Congrats to all who ran.

Looks like Jim Eddy has his work cut out for him in the general. Glad to see that the (knuckle dragger) Honorable candidate from Westport is not moving on.

You forgot to mention his sloping forehead. And heavy brow.

Hey, Incognita, I guess you've met him then?

Don't even know who you are talking about, but it seems kind of mean spirited, doesn't it?

I know, it is all in good fun.

Politics are a contact sport. If you can't stand the heat...

Congrats to all who ran.

Mean spirited? Teasing with a wink vs. lying. Hmmmmm...what is worse?

OK, who are you talking about? I did not notice any caveman on the ballot.

Teasing with a wink vs. lying. Hmmmmm...what is worse?

Explain, please.

Nothing to do with the campaign. A personal issue.

Why even bring it up if it is personal?

Anyway, have you seen any of the GEICO caveman commercials?

Yes, love the Geico.

It's personal because it was about an elected official I'm particularly close to. He told major lies in a public meeting about things this elected official has supposedly said and done, stated that he had audio-tape evidence of it. Later, in private, he admitted he had no such evidence. Yet the public damage was done.

Disagree all you want...I don't give a rip about that...but don't lie. It's an integrity and character issue, imho.

Tell the public official to come clean as soon as possible.

People don't expect saints for public officials, but they want people they can trust.

I think she is alluding to distortions and lies told by a candidate for public office *about* a public official.

My mistake, I did not think it seemed right.

The Official should make his case to that person every time to issue comes up, until he apologizes publicly.

The attempt has been made, Thumper. The former candidate who said that now says he didn't say it, or that he didn't mean it the way it came out, yada yada.

The good thing is you said former candidate!

Yeah...but he's really a former candidate due to this atrocious ideas propelling his campaign, not this integrity issue. And his ideas obviously didn't propel him very far. Praise the voters!

Why are you calling him (Ray Brown) names? He would have fixed the PUD and put an end to the cancer (Jim Eddy) that is slowly eating away at it.

Your funny.

D'OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man, this is going to get interesting . . .

Fixed the PUD as in I "fixed" my cat, anyway...

One guy does not fix anything. Jim Eddy is giving it his best shot and is pretty up on the issues (although I disagree totally on the paper mill).

So, does this one guy have a ton of diplomacy and persuation on his side? Can he contribute? If not he would be just one dissenting vote that would hurt, not help, our PUD.

Welcome to GHT!

I feel all giddy with anticipation.

Ray Brown is the cave man? I don't know him.

He would have been a "stop sign" or at least the "caution sign" that is needed to keep the commissioners under control. These guys are spending money like a drunk Paris Hilton and do not care in the lease about the rate payers or the PUD employees.

Tom Cassy is the worst and Jim Eddy is his rubber stamp man. Brown would have at least been a pain in Cassy's side.

By-the-way Eddy's not up on the issues he just likes to talk and can spiel the right BS that makes you think he knows what he's talking about.

Both him and Cassy are too polluted in their party politics to do what's right for the rate payers and the PUD employee's.

Enlighten us. On which issues facing the PUD is Eddy giving a BS speil?

It's "do not care in the least" and "Casey".

No, no. Don't correct him.

It does wonders for HIS credibility.

Now, now. Typos or misspellings do not connote a lack of credibility. If that were the case, Thumper would be close to the most dishonest person on the board. And, while in my opinion, he is often wrong, he is always honest.

I'm very interested in nwyfzguy's opinion. It's worth everything we pay!

Casey did a fine job in my opinion. I am not sure what your beef is. I imagine it must expenditures. In hindsight there were generators bought that should not have been but that is hindsight. I feel the mill is a mistake. That is a gut feeling and not backed by research.

You see other problems???

Since The Knuckle-Dragger was proved wrong with just about all of his campaign points, I find this an amazing claim. How about some details?



But Mr. Republican-of-the-Year 2007 is above party politics, eh?

The Democratic Party doesn't get involved in specific PUD issues but does support the concept of publicly-owned power, in general. I can tell you one key difference that should be a concern for PUD ratepayers...the Republican Party, in general, doesn't support publicly-owned power.

Why put someone in a leadership position of an organization that he/she doesn't even believe in? Makes no sense to me!

And just to clarify, the generators were purchased prior to Eddy's tenure with the PUD. Frank Moses, current Republican candidate for county commissioner, was a PUD commissioner then, but not Jim Eddy.

Well to begin with, just about everything he said about the Mill was wrong. His comments and writings about corporations are wrong.
Eddy likes the sound of his voice and can’t seem to keep his mouth shut, hopefully this will cost him his PUD job.

