The Tri-City Herald Editorial Board Endorses the Wrong Candidate -- So what's new?

 

I'm disappointed with, and frankly puzzled by the Herald's recommendation of Gabe Galbraith for the Kennewick school board. Members of the Herald Editorial Board stated that, "Even though we don’t agree with some of Galbraith’s complaints against the school district, we believe he represents a voice that is needed on the board." That's a voice that said, "enough is enough" and "it's time to fight back," about keeping kids out of school during a pandemic that's killed almost 700,000 so far, including over thirty thousand in Benton County.

Galbraith wants kids in school, and he wants them there without masks, because "it's difficult to breathe wearing a mask" during recess. The Herald’s view of the mask mandate was made very clear in an August 27th editorial headlined, “Franklin Commissioner Clint Didier’s anti-mask stunt was an embarrassing misuse of power.”

Galbraith’s other issues are the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT), and sex education. CRT isn’t taught, but that doesn’t stop Galbraith from stating that he “opposes it 100%.” Here again, the Tri-City Herald Editorial Board penned a June 21st op-ed that stated unequivocally, “Contrary to a surge of misinformation online, there is no new law requiring Washington state public schools to adopt the controversial “critical race theory” curriculum. This point needs to be made clear.”

Kennewick school districts are required to adopt a sex education curriculum that meets state standards. Galbraith is dead-set against this, too, stating that sex education should be taught in the home. The fact is, parents may have their kids opt out of the school sex ed program. Another non-issue that Galbraith is running on.

Galbraith has also come out against the “teachers union,” which he said his wife quit. The  Kennewick Education Association, “works for the welfare of school children, the advancement of public education, and the improvement of instructional opportunities for all.” It’s essential that anyone serving on the school board work effectively with the teachers’ union, whether or not one agrees with all their positions.

What Galbraith didn’t address was the dismal “report card” the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) gives Kennewick schools. For example, only a third of students meet science standards, and just 41.8% meet math standards. Wouldn’t it be useful to have on the school board a person who is “passionate about science and math;” a person who “double majored in math and physics;” a person who taught science and math to 1st and 2nd graders, and continues to teach ‘children of all ages’ about the wonders of the universe at the Bechtel National Planetarium at CBC? A person like Erin Steinert?

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What's particularly troubling about the Herald Editorial Board's recommendation is how it reflects the ignorance of the Board about how the Republican Party is purposely misrepresenting Critical Race Theory as an ideological gambit by liberals to "indoctrinate" Americans into hating the White race, even their own. According to an article in Politico;

Parents in many places have organized Facebook groups calling for schools to expunge specific diversity-oriented curricula or any elected official backing it. Some of those groups have spawned new candidates — sometimes long before a race.

 As Politico wrote,

 Historically, school boards have been largely nonpartisan. But as interest in the races spiked this year, some candidates began to sound more like Fox News commentators than school board members of the past.

The Republican Party is using CRT as a ploy to 1) energize their base and get more Republican voters to the polls, 2) get Republicans running for local office to build their resume for runs at state and federal office, and 3) get the faithful to be more generous in their donations to the GOP.

Democrats at the local level seem slow to respond, surprised perhaps that the Republican apparatchik have so blatantly and aggressively turned public service into weaponized voluntarism. In off-year elections, when voter turnout struggles to reach 30%, shrugging off the RNC's faux outrage as temporary insanity is a formula for an epic failure. 

Details on Climate Provisions in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act

Senator Patty Murray, Washington State

This description of climate provisions in the Infrastructure and Jobs Act is take from Senator Murray's web page.

Electric Buses and Ferries

American school buses play a critical role in expanding access to education, but they are also a significant source of pollution. The legislation Includes key provisions from Senator Murray’s Clean School Bus Act, which will deliver thousands of electric school buses nationwide, including in rural communities, helping school districts across the country buy clean, American-made, zero emission buses, and replace the yellow school bus fleet for America’s children. The legislation also invests $5 billion in zero emission and clean buses and $2.5 billion for ferries. Senator Murray also worked to include language that would prioritize funding to low-income school districts and Tribal schools.

