Washington Taxes Like Texas Among Nation's Most Unfair While Oregonians Pump Gas

I saw what you see here this morning on the front page of the online version of the Seattle Times.

 I don't think this quite falls into the popular category of things I read in west coast online news sources which I would likely not be reading in a Texas online news source about a similar subject in Texas.

What caught my attention here is the last line in the screen cap, "Taxes like Texas: Washington's system among nation's most unfair".

Does that mean Texas has a national reputation for unfair taxes? I was not aware of this. I was aware that neither Texas or Washington have a state income tax, a fact, which according to this article, renders a state's tax system to be unfair.

There were a lot of comments to this Washington state ranks nearly last in new tax-transparency index article with many of the commenters objecting to the ranking criteria and the conclusions rendered.

According to this ranking index Oregon has the most transparent, and thus fair, state tax system in America.

Oregon has a state income tax, but no sales tax.

Living most of my time on the planet in Washington I thought it just the way of the world that a state could be so different from neighboring states. Til I moved to Texas, where the main difference I have noticed between Texas and its neighboring states is the neighboring states all have a lot of casinos, while Texas only has a couple casinos, due to only having a couple Indian Reservations, due to Texas having removed most of the Native population from Texas.

Oregon not having a sales tax creates some problems for the state on its northern  border, due to Washingtonians living near the border crossing over to Oregon to buy stuff so as to avoid the Washington sales tax. I do not know if it still the case, but whilst I lived in Washington a set distance from the Oregon border was exempt from charging the Washington sales tax. Such as Vancouver, across the Columbia River from Portland.

I do not know if California or Idaho or Nevada areas which border Oregon also exempt their state's sales tax. I suspect it is not an issue due to the fact that there are no large populated areas of the Vancouver size in Northern California or Western Idaho or Northern Nevada.

Another thing different in Oregon which was as noticeable as the lack of a sales tax was the lack of self-service gas stations. You know, where you pump your own gas.

I do not know if it is still the case, but when self-service gas stations became the national norm, Oregon rebelled, not wanting to lose the availability of the professional gas pumper career path.

I always forget I can simply Google to find out something, like the current status of Oregon gas pumping. Took two seconds to find out a change is in the legislative works as to how Oregon pumps gas...

SALEM -- Drivers in half of Oregon's counties may soon be able to pump their own gas 24 hours a day after the state House approved a bill to that effect Thursday.

The bill passed 56-0 and now heads to the Senate.

If passed by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. Kate Brown, people shopping for gas in counties with fewer than 40,000 people will be able to pump their own at all hours. Affected counties would include Baker, Clatsop, Crook, Curry, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jefferson, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Tillamook, Union, Wallowa, Wasco and Wheeler counties, according to the most recent population estimates.

The bill would require gas stations in those 18 counties to still make attendants available for pumping gas between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. if the retail portion of the station is open.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Endorses Mary "Squeaky" Kelleher, Jack "Gibberish" Stevens & James "Kushner" Hill For TRWD Board

James "Kushner" Hill, Mary "Squeaky" Kelleher, Jack "Gibberish" Stevens

This morning when I did my morning perusal of various online news sources by the time I got to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram I saw that which you see here.

An editorial titled Keep ‘squeaky wheel’ on water district board.

I figured the person the Star-Telegram considered to be a "squeaky wheel" would be Mary Kelleher.

I figured right.

Among the many things Mary "Squeaky" Kelleher's squeaking helped fix, or improve, were items such as insisting the polluted water of the Trinity River be tested regularly whilst America's Biggest Boondoggle was encouraging locals to participate in Rockin' the River Happy Hour Feces Floats at an imaginary pavilion on an imaginary island near an imaginary beach at an imaginary world class waterfront music venue.

Although Mary "Squeaky" Kelleher has been able to render some situations less squeaky she has not received nearly enough grease to stop the squeaking of the Tarrant Regional Water District and its Board continuing to be the proud sponsors of America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

America's Biggest Boondoggle is referred to in the most bizarre  paragraph in this badly written editorial...

Stevens said completing the pipeline is his No. 1 goal if voters return him to the board, along with maintaining flood control. The Panther Island floodway “town lake” project downtown is on schedule from TRWD’s end and awaits state bridge construction, he said.

One of the three candidates endorsed by the Star-Telegram is incumbent Jack Stevens, he being the source of the nonsensical gibberish in the above paragraph.

