February 20, 1975 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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February 20, 1975 |
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Things being what they are in Olympia's marble zoo,it is
perhaps reckless to award a prize for the dumbest statement
of the current legislative session with the festivities only a
month old.
But we doubt that any legislator, even one from the bigot
belt of the Ingrown Empire, will come up with a dumber
remark than that made recently by our own Senator Gordon
Sandison.
The Senate recently passed a measure to remove veterans'
affairs from the Department of Social and Health Services by
the creation of a State Department of Veterans' Affairs• In a
news release commenting on the bill's passage, Senator
Sandison made his award-winning statement.
"'If nothing else," he said, "our citizens should be certain
that veterans' affairs are handled elsewhere than in a
department that includes institutions and public welfare."
What did he mean? It's obvious that he was attempting to
curry the favor of professional veterans by implying that
their welfare is distinct from and superior to the welfare of
citizens served by the state's institutions and the welfare
program.
It is not, of course. And, surely, a man who has been in
the Senate for 17 years and the House of Representatives for
I 0 knows that:
Veterans have children in the state's homes for the
mentally retarded;
Veterans are both keepers and the kept in the state's
prisons;
Veterans have aged and infirm parents on welfare and are
on the welfare rolls themselves;
Veterans have progeny receiving aid to dependent
children;
Veterans work, have relatives treated, and are themselves
patients, in the state's mental hospitals;
Veterans pay taxes for the support of institutions and
public welfare; and
The veterans' homes at Retsil and Orting are institutions
operated on a welfare basis.
In short, veterans are members, on an equal basis, of a
society which has decided that public institutions and welfare
are worthwhile.
Some of them even serve in another state institution-
the Washington State Senate.
|
•
By ROBERT C. CUMMINGS
A new title has come to light
in the Washington State Senate,
that of "minority committee
chairmen." Minority committee
chairmen are without official
standing except behind the closed
doors of the Senate, even the
newest of the freshmen, was
designated a "minority chairman"
of one of the Senate's standing
committees.
Not Without Purpose
Besides giving each
..... l
°~. •
ZiUah, Labor; Lois North, Seattle,
Social and Health Services; and
Kent Pollen, Kent, Natural
Resources. Among the others,
George Sellar, East Wenatchee, is
minority chairman of two
committees, Agriculture and Local
Government.
Others are George Clarke,
Mercer Island, Judiciary; Sam
Guess, Transportation and
Utilities; R. H. "Bob" Lewis,
Spokane, Constitution and
Elections; John Murray, Seattle,
Ecology; Charles Newschwander,
senators
including six who would have
been affected by a 12-year
limitation law. Another two with
14 and 16 years of service
respectively were defeated in their
bids for reelection.
Voluntary retirements were
much more numerous in the
House last year, though many of
them hadn't yet reached seniority
status. The voluntary retirements
seldom attract much attention,
and frequently are overshadowed
in the public mind by publicity
Editor, The Journal:
1 am the husband of a teacher
and she also is the president of
the Shelton Education
Association. I was "also the
chairman of the Citizens Advisory
Committee to School District 309
from 1969-1972 during the bond
issue for the new high school and
the last Impasse.
The article beginning on page
one quoting the letter by the
administration in last week's
Journal is another example of
poor judgment and bad timing.
The letter itself is full of
innuendo and half truths• "The
S.E.A. attempts to drive a wedge
between the various
administrative levels•" IN truth
the S.E.A. is the bargaining agent
for the administrators and has a
salary schedule in their
negotiation proposal, but the
superintendent and board wanted
to give these same people the
S.E.A. proposal when the rest of
the teachers being represented
were not given a copy of the
proposal. The superintendent and
board then expected the
administrators to work against the
S.E.A. negotiations always with
the right to withdraw when they
had helped to defeat the S.E.A.
proposals. It appears that perhaps
they, the board and
administrators, were trying to
drive the wedge. In paragraph two
they say the S.E.A. has not acted
in good faith, l don't think they,
the administrators, the board, the
superintendent would recognize
retired voluntarily,or understand good faith
bargaining if it was pointed out to
them.
Paragraph three accused
S.E.A. of failing to recommend
programs beneficial to students.
In fact S.E.A. has tried to
negotiate smaller class size for
years and the superintendent and
the board have consistently
refused to negotiate class size.
Paragraph four "The S.E.A.
promotion of a 'contract' which
would make the management of
school affairs impossible for
administrators who support
State Representative James Kuehnle of Spokane thinks Republican a high sounding title, Tacoma, Ways and Means;George given a few with many years of
if he cares to use it, the.
The Evergreen State °College is fouling the state's higher assignment gives e¢fh an area Off' Seolt,,Seattle, Higher Education; service.
