Pam Roach Recounts Chile In Wake Of Earthquake

Santiago, Chile has one of the best inter city train systems in the world. It is supported by an armada of cabs that take riders into the burbs to the very humble homes all barred with wrought ironed windows. The rich live on the hillsides in mansions.

I took son Dan with me to pick up my daughter as she was leaving her 1 1/2 year L.D.S. mission. Together we spent 10 days in the country, staying in the homes of the people and traveling to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. We took a 30's vintage train to Puerta Montt and then luxury bused it back to Santiago for home.

So in the dusty curtained sleeper car there was one toilet. I was a little surprised...it was a squat hole with the tracks speeding underneath!

This Saturday, driving home after session, I listened to a talk account of the earthquake. The announcer had never been there and stated, "The damage won't be much because of one thing: rebar!" Well... this country is 400 years old. We are seeing the results just now because much of this country is poor and rural.

Santiago is a mix with old cathedrals and edifices built over a 350 year span. At the D/T McDonalds the restrooms look just like the ones here except for the basket next to the toilet. NO PAPER goes down the sewer. Throughout the city and into the neighborhoods...the sewer system cannot take the paper. Fragile and old...what do we think this earthquake means to the underground infrastructure? The city was built on top of the old systems.

The earthquake was centered near Concepcion. Sanitary conditions will be offset for years. Chile, in a structural sense, is a house built on sand.

Washington State businesses have invested in Chile. Trillium (based in Bellingham, WA) has trees growing all over the hillsides. U.S. tree growers invested in other countries when the enviros here decided trees were not a renewable resource.

Troutlodge has a large facility in Puerto Montt. We travelled south to see the fish farm but lost contact with the manager. We taxied into the countryside to see a competitor's operation. I loved Chile. I loved the people there.

I have never had food poisoning so bad as after the tostado with piled high avocado. (Dan was out too. My daughter was used to the food bugs I guess.) I have never had a more exciting ride than the small bus careening down the curving hillsides of Vina del Mar, and I have never had a more heart felt conversation in Spanish than when Pedro(17) told me at the airport that he didn't want my sweet blond-haired daughter to leave...he had a crush on her.

The length of Chile is like Seattle to San Diego...twice!

Public Funding Of Campaigns...The Price Of A Vote For The Budget

Hidden deep in the recesses of the 2010 Washington State budget is a piece of failed legislation that requires publicly funded State Supreme Court races. The bill is now "referenced in the budget." That means the budget cannot be passed without this bill so..even though the billed died on the Senate floor last week...it must be voted on and passed to implement the budget.

SB----( I will fill in the number tomorrow...don't have it with me right now), was heard in the Senate Governmental Operations and Elections Committee of which I am the ranking member. Public funding of ANY elections has been a hot button issue championed by Sen. Erik Omig who is also on the committee. His bill was the last one out of executive session. Sen. Craig Pridmore was late and not present for most of the ex session. The bill was brought up last so he could have time to arrive for the vote. He threw his coat on, took his seat, and the bill passed out of committee on a party line vote.

When the bill came up for a vote in the full Senate...it was challenged as being improperly before the body. Why? Because there was a tax involved. I-960 had not yet been repealed. The President, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, ruled that the bill was, in fact, a tax and so the bill was put down.

In order to pass a budget you need a majority of the 49 votes. So, $200,000 was added to the budget for public financing of Supreme Court races...the bill was referenced in the budget...and now it could be brought up again. Since I-960 has now been repealed the fact of a tax does not matter any more.

This is a terrible bill. It was not even heard in the House (as though that would matter to the majority) and you won't find a negative statement about it in the floor calendar which many legislators read before they vote on a bill.

Justice Richard Sanders wrote the Gov. Ops Committee members an articulate letter siting problems with the bill. None of that information found its way into the floor calendar. Very convenient actually, and shows how bills are manipulated by the Democrat majority. Just don't mention anything bad and hopefully no one will see it!

The bill is unconstitutional....but won't be found as such in time for this year's Supreme Court races which the left wants to manipulate.

Dems Doomed As Special Session Looms...

Citizen Taxpayers rallied against the repeal of taxpayer protections and the imposition of tax increases. These are the voters who will not forget.

The Senate Dems came up with the votes and sent the operating budget to the House with the minimum 25 votes. The Democrats have so many members that six of them were "let off" the vote. No Democrat in a swing district up for election this year wanted to vote for the budget!

I don't know if TVW showed the hand gestures going on between Senators Chris Marr (D) Spokane and Claudia Kaufmann (D) Kent.

"You!"..."Me?" "No you!"..."You will be the 25th Yes vote! Not me!"

The Senate had their votes but the House is in disarray. It is harder to buy out twice the amount in the House as needed in the Senate. Part of the interest here is figuring out what some of them got for their vote!

It is likely that there will be a special session. NO ONE wants this! The Democrats MUST write a balanced budget because unlike the nearly bankrupt California, Washington's Constitution allows no debt.

We could be called back into special session by the governor the very next day. Unlikely.

