Weekend Links (I Know, It's Monday Already)

LOCAL:

1. Limiting Debt in Washington State.  A proposed state constitutional amendment would limit the amount of debt the state can carry from year to year at about 5%.  Currently the percentage is about 6%. Most of the borrowing is to fund large-scale construction projects such as schools and highways.

In a typical democrat moment Hans Dunshee, a democrat from north of Seattle, said he didn’t think this amendment is such a good idea at a time when more taxpayer money needs to be spent to get us out of the recession.

Dunshee says the proposal would tie the legislature’s hands and reduce spending on construction at a time when builders could use the work

“As it’s currently constructed, it (the amendment) kills off a lot of jobs.  Is that really what we want to do over the next 10 years?” he said. (Source: Seattle Times)

2. Seattle School scandal takes out another. Seattle Urban League, which has helped minority-owned businesses get government contracts, has reduced staff and is considering selling its headquarters building in the wake of the Seattle Schools Superintendent scandal earlier this year.

3. School Official Fired over grades. If you want to know why athletes live in a world of privilege one only needs to read this story. On a positive note, the athletic director was fired.

4. April home sales slip yet again. The number of homes sold this April as opposed to April 2010 fell 7%. The median price of a home was also down 7%; $375,000 in April 2010 to $349,950 this past April.

NATIONAL:

1. Newspapers still losing readers. Despite relaxing rules on how editors can count readership, newspapers continue to lose readers. I have always enjoyed sitting down and reading a newspaper. Several years ago one of my routines was to get the Sunday LA Times and read it from the front page to the last page. The dang thing weighed a ton. Back then the paper wasn't quite as flaming liberal as it is now. When I am in Southern Cal visiting the in-laws I have noticed the paper isn’t as thick as it once was and there seems to be more add flyers. On top of the reduced size, the paper has a decided liberal bent. I can’t even read it anymore. And I think that sums up the troubles for newspapers. In our local area, the more liberal newspaper, The Post Intelligencer, no longer prints a paper, only an online edition. The Seattle Times, a more balanced newspaper is still surviving.

2. Boeing fighting back against the NLRB. The very pro-labor National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against Boeing a few months back stating that Boeing is moving part of its 787 Dreamliner production to South Carolina as a way to punish the labor unions. In what probably surprises no one, Boeing has decided to fight back. In a very strongly worded letter to the NLRB Boeing’s top Lawyer wrote “that the charges ‘fundamentally misquote or mischaracterize statements made by Boeing executives.’”

WORLD:

1. Honda to reduce output. Because of parts shortages in Japan due to the earthquake and tsunami Honda has been telling US dealers to expect a cutback in the number of cars dealers will see in the upcoming months. Anyone think an unscrupulous Honda dealer or two will trying to price gouge in the wake of $4.00+ a gallon gas?