Government by Energy Imperium:. Part II on the WA 42nd

ConocoPhillips (L) and BP's CherryPoint(R) refinery emissions reaching the cloud cover on a fall morning as seen from Boulevard Park, Bellingham, WA.

 Whatcom County, specifically the 42nd WA Legislative district, is well on the way to becoming an energy powerhouse with two oil refineries, oil and natural gas pipelines from Edmonton, the Sumas Energy Hub, and  very soon the Gateway Pacific Terminal - the largest coal export terminal in North America. The carbon industry will change the future of this county and many lives along with it.  The 'failure' of our efforts to completely colonize the volatile and contested Middle East (e.g "where the prize lies") means that America's (carbon based) energy is ever more dependent upon more "stable" sources. Already this has meant a virtually new economy has arisen in America's interior for shale oil and gas.  For the fourth corner, this has meant (and will continue to mean) greater export of Albertan oil and Canadian natural gas.  Last, and hardly least, $13/ton Powder River Basin low sulphur coal will assure a multi-billion dollar per year energy export to China.

The impact of the "carbon club" upon our lives in Whatcom County will be encompassing. Shutting down access to local parks will be the least of it. We can expect a continued increased in our already high cancer rates, diminished air quality, much busier cargo traffic on both water and rail, and an influx of tax dollars and wealth for a select few. We can also reasonably expect increased poverty. The "carbon industry" is the prototypical resource baron. Its colonies (e.g. Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma) adapt to a permanent state of high wealth for some and drenching poverty for the rest.  Money and resources are effectively siphoned out of "carbon colonies" for the energy benefits of busy metropolitan cities elsewhere. How can we hope to make the best of this?

One answer would be implementing a tax system specifically designed to capture the flow of some these energy dollars and return it to the local community. Many refinery cities do this less than optimally. There are several ways this could be accomplished in the Washington state legislature. First, BOT (Business and Occupation Tax) rates for energy industries could be increased to the point where local communities could start to benefit from the flow of energy through their cities and counties. Second, WA state could implement a corporate income tax; something long overdue for this state. Third, WA state could allow for a significant greater energy transfer tax based upon the amount of energy shipped across pipelines and through ports in it s local communities.  Many small nations and states like California benefit greatly from this type of taxation. Last, there is an inordinate amount of money to made from the energy industry by trading energy futures. We will be in an excellent position here in Bellingham to develop high speed trading facilities for energy futures based on information which can be procured locally. Local government could do quite a bit more to promote such industry and perhaps other high tech industries which service the energy sector. 

An important key to maintaining a high quality of life for the residents of an energy colony will be  prioritizing environmental regulation and regulatory bodies and maintaining funding for local educational systems. To accomplish these goals, WA state will need progressive oriented law makers unafraid to pass laws that increase environmental regulation and monitoring of pollution, health, disease, poverty rates, etc.  I can think of no better use for our waterfront in Bellingham than the development of educational facilities that produce research on clean, renewable energy. A surtax on every barrel of oil and ton of coal that passes through Whatcom County could help make such  an evolution happen.

Government by Corporate Imperium: Part I on WA 42nd

The ALEC Factor: "Out of State Donations" to the WA 42nd 

The Natalie McClendon campaign has maintained that current 42nd WA representative Jason Overstreet is receiving out of state corporate funding for his campaign.  After examining the data and their rhetoric, I think the question 42nd district residents should be asking is:

Are the legislators from Lynden, WA  (Jason Overstreet and Vincent Buys) simply surrogate corporate Christians pumping their brand of religion, social austerity, limited government, and free markets as a 'quid pro quo' for the support of  the corporate agenda of the American Legislative Exchange Council?

In this post , I discuss "out of state" donations to candidates for 42nd Legislative District. ( I discuss "out of county" donations here.)  All WA PDC data below is from October 22, 2012 . For the curious, a technical discussion of the Powershell 3.0, .NET 4.0 code I am used for this data analysis is here.  Please do not quote or rely on this data without calculating your own numbers from a PDC dataset first. (Linking and referencing this post URL is okay.)