We could go into a rolling recess...coming in every third day.

We could wait for the call...the sign that an agreement between the two houses and the governor has been reached. Then we would all be notified to return for the vote. (This is the wisest and least expensive for taxpayers. It costs a lot of money to be in session even for a day.)

This may be the first written prediction....

Message To Colorado: Have The State Patrol Monitor State Abuse Of Children

Note: The State of Washington already has an ombudsman. She is over worked, has no power, and nothing comes of her well done reports. We have a slightly higher kill rate of children than Colorado (pop. 5 million).

MONITORING CHILD WELFARE

Colorado Lawmakers unveil bill to create an independent investigator of the system
Peter Marcus, DDN Staff Writer
Friday, February 26, 2010

Following the deaths of 35 children over the past three years who “slipped through the cracks” of the state’s child protection system, lawmakers yesterday unveiled a bill that would create an independent investigator to address weaknesses in the system.

At a news conference yesterday, Sen. Linda Newell, D-Littleton, unveiled her Senate Bill 171, the Child Protection Ombudsman Bill. The measure would create an independent “advocate” to help protect children and provide accountability of the child welfare system.

“How many children have to die before we take action?” asked Newell. “Today, we need to make a stand for those who are too young to stand up for themselves.”

It remains unclear exactly how the program would be run, either directly through the Department of Human Services, or through a nonprofit. Karen Beye, director of the Colorado Department of Human Services, said those details will be worked out by lawmakers as they debate the bill.

Necessary?
But supporters of the legislation, including Gov. Bill Ritter, say the move is necessary to fix the broken system. (Hi, Bill...FYI...This isn't working at all for WA.)

“This legislation will provide transparency, consistency, accountability and ongoing input for Colorado’s child welfare system and help us improve critical services for Colorado’s most vulnerable children,” said Ritter. (NO...it won't)

The proposal stems from one of 29 recommendations made by the Child Welfare Action Committee, which was formed in April 2008 by an executive order from the governor. The committee met for 18 months before making its recommendations. (It took almost two years!!!)

Several recommendations are already being implemented, including the Child Welfare Training Academy, (licensed and bonded state workers???) a differential response program that allows stakeholders to skip the court process,(do away with all parental rights????) and beefed-up response to mandatory reporters, to name a few.

HIGH PROFILE CASES

Several high-profile cases raised caution flags over the past three years.

One case was 3-year-old Neveah Gallegos, who was suffocated, placed in a garbage bag... (I WILL SPARE US ALL THE ALL TOO FAMILIAR DETAILS)..... Critics said it was unacceptable that the case slipped past the welfare system’s radar, especially considering the mother’s boyfriend was a registered sex offender, and that little Neveah had been treated at an emergency room for vaginal bleeding. (THAT I had to leave in!)

Seven-year-old Chandler Grafner was another child... He weighed only 34 pounds when he was found dead. (Colorado..we have you beat..we found a 14 year-old weighing only 47 pounds!) Grafner's biological parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against child-welfare .... claiming the Department of Human Services failed to adequately investigate the foster parents... There were even reports at the time that surfaced from Grafner’s school indicating abuse.

OMBUDSMAN'S DUTIES: STOP SUCH TRAGEDIES FROM OCCURRING

Ritter said the purpose of the ombudsman would be to really stop such tragedies from occurring.

.... The ombudsman’s office would be charged with reviewing complaints, making recommendations and filing an annual report concerning improvements to the system. An aspect of community outreach and education would also be tied to the job. (WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BET THEY ARE USING WA LAW AS A MODEL??)

While the ombudsman would be independent of state departments, the program would be an independent component of the Department of Human Services. (That has accomplished nothing here. Without any power their is no consequence to lies and circumvention of the law...using loopholes and never changing how things are done.)

Supporters point out that 29 other states have created a similar program.(And how has that been working for them?)
Newell says rather than play the blame game, it’s time for lawmakers and state departments to take action. (I suppose a little grandstanding does put a few more people to sleep and give cover to those who need it.)“For years there has been finger pointing from and to all parties: the state; the counties; the advocates; the providers; and it is finally time to put down our fingers and join hands and band together for the solution to help children, to stop the blame game and come together to be part of the solution in protecting kids,” she said. (And now in song: "God Bless America...Land of the Free...Stand beside them...or hide them...kids will die...in the hands...of the state.)


Gotta go...so many taxes to vote "NO" on today. :o)

Political Incorrectness And Being Political...Tim Eyman

How many out there in the WA State audience think that Tim Eyman's initiatives would make it to the ballot or get voted in as law if Tim was a mild mannered, quiet, politically correct, boring guy?

Now think about this before you answer. Remember that while the signature gathering phase of his initiative campaigns are funded...the campaign for passage is not. It is the force of one man's personality...the drive, the tenacity...the ability to NOT GIVE IN...that, coupled with the populist content of the measures, pushes his initiatives forward.

(This little treatise is because someone didn't like the use of the word "evil".)

