Works in Progress

To the Man with the Haunted Look   who found me at the end of a line of black-clad allies holding warning signs and said, “I get it. I see. But what do I do?”   Here is what I wish I’d said, as forests bloom across the land, graced…

A version of this article appeared in The JOLT. The Port of Olympia owns approximately $500 million in property, according to data received from the County Assessor. But, unlike a normal landlord, it loses money on each of its major commercial business units – the Marine Terminal, Marina, Airport, and…

Works in Progress invited the 4 Port Commission candidates, Krag Unsoeld, Jerry Toompas, Bob Iyall and Anthony Hemstad, to answer 3 questions. We only received responses from Krag Unsoeld and Jerry Toompas, which are below. 1. The Port dredges to remove toxic sediments and to maintain the shipping lane for…

Before beginning my graduate school capstone project, my professors told me to look back at all the papers I’d written and identify themes. A pattern emerged almost immediately. In paper after paper, I was asking the same question: “Why is Olympia like this?” Why did that restaurant close? What is…

On September 17, the Local Good Governance Coalition (LGGC) sent a request to the cities of Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm and to Thurston County asking that they adopt a Resolution to Protect the Constitutional Rights of its residents. The Local Good Governance Coalition consists of local organizations and interested individuals…

RESOLUTION FOR THE CITY OF OLYMPIA (LACEY, TUMWATER, YELM, THURSTON COUNTY) CITY COUNCIL TO SEND REQUEST TO WASHINGTON’S FEDERAL AND STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS TO DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF RESIDENTS The following Resolution was duly presented for consideration by the City Council: WHEREAS, as lawmakers sworn to uphold…

This November, Olympia voters have a chance to make history by voting Yes on Proposition 1 — the Workers’ Bill of Rights. It’s a community-driven initiative that puts fairness, stability, and dignity at the center of our local economy — for workers in every field, from grocery clerks to caregivers…

Originally published at https://www.olyrising.com/facts Empowering workers. Strengthening our community. Myth: “Raising the minimum wage will cause massive job losses.” Fact: Research consistently shows that moderate wage increases have minimal impact on employment. In some cases, they even lead to job growth due to increased consumer spending. Economic Policy Institute |…

Reprinted with permission from the Freedom Socialist Washington State Labor Council  Union delegates came to the annual Washington State Labor Council convention in July fired up to resist Trump’s wholesale assault. Rage over mass deportations and the genocide in Gaza produced resolutions calling for mass actions and a general strike.…

Public Input on an Important Change The Board of County Commissioners will be holding a public hearing on November 18 @ 3:30 to decide whether to change the process by which appeals of hearing examiner decisions are reviewed. Presently, those appealing a decision by the hearing examiner are able to…

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The hummingbird found the gentle morning mist rising from the spray of water I was aiming at the brown leaves of a shriveled bush. She circled round the edges of the mist darting in and out to find the sweet spot—not so much that she’d tumble over like a mainsail…

Not long ago, a homeless woman named Sonya was sitting on the ground next to a bench in Sylvester Park in downtown Olympia, Washington. Her clothing was strewn across the wet grass; her appearance was disheveled; her speech chaotic. “Why bother with her?” a man said as he walked by.…

(Jim Lazar describes past “fixes” and proposed future solutions in Part II of this article, published in this issue of WIP.) How does Medicare’s Solvency Problem Compare with Social Security’s? Last month I looked at the challenges facing Social Security. There, the problem is relatively simple. The program is based…

(If you missed the first part of this article, see this issue of WIP for “Medicare: A Challenged Program – Part I – The Current Situation”.) Past Attempts to Solve Medicare’s Solvency Problems The Congress has done a number of things to attempt to “fix” Medicare – to keep benefits…

The United States has more wealth inequality than any other major developed nation The Pew Research Center found that the wealth gap between America’s richest and poorer families more than doubled from 1989 to 2016. In 1989, the richest 5% of families had 114 times as much wealth as families…

Political views traverse along a rocky path from the Ultra-Liberal Democrats to the MAGA Right Republicans. Differences in “party politics” can quickly become inflamed and even harm relationships great and small. Between these polar opposites in ”political views” lies the self-interested citizen, used here to describe any individual in any…

Reprinted with permission from PeaceVoice During some of the large anti-war demonstrations during the 1960s some of the protesters gave flowers to the troops faced off against them. In the 1967 March on the Pentagon it was the 503rd Military Police Battalion, and elsewhere the National Guard was deployed. An iconic photo…

Reprinted with permission from PeaceVoice You don’t have to be radical leftist to be concerned about the way Donald Trump and his MAGAs are threatening the well-being of ordinary Americans—and government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In a recent Washington Post poll, those polled disapprove of…

Reprinted with permission from PeaceVoice On a damp morning in Hamilton, Ontario, Rabbi David Mivasair leans over a laptop in his home office, toggling between WhatsApp threads filled with names he now knows by heart — families in Gaza he has been speaking with for nearly two years. A father…