If You Can't Beat 'Em, Invade 'Em

A post from the Vision 2020 message board:

Hello, Visionaires:

Please excuse what may seem extraordinary naïveté in asking this. Why could not the City of Moscow, in cooperation with State of Idaho, purchase the Hawkins site from the State of Washington, and therewith adjust the boundary line between the two states? Yes, the closing paperwork for such a transaction would be somewhat more extensive in that it would involve two states, and I presume federal, approval, but aside from the extra levels of paperwork, and the subconscious idea that "you just can't buy part of another state", I don't understand why, with effort and cooperation, this advanced real estate transaction could not be done to the benefit of all parties involved.

(As an aside, I understand that Latah County was created by an act of Congress, so there is some precedent for them revisiting the boundary.)

Didn't the idea of "we don't like what they are doing in that state so let's impose our will upon them" become passe' around 1861-1865? How would this be beneficial to Whitman County? Or the state of Washington for that matter? The state stands to collect approximately 3 times as much sales tax from the Hawkins development as the county, somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 million a year.

Remember, hemp is for wearing, not smoking.

My buddy Jeff Harkins, as always, has a great response:

Interesting idea, but the economics favor a purchase of Moscow by Washington. Maybe you could spearhead that project. Pullman has industry, a PAC10 University, an airport, a new four lane highway and a desire to expand their opportunities for prosperity.

Heh.

Perception Becomes Reality

The Perception:

With the denial of a rezone that would have brought a Wal-Mart Supercenter to Moscow and the institution of the Large Retail Establishment Ordinance — aka the big-box ordinance — in February, some people say there is a perception Moscow isn’t welcome to new business, or is too selective on what it allows.

Some are concerned that Moscow will lose its status as “retail base of the Palouse” to Whitman County, while others say they are just trying to protect the Moscow they know and love.

- "Chilly climate for commerce?", Moscow-Pullman Daily News, December 19, 2006

The Reality:

From last Saturday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Home Depot puts brakes on Moscow store

The Home Depot won't be locating in Moscow anytime soon.

The national home-improvement and garden retail outlet had been working toward an agreement to build a store behind the Palouse Mall in Moscow, but corporate officials have decided to take a step back, said Gerard Billington, real estate officer for the University of Idaho.

"We had been working with Home Depot vigorously and we thought we had an agreement, but they declined," Billington said. "They didn't think the deal worked out for them.

"They were crunching numbers, looking at site numbers, site prep costs, land costs, development costs and potential revenue from sales in smaller markets."

The University of Idaho owns the 600-acre piece of land where Home Depot was looking to build, and any deal between the UI and Home Depot would have been a ground lease.

Billington said as far as he knows, the fact that Lowe's - a national home improvement store planning to locate in a proposed retail development in Whitman County - could be coming to the area had nothing to do with Home Depot's hesitation.

"I'm sure Lowe's would impact a future Home Depot and Home Depot would impact a future Lowe's, but I don't know that it was a decision point," he said.

UI officials have had a couple conversations with Home Depot since last fall in an attempt to work out an agreement, but no commitment has been made.

"They wanted to take another look at the agreement," Billington said.

He said he hasn't heard anything from Home Depot since the UI's last conversation with company officials in December.

"Home Depot continues to review and monitor the market and trade area for a site that will work for us and serve the community well," Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher said. "To date, an economical solution has not been found. However, we are constantly turning over new ideas, leads and solutions."

Nancy Regina Delenda Est

Doc Holliday: In vino veritas.
Johnny Ringo: Age quod agis.
Doc Holliday: Credat Judaeus apella, non ego.
Johnny Ringo: Eventus stultorum magister.
Doc Holliday: In pace requiescat.
Tombstone Marshal Fred White: Come on boys. We don't want any trouble in here. Not in any language.
Doc Holliday: That's Latin darlin'. Evidently Mr. Ringo's an educated man. Now I really hate him.

Tombstone, 1993

April noticed something very interesting on above Queen Nancy's signature on the City of Moscow's settlement agreement with the Hawkins Companies:

Chaney wrote the Latin phrase Cedo voluntati huius consilii above her signature. This translates to "Yielding to the will of this council." Legal requirement or secret dig at the Moscow City Council?

Say What?

Joseph Erhard-Hudson, Internet technology manager at the Moscow Food Co-op, said the store could have pretty bare shelves by Monday if the bad weather continues through the weekend.

The Co-op's biggest shipment arrives Saturday.

"Our main warehouse and main supplier is on the west side of (Washington)," Erhard-Hudson said. "One shipment from them was supposed to come (Wednesday) but didn't show up until (Thursday)."

The Saturday delivery could be delayed because of the closure of Snoqualmie Pass.

"(The truck) will probably reroute through Portland, which will add six hours to their travel time," Erhard-Hudson said. "I don't know what their ETA is."

He said the warehouse in Washington ships three times a week: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and provides the "lion's share" of the grocery items and about half of the store's wellness products.

A meat shipment from Portland to Spokane on Monday took 12-13 hours, and that was before the truck rolled into Moscow to drop a shipment off at the Co-op.

- "Businesses adjust to delivery delays caused by heavy snow," Moscow-Pullman Daily News, February 2, 2008

Our owners save money every time they shop and at the same time help build the local economy. Every dollar spent at the Co-op has roughly three times as much local economic impact as a dollar spent elsewhere...

The Co-op buys from local vendors whenever possible. In fact we buy from almost 100 different local growers and producers; including items like eggs, meat, salsa, chocolate, honey, lentils and produce.

- Moscow Food Co-Op Web Site

BWWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

"Arguments finished in WSU water rights appeal"

"...the appellants have been unable to meet their burden of proof." Where have we heard that before? From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Washington Pollution Control Hearings Board expected to render decision within 90 days

Attorneys for a group of area water activists had one last chance to state their case during Thursday's closing arguments in a hearing regarding Washington State University water rights.

Attorney Patrick Williams said the Washington State Department of Ecology erred when granting the university the ability to consolidate - an act that will decrease the water levels in the region's Grand Ronde aquifer.

"Every expert witness ... testified to the historic decline of the Grand Ronde aquifer," he said.

The hearing before the state Pollution Control Hearings Board was a continuation of two days of proceedings last week in Pullman. The closing arguments were made via videoconference.

The Palouse Water Conservation Network, the Palouse Group Sierra Club and Pullman-area resident Scotty Cornelius - claim the consolidation will allow the university to pump more than three times as much water per year as it currently does. They argue that the university has contributed to the dropping levels in the Grand Ronde aquifer, and point to an 18-hole golf course under construction as a project that will create more drawdown of the area's primary water source.

Cornelius, who lives outside Pullman, has said his well is decreasing at a rate of 10 inches per year.

WSU currently has the rights to operate seven wells, though two large wells pump a majority of the water needed on campus at 2,500 gallons per minute. The consolidation allows the university to pump up to 5,300 acre feet, or 1.72 billion gallons, of water each year.

Williams said the state should have done more strenuous pump tests to ensure the university's consolidation would not harm domestic wells in the area. He added that equations used by a responder's expert witness to estimate WSU's potential effect on Cornelius' well were inaccurate.

The method used assumes the aquifer is not confined to an infinite area, and it is not isotropic or uniform in thickness, among other things - most of which do not pertain to the Grand Ronde. University of Idaho hydrogeologist James Osiensky testified last week that with WSU continually pumping water the aquifer will decrease 1.95 feet in 10 years. The aquifer will decrease only another half-inch in the same time frame with WSU operating wells under the consolidation.

"If Ecology will not act now ... under what circumstances will they act?" Williams asked.

It has been up to the appellants to prove the state was wrong to grant the university the consolidated water rights in 2006, and that WSU is interrupting or interfering with the availability of water in the Grand Ronde aquifer for residents throughout the Palouse. The general decline of the aquifer is not relevant to the appeal, nor is the estimated water use on the golf course.

Alan Reichman, who represented the state, said Ecology would not have granted the consolidation if the university would impair the water rights of others in the area

Reichman said "everyone knows there's a decline" in the aquifer, but that the appellants have been unable to meet their burden of proof.

"They have not met the first test, which is that the changing of the water configuration (at WSU) ... will affect Mr. Cornelius' ability to draw water," he said.

The three-member board is expected to issue a decision on the case within 90 days.

The Mirror Has Two Faces

I also agree with others who have written in before on these issues who have complained the driving all the way from Pullman to the sprawl area where Hawkins would wish to build is a waste of gas and not environmentally sound.

- PARDner Christopher Lupke, online comment, Moscow-Pullman Daily News website, January 30, 2008

Burma seems to have forgotten there is a Wal-Mart seven miles away. If she has trouble getting there, I’d be happy to do the neighborly thing and take her. She has a right to shop for shoddy sweatshop-made goods if she wishes.