Tim is hard to avoid. His actions demand attention. Yesterday afternoon he showed up for the governor's signing of the repeal of the initiative passed by the people... the "Taxpayers Protection Act" or the provisions of I-960. In front of God and the press (some think there is little difference), Eyman, alone, walked up and stood by the governor as she read the card in front of her and then signed the bill. Eyman stuck right by her side as she began to answers questions from the press corps (sounds like K-OR). There he stood!!!! I can't believe he did this! Totally, totally, incorrect.

Apparently, he was waiting for his pen and a picture. The governor eventually offered him a pen and he reached in the box to get a couple more. He had a few friends who had spent $700,000 dollars and 300 days in passing I-960 and they, as well, were hoping to have a little memento as I-960 was signed away. Seems like the funeral was well covered with all that press and Eyman peering over the governor's shoulder.

This man is totally politically incorrect. He is outrageous! He is rude with a smile. Did he even HAVE a mother???

Yet he is successful. He calls things like they are. Or, if you prefer, as he sees things.

Martin Luther King...Mahatma Gandhi...political incorrectness is in the eye of the beholder. Our world is a better place because of people who do not mind walking the road. Using the word "evil" is a necessity if you are going to make change. If you don't believe there is evil...and say it...you will never have what it takes to make change in the face of overwhelming odds and without funding.

"Without money, you cannot slay a dragon unless you are politically incorrect!" Pam Roach

There Are Only Three Ways To Save Our Kids...And The Legislature Is Not One Of Them

It is certainly clear by now that trying to correct the CPS system, bill by bill, is not the solution to keeping kids alive and families intact in WA State.

As SB 6416 left the Senate there was language regarding "presumption for placement" that was aimed at reinforcing WA State current law... families come first in dependency placements. There were members of the House committee that didn't like that part... so at my suggestion and to keep the bill alive it was removed.

As this was happening and with the Stuths following this from the back of the room...Rep. Goodman wanted to give "equality" to the foster providers and had the votes to amended the bill to include fosters to have a say in court if they had had the child for 12 months. The Goodman suggestion was language taken straight from the foster lobby. I believe the committee meant to add them but not only them. David Davilar Fox thinks the language may have been written improperly and the outcome is actually different that what was intended. It is currently being researched.

All this was done very quickly and I appreciated the chair's willingness to work to get the bill out of committee. The deadline for getting bills out of the House committee was just an hour from the executive session where the voting took place. Do not worry that there may be some technical difficulties with the way the bill came together. Do not worry about this as Senator Hargrove and Rep. Kagi and several others will adjust details as needed to make sure the wording complies with the intent of the legislature. There is plenty of time.

In reality the legislature can not work fast enough to fix a system such a troubled system as DSHS/CPS. It is too big for the legislature to micro manage. WE NEED LEADERSHIP! This must come from one or more of the statewide elected officials, or the initiative process, or the State Supreme Court.

The State Supreme Court Is The Only Hope For Justice

I have to rush to a hearing...but I will expand on this thought at my next visit here. Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders wrote the majority opinion last month in a case that will make changes in the way CPS has been wrongly taking children.

So Far Nothing Has Changed At CPS...Reader Comment

This came to my Face Book account. These are not my words. Someone, who was willing to give me their name...said these things. So I got a comment to this blog...someone complainig about using the word "evil" which someone has used here. I have no problem with the word evil. It is evil to take children with lies. It is evil to harm children. It is evil to rape them, beat them, drug them, sell them...poke their eyes out like the mother in Tacoma did to her little girl. Repeated moral lapses...without regret or conscience...makes a person evil. God help us if the word "evil" is politically incorrect.

"HI PAM....WE HAVE BECOME SUSPICIOUS OF EVERYONE NOW...EVEN OUR ATTORNEY HAS
BEEN WAY TO FRIENDLY WITH DSHS AND THE JUDGE WHO IS EVIL...AND FROM WHAT WE JUST
DISCOVERED AGAINST MEN AND UNWILLING TO BRING FAMILIES TOGETHER......WE HAVE
FOUGHT FOR NEARLY 3 YEARS FOR OUR FIRST GRANDCHILD....WE HAVE ADOPTED 7 CHILDREN
PAM...WE ARE GOOD CARING PEOPLE.. THE LIES DSHS AND CPS HAVE MADE UP ABOUT US
INORDER TO STEAL OUR GRANDBABY IS HEART BREAKING.....OUR DAUGHTER HAS TURNED HER
LIFE AROUND AND BEEN DRUG FREE FOR ALMOST 3 YEARS STILL THIS JUDGE RULED AGAINST
HER IN FAVOR OF FORCED ADOPTION....HE LIVED WITH US NEARLY 2 YEARS..WHEN WE
SHOWED INTEREST IN ADOPTING HIM EVIL LIES WERE THE ONLY WAY DSHS COULD KEEP HIM
EVEN THOUGH WE ARE AN AWESOME FAMILY FOR HIM IN GREAT STANDING PRIOR TO WANTING
HIM......OUR OTHER 20 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HAS BEGGED TO RAISE HIM BUT DSHS SAID
TOO LATE....MY QUESTION....WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE WENT TO DOCTOR
PHILL....REALLY....HE HAS GREAT KNOWLEDGE OF THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM AND
CASA'S....THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON HERE...EYES WIDE OPEN....WE
ARE WANTING OUR GRANDSON AND RAISE HIM IN A CARING,LOVING,HONEST FAMILY....I
TRUST YOU BUT NOT OTHER SENATORS DUE TO WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH PAM WITH
SOME..YOU MY FRIEND ARE LIKE US BEING SET UP....DSHS IS CAPABLE OF DESTROYING
FAMILIES AND INNOCENT LIVES ALL IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE....HAHHHHH....WE ARE
FIGHTERS AND BELIEVE THE TIME HAS COME TO SAVE GODS CHILDREN AND INNOCENT
PEOPLE....ANYONE WE CAN TALK TO THAT YOU TRUST...WE HAVE SPENT NEARLY $
40,000....MAY HAVE TO SELL OUR HOME AND MY SPORTS CAR...BUT IT WOULD BE WORTH IT
TO GET THE WORD OUT....WHO DO WE TRUST...I MET YOU...YOU ARE A DETERMINED LADY
FOR THE GOOD OF CHILDREN AS ARE WE....GOD BLESS....LOVING FAMILY....CONCERNED
GRANDMA."

