Did Washington just earn its most liberal state of the country award? (Seattle: renter, public schools)

[CarawayDJ]

Originally Posted by 509

Well, I am NOT a libertarian, but the 10th Amendment gives much authority to the states.

What the hell is the Federal Governments rationale on their jurisdiction?

When they went after Montana for no speed limit they threatened removal of highway funds. I always thought Reagan made a mistake on that one.

Nevada had no speed limit, gambling and whoring. The FEDS only cared about the speed limit.

Anyway, what was the point in electing Obama if he is JUST like Bush??

No expert on this, but I believe there is an international treaty involved. Leaving that aside, the federal government's most popular catch-all is the commerce clause. Nearly impossible to do much of anything without some part of something crossing state lines.

This will make for an interesting debate.

[PollyGlott]

Originally Posted by xboxmas

Most of Washington is actually conservative. Its just King County(particularly Seattle) that runs everything. If Washington didn't have King County, I think things would be a lot different.

Now there's an understatement!

[eskercurve]

WA isn't a liberal state. It's a conservative state with a band of heavily populated liberal leaning areas and one HEAVILY liberal county.

I wouldn't consider our state to be the most liberal until one of our cities bans happy meal toys.

[plates]

The most Liberal state overall in America would have to be Hawai'i or from New England (Vermont, Connecticut, or Rhode Island).

[PS90]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

WA, definately FAR from a Liberal state, tho very adament to become a California Me Too State.

Rememeber... elections in WA don't represent the STATE, only 2 counties within the state. The rest of the state just lives / funds / deals with the results. There are millions of WA voters who have NEVER been on the winning side of a single issue / vote.
(but only 31 yrs of defeat for me...)
Ain't pretty, but so it is with life.

Excellent comment that bears re-posting.

[509]

The Supreme Court is taking a close look at the Commerce clause. However, with this election the constitution is going to be STRETCHED a bit.

Here is the voting on I502 by county. Initiative Measure No. 502 Concerns marijuana

The split is more north-south than east-west. It really only failed to pass in the farm counties. Guess those farmers are not interested in growing another cash crop!!

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by 509

The Supreme Court is taking a close look at the Commerce clause. However, with this election the constitution is going to be STRETCHED a bit.

Here is the voting on I502 by county. Initiative Measure No. 502 Concerns marijuana

The split is more north-south than east-west. It really only failed to pass in the farm counties. Guess those farmers are not interested in growing another cash crop!!

Really interesting map of the vote by county. A whole bunch of counties voted for Romney and for marijuana legalization, meaning there were plenty of Republicans voting for legalized marijuana. And in the counties voting for Obama, the percentage voting for legal marijuana was generally much smaller than the percent who voted for Obama. If I'm not mistaken, in those farm counties, hops and wine grapes are pretty big crops. Maybe they didn't want the competition?...and...Okonogan County voted yes on 502? Who'd have thunk?

[BellevueNative]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

WA, definately FAR from a Liberal state, tho very adament to become a California Me Too State.

Rememeber... elections in WA don't represent the STATE, only 2 counties within the state. The rest of the state just lives / funds / deals with the results. There are millions of WA voters who have NEVER been on the winning side of a single issue / vote.
(but only 31 yrs of defeat for me...)
Ain't pretty, but so it is with life.

This is the silliest argument. When you say "the rest of the state" just lives with the decisions of two counties (and c'mon, it's way more than just two populous counties), are you talking about land mass, or people? Because it makes no sense! The vote of a person in Seattle has no more weight than a vote of a person in Spokane (a populous county), Walla Walla or Chelan. King County does not "dictate" the results of elections...the people who live there cast one vote per person just like everywhere else in the state. It just so happens that a lot of people live in King County, so that is a lot of individual - not collective - votes to count. And once they are counted, their votes are put into a big ol' spreadsheet right along with yours, or Sally's from Pasco. Statewide elections are based on popular vote - not on how the county swings, or one county's "power" over another. It's not as if counties are assigned a certain number of electoral votes like in the presidential election.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Really interesting map of the vote by county. A whole bunch of counties voted for Romney and for marijuana legalization, meaning there were plenty of Republicans voting for legalized marijuana. And in the counties voting for Obama, the percentage voting for legal marijuana was generally much smaller than the percent who voted for Obama. If I'm not mistaken, in those farm counties, hops and wine grapes are pretty big crops. Maybe they didn't want the competition?...and...Okonogan County voted yes on 502? Who'd have thunk?

Well, if you know anything about Okanogan county, it's not at all surprising about I502. There is a large contingent of a specific group of people that are really into their "hemp goods" and "barter fairs".

[PS90]

Originally Posted by BellevueNative

This is the silliest argument. When you say "the rest of the state" just lives with the decisions of two counties (and c'mon, it's way more than just two populous counties), are you talking about land mass, or people? Because it makes no sense! The vote of a person in Seattle has no more weight than a vote of a person in Spokane (a populous county), Walla Walla or Chelan. King County does not "dictate" the results of elections...the people who live there cast one vote per person just like everywhere else in the state. It just so happens that a lot of people live in King County, so that is a lot of individual - not collective - votes to count. And once they are counted, their votes are put into a big ol' spreadsheet right along with yours, or Sally's from Pasco. Statewide elections are based on popular vote - not on how the county swings, or one county's "power" over another. It's not as if counties are assigned a certain number of electoral votes like in the presidential election.

Uhhh, what's your point? Semantics don't change the fact that the vast majority of the state's democratic decisions are controlled by a large, isolated group of people who just happen to have the greater population in a very small geographic area. I'm not StealthRabbit, but it seems to me that was the point he/she was making, and I don't see how that point can be argued.

I stole this from the website that "509" just referenced, but I think it makes a clear point on said division, re: Ref-74:

Referendum Measure No. 74 Concerns marriage for same-sex couples