Pat Wam maker, Couoeville ..... , ,$j tae .oLtl latter are among
' education nest. responsibility. It is the duty of Parks andReereation. ,'. some of the most valuable
He charges that the college, which was chartered to each "minority chairman" to John Jones, Kirkland, who members of the Legislature, but
unfortunately there also are a few
from time to time who don't
qualify for such high
classification•
community's right to direct the
education of their children." In
fact our tea~l~' wor'~ ~l"es are
dictated by the board's policy
manual and implemented by the
Shelton School District General
Bulletin. This general bulletin can
and is interpreted and changed on
explore alternatives to the traditional programs of the state's
other four-year institutions, is a den of iniquity dedicated to
exploring alternatives to the traditional programs of the
state's other four-year institutions.
Kuehnle's latest move in his campaign to chop off money
for the college is a questionnaire he sent to 389 persons
whose names he selected from the Olympia telephone
directory.
'Tli eat crow if the results come back and indicate a
strong support for the college," he said. "If it is what I
expect, it will be a rather strong exception to the policies of
the college."
A sample question: "6. Seminars and open meetings at
TESC such as have been presented concerning male
homosexuality, lesbianism, marijuana usage, world liberation
and other such thought-provoking subjects should be!
( ) encouraged; ( ) discouraged; ( ) eliminated."
Kuehnle, obviously, hopes the preponderance of answers
will favor "eliminated." Any responsible citizen should, for it
is obvious that discussion of those subjects at Evergreen is a
tax-supported duplication. Olympia already has a forum for
discussing male homosexuality, lesbianism, marijuana usage
and other such thought-provoking subjects.
It is the Washington State Legislature, which in its
infinite wisdom, spends hours exploring such topics when it
is not busy with more important matters such as pay toilets,
vanity license plates, pornography, smelt dealers' licenses,
massage parlors and bicentennial medals.
The legislators have not discussed world liberation to any
great extent because their contact ,with alien cultures has
been confined to taxpayer-financed junkets to Hawaii and
Puerto Rico rather than the jungles of Pasco.
The college should leave thought-provoking subjects to
the legislators and pursue the matters that occupied Kuehnle
and his contemporaries when they were in school; namely,
football, dating, hazing, acne cures, rumbleseat copulation,
beer drinking, bonfire rallies and goldfish swallowing.
As Herbert Hoover so aptly put it: "Why change a good
thing when you've got it working for you?"
Kuehnle's conviction that 389 residents of Olympia
should determine the course of government expenditures and
programs is also a stroke of genius. It should be applied to
other state operations. The legislature, for instance•
Evergreen students can be kept busy for a few weeks, at
least, on preparation and processing of a questionnaire asking
389 Olympians to evaluate the legislature.
Herewith, a few sample questions:
!. When a lobbyist buys dinner for a legislator, he should
order ( ) imported wine; ( ) domestic wine; ( ) other.
2. The practice of hiring relatives of legislators to work
during a session should be ( )encouraged; ( )discouraged;
( ) eliminated.
3. When a slow-moving bill is speedily passed on the day
following a party given by a lobbyist favoring the measure, it
is: t ) suspicious:( ) coincidental; { } business as usual.
report to his caucus on the bills
under consideration before that
particular caucus.
If one of those bills reaches
the floor for a vote, it becomes
the duty of that chairman to
present the caucus position on it
to the floor of the Senate. Besides
giving each minority member a
sense of responsibility, it prepares
him for the time which the
Republicans hope won't be too
far away, when they again
become the majority party in the
upper chamber.
Everybody's in The Act
Sue Gould, Edmonds, one of
the two Republican freshmen
who never had served in the
Legislature before, is minority
chairman of the Education
Committee. The other new
freshman, Nancy Buffington,
Seattle, was appointed chairman
of the Commerce Committee, but
when she got off that committee,
it was left without a minority
chairman.
Among the freshmen who
served in the House last session,
Alan Bluechel, Kirkland, is
minority chairman of Financial
Institutions and Insurance; John
E. "Jack" Cunningham, Zenith,
State Government; Sid Morrison,
serves on a special committee on
pensions as well as three standing
committees, declined a
chairmanship because of the
demands on his time for other
duties.
It has become popular in
recent years to introduce
legislation which would limit the
terms of legislators to 12
consecutive years in each house,
and a couple of these measures
are in again this time. None are
expected to go anywhere, but it
isn't because the senior members
are poised to kill them. There just
happens to be a serious question
whether such legislation is
needed. Otherwise, there
wouldn't be enough affected
lawmakers in either house to
block it.
In the Senate, there are only
12 members, less than one-fourth
the membership, who either have
completed 12 or more years in
the Senate or will have by the end
of their present terms.
In the House, there are just 16
out of 98, and about half of these
are planning to retire at the end
of their present terms. At least
two of the senior senators also
plan to retire when thev come up
for reelection next time.
Prior to the last election, eight"
't
91" IGHllEN UP AND FLY RI61 , Fol2D, oR CUT OFF W NOI"
By DAVE AVERILL
Everybody knows about bankers.