The Panther Island floodway? The "town lake" project downtown? Is on schedule? Bridges await state construction?

Is this Jack Steven incumbent actually not aware that those bridges have been under construction ever since a big TNT explosive ceremony celebrated the start of bridge construction years ago, with the bridge construction now stalled for over a year, with that construction stall's reason also left unexplained for over a year?

The Star-Telegram makes no mention of one of the TRWD Board candidates, that being locally well-regarded realtor, Andra Beatty.  Andra Beatty, along with Mary Kelleher, was endorsed by the Star-Telegraph recently in an endorsement asking the question Say WHAT???.

The Star-Telegram's third TRWD endorsement, the only non-incumbent endorsed, is James Hill. Apparently the Star-Telegram is following the national  trend of having in-experienced thirty-somethings, like James Hill's look-alike, Jared Kushner, in positions for which they have no experience.

Then again, maybe it is Fort Worth which started the national trend of putting young incompetents in positions for which they have zero experience.

How old was J.D. Granger when he was given the Trinity River Vision Authority Executive Director job for which it is now obvious he was woefully unqualified? What with that vision turning into America's Biggest Boondoggle, currently with those three bridge's construction halted for over a year, with those three stalled simple bridges intended to connect the Fort Worth mainland to that imaginary island, with maybe, someday, a ditch dug under the bridges, with water added.

Why does the Star-Telegram editorial make no mention of Andra Beatty? The editorial felt the need to bring up the Dallas boogeyman, Monte Bennett, and his supposedly self-serving previous election machinations, supposedly intended to prevent a TRWD pipeline from crossing his property.

Yet no mention made of well regarded local realtor, Andra Beatty.

But the Star-Telegram does tell its readers that candidate Leah King is also worthy of consideration.

The Star-Telegram editorial does not tell its readers that Leah King was part of the Chesapeake Energy operation which wreaked havoc in Fort Worth and Tarrant County before Chesapeake's disgraced exit from the prominent position it held in Fort Worth and Tarrant County earlier in this century.

On Circle Trail With Flowers Going Wild While Jet Fighters Roar

What with another balmy spring day, with the sun shining over a bright blue cloud-free sky, I decided to have myself a bout of outdoor fresh air exposure along with getting some endorphins via aerobic stimulation.

About a mile into getting those endorphins I came upon the giant pink wildflowers you see here.

Actually those are not giant flowers, but are actually dainty wildflowers which I believe are known as pink primroses.

Or maybe pink evening primroses now that you are causing me to think more about it.

I got close to the wildflowers with the camera in macro mode to take the primrose portrait you see above.

Whilst walking today I heard and saw more jet fighters doing their practice thing out of Sheppard Air Force Base than I recollect ever hearing or seeing at any time previous. I assume this increased activity has nothing to do with Syria.

Well, it is time for lunch, Chinese themed, cooked in a wok, which I hope I don't cause to go into flame mode...

A Balmy Circle Trail Walk Seeking Wichita Falls Bluebonnets

The spring version of summer-like heat has returned to my location in the zone of Texas known as Texoma.

I was in downtown Wichita Falls this morning, along with masses of other Texoma-ites, happy that this thing called air-conditioning had been invented.

Upon my return to my domicile I decided to enjoy the balmy blue sky via a walk on the Circle Trail which circles by my abode, seeking seeing my first bluebonnet of this blooming season.

In the above view you are looking north, with that aforementioned Circle Trail barely visible among the trees on the left. A dirt path used for horse travel parallels the Circle Trail and Holliday Creek at this location

As you can see, Holliday Creek is not in rampaging rapids mode, currently, as it ambles down Holliday Gorge on its way to its intersection with the muddy red waters of the Wichita River.

So far spring at my location in Tornado Alley has been mild, weather-wise. The closest lightning has struck has been several miles from my location. I have only heard the tornado sirens when they are in test mode, which happened yesterday. It is startling when those sirens go off without warning.

In Fort Worth the tornado sirens are tested every Wednesday at noon, if I remember right. The noise may have come an hour later. In Wichita Falls there seems to be no set schedule for testing the tornado sirens.

According to the current forecast the upcoming Sunday and Monday are the next points in time where lightning may be striking, hail pelting, wind blowing, and a tornado possible.

I always wait til I hear a nearby boom before I go to the bother of battening down my hatches...

No Orcas Seen In Fort Worth's Muddy Trinity River Vision

I guess this would fall into the category of things I see via west coast news sources which I would not expect to see in a Texas news source about something in Texas.

