Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Hong Kong’s ‘tutor kings and queens’ and Asian Values

My values piece quoted here: http://drwilda.com/2012/11/26/trying-not-to-raise-a-bumper-crop-of-morons-hong-kongs-tutor-kings-and-queens/

Trying not to raise a bumper crop of morons: Hong Kong’s ‘tutor kings and queens’

26NOV
Here’s today’s COMMENT FROM AN OLD FART: Moi tackled the issue of “model minorities” in Is there a ‘model minority’ ??
Let’s get this out of the way, moi has always thought the term “minority” as applied to certain ethnic groups or cultures is and has been condescending and demeaning. Edward Schumacher-Matos, the NPRombudsman writes in On Race: The Relevance of Saying ‘Minority’http://www.npr.org/blogs/ombudsman/2011/08/29/140040441/covering-race-considering-journalists-use-of-minority This article deals with American society, but the term reflects the thought of many whether dealing with American ethnic groups or international ethnic groups.
Schumacher-Matos cites Mallary Jean Tenore’s article, Journalists value precise language, except when it comes to describing ‘minorities’:
Poynter’s Roy Peter Clark said the word “minorities” may be going through a “semantic shift” — a change in the associations and meanings of words over time. “Sometimes the changes in a word take centuries,” Clark told me. “Other times it can happen very quickly.”
The word “girl,” for example, used to refer to a young person of either gender. The definition of “colored” has also shifted.
The term ‘colored’ was used for a long time to designate African Americans until it was deemed offensive. And it only really referred to ‘black’ people,” Clark said. “Now we have ‘persons of color,’ which seems to be a synonym for non-white. As the population changes, a term like ‘person of color’ rather than ‘minority’ might be more appropriate.”
Some people, however, argue that “person of color” is as bad as “minorities” or worse. We also may be limited by the AP Stylebook or our newsrooms’ style. When that’s the case, it helps to be open with readers about why we use certain terms.
On its “About” page, the Asian American Journalists Association explains: “AAJA uses the term ‘Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders’ to embrace all Americans — both citizens and residents — who self-identify with one or more of the three dozen nationalities and ethnic groups in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific Islands. We use this term to refer to our communities at large, as well as to our membership, which includes representatives from all these regions.”
Recently, the Los Angeles Times published a memo from Assistant Managing Editor Henry Fuhrmann explaining why the Times uses “Latino” over “Hispanic.” Some readers applauded the Times for its decision, while others suggested the term is misleading and raises more questions than it answers.
That’s the problem with using one word or phrase to describe an entire group of people — it never fully captures the nuances of that group. Inevitably, some people  are going to feel slighted or mischaracterized.http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/diversity-at-work/142934/journalists-value-precise-language-except-when-it-comes-to-describing-minorities/http://drwilda.com/2012/06/23/is-there-a-model-minority/
It is difficult to theorize or surmise what is going on in a particular culture if one is not imbued with understanding the context of that culture. Still, Yojana Sharma’s BBC report about Hong Kong’s star tutors makes moi theorize that the families paying the hefty bill are not satisfied with being “minority” anythings.

Sharma reports in BBC article, Meet the ‘tutor kings and queens’ about the educators who are accorded as much adulation and status as rock stars in Hong Kong:

They strike glamorous poses in posters in shopping malls and on the sides of buses.

