Washington '12: Getting Stoned at our Gay Weddings

[Supersonic]

Hmm, I would vote:

Yes
No
Unsure, Lean Yes
Yes
Yes
No

[Meeker]

Yes
Yes
No
No (seriously guys? Charter schools are gross)

Don't know what the last two are but if they got supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature they're probably good ideas. Lean Yes.

[Frodo]

Why is everyone here so opposed to charter schools? 

[Jayhawker]

Why is everyone here so opposed to charter schools? 

I don't get it either. As someone who has actually frequently been to one (Mom taught at one), I think they can be very beneficial.

[Meeker]

Charter schools misdiagnose what the problem is with our education system. It isn't overburdensome state/local rules, it's a lack of funding. Class sizes are way too big (causing teachers to become overworked and for individualized attention to falter) and the amount of pay is a deterrent for a lot of individuals who would make fantastic teachers (pretty simple concept that applies to any industry: pay people more, get better people interested in the job).

I'm all for trying out new educational strategies and methods - and I'm not saying charter schools are evil or anything (my gross comment was hyperbole), but everything that charter schools aim to accomplish can be done by making changes to the existing public school system; it's completely unnecessary to create a new system which is funded by taking public dollars away from existing schools and giving it to unelected management teams. Also, I know it's en vogue to dislike teachers' unions, but I think they have a right to organize in their workplace just like any other worker does.

[Ogre Mage]

My votes:

Referendum 74: Yes
Initiative 502:  Yes
Initiative 1185: Hell no (beyond sick of Tim Eyman)
Initiative 1240: Undecided
Senate Joint Resolution 8221:  Undecided/don't understand
Senate Joint Resolution 8223:  Undecided/don't understand

[Seattle]

Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes?
Yes

As Meeker stated above, charter schools aren't a panacea and I don't believe they will benefit Washington. I do think they have a place... but again, not on a large scale in Washington.

[CultureKing]

Referendum 74: Yes
Initiative 502:  Yes
Initiative 1185: NO
Initiative 1240: No (I personally don't care for charter schools, for many of the same reasons that Meeker stated).

[Wrecking Ball and Chain]

Meeker sold me on no on the charter schools thing, I didn't think it sounded bad because they'd all be state-ran but yeah this funding could be done better with existing public schools.

[Mercenary]

No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Although realistically, none of the things are that big enough of  deal to me to care what the results are and I may not even end up voting.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Although realistically, none of the things are that big enough of  deal to me to care what the results are and I may not even end up voting.

Why No on R-74?

[Mercenary]

No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Although realistically, none of the things are that big enough of  deal to me to care what the results are and I may not even end up voting.

Why No on R-74?

Never mind that, I am changing my position on it to Yes.
I am pretty socially conservative and I personally think homosexual actvity is wrong. But I've come to the conclusion just within the last day or so that it is still best to promote a marriage even when it is between two members of the same sex as it encourages monogamy and a better environment for a family if the individuals choose to adopt. Also it helps, over time, to decrease discrimination. My reason for opposing it originally is I felt it is a legal endorsement that homosexuality is to be fine and good. But in the end, even though I disagree that such activity is good or to be encouraged, I have decided it will do more good than bad to promote marriages. This was something I went back and forth on for a while now, but just last night, not long after posting that message did I change my mind.

Thinking about changing my position on the tax one too. I generally distrust the state, even though I distrust corporations just as much and am left of center, so I tend to think restricting their ability to do anything easily is generally for the best. But then didn't the 2/3 thing cause a lot of problems with California and now their in massive amounts of debt and all. And really, if the state did what I wanted them to do, they'd need to raise the taxes anyway. I want the budget producing surpluses for emergency times and I want us to have a state healthcare for all residents and reduce our higher education costs as well as invest more in improving our environment and infrastructure.... Weird to think I've drifted quite a ways from being a libertarian not more than a few months ago.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Mercenary: Oh, cool.  That was actually basically was I was going to argue I appreciate that you've been thinking on it.

I also agree on the 2/3 issue.  I also think it's a fairly arbitrary way of restricting governmental spending.  I think a lot of voters think that this requires the legislature to build consensus on "moderate, sane spending" but in practice it just throws a monkey wrench in the legislation process.  There's definitely plenty of people in the state who are fine with that, but it's nowhere near the percent who keeps voting for Eyman's stuff.

***

The stuff I hear about charter schools is fairly gnarly.  I also understand the concern about lack of local control.  However, I'd like to look more at the vaunted Stanford study that showed that charter schools generally have worse results.  I'm a little suspicious, honestly, because if this study is as damning to the empirical case for charter schools as it's said to be, I don't understand why the reformers are so passionate about this.  Unless it's "if A is flawed, then B" thinking.

I'm glad the other ballot items are pretty straightforward, because I-1240 is pretty complicated either way (some questions about the wording)

[Meeker]

Ugh, it happened: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/07/09/dino-rossi-is-a-senator

[realisticidealist]

R-74: Undecided, probably lean yes in the end
I-502: No
I-1185: Hell no
I-1240: Undecided, lean yes though I really don't care very much
SJR-8221: Undecided, lean don't care
SJR-8223: Uh...I guess?

[CultureKing]

ewww... After two or three months as a state senator again Rossi's head may grow enough to run for president.

[bgwah]

Ugh, it happened: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/07/09/dino-rossi-is-a-senator

I moved just in time.

[Meeker]

LOL: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/07/10/republican-pflug-endorses-democrat-mullet-trashes-rossi

I <3 Pflug!

[bgwah]

LOL: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/07/10/republican-pflug-endorses-democrat-mullet-trashes-rossi

I <3 Pflug!

Excellent. GOP infighting is how Kathleen Drew got elected there in 1992.

[Meeker]

Whoa. Four Republican members of the State House have endorsed some guy named Shahram Hadian for Governor, who is running to Rob McKenna's right: http://hadian2012.com/press-releases/2012-07-12/breaking-news-conservative-leaders-endorse-hadian-governor

[realisticidealist]

Whoa. Four Republican members of the State House have endorsed some guy named Shahram Hadian for Governor, who is running to Rob McKenna's right: http://hadian2012.com/press-releases/2012-07-12/breaking-news-conservative-leaders-endorse-hadian-governor

Up where I live, I've only seen signs for Hadian, not McKenna.

[bgwah]

He'll mostly be a non-factor... Though I suppose it's possible he'll drain enough from  McKenna to allow Inslee a 1st place finish in the primary.

[ModerateCoward]

I don't understand why suburban moderates vote for McKenna over Inslee, Inslee got elected in a relatively conservative district a couple decades ago, while McKenna is towing the Scott Walker line.

[smoltchanov]

Whoa. Four Republican members of the State House have endorsed some guy named Shahram Hadian for Governor, who is running to Rob McKenna's right: http://hadian2012.com/press-releases/2012-07-12/breaking-news-conservative-leaders-endorse-hadian-governor

These four members are "pure dumbasses" - ready to support a patented idiot with zero chances to be elected for the sake of "ideological purity". But this malaise is not limited to Republican idiots exclusively - i met a lot of their Democratic counterparts as well..

[bgwah]

Ruderman is playing very dirty, hmm...