Spew

Morning Spew

NEWS TEAM: GOOD MORNING SOUTH SOUND >>>

Military budget: $416 million OK'd for state bases.

Sign Of The Times: Pierce County leaders will attack advertisements.

Open That Rucksack!: Ban on tobacco urged in military.

Ghana: Obama preaches tough love.

This Is Ridiculous: Tight mortgage rules exclude even good risks.

Monkeys Say: Permanent diet may equal longer life.

Swim Club Head: We're not racists.

Those Crazy Scandinavians

Pierce County: reducing marine patrols

MATT DRISCOLL: SHAWN BUNNEY’S PISSED, BUT ED TROYER DOESN’T CARE >>>

If ever you need some direction when it comes to spending your own money, it seems the Pierce County Council is probably up for it.

Earlier this week, in reaction to a recent announcement by elected Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor that he plans to reduce marine patrols in an act of budget trimming, councilmember Shawn Bunney sent a letter to Pastor’s office letting it be known just why, and how adamantly, he objects to such an idea.

Not surprisingly, Bunney cited the yearly deaths on Pierce County waters and noted that the dangers alcohol poses on the roadways also apply on our area’s many lakes. Anyone that’s ever boated on Lake Tapps knows this to be true. It’s like a shirtless drunk fest most weekends of the summer. Bunney says such risks are just too serious to ignore.

Especially, Bunney notes, considering the Sheriff’s office fared better than most when it came to the last round of county budget cuts. At the moment, Bunney is quick to point out and use to his advantage, the Sheriff’s office is slated to see a five percent increase in budget from 2008 to ’09. Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer calls that math “smoke and mirrors,” pointing out that any increase will go toward overtime and already-negotiated salary benefits.

“These are extremely difficult times. Even so, the Council and Executive worked very hard to keep the Sheriff’s Department funding intact,” writes Bunney.

“Why target an important first responder force like Marine Services for substantial reductions while leaving other non-first-responder portions of your budget completely intact?”

Troyer calls BS.

Morning Spew

NEWS TEAM: GOOD MORNING SOUTH SOUND >>>

It’s Opening Day!

Tapping into happiness

Tax Day Tea Party tomorrow

John McCain disses Sarah Palin.

Obama administration lifts some of the embargoes against Cuba.

Hey pirates: Don’t fuck with us.

We don't want McCarthy's job

MATT DRISCOLL: CRUNCHING NUMBERS, TIGHTENING BELTS >>>

In the midst of economic crisis, Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy and the Pierce County Council just crafted a supplemental budget.

So how bad will it hurt?

We add things up on the Weekly Volcano Web site.

Morning Spew

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

Auditors and assessors and councils, oh my!

Commissioners and sheriffs and budgets, oh my!

The Beluga whale known as Qannik, who makes his home at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, is sick. Real sick.

Obama attempted to inspire confidence in a nation of critics.

Bobble Tiki now knows how to score a cool $2 mil.

Do animals enjoy sex? DUH!

MC Willy Wonka goes off on the stolen fizzy lifting drinks

Morning Spew

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

Unfortunately, Matt Driscoll was right. School bonds are failing.

The Pierce County Council discovered the county’s shortfall has grown to an estimated $10 million to $12 million. This will not be pretty.

Stocks rebound around the globe; U.S. futures climb. … Bobble Tiki’s no financial analyst, but he thinks this might be good news.

President Obama is not fond of Ed Roone and ilk.

Bobble Tiki thinks there might be justice after all: Madoff is reportedly going to plead guilty to 11 charges of fraud, perjury, money laundering and “theft from an employee benefit plan” — yep, you name it, he did it.

Google will let Bobble Tiki choose which kinds of ads he will see while he searches for stories on Chris Brown’s booty calls. Just another step into googlifying his life.

More wacky Europeans? You got it:

Morning Spew

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

Vote today. Do it for the kids.

Your Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air rifle might land you more jail time.

The Chinese have a weird way of celebrating anniversaries.

