There comes a day in every blog’s life when it must leave the comfort of its WordPress home and step out into those bright lights of the interweb. Friends, countrymen, netizens, Busridas – that time has come. THE HELLA BUS IS MOVING TO A NEW SITE.
This post marks the final time our pun-filled rants will grace this hallowed page. But wipe away those tears blog-dwellers – a new dawn, a rebirth of sorts, lays before us. Hella Bus now lives on the Bus’ new website – bigger, better, and more pun-heavy than ever.
We let you decide how to get to the newest iteration of Hella Bus – choose your favorite death/rebirth narrative!
The Bus and the Talking Heads usually get along great, but we differ on one minor point. That is, we think Auburnin’ down the house makes so much sense. That’s why the real live Washington Bus is rolling out for the final time this year for Auburn, Washington’s legislative champion – one Claudia Kauffman. For convenience sake, let’s make a checklist. Claudia is:
– The highest ranking female Native American in the country – Check
– Vice chair of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee – Check
– Recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence – Check
When the general election ballots make it to your door, you will find the usual alphabet soup (do they make numeric soup?) of ballot measures. It can definitely get confusing, and those little blurbs on the actual ballot are usually just enough to remind you that you don’t know what the heck it’s all about. Ten ninety who? R fifty cent? Never fear, the Bus has got wheels so we’ve got a head start towards the whole initiative circus, and its looking much clearer now. We’ve already given a nod, a nudge and a wink to Referendum 52, one of this year’s ballot heroes. Now meet its best friend, the awe-inspiring Initiative 1098, who is here to save Washington’s future in a big big way.
I-1098 will set up a trust fund for education (BOOM), health care (BAM), and middle class tax relief (KAPOW), a true investment in the future of Washington. And the investment is substantial – over $2 billion is expected to be accrued to the fund every year. Our state education system would be seeing an extra billion dollars every year, health care would benefit from roughly a half-billion, and the remaining would allow for tax relief for property owners and nearly 90% of businesses. These aren’t numbers I pulled out of a hat (that was indeed a rabbit); local experts such as the Economic Opportunity Institute, Sightline Institute, Our American Generation, and the Washington State Budget and Policy Center have all done their homework. Follow each link to see what those folks have got to say about 1098; the Economic Opportunity Institute in particular is on their shizznat. You can also check out the measure with your own spectacles here.
The “Education, Health Care, and Middle Class Tax Relief Fund” will get its cash flow from a modest-income tax on the wealthiest 1.2% of Washingtonians. Individuals will still have zilch income tax until they make at least $200,000/year, or $400,000 for couples filing jointly. The income tax will be a marginal tax rate set at 5%, which means only income above and beyond that mark is taxed (so if you make $200,001 in a year, your annual income tax will add up to a whopping one nickel). The marginal rate increases to 9% for incomes above $500,000/year, or $1 million for couples. Predictably, this concept of creating a new tax has sparked quite a bit of debate around the fairness of this measure (someone should hide those barrels of tea at the port). However, the idea that 1098 will hurt entrepreneurship or punish rich people is way-dumbed-down way of looking at it. 1098 is about fixing an unfair tax system, not piling on the taxes. Not to mention Washington State is currently ranked dead last in tax fairness in the whole country. Continue reading ‘Luchador? Robin Hood? Definitely a Hero.’
= Best Bus Trip Ever (and limited web-graphic ability). That’s right folks, the Bus dance party people (i.e. you) will be assembling on Saturday, October 16th to Bus(t) a move for Senator Claudia Kauffman! There shall be food, there shall be friends, there shall be a great cause, and there shall be an elaborately choreographed group dance exhibition performed by the Bus staff – life is complete. RSVP right here!
Claudia is an all-star legislator in Washington’s all-star 47th district (Kent/Auburn) and we’ve got a great opportunity to help her out. She is also the highest ranking female Native American elected official in the US of A! That right there is worth a dance party. Sign up and break it down!
Here’s what to do:
1) Sign up (above)
2) Count the days until October 16th
3) Change out of your blog reading clothes (jorts and a cowboy hat)
4) Put on your dancing clothes (morphsuits encouraged)
5) Bus(t) a Move and help an amazing legislator move Washington forward!
Each and every year, the Bus asks you one all-important, vital-to-the-good-of-society question: do you like candy? And the answer is, of course, yes. You love candy. You also love getting it for free… and also getting thousands of young people to vote.
All this can add up to only one thing: Trick or Vote is lurking just around the corner!
‘Tis true. The biggest non-partisan costumed get-out-the-vote canvass/candy party in Washington is back in action! This year is going to be the biggest, best, and all-around spookiest (here we go with Halloween puns, yes, already) Trick or Vote Washington has ever seen – no matter where you live in Washington, you’re near a Trick or Vote! Spokane? Hell yeah. Vancouver? Believe it. Seattle? Trick or Voting like a boss.