SB 6416 Passes House Committee....But Highly Altered

Once you introduce a bill you never know how far it will get through the process, nor in what form. Such is the case with our bill to give relatives a say in the court room. Let's just say the bill is alive but it has mutated. We are hoping we do not have to kill the beast!

The intent of the House committee was to include foster providers with the same ability to speak in court if they had cared for the child for more than one year. Using the Stuth case as an example that would have given both the Stuths and the foster woman a chance to speak in court.

After the hearing and after the Stuths had left I talked with David Da Villar Fox from the department. His interpretation of the way the bill now reads is that the last person to have "possession" of the child for over one year would have say in court. That is not what anyone believes the House committee had intended. If that were true then the last one who has the ball would win the game. So...with the clock ticking Da Villar, Senate staff, several legislators, and I will be working to get the wording corrected. The House wanted equal footing for fosters in the bill. But, the way this bill is currently worded it gives 100 points to the fosters before the game even starts. All the department would have to do is make sure the fosters had the child for a year and a day!

Alexis Stuth Bill House Hearing Today

Hopefully, you will all be able to see this on TVW. The hearing will be at 1:30 in House Hearing Rm E.

Lt. Gov. Brad Owen Could Trump The Dump

The U. S. Congress has no corner on the tax market. We are selling and buying here too.

In an effort to move the repeal of the Taxpayer Protection Act of 2007 (I-960) a little faster we are in a night session. It is not unusual to vote into the night. It is unusual to start in the night! And, another unusual situation is that Governor Chris Gregoire is in WA D.C. We have a stand-in governor for two more days!

The repeal of I-960 started with a Senate bill stripping all of the tax protections from voter approved law. I-960 was not just about requiring a 2/3 vote for the legislature to pass taxes. It required notification to the public when a tax bill was coming down the pike, etc.

The gutting bill then went to the House where the legislators there actually put voter notification back in the bill. They did this, of course, because the majority could all take a ''good'' vote. Since the bill was amended in the House it now must come back to the Senate for concurrence. We will all vote to concur in the good House amendment. Then there will be a party line final passage vote sending the bill to the governor for a signature.

But the governor is out of town. Our acting governor is Lt. Gov. Brad Owen. He has been replaced in his duties as president of the Senate by Senator Rosa Franklin. Here is the last scenario for saving the will of the people: The bill will be immediately transmitted to the governor and then Owen vetoes out all the sections that repeal the people's will. Wa-laa. And Owen wins his next race with an even bigger margin!

Only Owen can trump the dumping of The Taxpayer Protection Act.

One can figure how to stop stuff...problem is...It ain't happening!

"Foyle's War" Top Pick

Foyle's War is a BBC series set during WWII in Hastings, England. I had a lucky Costco find at Christmas.

Jim and I just finished the series. Filmed over a four year period, each year reflects a war year. Christoper Foyle is a detective chief superintendent (DCS) or police chief. Each episode features an aspect of the home front during the war..and a couple of murders to solve.

We liked it. I haven't seen it at Costco recently but may be available on line.

The Car Wash Guy

This morning I filled 'er up and went for the $9 car wash at Brown Bear in Auburn.

The commute car was really dirty!

On the other side of the conveyor...a young guy started toweling off the car. He worked his way rubbing past the passenger side and slid around to the driver's window. Down the door glass and then he polished the mirror. I put up my hand to wave thanks and instead of waving back he knocked on the window. I opened it 6 inches.

"We're praying for you!" he said. He looked me right in the eye. "We're praying for you."