The first table gives the nominal value of contributions received by candidates in the WA  42nd for the 2012 campaign that originate from outside WA State. Charts for this and the following data table are far below:

Candidate                      $ "Out of State" Contributions 
NM                             2750
MDK                            5490.5
JEO                            15450
VKB                            16250

The second table gives the percentage value of contributions received by candidates in the 42nd that originate from outside WA State:

Candidate                      % "Out of State" Contributions
NM                             5.919899
MDK                            9.436039
JEO                            24.61685
VKB                            22.90073

The data reveals a stunning difference in out of state contributions between  the Democrats-McClendon/Krogh ($8240) vs. Republicans-Overstreet/Buys ($31,700).  The depth of the Republicans out of state contributions  is significant. If we look at the Buys/Overstreet out of state donations side by side, we see considerable amount of overlap not only in corporation names but in dollar amounts.

Fwd: NWS-WCATWC Tsunami Warning

This one got close tonight...

EIS Scoping for Cherry Point Meetings Today in Bellingham

EIS Scoping for Cherry Point Meetings Today in Bellingham at

Bellingham
11 am–3 pm Sat., Oct. 27
Squalicum High School
3773 E McLeod Road
Bellingham, WA

For more information please see:

• http://www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov

• http://www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov/sites/default/files/content/files/092112-CommGuide.pdf

• http://www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov/sites/default/files/content/files/GPPostersScoping-web_0.pdf

The proposed Coal Train Route: Custer Spur Modifications

Fwd: Grab Your Signs And Join Us!

