The arrogance of elected officials who don’t have to face the voters again is well documented. One need look no further than the record-breaking tax increases Jay Inslee proposed after he got re-elected for a prime example of liberals doing something crazy when they know they won’t have to face the consequences on the ballot.
Even more evidence came from Peter Goldmark, the state’s Commissioner of Public Lands, who is thankfully retiring this week after eight undistinguished years. The public got a preview of his lack of an ethical compass last month from reporters who revealed his increased – and wasteful – use of state airplanes for personal trips of dubious public benefit after he had announced he wasn’t going to run again.
Last week, Goldmark went even further in his misuse of his office to give a big “Thank You” to the extreme environmentalists who had supported his election back in 2008. As noted by the Bellingham Herald, Goldmark decided to try and stop potential economic development in Whatcom by moving land into an aquatic reserve which would prohibit future development.
But that wasn’t all of his on-the-way-out-the-door mischief . According to the Seattle Times, Goldmark also helped out his campaign donors by delivering “a blow to a Longview coal-export terminal by rejecting a tidal-lands sublease needed for a loading dock.”
Now, whether his non-science-based decision has an impact on a project supported by the local community – but hated by Seattle environmentalists – is in question. But the greenies were quick to jump on both moves – and try to raise money off them.
The losers in these last-minute deals are taxpayers and local communities. But since Goldmark doesn’t have to ask for their votes anymore, he simply did not care.
Why does the author believe Gov. Jay Inslee would never “have to face the voters again”? Washington State’s Constitution does not limit the number of terms Governor Inslee may have. Is there any reason to believe he would not run for a U.S. Senate seat should either Senator Patty Murray or Senator Cantwell decide to retire?
We can always “hope” that he decides to not run for any other public office. Of course, Senators Cantwell and Murray are more than welcome to retire at any time…
BTW…how many taxpayers would appreciate the fact that the DNR and other state agencies are looking at allowing their employees to charge their private (electric) vehicles at their workplaces? The government’s justification is:
1. It’s reducing “greenhouse gases”
2. The vehicles are used for commuting to and from their (highly paid) jobs
I can see it, now…we’ll charge my car on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the spouse’s car on Tuesday and Thursday. Monday is important as I took a trip, cross state, over the weekend.
So, the post is wrong?
Again, a misunderstanding. Since the article was about Peter Goldmark (Jay Inslee was, briefly, mentioned), my comments were referring to him.
Also, you totally missed my second point, which was about state employees fueling their personal vehicles on the taxpayers dime. And as for funding terrorism…Domestic oil could fix that, if only the Liberals would stop fighting it. But, alas…
…you totally missed my second point, which was about state employees fueling their personal vehicles on the taxpayers dime.
I didn’t miss it; I intentionally ignored it, because assertions made without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. Since you asked, I now dismiss your assertion for lack of evidence. You’re welcome.
(You also seem to be unaware that employees, public and private sector, receive compensation for using their private vehicles on the job.)
Domestic oil could fix that, if only the Liberals would stop fighting it. But, alas…
Perhaps because we’d rather use reliable electric hydropower from our own Columbia Basin?
I’m surprised that you have to ask for evidence…you seem to always be up on these things.
RCW 43.01.250(1) explains how privately owned electric vehicles can be charged, at taxpayer expense, if they are merely used to commute to and from the workplace. Doesn’t this sound even slightly dishonest to anyone else, but me? Granted…it’s not theft, if it’s considered a perk of the job, but it seems grossly unfair, since it benefits only a specific group of employees and elected officials.
As for the compensation, you speak of…yes, that would be mileage reimbursement that is paid when an employee actually uses his personal vehicle to travel “on state business”…not just to get to work.
Finally, I would love to see how you would replace each and every vehicle, piece of heavy equipment and airplane (and backup generating plant) with it’s electric equivalent AND expect to draw enough hydroelectric power to operate them all, as well as the households and businesses across the state. On top of that, don’t forget that you might have to do it with fewer dams, if the environmentalists get their way.
You know, it must be nice, living in an alternate reality. I try, from time to time, thanks to alcohol, but it gets old, really fast.
I hope you didn’t waste too much energy bashing that straw man.
You mentioned DNR employees charging their private electric vehicles for commuting at state expense; I replied it was better than buying more oil from the financiers of terrorism. After your usual weak, blame-it-all-on-the-libs non-response, you again stated that we were indeed talking about state employees charging their private vehicles at state expense for commuting. That was the entire context of my remarks about hydro-electric power: charging a small number of vehicles at state expense for commuting to work at state offices. Given the small number of such vehicles, our local hydropower can cover it easily, which beats buying more oil from supporters of terrorism.