- PARDner T.V. Reed Monday, letter to the editor, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, January 1, 2007

10. We already have a Wal-Mart 7 miles away, and a new Supercenter is being planned for Moscow

- "Top 10 Reasons a Wal-Mart Supercenter Would Be Bad for Pullman," PARD Poster at 2005 National Lentil Festival

While we understand some people in Pullman who think it only fair turnabout to gain sales at the expense of Moscow, for a number of reasons that is highly unlikely to happen. Moreover, at a time when the Pullman and Moscow governments are seeking to cooperate on a number of projects, including responsible development of the Route 270 corridor, this is no time for store wars to ruin good will.

- PARD Position Paper

The Hawkins "sprawl area" to which Lupke refers is directly adjacent to the existing Wal-Mart that the PARDners direct folks to, as well as the Moscow businesses which they are so deeply concerned about.

If you are getting motion sickness trying to follow all of PARD's gyrations on the various issues, don't worry. You're not alone. Fortunately, Lu Laoshi's hypocritical rantings on the Hawkins development will remain just that: the inane, incoherent, illogical ramblings of an academic with a hugely overblown sense of self-importance. PARD has no big labor sugar daddy to bankroll an appeal of the Hawkins project.

The Geographically Challenged

Let me get this straight. Hawkins, a development company from Boise, got a good deal on some Palouse farmland and wants to build a sprawl-mall there. However, because the land does not have all utilities and is distant from either Moscow or Pullman, Hawkins wants either the Whitman County taxpayers to underwrite this mall with a bond, or the Moscow taxpayers to underwrite this mall with utility access.

- Bill London, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, January 29, 2008.

The Hawkins development, of course, will be directly adjacent to Moscow, hard against the state line. Don't laugh. It's sad, really, that our no growth moonbats have been reduced to this level of intellectual bankruptcy. It's much more fun when they have a sporting chance.

Numerous conservative commentators in our own community find time to comment on their lack of faith in the environmental certainty of global warming, as well as their belief that there is a vast liberal conspiracy behind anything to do with environmental protection.

- Chuck "Mr. Civil Discourse" Pezeshki, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, January 29, 2008.

You have to forgive Chuckie Sandiego's poor timing on today's column. He's in Denmark at the moment, not shoveling a foot of snow out of his driveway like the rest of us in Pullman.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

New Motto for Moscow

"Moscow - We Are Appealing"

Courtesy of Bill Weed, The Morning News on NewsTalk 1150, KQQQ

"Hawkins development: Residents query commissioners on public bond"

From last Thursday's Whitman County Gazette:

A standing room only crowd packed commissioners’ chambers at the county courthouse in Colfax Tuesday afternoon to gather more information on the county’s proposal to float more than $10 million in bonds to set up infrastructure at a shopping center on the Idaho stateline.

The county was asked two weeks ago by Hawkins Companies, Boise, to pay for roads, lighting and water and sewer systems for the company’s proposed 700,000 sq. ft. strip mall.

“I’m worried that we don’t have answers to specific questions, and we’re a week away from this decision,” said Pullman Resident Carol Chipman.

Most in attendance sought clarification.

Chipman asked for clarification on the company’s proposal on the bond, which delayed payment of the principle until the bonds mature.

Cheryl Morgan, also of Pullman, asked for clarification on the company’s construction cost estimates.

Hawkins Spokesman Jeff DeVoe called the bond and construction figures he put forth two weeks ago a “sketch on a bar napkin,” and not hard figures.

He said county bonding consultant Jack McLaughlin, VP of public financing for DA Davidson in Spokane, explained to him the necessity to pay a portion of the principle and interest over the term of the bonds.

DeVoe added the private-public cooperation between the company and the county has been in “infantile planning stages for a long time”.

Pullman Developer Duane Brelsford worried that obligating public funds for a private development would set a “dangerous precedent.”

Brelsford said his company, Corporate Pointe Development, has several large projects planned in and outside of Pullman.

“We’ll of course assume we would be treated the same,” he said.

Brelsford added dedicating funds to Hawkins would mean the county would have to, in fairness, extend similar cooperation to other developers looking to site in the corridor.

“If we choose to go that direction, I think we’re going to need a lot more than $10 million,” he said.

Thornton resident Carolyn Kiesz doubted the wisdom of dedicating funds to the retail development in the face of a nationwide economic slump.

“Now is not the time to encumber the taxpayer with this debt,” said Kiesz.

She suggested a manufacturing company would better benefit the regional economy, as it would close the trade gap and not encourage a shopping center filled with “cheap foreign-made goods.”

Kiesz also noted that jobs from the retail development would not pay enough to be of significant value to job-seeking residents of other parts of the county.

Morgan questioned the reasoning for the public-private partnership.

Morgan cited news accounts that said the increased costs in construction, and in the company’s pursuit of water for the site, as built-in costs the company could well have anticipated.

“They’re not new to this process,” said Morgan. “It makes me wonder if this was the whole plan in the first place.”

DeVoe replied that the lengthy appeals process over the transfer of four water rights to service the site was new to him.

“Three years ago, if you would have told me the interesting road we would have been down on the water issue, I would have laughed,” said DeVoe.

The company last July received approval from the county Water Conservancy Board to transfer four water rights.

Three of the Conservancy Board’s decisions were upheld by the state Department of Ecology, and one was denied because the DOE found the company did not adequately address pumping groundwater in drier summer months.

Hawkins has appealed that decision.

The city of Moscow appealed the other three on the basis that such a development would further drain the region’s declining aquifer levels.

Conservancy Board Chair Ed Schultz questioned the wisdom of issuing millions of dollars worth of bonds without any guarantee that the development would be supplied with water.

Next week’s announcement, Commissioner Michael Largent explained, would declare whether or not the county intends to float the bonds.

Commissioner Greg Partch explained the company must have water rights in hand and an anchor tenant committed to occupancy before the county would issue the bonds. To date, only Lowe’s home improvement stores has committed to occupy the space.

DeVoe assured the crowd that the company will not ask for the bond without water and that anchor tenant.

“If I’m a taxpayer, I’m going to ask myself, ‘what if Hawkins goes away, are we left to pay off this bond?’” he said.

DeVoe said if the company acquires the water rights, it would then donate them to the county, as state requirements prohibit a private company from providing water and sewer service.

That transfer, he added, would not be as difficult a process as the company’s pursuit.

Kiesz then asked if commissioners would be open to other types of businesses in the corridor, or if this was an effort to help out the company.

“No one else has come forward, that I know of,” said Largent. “Whether Hawkins makes a profit or not is not our concern.”

Partch said commissioners were “not married” to this project or to the Hawkins company itself.

“We are married to the corridor,” he said. “Our future is hanging out there.”

He pointed to the lengthy re-zoning of land in the corridor as proof that commissioners focused on it as their main focus in economic development. County code was shifted for more than two years to allow such zoning.

“People in the past didn’t attempt development in the corridor because they couldn’t develop anything in this county,” said Commissioner Jerry Finch.

Finch pointed to developments such as the Garage Mahal storage units and James Toyota’s planned move to the corridor from Moscow as evidence that those re-zoning efforts have paid off.

Any growth, retail or otherwise, in the corridor, Partch noted, will help to stave off the impacts of a national recession on the Palouse. He also pointed out that the county’s treasury was seriously impacted by voter-approved initiatives that removed tax revenue and limited tax increases.

“If we put together this shopping center and they do it the classy way that they do, it will set the tenor for all development in the corridor,” said Finch.

Without such a development, Finch worried that in 20 years the corridor would be filled with “ramshackle steel buildings sitting in a hodgepodge.”

"The other side of state line, and looking glass"

What an unbelievably sloppy, selective, biased and outright false editorial from Jim Fisher in today's Lewiston Tribune, even by his leftist standards. I love it when liberals start trying to lecture us on what conservatism really is all about.

Sure, a developer and Pullman businesswoman expressed reservations over the Hawkins bond proposal last Tuesday. But a developer and a Pullman businesswoman expressed support for the bond the previous Monday. And this statement by Fisher is patently false: "despite reservations from constituents who are hardly starry-eyed radicals." What the..? PARDners Chris Lupke, Don Orlich, Janet Damm, and the Liberal Women Voters are not starry-eyed radicals? How about anti-everything activist Cheryl Morgan? And let's not forget Carolyn Kiesz, who compared shopping to tuberculosis.

If the Hawkins deal falls through, development in the corridor is finished. All those who say we should stop and look back at the last 25 years will be looking at no more growth for another 25 years. I'm sorry, but I am just sick to death of all this small-minded myopia, this whole attitude of "let's go slow" and "let's not change a thing." I'm sick to death of all these petty jealousies, internecine squabbling, and the whining about "so where's my handout from the commissioners?" Some in Pullman are jealous of the county getting the development instead of Pullman.