"Thank you. Thank you so much, " I replied...locked on to this man I did not know but who knew me.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And from a reader...."That is my son and yes many are praying for you. We are praying that you will make wise and good decisions so our children and grandchildren will have a bright and healthy future. One based on Godly principles and truth. Be encouraged and please honor that trust!"

My response..."Thank you, also, especially for raising such a son. Please pray for the hearts of my enemies...within the Republican ranks. Let their hearts be softened. Unity is achieved by love...not hate. We have a great responsibility to the people of our great state. To fulfill that responsibility we need unity and righteous endeavors. God bless us all. We each have a part to play."

Davis And Blue Eyes...

Almost three. He asks to go to Grandma and Grandpa's farm. Distance is not really understood. It was only a 2 hour plane ride to Daddy's new job and house. The best estimate is that he will be 6'5". So...he will grown into the eyes.

Alexis Stuth Bill Passes Senate... 48-0

SB 6416 Concerning relatives in dependency proceedings

The Alexis Stuth Bill passed out 48-0 (with one excused) and has been transmitted to the House of Representatives.

The bill needs to pass out of the House and be delivered to governor. Your support will be needed again. This time in the House hearing. Thank you to everyone in getting it this far. Of note, Denise Revels-Robinson testified in favor of the bill. And, Alexis became one of Washington's youngest to be addressed by the chair, Senator Jim Hargrove (second on the bill).

If passed into law a relative will be able to file a petition to be heard on the issue of removal of a dependent child from their care. The relative has ten business days from the date of removal, or when the relative learns of the removal, whichever is later, to file the petition. The relative may call and cross examine witnesses at the hearing on the petition. The relatives ability to file a petition to be heard does not grant them party status in the underlying dependency. When a parent requests that his or her child be placed with a relative, there is a presumption that such placement is in the child's best interest. (The best interest placement was SB 6417 which was amended into SB 6416.)

King County Police Officers Guild Endorses Pam Roach

In an almost unprecedented early endorsement, the King County Police Officers Guild has endorsed only two candidates...Pam Roach for State Senate and Dan Satterberg for Prosecutor.

Thanks so much for the early boost! I look forward to working together on my 2010 campaign!

Response From A Harvester

"mom" is a drug using teenage mother . This wasnt theft. This was American preemption doing the right thing for the kid. The choice to remove was the correct one. And clearly the "mother" isnt ready to have contact again until she can accept that she had her chance and blew it. She needs to be open to having a role that isnt "mom" if she wants to be in her daughter's life.

Please notice, Dear Reader, that the person here does not give us their name. They like to take anonymous shots...hidden is always better. Look at the attitude here. Comments?

Thought problems: Why are some kids allowed to stay with good relatives and others not while the parent gets it together? And by the way...the state did not take the child from the mother...they told the mother that if she relinquished her parental rights the child would go to the foster licensed grandparents who were already raising her! They took the child from the grandparents. The mother is now off drugs and has graduated. She gave the child up because of a lie. Comments?

The Harvest Of Children

Pam,
As I sit here tonight watching a movie, I am extremely distracted. I can not seem to focus.I have not seen my daughter in over a year and every time I look up I see all of her pictures, and school projects she made(like the little caterpillar she made me for mothers day) What do I do? Is there anything I can do? I ask myself that everyday. There is not anything more that I can do then I already am. I graduate next month. A program I did so I could be a better mother to my daughter. Wish she could be there, wish I could at least hear her voice. Wish my little "Lilly" was in my arms. Will I ever see her. I pray every night that I will soon.

Lillys broken mother

(This young mother was told if she signed the papers and terminated her parental rights that her parents, the Willards, would adopt her daughter. and why would she NOT believe this lie? The Willards had raised the girl since birth, were foster parents, and were processing the paperwork when the signing took place. And, why THIS girl? Answer: blond, blue eyes, non-drug affected, three-year old from a poor family. Someone put in an order and she was easy to harvest.)

Victory For 2nd Amendment In Liberal Seattle

Judge: Seattle Gun Ban Is Illegal
by Martha Kang, KOMO News

SEATTLE -- The law has sided with gun rights advocates who took the city of Seattle and former Mayor Greg Nickels {didn't make it through the primary} to court over the city's gun ban.

King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer {also one of the judges in the Stuth Case} on Friday ruled in favor of the plaintiffs - the Second Amendment Foundation, the Citizens' Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Washington Arms Collectors, National Rifle Association and five individuals - and declared the city of Seattle's gun ban at public places is in direct violation of Washington state's firearm pre-emption law.

The city has been ordered to remove all signage banning weapons from public areas within 30 days.

Last June, Nickels issued an order banning guns on city facilities where children are likely to frequent. The places on the ban list include parks, playgrounds, community and environmental learning centers, sports fields and courts, swimming beaches, pools, water play areas, skate parks and golf courses.

The plaintiffs' complaint challenged Nickels' executive order, stating "ownership of firearm is a clearly protected right under the United States and Washington Constitutions."

The complaint also cited Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna, who issued an opinion in response to the city's ban, stating state laws "preempts a city's authority to adopt firearms law or regulations of applications of the general public."

SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb called Friday's ruling "a great victory for the rule of law and Washington citizens."

"It is also a victory for the Legislature," Gottlieb said, "because this case affirms the intent of lawmakers in 1983 to prevent cities like Seattle from creating a nightmare patchwork of conflicting and confusing firearms regulations."

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, on the other hand, said he's "disappointed" in the ruling.

"Cities should have the right to restrict guns in playgrounds, pools and community centers where children are present," he said. "The court's ruling was based on a state law, RCW 9.41.290, which preempts Seattle from regulating the possession of firearms. It's time for the state Legislature to change that law."

Sadie Makes Us Laugh

Miri, Sadie and Jack
I think this shows that some human traits are innate, not learned. Sadie will be 5 next month.

Mom: Sadie, what is your favorite color?
Sadie: Rainbow
Mom: What is your favorite food?
Sadie: Pizza
Mom: Where is your favorite place to go?
Sadie: The jumpy castle place
Mom: What is your favorite number?
Sadie: 2
Mom: What is your favorite dessert?
Sadie: chocolate cake
Mom: Okay, well for your birthday we can put all of your favorite things together! We can go to the jumpy castle place, open 2 presents, and then eat pizza and chocolate cake with rainbow sprinkles.
Sadie: Well now my favorite number is 139.

Pandora's Box Of Taxes

From the Olympian, 2/11/10 in print version:

Republicans are unified in opposition to...the Senate’s suspension of I-960. It appears the I-960 limits could become a major campaign issue for Republicans in the November elections.

"This will open Pandora’s box and unleash many taxes that the people do not want," Republican Sen. Pam Roach of Auburn said late Wednesday in a floor speech against Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6130, which passed on a 26-22 vote.

But the fight over I-960 has other implications. Roach and other Republicans say Democrats have suspended I-960’s other requirements to put any tax increases on the November ballot for an advisory vote in an attempt to hide what they have done.


(Note: There are only 18 Republicans in the State Senate and 25 is a majority. We had strange bedfellows last night. "Hi there Senators Hobbs, Marr, and Kilmer." I will check the roll call for our fair weather friends. Seven Democrats did not HAVE to vote for SB 6130 and still have the bill pass. If they were up for election they took the bye. Most observers believe Senator Tim Sheldon was the only D who voted NO because it was the right thing to do by his district.)

On The Floor Of The Senate

Lean back in your $1,200 chair (it was provided, I did not order it) and you see the most awesome capital ceiling in the country. The ceiling in the U.S. Senate is like the inside of an egg shell. Ours is ornate and personal to WA. The names of the 39 counties are wrapped around the border...high. They are not alphabetical.

It is cold. There is a constant battle with the men. I am sitting with a coat on because the men are not allowed on the floor with their coats off. If they sweat...they call the Sec. of the Senate on one of the floor phones we all have.

''It is really hot out here,'' they complain. ''Is there anything you can do about it?''

''Yes, Senator.'' We will turn on the air right now.

Later: ''It's freezing out here,'' says a female senator. Can you please turn on the heat? My nose is even cold!''

''Yes, Senator,''

Someone is watching everything. And, I don't just mean the cameras of TVW.

The WA State Patrol's campus security has the marble of the chamber spotted with high tech cameras. They zoom in on anything! They are so sensitive that the material on the paper you are holding in your hand can be read. There is no privacy.

Last words of the day:
Senator Eide: ''Thank you Mr. President. I move that the Senate now adjourn until 9:30 tomorrow.''

Everyone grabs their stuff and out the guarded doors we go.......See you tomorrow!

Pam Roach Stands By Her Claim

Last night I said on the floor of the Senate that I was the only legislator, according to the AP, that wrote their own blog. I believe that, still, to be true. Many other legislators have blogs but they do not necessarily write all that is in them. I do. Legislative staff will often provide information, create, write, etc. You see links to the legislature, etc.

Gotta go...floor action today. Late night. They gutted I-960for the second time.

"Go get em Pam!
Your floor speeches last night were great. I did want to correct you that there is another Legislator writing his own blogs. Rep. REuven Carlyle has been writing for over a year now. I love how he has been calling out DIS and the STUPID money spent on the hole on in the ground in Olympia. http://reuvencarlyle36.com/"

Washington Legislature To Raise Taxes In Recession

Seattle Times editorial (1/13/2010) -- Two years ago, this page supported I-960, and we still do. The situation in Olympia now is what the people had in mind when they passed it. Legislators are playing with dynamite if they repeal it.

In the morning a series of tax votes will begin. Individual Democratic legislators in swing districts will be let off the tax votes. What?

Yeah...there are so many Dems in both houses that each swing district D will only have to give a couple tax votes...if any. The D's in downtown Seattle, Everett, Tacoma, and Spokane will pony up with the tax votes because their constituents like the taxes. Kastama, Eide, Kauffman, etc...won't have to tax. (I will take a roll call to see.)

But, come fall, the voters will remember the PARTY. Like the D's ran against Bush in '08, the R's will run against the policies of taxation brought by the D's in '10.

