Ringing Freedom's Bell In Sunnyside, Washington & Beyond Since 2008
December 25, 2011 Leave a Comment
2011 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at First Baptist Church, Sunnyside, Washington
October 3, 2011 Leave a Comment
A former mayor in the Yakima Valley is endorsing Raines for Sunnyside City Council. The following letter was published 10/03/11 by the Yakima Herald-Republic (yakima-herald.com).
Back Raines in Sunnyside
To the editor — Jason Raines is running for Sunnyside City Council, Position 5.
Jason believes public safety should be the No. 1 priority of local government. A community thrives only when its citizens are able to live and work in safe neighborhoods, not fearing for the safety of their children, homes and businesses. Jason will work hard to achieve safety for all Sunnyside citizens, which is why he has earned the endorsement of the Sunnyside Police Officers Guild.
As a former Army captain, Jason knows firsthand how to be a team player, and that goals are accomplished only when people work together. Jason will work tirelessly with other Yakima Valley governments, as well as citizens and organizations within the Sunnyside community, to provide safe neighborhoods, quality infrastructure and a community people will be proud to call their home. A father of three, Jason cares about creating a great environment for Sunnyside’s youth.
Jason brings a no-nonsense approach to his decision-making, listens to all points of view and values everyone at the table. Jason Raines is exactly whom Sunnyside needs to move the community toward prosperity, and as a former Tieton mayor, I’m proud to endorse him for Sunnyside City Council, Position 5.
NORMA JOINER
Yakima
June 7, 2011 Leave a Comment
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Washington’s Attorney General Rob McKenna put out a press release stating that he will make a “major announcement” at his old high school in Sammamish on Wednesday night. For months there has been speculation that he will run for Governor, and this is likely to be the formal announcement that he is running.
Here is the press release put out by Friends of Rob McKenna:
***PRESS ADVISORY***
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2011
McKenna to Make Major Announcement Tomorrow
Attorney General Rob McKenna will make a major announcement Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
The event will be held at the Performing Arts Center of McKenna’s alma mater, Sammamish High School, from 6:00 p.m. to approximately 6:45 p.m. Following the announcement, McKenna will hold a media availability on site at7:00 p.m.
April 5, 2011 Leave a Comment
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As a citizen who values the right to request public documents in Washington, this is a case that will be interesting to watch:
Additional Information:
http://myfreedomfoundation.com/index.php/causes/case/category/freedom_foundation_v_gregoire
February 21, 2011 1 Comment
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Following news that the former Chair of the Washington State Republican Party is now a paid lobbyist for SEIU, 15th District Representative David Taylor made this comment on his Facebook page:
Nice to see our former State Republican Chair lobbying Sen. Zarelli for SEIU. Hopefully Esser is as successful lobbying for SEIU as he was getting Republican Candidates elected in WA State … hahahaha.
Note for readers: former radio talk show host Kirby Wilbur was elected Chair of the state Republican Party in 2011. He unseated Luke Esser on the first round of balloting.
February 10, 2011 2 Comments
The first nominee for the “Soft On Crime Hall Of Shame” was first announced on the Friends of Sunnyside website, and is now being listed here:
- WA State Senator Prentice
Senator Margarita Prentice of Seattle killed an anti-gang bill that was overwhelmingly passed in the State House and endorsed by every police chief in Washington. She is our first nominee for the “Soft on Crime Hall of Shame.”
Stay tuned…
December 20, 2010 2 Comments
Before the 2010 election, Democrats held a majority in both the Washington State Senate and House. In the Senate, the Democrat Party had a majority of 31-18, with the House divided 61-37.
On election night things were looking good for Republicans, trying to win a majority in one or more of the State Legislature chambers. While Republicans posted solid gains, several of the close races tipped towards the Democrats as late votes came in during the counting process.
This is a trend that was observed statewide in Federal and Legislative races. In addition, the more conservative candidate for the Washington State Supreme Court saw his lead evaporate; vanishing completely, as his opponent squeaked into the position at the very end of the counting process. (King County voters were largely responsible for this.)
While Republicans failed to get majority control in the Washington House and Senate, they still made impressive gains, and are better positioned for the next electoral cycle. Democrat majorities in 2011 have been shaved to 27-22 in the Senate, and 56-42 in the House.
Reference:
Political Division of the Senate and House 1889-2011
November 4, 2010 Leave a Comment
The following statement has been released by the Rossi For Senate Campaign:
Bellevue, WA – U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi made the following statement regarding the Washington Senate race:
“This evening, I called Senator Murray to offer my congratulations on her re-election to the U.S. Senate.
“I ran for the Senate because I believe we need a basic course correction from where Washington, D.C. has been taking us and to make sure this country is as free, as strong and as prosperous in the future as it has been in the past to preserve the best of America for future generations.
“That was a message that found a very receptive audience all across this state, though not quite receptive enough.