But, what I really thought was that this was a cool picture.

And, yes, of course one would never expect to see an Orca killer whale cruising in Fort Worth's Trinity River.

An alligator, yes, killer whale, no.

I saw this photo yesterday on Facebook, via, I think, Seattle's KOMO TV.

Some commenters commented that this did not look like a recent photo, due to the paucity of tall buildings.

Those commenters are used to seeing the usual view of the Space Needle, from atop Queen  Anne Hill, looking south, with the Space Needle appearing to loom large over the Seattle skyline, with Mount Rainier appearing to hover high further in the background.

The view above is from Elliott Bay, looking east at the Space Needle and the Cascade Mountain foothills in the distance.

The reality is, despite confusing photos indicating otherwise, the Space Needle is shorter than many of the buildings which make up the Seattle skyline, but way taller  than any of the buildings which make up the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

Fort  Worth should build itself some sort of signature tower, their own version of that tower in Dallas, the one in San Antonio, that more famous one in Seattle and that even more famous one in Paris.

This might finally give Fort Worth something which might cause people in other locales in the world to  recognize as being located in Fort Worth, something the city currently lacks.

Well, there is that Fort Worth Stockyards sign...

Balmy Sikes Lake Walk With First Texas Wildflowers Of The Year

This past weekend's weather unpleasantness has faded from memory, what with the return of blue sky and warm air at my location a few miles south of the Red River and the Oklahoma border.

About an hour before noon I opted to enjoy the balmy outdoors via a fast walk to Sikes Lake.

It has been weeks since I have walked to and around Sikes Lake.

Today at Sikes Lake I saw my first outbreak of the year of Texas wildflowers. Those being the pink primroses you see here, with more sort of visible on the other side of the lake.

I am fairly certain I have named this pink wildflower correctly, but if I am wrong I am sure either my favorite Texoma horticulturist, Miss Misty, or my favorite Fort Worth horticulturist, Miss Julie, will correct me.

The pink primrose is the first Texas wildflower my eyes every saw. It was way back in May of 1998. On the way to the Dallas/Fort Worth zone, which at that point in time I did not know was referred to as the Metroplex, or Metromess, on the last night before reaching DFW I stayed over night in Amarillo.

The next morning, heading southeast on 287, I was first struck by seeing the flattest I had ever seen the planet being. A level, flat horizon, far in the distance, no matter what direction one looked. I'd never see anything like this before.

And then delicate, little pink flowers began showing up along the side of the road. After about 100 miles of seeing these little pink flowers I got off the road for a closer look.

I do not remember at what point in time I was informed, or by whom, that these delicate, little pink flowers were wildflowers known as pink primroses.

I have never thought to get close enough to a pink primrose to smell if they share a pleasant type fragrance with their namesake. I suspect not, or such would waft into the air without the need for a close up inspection...

After 4 Years Bertha Is Near Her End Meanwhile In Fort Worth

The after four years part of the headline caught my attention in this Seattle Times The end is near for Bertha: After nearly 2 miles in 4 years, tunnel machine about to break through article.

Bertha's tunnel boring got behind schedule by a couple years when Bertha stalled after hitting an unexpected steel pipe.

There was never a mystery as to why Bertha's tunnel boring came to a halt. The entire debacle was openly covered in a transparent way via multiple media.

Meanwhile in Fort Worth...

Way back in 2014 construction began on the first of three simple little bridges being built over dry land, built with an astonishing four  year timeline. Longer than it took to build the Golden  Gate Bridge and other actual feats of world renowned engineering.

Construction on the only one of the three bridges to actually raise multiple V-piers above the ground has been halted for over a year, with no explanation for the construction halt. When the bridge construction was halted it was reported it would take about a month to resolve whatever the mysterious issue was which halted construction.

A paragraph from the Seattle Times article, the likes of which you likely will never see in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about anything happening in Fort Worth...

The 9,270-foot dig ranks among the trickiest megaprojects in history: Bertha was the largest drill on Earth when it entered the ground nearly four years ago, and it pushed through glacial soils that were abrasive and sloppy.

Meanwhile in Fort Worth...

If Fort Worth did have an actual newspaper doing what actual newspapers do, as in informing its readers about these things called facts and information, a paragraph from an article about America's Biggest Boondoggles' stalled bridge construction might go something like this...

The three simple little non-signature bridges rank among the simplest construction projects in public works history, with the longest project construction timeline for such a simple project, which has now been ground to a halt for over a year for reasons which no one apparently has an explanation.

