothing I love more than a good protest.

So you can imagine my delight when I heard about the New American Tea Party. It's not my idea, but one that seem to be gaining traction. Its genesis is born from the Boston Tea Party and has morphed into a modern-day Tea Party protest.

All you have to do is mail a tea bag to the white house on April 1^st to ensure that it gets there by April 15^th. Here is the address for the white house:

1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500

While you are at it, send a couple to your representatives as well.