“We’re sending at least one new person, maybe two, to Congress to represent Washington State. We elected a host of new people to the state legislature — all on the message of controlling spending and helping the private sector grow, saying no to government overreach and confronting some very difficult challenges in front of us.
You’ve heard me say during this campaign that the problems we face are too big for one political party. They are, and I can say that with absolute certainty.
“It is my hope that the new House and Senate will address them seriously, responsibly, and in a bipartisan way. I hope the President and Senate Democrats will join the new House majority to face these problems head on rather than leaving them for the next Congress or the next generation.
“My hope going forward is that our representatives in Washington, D.C. will be thinking about how an issue affects Bellevue, Bellingham or Bingen, not the D.C. Beltway.
“I hope they will be thinking about the small business owners struggling to stay open and the people that work there who are trying to pay their mortgage and feed their kids. I hope the things that are done in D.C. make it easier for these folks, not harder.
The lesson I leave you with is one we learned as kids: we’re all in this together. If Washington, D.C. doesn’t act to help the economy grow and solve this massive spending and debt, it’s going to hurt us all. It won’t distinguish by political party.
Let me close with one more heartfelt thank you to the people of our state. Thank you for letting me have an honest, straightforward discussion with you about our future.
“God bless you, our country, and this wonderful state we call home.”
November 3, 2010 4 Comments
As of 11:57 PM, the Washington Secretary of State was reporting on its website Election Day results showing incumbent Senator Patty Murray leading challenger Dino Rossi by a razor slim margin of only 14,005 votes out of 1,430,787 counted. At the end of the first day of counting, Murray has a lead of 50.49% to Rossi’s 49.51%. However, Rossi For Senate Campaign Manager Pat Shortridge issued a statement by Email late last night outlining some points that should have the Murray campaign sweating bullets:
- Historically in Washington, the Republican candidates improve their percentages in each county in votes counted after Election Day, usually improving their margins by 2 to 3 percentage points.
- King County, which is providing most of Sen. Murray’s margin, accounts for 30.7% of all registered voters in the state. According to County Election reports, King County only has 26.7% of the remaining ballots left to count. The rest of the state, where Rossi has a comfortable lead, will count proportionately more ballots post-Election Day.
- Spokane County, where Rossi is currently in the lead by more than 50%, still has at least 21.6% of the remaining ballots left to process, with more coming in.
- Rossi is currently leading in Pierce County by nearly 2,500 votes
- According to the Secretary of State, there are still over 508,000 estimated ballots left to process statewide.
- Again, we will know more over the next several days as ballots continue to come in and counties continue to count. We are confident that the margins we are seeing throughout Washington State, combined with the state legislative victories, will put Dino Rossi ahead by an overwhelming margin.
This election is not like previous statewide races that Rossi has run. It is a midterm, off-Presidential cycle election. These usually favor Republicans, that traditionally exhibit more faithful voting habits. In addition, a Republican tidal wave is sweeping the nation, with Republicans gaining a solid majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Turnout in more conservative Washington districts is running above normal this year. This trend is elevating Republican Party hopes, as Washington is poised to send a Republican majority of its Congressional Representatives back to D.C. come January. Five of Washington’s nine Congressional seats appear to be in Republican hands:
Republican gains in west-side Congressional Districts are exceeding local Party expectations. In addition, a number of voter initiatives regarding taxes have shown a conservative voting streak. An initiative for a state income tax has gone down in flames, while another requiring a 2/3 majority of the state legislature to raise taxes appears to be passing. In addition, a rollback of Democratic Party approved taxes on food and bottled water appeared to be passing as well.
While the race is still too close to call, it looks like we may be calling Dino Rossi our Senator very soon.
***
Cross-posted at Palousitics
October 13, 2010 Leave a Comment
There are multiple State Supreme Court Justice positions on the ballot, with most of them being settled during the primary election. However, there is one race of concern I will weigh in on here:
Judicial Position 6 (Non-partisan office)
I have had the pleasure of seeing Justice Sanders speak on two occasions. The first time was in Yakima, and then more recently at the Washington State Republican Party Convention in Vancouver. Despite his position being non-partisan he enjoys bi-partisan support from many Democrats and Republicans. In addition, both the Washington State Republican and Libertarian Parties support his candidacy. There is no one on the Supreme Court that has demonstrated a stronger concern for protecting and maintaining individual rights. Sanders has written more opinions (and more dissenting opinions) than any other justice on the court. He has a strong record of defending property taxes, and promotes the reading of the Washington State Constitution everywhere he goes.
Charlie Wiggins is challenging Sanders. He expresses concern for judicial ethics, but wishes to have the taxpayers fund campaigns for justices. He has attempted to smear the character of Sanders for a “scandal” promoted by political opponents. Wiggins does not make any promises about protecting or maintaining individual freedoms. Wiggins has the support of unions, women’s groups, and what he calls LGBT leaders.
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