This is not true the democrats have endorsed Eddy for PUD commissioner.

The Republicans I know support Publicly-owned power. They don’t support government owned or publicly -owned using its powers to interfere with the competitive private market or using its powers to seize private property.

If you don't like Eddy, you don't have to hold back.

I have sat through a half dozen PUD meetings and, all in all, been fairly impressed with the knowledge these folks possess about the power market. They are good at their jobs.

Again I ask, have you any specifics with your complaints?

I am truly sorry for my errors in grammar. I am doing the best I can with my public school education.
If you want to make me look bad by comparing your education against mine it won’t be hard.
If you can beat a dyslexic 11th grade drop out with a GED you won.

I have worked hard to improve my spelling and writing skills but I must admit I have countless shortcomings. I have worked hard to overcome my deficiencies. I have honorably served and retired from the Military after 20 years. I am now going into my 10th year of small business ownership where I employ 15 people paying family wage jobs with full benefits.

I sometimes feel good of what I have accomplished and then someone like you comes around and kicks me in the knees. I don’t care if you don’t like my writings. I will not be silenced by the likes of someone like you.

A 20-year military man... who supports the party that has effectively destroyed the U.S. military? The party that opposed the new G.I. Bill because, in John McCain's words, it was too generous? The party responsible for over 4,000 U.S. servicemen and women dying so China can get Iraq's oil?

It's not your spelling and grammar that makes me question your judgement, friend. But welcome to the board anyway.

No apology necessary and certainly no intent silence you. I welcome your presence here and welcome your comments.

I was offering a correction... primarily on an individual's name. I thought it was important.

And, "by the likes of someone like you"? A little over the top, don't you think?

The Republicans you know *around here* grew up with the idea that public power is just the way things work. Elsewhere in this country that is clearly not the case. Rolling blackouts? Enron? Worldcom? That's the result of privatized power.

Public utility districts DO UNAVOIDABLY compete with private utilities. Puget Sound Energy would love to have YOUR power lines, infrastructure and facilities, and you appear quite happy to elect people who would give it to them. I find it incredible that Republicans can simultaneously hold the beliefs that publicly-owned operations are completely inefficient and wasteful yet have an unfair advantage and thus need to be prevented from competing with the poor helpless for-profit operations.

The federal government is controlled by people who think rolling blackouts are good for business, so they have appointed people to the BPA who are willing to break the law to line the pockets of private utility investors with your money. Something like 15% of your utility dollars are given directly to private utilities because "it's not fair" that we own our generating assets and can thus enjoy cheaper electric rates. Despite that 15% hit, we still have $.065 kwh rates, which is better than almost all customers of private utilities.

Only a few short years ago, our PUD was controlled by Republicans. Those two guys cost us money, jobs and credibility. For example, the federal government gave the community the money to replace the industrial waterline which (I understand) both the Sierra Pacific and Weyerhaeuser mills use. The only stipulation was that a county-wide public entity had to accept the money and administer the contracts. Because of stupidity, belligerence and Republican dogma, the PUD refused. The county, being less stupid than Moses and Moe, accepted the money and went into the "public utility" business, thus saving jobs.

As Funkycamper pointed out, it was those two guys who bought the diesel generators.

They screwed up so badly because like most Republicans, they think that government is basically bad. So, they run for the opportunity to control said government so that they can be in a position to prove themselves right.

There are a few things about PUD pricing which I'd suggest changing, (it does not promote conservation to charge those who use essentially zero electricity a very high minimum charge) but in general, we are extremely fortunate to own our own utilities.

Can you read? I said that the Democratic Party has not involved itself in "specific PUD issues." Meaning, we have not come out in favor or against specific issues.

I never said whether we did or did not endorse Eddy for PUD Commissioner.

You seem to get crossed wires a lot.




Publicly-owned power, by the nature of its very existence, would be in competition with the private market. You can't be in favor of it but opposed to the principles upon which it exists in the first place. Talk about a schizophrenic position!

You've got your wires crossed again.

[/quote]
Can you read? I said that the democratic party has not involved itself in "specific PUD issues." Meaning, we have not come out in favor or against specific issues.

I never said whether we did or did not endorse Eddy for PUD Commissioner.[/quote]

Just by endorsing Eddy the dem's are supporting his dumb & more than likely illegal actions.
[/quote]
Publicly-owned power, by the nature of its very existence, would be in competition with the private market. You can't be in favor of it but opposed to the principles upon which it exists in the first place. Talk about a schizophrenic position!

