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shawa
CNO
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Posts: 2004
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 Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 9:19 am Post subject: King County Election Director Under Oath |
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| Quote: | King County election director answers questions under oath
By Rebecca Cook
The Associated Press
OLYMPIA — King County Election Director Dean Logan said under oath that he doesn't know whether the 2004 election results in King County were accurate within 129 votes, a deposition transcript reveals.
That was the razor-thin margin of victory for Gov. Christine Gregoire, who won in a hand recount after two previous counts had declared Republican Dino Rossi the winner. Logan was questioned under oath last week in connection with Rossi's legal challenge to Gregoire's election.
The Republicans' election challenge hinges on election errors that they claim allowed illegal votes to be cast and counted in the Gregoire stronghold of King County.
"The question is, do you know whether the returns in King County were accurate within 129 votes?" GOP attorney Rob Maguire asked Logan on page 225 of the 436-page deposition transcript, released Monday night by Rossi's office.
"No, I do not," Logan replied.
During the two-day deposition, Logan also said that King County did not keep track of how many blank ballots were printed at county offices.
"There is an accounting for the ballots once they enter the stream and are tabulated," Logan said. "On the ballot-on-demand ballots there is not an inventory of, a specific inventory of the number of ballots that are produced on the ballot-on-demand system."
"So there is no record of how many ballots that were produced by the ballot-on-demand system that were not returned by voters?" Maguire asked.
"No," Logan replied.
Logan also explained a system in which poll inspectors pick up stacks of shrink-wrapped blank ballots on the Friday before the election. Poll inspectors are picked by the party that won the last presidential election in the county - so in King County, they're all Democrats. At the end of Election Day, the inspectors return any unused shrink-wrapped stacks of ballots and destroy any loose ballots.
"And each individual inspector is responsible for the security and integrity of the ballots that had been given to them?" Maguire asked.
"That's correct," Logan replied.
"Is there any inventory of the number of ballots, unvoted ballots, that are returned from a precinct?" Maguire asked.
"I don't believe that an inventory is maintained of that, no. The ballots themselves are returned and are maintained," Logan said.
Logan's deposition will be evidence in the two-week election challenge trial that's scheduled to start May 23 in Chelan County Superior Court.
Gregoire won by just 129 votes in a hand recount of 2.9 million ballots. Rossi and the state Republican Party challenged the election, arguing that errors irredeemably tainted the election and the results should be overturned. They're hoping for a new election, perhaps as soon as this fall.
Republicans are focusing their challenge on King County, where elections officials have acknowledged mistakes including unverified provisional ballots that were fed straight into vote-counting machines, and felons who voted illegally.
Democrats argue that while the election wasn't perfect, Gregoire is the legitimate governor and they say Republicans lack the evidence to prove otherwise.
On May 2, Judge John Bridges plans to hold a hearing to decide what the burden of proof should be for the GOP. Democrats are arguing that the Republicans should have to identify how every illegal ballot was cast, and subtract the total illegal votes from each candidate. Republicans say that would be impossible - they say the court should deduct illegal votes from Rossi's and Gregoire's totals in proportion to the overall vote each candidate received the illegal voters' precincts. |
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002252997_weblogan25.html
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“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” (Thomas Paine, 1776) |
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LewWaters
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Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 4042
Location: Washington State
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| Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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And in the meantime, our new former attorney general and state legislature is wasting no time raising taxes everywhere they can imagine. Adding 9.5 cents per gallon gas tax, with gas priced as high as it is. Of course, tobacco and alcohol gets another boost (all to help our children, as usual  )
Yet, just about a year and a half ago, King county voted down a proposal to add 10 cents a cup for their lattes (money earmarked to benefit children and schools) while voting to force police to become more tolerant of marijuana users.
The election goes to court May 23 and is expected to last two weeks. What the outcome will be is anyone's guess. In the meantime citizens will be getting raped by a fraudalent winner in the governors seat and a willing legislature (including turncoat Republicans) that can't wait to shove their hands deeper into the pockets of wage earners.
Feeling a bit perturbed at the latest rapings of my wallet, I sent the following to the former attorney general last night;
| Quote: | Hello, having heard of the latest tax increases, it is my firm conviction that you haven't gone far enough. We need all the money we can get, for our kids, of course.
I propose the following;
1. We need a tax on bicycles and their riders. Riders are twice as likely to be injured in accidents than car drivers, so it is only fair that they pay a fairer portion of taxes. They need to be licensed yearly, just as a car and riders need to carry state licenses that must be renewed periodically, provided the rider may pass a riding examine, just like motorcycles.
2. Bicyclists are exempted from the current 9.5-cent per gallon increase in gasoline taxes, so I propose this shortfall be made up by a tax on Gatorade and other energy drinks. It is only fair that they pay their fair share since they too use the roadways.
