The Quantum Pontiff

"Local" politics.

Siskiyou County, CA (on the CA/OR border), where I grew up (population 44301, population density 8 per square mile, median household income $29530), voted 53.6 percent for McCain and 43.7 percent for Obama. That's extremely close for a very red county (2004 it was 60 percent Bush, 37.7 Kerry.) In other local Siskiyou County news a giant Salmon was found just to the south of Siskiyou County in the Sacramento River.

One can tell that Seattle is once again lagging the nationwide economy (yep), since the voters were in a mood to spend money. (Okay well Western Washington always wants to spend money...especially on Monorails. I mean not on Monorails....I mean especially on Monorails. Wait, I mean not on Monorais...) Sound Transit Prop 1 (extended light rail and buses), Parks Funding and Pike Place Market Repair Funding Seattle Props 1 and 2 all passed. My dog was happy with the Parks funding as it should help get a dog park closer to our home. I haven't told her that the dog park might not include a place to swim. The exception to the spending spree was probably the state vote on I-985 (traffic congestion), which went down.

In a strong Washington tradition, the governors race has been called by some media, but the vote counting is not done. That race has been very nasty of late, with lawyers swearing at each other. Lawyers are so cute when they try to intimidate each other.

In national news, a pseudo-professor like myself one the big one. See what can happen when you turn down tenure? I went outside and banged some pots and pans together in honor of my Great Grandma Bacon who was a staunch Democrat in a family of Republicans (she used to send my father a roll of Roosevelt dimes every year to tweak my grandfather.)