You've got your wires crossed again. [/quote]

The GHPUD under the direction of Eddy interfered with the free market in the Cosi Mill and chased off all the bidders and now look what we have....The mill is still not open and more than likely won't. Everything that man touches turns to crap. He needs to go.

And you're entitled to your opinion on that. Work for your candidate and I'll work for mine.

I still would love to hear you explain how Republicans support public power as long as it doesn't compete with private interests....an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

Public-owned power only competes with private power at the local level. Such as when they use their government powers in an unfair way such as seizing property or forcing fair market bidding higher than a fair price public power can do this only because their resources are basically unlimited.
In the open power exchange market the playing field is even because of simple supply and demand.

On another note....Why did Eddy sell the diesel generators? They sure would have been handy during last December’s storm.

Are you under some impression that Eddy works in a vacuum and that the other two commissioners don't have a vote, and that staff recommendations aren't a part of the decision-making process?

Your public vs. private power argument makes no sense either. It's the interjection of private, for-profit power companies that drives the prices up. Have you forgotten about Enron already?

Here you go! This is one of the hottest bumper stickers in the Harbor right now.

Want one? Send me your mailing address and I'll send you one for free.

Just one big good ole boys network.

Wow reading this was like having Eddy standing right next to me. Kinda freaky!

Congratulations on your progress on your spelling. Your grammar has gotten much better as well. And now I see you are a photoshop expert....

If your messages start becoming one-liners I am going to start to wonder about your true identity.

Yeah. Innit?

It's the private utilities which have the unlimited resources, and they are using those resources to buy politicians to take your money as a public utility customer.



Good idea. We'll just hook a whole sh*tload of extension cords up to 'em.

... you do know that the local distribution system was destroyed, right?

Anyone seen Mr.C lately?

As an aside: I think Stash was wanting one of those bumper stickers.

Damn straight! But, why Nancy's picture? It could have been Cathy Colley's or Mr. C's or xmsyncguy's or anyone but Nancy. Geez Louise.

"Seize" would imply taking without compensation. PUD's have the power of emiment domain which requires,

A. a public need and/or benefit and,
B. fair market compensation

Property "seized", to use your word, under eminant domain would be appraised and that fair market compensation would consumate the deal. That's the way highways are built, bridges are build, heck that's the way the PUD was built. After the people formed the PUD, the assets of Grays Harbor Railroad and Light Company were appraised and a check was cut.

Do you really have a problem with that?

No photoshop here I just scanned the real bumper sticker.

If you want one just private email me your mailing address and I will send you one for free.

And you criticize Eddy for his endorsement by Democrats?

If I were Eddy, I'd by happy as heck that his opponent wants to make this a partisan race.

Democrat v. Repub... err "GOP"? Not a contest.

Good point!

Look at the 60+% Wilson, Van De Wege, and Kessler all got. Not to mention the 100% for Hatfield, Blake and Takko.

I'm just wondering if any of the Republicants are going to go below the Straka Line (27%) - The GHC political equivalent to baseball's Mendoza Line.

During my 20 yrs of service I suffered through the Carter years, he was the worst Commander and Chief ever. Then under Reagan-Bush (H.W.) we received the funding for equipment and training, troop morale was the highest anyone had ever seen. No matter where in the world I was assigned we as a Country were respected and in most cases welcomed and thanked for being there.

Then came Clinton, he and his socialist liberal agenda and policies first destroyed the morale, then the budget. Our equipment was not being updated or replaced, training was almost none existent. His foreign policies sent unprepared, ill-equip, understaffed units into non-traditional roles that lead to disaster and the needless deaths of thousands of U.S. Military personnel.

As far as the Iraqi war deaths, it is sad anytime an American loses his or her life on foreign soil. Because of this sacrifice the Iraqi people are now free and soon will have complete and total control of their country without US interference.

The GI bill you talk about, I too did not agree with it. The bill was pumped up by the libs with completely unrealistic benefits that would have encourage personnel to get out as soon as possible.

This bill went way beyond even what the WWII guys got (which was darn good). Pelosi and her Cronies’ porked the bill to force the Republicans to vote against it, this was done to give her side ammo to spin against the Republicans.
Well, the American people are starting to see through this BS and are going to vote Republican this year.

Bush (W) has not been (in my opinion) the best President. His intent was good but his execution was poor. However, after Carter & Clinton I would never want to serve under a Democrat again.

The economic suffering this County is plagued with along with having the 5th highest property taxes in the State are a direct resolute of the Democrats strangle hold on this County.

Because of the oppressive political attitude that runs ramped here in this County business bailed from here years ago.

