Hard times are hitting our heroes and heroines the hardest

A good many veterans, for all the kowtowing, bumper-sticker-patriotism, are getting the shaft.

Yes, these very men and women who we justly salute as our nation's champions, in theory, are too often treated like chumps, in reality. Take, especially, veterans of the U.S. battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. They're finding it far harder than veterans of earlier wars to make the shift back into civilian life, very much including the finding of a job. Veterans who’ve left military service during the past 10 years have an unemployment rate of 11.7 percent, according to recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's way above the overall jobless rate of 9.1 percent.

Disheartening enough by itself, this unemployment report fits all too well with a recent Pew Research Center survey. The survey says that a good many veterans feel that their military years made them better people, enriching their character, maturity and self-confidence. But more than 40 percent of these men and women who served in the past decade said the transition back to civilian life was arduous. And that's almost twice the rate of veterans who served before them.

You might want to check out this article, Veterans’ unemployment outpaces civilian rate, in the Oct. 16, 2011, Washington Post.

Earlier this year in Olympia, the Legislature approved several measures of keen interest and importance both for veterans and active-duty servicemen and servicewomen, and for their loved ones:

• Electronic voting for overseas Washingtonians (House Bill 1000)
• Meeting professional licensing requirements (House Bill 1418)
• Preferences in Employment (House Bill 1432)
• Helping people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (House Bill 1614)
• Establishing an “Honor and Remember Flag” (House Joint Memorial 4004)
• Ballots for Military Voters and Other Overseas Voters (Senate Bill 5171)
• Meeting professional licensing requirements (Senate Bill 5307)
• A raffle to help veterans (Senate Bill 5806)

Veterans and other interested folks are always encouraged to review information and resources at the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. The office is located at 1102 Quince St. S.E. in Olympia. The mailing address is P.O. Box 41150/Olympia WA 98504, and the phone numbers are 360-725-2200, 1-800-562-0132 (toll free), and TDD 360-725-2199 (for hearing-impaired folks).

A message from the wife of Senator Scott White

Senator White’s wife, Alison Carl White, has issued the following statement:

"Scott’s family and I wish to express our appreciation for the outpouring of support we have received since learning of his passing. He was a tremendous husband, father and public official, and we are deeply moved by the nobility and honor with which his professional accomplishments are remembered. We are consoled by the support of friends, colleagues and our community. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated."

Donations can be made to the Wedgewood Elementary PTSA, EarthCorps, or to the Scott White Memorial Fund, an education fund for his two children, which has been established at Wells Fargo:

Scott White Memorial Fund
PO Box 95675 Seattle, WA 98145-2675
Account Number: 1559550528
Routing Number: 125008547

A public service will be held later this week. Please respect the family’s wishes for privacy at this time.

Statement from Speaker Frank Chopp on the sudden passing of Sen. Scott White

"My family and I are shocked and saddened by Scott's death. He was a bright young leader and an intelligent, energetic public servant. But above all, he was a dedicated husband and father. The loss we feel at losing a friend and fine legislator is nothing compared to the loss felt by his wife and two children. All our thoughts and sympathies are with them."

You might call it the “See Willy” project

Look for these signs on Washington's ferries

Well, OK: Keiko, the killer whale who starred in the original "Free Willy" movie, is no longer with us, but fellow members of his orca species swim in the waters of Puget Sound – and the Washington State Ferries are making it easier for passengers to identify orcas and other marine mammals spotted on trips across the water.

In conjunction with The Whale Trail, a nonprofit organization, the state ferry system is posting signs on board its vessels and in ferry terminals that depict and describe the orca, the gray whale, the Dall's porpoise and the California sea lion, as well as some other species. It's a mobile extension of the organization's existing network of onshore marine mammal viewing sites scattered around Puget Sound.
 
The Whale Trail aims to build public appreciation for marine mammals to encourage stewardship of their habitat. To learn more about the ferry sign project, click here.

Spokane: Tonight's the night for critiquing draft 2012 State Energy Strategy

Folks in the Spokane area are encouraged to pop by the Washington State University Spokane campus
early this evening for an opportunity to get their two cents in on the draft 2012 State Energy Strategy. The Washington State Department of Commerce is hosting the public meeting, 5-7 p.m., to review the Energy Strategy. Doors open at 4:30 for the get-together in Academic Center Room 147 of the WSU Spokane facility, which you'll find at 600 N. Riverpoint Blvd.
 
An advisory committee is using contributions from key stakeholders and private citizens in developing the state's new energy plan of action. The final document will be submitted in December. Opportunities for public comment will close Sunday, Oct. 23. You can submit comments via email or postal mail. The email address is energystrategy@commerce.wa.gov. The snail-mail address is Roel Hammerschlag, Department of Commerce/PO Box 42525/Olympia WA 98504.

Smart traffic lights and live streaming cameras

The Alaskan Way Viaduct closes tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 21) for nine days. To help motorists get around during the construction work, the city of Seattle's Department of Transportation is trying two new innovations: live streaming traffic cameras and technology that not only senses traffic conditions, but automatically adjusts red lights to move things along.

This is an important innovation that other cities – and the state – should look at. Building new highways and bridges is incredibly expensive, both on the state and local level.

Because our state is growing, we need to keep working to serve more citizens trying to get to work or the grocery store – and businesses getting goods to market.

Yet building new highways and bridges is incredibly expensive. New technology and innovations like this, on the other hand, are relatively cheap solutions.

Here's a recent news story from KING 5 on the new live streaming cameras.

Click here for more information on the Viaduct project.

Shorter lines, faster service at DOL offices

The state Department of Licensing issued a press release last week that seems to confirm what was recently reported by KIRO FM: a trip to your local DOL office, "doesn't have to suck."

Once synonymous with excruciatingly long wait times, DOL offices are becoming more customer-friendly these days thanks to more online options. Things like changing your address, replacing a lost or stolen card, obtaining a copy of your driving record or even renewing your license can now be handled via the web, removing hundreds of thousands of people from DOL lines throughout the state. Yes, that's right: hundreds of thousands. This has already produced a noticeable drop in office wait times. 

And wait times are likely to keep right on decreasing as a result of House Bill 1635, which passed the Legislature this year. It authorizes driver training schools and public schools to administer both the written and driving portions of the driver licensing exam. This change frees up DOL staff to handle more customers at the counter, rather than be out on the roads administering driving tests. According to a DOL spokesperson, the driver training schools should be able to begin administering the exams in spring or summer of next year.

Shorter lines and faster service were exactly what Rep. Dave Upthegrove was going for when he sponsored HB 1635. The DOL office with the longest wait times in the state serves the Highline portion of his district, and he has personally experienced the agony of standing in line there. Now even the wait time at that location has decreased, according to the KIRO FM report.

At this rate, a trip to the DOL may soon be downright fun.