People for Natalie McClendon - Latest Update Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Grab A Sign And Join Us! The Natalie McClendon campaign is teaming up with parents and teachers opposing I-1240, the charter school initiative, and will be sign waving in front of Whatcom County schools throughout this week and next. There are plenty of opportunities for you to join us! Please RSVP! Above: Natalie McClendon, r., and supporters, wave campaign signs along with anti I-1240 signs outside of Alderwood Elementary School Wendnesday morning. Photo by Tara Nelson Thursday, Oct. 25 7:50 to 8:25 a.m. Sunnyland Elementary School, Bellingham. Click here to sign up! Friday, Oct. 26 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Guide Meridian near Bellis Fair Mall, Bellingham. Click here to sign up! Monday, Oct. 29 7:50 to 8:25 a.m. Northern Heights Elementary, Bellingham. Click here to sign up! Tuesday, Oct. 30 7:50 to 8:25 a.m. Parkview Elementary, Bellingham. Click here to sign up! Wednesday, Oct. 31 8:50 to 9:30 a.m., Mountain View Elementary, Ferndale. Click here to sign up! Thursday, Nov. 1 8:40 to 9:10 a.m. Blaine Elementary School, Blaine. Click here to sign up! Friday, Nov. 2 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Downtown @ Federal Building, Bellingham. Click here to sign up! What's Scarier Than Ghosts? Compared to what's at stake for Whatcom County, ghosts and goblins don't seem quite as scary. Women's access to routine health care screenings. The freedom for all couples to marry. Quality education for ALL students. Living wage jobs. These are all under threat if we don't elect someone with a sound, rational approach to getting things done in Olympia. And speaking of scary, we'll be hosting our Oct. 31 Halloween "TRICK OR VOTE" Phone Bank, Wednesday from 3-6 p.m. at Kelly's O'Deli, 5506 Neilson Avenue Unit C in Ferndale (map). So as this election season nears an end, get your costume and come join us as we help change the political paradigm one phonecall at a time! Click here to sign up! Join The Party! Then, on Thursday, Oct. 25, The Lummi Nation is hosting its General Election Ballot Party from 5 to 8 p.m. at Wex'liem Lummi Community Center at 2100 Lummi Shore Dr. Events include a free dinner at 5 p.m., raffle drawing, and a Q&A session with Lummi Nation-endorsed candidates, which Natalie McClendon and Matt Krogh are proud to be! Also, on Sunday, Oct. 28, Natalie will be joining members of Whatcom County's Sikh community as they host a ballot party at the Guru Nanak Gursikh Gurdwara Sikh Temple, at 176 E. Pole Road near Lynden. Everyone is welcome to come get to know their Sikh neighbors. Finally, Tuesday, Nov. 6 is our North County election night party and volunteer appreciation night, hosted by the 42nd District Democrats. The event is from 6-9 p.m. at Kelly's O'Deli, 5506 Neilson Ave. Unit C in Ferndale (map). Festivities will include food, beverages, a live broadcast of election coverage on a large screen TV, and honorary mentions for our amazing volunteers. RSVP here. Get Out The Vote! The campaigns for Natalie McClendon and Matt Krogh have combined their phonebanking efforts with Organize For America (OFA) to Get Out The Vote! We are also still doing phone banks at Kelly's O'Deli in Ferndale and the Whatcom Democrats office in Bellingham. For a complete list of opportunities, click here. Talk! Now's the time to remind your friends and family members why it's so important to vote. Tell them about the issues you care about. The best way to change people's minds is for them to hear it from someone reasonable they know and trust. Canvass! We will continue to talk to voters at their doors until the very last day. This is the most effective way to reach undecided voters. Contact Aileen Satushek to volunteer. Donate!! In these last weeks and days, the name of the game is reaching undecided and swing voters, so every donation goes directly to more contacts with them. In 2010, former state rep. Kelli Linville (D) lost by a mere 149 votes to current rep. Vincent Buys (R)! Your $100 check could be our margin of victory in this close race! Click here to make a donation to Natalie's campaign of $50 or any amount you can afford. I hope you can join us! Thanks! -Tara Help Natalie Fight the Good Fight P.S.     If you didn't hear Natalie on KGMI's Saturday Morning Live last Saturday, she spoke brilliantly! Listen to the podcast here. Friend on Facebook Forward to a Friend Upcoming Events We've been busy talking to and getting to know voters in the 42nd district! The following is a list of upcoming events for the next few weeks. We'd love to meet you so come on out! Oct. 25-Nov. 2 Sign Waving Various Whatcom County locations. Call 224-3810 to sign up! Oct. 25 Lummi Nation General Election Ballot Party 5-9 p.m. Silver Reef Casino 4876 Red River Pedestrian Path, Ferndale 384-7194. Oct. 28 Sikh Temple Ballot Party  11-2 p.m. Sikh Temple, 176 E. Pole Road, Lynden. Oct. 31 "TRICK OR VOTE" Halloween Phone Bank Party 3-6 p.m. Kelly's O'Deli, 5506 Neilson Road, Unit C, Ferndale. Nov. 6 Election Day Party/ Volunteer Appreciation Night! 6-10 p.m. Kelly's O'Deli, 5506 Neilson Road, Unit C, Ferndale. RSVP | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Copyright ©  People For Natalie McClendon, All rights reserved. You have received this email because you have indicated you'd be interested in volunteering with Natalie McClendon's campaign. Our mailing address is: People for Natalie McClendon 5648 Orchard Drive Ferndale, WA 98248  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

Funding Race for WA Legislative Districts 40 and 42:11:00 AM 10.22.2012

Snapshot of The Funding Race for WA Legislative Districts 40 and 42
PDC data as 11:00 AM  10.22.2012

Candidate	Cash Contributions	Raised	Spent	Inkind Contributions
VKB	$70,958.45	$74,429.99	$56,378.95	$142.71
JEO	$62,761.90	$68,701.46	$57,612.40	$679.56
MDK	$58,186.49	$62,037.49	$46,975.21	$300.00
JRM	$54,580.00	$56,809.86	$34,688.54	$50.00
KCL	$53,032.49	$59,810.83	$33,316.96	$1,870.04
NM	$46,453.49	$50,474.87	$29,575.83	$936.45
Totals	$345,972.82	$372,264.50	$258,547.89	$3,978.76