If you ever wonder why Pullman and Whitman County are so backwards, take a look in the mirror.

From today's Lewiston Tribune:

How many Moscow residents who resent their city officials discouraging certain developments because of potential effects on the community wish today they were residents of Whitman County? There, commissioners are preparing to obligate county taxpayers to subsidize work for a private shopping center.

It is a strange kind of conservatism that proposes floating $10 million in revenue bonds to provide infrastructure for the retail development by Hawkins Companies of Boise. Yet that is what county commissioners are rushing to do, despite reservations from constituents who are hardly starry-eyed radicals.

"I'm worried that we don't have answers to specific questions, and we're a week away from this decision," Pullman business woman Carol Chipman told commissioners Tuesday afternoon, according to the Whitman County Gazette.

More pointed was the warning from Pullman developer Duane Brelsford that commissioners were preparing to set "a dangerous precedent."

Saying his Corporate Pointe Development is planning several large projects in and near Pullman, Brelsford said, "We'll of course assume we would be treated the same."

"If we choose to go that direction," he added, "I think we're going to need a lot more than $10 million."

Do commissioners believe they can say yes to an out-of-state developer's request for up-front public financing, even if it is intended to be repaid by private revenue, and then say no to such requests from within their own county?

That is a separate issue from Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney's challenge to the shopping center's water rights, some of which were transferred from the city of Colton to the proposed development on the Pullman-Moscow highway abutting the state line. Chaney says she fears the 700,000-square-foot center will deplenish underground sources of water for Moscow and the entire Palouse.

Whitman County Commissioner Jerry Finch blames Moscow's resistance to the development for increasing Hawkins' costs, which he says justifies using public money to provide water and sewer service to the center.

"I think in a perfect world, they should do this 100 percent on their dime," Finch has said.

The question remains, however, whether commissioners can tap taxpayers for the cost of this development and ever hope to require future projects, by Brelsford and others, to pay their own way.

Putting public dollars into private development might be considered pro-business, but it is more reflective of socialism than conservatism.

"Hawkins, Moscow will talk water"

From last Wednesday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Developer, city will try to resolve differences next week in Spokane; Whitman County residents voice concerns about plan to pay for infrastructure

Hawkins Companies representatives said Tuesday they plan to meet with officials from the city of Moscow in an attempt to resolve water-rights issues surrounding the company's plans to build a shopping center just west of the Washington-Idaho state line.

Hawkins spokesman Jeff DeVoe said Moscow is seeking mediation with the company in an effort to reach an agreement over four separate water rights that are being appealed with the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board.

"We are willing to listen and come in with an open mind," DeVoe said after a public meeting in Colfax to discuss the proposed sale of $10.5 million in bonds to build infrastructure at the development site. "We are a shopping center developer and that's our goal. We are willing to do whatever makes sense."

Moscow City Attorney Randy Fife said the meeting is scheduled for Tuesday in Spokane.

Fife said a mediator will direct the meeting, ask questions, and offer scenarios and solutions until a resolution is reached. The Moscow City Council would have to approve the resolution before it could become official.

If a compromise or deal isn't reached, a hearing with the PCHB is scheduled to take place June 2-6 in Spokane.

During Tuesday's meeting with county commissioners, several Whitman County residents voiced their concerns over the proposed development and the county entering into a public-private partnership with Hawkins to sell bonds that would pay for public infrastructure necessary for the development. County commissioners plan to eventually pay back the bonds through property and sales taxes generated by the development.

Carolyn Kiesz said it took a lot of guts for the county commissioners to even float the idea of a bond meant to help a private corporation.

"Some of us in this county really don't want to let you get away with that," she told commissioners.

Kiesz said this is not the time for the county to potentially burden its taxpayers. The nation is facing the possibility of a recession and the development would only provide another outlet for foreign products, which means money going out of state and out of the country.

"I just don't think you should be asking for $10 million with no assurances of a return," Kiesz said.

She also said a retail shopping center would not help Whitman County reduce its high poverty rate, which is tops in the state of Washington according to recent statistics from the 2005 U.S. Census. The development would likely provide low-paying jobs and jobs to Moscow residents, and not to people in towns like Malden and Tekoa who really need jobs.

"I think you should be embarrassed" by those poverty-rate numbers, she said. "Bringing retail business is not going to fix that; bringing in manufacturing will help."

Duane Brelsford, president of Corporate Pointe Developers, said he has nothing but praise for Hawkins, but he is skeptical about providing more than $10 million for public infrastructure for the development unless the county is prepared to do the same for other developers. The cost of that would likely approach $100 million.

"I think we are setting a very dangerous precedent by providing infrastructure for this development," Brelsford said. "If we choose to go that direction I think we are going to need a lot more than $10 million because there are a lot more projects that are going in the corridor ... "

Commissioner Michael Largent said he welcomes opinions from those in favor of the bonds and those against the idea.

He also said he does not have all the answers yet, but he told people the commissioners are looking out for the public's interest.

"When we asked the public to give us their comments and start deliberating it didn't mean we had all the answers," Largent said. "Our responsibility is to the taxpayers of Whitman County and not Hawkins."

Commissioner Greg Partch stressed Whitman County would only move forward with the bonds if the deal was right for the county.

"This is not a done deal," Partch said. "We are not married to it. We are married to development on the corridor."

DeVoe added that Hawkins would not go forward with the development unless it was certain several issues - outside the control of Whitman County - could be resolved.

"Without water there is no bond," DeVoe said. "Without a tenant there is no bond and no infrastructure. We are not going to ask for a public-private partnership until those things are secured."

Commissioner Jerry Finch told meeting attendees the Hawkins development would lead to positive growth in the corridor, rather than "a hodgepodge of something we are all embarrassed with."

"I think if we put this shopping center in we will set the tenor for the whole corridor," Finch said. "If we don't, I am convinced there will be a series of steel buildings and parking lots. Whitman County and its citizens will be no better off than they are now."

Largent said the commissioners still hope to make a decision by the end of the month, but that it may be delayed if they aren't satisfied with all the information available.

"Moscow City Council tables gun ban debate indefinitely"

The lame duck period of Queen Nancy's reign has officially begun. She couldn't get her misbegotten gun ban proposal through the EXISTING liberal city council.

This quote from the Queen is one for the ages:

I'm just saying that the person loses their temper and they have something readily at hand, they may use it regardless of what it is, if it's a bag of popcorn or a firearm.

Only a barking moonbat from San Francisco could equate the spectrum of violence required from a tub of Orville Redenbacher's finest to a Glock 17 as being the same. From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Moscow resident David Klingenberg said he'd like a City Council resolution encouraging the Idaho Legislature to allow cities to restrict firearms in city-owned spaces to be "permanently shot down."

Still, the longtime opponent of firearms restrictions was pleased the City Council voted Monday to postpone the discussion indefinitely.

Councilman Aaron Ament proposed the postponement, and council members Linda Pall, John Weber and Bill Lambert voted in agreement.

Pall said she voted to postpone the discussion "because I think that if our legislators would like to bring it up, they can certainly bring it up. ... There was no special reason why we needed to do that."

Ament left the meeting early and was unavailable for comment.

Mayor Nancy Chaney said she was disappointed, but accepted the decision as part of the political process.

Chaney initiated the firearms discussion in August when she asked City Attorney Randy Fife to ask the Idaho Attorney General's office whether the city had authority to restrict firearms in public, city-owned places such as City Hall, city parks and the Hamilton Indoor Recreation Center.

Deputy Attorney General Stephen A. Bywater sent a reply in September stating the city cannot restrict people from legally carrying firearms. Chaney then wrote to local legislators asking them to consider introducing state-level legislation on the matter. Such legislation could give cities power to restrict firearms, or could add city halls and other areas to an existing list of places where guns are restricted, such as federal buildings and schools.

State Rep. Shirley Ringo agreed to help Chaney, but she cautioned that such legislation would be difficult to pass, even if it was well-supported.

Councilwoman Kit Craine and Councilman Tom Lamar spoke in favor of the resolution.

"I'm sure we can all imagine how far we'll get in the state Legislature with this, but I think this can be discussed in terms of whether it's appropriate to have firearms in certain areas, and we should deal with this now," Craine said.

Chaney said "the discussion is about whether it's time to ask this question."

She said other federal and state government buildings restrict firearms, so it's appropriate to consider city buildings as well.

Lambert suggested changing the resolution to allow people with concealed weapon permits to carry firearms in public buildings.

He said people who have concealed weapons permits have been scrutinized by law enforcement.

Chaney countered that the permit system is "not as fail-safe as you might anticipate."

She said she did not intend to question the responsibility of people with permits, but she believes there are circumstances where firearms are not appropriate.

