By Erica C. Barnett

I was in the KUOW studios three times over the past week or so, including two appearances on Seattle Now (“Casual Friday” edition) with Patricia Murphy and one on Friday’s Week In Review, hosted by Bill Radke.

This week’s Casual Friday was something of a special occasion, because the other guest was Sandeep Kaushik, my co-host (along with David Hyde) on “Seattle Nice.” Sandeep, Trish and I had a great time talking about national news, including the Republican National Convention, MAGA’s influence in Washington, and (inevitably) the Trump assassination attempt, before returning to local news (AKA the stuff people in Seattle can actually do something about.)

In the past week, a Stranger writer was suspended for making a dumb joke on social media, an iconic monument to peace was cut off—literally—at the ankles, and ballots landed in mailboxes across the city, complete with “I Voted” stickers and an opportunity to choose between recently appointed Seattle Councilmember Tanya Woo and her highly motivated progressive challenger, Alexis Mercedes Rinck.

If you ever wanted a clean, cuss-free version of Seattle Nice, that’s pretty much what you’re in for here, including at least one moment where each of us struggles to think of a radio-friendly synonym for “bullshit.”

On “Week in Review,” Seattle Channel host Brian Callanan, Washington Policy Center senior researcher Paul Guppy, Radke and I debated whether ballot initiatives that repeal taxes—like a proposal to allow workers to opt out of a tax that funds long-term care insurance—should be required to include fiscal notes estimating how much such measures will cost the state.

I didn’t know much about this debate before this week, and I was surprised to learn that Republicans and libertarians oppose this kind of cost transparency—after all, isn’t it (in their view) a good thing whenever we reduce government spending?

PubliCola is supported entirely by readers like you.
CLICK BELOW to become a one-time or monthly contributor.

Support PubliCola

Continuing in that macroeconomic vein, we also talked about why some union leaders seem to be courting Trump (it was protectionism all along!) and an effort from the restaurant lobby to wiggle out of their obligation to start paying full minimum wage in Seattle, something they agreed to phase over 10 years when the $15 minimum passed a decade ago.

Also on the docket: A new fine for street racers, SPD interim chief Sue Rahr’s decision to fire infamous cop Daniel Auderer, and Sound Transit is finally getting rid of those inscrutable station pictographs.

Finally, if you missed last week’s Casual Friday, Jodi-Ann Burey and I were on talking about lake swimming, the Biden waiting game, and Seattle’s hot weather—all still topical!