To My Friends

I Will Not Be Distracted
I wanted you to know that there is some petty politics going on with some of my colleagues. Let me assure you that I will not be distracted from my representation of the values of the 31st District. It has been an honor to earn the support from the citizens of the 31st District for the past 19 years. I sincerely appreciate the supportive phone calls, emails, faxes, and 'keep your chin up' well-wishes I've received from colleagues and constituents in recent days.

We have important things to do in Olympia. I am leading the effort to protect the Second Amendment, save Rainier School, and reform DSHS in its CPS policies. I've just signed on as a co-sponsor to Sen. Holmquist's bill (SB 6821) to save the 2/3's vote requirement for tax increases that the Democrats are about to get rid of. I oppose the Democrats' tax raising agenda.

There are important things going on down here, but my office is always open. If you have any questions please call my office (360-786-7660) or send an email.

Best wishes,
Pam

Saturday....

While Jim planted seven new fruit trees in the orchard I drove to Dan and Melanie's to babysit.

Melanie's dad had a stroke three weeks ago. He is in the hospital and is paralyzed from the neck down. He communicates by blinking his eyes. The family has again gathered and I did my part.

Drew is now 7 and will always be a little unpredictable. The doors are kept locked to keep him in the house. Thankfully, the windows are close to the ground. Several times he went out via a window. Drew is autistic. Today he was quiet. He "played" with small plastic bottles. He lines them up, then picks them up, then lines them up again.

This evening I attended a Campaign For Liberty event at SeaTac. A couple of hundred heard the former governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson, give a Ron Paul type speech. The message was cut government, get rid of the federal reserve (to keep it from printing more money), and legalize and tax marijuana.

I sat down by a city council member from my district to my left. A burley guy to my right introduced himself as my FedEx man. This is just one of the grassroot efforts here in WA.

Seems like I am out most evenings. Last night the Lake Tapps Task Force celebrated the end of an 11 year effort to Save the Lake. I had kicked it off with a huge (700) community meeting all those years ago. It was good to see the project through. Cascade Water Alliance will eventually pipe water north. Puget Sound Energy transfered the land last night. I am part of the DVD that is being made for the history of the project.

How The Legislature Can Reverse The Outcome Of An Initiative

Dear Senator,

Please explain to us how the legislature can repeal something that their constituents voted for..as in 2/3 vote?

What they tell the masses IMHO when they pull these shenanigans is that WE THE PEOPLE do not matter. They don't care what we vote for..they are just going to over-ride what we want.

Is that how things work?

Dear Reader,
For the first two years after a successful initiative takes effect the legislature can not reverse the measure without a 2/3rd vote. But...after the two year mark the legislature just needs a simple majority. I-960 was approved in '07 and took effect after validation. That was just over two years ago. So, only a simple majority is needed to overturn I-960.
It is a rule thing...and it is in our State Constitution.

Pam Roach Resets The Stage On Discussion

If you are new to the discussion on CPS please note that you are reading comments on a narrow subject area of a larger discussion. I realize there are terrible situations for children.... We need to do MORE to help them. One child a month dies under the watchful eyes of CPS. That means there is a death hole out there, in our own country, and government has failed to help.
Currently, this blog series is on the other end of the spectrum; taking children from families when they should not be taken.

This blog acknowledges the truth as it comes to us with the government's own statistics, with documented press reports, and my own personal interviews and research. In this discussion I, in no way, have berated the hundreds of foster parents doing a great service to the children of our state. I also appreciate the social workers who do a tough and great job. The problem is that not all is working well. If you disagree with me...please step forward (meaning use your name) and explain how you think everything is going so well. For now, God Bless our children and families, however humble they may be.

Collateral Information...Lies Used Against Families In Court

Collateral information: stories, rumors, unverified information used by CPS against families in dependency cases.

DSHS goes out into the stream of acquaintance a person or couple may have in order to find out information about them. Interviews are done as part of a fact finding. I have no problem with that. Permanent placement of a child is a VERY important thing. Neighbors and work supervisors may be the only source of key information that may actually have bearing on the placement.

But, it has been my experience that information from collateral sources can be unverified lies...that the department accepts as fact. They simply do not check out the facts. Or, they like what they hear and use it regardless. They, in some cases, hang onto the lies like a dog on a bone. You can pull and pet and don't dare kick...you will not get them to change their reports. (It took 3 hours to have the Kidney and dialyses lie taken from the Willard home study. It would NEVER have come out without the effort my aide took. and...we will have to see if it really did come out after he left the room.)

Examples:
Bari Willard has breast cancer. This was learned or maybe made up by a CS (collateral source). The department never even asked Mrs. Willard about this. They just added it to the report. There was no medical record stating this that went along with the statement. No proof. No opportunity to rebut. No fact.

The Stuths never financially supported their daughter and granddaughter. Nope, never helped them. KING 5 showed a pile of cancelled checks. Yes. CPS had lied.

It goes on and on. They lie in their reports. These reports go to a judge.