Get Out The Vote! (From People for Natalie)

People for Natalie McClendon - Latest Update Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Get your ballots in! Today is the day Whatcom County election ballots will be mailed! Now's the time to remind your friends and family members why it's so important to vote. Tell them about the issues you care about. The best way to change people's minds is for them to hear it from someone reasonable they know and trust. Above: Natalie McClendon was recently endorsed by the Bellingham/ Whatcom County Firefighters' Union. Then tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 20, tune into KGMI 790 AM at 8 a.m. to hear Natalie, Matt Krogh and other local candidates face off during a special election episode of Saturday Morning Live, hosted by Kris Halterman. On Sunday, Oct. 28, Natalie will be joining members of Whatcom County's Sikh community as they host a ballot party at the Guru Nanak Gursikh Gurdwara Sikh Temple on Pole Road near Lynden. Everyone is welcome to come get to know their Sikh neighbors. Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 31, it's our "TRICK OR VOTE" Halloween phone bank party. Because there's nothing scarier than a divisively partisan political landscape. Help change the paradigm one phonecall at a time! Finally, Tuesday, Nov. 6 is our North County election night party and volunteer appreciation night, hosted by the 42nd District Democrats. The event is from 6-10 p.m. at Kelly's O'Deli, 5506 Neilson Ave. Unit C in Ferndale (map). Festivities will include food, beverages, a live broadcast of election coverage on a large screen TV, and the company of our amazing volunteers. RSVP here. Get Out The Vote! It's now Get Out The Vote time and Natalie McClendon and Matt Krogh have joined forces with Organize For America (OFA). Together, they have opportunities to get involved at almost any given time. For a complete list of phonebanking and doorbelling opportunities, click here. Canvass! We continue to talk to voters at their doors -- please join us. This is the most effective way to reach undecided voters. Contact Aileen Satushek to volunteer. Donate!! In these last weeks and days, the name of the game is reaching undecided and swing voters, so every donation goes directly to more contacts with them. In 2010, former state rep. Kelli Linville (D) lost by a mere 149 votes! Your $100 check could be our margin of victory in this close race! Click here to make a donation to Natalie's campaign of $50 or any amount you can afford. I hope you can join us! Thanks! -Tara Help Natalie Fight the Good Fight Friend on Facebook Forward to a Friend Upcoming Events We've been busy talking to and getting to know voters in the 42nd district! The following is a list of upcoming events for the next few weeks. We'd love to meet you so come on out! Oct. 19 Ballots Mailed! Oct. 20 KGMI's Saturday Morning Live Candidate Debate  8a.m.-Noon KGMI 790 AM Oct. 25 Lummi Nation General Election Ballot Party 5-9 p.m. Silver Reef Casino 4876 Red River Pedestrian Path, Ferndale 384-7194. Oct. 28 Sikh Temple Ballot Party  11-2 p.m. Sikh Temple, Pole Road, Lynden. Oct. 31 Halloween Phone Bank Party 3-6 p.m. Kelly's O'Deli, 5506 Neilson Road, Unit C, Ferndale. Nov. 6 North County Election Day Party!! 6-10 p.m. Kelly's O'Deli, 5506 Neilson Road, Unit C, Ferndale. RSVP | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Copyright ©  People For Natalie McClendon, All rights reserved. You have received this email because you have indicated you'd be interested in volunteering with Natalie McClendon's campaign. Our mailing address is: People for Natalie McClendon 5648 Orchard Drive Ferndale, WA 98248  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

FUSE

Your Whatcom County Ballots should be in your mailbox by Friday. Fuse will help you get a closer look: progressivevoterguide.com

Tripping over themselves to prove their allegiance..

Tripping over themselves to prove their allegiance to the carbon club. That's what I remember from the twenty minutes of Romney and Obama that I could stomach tonight. If you want to see what drilling and blasting for carbon looks like in your backyard here are some films on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, or quite possibly Youtube:

Deep Down
 Gasland
 Crude Independence
 Wiebo's War.