The presence of a gun could keep someone from thinking as clearly as usual if they became angry, she said.

Weber asked if the mayor was suggesting "that because someone may or may not have a concealed weapons permit that they're less likely to control their temper in an argument."

Chaney said she was not, and that an angry person may use anything at hand - even a tub of buttered popcorn - as a weapon.

What They Said - In Public

As an observer, I have watched PARD keep the issues focused and not personalized. No matter the outcome for a Walmart in Pullman, they have used their rights and liberties and a democratic judicial system with grace.

- "Guest" December 11, 2007, 3:49 pm

I applaud Dr. Lupke and other PARD members for their numerous letters and Op Ed pieces that have addressed issues in a manner consistent with the spirit of civil free speech.

- "Proponent of Civility," December 11, 2007, 8:34 pm

Let's see if these comments on the Daily News website will bear scrutiny when matched up with the public statements made over the past few years by the PARDners and their supporters, shall we? If you can think of anything else, please post it in the comments, This is just what I found in about 10 minutes of searching:

"In the meantime, however, it is important to know Wal-Mart has contributed not thousands but millions to charter schools and school-voucher causes (USA Today). A community like Pullman, which is filled with state-employed teachers at all levels of the education system, should strongly oppose the building of a Wal-Mart Supercenter here for this reason alone. In our state, Wal-Mart has donated $300,000 to charter-school causes that have been rejected at the polls by Washington voters twice. Sending one's children to a private school is a personal choice, but charter schools and school vouchers weaken the public school system by diverting scarce funds away from it.

It also is revealing to examine Wal-Mart's political donations which mostly went to Republicans in the last election (www.fec.gov). In our state, Wal-Mart donated to the campaigns of Dino Rossi, George Nethercutt and Cathy McMorris, but not to those of Don Barbieri, Patty Murray, or Christine Gregoire.

Nationally, Wal-Mart contributed to Tom DeLay, Katherine Harris (former Florida Secretary of State, remember her?) and George Bush but not to John Kerry. By contrast, 99.11 percent of regionally-based Costco's political contributionswent to Democrats, including Don Barbieri. Just so you know where your consumer dollars are going."

Alicia "Al" Borm, June 4, 2005

"As for the super-size supporters, local business owners and ordinary citizens alike who would prefer to have all of the amenities of Lewiston, Spokane, or Coeur d’Alene, I’d suggest that you might stop trying to morph Pullman into another shopper’s paradise and perhaps consider moving a few miles closer down the road to be next to your favorite outlet shopping mall."

Michael Rutledge Riley, June 11, 2005

"A few weeks ago, I was chatting with a neighbor about how I had learned that trees around the Pullman Cemetery might be torn down for construction for the proposed Wal-Mart (Please refer to the blueprints with the city.)

From this accidental conversation, I have learned of several errors that the city and Wal-Mart have made regarding the assessment of this proposed site. I have learned that cemeteries can indeed be registered as historical places. I have learned that an intentional grove of trees built around a cemetery can be a
historical landscape. I have learned that there is a 400-foot boundary difference between the 190 plat mats and the current maps of Pullman. I have been reminded of the fact that Wal-Mart does not care about the integrity of community, history, and enironmentalism.

I am very concerned about pre-1900 residents who may be buried in that cemetery.

In addition to the rich heritage visible in the cemetery itself. a hidden history may lay there as well. Oftentimes, non-Euro-Americans were not afforded complete, identifiable gravestones, such as Native Americans and Chinese laborers. These early inhaitants of the Palouse nay be resting outside of the known plat boundaries. Wal-Mart has repeatedly dug up and built over existing cemeteries (Colorado, Tennessee, Texas, and Vancouver, British Columbia).

I am now painfully aware of how one of Pullman's most sacred places might be altered, destroyed and otherwise shadowed by a behemoth super cemter that is sure to wreck many visual landscapes. I am wondering how long-time citizens in Pullman feel about this? I am wondering if those folks have been informed.

How can the city not demand a comprehensive analysis of this existing cemetery by way of sonar scanning the entire original plat map boundaries?"

Marcie Gilliland, June 2005

"There is a game where a "rumor" is whispered around a circle to see how the original changes. This appears to have happened with the so-called "merchant's petition.

...I spent several hours in June presenting an impartially worded petition to a variety of business owners. I introduced myself and explained that I represented no one but myself. I had meaningful discussions with most of those who signed the petition and with several who declined. Three people emphasized their support for a Wal-mart Supercenter in Pullman, yet were willing to sign the petition because the wording was impartial, the idea a good one. The cover letter that went to the city with the petition was the idea of a particulalry thoughful signer, and includes that signer's suggestions...

In conclusion, I reiterate that this was my project as a private citizen, and that I approached everyone openly and respectfully. "

Cynthia Hosick, October 1, 2005

"Our business was recently visited by a person representing themselves as pro-business and pro-economic growth who asked me to sign a petition requesting an economic study regarding the proposed Pullman Wal-mart.

In reality this person was a representative of PARD who was gathering signatures from Pullman business people not to facilitate economic study but to use the petition as a tactic to delay or stop the Pullman Wal-Mart. The petition was further "spun" with a cover letter that was not a part of the original petition and sent to the Pullman Director of Public Works.

Looking down the list of others on the petition it appears that others were likewise duped and misrepresented.

I think that it is important to set the record straight in order to minimize confusion and to expose deceptive practices for what they are."

Jerry Griebling, September 15, 2005

"Round One: The Battle for Public Opinion is Over. PARD Has Clearly Won that Battle."

PARD Press Release, May 23, 2005

"We have public opinion on our side."

PARD Press Release, September 9, 2005

"[Sam Dial Jewelers owner Sam] Dial said a new perspective by many Pullman residents may help retain small local businesses and lure new businesses into town.

'The Pullman community really wants to see business growth,” he said. “We have a leak of retail dollars.'”

Moscow-Pullman Daily News, January 20, 2007

"If Wal-Mart has its way, say good-bye to public schools."

Chris Lupke, October 27, 2005

"A local writer by the name of Tom Forbes often mocks Hosick and Reed, as if civic debate is a game; indeed, Forbes seems quite gleeful about, "proudly annoying Pullman's left-wing intelligentsia" (a quote from his blog "Palousitics".) It would show more wisdom and maturity proudly to remember, and cleverly to apply, the splendid old traditions in these United States of the kind of civic debate that - despite differences of opinion - manages to remain both civil and factual."

Birgita Ingemanson, October 28, 2005

"Finally, Forbes seems content to allow consumerism to replace the democratic process. I doubt Forbes would be comfortable repealing child labor laws or would embrace a proposal to open a strip club, kiddie porn outlet or crack house on the logic that consumers can decide."

Richard King, October 31, 2005

"At the same time, news arrives that a store that makes much more sense for Pullman, Target, has plans to build here."

TV Reed, November 2, 2005

"The irresponsible, extremist ranting on Forbes' site gives Republicans a bad name, and makes it impossible to take BREO seriously. Leave pro-business lobbying to the Chamber of Commerce."

Ray Sacchi, November 3, 2005

"I have no special expertise nor have I received any help, training, support or funding from any such national union movement. I am not a member of a union nor is anyone in my family.

At a recent Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development meeting, I asked if anyone was – no one raised their hand."

Chris Lupke, November 16, 2005

"The documentary presented interviews with former store employees who have seen harsh working conditions. Several WSU departments presented the screening of “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price” in Todd hall on Monday.

The documentary gave viewers an inside look at several controversial issues associated with the world’s largest retail company.

WSU departments of comparative ethnic studies, American studies, women’s studies, sociology and Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development (PARD) screened the film...

'It’s slavery,' said Anthony Walters, a representative of UFCW Local 1439, who answered questions after the video presentation. 'When workers are kept in the workplace, forced to pay rent and utility fees that exceed their wages, it is slavery.'”

Daily Evergreen, November 16, 2005

"In a recent letter, local Wal-Mart promoter Tom Forbes attacked respected Moscow businessman Gerard Connelly (owner of Tri-State) for suggesting that the 5,000 lawsuits Wal-Mart faces might indicate some problems with the corporation. Forbes’ weak defense of Wal-Mart is that it is a big company and therefore a big target. In fact, Wal- Mart’s lawsuits are far out of proportion to their size. More important, Forbes seems to imply that these lawsuits must be frivolous. Out of so many, a few surely are. But what Forbes doesn’t tell us is that in a great many of these suits brought by, among others, the U.S. government and several state governments, Wal-Mart has been found guilty as charged.

