Mr. Smith goes to Olympia

So does Ms. Jones.

And Mr. Doe, Ms. Gonzales, and Mr. Cheung.....

Thousands of people converged on the Capital Campus today as legislators began a special session to address the current $2 billion budget hole. Among the demonstrators were teachers, school employees, parents of children with disabilities, and caregivers for the elderly -- all concerned about how the next round of budget cuts will affect them.

Below are a few glimpses of the crowd.

To read this blog post in Spanish, click here.

"We Are One" Rally in Olympia

Today at noon, nearly 10,000 filled the Capitol Steps in Olympia, union members and concerned citizens alike, making their voice heard. Putting the people first was their message, by closing corporate tax loopholes and providing opportunities for all in our state.

Dozens of House Democrats joined in the rally, energizing them like no other event in recent history.

"Olympia was democracy in action today with so many hard working Washingtonians coming to the People's House to share their concerns regarding the budget cuts," said freshman legislator Kristine Lytton. "We must continue to look at every way to ensure the quality of life we enjoy in Washington is not jeopardized further by looking at all possible solutions."

This is what Democracy sounds like.

This is what Democracy sounds like, outside the House chambers.

Hundreds rally to protect basic services

Just as legislators began listening to the latest revenue forecast in the Senate's Cherberg Building, several hundred people of the Our Economic Future Coalition rallied on the capitol steps to protect basic state services. Instead of slashing education programs and critical safety-net services, participants urged the governor and legislators to end certain tax exemptions to free up revenue in the face of the budget shortfall. Check out some photos from the rally:

"From Washington green to Wisconsin red."

So proclaimed Rep. Chris Reykdal, addressing the throngs of public employee supporters who filled Olympia's capitol rotunda in a show of solidarity with the public employees currently occupying the rotunda in Madison and fighting a proposal by Gov. Walker that would essentially gut their collective bargaining units.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich, along with a Wisconsin public employee, were both on hand to thank our state's workers for the show of support.

Dennis Kucinich-Approved.

The Will of the People...

The "Will of the People" is a phrase with quite a lot of traction this legislative session. There are some who claim the will of the people, opposing the temporary suspension of I-960. Others believe the will of the people favors sustaining government services like including Health Care, Education, and Public Safety, especially through these tough economic times when families need them most.

As they did during Saturday's Finance hearing, the oft-invoked "people" showed up today in great numbers, overwhelmingly urging lawmakers to do whatever it takes to save those essential services. The enthusiastic crowd was a sight to behold, and a giant shot in the arm for tired legislators.

Thanks to all those who participated in today's rally. We needed that.

Silence can make an impact, too

Getting the attention of legislators and media around the Capitol is a perennial challenge during the fast-paced session. Yet we did a double-take this afternoon, walking outside of the John L. O'Brien building.

These mimes proved that you don’t necessarily need to scream the loudest in order to grab eyeballs around here. This group called itself the “Poor People’s Block Party” and was attempting to draw attention to how proposed budget cuts might harm society’s most vulnerable citizens.

We’ll keep our eyes out for other creative displays around campus as the session continues.

Choppers, choice and spinal manipulation

It’s a common (and often inspiring) sight to see groups of regular folks come to Olympia and make a case for legislation. It’s also common practice that groups on opposing sides of an issue converge in Olympia at about the same time. Take today as one example.
As reported by the Seattle Times, chiropractors and physical therapists are in Olympia today to “square off” over the right to manipulate your spine. That explains all the yellow umbrellas and red fleece jackets peppering the capitol campus.

Then there were the pro-choice advocates who rallied today on the capitol steps to celebrate the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. This followed a demonstration by the anti-choice folks who were here in full force yesterday.

In addition, members of the Washington State Confederation of Clubs (a motorcycle club advocacy group) were in Olympia lobbying for an anti-profiling bill that would “condemn and prevent the widespread law enforcement practice of motorcycle profiling.” In this case, we didn’t see any groups lobbying against the anti-profiling bill. We can’t imagine why no one wants to take this group on…