These investments will drive demand for American-made batteries and vehicles, creating jobs and supporting domestic manufacturing, while also removing diesel buses from some of our most vulnerable communities. In addition, they will help the more than 25 million children and thousands of bus drivers who breathe polluted air on their rides to and from school. Diesel air pollution is linked to asthma and other health problems that hurt our communities and cause students to miss school, particularly in communities of color and Tribal communities—in her role as Senate Education Committee Chair, Senator Murray fought to secure key provision to ensure the bill will target prioritize funding for communities hardest hit by pollution as we transition to clean, electric school buses.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure

The bill invests $7.5 billion to build out the first-ever national network of EV chargers in the United States and is a critical element in the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan to accelerate the adoption of EVs to address the climate crisis and support domestic manufacturing jobs. The bill will provide funding for deployment of EV chargers along highway corridors to facilitate long-distance travel and within communities to provide convenient charging where people live, work, and shop. Federal funding will have a particular focus on rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach communities. Washington state would expect to receive $71 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in the state, and also have the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging in the bill.

Environmental Remediation

In thousands of rural and urban communities around the country, hundreds of thousands of former industrial and energy sites are now idle – sources of blight and pollution. 26% of Black Americans and 29% of Hispanic Americans live within 3 miles of a Superfund site, a higher percentage than for Americans overall. Proximity to a Superfund site can lead to elevated levels of lead in children’s blood. The legislation invests $21 billion in environmental remediation, making the largest investment in addressing the legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities and neighborhoods in American history, creating good-paying union jobs in hard-hit energy communities and advancing economic and environmental justice. The bill includes funds to clean up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land and cap orphaned gas wells.

Power Infrastructure

As the recent heat wave in the Pacific Northwest demonstrated, our aging electric grid needs urgent modernization. A Department of Energy study found that power outages cost the U.S. economy up to $70 billion annually. The legislation’s roughly $65 billion investment includes the single largest investment in clean energy transmission in American history. It upgrades our power infrastructure, including by building thousands of miles of new, resilient transmission lines to facilitate the expansion of renewable energy. It creates a new Grid Deployment Authority, invests in research and development for advanced transmission and electricity distribution technologies, and promotes smart grid technologies that deliver flexibility and resilience. It invests in demonstration projects and research hubs for next generation technologies like advanced nuclear, carbon capture, and clean hydrogen.

Climate Resiliency

People across Washington state have felt the effects of climate change this summer, as the Pacific Northwest was hit by a record heat wave and is still feeling the effects of major drought and forest fires. Last year alone, the United States faced 22 extreme weather and climate-related disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each – a cumulative price tag of nearly $100 billion. People of color are more likely to live in areas most vulnerable to flooding and other climate change-related weather events. The legislation makes our communities safer and our infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change and cyber-attacks, with an investment of over $50 billion. This includes funds to protect against droughts, floods and wildfires, in addition to a major investment in weatherization. The bill is the largest investment in the resilience of physical and natural systems in American history.

Senator Murray worked with other Western lawmakers to ensure the bill includes a historic investment to help fight and manage wildfires in the immediate-term. Of the $50 billion, the bill invests $8 billion specifically in wildfire risk reduction by providing funding for community wildfire defense grants, mechanical thinning, controlled burns, the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program, and firefighting resources.

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Senator Maria Cantwell on Climate Change

Senator Cantwell responded to my letter asking her to put a price on carbon in the Budget Reconciliation Act.

_____________________________________________

Dear Dr. Badalamente,

Thank you for contacting me regarding climate change. I appreciate hearing from you about this matter and share your sense of urgency about the need to tackle the climate crisis.

Our nation’s leading scientists and government agencies have determined that the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing the Earth's climate to warm, which will lead to more frequent and intense droughts, floods, wildfires and other extreme weather events. In Washington state, carbon pollution is already altering the region's natural systems, causing longer and more intense wildland fires, harming wildlife and salmon habitat, and making our oceans more acidic and less hospitable to marine animals. Doing nothing will cost trillions and risk leaving future generations with an uninhabitable planet.

I believe that putting a price on carbon pollution is the most effective and economical way to reduce our nation's dangerous over-dependence on fossil fuels, as long as low- and middle-income families and trade dependent industries are protected from any associated energy price increases.  That’s why I authored the bipartisan Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal (CLEAR) Act with my colleague Senator Collins of Maine. 

Our bill would require fossil fuel producers and importers to bid for a gradually declining number of permits in order to bring coal, oil, or natural gas into the U.S. economy. By using an auction to put a price on carbon, the CLEAR Act would harness the free market to find the most cost-effective ways to reduce carbon pollution without adding to the national debt. Of the hundreds of billions of dollars that would be raised annually from fossil fuel producers, three-quarters would be refunded directly to the American public through equal per-capita monthly dividends, protecting all but the most prosperous households from any resulting energy price increases. 