10.15.2012: Nearly $14M in contributions for WA Legislature Candidates so far...

Nearly $14M has been contributed to WA State Representative campaigns for this campaign (2012) cycle. And that number is growing daily. About $370K so far has been contributed to Buys,Overstreet,Krogh, Lytton, Morris, McClendon (40 and 42 Districts).  It is possible that nearly $500K will spent by the end of the campaign. Click on the chart to enlarge.

Top 20 WA Legislative Candidates by Contribution as of 10.15.2012

Name	District	Office	Position	Party	Contributions
VIRK BOBBY S	11	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	2	D	$294,852.33
HABIB CYRUS	48	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	2	D	$293,693.17
HURST CHRISTOPHER A	31	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	2	O	$243,063.60
SIZEMORE BUD E	47	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	D	$238,996.84
PARKER KEVIN C	6	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	R	$231,406.97
HANSEN DREW D	23	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	2	D	$209,914.67
GOODMAN ROGER E	45	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	D	$197,886.68
DUNSHEE HANS M	44	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	D	$191,052.92
SULLIVAN PATRICK J	47	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	2	D	$190,609.61
DEBOLT RICHARD C	20	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	R	$172,386.79
SPRINGER LAWRENCE S	45	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	2	D	$171,698.07
HUSSEY JOEL R	45	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	R	$159,148.60
CHOPP FRANK V JR	43	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	2	D	$155,285.83
MORRELL DAWN	25	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	D	$153,970.95
ALEXANDER GARY C	2	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	R	$147,373.80
TARLETON GAEL D	36	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	2	D	$146,263.82
ARMSTRONG MICHAEL D	12	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	2	R	$143,160.38
O'BAN STEVEN T	28	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	R	$141,582.38
HUNTER ROSS A	48	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	D	$141,563.37
SCHLUMPF SHELLY L	25	STATE REPRESENTATIVE	1	R	$140,070.82

The Economy of 1979

Looked at this BLS chart today and I suddenly I understood: We crrently have the economy of 1979:

Charts and Graphs on WA 42 campaign funding race

Below are some numbers and charts on the campaign funding race for the WA 42 Legislative District. Data is from the  WA PDC ; retrieved as of 10.12.2012. 'Local Amount' refers to the 18 zipcodes (I found) that are part of Whatcom County.

Buys and Overstreet have a strong lead in campaign financing on the basis of 'out of county' donations. McClellan and Krogh have amassed 77K from zip codes that are at least partly included in Whatcom County. Buys and Overstreet have 45K for the same zip codes. The reader is recommended to check my work and perform his own calculations as necessary.  I am just a blogger with some data analytic skills; nothing more.

Amount of Donations:
Candidate AllCashContributions LocalAmount OutofCountyAmount
NM                    45983.49    36529.49              9454
MDK                   54136.49       40522          13614.49
JEO                    62011.9       23840           38171.9
VKB                   67163.45       21965          45198.45

Number of Donations:
Candidate AllCashContributions LocalAmount OutofCountyAmount

NM                         481            456                   25
MDK                        483            406                   77
JEO                        392            310                   82
VKB                        255            157                   98


To see the charts...

LAST CALL: Register to Vote for the 2012 General Election

From the WA SOS:

# START QUOTE

General Election

October 6	Deadline for mail-in voter registrations and updates ​
October 8	Deadline for online registration and updates
October 19	Start of 18-day voting period (through Election Day). Ballots are mailed out and Accessible Voting Units (AVUs) are available at voting centers.​
October 29	Deadline for in-person new Washington State voter registration
November 6	General Election

If you are registered to vote but miss the deadline to update your address, you can still vote. Contact your county elections department where you are currently registered to request a ballot.

Registrations and updates submitted after the deadline will take effect for the next election.

View the complete elections calendar.

Read more at https://wei.sos.wa.gov/agency/osos/en/voters/Pages/dates_and_deadlines.aspx


# END QUOTE