Archive for January 4th, 2011

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January 4, 2011

Vancouver Unions Ready to Gouge City & Taxpayers

by lewwaters

A year and a half ago I was applauding the Vancouver Firefighters Union over their declining a wage increase, seeing the economy slipping further into recession. Comments left on my blog back then informed me the “sacrifice” wasn’t as altruistic as I assumed.

If there was need of any further proof of that we see it today as we are informed that Vancouver and two unions stalled on contracts. The “two unions” are the Police Command and Firefighter unions who will not agree to the city’s offer and instead, are demanding hefty wage increases, even though our economy has not improved and in fact, has worsened since the firefighters made their “concession” to a wage freeze in July 2009.

At issue today is the Fire Suppression Unit, IAFF Local 452 holding out for an “8.2% wage increase for contract year 2010 with another 2% COLA in contract year 2011. In addition, they want a 10% longevity pay for over 25 years service, payoffs of unused sick leaves and a reduction in number of hours worked in a week.”

We also see the Police Command Unit, OPEIU Local 11 holding out for “Commanders pay 10% above a Lieutenants Pay, and a Lieutenant’s pay 22.4% above a Sergeants’ pay” in both contract years.

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January 4, 2011

Who Does Herrera Beutler Think She’s Kidding?

by lewwaters

After how many flights to and from Washington D.C. for fund raisers and being back there for arranging her office, where she nearly did flips across the congressional floor, now she wishes us to believe she chose to drive “because it is more economical?”

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler Heads to Washington.

Sorry hon, but your effort to make yourself now appear as one of the regular people fails!

Those who have watched you know better.

December 4, 2011, Herrera Beutler appeared on Hannity along with other freshmen congresscritters. A question answer session with her and host Frank Luntz is as follows,

LUNTZ: Now, the American are trying to judge, they’re going to look you straight in the eye to try to figure out whether you got what it takes.
CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT JAMIE HERRERA BEUTLER, R-WASH.: Absolutely. And I expect them to. That’s what we run on. I served here as a staff member actually before I went on to get elected.
LUNTZ: And you wanted to come back?
BEUTLER: No, actually I didn’t. My husband and I, we actually made a cross country trek. We drove out here. On the way, we were reminiscing, when we made the decision to run, it wasn’t because we wanted to live here in Washington, D.C. I’m from the West Coast, I like the West Coast. But we decided our country needed a course direction. We either change direction now or the future generations of Americans, my children’s children wouldn’t have the same America I had. And it was worth it to us.


Transcript here

She didn’t wish to return to Washington D.C.? Why the hell did you run then? Why did you rely on dirty tricks to win? Why are you even there? After all, there was a candidate who actually wanted to represent the people and he actually had ideas.

Posted in 3rd Congressional District | 1 Comment »

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January 4, 2011

GOP Chair That Led Herrera Beutler’s Election Handsomely Rewarded

by lewwaters

It’s no secret that I opposed the election of Jaime Herrera, now to be known by her husband’s name, Jaime Herrera Beutler, as the GOP nominee to replace retiring Democrat Brian Baird as Washington’s 3rd Congressional District Representative. It’s no secret that I resigned my PCO position right after being elected in August and distanced myself from the Clark County GOP due to what I saw as corruption and cronyism in creating an unlevel playing field that heavily favored her.

Herrera Beutler, who brings no substance to the office, won the GOP nomination and ultimately the seat against Democrat Denny Heck, who I also saw as not the best we could offer from our area. I have been accused of “sour grapes” since I no longer support the GOP over the Democrats, both being corrupt and infested with dirty tricks and cronyism in my estimation.

Although my blog is conservative in nature, my support of Republican David Castillo earned me the status of “the enemy” to many Clark County Republican Board Members. A heated exchange with past Clark GOP chair Anna Miller over me and my wife’s reasons for distancing ourselves from the party drew a comment from party chair Ryan Hart that I never saw or experienced anything I know I saw and experienced during the primary campaign.

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Posted in 3rd Congressional District, Clark County Issues, National Politics, Washington State | 5 Comments »

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January 4, 2011

Gambling, To Fix the Budget?

by lewwaters

The state of Washington is in deep financial trouble with declining revenues, rising unemployment and overly generous benefit packages to public unions, not forgetting years of overspending since Governor Gregoire surreptitiously gained the governor’s office in 2004.

Unemployment has steadily increased nationwide ever since mid-2007 after Democrats gained control of both houses of congress in Washington D.C. and they decided to “fix” what they then labeled a very poor economy. Naturally, their “fixes” has added to our states woes, leaving us in the current predicament.

Ever since the economy was noticed to be heading further into the economic abyss we now suffer, several more “fixes” have been applied that has only plunged us deeper and deeper into the morass. Federal Stimulus and bail-outs did nothing more than increase the public debt to historic levels.

In Washington State we saw several efforts applied that was supposedly to lead us into recovery. Taxes and fees were raised and small businesses continued to fail, succumbing to new taxes and lack of sales due to increased taxation.

An effort at an income tax was once again defeated and some of the sillier taxes were repealed. Elections sent some new legislators to Olympia, but not enough to change the majority, still in the hands of the very Democrats that led us to this point.

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Posted in Clark County Issues, Washington State | 1 Comment »

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