WHEN POLITICIANS ACT LIKE QUARRELING CHILDREN

Hi again, folks, from the Bastion on the Sound. In response to several of you who have asked for my reaction to President Obama’s Monday address to the world and press conference following, he continues to live up to my expectations. He’s assuming personal responsibility for the problems he’s having building consensus for the economic stimulus package he’s proposed. He also reminded us that he’s already told us he’ll make mistakes occasionally.

While that thought doesn’t exactly inspire me to bluegrass and The Happy Dance, I appreciate his candor. He’s a human being governing a nation of same and I expect no more or less of him than I do myself or anyone else. He’s got a job to do and I sincerely believe he’s doing the best he can. I’m a little less than impressed with the Republican Party for continuing to play "politics" at a time when the constituency needs THEM to attend to the task at hand, restoring the national economy and contributing to the fiscal healing of the global community. In other words, knock it off and FOCUS.

Closer to home, our own elected officials are moving swiftly. While waiting for our share of the above-cited federal economic recovery package, Washington governor Christine Gregoire is streamlining state government by eliminating more than 150 state boards and commissions and closing 25 Department of Licensing offices. She estimates that the latter measure would save approximately $2.6-million over the next two years. For the full story, click here.

Seattle’s mayor Greg Nickels, apparently taking his lead from Olympia, is working on a capital improvements plan which is expected to create 6,464 jobs and cost an estimated $223,758,774. It covers everything from AMTRAK to low income housing, energy, streets and roads, and the hiring an additional nine officers for the Seattle Police Department. For a breakdown, click here For an overview on what other American cities are doing, click here.

(For those interested in a quick but dynamic overview of what our region, including British Columbia and California are doing, I strong recommend the Sightline Daily. It gathers news from the print media, large and small, and presents it with the lead and a link to the rest of the story. I’m learning a great deal and it’s having a real effect in countering what seems like an overwhelming amount of negative coverage by the other media sources I consult each morning.)

To our north, Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has promised more relief in addition to the $40-billion slated for economic recovery over the next two years. He's proposing this should the global community's fiscal problems continue to impact this nation of 36 million.

Harper, a Conservative, is having some of the same problems with opposition party members of his government that have thus far plagued President Obama and has sent the same message to all concerned. He invited the leader of the Liberals to "do something he never did in the pre-budget period, which is actually provide some economic policy suggestions to Parliament." For more on this, click here.

It appears American elected officials are not the only ones prone to putting party politics before the welfare of the constituencies they were elected to serve. Both our nations, I believe, are fortunate to have chief executives who are not afraid to take a firm but measured hand in insuring the integrity of the true national agenda.

Well, that’s it for this week. Keep the faith, folks. Granted, times are tough now, but as long as we pull together, communicate and continue to love one another, we’ll get through this. Whether you’re American, British, Canadian, French, Irish, or Scots, you live in a nation of heroes. And heroes don’t give up, do they?