Hella News Flash

To be read while listening to this song:

• What could possibly be sexier than redistricting legislative districts? Exactly: not a damn thing. With the 2010 census rearing its head, the prospect of a significantly re-drawn legislative landscape is looming large. Your local political world will definitely be shifting… and remember: all politics is, in the end, local. Want to get a jump on the good times? Check out the Secretary of State’s Redistricting board game. We kid you not.
• There’s a weird flap in State law called “retro financing” – basically it allows trade groups to use a certain percentage of their worker’s compensation allocation (money from the public) to do political work. It’s gotten lots of press in recent years because of the Building Industry Association of Washington, a construction trades group that is one of the most consistent and vocal proponents of retrogressive policies in the state. They’re not the only group to receive the funding, but they’re the lightning rod, and now the game is afoot in Olympia to restrict this type of funding. What would a retro-free Washington look like? Hm…
• Something to do with health care passed through the Senate in Washingon DC. What was it? Oh yeah, it’s the next step on what is potentially the largest move towoards inclusiveness in health care and public responsibility in a generation. Coo. But not all health care is moving in the right direction – check Governor Christine Gregoire’s statements on the future of the Basic Health Plan here in Washington.