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<title>Unions on election day</title><description><![CDATA[From the Washington Federation of State Employee’s latest news alert:

Because we are currently bargaining, because our workloads over burden us, because our program funding hangs in the balance, because our paychecks are too small and our burdens too heavy - for all these reasons and many more - each and every vote will make a difference in this primary.
To paraphrase -- a vote today can help WFSE in the collective bargaining process. 

For those who think there is some magical separation between politics and contract negotiations, how much more overt can political action be? 

Oh, yeah, there is the $200,000 WFSE gave to the Evergreen Progress PAC as a pro-Gregoire independent expenditure. 
&nbsp;
Once again WFSE has shown that politics and contracts go hand-in-hand. 

Let’s stop the denial and let the people see what’s really going on.
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:22:15 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=775</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Gregoire and Rossi answers are up on YouTube</title><description><![CDATA[Governor Gregoire and Dino Rossi agreed to answer five questions from YouTube users.&nbsp; Those answers have been posted.&nbsp; One of them was from EFF's Amber Gunn who asked about the projected $2.7 billion budget deficit in the next biennium.&nbsp; It is the second of the five questions on the YouTube site.&nbsp; The answers start automatically and&nbsp;can be found here.&nbsp;
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:16:15 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=774</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Dr. Vedder meets Twitter</title><description><![CDATA[We will be up in Bellevue to film Dr. Vedder's discussion on higher education a little later today to be on our site later this month.  If you can't make it to the event and if you are like me, and aren't the kind who is patient, we will be twittering from the event.


By going to our site you will be able to see pictures and thoughts from the event as they happen.  You can even follow us and set it up so that our messages are automatically sent to your phone if you are away from your computer.


Just CLICK HERE to see our Twitter page and make sure to follow us.

]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:40:49 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=773</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>WFSE is suing the wrong people</title><description><![CDATA[Minutes from the&nbsp;Feb. 2008 meeting of the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) Local 1400 revealed that the state’s largest state employee union is suing up to 1,900 state employees for failure to pay representation fees in lieu of membership dues. So far, there are 21 defendants in Clark County, 35 defendants in Spokane County, 12 in Lewis County, 10 in Yakima County, 125 in Thurston County and 161 in King County. 
&nbsp;
The first hearing on one lawsuit was held yesterday in Clark County where the plaintiff union sought a motion for summary judgment that would automatically force payment of back dues, interest, court costs and attorney fees for two defendants. Edward Earl Younglove, attorney for the union, opened his remarks by admitting that the WFSE is seeking enforcement of a contract that “is between the union and the state” and that in the contract “the state agreed to make payment of fees a condition of employment.” 
&nbsp;
Given that the contract is between the union and the state, WFSE should really be suing the state for failure to enforce the contract against state workers who refuse to pay representation fees to the union. The contractual remedy for such employees is union notice to the employer of an employee’s failure to pay and the possible termination of the employee, at the state’s discretion.
&nbsp;
WFSE is suing the wrong people!
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:50:03 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=772</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Cleaning up the voter rolls</title><description><![CDATA[Back in June we filed an administrative complaint with Secretary of State Reed over our findings that in the past eight years thousands of ineligible 17-year-olds (and even younger!) have been able to register to vote, and scores have cast illegal ballots. We basically asked Reed to work with the auditors and to tweak the database to ensure only eligible voters are on the voting roll before ballots are mailed for the general election.
&nbsp;
Unfortunately, Reed is digging his heels in and refusing to make any changes. One of his arguments is that he is already addressing the problem through routine screenings of the statewide database, which was implemented in January 2006. Curious if that was true, I did a quick analysis of the ineligible registrations by year: (the 2008 data is only through February 18)

&nbsp;
 
The general trend seems unmistakeable: in off-election years the number of registrations holds steady, then in presidential election years it spikes. The implementation of the database did not decrease the registrations (they actually increased when compared to similar off-election years). And as of February 19 there were already 604 underage registrations in 2008, a number that seems likely to increase with the massive registration drives sure to occur this fall. (Here's the data behind the graph.)

&nbsp;
Our complaint is here, Reed's brief (filed August 8) is here, and our reply (filed August 14) is here. The administrative officer will be making her initial decision by this Friday, August 22.