A few of the huge number of possible examples from this year alone: In February Wal-Mart settled with the federal government for 85 violations of US child labor laws in three states; last week Wal-Mart was fined $115 million for denying lunch breaks to employees in one state (with similar cases pending in 40 others); three weeks ago Wal-Mart generated a new lawsuit when it was caught again using illegal
immigrants in Pennsylvania (this in the wake of a leaked memo making clear such
actions are corporate policy, not isolated acts).

Why aren’t folks like Forbes outraged at this corporate immorality? Why do they defend in corporations what they would never defend in individual behavior? Forbes also attacked Connelly’s motives, suggesting that this merchant who has donated so much time and money to local community projects, was speaking solely out of economic self- interest. I believe he was speaking out of community interest. We as consumers need to send a message to Wal-Mart CEO’s that if they want our business they must treat their workers fairly, that until
they do they are not welcome in our towns."

TV Reed, December 31, 2005

“I understand the council’s concern about big-box stores, but Moscow doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Pullman is welcoming big-box business and that’s a bigger threat to Moscow.”

Gerard Connelly, February 8, 2006

"I also have been asked the question, 'If Target was planning to build in Pullman would there be the same opposition?' The answer is no. I think Pullman would welcome Target with open arms. Wal-Mart cannot be compared to any other company. Because of its size and power, it is in a class of its own."

Leilani Alamillo, January 11, 2006

"I see that April Coggins wants it both ways. She wants on-street parking in front of her business and a Wal-Mart Supercenter larger than all retail space in the downtown area."

Janet Damm, January 12, 2006

"University of Idaho criminologist Deirdre Sommerlad-Rogers testified about studies showing Wal-Mart attracts crime and therefore puts a drain on local police services. She pointed to the example of a Wal-Mart store in Lodi, Calif., that took up four times as much police time as other retail stores because of shoplifting and the high number of car thefts in the parking
lot."

Moscow-Pullman Daily News, January 14, 2006

"Concerns also have been raised about noise and light pollution, including a much-discussed claim by Washington State University Professor James Krueger on Jan. 13 that light pollution could cause Pullman men to become impotent. He based the claim on research involving deer."

Moscow-Pullman Daily News, January 21, 2006

"One side uses moral compassion to emphasize child safety in the streets, employee exploitation, generation of city blight, failed businesses, pollution, and the desecration of cemetery solitude that the proposed Wal-Mart will bring.

The arguments from the opposing side encompass property rights and an apparent new constitutional right to shop in disregard of community and responsibility to one’s fellow man."

James Krueger, January 23, 2006

"I recently went on a group trip with others from Pullman whom I had never met and, in getting to know each other, we chatted about various local issues. Eventually the subject of the Wal-Mart boondoggle came up. Nobody favored it. I mentioned that I was involved with the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development. 'You are heroes,' one person said. As flattering as that may be, I must say fighting Wal-Mart is not a pleasure but a moral imperative.

One of the most important reasons is precisely cost: there is a wasteland of local blight where Wal-Mart has laced the countryside with super centers. Wal-Mart has the bad taste to bulldoze right up to the border of an otherwise tranquil and hallowed cemetery. They could not care less about school kids who play and the elderly who live nearby their retail colossus."

Chris Lupke, April 3, 2006

"Tom Forbes now claims to have found PARD’s 'union label,' but his logic is faulty."

Peggy Jenkins, April 5, 2006

"Tom 'Joe McCarthy' Forbes is at it again. Over the last few months, Forbes has called Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development members 'Stalinists,' 'communists,' terrorists, and fascists, among other things, and stated that we should be “run out of town” (this directed at a group most of whose board members have lived here 10, 20 or 30 years longer than he has).

Now Forbes has come up with what I guess is to him an equally awful term, union-supported. He has “accused” PARD of being funded by the United Food and Commercial Workers, one of many worker organizations fighting Wal-Mart nationally.

Well, once again you are dead wrong, Tom. PARD has not received a single penny of support from the UFCW.

Where have we gotten our funding? That’s none of your business, but you might ask each of the now more than 10,000 folks who live or shop in Pullman who have signed the PARD petition against Wal- Mart. (By the way, those of you signers who haven’t yet – and you know who you are – might want to send some greenbacks our way right now, since the one thing Forbes got right is that fighting Wal-Mart is expensive).

But let’s address the implications of Forbes’ McCarthyite question: Are you now or have you ever been supported by a union? I’d be proud to have union support.

My dad was a union man for 40 years and without his union pension my mom couldn’t survive economically."

T.V Reed, April 14, 2006

"Wal-Mart and its surrogates have tried to pit Pullman and Moscow against each other in a 'divide and conquer strategy' arguing a dollar spent in Pullman would have the 'added benefit' of not going to Moscow. That destructive scheme conceals the ultimate reason why many people come to live here in the first place and, indeed, why these two towns have flourished side by side for a century."

Chris Lupke, June 16,2006

"It looks a lot like the proposed Wal-Mart on Bishop is driving city priorities more than meeting the needs of all residents.

Now, to correct the fuzzy math of Don Pelton (Opinion, July 21) who, in his continued attempt to sell our community on the unwanted Wal-Mart, says that rival Costco (which pays the kind of decent wages Wal-Mart does not) would never come to Pullman because our residents don’t make enough money.

How does Pelton explain, then, that Costco already located in Clarkston, a town with a lower per-capita income than Pullman’s? And anyone who has ever been to the store in Clarkston knows his claim that it appeals mostly to affluent customers is just plain silly."

Janet Damm, June 25, 2006

"Reed didn’t have the figure for PARD’s appeal costs immediately available but denied rumors circulating among Wal-Mart proponents that PARD is being supported by labor unions with an anti-Wal-Mart agenda.

'The people doing the real work here are long-term residents,' Reed said.

Even if the group was taking outside money, Reed doesn’t see anything wrong with that.

'We have a right to use national resources,' Reed said. 'I think the people of Pullman would love to have support from wherever they can get it.'"

Moscow-Pullman Daily News, June 27, 2006

"The serenity of the cemetery was a big part of the effect on her. Doesn’t it bother the Wal-Mart supporters that this will be gone? Isn’t it disrespectful to treat our deceased neighbors and soldiers this way? I can’t imagine grieving over a loved one next to traffic and bright lights.

Destroying the serenity of the cemetery with a Wal-Mart is bad enough. The disrespect it shows our war dead is appalling.

If you have a “support our troops” ribbon on your vehicle, and want the giant Wal-Mart next to the cemetery, please take it off. Better yet, reconsider your support of a Wal-Mart next to the cemetery. Show some respect. We can put it someplace else, like Mars."

Kelly Turk, July 29, 2006

"In the Daily News, however, even this page has become the venue for partisan posturing, at least in its reporting on Pullman affairs. Your beat writer consistently describes anything to do with Wal-Mart or with development in general as positive, as progress (see the huge celebratory Weekend headline “BOOMTOWN” a week ago). In her hands, the Wal-Mart disciple from your “Town Crier” becomes a caped crusader, courageously combatting the powers of darkness and obstruction. Those who resist the coming of this super center, on the other hand, are routinely tarred as nuisances, as obstacles to Pullman’s grand march toward saturated development. I personally know fewer than five people in Pullman who want Wal-Mart to come, and a great many more who do not. The store in Moscow is quite sufficient. Your Wal-Mart surrogate does not speak for me, nor, I dare say, for the overwhelming majority of voters and homeowners in Pullman. Now he’s stumping for Initiative 933, a brazen giveaway to developers and large landowners. Why should he and his fringe positions receive such privileged coverage in your pages?"

Michael Hanly, October 5, 2006

"Wal-Mart is clearly a communist front organization that pays its workers so poorly, gives them such lousy benefits, and tries hard to make sure they quit before they get much advancement, in a transparent attempt to stir up class agitation in America. Pullman must fight to keep this creeping communism out of our town. The true Wal-Mart is the Chinese Wal-Mart with unions and communist party offices. We need to support living-wage laws, moderate unions and other reforms to keep these Wal-Mart communists from succeeding with their dastardly plan to impoverish U.S. workers into revolution!"

TV Reed, October 28, 2006

"Pelton claims that PARD 'supporters have compared Wal-Mart and its customers to slumming.”'In addition to making no grammatical sense, this is wrong. It is based on one much-misquoted comment that Wal-Mart parking lots attract 'undesirable elements' (drug dealers, rapists, etc.) based on Wal-Mart’s research. If Don wants to defend such folks, fine, but don’t confuse them with customers."

Deirdre Rogers, October 27, 2006

"Reed said the city has McAloon on retainer, and appealing at the different court levels does not put a financial strain on the city.

'The issue over attorney fees is just another way to take the focus off the threat Wal-Mart poses,' Reed said...

'We still have lots of support and 10,000 people have signed our petition against Wal-Mart,' Reed said. 'We feel we have a strong case and wouldn’t proceed if we didn’t.'

