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The Enumclaw Courier-Herald • Page 6
Olympia has case of Boeing Fatigue More than the usual exchange of cold and flu germs occurred among lawmakers this session. An outbreak of a rare virus indiscriminately infected Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate on Day One and showed no sign of abating before they adjourn this week. It is a strain of Boeing Fatigue Syndrome, a political disorder characterized by extreme exhaustion from repeated legislative genuflecting at the altar of the aerospace giant. Historically it’s manifested itself among a handful of members of the Legislature unafraid of vocally criticizing a corporation which Jerry Cornfield is vital to keeping The Petri Dish Washington’s economy alive and healthy. This illness spread in recent months and symptoms are present in nearly every one of the 147 lawmakers. Many started experiencing fatigue soon after casting a vote in a November special session to extend tax breaks which could save the company an estimated $8.7 billion on future sales of the new 777X jetliner. When they arrived in Olympia in January, they believed their action inoculated them from further requests from the aerospace firm in 2014. So just the mention of Boeing caused lawmakers’ eyes to bulge, faces to redden and blurts of “Haven’t we done enough for them already?” This explains why lawmakers roundly ignored Gov. Jay Inslee’s request for funds for two aerospace-related initiatives aimed in the direction of The Boeing Co. Writers of the House and Senate budgets did not include $500,000 for Washington State University to establish a School of Advanced Manufacturing and Aerospace in Everett. Nor did they put in $500,000 for the University of Washington to develop an advanced manufacturing facility in Snohomish County. And remember how the governor and some Democrats regularly touted the importance of a multi-billion dollar transportation funding package to Boeing and the aerospace industry? Not only did they stop using that line, there’s almost no chance there will even be a package agreed upon this session. To their credit, Boeing lobbyists recognized the mood of lawmakers early in the session and are making themselves pretty scarce. There’s good news for the firm, as most legislators will make a full recovery March 14. That’s the first day they can raise money for their reelection campaigns. There may be no better cure for this syndrome than a contribution from Boeing. Political reporter Jerry Cornfield’s blog, The Petri Dish, is at www.heraldnet.com.
Our Corner
Volume 114 • Wednesday, March 12, 2014 • No. 26
1627 Cole Street, Enumclaw, WA 98022 360-825-2555 • Fax: 360-825-0824 E-mail: letters@courierherald.com Web site: www.courierherald.com
Question of the Week Heroin has been called an “urgent health crisis.” Do you know anyone who uses heroin? To vote in this week’s poll, see www.courierherald.com
LAST WEEK: Will electric cars (or hybrids) eventually replace traditional gasoline-fueled engines?
Yes: 33.3% No: 66.7%
Wednesday, March 12, 2014 • www.courierherald.com
Take a break from daily routine Stop! Have you reflected about what you are doing and thinking right now? Most of the time we act on automatic pilot. We have established set routines about what we do from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed. My morning routine is to hear the alarm and then turn it off, get up, pet the cat that is waiting for me outside the bedroom door, turn up the thermostat, then head for the shower. I continue with my routines for the rest of the day. Routines are good because they free us up from having to think about all the things that we do repeatedly. Days, months, and even years can pass with nary a break from our routines. Most of the time we are selfabsorbed in our own activities and lives. Only rarely do we stop to ask ourselves: “What am I doing, and should I be doing something differently?” In running on autopilot we often neglect to see major patterns that are taking us in wrong directions. Let’s pause and examine this all-too-human tendency. I saw this pattern with a set of parents of one of my graduating high schools students. My student was already 18, preparing to graduate and,
In Focus Rich Elfers Columnist
all of a sudden, her parents began to put restrictions on her actions and behavior. They wanted to know who she was with and how she was spending her time. It was obvious to both my student and me that her parents had been on autopilot for years. Now that their daughter was going to graduate and move out of the house, they realized that they hadn’t spent much time guiding her. By putting restrictions in her senior year, it was as if they could turn back the clock 10 years and control her actions. Of course, by then, it was too late. A second example is on the other end of the life cycle. As the “baby boomer” generation begins to retire in great numbers, many are finding they didn’t plan well enough for retirement and don’t have enough money
set aside. I know with myself, I came to appreciate the defined benefit plan that had been set up by the state years before I retired from teaching high school. Had the state not been more farsighted then I was, I would not have been prepared to retire when I did. Because of sleep-walking through my career, I frequently tell my children who are now in or nearing their 30s to prepare for their own retirement because they probably won’t have the advantage of a defined benefit plan like I do. We mortals struggle to live in the tension between using our habits as tools to help us navigate our days, and pausing our routines occasionally to think about the bigger picture of where we are going with our lives. Recently someone I have known for more than 20 years died. It caught me by surprise because he had always been healthy and active. His death was a reminder to me how short our lives are. It’s time to put a pause in our daily routines so we have time to look up and think about deeper purposes and opportunities for living. All of us can benefit from a little more thoughtfulness and reflection.
It’s about time we hear from Winn A few weeks ago I was leaning on the Lee bar, as is one of my frequent, early evening proclivities, when a tall, lean dude parked himself on the stool beside me. In part because of his neatly-trimmed Vandyke beard, he reminded me of the late rock personality Frank Zappa. He asked if I was the guy from “Wally’s World,” then extended his hand. “I’m Jimmy Winn,” he said. I know...I’d never heard of him either. Turns out he’s a local musician of some renown, who’s performed at several venues in our general region, including Seeders when that colorful dive still offered live music. He has also toured up and down the West Coast, as far south as Hollywood, and recently completed a bus swing through 12 states. Anyway, I checked out his Facebook site and watched him sing a few tunes while fooling around with a guitar. (See Jimmywinnlive.) These dusty videos are recorded live and neither the sound nor the photography are especially professional; there’s a lot of background barroom commotion that
Wally’s World Wally DuChateau Columnist
interferes with your ability to concentrate on him. Nevertheless, his genuine talent comes through. The songs are his own compositions, have appealing melodies and poetry that’s just vague enough to be interesting. A hook or two snagged my attention. I suppose you’d call him a rock-blues singer in the tradition of Springsteen and Vedder. He has a laid-back style with a clear, effortless voice that can produce that Cobain raspiness when he so desires. The title of his last album, “It’s About Time,” can be interpreted at least three different ways. First, as the frustration of waiting a long while for something to occur; second, it may refer to the beat or rhythm of the music; and third, it might possibly refer to Einstein’s
theories. Clever! Winn is a product of Enumclaw and a grad of Enumclaw High School. During his wide-eyed, inquisitive, prepubescent years, he happened to cross paths with local musical legend John Reick (aka J. C.), who lived in Winn’s general neighborhood. One afternoon he wandered into J. C.’s garage during a jam session and was completely blown away –which is entirely understandable. The experience left such a deep, indelible impression, it set Wynn on a musical path for the rest of his life. On March 15, he’ll be performing at the Chalet Theater as part of a show that promotes Mountain Link (click on Mountain-Link), an international mountaineer planning and climbing guide. He gave me a CD of a few blues recordings. Backed by some excellent guitar work, his voice seems more mature and thick and he offers some really solid down-home, gut-level blues. “On occasion,” he said, “just the right elements come together and everything works.” It’s About Time.
Write to Us: Send letters to 1627 Cole St., Enumclaw, WA 98022, or fax to 360-825-0824, or email to dbox@courierherald.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday.