Sunday, September 18, 2011

#SundaySnarkies Explained, Twitter, September 18, 2011


...and we're off... with two cups of coffee and two Excedrin Migraine (in other words, a boatload of caffeine). #SundaySnarkies
Oh man! I woke up with a splitting headache. Literally! It felt like someone was cutting my skull in half, through the top, from ear-to-ear. Thinking it was a coffee headache (not getting my coffee before 9am gives me a caffeine headache, and we slept in until 9:30 today), I took two Excedrin Migraine. Holy Schniz! I won't be doing that again any time soon! I followed them with a chaser of two cups of java, and while the headache went away, light-headedness and a queasy feeling ensued.

When "making budget cuts" = "no state supervision for killers & rapists", then "making budget cuts" = "cutting into bone". #SundaySnarkies
My home state of Washington is facing yet more budget shortfalls. Of course, all the departments are looking for ways to cut up to 10%. The Department of Corrections says this would mean some dire consequences for how they are currently handling inmates as well as those on parole. As soon as they give up supervision of released convicted killers and rapists, I think we're cutting into essential services. In my past life as an HR type person, we called that "cutting into bone".

Congrats to #WA for being only state to close tourism office. In face of budget cuts, who needs sales tax $ from outside? #SundaySnarkies
Yes, the great state of Washington, in all its wisdom and far-sightedness (sarcasm intended), is closing its tourism office. One would hope that the private entities that want to take over the function would perform as well or better. After all, their own best interests are at stake. However, doesn't it seem odd that a state with a sales tax would stop trying to bring in a source of non-resident sales tax revenue?

If you're from #CA and could buy #WA building lots at ten cents on the dollar, wouldn't you? #firesale #SundaySnarkies
Several years ago--maybe 20 by now--there was a lot of fear-mongering in Washington as wealthy Californians seemed to be arriving in droves, trading in their million dollar bungalows for large, airy, multi-acre estates. Many residents made a handsome return on their real estate investments, getting their full asking price in many cases, and well more than that in others. But here we are in the middle (end?) of a recession, and real estate doesn't seem to be doing all that well. Unless you're a California developer looking to buy up residential lots before the real estate market takes a (hopefully inevitable) upswing. Which is exactly what Union Community Partners of La Jolla, CA, appears to have done. They bought lots previously selling in the $100,000 range for ~$10,000, each. Where do I sign up for that kind of deal?

Twenty percent of Seattle city workers earned >$100K? How 'bout Seattle makes some pay cuts and donates to state coffers? #SundaySnarkies
Yes, you read that correctly. Seattle is paying one-fifth of its employees more than $100,000 a year. Maybe I don't know what goes on in city jobs, and maybe there's only 100 employees, but that just seems like a big percentage making a lot of money. I'm not saying the Washington State budget needs the infusion--I just used that as a possible alternative recipient--but if the city can afford to pay that many people in municipal jobs that much money, I have to wonder if they're using it the best way they can.

PS If Seattle is paying 20% of its workers > $100K, many of us may be in the wrong line of work. Monetarily speaking. #SundaySnarkies
Need I say more? Except... I wonder if they're hiring.

I support no pay for striking public workers but not *legally* preventing public workers from striking. We're #WA not #WI#SundaySnarkies
I learned this weekend that when certain public employees go on strike in Washington, they still collect salary. Not all union employees are as lucky. Many have to use personal days, vacation, or go unpaid for days they choose to strike. It doesn't exactly seem right that some get paid to strike while others don't, but hey, all the unions are free to negotiate for whatever benefits they can. I guess some unions are better at it than others. Regardless of the pay issue, though, I think if you're organized, you have representation, and your contract ends, you should be free to strike. And I don't think a judge should be able to order you back to work.  Otherwise, what's the benefit of striking? Where's the leverage?

On a related note, when you tell a group of educators that their class sizes are going to be 26 students, but then you bring them back to school and tell them their class sizes will be between 32 and 35? I think that's criminal.

"Apparently it's OK for Eyman's initiative to torpedo public vote, but sinister when lawmakers do [it]." - The Olympian #SundaySnarkies
Ah, yes. Our resident Tax Buster Extraordinaire, Tim Eyman. Everytime I see this man's name in print, it raises my ire. This quote from The Olympian's Editorials on Friday summarizes Eyman's latest efforts beautifully, capturing what I see as his lack of logic and extreme irony quite well.

#FFS, would someone just put Eyman out of my misery? Nothing drastic, just a gag order or something. #VoteNoOn1125 #SundaySnarkies
I really don't wish any ill will or harm towards Tim Eyman. I just wish he'd shut up and go away. Actually, I wish someone would ship him off to Idaho or Arizona where his brand of politics, rhetoric, and tax opposing lunacy would be better appreciated. As for my home state? I think we'd be better off without him.

Strauss-Kahn describes relationship as "inappropriate", "an error". Anyone tracking Understatement of the Year nominees? #SundaySnarkies
So he's high-profile, not just on a local, or a national scale, but on a global scale. Head of the International Monetary Fund? And he did what? Maybe in France a sexual peccadillo is an acceptable pasttime for politicians, but I would think some amount of discretion would still be warranted. An encounter with a hotel maid? Give me a break! And then to have the nerve to give an interview, in which he appears composed and scripted, and makes an understatement like, "was not only an inappropriate relationship, but more than that, it was a failing"... well, that's just laughable.

Feel Good #SundaySnarkies 1: Should be required reading for every kid grade 7-12... and their parents. goo.gl/MFsx2
Just go read it. It's about kids demonstrating a lack of decency, despite being shown one.

Feel Good #SundaySnarkies 2: Wanna help fight DV and support its victims? #Olympia, goo.gl/JwxAP. Nationally, ncadv.org
Kudos to SafePlace of Olympia for winning a $450,000 grant to support their work. If providing support to victims of domestic violence is something you want to support, please check them out. Not from Olympia, but you still want to help? Check out the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The earned three stars on CharityNavigator.com, but they engage in nation-wide efforts, and they're worth a look.

Feel Good #SundaySnarkies 3: Positive thoughts & energies to the victims of The Reno Airshow catastrophe & their families. #momentofsilence
I don't know what to say here. This is a huge tragedy, and potentially it's a detriment to a well-meaning, long-running air race. I can only hope that those injured in this terrible accident recover quickly, and that those left behind have wonderful memories they can hold close in the wake of untimely loss.

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