Thursday, August 23, 2012

Time to break up the Washington Department of Social and Health Services

Hopefully the State Senate will help  Auburn State Senator Pam Roach in breaking up this agency since Mike Armstrong was defeated recently in an election.  This is the largest agency in Washington State when someone attempted to take scissors to this agency the State Employee association tells you to go to hell.  The last governor may she rest in peace was a Democrat Governor named Dixie Lee Ray actually address this problem too bad a volcano named Mt St. Helens to remove her from office good thing John Spellman defeated current Seattle communist congressman Jim McDermott in 1980.  The prison system became its own agency.  Now in this monster agency we the following agencies inside they are Public Assistance, Washington State Basic Health (DennyCare) my pet name for this after former 3rd legislative district state representative Dennis Dellwo was in charge of the health care committee during its creation.  Good thing Spokane 6th district did not elect him, Child Protective Services, Mental Health Services.  Juvenile Correction Facilities like Echo Glen in my hometown of Snoqualmie Valley are in this agency.  Now with the recent Powell family tragedy in Pierce County where Chuck and Susan Powell lost both grand children and many other bad stories of children dead due to bloated bureaucracy.  Let's create the following separate agencies have the Department of Social and Health Services RIP hopefully in 2016.  Division of Economic Assistance which will replace the Public Assistance Division.  Washington State Basic Health we can repeal that or at least have faith based organizations take over this.  Child Protective Services let's rename this the Department of Children and Family Services require that first responders be on the advisory board have one mental health professional, two police officers, one legislator from each political party or representative from each political party over the decision of this agency which will give an annual report to the state legislature and the governor.  Mental Institutions like Western State Hospital in Steliacom and Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake can sold to Spokane and Pierce Counties.  Mental Health services should be a county problem not state problem.  Rainer School in Buckley can be sold to the White River School District to do what ever it wishes you can transfer all these residence to the counties they came from again this is a county problem not a state problem.  Juvenile correctional facilities can be transferred to the Department of Corrections that is what a lot of states do.  We need to give Governor Jay Inslee as much of a headache as possible make him see the light or show him the door in 2017.

It is time to create separate public ferry transit agencies to replace the Washington State Ferry system

In 1952 the Washington State government bought the Washington State Ferry system when state rescued the state ferry system from a company that was failing know as Black Ball Transit.  Now for the past 60 years the state has owned the ferry system sometimes at a loss.  Recently they decided to discontinue the direct route from Seattle to Kingston.  This will add time to a customer going directly from Kingston to Seattle.  We could ask Kitsap and San Juan Counties to take over the ferry system create a separate public agencies know as Kitsap and San Juan Ferries or can sell each route separately.  Create a separate regional ferry authority known as Puget Sound Ferry Authority. 

We need to include federal law enforcement experience in top level police administration in Washington State

I guess now that Spokane mayor David Condon has selected a police chief now those running for the legislature when in January 2013 when your elected to the legislature can you include federal experience in high level law administration.  I believe that Frank Straub the new Spokane Police chief can be very up to speed by just reading Spokane Municipal Code and Washington State Public Safety Code without having to go through a state law enforcement training.  This demotes him to a rookie.  Mayor David Condon selected to be in charge not equal to the officers he is in charge off.  Please allow federal law experience to count as state law experience please make it retroactive to 2011 so Frank Straub can be covered through this.

Please build a bridge from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island

Hey Washington State Department of Transportation, Congressman Rick Larsen, Rob McKenna, Jay Inslee and soon to be Congressman Derek Kilmer, Washington State legislators lets replace the Port Townsend to Coupeville ferry run with a bridge or a floating bridge and let's honor Jack Metcalf with a bridge call it the Jack Metcalf Memorial Bridge. If we remove the ferry route that gets cancelled more than ran.  We save more money with a bridge than if we have to cancel all the time due to low tides.  Washington State Hwy 20 is the virtual route number on this boat so this is a state highway already.  Yes the ferry has a virtually George Washington Hwy 20 symbol on the boat.  Ste Hwy 20 intersects US Hwy 101 at Discovery Bay its western boundary.  When I was a child I used to pass this going to and from to see my Uncle Jim and Aunt Patty, Grandpa and Grandma Swenson yes Port Angeles was kind of our family second home while growing up.  Yes State Hwy 20 goes from Discovery Bay to the Idaho border at the Newport and Oldtown crossing and is the most scenic state highway in the state.  Too bad three months out of the year the highway between Mazama and Diablo is closed due to low maintenance during the winter.   When we are deciding to reduce the budget please consider replacing this route with a bridge this will actually save many taxpayers from Spokane all the way to Long Beach in Pacific County some money.