The banker is this guy with combed-back hair to show his
frown who is wearing a pin-striped suit so tight it squeaks,
and he is looking at your life story which is spread out on the
desk in front of him.
He picks up pieces of your fiscal biography at random,
like an oracle poking around in chicken entrails.
"What seems to be missing," he explains patiently, "is
collateral."
Anybody who claims he is not nervous around bankers is
either a born liar or so rich that bankers go to him to borrow
money•
Even out here in the brush, where it is possible to be on
first-name terms with your banker, his is a job that generates
awe. Here is a guy whose business is handling other people's
money• What could be more solemn than that?
it goes without saying that those giant banks in big cities
are even more awesome than the ones we know here at home.
You are not on first-name terms with the functionary
who shuffles the million-dollar accounts in that 40-floor
pinnacle of commerce. Even the bankers in such a place call
each other mister. There is no room for frivolity•
Why is it, then, that when banks go broke they are always
Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday. February 20, 1975
occasion by each principal at will.
So what may be the rule today is
not necessarily the rule
tomorrow• This was the subject of
many meetings between the
superintendent and the president
of S.E.A. and finally submitted to
the school board in writing before
an answer was received. The
teachers were directed to use their
grievance procedure where the
board, with the superintendent's
advice, is the final word. Almost
every other union member in
Shelton has a third party to solve
their problems, it is called binding
arbitration. Our school board is
afraid to even discuss this with
S.E.A.
Mr. Ford has taken the liberty
and license to print those letters
favorable to the board, not caring
whether it is accurate or fair
reporting. Maybe this is why Mr.
Ford is allowed to remain in every
executive session whether they
are talking about personnel or
negotiations, but then, why not?
He is the best negotiating tool the
board has.
This letter is not and I repeat
NOT a summation by S.E.A. It is
mine, the husband of that lady,
who is so "flagrant in her
violation of good faith," and
anyone who knows
a child in her
knows her as an
person than
Shelton administrators.
When we, the
Committee, were
and the outlying
issue we asked for a
school. Let us now
teachers like first
We have the lowest
of any first class
state. A starting
$7,575 a year, that is
month or the
per hour. We onl
$300 per year in
coverage• Take any
person in Shelton
up his hourly wage
fringe benefits they
divide it by the
(260) less his
holidays and you w l!
wage per day
their 183-day contract.
I do not pretend
the problems
and the administrati0
seen a lot of the
the S.E.A. when
bargain in faith,
Walt Parsons
Citize
Editor, The Journal: To state that
The statements made in the sought the
School Administrators' letter to on items
the school board regarding the negotiations proceSS
Shelton Education Association, misrepresentation
which appeared in last week's facts. As a ne
paper, cannot be left committee
unchallenged, president of SEA, !
I shall challenge only responsibility of
"2. Although exercising their from the
alleged right to represent the never accorded
administration in negotiations, courtesy of a single
SEA has not sought input onof my requests.
items submitted for the succeeding o
negotiations process. We consider negotiators of
this a flagrant violation of good Education
faith bargaining on the part of the made such
Shelton Education Association result.
officers, president and The
negotiators." officers, president
To represent the of the Shelton
administrators in negotiations has Association have
not been the "alleged right" of "flagrant violation
SEA. The court case determined bargaining"
that it was the legal right of SEA comment.
to negotiate on behalf of the Williamf"
administrators•
in
great big banks?
There have been two in a row now, both
the distant East.
The bankers, it appears, had been
investments•
Their depositors got an early clue. Arriving at
cash a check, they got this advice from the teller:
"We're a little short on cash today,
you take your money in Minnie Pearl's Fried
maybe you'd like a quarter-acre Western
Mexico?"
When your banker tries to pay you off
Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken, it is time to call for
Deposit Insurance Corporation.
q'he feds, of course, bailed out everybody
have not been doing too well for the rest o
weeks, but they are taking good care of bank
When the first of the giant banks got into
invested too much of other people's tn
schemes that suddenly got poor, the reds
collection of European banks who bought
Nobody complained too loudly• Those
look a little odd to the American eye, but
cash than baskets of fried chicken.
And when the second bank began
gasping for breath, the feds promptly arranged
bigger bank. The new owner may now have
worth of quarter-acre Ranchettes that are soil
raising gerbils, but at least the firm is solvent.
It could leave you hoping that your
complete with his tight suit and his frown,
doing when he avoids a chance to embark
financing scheme.
The guy may look as if he lacks ima
solvent.
Founded 1886 by Grant C. Angle
Mailing Address: Box 430, Shelt0n, Wa. 98584
Published at 227 West Cota Street, Shetton,
Wash ngton 98584, weekly.
Second-class postage paid at Shelton, Wasl~lt
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Member of Washington Newspaper PublisherS'
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $6.00 per year in Mas
in advance -- Outside Mason County
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER ................... :'i