Reed said PARD has not received any outside money from labor unions or interest groups. He said the community rose up in opposition to Wal-Mart and it is the outside force that is trying to disrupt the community’s economy.

Moscow-Pullman Daily News, November 28, 2006

Throughout the litigation process, PARD has maintained there is not a significant cost to the city as the organization fights the city’s approval of Wal-Mart’s environmental checklist.

Woo and Sherman disagreed, saying there has been a direct cost to Pullman.

Reed said earlier this week that city attorney Laura McAloon is on retainer, which Sherman and Woo confirmed.

The retainer fee — $7,000 a month — covers McAloon’s professional guidance at City Council meetings, and she answers legal questions that arise for elected officials and city staff.

McAloon is paid for 46 hours a month, according to her contract. Any further service, such as litigation, is charged separately.

The city has paid $25,302 toward legal fees related to the proposed super center thus far.

Moscow-Pullman Daily News, December 2, 2006

"Blaming the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development for causing the city attorney fees to soar is like blaming the chickens when the fox enters the hen house."

Joan Harris, December 4, 2006

"His lack of concern for most retail business is interesting. While I agree that the bike shop and Sam Dial should not have major competition from Wal-Mart, this is based on the fact that both establishments sell quality goods, while Wal-Mart sells junk."

Jeffrey P. Joswig-Jones, December 28, 2006

"Bringing other businesses? The Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development has in fact contacted a number of other companies about coming to Pullman. To cite one example, we were privy to talks about the Cordova with a developer who specializes in renovating historic theaters and building shops in the surrounding area, when the city precipitously approved a weaker plan. PARD has no objections to churches downtown, but the empty space around the Cordova attests to the loss of a better business opportunity...

Dictating where to shop? Burma seems to have forgotten there is a Wal-Mart seven miles away. If she has trouble getting there, I’d be happy to do the neighborly thing and take her. She has a right to shop for shoddy sweatshop-made goods if she wishes."

TV Reed, January 1, 2007

"Allowing Wal-Mart to intrude on the cemetery will be gross, shameful and monstrous."

David Flaherty, February 7, 2007

"Forbes’s tactic is smearing opponents while skirting the issues....Similarly, Forbes suggests that organizations supported by labor unions cannot represent grass-roots opinion. But no one opposing Wal-Mart here in Pullman is funded by, or to my knowledge even a member of, a union. We support our local businesses and quality of small-town life by questioning the low wages and lack of benefits that Wal-Mart imposes. This has everything to do with exercising our democratic right to protect our community and nothing to do with personal ego."

Anesa Miller, February 21, 2007

"As usual, with no real arguments to offer, Tom Forbes goes after the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development with name-calling rather than logic: 'Arrogant,' 'elitist academics,' 'self-important know-it-alls' - gee Tom, sounds like you are the one 'throwing a tantrum'...

More than 10,000 folks signed PARD's petition against Wal-Mart, including more than 6,000 Pullman residents and 4,000 others who shop here. That is six times more people than the total of all voters in most Pullman city elections. When Forbes speaks of a 'tiny' group he must be thinking of his own followers, who have yet to gather even 30 signatures on a petition they are circulating on another issue."

TV Reed, July 28, 2007

"The small number of people who repeatedly write in support of Wal-Mart in Pullman are the same minority who support sprawl that stretches the length of the Moscow-Pullman Highway, feel that we should stay the course in the war in Iraq for an interminable number of years, and consider global warming a myth invented by liberal academics."

Shuxin Zhao Lupke, August 2, 2007

"Forbes' contention that the opposition is based on class warfare and elitism is as ridiculous as the argument that development shouldn't occur next to the cemetery."

Mike O'Neil, August 23, 2007

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

Wal-Mart Hatred is Bulls#!t

Iconoclastic magicians/comedians Penn & Teller have a weekly Showtime series titled "Bullshit!," where they debunk pseudoscience, superstition, political correctness, popular fads and other misconceptions. Past episodes have tackled gun control, illegal immigration, the Bible, animal rights, alien abduction, environmentalism, etc.

There was an episode last March where Penn & Teller took on Wal-Mart haters. I haven't seen the whole show but now I really want to. The clip above had me laughing out loud. That loser couple definitely reminds me of a certain couple of PARDners...

My only question is, where in the heck is Cinnabar, WA? There is no such place.

CORRECTION: April found a CINEBAR, Washington, population 517, located halfway between Onalaska and Morton on the west side of the mountains. The closest Wal-Mart is 21.5 miles away in Chehalis.

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

"I've pretty much lost sympathy for most of the working people on the Palouse"

For those of you who doubt that professors are elitist snobs, I submit as Exhibit A the arrogant, bitter, socialistic rantings of Chuck "Mr. Civil Discourse" Pezeshki. If you don't have access to the online version of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Chuckie is posting comments on Dnews.com bitching about the Saturday article that reported poor ol' impoverished WSU profs only make on average $92,000 a year.

Pezeshki's comments are some of the most amusing pieces of left-wing intelligentsia fluffery I've read yet and pull back the curtain on how our faculty libs really feel about the issues. His comments demonstrate quite well why we have no reason to ever fear the campus moonbats getting into political power locally.

One thing that really has to change if the relationship between the towns and the universities is to improve is that the towns need to stop HATING the professors that have chosen to come here for their rank and salary. These professors drive the quality of life in our cities, and their taxes pay for many things that people with lower salaries cannot. The universities also profoundly boost the average income in the area.

Mind you, Chuck's happy with his salary. He's just pissed off there's not more genuflecting to our Ph.D. betters like him. And he wonders why people "hate" professors? Chuck forgets one very important point: IT IS THE "FILTHY WORKING CLASS" HE DESPISES SO MUCH THAT PAYS HIS DAMN SALARY AND FOR ALL OF HIS TRIPS TO LONDON, VIENNA, ET. AL. WITH THEIR TAXES! YOU DON'T LIKE SUCKING OFF THE GOVERNMENT TEAT? THEN GO GET A JOB IN THE REAL WORLD WHERE YOU HAVE TO MAKE A PROFIT AND PRODUCE RESULTS, RATHER THAN FLINGING DISDAIN FOR THOSE WITH NO LETTERS AFTER THEIR NAME LIKE YOU!!

Sorry, A G. You get no sympathy from me-- and I've gotten to the point where I've pretty much lost sympathy for most of the working people on the Palouse as well.

If you poll most of the professors on campus, they are for higher taxes, which would predominantly affect the rich. Most of the professors are for socialized medicine, which would profoundly help the working poor and lower middle class in the area. Most professors would be for some form of low-rent, subsidized housing in the area. The one thing that the professors are mostly against is sprawl, and loss of community character, because that's the one draw we have going here.

But it's the working classes that are convinced that these things are the enemy. So be it.

I agree that people ought to be appreciative of the good fortune they have. But it's that doggone MARKET I keep hearing about from the lower-middle class that votes for Republicans that's supposed to raise them up and bring us down. It just doesn't seem to be working that way, though.

I've never seen a more dysfunctional, irrational culture in a 1st World country than what's on the Palouse. Keep voting against your interests, and alienating your intellectual and real allies. It's really worked great so far, hasn't it? Your children are being sent to war, your paycheck is dropping, and I can tell you from where the currency rate sits, the bottom is about to drop out from underneath the dollar, making those 'Guaranteed Low Walmart Prices' a thing of sunny memory.

I'm not happy about any of this. And having run for office to try to stop this, I've put my money where my mouth is. But it's exhausting, personally, the level of acrimony from the community. Myself, as well as others-- the ones that would really be interested in sharing community leadership, are really at the point of almost checking out.

Just remember, when the Gods want to punish you, they grant you your wishes.

Best,

Chuck

Are the arrogant, know-it-all, meddling, elitist, communist professors really going to check out of the Palouse? From your lips to God's ears, Chuck.

"Hell Will Freeze Over"

Colonel: General McAuliffe refused a German surrender demand. You know what he said?

Patton: What?

Colonel: He said, "Nuts."

Patton: Hah! Keep them moving, Colonel. A man that eloquent has to be saved.

- Patton, 1970

I didn't see eye-to-eye with outspoken Whitman County Commissioner Jerry Finch on the Rural Residential Zoning Ordinance, but he's still my hero. If he runs for reelection next year, he gets my full support. Jerry is one of the greatest champions Whitman County has ever had.

From today's Whitman County Gazette:

Moscow appeals water swap; Hawkins development in jeopardy, officials "frosted"

The city of Moscow has filed an appeal with the state Pollution Control Hearing Board over last month’s decision by the Department of Ecology (DOE) to grant three water rights transfers aimed at providing water supply for a state line strip mall.

DOE granted Hawkins Companies, Boise, three of the company's four requested transfer of water rights. The company is seeking water to develop a 700,000 square foot shopping center, centered around a Lowe's home improvement store in Whitman County.