This county is anti everything except welfare and labor unions. Most business can’t survive in that kind of environment, just look at Detroit the labor unions have destroyed the auto industry and the city of Detroit along with it. Boy that was good for the “worker” wasn’t it?

Libs just can’t seem to figure it out, government does not create wealth, individuals create wealth.

Reagan tripled spending for weapons development programs (especially the ones that didn't work, like the A-12, DIVAD, and Star Wars) and cut training, benefits, and maintenance for the front line soldiers and equipment. Also, it was under Reagan that the original GI Bill was junked.



Whose military did you serve in? Obviously not the U.S. military. Clinton actually spent more on the military than George H.W. Bush did, and it was Clinton's armed forces that were the instruments of the quick successes in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Unfortunately in both cases that military then had to be maintained by Dubya, not to mention given a mission, and he failed on both fronts.



Thousands?

Military casualties under Clinton: 179 dead, 164 wounded, and that includes Somalia, which was started by George H.W. Bush.

Military casualties under George W. Bush: More than 4,700 dead, over 30,000 wounded, and counting.

By comparison, the totals under Reagan were 344 dead and 319 wounded, and under Carter (your "worst ever," who also happened to be a decorated Navy officer) zero. NO dead, no wounded, no war.



Support the troops... just don't support them too well?

Admit it. The closest you've been to the military is a Boy Scout uniform.



Wrong. The bill includes a 20 percent increase over the Reagan-era Montgomery GI Bill. It's still not as much as the original or even the 1966 version.



Wrong again. The bill was sponsored by Senator Jim Webb, who was Ronald Reagans' Secretary of the Navy and only switched parties after realizing just how much damage the Republicans were (and are) doing to the military.

The new GI Bill is also supported by the VFW, AMVETS, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and the Student Veterans of America (SVA).

Are they "Pelosi cronies"? I bet you have a hard time staying out of fistfights when you try b.s.'ing your way into the VFW bar, don't you?

No fair! You're playing with facts.

I was going to respond to ???????? but there was no way to top Beavis's reply followed by yours.

I suppose the roads, water, power, police and fire departments do nothing to add to the capitalist Mecca you seem to advocate. I suppose the socialist military should also go by the way of our dear departed liberty and freedom and that we should all just be thankful for whatever the lords of the manner deem fit to part with.

Phhhttttt....knuckle dragging and poo tossing.

Indentured servitude, sharecroppers, and subsistence wage earners are all tried and true institutions borne of a nearly unfettered free market. Slavery would be extremely profitable if it weren't for the pesky guv'mnt guaranteeing the unwashed masses rights. Blame it on the libs. Yeah, that’s intellectually honest – NOT. Join us in the twenty-first century, won’t you?

Star Wars forced the Russins into a spending tail spin that resulted in the fall of the USSR!
Where you getting your facts? Reagan was the best thing that ever happened to the boots on the ground solders. He moved us from Vietnam era equipment and tactics’ to a more modern force. And thank god for it that is why we handled the Gulf War so successfully. And finally Reagan did not junk the GI bill, in 1984, a Mississippi Democrat Congressman Montgomery revamped the GI Bill. That is the bill I had when I retired.

Again I ask where are you getting your facts? If you count the fact that Billy Bob Clinton was in office for 8 years yes her did spend more on the military. However let’s take Bush (H)’s one and only term and compare it against Billy’s first term....Ready here we go:
Bush: 13.17 billon, Billy Bob Clinton: 10.85 billon
I only have a GED but last I checked 13.17 Billon was more than 10.85 Billon!

Let me get my Lib playbook and look up insulting character come back: How dare you question my patriotism! The last time I checked every free man and women in this great Country had the right to have an opinion and express it! The simple fact that you question my service to this Country is an insult of the highest level and I will not tolerate it! Meet me at high noon in the Walmart parking lot for a duel, have your lib buddy Jim Eddy bring the pistols.

Wrong again hero. I had the Montgomery bill, it paid very little compared to today’s current bill. And the requirement for time in service is only 90 days to be eligible for 40% benefit. And after 36 months the benefits were double plus anything the Montgomery Bill offered. At any rate I am happy our guys and gals are getting taken care of. War is Hell and these folks have done their job so honorably. My point being I know why McCain voted against the GI bill and I still agree with his position.

Can you say Jim Webb Democrat aka Trader. Enough said.

Ok let’s say this together....SPECIAL INTREST GROUPS! Not that anything is wrong with that, but they are there to look out for themselves.


Ok this statement just proved that you more than likely have been born, raised and have never left the Harbor, or you’re a collage history teacher. Here's two reasons why your wrong again:
1. I don’t drink so I have no reason to hang out in bars.
2. When I did drink, and whenever I visited a VFW I never had any problems at all. I don’t know many vets that want to get in a fight with a fellow vet over government policies or politics, it’s just not a thing we do.