From this, you jumped all the way to claiming it’d proposed running everything in the state on hydro-power, and noting this was impossible. No kidding, genius, which is why I hadn’t made any such statement.
Also, if you want to talk about someone else living in an “alternate reality,” you might want to avoid putting terms like greenhouse gasses in scare quotes. John Tyndall, who discovered the large absorptive capacities of water vapor and carbon dioxide gas, immediately recognized their presence in the atmosphere warms the surface of the earth. Please do try to keep up with discoveries made as recently as the middle of the 19th Century.
Then, reading between the lines of your response, it appears that you are happy to pay to charge state worker’s personal vehicles, just to keep them from driving “fossil fueled” vehicles. I get that. I (and, I assume, several thousand other taxpayers) disagree with you, but I get it.
By the way, as for keeping up with scientific discoveries…I did read about the climatologist who says that carbon dioxide concentrations, in our atmosphere, increase after the climate warms…not before. As the effect and not the cause.
I know you’d, normally, expect me to put a name to that report, but if you really believe I just made that up…well, have fun with that.
… reading between the lines of your response, it appears that you are happy to pay to charge state worker’s personal vehicles, just to keep them from driving “fossil fueled” vehicles.
I stated that pretty clearly in my first response, yes. (What’s with you and the weird scare quotes? Have we suddenly switched to non-petroleum sources for gasoline and diesel fuels?)
I (and, I assume, several thousand other taxpayers) disagree with you, but I get it.
Each of you and your several thousand assumed other like-minded fellows may contact your state representatives and senators, to request a change in the law you cited; if that gets you nowhere, you may file an Initiative.
Meanwhile, you still haven’t provided any of the evidence for which I originally asked:
I can see it, now…we’ll charge my car on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the spouse’s car on Tuesday and Thursday. Monday is important as I took a trip, cross state, over the weekend.
Your electric car has one heck of a range. More to the point, is there any evidence of anyone abusing the program in the way you snidely insinuated?
I know you’d, normally, expect me to put a name to that report, but if you really believe I just made that up…well, have fun with that.
Why, exactly, would I expect you to cite actual evidence to support any of your claims?
Inslee has been an unmitigated disaster from Congress to the governorship. He had NO legislative successes and as governor is nothing more than a puppet of public unions, tribes and environmental extremists supported by low information lemmings. He and the equally inept Murray and Cantwell have sold out this state from day one till now and have no business in public office for their incompetence. Perhaps Murray could go over to the Middle East and restart the ‘daycare’ centers she claimed Bin Laden was installing. Leftist dunderheads.
… supported by low information lemmings.
This in a comment with no links to any source materials at all. Priceless.
He and the equally inept Murray and Cantwell have sold out this state from day one till now and have no business in public office for their incompetence.
Then why did each of them beat their most recent Republican challengers by 15+ percentage points? How utterly incompetent is that performance by the Republicans?
Oh, and the Commish also disallowed the U.S. Navy to utilize state land for practicing to defend our great country. I suggested the Navy simply purchase a Discover Pass, but I don’t think they took me seriously.
Oh, and the Commish also disallowed the U.S. Navy to utilize state land for practicing to defend our great country.
And since there is really no stretch of American coastline across which it is easier to mount a seaborne invasion, it’ll be Goldmark’s fault when the raging marines of whomever storm ashore here.
(If you tell me you spend a lot of time worrying about such invasion scenarios, I’ll have no choice but to admit I believe you.)
Funny…I thought I was referring to our ability to defend our nation’s interests, across the globe. Thank you for setting me straight.
There are still countries where the military gets everything it wants, immediately and with no questions asked, from the local population. If it would make you feel proud to live in such a place, you’re sincerely invited to go do so.
“…a project supported by the local community…”
We can gauge Shift’s deep respect for the decisions of Washington state’s local communities by reading any of Shift’s posts about policies made with voter support in Seattle.
“…Goldmark also helped out his campaign donors…”
Why would an “arrogant” politician who does not “have to face the voters again” care in the least what his campaign donors wanted?
Get me re-write!
You still have such a vapid life that you obsessively troll Shift and go on the attack the moment an article is published. Then, you go back and obsess over it again a day later and post not one, but two more comments. We had hoped the new year would have brought you a friend or two or maybe some hobbies, but sadly, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Given that weeks have now elapsed since the latest post here at Shift, I believe your concern is a bit over-wrought.
But hey, if you want to appoint yourself Commissar Of All The Comments, now would seem to be a good time. Everyone else from your Party seems to have fled this site.