County Commissioner Jerry Finch criticized the Moscow appeal as a blow to commissioners' efforts to broaden the county's tax base. Finch questioned whether Moscow was genuinely concerned with the environmental impacts of the development or if economic factors drove the appeal.

"What really frosts me is that they want to drill a well 250 feet away," said Finch. "They just can't let us do anything to grow."

Moscow has plans to drill well site number 10 north of the "A" Street, just east of the state line.

Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney asserted the appeal stems from genuine enviromental concerns.

"Moscow's reputation as the big meanie is unwarranted. This is all about ensuring a sustainable water supply for the entire region," she said. "To think this comes from a desire for us to hold up our economic resources is a ludicrous assertion."

The county water conservancy board in July approved four transfers of water rights, totaling 120 acre-feet for the site, as well as a swap of 100 acre-feet with the town of Colton for a right to 23 acre-feet. The company could not use the 100 acre-feet from Union Flat Creek near LaCrosse at its site, but Colton could.

DOE upheld the conservancy board's ruling on three of the rights, but denied a fourth right, which accounted for 60 percent of the water the company was seeking. DOE officials ruled the company's mitigation plan was not sufficient to make up for impacts to nearby Paradise Creek.

The appeal of the DOE decision is the second time Moscow has voiced its objections.

Moscow appealed the development in early 2006, when Hawkins' application was going through the State Environmental Policy Act checklist with the county planning department. Following that appeal, the county reworked its appeal process while Hawkins fine-tuned their application.

Chaney explained that the Moscow city council was consulted on the appeal, though no formal vote was taken.

Commissioner Michael Largent questioned whether Idaho entities hold sway with the Washington appeal board.

"We need to make sure that Moscow's legal standing on an appeal is clear," he said.

While the city did not appeal the second application, it did submit comments stating its qualms with the development.

That would likely give the city's current appeal a legal leg to stand on, according to county commissioners, who consulted with Washington State Association of Counties Associate Executive Director Eric Johnson on the matter.

Moscow's appeal noted that the water rights in question come from two different sources of groundwater, and the transfer would allow Hawkins to pull excessive amounts of water from depleting aquifers.

"We have made efforts to stabilize our aquifer levels," said Chaney. "To allow these transfers to go through would set a precedent that would allow water rights to pull from disconnected sources."

Commissioner Greg Partch questioned whether the city is tuly motivated by environmental concerns, as he also brought up the city's proposed well site number 10.

"What kills me is the hypocrisy of the whole thing," he said. "If water is really the problem, why are they going to drill a well 250 feet away?"

Chaney countered that the Moscow well would have to conform to a 1992 agreement with the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee to hold pumping levels. A well in the unincorporated county would not be subject to those regulations, she added.

"If this development was to be annexed by Pullman, there would be no discussion," she said.

Commissioners were decidedly upset Monday afternoon after receiving news of the appeal, which could again cool relations between Moscow and Whitman County.

A spirit of cooperation had begun to develop between the two administrations, as both sides of the border were consulted to develop a water resource management plan for Water Resource Inventory Area 34, which includes most of Whitman County and is fed by the Idaho mountains.

Largent said the "detente" that developed during the WRIA process is all but dead after the latest round of appeals.

"All this back and forth vitriol without a mutual understanding accomplishes nothing," said Largent.

Chaney said that she hoped the "cold war" could be resolved with more cooperation. She said the city is planning a regional meeting for January in the hopes of hashing out its differences with the county.

"Hopefully we can find a fresh start to work towards long-term regional sustainability," she said.

Finch doesn't feel as cooperative.

"If they don't start cooperating, hell will freeze over before I let them do something that comes into Whitman County while I'm commissioner," he said.

The Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union didn't end with a conference. It ended when the Russian people rebelled against a corrupt and authoritarian regime to gain their freedom.

I think that's just what happened this past Tuesday.

The Meddling Moonbat Mayor of Moscow

"It's always been about the water." Riiiiiighhhttt. Can you believe this woman? And she does all this without city council approval? How much longer until she gets out of office? If she can stop our development and affect our economic future for decades to come, then we should be able to vote in the Moscow mayoral election. And does anyone believe there will be ANY kind of cross-border cooperation on water while Moscow does this? From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Moscow appeals water-right transfers in Whitman County

Development along Pullman-Moscow Highway in balance; Chaney: It's always been about water

Plans for a large-scale shopping development in the Pullman-Moscow Highway corridor hit one more snag after the city of Moscow filed an appeal Friday with Washington's Pollution Control Hearings Board.

The appeal stems from a Department of Ecology decision in October that affirmed the Whitman County Water Conservancy Board's recommendation to approve three water-right transfers to be used for the development just across the state line from Idaho.

Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney said the appeal was not about development.

"It's always been about water," Chaney said. "If the objective is to have a sustainable water supply for Moscow and the Palouse Basin, then I think we have an obligation to say it's inappropriate to transfer water rights from distant locales to draw from the same source as our municipal supply.

"It has nothing to do with economic development and it has everything to do with water. This would set a precedent that we cannot sustain."

The Boise-based Hawkins Companies first approached Whitman County in 2005 about building a 700,000-square-foot shopping center just west of the Washington-Idaho border.

In March, the company applied to transfer 120 acre-feet, or 40 million gallons, of water to its proposed development in addition to applying to transfer 100 acre-feet of a 391-acre-feet water right to Colton in exchange for 23 acre-feet of water. The water conservancy board approved the transfers in July. The state Department of Ecology affirmed the board's approval of the water-right transfers proposed from two wells north of Pullman, along with the transfer of water from a well three miles north of LaCrosse to the city of Colton, but reversed the board's decision to approve a surface-water diversion from the South Fork of the Palouse River because the plan to "mitigate," or make up for, impacts to Paradise Creek was inadequate.

In its appeal, Moscow cited that each water right was located in two different bodies of public groundwater and the transfer would impair existing water rights, not be in the public's interest and would improperly modify the manner of the rights' intended use. The appeal also cited Ecology's failure to conduct an analysis of the average amount of water use from the rights over the past five years.

Chaney said Ecology's decision would, in theory, establish a precedent to transfer water rights from any source of water within the Wanapum formation to anywhere in the state of Washington - a prospect she described as "very scary."

Chaney said she did not hold any hard feelings toward Whitman County, but both Latah and Whitman counties had to live within their means.

"I certainly don't begrudge anyone in Whitman County their ability to strive for prosperity, but I think we must do so within the constraints of our natural resource for the sake of economic development in the future, as well as just for living," Chaney said.

The decision to appeal Ecology's decision was discussed with the City Council, Chaney said, but it was not voted on and was "not a unilateral decision."

Moscow City Councilman Bill Lambert said meetings were held regarding the Hawkins proposal and he was aware of the appeal. He added that, "We run into different points of view any time it comes up."

Lambert said Washington state is very environmentally conscious and the issue has been looked at by that state's experts. If the water-right transfers are approved, Moscow is going to have to deal with it.

"You aren't going to stop capitalism and free enterprise," Lambert said. "If they build, maybe we should see what services we can sell them."

Representatives from Hawkins Companies were unable to be reached.

No date has been scheduled for Moscow's appeal to be heard by the Pollution Control Hearings Board. If the board denies the appeal, Moscow can still appeal to the Washington Superior Court within 30 days of the board decision.

Hawkins Companies officials previously said the company hoped to begin construction as early as this fall but have not indicated how Ecology's decision and Moscow's appeal affects its plans. The deadline for appeal on Ecology's water-right decisions is Thursday.

The League of Anti-Wal-Mart Vipers

Last night, the streets of the Paradise Ridge subdivision in Pullman were filled with the laughter of hundreds of trick-or-treaters.

Many of those children, including my own, after consuming far too much candy, settled down to sleep in safe, clean, new affordable homes in that same housing development.

But if Cheryl Morgan had had her way, my house, and all the others up here, would still be the site of Steve Mader's wheat stubble.

I first had a hint of this latest League of Women Voters' moonbattery back in June at Dino Rossi's Washington Idea Bank event. Pullman LWV President Alice Schroeder's great "idea" was wouldn't it be nice if the Growth Management Act and Critical Area Ordinances applied all over Washington, not just the urban areas. The Growth Management Act and Critical Area Ordinances, as you may know, are the satanic spawn of Olympia Democrats that have urban King County residents saddled with nationally-ranked high home prices and traffic congestion, while rural King County residents fear to trim weeds on their own property.