]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:02:40 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=771</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>What's that smell?</title><description><![CDATA[Seattle is finally rid of the five self-cleaning toilets installed in 2004 to accommodate tourists and the homeless. 
&nbsp;
The city decided to get rid of the toilets when they became a haven for drug deals and prostitution. 
&nbsp;
The high-tech toilets cost $5 million. 
&nbsp;
They sold online for $12,549.
&nbsp;
This loss would be bad enough. But listen to the spin coming from the bureaucrats associated with the deal: "We sold them for what the market determined them to be worth," said Andy Ryan, spokesman for Seattle Public Utilities. "Did we get hosed? I'm not sure."
&nbsp;
Pat Miller, spokesman for Seattle's Fleets and Facilities Department, told the Seattle Times said he wasn't disappointed with the return on the city's $5 million investment. "We're just thrilled that we don't have them anymore," Miller said.
&nbsp;
Source: Seattle Times
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:07:58 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=770</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Ferry efficiency</title><description><![CDATA[OK, so that's a misnomer.&nbsp; Remember the ferry Elwha?&nbsp; The 144-car behemoth serving the San Juans that went out of service in the morning of August 6th?&nbsp; That was going to be back in service later that afternoon?&nbsp; 12 days later.... 
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:01:28 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=769</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>The WFSE 1900, Part 8</title><description><![CDATA[In Thurston County,&nbsp;another 128 state employees are being sued by their union&nbsp;for a total of $48,062.72 in unpaid dues and representation fees. One employee is being sued for $104.48, but that will not be the final amount owed by that employee once court costs and attorneys fees are attached. 

&nbsp;
This is getting ridiculous. 
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:30:57 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=768</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Weekend funnies...education in an election year</title><description><![CDATA[Enjoy!
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:00:09 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=767</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>WA grades down in national college rankings</title><description><![CDATA[Forbes magazine has released its first ever rankings of colleges and universities across the country, and the state of Washington does not come out particularly well.
&nbsp;
Dr. Richard Vedder, distinguished professor of economics at Ohio University, who compiled the report for Forbes, has completed a 65-page study for the Evergreen Freedom Foundation on funding of higher education in Washington that will be released next week.&nbsp; Vedder will visit Vancouver, Olympia, Tacoma and Bellevue next Monday and Tuesday to outline his findings.
&nbsp;
Whitman College in Walla Walla is the highest ranking Washington institution at #28 nationally.&nbsp; Whitworth College in Spokane was the next highest rated at #165.&nbsp; Other rankings among the 539 higher education institutions receiving ratings were:
&nbsp;
#176&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; University of Puget Sound
#178&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; University of Washington
#230&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pacific Lutheran University
#371&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Washington State University
#398&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Western Washington University
#427&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gonzaga University
#435&nbsp; &nbsp; Seattle Pacific University
#538&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Seattle University
&nbsp;
Neither Eastern Washington nor Central Washington universities made the rankings.
&nbsp;
Dr. Vedder’s comments on how he came to rate schools the way he did can be found here.
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:55:46 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=766</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>AG candidate comments on public union contracts</title><description><![CDATA[The Washington Coalition for Open Government has released the responses to its candidate questionnaire. Of particular interest to me is the response by John Ladenburg, a candidate for attorney general. 

Ladenburg says he supports the taping of executive sessions, but doesn’t want any “leaks of discussions about union contract positions, budget, or land purchase price offers because this could cost taxpayers additional money.” 

So Ladenburg doesn’t want the public to know if elected officials are discussing spending more money than the public thinks they should? 

In terms of union contracts, elected officials are supposed to strike the best labor deals possible. If elected officials make labor decisions that cost the taxpayers additional money, those officials are derelict in their duties to taxpayers. 

Discussions regarding union contracts are one of the reasons executive sessions should be taped. Anytime public labor and public money are discussed, the public has a right to know.

(In the interest of fairness, Rob McKenna, the incumbent attorney general and candidate for re-election, has not responded to WACOG's questionnaire.)


]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:38:07 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=765</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>WEA Campaigns at Work</title><description><![CDATA[If you’re still wondering what is wrong with the intersection of politics, public-sector unions, and mandatory dues, the Columbian’s Elizabeth Hovde provides a great explanation. 