On a related note, someone named Anonymous made an anonymous comment  to a blog post from a couple days ago about the Fort Worth Bridge Boondoggle, with that comment consisting of a quote which sort of makes clear what one of the problems is which has turned what should have been a relatively simple public works project into America's Biggest Boondoggle...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Overhead Look At Year's Progress Building Fort Worth Bridges Over Dry Land":

People are always asking when this project is going to start. Well, we’ve started after years and years of planning. We’ve been pregnant for a long time, now we are showing.

~J.D. Granger, executive director of the Trinity River Vision Authority, July 2008

___________________

That J.D. Granger quote is almost a decade old. In 2008 Granger is saying this project has been going on for year and years, and that now, in 2008, the project is going to be showing progress for the first time.

It is now almost ten years later. That is one super long, record breaking pregnancy. A large part of the pregnant project has been in the hospital for over a year. Apparently with the doctors unable to determine what has gone wrong with the pregnancy.

Meanwhile, only in Fort Worth, after such an inept debacle, would someone like J.D. Granger not be fired from a job for which he had zero qualifications, other than a mother who needed to  be motivated to keep her son employed by directing federal money to what, under her son, has become America's Biggest Boondoggle...

Overhead Look At Year's Progress Building Fort Worth Bridges Over Dry Land

Since we are now in the month of April of the year 2017 we are in the second year of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision's stalled construction of three simple little bridges currently not being built over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

Know one knows, or is confessing to knowing, the real reason why the construction of these vitally needed bridges has been stalled for over a year.

These bridges are key to a direly needed flood control and economic development scheme which has been scheming along for most of this century, with little to show for the effort, even though,  you know, it is vitally needed, to protect downtown Fort Worth from a flooding Trinity River, where no flooding has happened for well over a half century due to flood control levees successfully keeping the river in its place.

A couple days ago I blogged about America's Biggest Boondoggle's bridges. Someone named Anonymous then made an anonymous comment which led me to the two images you see here.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Again Hoping To See Fort Worth Boondoggle's Bridge Under Construction":

These two images were taken a year apart.

The link in the Anonymous post went to a post in a forum devoted to the Trinity River Vision on a Fort Worth architecture website devoted to all the amazing architectural wonders in Fort Worth.

The Anonymous pair of images show the amount of progress made in a year of the Boondoggle boondoggling along. I think the second image is the more recent one due to the construction site looking, maybe, as if some progress has occurred....

This Downpour Is No April Fools Day Joke

Midway through  the first day of April the sky has begun to drip. Not yet in copious amounts, and, so far, without the predicted thunder booms.

I think the thunder booms are scheduled to arrive later in the day.

Spencer Jack texted me this morning with a message and a photo. I am fairly sure both the message and the photo are what are known as an April Fools Day prank.

I blogged Spencer Jack's April Fools Day message in a blogging titled Seattle Space Needle Collapses.

That aforementioned dripping has now gone into downpour mode.

As you can sort of tell via the picture above, taken from my computer room window, in addition to  rain, the wind is busy blowing.

That is not the Puerto Rican flag under the American flag.  That is the Texas state flag, The Lone Star should have clued you non-Texans as to what flag is furling under the Stars and Stripes.

I think I should go batten down the hatches now...

No Wichita Falls Sirens Yesterday While Tornado Touches Down In Monroe Washington

This blogging falls into the category of being a variant of blogging about something I read in a west coast online news source which I would not expect to be reading in a Texas online news source, such as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, about something in Texas.

In other words. It is not unusual to read an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about a tornado or two touching down in the D/FW zone.

However, it is unusual to read an article in the Seattle Times about a tornado touching down in the Western Washington zone.

In this case, the town of Monroe, where a tornado touched down yesterday, Thursday morning, knocking over a couple RVs, tossing a trampoline and doing some damage to a car.

I do not think the Monroe tornado is going to warrant an F rating.

Monroe is in Snohomish County, If my memory is working correctly Monroe is about 40 miles slightly northeast of Seattle, 20 miles east of Everett, maybe 50 miles slightly southeast of my old home zone in the Skagit Valley.

I hope this Western Washington tornado is not part of a trend, brought about by the ongoing climate change. There are no Tornado Sirens in Western Washington. Tsunami Evacuation Routes, and Volcano Eruption Evacuation Routes. But, no Tornado Sirens....