That means you and this year, you’ve got tons of options! Want to find the nearest Trick or Vote to you? Just go here and enter your zip code – you can RSVP right then and there. Want to be a Trick or Vote Captain or a Trick or Trainer? Most excellent! We want you too! RSVP just the same, and we’ll get you going from there!
As always, Trick or Vote is ALL AGES, and is going down on October 31st. Because we love parties, we’re throwing parties (see how that works?) after the Trick or Voting has gone down. Keep your eyes peeled for the performers and venues to be announced!
Halloween: not just for kids anymore, amirite??? RSVP today!
Some call them champions, some call them ballot measures, we call them… LOS DOS VALIENTES.
In a ballot full of villainry, two bold heroes have the answers to our education and environmental woes (cue body slam). One – a world-class acrobat displaying perfect balance – is known for her defense of the sick, and surprise drops of updated textbooks for Washington’s youth. The other – with impeccable hygiene (mold free!) and tree green eyes – employs 30,000 of the state’s finest workers to keep school children warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
The former, known only as I-1098, as well as her companion R-52, have taken the future of Washington State into their own hands. The work is exhausting (or might we say taxing?), but these villainous times call for brave folks. They call for Los Dos Valientes. On Halloween, the Bus, you, and you’re best friends will answer this call. Get on the winning team.
The Bus knows another hero – one that wears no mask. Senator Claudia Kauffman has been championing education and environmental goodness since before it was cool. The Bus knows this, and we want to share the good news. That means: (you guessed it) DANCEPARTY BUS TRIP (also dance party)! Saturday October 16th will be the day, a bus full of great folks helping out Claudia will be the thing. Be a hero yourself and RSVP.
Keep your eyes peeled for news of our new ballot-based champions in the weeks to come, and arriving in your mailboxes October 18th. I-1098 and R-52 = Los Dos Valientes, the people’s champions.
Is there a brisk fall breeze in the air? Is the Bus referencing late 70s B movies again? These tell-tale signs can only mean one thing: it’s time to sign up for Trick or Vote! It’s back, baby! And it’s coming for you!
a) Awesomely fun – it’s you and three hundred of your closest friends, in costume, getting candy, loving a free all ages show, and reminding people to vote mere days before election day!
b) Awesomely big – this year we have Trick or Votes running in Seattle, Spokane and Vancouver, which means you’ve got options!
And finally, c) awesomely effective – this year Trick or Vote is in support of the two heroes of this year’s crowded initiative list, 1098 and R 52!
Let’s review: big, fun, effective, scary, spooky, all ages, candy-loving, and packed to the brim with good music and good people. Flawless victory.
And what makes Trick or Voting even more fun? Trick or Voting with a crew of friends, of course! Sign up to be a captain, and bring your crew and a car!
Watch this space for more details about bands, parties and all that goodness, and sign up now!
It’s just like that. Only in Seattle. And everyone loves each other. CAN YOU DIG IT?
My name is Scott and I am oh-so proud to be the newest blogger for Hella Bus. A pleasure to meet each and every one of you! My seat on the bus has an excellent vantage of local politics and environmental issues, so I’m here to scribe what I see for the rest of you(th). Thinking about communities and ecologies is my brain food at least two meals a day, for one at the University of Washington, but also just as I meander through the streets of Seattle. I want to know what creates communities, what keeps them together, and how we can make them stronger; no matter whether we are talking about human or plant politics.
A little bit about me: I arrived here in Seattle in the Fall of 2007 to attend the Seattle Campus of UW from the land of hella (the San Francisco Bay Area). Since then I have fallen in love with this place. I’ve done my best to introduce myself to all the neighborhoods, landmarks, secret staircases and butt-kicking groups like the Bus. The Bus and I share a strong faith and excitement in our fellow young people. I believe that if we are daring, but always critical, we can kick down the door to progressive change before we are declared officially-jaded.
Along the lines of this philosophy, another youngin and myself founded the youth-powered Our American Generation (OAG) in 2009. OAG is a social justice think-tank that helps folks get serious and get organized about social justice issues they care about. The group also throws down everything it takes to get projects published and spread all around Seattle free-of-charge. On top of this, we provide a public forum for issues pertaining to youth, American culture, and social justice on our blog, “The Youth Talks”. OAG definitely works by the Bus mantra, “of young people, by young people, for all people”. I wholeheartedly believe that everyone who gets down with the bus should get up on OAG.
I am absolutely jazzed to get so much contact with this generation of movers and shakers. I hope that everyone can enjoy what I have to share. On that note, here is fun game you can re-create at home to blow off some steam before the school year kicks into gear!
Hella Bus 