Governments’ job is to protect is citizenry, that is what our Founding Fathers wanted and that is the charge that has been given to the government by our Constitution.

I have never said I wanted slavery. However, if Barack Hussein Allah Muhammed Obama gets into office we will be just one more step closer to being a “slave” for the State.

I call John McCain "McSame" because he is stating clearly that he is pleased with and intends to continue the George W. Bush policies that have been so horrible for this nation the last eight years.

I'm curious, why do you call Barack Hussein Obama, "Barack Hussein Allah Muhammed Obama"?

Because the left wing media and you libs have elevate him to the status of a God.

Eh???

Rather than spending all day getting into another "I know you are but what am I" series of posts with you, let me tell you a story.



My father was in the Navy for 34 years; his service spanned the time from the old "rocks and shoals" Navy to the modern force we have today. He did two Far East cruises during the Vietnam War, including a week on the beach in Hue during the Tet Offensive, retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer, and lived long enough to see Ronald Reagan destroy the service he spent his life in.

His biggest sore spot was knowing, before he passed away, that Reagan had gutted the human component of the military while lavishing money on defense contractors--and the lasting legacy of that, Dad always said, was that they were going to name a new nuclear aircraft carrier the "Ronald Reagan."

"Let's build a 600-ship Navy," Reagan said, while for the first time common soldiers and sailors had to apply for food stamps to feed their families. My Dad actually brought some of those younger families, families of the young men in his units, over to the house from time to time for dinner.

My Dad was not a "liberal," either. He was a Wallace voter in 1968, voted for Nixon in '72 despite Watergate, Carter in '76 because of Watergate, Reagan in '80 largely because of the failed rescue mission, and Democrats after that because he could see, firsthand, what the Republicans were doing to his beloved Navy.

The one piece of advice that Dad drilled into my head from the time I was old enough to start thinking about what to do with my life, thanks to Ronald Reagan, was "don't join the service." This from a man who served from 1957 to 1991.

Dad passed away in 2002. I have his medals mounted on a plaque; it sits near a case containing my grandfather's Bronze Star from WWII. I'm glad Dad doesn't have to see what is being done to his Navy now, not to mention the other services.

Joke all you like.

One more thing--you're calling Jim Webb a "traitor?"

Let's see--Annapolis graduate, 1968 (same class as Oliver North)

Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam

Navy Cross
Silver Star
Two Bronze Stars
Two Purple Hearts

...this guy is Vietnam's equivalent of Audie Murphy, and you're calling him a traitor?

You're comparing GHC to Detroit?

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been invested in business development in the last few years directly creating several hundred new, family-wage jobs. If each job creates nine new jobs, as most economic experts say, this is about 1000 new jobs. Not bad.

Even the knuckle-dragger's employer benefited from the county's investment leading to a major, local expansion that could have gone to Port Angeles if they hadn't done so.

It's laughable for you to blame local officials for the changes that resulted in the decline of local forest products and fishing industries.

Are you saying that the only services that government should provide are law enforcement? The only? You got something against roads?

Not that I expect any, but I would welcome a single example of we libs "elevating him to the status of a god".

I can find many, many examples of the Wrong Wing media and other conservative comments like yours saying we do, but show us where they really have. I can't find them. Are they real or are you falling for the propoganda your Wrong Wing media pundits are spewing?

That's not accurate.
There were 2,392 active military deaths in 1980.
And under Reagan, the active military death count was more than 13,000.

The phrase I used was "military casualties."

The context was clearly combat.

The phrase used by the Congressional Research Service which publishes the numbers I posted is "military casualties".

And the survivors of Operation Eagle Claw would differ with your assessment.

Page 11 has the breakdown.

Just a general note to all. I suspect you've already read this.

Iky, you're an idiot. You are parroting an RNC chain e-mail, and using all deaths of all service people from any cause whatsoever instead of deaths separated by combat and operational losses.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/deaths.asp

Did the people who died in the Iranian desert die in combat?

IT'S CALLED CONTEXT, IKY. HAVE SOMEONE READ THE DEFINITION TO YOU VERY SLOWLY.

Read your own post #1669.
There is no context of active military combat.
There is the context of military spending,
and then you responded to this:



with military casualty numbers.

You were not accurate.

And jftr, Operation Eagle Claw WAS a disaster which led to American military deaths under Carter.

Even your use of the word "troll" is inaccurate.

Those trolls are actually kinda cute. Just doesn't seem fittin'. Not fittin'.