Ready, set, vote!

Primary ballots mailed today to all registered voters.

Nearly 1.1 million ballots were delivered to the USPS today and will be arriving soon to mailboxes throughout King County. Ballots were mailed to voters serving in the military and those living overseas and out of state on July 17 to allow extra transit time for delivery.

Now that King County votes entirely by mail, ballots are automatically sent to all registered voters 20 days before each election in which they are eligible to vote, making voting easy and convenient. There is no need for voters to re-register or request their ballot be sent to them. Ballots must be returned to Elections or postmarked by August 18, Election Day. Your signature is just as important as your vote; remember to take your time when signing your ballot envelope.

“This is King County’s second countywide, all-mail election,” said Sherril Huff, King County Elections Director. “We have many new on-line features available to help voters with the vote-by-mail process, and we also encourage anyone who would like to see their elections office in action to come to our facility in Renton and view ballot processing from our public observation loop.”

The King County Elections Web site is a great tool for every voter as the “one-stop-shop” for everything related to the election. The ‘your voter guide’ feature allows voters to create a personalized voters’ pamphlet, confirm registration information and find answers to frequently asked questions. Voters can also track the status of their ballot’s journey at three different tracking points. Visit www.kingcounty.gov/elections for more information.

To ensure that voters with disabilities are able to cast a private and independent ballot, three accessible voting centers are available for the August 18 election. In-person accessible voting begins today for all voters at King County Elections' Renton office, weekdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Seattle and Bellevue locations will open on August 14.

For more information on the August 18 primary and special election, visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/elections/200808.aspx.

Letter in support of Obama's health care

From: Debbie Aldrich
Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 1:53 PM
Subject: Letter in support of Obama's health care

Obama Friends, This is a letter written by my Husband, Stephen M. Aldrich MD. he has been a Family Physician now for over 37 years. If you wish to send this on to nay papers I haven't please do. I sent one to the Seattle Times, Skagit Valley Herald, Everett Herald, Bellingham Herald and some other local papers in Sakgit County as well as a copy to both Senators: Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell and Congressman Rick Larson.

Now we need to be sending letters from small business owners.

Thanks, Debbie Aldrich

Stephen M. Aldrich, MD
16713 Bradley Road
Bow, Washington 98232

July 21, 2009

Dear Editor:

After 35 years Family Practice, I made the observation that private health insurances are not always your friends. Medicare has an average of 3+% administrative overhead; private health insurers average 20+%. I am not required to request authorization from Medicare (or Medicaid) for ordering most procedures that are diagnostic or therapeutic. There are more hurdles to many health care issues under private insurance than under most government backed health insurances including military. The exorbitant yearly inflation of “free market” health insurance premiums allows for higher CEO salaries and stockholder dividends, not lower premiums or broader coverage! I believe in competition, that it should improve the product and keep the price competitive – apparently except for private health insurances’ products and premiums.

The “Obama Plan” is being written by your elected Congressional Representatives, with input from his administration. Their goal is to provide affordable health insurance for 46+ million uninsured Americans. If it takes a publicly accessible, federally underwritten, Medicare style health insurance plan to do this, I vote, Yes! The United States is the last developed nation without national health coverage. That is shameful and inexcusable.

If you believe this is Socialism, you should cry, “Foul!’, whenever you pay your taxes for Fire Protection, Law Enforcement (City and County), Education, Public Health and Local Government like Public Utilities, Parks, Dikes, etc. What is so different about health care? Yes, coverage for the uninsured is expensive, but, if you believe it’s too expensive now, ask yourself if you think the prices will go down in the future, and when that may be?

Postponing action on the current Congressional Health Care Legislation is a scare tactic brought to you by those who allowed de-regulation of financial institutions and other financial improprieties causing our current economic recession. Support this crucial legislation, it will get more expensive later. Write, e-mail or call your Congressional Representatives and U.S. Senators and express your support.

Respectfully,

Steve Aldrich, MD

The current Battle in Seattle

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Trepp
Date: Thu, Jul 23, 2009 at 11:37 AM
Subject: THE CURRENT BATTLE IN SEATTLE

If you agree that a well organized and run community of homeless people should not be chased off of previously unused state land then please contact WA state Gov Christine Gregoire (phone, email, fax, twitter - whatever) and ask her to let the good people at Nickelsville remain where they are.

details follow

thank you
Michael
www.nickelsvilleseattle.org
http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.asp

Town Hall: Building our Local Economy

Please join the King County Council at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute for a special Town Hall Meeting on economic development and recovery: Building our Local Economy Wednesday, July 22, 2009 6 p.m. – public reception 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. – program Seattle Biomedical Research Institute 307 Westlake Avenue N, Seattle Last year’s major financial crisis continues to deeply impact our economy. We’ve recently seen some positive signs of recovery, but unemployment remains high and economic indicators are mixed. Planning to attend? Yes No Undecided (Not working? Click here) Watch a video invitation Visit the Town Hall website at www.kingcounty.gov/townhall Come learn about the current state of the economy in our region, what we can expect in the coming year, and what is being done to encourage economic development and recovery. The state’s top economic forecaster will provide a briefing on current economic conditions and trends in our region. We’ll discuss economic development efforts with enterpriseSeattle and job training with the Workforce Development Council. County staff will brief us on the impact of federal stimulus funding, and the Moontown Foundation will discuss preparing young adults for family wage careers in the clean and renewable energy industry. You will have a chance to ask questions of our panelists, share your ideas, and provide public testimony on any issue. Town Hall Meetings are an opportunity for the Council to hear directly from you in your community. We hope to see you there! More about Town Halls The County Council is a regional government committed to engaging King County residents in their local communities. Throughout the year, the Council holds local Town Hall Meetings on issues of public importance. Community members have the opportunity to meet Councilmembers, be briefed by local and regional experts, and provide public testimony. Each Town Hall is a special meeting of the Council's Committee of the Whole (COW), the only standing committee on which all nine members serve. COW considers legislation and policy issues of interest to the entire council. Since 2007, more than 4,100 people have met with Councilmembers at Town Halls held in Auburn, Bellevue, Shoreline, Renton, Carnation, Covington, Federal Way, Burien, Kent, West Seattle, Redmond, Seattle, Maple Valley, and Sammamish. Questions? Please email CouncilTownHall@kingcounty.gov or call 206-296-0335.