3. Obesity is a big problem statewide; therefore, all food needs to be taxed heavily. Being a necessity should not exempt anyone from paying their fair share and sharing in their patriotic duty to pay taxes.
4. Parks and jogging trails need to also be heavily taxed and users need to be charged accordingly. Users of these facilities are prone to pulled muscles and other injuries and their taxation could be used to offset what it costs to treat these people.
5. The latte tax needs to be immediately instituted on all caffeine users. Caffeine is an addictive substance and surely there are problems associated with its use. Coffee drinkers need to be able to share in the patriotic duty of paying their taxes as well. Besides, it will help the children.
6. Large corporations aren't paying enough taxes. Companies like Boeing need their taxes doubled immediately. Don't worry if they threaten to leave the state. If they do, other patriotic companies will die to move their companies here and gladly pay higher taxes to help our children.
7. Every county, city and unincorporated boundary needs a tollbooth on major arteries charging a minimum of $1.00 per passage fee. This could augment the gasoline tax and really help our children.
8. Large trucks need their taxed quadrupled. Their weight alone tears up the roads so they need to pay a fairer share. Don't worry about increased fees to consumers, they won't pay attention to it and will gladly be patriotic and pay it, just to help our children.
9. Anyone making over $15,000 a year needs a surtax on their wages. Since we don't have an income tax, surtax on excessive wages would help offset the budget shortfall. Of course, this would include all state workers and politicians. We all know the Politicians are in the forefront of performing patriotic duty.
10. Medications, including Marijuana, need to be taxed as well. Why should they get a free ride? Pot smokers are patriotic too, I hear, so here is their chance to show it.
11. Oregon residents need to be required to pay Washington sales tax as well. We pay their income tax if we work there, so it's only fair and patriotic that they pay our sales tax.
12. Public pools and lakes need to be taxed as well. Swimmers may become incapacitated and either drown or become injured, so their payment of a tax on water usage would help offset that.
13. Fishing needs to be taxed higher too. Fish may contain mercury and that could lead to illness. Maybe a $500 fishing fee needs to be charged each fisherman to offset any problems. Anything left over could be used to help the children.
14. Hunters also need to pay more. Never mind the Constitution, tax their firearms and ammunition. Charge them $200 per animal they bag as well.
15. Those below the poverty level could pay tax as well. Charge them a poverty tax and this alone would encourage them to go find better jobs and get out of poverty. This also would apply to homeless people. To stop paying the extra tax, they will need to find gainful employment and show they now have a home. This would give extra money for the children while they are still in the homeless or poverty situation and they could stop paying it when they increase their income appropriately.
16. An ignorance tax needs to be instituted immediately. Children performing below levels of acceptability in schools would have their parents pay extra taxes to make up for future poverty and the money collected could also be used to help other children. This would also encourage parents to make their children study and perform better in school.
17. An athletic tax is needed as well. Athletics in school results in injuries and treatment costs us all. So, taxing school athletics would offset this.
18. Professional sports in the state needs to be taxed as well. Fans often imitate professional athletes and are injured as a result. It is only fair that the professionals pay a fair tax to help offset these injuries.
19. A sidewalk tax for pedestrians is a must. Sidewalks are safer for pedestrians, this we all know and it’s only fair that those using them pay for them. Maybe set up a tollbooth periodically for pedestrians using sidewalks to pay for more sidewalks and offset damage done by hard soled shoes.
20. Youths wearing loose and baggy clothing around their hips need to be taxed as well for this. The sight of future “plumbers butts” is unsightly and could result in distraction of either drivers or bicycle riders resulting in their injury. A modest tax of $10 a week should help pay for possible problems from all of us being forced to view young “plumbers butts.”
It is unfair to discriminate against lower income people that smoke and enjoy a beer, as well as lower income people driving to work, so I feel the above proposals would even out the tax load amongst everyone.
Oh yes, politicians need to pay a political tax as well. They should not be exempt from performing their patriotic duty of paying taxes. Not only would that tax benefit our children, it would discourage the dead beat do nothing politicians from running for office. We could end up with good quality politicians running our state and taxing everyone to the max.
If these taxes are not also included in a state budget, I am left to believe that Washington is discriminatory in their taxation, giving wealthy politicians, latte drinkers and pot smokers a free ride.
Thank you |
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Clark County Conservative |
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Me#1You#10
Site Admin
Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 6503
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| Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 2:48 pm Post subject: |
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Lew...
Absolutely terrific. I HOPE you cc'd all your local papers  |
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PhantomSgt
Vice Admiral
Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 972
Location: GUAM, USA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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Could it be said the New Gov is just another tax and spend liberal?
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Retired AF E-8
Independent that leans right of center. |
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shawa
CNO
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Posts: 2004
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| Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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Great letter Lew!!
And I love it that you refuse to call her Governor.
The "new former Attorney General". LOL, that's priceless!!
_________________
“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” (Thomas Paine, 1776) |
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