I have a show that I volunteer for as a DJ on KOWA-LP 106.5 This low power station is a non profit organization affiliated with Media Island. My show is called the Nooner (it happens at noon), on Mondays. I focus on topical news issues and their relevance in mental health. I am knowledgeable in mental health (though not a Doctor), and feel the need to tear down the veil of ignorance since there is so little real discussion about mental health that doesn’t involve Big Pharma. I feel that its important to keep the subject on the table. People don’t realize that twenty five percent of the population suffers from some kind of depression at any given time. And there are a dozen of other mental health conditions that are looked upon with fear and ignorance. If someone likes satire, sarcasm and flaming liberalism, well this is the show for you.

I try to talk a couple of hours, but it varies and has lots of Danzio controversy, so I won’t detail it here. You’ll just have to listen to the show or read my blog. KOWA-LP hosts other shows that are relevant to our Olympia community. Hobo Radio hosted by josh is good example. A large population of homeless folks have active mental health issues. KOWA-LP has been around for about a year and is strapped for cash, has old failing equipment and is in desperate need of cash donations. It is a local voice that needs your support.

Wal-Mart, the Anti-US Corporate Chain, is trying to open a new Anti-US store in Tumwater.

Wal-Mart imports $18 billion in goods from Communist China every year.

China has been flooding the United States with poisoned products, including: Toothpaste tainted with poison & Melamine tainted wheat gluten which is ending up in the U.S. food supply.

The United States trade deficit with China was $232 billion dollars in 2006.

Forced Slave Labor practices are also used in China

PBS Frontline did a series called "Is Wal-Mart good for America"

Here is the full program in 5 parts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Tumwater residents can contact the Tumwater City Council here and demand that the Anti-American scumbag Wal-Mart/China company not be allowed in their town.

For today's trivia question in the LTE comment section of The Olympian, Lumpy Rutherford's real name was Clarence.

This is a post about UFOs.

So in 1973-1974 there were still many people around who were in Centralia on Nov. 11, 1919, the day of the "Centralia Massacre," and I had set out to find them and document their stories on paper. Maybe I'll aim to present it all on Nov. 11, 2019. One gentleman I interviewed was George Barner Sr., who was on the veteran side and in the thick of the action.

So we met at the Applejam Folk Center on Union Ave. He was an ebullient 80-something and was delighted when I mentioned my Centralia connections. Barner had been Mayor of Centralia during the Prohibition era and had just gotten some ink from the Daily Olympian with a historical photo of himself with WCTU members cleaning up the illegal saloons of that town. My great-grandmother was a leading member of the WCTU down there. She lived in the small mansion that is now the Windermere Real Estate HQ. Drinking was not allowed inside, so all the guys went out on the front porch of one of Centralia's high-profile prohibitionists, for all the town to see, and drank away. Barner loved that story. Anyway.

Our own Rob Whitlock has graduated from TESC.

The Graduate

The way that city staff want to finance our new city hall is a) more expensive than traditional means, and b) less transparent and accountable to the public, at least according to the state treasurer.

In my post below about the weekly city council packet, I noted that I didn't know a bunch about the so-called 63-20 financing scheme in which Olympia would set up a separate organization to pay for the new building. City staff are recommending that we use this system.

Turns out that our state treasurer, Mike Murphy, isn't a big fan of the 63-20:

Let's keep public finance public.

That's the message Washington Treasurer Michael Murphy sent last month to the state's legislature, which in 2005 asked him to report on so-called 63-20 capital project financing.

The 63-20 format -- the numbers refer to a 1963 IRS ruling -- allows states and municipalities to establish nonprofit public benefit corporations to finance projects. The corporations aren't subject to the same rules, regulations and disclosures that govern most public borrowing; the bonds they sell don't count against state debt limits.

"Its proponents say 63-20 financing offers a convenient way to get badly needed government buildings built in a way that is more easily digestible by a budget-conscious legislature than more traditional state-issued bonds or certificates of participation,'' treasurer Murphy said in an e-mail.

"The main way it achieves this supposed convenience is by skirting public works laws,'' he added.

Read the entire post

This past week, the County Commissioners voted unananimously to put on the ballot for voter approval,  a measure suggesting an increase of 3 tenths of one cent that would be segregated for criminal justice improvements and prevention measures.  The split of this fund would be 33% to the criminal justice system and 67% to prevention programs.

First, I'd like to thank Charles Shelan for being one of the spearheads to get this ball rolling.  Charles and Community Youth Services works hard to make a better place for our youth.

Now, the minute that this story hit the local daily, out came the "No New Taxes" crew in force.  By no means do I object to someone voicing an opinion, as I'm voicing mine at this moment, but I do think that we can contribute more than just fearmongering ("they claim it's for the kids but they'll use the money for something else") and three word mantra spewing (no new taxes, support our....well, you get the idea).

I'd like to encourage everyong to look into this and in particular read up on the Washington Institute for Public Policy whose "mission is to carry out practical, non-partisan research—at legislative direction—on issues of importance to Washington State".  There you will learn that for every dollar spent on a results based program of prevention (may I be so bold as to use Big Brothers Big Sisters as an example?) that over $2,000 is saved on tax dollars that might have been spent on law enforcement, courts and incarceration, thus my contention that this is an investment, as opposed to an expense.

It's easy to get emotionally charged over any political issue, especially those where it appears that money is leaving out pockets.  A little math will show you that this is 3 cents for every $100 spent, thus buying that $50,000 Hummer will cost you an extra $150.