Murray for the WIN!

It was announced today that Senator Patty Murray has secured the win over candidate Dino Rossi.  Taking the lead by about 46,000 votes, this amount (51% to 49% out of about 1.8 million votes) is said to be insurmountable. I find it interesting that we were one of the later states to find out the results of this election. While the votes were being counted it was clear that murray had a lot of confidence in herself, she really believed that she would be the winner of this election. Rossi fought hard against Murray in this election attacking her with loads of network ads saying how she is an irresponsible spender and has changes with her 18 years in office, but he took a gracious defeat even though obvious disappointment was present. This will be Patty Murray's fourth consecutive 6-year term in office. Now that the race is over, the question is, what will she do next?

Patty Murray plans to hit the ground running as she states, "Now we have to get to work...to make sure Washington state has what it needs to get its economy back on its feet," this sounds like a plan to me.

Problems with voting?

An interesting fact to add in, I have heard that despite this election being all mail in ballots, some people still could not find time to send in there votes. Because of this a few voting stations were set up around Washington. An unexpected problem with this was that there was sometimes 3-4 hour long lines to vote. I heard some stories of some people ordering pizza's to pass the time and even worse, some people chose to not vote at all rather than wait the 3-4 hours. This is something that really needs to change in the future.

A turnaround?!

Dino Rossi's poll percentage is rising, while Patty Murray's is decreasing.
Poll Update:
Rossi: 49.4%
Murray: 50.6%

It is possible that we will not know who has won the election for up to a week, stated by the news.

Poll Data Right Now!

Patty Murray is in the lead with 52% and Dino Rossi at 46%!

Now that it is almost over, lets review.

Their Views and Ideas:

Patty Murray-

• 2008 Farm Bill: This bill continues to provide security for Washington's wheat, pea and lentil growers and provides funding for necessary conservation and energy programs. It also includes the following crop provisions; National Clean Plant Network, Market Loss Program for Asparagus Growers, Specialty Crop Block Grants, and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative. It funds these programs; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and Elimination of the Child Care Deduction Cap. She also is a supporter of agriculture research and making U.S. producers globally competitive.
• Civil Rights: Patty Murray is for protecting the civil rights of all Americans. She is trying to help end the policies she finds to be unfair of Don't Ask Don't Tell. She has cosponsored the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010, the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009, the Tax Equity for Domestic Partner and Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, the Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2010, and still cosponsors the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Patty Murray worked for years to pass the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, which was signed in October 2009 and she also worked to pass a provision in Health Care Reform that will make medication for HIV positive people more affordable. 
• Economic Recovery: Murray has been trying to help Washington maintain and create jobs, stay competitive, and recover from this economic downfall. Her investments have been made in a variety of places to ensure more jobs are being created. She helped to pass the biggest middle class tax cut in American history and provided health coverage for millions of low-income children. She is currently working towards  providing everyone with more affordable health care, more use of clean renewable energy, and better schools nationwide.
• Energy Independence and Climate Change: Patty Murray is trying to make it so that there is more cost friendly power in the Pacific Northwest without damaging the environment or the economy. She is also working towards a more beneficial system to address pollution and climate change.
• Environment: Murray believes in environmental protection and healthy natural resources so that we can obtain long-term economic growth. 
• Government Accountability: She is striving to ensure that we protect our  economy so that the misdeeds of Wall Street and lack of oversight don't lead us to the economic downfall again. She is working towards a more accountable government to American families and businesses. 
• Health Care: Murray believes in lower costs long-term, providing more of a choice and stability, allow portability, prevent being denied or dropped by health insurance companies based on pre-existing conditions, and eliminate lifetime and annual caps, promote prevention and wellness, end discrimination based on things like age and gender, and put an emphasis on health information technology to increase efficiency. 

Dino Rossi-

Dino Rossi with American Legion Riders.