Why in the hell would we need more discussion about development in Pullman? Haven't three years, three appeals, three days of public hearings, 150 plus stories and editorials in the Daily News, innumerable press conferences and press releases, petitions from people in Perth, Australia, position papers, booths at the Lentil Festival, and about a gazillion angry letters to the editor bashing Wal-Mart been enough? Is there anyone in Pullman who thinks PARD has not had more than ample opportunity to make their case, over and over and over again, ad nauseam? Isn't developing anything in Pullman in particular, and Washington State in general, hard enough already? I quote from a story in today's Daily Evergreen:

Affordable Housing Glenn Crellin [sic], director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at WSU, said buying a first home is out of reach for many Pullman residents who earn a median income of approximately $33,600.

Housing in Whitman County is one of the least affordable in Washington, even though housing prices in Pullman are about $90,000 less than the average $316,700 in Washington, Crellin told the city council.

Many factors contribute to the problem. Pullman’s high student population lowers the median income, while relatively well-paid university employees drive up the price of housing with their demand. Interest rates, which reached 40-year lows in 2005, are again on the rise. Although land is comparatively cheap in Pullman, there is a lack of property owners interested in developing their land.

From a development point of view, building a home in Pullman is more expensive than in other areas, said Steve White, president of Coeur d’Alene-based Copper Basin Construction. Issues such as tough soil quality, a limited construction season, a shortage of laborers and a lack of locally available building materials make construction in Pullman more expensive then elsewhere.

“There is no magic wand we can wave to reduce costs,” White said.

Although there is no easy solution to such a complex issue, there are numerous options available. Inclusionary zoning, freeing up more land for development, mixed zoning and townhouse developments all might be used to create more affordable housing.

Pullman organizations have also worked to combat the issues. Tammy Lewis of the Palouse Economic Development Council has organized forums to increase awareness of alternative development concepts, zoning and land use policy and to inform landowners of their developmental options.

The Community Action Center is another Pullman organization working to address Pullman’s need for affordable housing. Karl Cozad, executive director of the group, said the CAC is working on a project to provide 26 low-cost family housing units.

Addressing affordable housing needs and adopting a comprehensive downtown plan were among city goals adopted this year.

Let's get something out of the way. There is NO SUCH THING as a perfect development. SOMEONE will always be against it. SOMEONE will always be negatively affected in some way. That is the nature of progress. It is painful sometimes. It can be disruptive, chaotic even. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't happen.

This LWV proposal shows the hypocrisy of these latte liberals. Many of the LWV members are comfortably retired from the university, with no small children at home and mortgages long since paid off. On issues that do not affect them directly, such as foreign policy, immigration, abortion, health care, education, etc. they have no problem backing the socialistic, collectivist solutions that ease consciences during their coffee klatches. But, by God, if they are going to be personally inconvenienced by two seconds more of traffic, driving 5 feet further to find a parking spot, having their favorite view of a moose in the wheatfield blocked by ugly cookie cutter tract houses, or Heaven forbid, seeing more disgusting rednecks shopping here in town, then they become the biggest advocates of individual rights since Friedrich Hayek.

The (Chester County, PA) Daily Local News said it all in an editorial a few years ago.

If individuals can afford to buy up open space and keep it open, I say God bless 'em. The problem is that nobody is rich enough to preserve the "character" of a whole township, so the gentry wants to make decisions about other people's property, not just their own.

Of course, there is a role for public comment concerning development in a democracy. But that comment has to be proportional to the individual's involvement and the impact of the project upon the indvidual, not the minority veto the LWV envisions. In my mind, the rights of the landowner come first, followed by the greater good of the community. And the greater good sometimes means sucking it up and keeping your mouth shut. Your nice view of the sunset going to get blocked? Buy the land yourself then. Otherwise, keep your pie hole shut. You think a certain housing development is ugly? Fine. Don't live there. You don't like a certain store's "cheap Chinese crap?" Good for you. Don't shop there. My God, have we become such a nation of selfish whiners that we expect everything to go our way all the time, and when it doesn't, bitch all the way to city hall?

And make no mistake. The anti-Wal-Mart agenda is written all over this proposal. Last year's Pullman LWV Secretary was PARDner Marj Grunewald. Marj and her husband Bob testified at last year's public hearing they didn't want to "spend eternity at the ass-end of a Wal-Mart." This year's Pullman LWV Membership/Hospitality Chair is none other than our old friend Judy "The Trolley Conductor" Krueger.

I'm glad the Pullman City Council and Pullman Planning Commission will give this proposal the place it so richly deserves: the wastebasket.

From Monday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Group pushes for more input; Pullman League of Women Voters submits proposal that would require public meetings on all development projects

The Pullman League of Women Voters want residents to have more input in local development projects.

Organization President Alice Schroeder presented a proposed ordinance to the Pullman City Council last week that would require developers to host public meetings before submitting significant project applications.

The goal of the "Pre-land Development Application Community Meeting Ordinance" is to open the line of communication between developers and the public - an area Schroeder said city requirements lack.

"There are flaws communicating what is going to happen (with a project,)" Schroeder said. "We don't think that's good for the community or any of us citizens. The community should be involved in proposed development early."

The council did not discuss the proposal during its meeting last week. Schroeder also presented the Pullman Planning Commission with the idea Wednesday.

City Planner Pete Dickinson said he has not read the proposed ordinance in full. Discussions both internally and publicly will need to occur before anything is written into code. Similar proposals have been brought to the city in the past, but Dickinson said "to see a proposed ordinance with the language like (the Pullman League Of Women Voters draft) is uncommon."

The proposed ordinance is similar to ordinances in place in Spokane and Bellingham, Wash. It mandates that community meetings be scheduled prior to any development project applications are submitted, except that of single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes or manufactured homes on one lot. Amendments to the comprehensive plan and permits for signs also could be conducted without a meeting.

Residents living within 300 feet of the subject property would have to be notified of the meeting along with most city officials. A newspaper notice and sign installed on the property 30 days prior to the meeting also would be required. Developers would be required to submit an audio tape and written summary sheet of the meeting's proceedings and list of attendees to the city.

Schroeder said rumors and misinformation tend to circulate around the community regarding proposed developments, often resulting in heated public hearings, name calling and hurt feelings. If the public was able to weigh in on projects before the application process, the developer would likely deal with "more level headed people" and know the community's stance on the project before going through the lengthy application process.

Munir Daud, a Pullman-based architect, engineer and founder of Munir Daud and Associates, doesn't see it that way.

He said developers already have enough hoops to jump through to proceed with projects in Pullman. Environmental check lists, zone changes and reviews by the City Council and planning commission are challenging and time consuming. Each step, requires a meeting that provides the public a chance to voice their opinion.

"They have opportunities. You can go and say whatever you want ... If you're really concerned, you could write a letter. You don't have to add another (meeting,)" he said.

Dickinson said he has deferred the draft to City Attorney Laura McAloon for review.

Daud said adding another meeting into the mix could cause extended delays on some projects. Any alteration to a plan could add three to six months to a development.

"Every time you delay it, it's extremely costly," Daud said. "A six-month delay could kill the project."

Schroeder said she doesn't expect the process would delay projects, and developers wouldn't have to follow any of the public's suggestions. She noted a project may even benefit from resident input.

"It's a matter of a few hours to send (a meeting notification) out, put up a sign and have the meeting. I think in the long run, it's kind of an insurance policy for developers. I don't think it would delay at all. It's a courtesy," she said.

Schroeder used a 50-unit mixed use development - proposed for the intersection of Paradise and High streets earlier this year - as an example. The proposal, submitted by Paradise Downtown, LLC and H and R Development, LLC, was greatly opposed by the community because of potential effects to the Pioneer Hill neighborhood and area parking. H and R Development eventually withdrew its conditional use application, but Schroeder said both time and money could have been saved if the developers had met with the public before putting in an application.

"If they had talked to the community earlier, not only would it have saved effort and money ... they might well have come up with solutions," she said.

Planning Commission Chairman Stephen Garl said the commission and city staff recommend that developers talk to neighbors around a project site. The city also takes note of public comments, be it formally in a meeting, casually in conversation or by mail. Project applications also are public record, which can be accessed in the city planning office.

"We know that the public wants to be involved," he said. "The good developers - the 95 to 98 percent of them - are going to be talking to their neighbors and such anyway. This was to address the 2 to 5 percent."

Garl said he believes the proposed ordinance could invite opportunities to deviate from the city's comprehensive plan if the public is able to weigh in on each step of the process.

"Planning needs to be both long-range vision - which is the comprehensive plan - and its day-to-day implementation, which is the zoning ordinance. (The proposed ordinance) potentially brings in a piecemeal chopping up of each project, rather than setting the vision in the comprehensive plan and writing code that implements it," he said.

"If you start making every project revealable at a public meeting - for good or bad - what you're doing is you no longer are planning and keeping the big vision picture in front of you," Garl added. "If there is a change of the vision, it should be written in the comprehensive plan and zone code, rather than project by project."