Subduction Zone

Northwest Dealings

Category: Washington

British Columbia / California / Ecology / Idaho / Montana / Oregon / Washington / Wyoming

Short on Water?

The Oregon State University Extension Service has put up a new site called Drought in Oregon with a bunch of informative links In this new website, the OSU Extension Service has compiled publications and information to help Oregonians cope with water shortages at home, in the garden and on the farm. This is targeted at Oregon residents but there is information that will be useful throughout the region this summer. For those of you who want state specific material here are a few more links: Washington State University Drought Alert Washington Department of Ecology: 2005 Drought University of Idaho: Drought...

Seattle

Seattle Parking Shortages

There are parking shortages all over the city! So why this: The Seattle City Council yesterday agreed to reduce the number of parking spaces that developers are required to include in new apartment, townhouse and condominium projects in some of the city’s densest neighborhoods. According to the council this is all about affordable housing and using alternative transportation. But I suspect the builders and tenants will, respectively, make it about maximizing return on investment and enjoyable living which may or may not match up with the council’s verbiage. Binary Circumstance rightly notes: What they don’t seem to realize is that...

Education / Taxation / Uncategorized / Washington

Tuition Increases and Tax Increases

Taxes and tax increases are just that even when mislabeled or hidden. Take the case of the tuition increases just approved by the Washington legislature. These increases are, compared to previous years, a tax increase targeted at a specific class of Washington residents. Those who are paying tuition to attend a public college or university: The Legislature has approved tuition increases at all schools: 7 percent at the University of Washington and Washington State University; 6 percent at Western Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Central Washington University and The Evergreen State College; and 5 percent at the community and technical...

Washington

New Jobs for Whom?

The Seattle PI noted that to salvage the gas tax: The state’s most powerful business lobbyists, Gov. Christine Gregoire and leading lawmakers immediately stepped in to keep negotiations alive through yesterday. The transportation package was a top goal of the business lobby. The PI was so busy glowing over the process that they forgot to tell us about these lobbyists. To find out you have to go read the related Seattle Times story: “This is absolutely historic,” said Duke Schaub, lobbyist for Associated General Contractors of Washington and one of the most powerful figures in Olympia. “This means thousands and...