• Promoting Economic Growth and Job Creation: Dino Rossi wants to rid of the tax and spending policies that have failed. He feels like it is now the time to worry about the workers who contribute to our economy and the employers who are giving them the jobs. 
• Fix Health Care: Rossi does not agree with Congress' health care reform bill and he thinks we need to repeal the bill and put in a new one that has "common-sense bipartisan proposals that give power to patients and doctors not government and insurance companies." Dino Rossi wants to replace it with something that will lower the costs, provide people with a variety of health insurance plans, and give people a choice on who their doctor is. Also, Rossi would like people to be able to buy health insurance across state lines, give individuals the same tax deductions as corporations, and make insurance more affordable for small businesses. 
• Reform Our Tax Code: Dino Rossi wants to lower taxes to boost our economy and allow for more jobs to be created. This would allow individuals and small businesses to be able to invest more of their money back into the economy and this would create a positive outcome. Rossi would like Congress to repeal the death tax and broad-based taxes, lower tax rates that are paid by the job creators, and put the 2001 and 2003 tax relief back in action.
• Reduce Government Spending: To do so, Dino Rossi suggests that we cancel unspent bailout and stimulus funds and put them towards decreasing our deficit, pass a Balanced Budget Amendment with a supermajority to raise taxes, cut Government Employment, and reduce too generous of benefits and pay. 
• Energy: Dino Rossi feels that we need to create more of our own resources by "developing more renewable energy sources, increasing our reliance on alternative fuels, and expanding domestic energy production in an environmentally and fiscally responsible way." His thoughts to help make this happen are to not approve of energy taxes, enhance safety procedures for energy exploration, and make sure that people polluting pay for any environmental degradation. 
• Protecting Our Country: Dino Rossi's stand on protecting our country is strong, he feels that we should control our borders and fix immigration. RossiRossi believes that listening to what the commanders in the field have to say, and always ensuring that our military has a plan for victory and an exit strategy. 
• Veterans: Dino Rossi is all for honoring veterans and ensuring that their interest is also best looked out for. He believes if you defend our country, then the government will make sure and take care of you and your family.

From this you can get an idea on some of the basic opinions and suggestions that Senate candidates Murray and Rossi have on some current issues in our government. Many of their ideas differ, but occasionally you will find where each candidates opinions relate and are similar. This is not all of the topics discussed throughout the senate campaigns, but these are a few of the most valuable and current.

-Sara Lien

Mixed Feelings

Have they gone too far?

At this time anywhere you look you are able to witness some sort of advertisement in support of the politicians who are running to be elected for the Washington State Senate. The numerous signs, TV commercials, and radio commercials are almost overwhelming. The worst part of all is that they all seem to contradict eachother. I hear Patty Murray's campaign criticize Dino Rossi by saying that he is accepting money from lobbyists and making bad investments at the same time that im seeing Dino Rossi's campaign criticize Patty Murray by saying she is giving social security to illegal immigrants and that she is the biggest spender in Washington. The list of these negatives goes on  and on as I hear them everyday nearly all day long. As far as who seems to be the best candidate, it almost comes down to who has the least amount of negative information on them.

An example of an ad. 

The way I look at it is that there will never be a perfect senator that makes everyone in one state happy and satisfied. There is always going to be a faction for the party and a faction against the party. It is very hard to make a decision with all the negative advertisements against each candidate floating around.

It is coming down to the end of the Washington Senate Election...

The race is so close, with Patty Murray in the lead by only a small percentage. Who will win is a toss up, and no one will know till all the votes are in.

Not only the President, but his wife too...

Patty Murray is striving for support and has gained it from multiple important political figures, including President Barrack Obama, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and First Lady Michelle Obama. In the fundraiser thrown by Michelle Obama, who was accompanied by the vice president's wife Jill Biden, this morning she stressed about the importance of everyone voting for Patty Murray in this election, especially with such a close race. At the banquet hall in Bellevue, where 1,400 people, mostly women, attended to hear Michelle Obama cheer on Patty Murray, Michelle said that the President "needs leaders like Patty to have his back. And Patty needs folks like all of you to make that happen." Also, Governor Chris Gregoire repeated the same critiques that have been floating around about Dino Rossi. Murray covered the financial and health-care overhaul and the anti-gender discrimination Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in hopes to help her gain more votes. During this fundraiser Patty Murray used a metaphor about relating our state to her family and how she strives to make things "right again." This pricey fundraiser was followed by another fundraiser that was much more expensive and a lot smaller, hosting only 100 press people. Even with all this support, Murray has a very small lead over Republican Candidate Dino Rossi who has had a lot less fundraisers and support. So is all the campaigning and support helping Murray? I think so, without it the race would not be as intriguing and I am sure that Dino Rossi would have a lead over Patty Murray by now, who is lucky to have all the support she is getting. Patty Murray has been criticized for her excessive use of earmarks by Republican Senator John McCain, it is said that she recently requested $2o million dollars in earmarks to give to "firms who had hired her formers staffers as lobbyists" (Seattle Times.) Dino Rossi is trying to ban earmarks, so this brings up a lot of questions about Candidate Murray. In a conference call, Dino Rossi stated that all the support that Patty Murray is receiving is only showing how she is in trouble and in need of more support to win, he feels like this will only increase his chances of winning. 