The remaining auction revenues would support a range of climate related needs including investments in clean energy technologies, improving the resiliency of our nation’s infrastructure and public lands, responding to extreme weather damage, reducing greenhouse gases in the forestry and agricultural sectors, and providing needs-based, regionally targeted assistance for communities and workers transitioning to a less carbon intensive economy. Unlike a carbon tax, this model guarantees that the U.S. will meet science-based emission reduction targets and comply with our international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.

I am also pleased that last December Congress passed a bipartisan, comprehensive energy package that will support major new investments in clean energy R&D and spur the deployment of more renewable energy. This legislation included a number of provisions I authored to modernize our nation’s electricity grid and make buildings smarter and more efficient across the country. 

One of my bills that was incorporated in this energy package, S. 2332, the Grid Modernization Act of 2019, authorizes $1.6 billion over eight years to fund new Department of Energy (DOE) R&D into ways to upgrade our grid and demonstrate new technologies like energy storage, micro-grids, and advanced electric vehicle chargers. As our energy system faces the twin challenges of more extreme weather and the need to incorporate millions of new sources of renewable generation, I plan to continue pushing for the policies and federal investment necessary to build a 21st century grid able to provide every American with, reliable, resilient, and affordable power.  

I am also working to leverage my position as Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to push legislation that will improve our understanding and response to climate change impacts to our oceans and waterways. For example, I am focused on finding ways to improve ocean data collection and monitoring as well as bolster ocean acidification research, which is critical to protecting shellfish and fishery resources in Puget Sound.

Throughout my tenure in the United States Senate, making our nation’s energy system cleaner, more efficient, and more affordable has been a top priority and I’m proud to have successfully enacted legislation to promote the production of renewable energy, incentivize energy efficiency, and protect our environment. Those efforts include authoring the legislation that provides the $7,500 tax credit for consumers who purchase a plug-in electric vehicle, securing the first increase in fuel economy standards in 25 years, and championing clean energy tax incentives, financing instruments, and research and development that have enabled companies and credit markets to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy and empower homeowners to generate and save their own energy. 

Please be assured that I will continue to work with my colleagues to promote policies and enact laws that reduce carbon pollution and address the climate crisis.

Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Maria Cantwell
United States Senator

_______________________

For future correspondence with my office, please visit my website at
http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/

Voters of the Kennewick School District Have a Choice Between Conservative Demagoguery and Progress on the Real Issues Impacting their Schools

Southridge High School, Kennewick

 

In my view, the results of the school board elections reflect some of the more controversial political themes promoted by Republicans broadly as we move towards 2022 midterms, i.e., critical race theory (CRT), and mask policy. In our region, sex education is also a sore spot for our conservative community. Voters paying attention -- and apparently not many are (more on that later) -- will have seen that these themes have resonated with Benton County voters.

 I was interested to read that the school board forum planning committee for Prosser took matters into their own hands in curating questions to submit to candidates. They wrote:

"The forum planning committee received two questions asking about Critical Race Theory (CRT). The moderator and committee did not submit these to the candidates because of the widespread misinformation surrounding this topic. Critical Race Theory is not being taught in Prosser School District; it is not the same as the Diversity Legislation that was passed by the state. CRT does not pertain to the current issues in Prosser School District.”

The fact that Critical Race Theory isn't being taught in K-12 schools hasn't stopped Rep. Dan Newhouse from taking every opportunity to rail against it, even co-sponsoring legislation to prevent it.

 

Kennewick District 17 Board candidates receiving the greatest share of votes were Micah Valentine for Director 1, and Gabe Galbraith for 2. Both ran on opposing mask mandates, CRT, and sex ed. Both are endorsed by the Benton County Republican Party (despite these offices ostensibly being “non-partisan”). Mike Massey, who’s the BCRP Chair donated $300 to Valentine’s campaign.

Valentine has a slick website that says more about his religion (LDS) and adventures than his vision for Kennewick schools. But my main question for Micah is, where did he get the money to pay for this website by Ascent Marketing and Consulting, the principal owner of which is Micah Valentine? It isn’t reflected in his PDC report expenditures. In addition to his slick website, Valentine has a campaign Instagram account (“vote.valentine”), with 4.573 followers.

 

Valentine received 1939 more votes than Scott E. Rodgers. Rodgers is an attorney at Rodriguez Interiano Hanson & Rodgers PLLC, and a Medical Commissioner for Washington State Medical Commission. If Rodgers has a campaign website, I can't find it. He is on Linkedin as a professional with the law firm.