Today’s column was written in response to a Washington Education Association e-mail to teachers “urging them to vote on which Barack Obama-Chris Gregoire T-shirt should be the union’s ‘official 2008 Election T-shirt.’” The WEA did not make any John McCain or Dino Rossi T-shirts available. 

Hovde comments: “That action was entirely legal. But it was also entirely rude …”

The main sticking point -- the WEA compels money from teachers and uses it for political purposes. 

Hovde concludes, “If the WEA were a voluntary organization, none of this political advocacy would be a big deal. Why enough lawmakers don’t see that having a mandatory union for its public employees is a problem is a huge deal. Maybe we need T-shirts that send that message this election season.”

Our sentiments exactly!
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:27:57 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=764</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>OFM rolls-out new government performance and results web site</title><description><![CDATA[


The Office of Financial Management (OFM) rolled out its new Performance and Results website&nbsp;today. The new site highlights state government spending in relation to performance measures and outcomes.
&nbsp;
“People need to know how the state invests their tax dollars and the benefits we receive from those investments,” said OFM Director Victor Moore. “Our new site will be a one-stop way to see how state agencies are spending and to show the results that come from those investments. We are making it as easy as we can to let people know what happens to their money.”
&nbsp;
The new government performance site is a valuable tool for government and taxpayers alike. Taxpayers now have access to useful information that will help link government performance with spending. 
&nbsp;
EFF has been working with OFM and the Washington Policy Center to bring this site to the public.
&nbsp;
The site includes performance assessments, expenditure summaries, financial status reports, performance progress reports and strategic plans for individual agencies.
&nbsp;
Senate Bill 6818, which passed during the 2008 legislative session, tasks the Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program (LEAP) to develop a website detailing expenditures of state agencies. The site will eventually link to the OFM performance website.
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:56:53 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=763</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Metro union loses to competition</title><description><![CDATA[While state employees were rallying for more money yesterday, drivers of Metro buses for the elderly and disabled picketed the King County Metro offices. The reason -- they lost their union jobs. 

Metro’s five-year contract with a unionized company recently expired. After a round of competitive bidding, Metro awarded a contract to a company that is not unionized in the Seattle area. Metro, already facing a budget deficit, estimates the new contracts will save the transportation system about $2 million annually. 

According to Seattle P-I reporter Larry Lange, Metro’s general manager said the unionized company no longer had a “competitive product” due in part to labor costs. The union has already filed an unfair labor practice. 

It’s nice to see a public entity sticking up for taxpayers and cost-effectiveness. Reminder to unions: make sure your product is competitive, or you may be priced out of the market. 

(Hat tip: Jason Mercier)

]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:10:52 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=762</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>“There’s no money in the bank”</title><description><![CDATA[An estimated 500 state workers rallied for pay increases yesterday, despite a looming budget deficit that is only getting worse with the recently announced $60 million revenue shortfall in July. 

Rich Roesler at the Spokesman-Review covered the event and EFF’s response to the union demands: 

Watching from the sidelines at Tuesday's rally was Tom Henry, a staffer for the conservative Evergreen Freedom Foundation. With the projected $2.7 billion shortfall, he said, the state will be hard-pressed to come up with money for larger raises.

"I sympathize, because costs are hitting state workers like everyone else," he said. "But if there's no money in the bank, there's no money in the bank."
 
The Olympian’s Adam Wilson also covered the story. Both Wilson and Roesler mention Gov. Gregoire’s ongoing, perceived conflict of interest which has been the subject of several recent news stories (see here and here). Negotiating with unions over pay and benefits while receiving campaign contributions from those unions at the same time raises ethical concerns among some. 

Most surprising were the supportive statements from union workers who can’t even see or hear the negotiations over their own contracts. How do workers know their negotiators are doing their jobs adequately? Because the negotiators said so? How do taxpayers know the governor’s negotiators are truly representing the public, especially with the conflict of interest allegations? 

Should Washingtonians blindly follow their leaders, or should we ask tough questions and demand that these negotiations be made public? 

]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:03:04 MDT</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=761</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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