Saving The State Money

Dear friends,

I was talking with one of the governor's liaisons about money. We were talking about YOUR money.

I suggested that we were spending too much of our money in the courts, with "free" attorneys for young mothers, supervised visits, inventing stories to justify taking kids...etc.

At the same time....ONE CHILD A MONTH...dies under the auspices of CPS.

Shouldn't we be taking the "go for the throat" emphasis in stealing kids and putting those efforts into saving them? No employees lost, transfer the duties. But, we relieve the courts for the 30% of those kids taken that really need to be placed elsewhere. Win. Win.

Reader Comments On My Last Blog...Possible Budget Cut?

Why are CPS supervisors required to hover over a child's opening of a present? Do they think the child will unwrap a bomb? A sex toy? A piece of porn or too much candy corn?

All along the department said the grandmother was sabotaging reunification. She continues...

Now, one year later, my grand baby is ready to be adopted. Termination proceedings have begun. My daughter is doing great now, yet supervised visits must go on; and my granddaughter cannot open a present without direct supervision of a social worker while opening the present! What is the department doing? When I exhibited a concern, I was said to be sabotaging; now that my daughter is clean and sober, doing well, they begin termination? And, they are right there to make sure mom isn't endangering the child? Just last Friday, I received an email from the state leader, saying that our visitation would be considered. You know what happened from that dialog? The CASA worker ask my daughter if she would relinquish her rights?! She said, "No, and I will appeal." Moreover, it was said, by CASA's attorney, that a granddaughter was returned to a grandmother "once" in our county and that would never happen again! Yes, I have that in writing.

Washington Senate Moves To Remove Taxpayer Protections

The Washington State Senate today came closer to removing the 2/3 vote requirement to raise taxes. Enacted in '07 by the people under Initiative 690, the super majority rule has kept the majority Democrats from raising taxes for two years. The restriction will be lifted to allow taxes in '10.

Roach tells the Ways and Means panel that I-960 received 57% vote in her 31st District.


Sen. Don Benton (R-Vancouver) far right, also spoke. Far left is Mike Dunmire who helps finance Tim Eyman's initiative campaigns and next to me is Eyman. Eyman has filed I-1053 which will restore the 2/3 vote requirement if passed in November.

CPS Admits Filling Home Studies With Rumors And Stories With No Regard To Truth

Yesterday, my aide Brian along with one of my government watchdog friends met with Children's Adm. people regarding the Willard Case (the grandparents of "Lilly") for a little more than 3 hours.

The subject was the second in-home study that had just as many lies as the first one done over a year ago.

Turns out CPS believes it is their responsibility to contact individuals who know the family and ask questions. These people are the "collateral" informers.
It was an 85 year-old "collateral informer" with dementia who told the department that Mrs. Willard had breast cancer...or maybe she was the one who told CPS that Mrs. Willard was minus one kidney and on dialysis twice weekly. I get my informers mixed up. In any event, you will recall that Mrs. Willard (at 45) had never had a mammogram at that point and so it would have been IMPOSSIBLE to know she had breast cancer. (She then spent lots of money to get the screening and prove she did not have cancer! If she had not done that... then her supposed affliction would stay in the report. But, it stayed there anyway!!!!Even after she turned in the negative breast screening test it remained in the report. CPS did not believe the report!!!) And, of course, she has both kidneys and no bi-weekly machine hook-ups.

The department admitted that they take unverified "stories" and put them as fact into their reports. In my own life, I am very familiar with star chambers and make believe dossiers written by people with agendas. And written because they have the power to do so. They enjoy the hurt and harm they cause others. It actually makes them feel good. Can you imagine getting off on harming people? It is a form of sadism that shows itself when evil people have unrestrained power.

So...in the room yesterday..it was decided that there was no proof Mrs. Willard was on dialysis or had breast cancer. This whole process has taken months. It takes months because the department desires that. They want to be able to tell the judge that there is more bonding now with the adoptive family. It is part of the game, a game that is repeated over and over all over the state.

The department does not care about the truth, apparently. Nor, do they care that a little girl has been wrenched from her home a year ago now.

There is more to the story.

Attorney General Rob McKenna Endorses Pam Roach For Reelection

State Attorney General Rob McKenna has given me an early endorsement for reelection and will be attending one of my fundraisers during the campaign season. (More later on this.)

Thanks for your support, Rob.

I Will Not Be Distracted...There Is Too Much Good To Be Doing

I wanted you to know that there is some petty politics going on with some of my colleagues. Let me assure you that I will not be distracted from my representation of the values of the 31st District. It has been an honor to earn the support from the citizens of the 31st District for the past 19 years. I am looking forward to running for reelection this year.

We have important things to do in Olympia. I am leading the effort to protect the Second Amendment, save Rainier School, and reform DSHS in its CPS policies.

There are a lot of legislators down here. There are important things to do. But, my office is always open. If you have any questions please call my office (360-786-7660) or send an email. I will be home most of the weekend and my home phone is in the book.

Best wishes,
Pam