 

Galbraith’s website is much less polished and might have been created in-house (by he or his wife/daughters). He also has a campaign Facebook page, and a campaign Instagram account (“vote_galbraith”). Galbraith filed with PDC as a “mini filer,” so is not required to report contributions or expenditures.

The turnout for this primary followed precedent for prior off-year primary elections, i.e., it was pitiful — 34% for Benton County overall. Of the 46,606 registered voters in Kennewick, 17,633 voted in the election for Director No. 2, a turn out of 39%.

 

Galbraith received 1,116 more votes than Erin Steinert, an educator and scientist, and the Director of the Bechtel National Planetarium at CBC.

Going forward, Galbraith, Steinert, Valentine, and Rodgers will be on the General Ballot.

If trends hold, the turnout for the General Election will be higher than the Primary; in Benton County the Primary turnout in 2019 was 22.1% and the turnout for the General was 39.6%.

One can assume that increased turnout following precedent will fall along the same partisan split, i.e., our more Progressive candidates won’t gain from an increased turnout because it will reflect the same split. Therefore, Progressive candidates will have to turnout more Progressive voters.

 

I frankly don't know if talking about the real issues facing Kennewick Schools will sway a majority of voters in our district, but if you want to see what they are, the OSPI "report card" shown below will give you an eye-opening snapshot.

 

 

 

Has the Bible ever been used in a more disingenuous and exploitative way?

President Donald Trump at Washington, D.C.’s historic St. John’s Episcopal Church

Minutes after announcing plans to mobilize the military to violently crack down on the millions of Americans who since last week have been demonstrating against police brutality, President Trump sauntered over to Washington, D.C.’s historic St. John’s Episcopal Church to have his picture taken with a Bible. His path was cleared by the tear-gassing of peaceful protesters.

The Right Rev Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, told the Washington Post: “I am the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and was not given even a courtesy call, that they would be clearing [the area] with tear gas so they could use one of our churches as a prop.”
Trump’s message is at odds with the values of love and tolerance espoused by the church, Budde said, before describing the president’s visit as an opportunity to use the church, and a Bible, as a “backdrop.”

“Let me be clear, the president just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus,” she told CNN.

“We align ourselves with those seeking justice for the death of George Floyd and countless others. And I just can’t believe what my eyes have seen,” she added.

“I don’t want President Trump speaking for St John’s. We so dissociate ourselves from the messages of this president,” she told the Washington Post. “We hold the teachings of our sacred texts to be so, so grounding to our lives and everything we do, and it is about love of neighbor and sacrificial love and justice.”

Other religious leaders echoed her comments. Father Edward Beck, a Catholic priest, tweeted: ‘“Has the Bible ever been used in a more disingenuous and exploitative way?”
 ___________________________________________
The Guardian, June 2, 2020
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You don't have to be a socialist to want to improve America

Originally posted on An Unexpected Error.

Not Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan Sleepless in Seattle

Frank Watson tells us in his Thursday, March 5th commentary in the Cheney Free Press, that, “…patriotism really is a good thing.” Read on and discover that what Frank means is that if you agree with him, you’re patriotic and if you don’t, you’re not. But Frank is not so much commenting on patriotism as he is on socialism — a favorite axe Frank enjoys grinding.

Frank is taking Bernie Sanders to task for advocating accessible and affordable health care for all Americans (Medicare4A), and vastly improved education, including tuition-free undergraduate degrees at public colleges and universities. Not one for nuanced argument, Frank paints all the Democratic candidates (even Mike Bloomberg, for cryin’ out loud) with the same broad brush — dipped in red to reflect their socialist (and by extension,“communist”) leanings.

I responded to an earlier lament that Frank wrote about the evils of socialism (CFP, 10/17/19) by pointing out that Frank, as a member of the military, spent much of his working life living under a model socialist system, and now in his retirement enjoys continuing socialist programs (Medicare, Tri-Care for Life, military pension, and other VA benefits, including burial). Nevertheless, Frank believes he isn’t a socialist, and that’s because Frank doesn’t want other Americans to enjoy the same benefits.

The bottom line on Frank’s arguments extolling the virtues of America’s hospitals and universities is that he’s right — they are excellent. They just aren’t affordable for the vast majority of Americans. You don’t have to be a socialist to want to change that.

“When we stop and look into the face of poverty,

we recognize that “the poor” are not strangers.

They are our sisters and brothers, members of our human family.”

A Pastoral Letter from the Catholic Bishops of the State of Washington

Put a Pin in This

A remarkably accurate predictor of the 2018 election results makes a prediction for 2020.