A rally by Former President Bill Clinton in Everett, another rally by President Barrack Obama at the UW in Seattle, and now a fundraiser by the First Lady Michelle Obama in Bellevue...

What will it take to win this election?

Above is a picture of Michelle Obama campaigning for Senate Candidate Patty Murray.


-Sara Lien.

2010 Immigration Reform

More than a few Americans would argue that illegal immigration has become a problem over the years. While the US does have the nickname, “the melting pot of the world”, immigrating to the US requires a lot of legal documentation and application.


Immigration.

What is it?

Many people immigrate from less fortunate countries to the United States on the premise that they will be able to make more money and start a life living the American dream, or just send the money back to their homeland.

How Many?

It is said that there is approximately 12 million undocumented workers in the US.

Why?

Hiring an undocumented worker is a practice used by some employers because it saves them money. They do not have to pay to L&I, or any taxes or anything else that they would pay for a documented employee. Because there is a demand for this cheap form of labor it is hard to stop people immigrating illegally into the US.

2010 Immigration Reform:

In a summary the 2010 Immigration reform seems simple. With a six part plan the US hopes to crack down on incoming immigrants, document or deport all undocumented illegal immigrants, and Integrate Immigrants into US society. Here is a quick summary of the six parts.

1. Improve Border Security: By doing this it will be harder for Illegal Immigrants to cross the US border. On the contrary, it will be more difficult and time consuming to ship things into the US and when it comes to items that are perishable, this could see difficulties.

2. Interior Enforcement: This would drastically increase penalties for offenders who illegally enter the US. Although the penalties would be greater, they would be administered in a humane and lawful way with special regards to children.

3. Worksite Enforcement: This part of the reform will encourage employers to hire lawfully because there are consequences for hiring an illegal immigrant.

4. Reforming America’s Legal Immigration System: By doing this the only people who would be likely to immigrate successfully would be people of value to the US.

5. Legalization of Undocumented Individuals: This will allow undocumented workers the chance to gain a visa for a set amount of time or also permanent citizenship. In addition to the processing fees, a person over 21 will pay a $1,000 fine. This will help to greatly reduce the estimated 12 million undocumented workers.

6. Immigrant Integration: This part is for the immigrants that are granted citizenship. There will be expanded sources of education to improve literacy of immigrants trying to integrate into American society. This will help communication among new immigrants and current citizens and hopefully reduce frustrations caused by the language barrier.


Rossi v. Murray
Dino Rossi’s Position: Dino Rossi feels that the first thing we need to do is fix our border security. His thought is that once we stop the flow of illegal immigrants we can then deal with the rest of the problem. He does not feel that we should grant illegal Immigrants citizen ship as he thinks they should immigrate legally juts like he and his family did from Italy.

Patty Murrays Position: Patty Murray more openly accepts the Comprehensive Immigration Reform.


This reform is still undergoing consideration by congress. In my opinion I think this reform is very well done and should be implemented but we will just have to wait and see what happens.

--Ryan Fromm & Sara Lien

The Senate Debates:

The Race is Close...

It is crunch time! The ballots were sent out last week to all the legal voters of Washington and the senate election race is close between Democrat Patty Murray and Republican Dino Rossi. 

The First Debate:

On Thursday evening the first debate between the two senate candidates began with them disputing over tax cuts and the role of the government. This debate was nothing new, since mostly everything talked over has already been featured on the numerous television ads produced by each party. Patty Murray struck Dino Rossi, during this debate, for supporting extension of the tax cuts that will benefit the rich. Her argument was that these "tax breaks take away revenue that could be used for Social Security, Medicare and health programs." Murray claims that if Dino Rossi follows through with these tax cuts, there will be no way to maintain these important programs, but she is determined to make sure that they are sustained. Dino Rossi made a come back by criticizing Murray's consistent votes for "bigger government programs and more government control of business." Rossi labeled Murray as a "big spending liberal" during the debate, while Murray made Rossi out to be "a friend to Wall Street and big banks." The argument of tax cuts was brought up multiple times during the debate. Uncontrolled spending is causing our country to head in the wrong direction is another argument Rossi made, an example he referred to was the health care reform bill. He stated that more jobs would be created if there was lower taxes and more affordable costs for things like health care. Patty Murray said that due to the greedy people of Wall Street many families are struggling and that our country needs to make investments in things like education to open up for more jobs. Even though the two candidates disagreed on many topics during this hour long debate, they did agree that cleanup of nuclear waste at Hanford should be continued. Rossi made a point that the health care reform bill could eventually "bankrupt America" by increasing the costs for large employers. When each candidate stated one thing they like about the other, Murray said she admired Rossi for making sacrifices to join the election and Rossi said he believes Murray has done good work for the veterans.