Finally, ladies! Your extracted fertilized embryos can go toward a good cause.

Can bud kill your Gran Turismo ranking? The Drug Czar Office says, “Totally, dude.”

Suddenly it’s cool not to measure your worth by the price tag on your Dooney & Burke bag.

Drugs make you look like an idiot.

Fingers crossed

MATT DRISCOLL: STILL HOPE FOR ARTS COMMISSION >>>

As I reported in yesterday’s edition of the Weekly Volcano (and on Spew the day before), the Pierce County Arts Commission is currently in survival mode. With a major deficit to deal with the Pierce County Council and County Executive Pat McCarthy will be forced to make many, many spending cuts. While the Arts Commission received its funding for the first quarter of 2009, all other funding has been put on hold until the council and executive pass a supplemental budget at the end of the March. Many involved with the Pierce County Arts Commission, perhaps most vocally Chris Van Vechten, fear the funding may be gone for good.

I spoke with county councilmember Tim Farrell earlier today and he told me he doesn’t anticipate the supplemental budget will totally dick the Arts Commission, saying he does expect the commission to receive some funding. However, he also noted things could change (for the worse, presumably) before then, and if things do get worse there’s no guarantee the Arts Commission will be saved.

“I don’t think it’s going to get zeroed,” says Farrell of the Pierce County Arts Commission’s chances of receiving funding in the supplemental budget. “It is on the table.”

“(The Pierce County Arts Commission) is a priority,” continues Farrell. “It’s not the number one priority.”

Stay tuned.

The shaft

MATT DRISCOLL: COUNTY ARTS COMMISSION TRIES TO AVOID IT >>>

The screams are many. And they’re loud. And they’re coming from all directions.

Government entities, on all levels, are feeling the painful bite of extreme recession. With a lack of Benjamins to play with, governments far and wide are facing decisions. And as the axes fall, many are crying for their necks to be saved.

One such scenario is playing out in Pierce County right now. 

Created in 1985, the Pierce County Arts Commission has responsibilities such as awarding grants to area artists and nonprofit arts organizations and supplementing art education in public schools through the hiring of artists in residency. 

At least for the time being, anyway. The Pierce County Arts Commission may soon be a thing of the past — for all intents and purposes. Facing an estimated $8- to $11-million deficit, Pierce County is looking to trim any project deemed “fat” during these times of irrational recession fervor. Apparently, the commission and its miniscule budget — in the neighborhood of $150,000 a year — has been forked as “fat.” Funding for the Pierce County Arts Commission for the rest of ’09 has been put on hold starting March 1 – pending the approval of a supplemental budget in late March. 

Week in Review

MATT DRISCOLL: JOKES ABOUT BIDEN, PORN TAX, DARK SUNGLASSES, AND PLENTY OF DOUBT >>>

Oh, dear lord, how I love Saturday. The alarm clock doesn’t go off, and the coffee isn’t rushed. There’s no kiss goodbye necessary for my wife and kid. There’s no anxiety about whether Pappi Swarner woke up on the right side of the bed or not, because there’s no need to trek in to the office on Saturday.

However, Saturday morning isn’t all rest and relaxation. There’s also some absurdity (and a few questionable pictures from the Internet).

That’s what the Weekly Volcano’s Week in Review is all about.

Let’s get started…

Monday, Feb. 9

Though it seems like a distant memory, Monday meant back to work for most, and it meant press conference time for President Obama. Our leader of Hope and Change spent most of his time behind the podium pimping his economic stimulus package — which despite initial dreams for bipartisan support from the Obama camp has been called almost every name in the tired Republican (spending is a tool of the devil) playbook by the conservatives that oppose it

Whether you agree with The Stimulus or not, it was nice to see a president display an actual command of the English language, unlike that last asshat.

Mark Nickolas dissected the difference on the Huffington Post.

Perhaps the only one not impressed by Obama’s way with words was Joe Biden, who is quickly becoming the Obama Administration's version of that kid who eats glue.