Here is a link to a video giving an overview of the first debate:

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/105005354.html?tab=video

The Second Debate:

On Sunday the second and final debate between the two candidates took place. Candidate Murray is hoping to win the election and enter into her fourth term and candidate Rossi is trying his third run after previous failing campaigns for governor. The polls that have been coming in have shown that this is going to be a competitive election between the two. During the debate, Murray and Rossi, argued about the "federal stimulus plan's effect on the economy." Dino Rossi's idea for decreasing Washington's high unemployment rate was to "spur the private sector to create jobs." Murray rebuttals this saying that private contractors are carrying out plenty of stimulus work and that "Mr. Rossi's going to give them a pink slip." Patty Murray questioned Dino Rossi on how he would pay for renewing federal tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, which have not yet been extended. In his response, Rossi didn't answer this question directly but went on to say that "Murray should have ensured the Senate extended the tax cuts before Congress' recent adjournment" and that "Senator Murray is going to continue to raise" our taxes. The Republican's stance is that these cuts should be extended for all taxpayers, while the Democrats want to give relief to the lower tax brackets only. When Rossi was able to ask Murray a question, he blamed her for helping to spark a "trade war with Mexico, which has raised tariffs on U.S. goods after the cancellation of a pilot program allowing some Mexican trucks to transport good into the U.S." She came back saying that she had "fought the tariffs" but the "trucking policy was primarily about safety and shouldn't have brought any negative consequences for Washington farmers."

This summarizes the two debates that took place between the two Senate candidates, whose beliefs vary extremely, during this neck and neck race.

-Sara Lien.

Meet the 2010 Washington Senate Candidates:

2010 Senate Election:
Who are the candidates? Let’s get to know them shall we…

Patty Murray:

The Democrat Candidate!
She was born in Seattle on October 11, 1950. Murray is a Washington State University Alumni, she graduated from there in the year of 1972. From the years of 1977 until 1984 she was an educational volunteer. Patty Murray taught at Shoreline Community College from 1984 to 1987. She was a citizen lobbyist for educational and environmental issues from 1983 to 1988. She was part of the Shoreline School District Board of Directors from the years 1985 to 1989. Patty Murray was on the Washington State Senate from 1988 to 1992. She was the Democratic Whip from 1990 to 1992. She was elected as a member of the United States Senate in 1992, 1998, 2004. She is currently running for a fourth term.

-Ryan Fromm.

 

Dino Rossi:

The Republican Candidate!

Dino Rossi was born into a large family of seven children total on October 15, 1959 in the city of Seattle, WA. He attended college and graduated with a business degree in the year 1982 from Seattle University. While in college Rossi constantly worked, his jobs varied from construction jobs to janitor jobs. Dino Rossi co-founded the Eastside Commercial Bank and built himself a career in commercial real estate. He ran for the 1992 election of state legislature and lost, but tried his luck again in 1996 and won. In the year 2000 he was re-elected and in 2003 he served on the state senate's budget committee as chairman where he was in charge of producing the state's budget. During this year, he dealt with a massive budget deficit without raising taxes and was still able to protect the most vulnerable citizens of Washington. In 2004, he ran for governor and won the first two vote counts and narrowly lost the third by only 129 votes. After this Dino Rossi wrote a book on leadership and founded the Forward Washington Foundation, whose purpose is to improve Washington's business climate. He ran for governor again in 2008, but lost a second time even though he was ahead of the Republican nominee. Rossi went back to where he began and joined Coast Equity Partners in Everett, WA but after seeing the trouble our country was in he decided to run for U.S. Senate.

Dino Rossi currently lives in Sammamish, WA with his family, which consists of his wife, Terry, and their four children. He is serving on the Board of the Special Olympics for the State of Washington as Secretary and is a member of the Dean's Advisory Board for the School of Business at Seattle University.

He wants to start by getting government spending under control so that other things will straighten back into the order they need to be in. Dino Rossi is running for senate so he can help bring sensibility to the Congress, restore fiscal discipline and transparency, and keep the American Dream in reach for our future generations.

-Sara Lien.