But they are not movie stars or supermodels: they are Hong Kong’s A-list “tutor kings” and “tutor queens”, offering pupils a chance to improve mediocre grades.
In Hong Kong’s consumer culture, looks sell. Celebrity tutors in their sophisticated hair-dos and designer trappings are treated like idols by their young fans who flock to their classes.
And they have earnings to match – some have become millionaires and appear regularly on television shows.
“If you want to be a top tutor, it definitely helps if you are young and attractive. Students look at your appearance,” said Kelly Mok, 26, a “tutor queen” at King’s Glory, one of Hong Kong’s largest tutorial establishments.
Her designer clothes and accessories are not just for the billboards; it’s how she likes to dress outside classes. But she is also careful to add that she wouldn’t be in such high demand if she could not deliver top grades in her subject,
Richard Eng from Beacon College is often credited with being the first of Hong Kong’s “star tutors”. A former secondary school teacher, he says he got the idea after he featured in photographs advertising his sister, a performance artist.
“In school all the teachers look the same, there’s no excitement,” he said.
Richard Eng has brought a show business approach to the world of improving exam grades
His own image appears on special ring-binders and folders containing study tips, or pens which harbour a pull-out scroll with his picture and other gifts. Such items became so sought after that they propelled him to near-rock star status among young people.
The celebrity tutor phenomenon is a result of the huge growth in out-of-school tutoring in Asia.
It is fuelled by highly pressured examination systems and ambitious parents wanting their children to secure places at top universities and high-status secondary schools.
In societies where success is equated with good exam results, parental anxiety converts into a “steady stream of revenue” for tutoring establishments, according to a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The tutoring industry, or “shadow education” as the ADB calls it, has become very widespread in Asia, fed by the growth in universities and the rising proportion of school leavers aiming for university.
Hong Kong University’s professor Mark Bray, one of the authors of the ADB study, said a staggering 72% of final-year school students in Hong Kong now go to private tutors.
Richer families have always paid for individual tutoring, but the star tutors offer exam tips and revision notes to the less well-off, studying in groups of over 100.
‘Getting an edge’
It’s not just Hong Kong. Tutoring has “spread and intensified in Asia and become more commercialised,” said professor Bray. In South Korea, 90% of primary school children attend such classes.
Forget the elbow patches, tutor Kelly Mok teaches English with style
In South Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, tutorial schools use star tutors to attract even more students. “They have found a way to appeal to young people and pull them in. They create a buzz,” he said.
“We had this phenomenon of star tutors in Kota as well,” said Pramod Maheshwari, chief executive of Career Point Coaching School in Kota, Rajasthan, India, a city of residential tutorial colleges which attract students from all over the country.
“It can give you an edge.” But ultimately, he says, expansion of tutoring is driven not by personalities but by “the inefficiency of the school system”.
“Across India, students’ education level is not up to the mark, and millions are preparing for competitive college examinations. It is a huge market,” said Mr Maheshwari.
In China, where private tutorial schools were unknown until the economy opened up in the 1990s, New Oriental Education and Technology has grown to become one of the largest tutoring schools in Asia with around 2.4 million students this year.
It boasts 17,600 teachers in 49 cities and an online network of over 7.8 million users.
Listed on the New York stock exchange since 2006, its founder Michael Yu (also known as Yu Minhong), became a multi-millionaire on the back of his blend of rote learning exercises, stand-up comedy and motivational speeches.
A man from a humble background, who had become an English teacher at Peking University, Mr Yu used the Hong Kong model of employing star tutors to prepare students for tests for universities abroad.
Extensive tutoring is sometimes seen as contributing to East Asian countries’ high performance in international school comparisons, particularly in mathematics. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20085558
One person does not speaks for a group, but members of a group can often provide useful insight about the group.
Here is Arthur Hu’s take on  INTRODUCTION TO BASIC ASIAN VALUES
One of the most central features of a culture are its values. Values are the standards by which one may judge the difference between good and bad, and the right and wrong things to do. Though some values are universally shared among all cultures, it is the contrast and differences in values of different cultures that can account for the interactions and perceptions that occur between different cultures.
Traditional values are a common thread among individuals in a culture. Stereotyping comes about because of common behavior patterns that are based on common values, and distortion and misperception can come about as a result of misunderstandings of those values. Stereotyping can also be dangerous because people are individuals with their own values which may vary a great deal from the traditional ideal. Values can vary quite a bit depending upon one’s generation, class, education, origin, among other factors. For example, there is considerable difference in what might be called “traditional” and “modern” American values.
Although each distinct Asian culture actually has its own set of values, they all share a common core, which is probably best documented in the Japanese and Chinese traditions, and by philosophers such as Confucius, whose writings had considerable influence throughout Asia. In the Asian American experience, these values interact with what might be called simply “western” or “Caucasian” values, but if one contrasts the values of America with those of Europe, it can be seen that these are really “Modern American” values that provide the best contrasts.
Asian values are very much inter-related. They all support the view of the individual as being a part of a much larger group or family, and place great importance on the well-being of the group, even at the expense of the individual. American values, on the other hand emphasize the importance of the well-being of the individual, and stresses independence and individual initiative. Although it may seem that values such as education, family, and hard work are shared between cultures, these values manifest themselves quite differently in the two cultures.
Some Asian values are so important that some of the cultures, especially the Japanese have given them names of their own, and are used commonly. Here is a list of some of the most outstanding values:
Ie (japanese) – The family as a basic unit of social organization, and as a pattern for the structure of society as a whole.
Education – The whole process of child rearing and education as a means of perpetuating society, and of attaining position within society.
Enyo (japanese) – The conscious use of silence, reserve in manner.
Han (chinese) Conformity, and the suppression of individual attriputes such as talen, anger, or wealth which might disrupt group harmony. (Chinese)
Amae (japanese) – To depend and presume upon the benevolence of others. A deep bonding in human relationships between one who is responsible for another, and one who must depend on another.
Giri (japanese) – Indebtedness, obligation and duty to others, reciprocity.
Gaman (japanese) – Endurance, sticking it out at all costs. Self-sacrifice for the sake of others.
Tui Lien (chinese) – Loss face, shame. The final standard as to how well one lives up to these values.
Family and Education
Probaly the most notable aspect of the modern “Asian Model Minority”­stereotype is that of the academic overachiever. A number of asian students have done conspicuously well in  terms of test scores, gifted student programs, admissions to prestigious schools, academic awards, and in classical music. Though obviously not all Asians fit this pattern, this trend can be attributed primarily to the basic notion of the family, and the central role that education plays in the family.
Great importance is placed on child rearing, and education is a funda­mental aspect of this. Asian parents are more likely to spend much more time with their children, and drive them harder, sometimes even at the expense of their personal time and ambitions of the parents themselves. Though Americans might consider Asian parents to be dominating, parents in turn are expected to give children all the support they can.
While it would no be unusual for an American parent to hire a babysitter to watch the kids while they go out, or expect their children to put them­selves through college lest the parents sacrifice their own stand of living, this is much less likely in an Asian family. Living in an extended family is not unusual, and filial piety, respect for parents is a very important principle.
Unlike the youth orientation in American culture, age and position are most highly respected. The Asian family has within it a heirarchy which is a mirror of the structure of society as whole. For example, the parent child relationship is carried further on to ruler and ruled, employer and employee. Education is the most valued way of achieving position, an success in education is viewed as an act of filial piety. In imperial times, examinations were the only way to achieve position in China. Even in America, education is seen as a key to social mobility, and economic opportunity. Education for their children was a major reason why many immigrants came to America from Asia.http://www.asianweek.com/2012/04/28/introduction-to-basic-asian-values/
There is no such thing as a “model minority” and getting rid of this myth will allow educators to focus on the needs of the individual student. Calling ethnic groups “minorities” is really a misnomer. According to Frank Bass’ Bloomberg article, Nonwhite U.S. Births Become the Majority for First Time:
Minority babies outnumbered white newborns in 2011 for the first time in U.S. history, the latest milestone in a demographic shift that’s transforming the nation.
The percentage of nonwhite newborns rose to 50.4 percent of children younger than a year old from April 2010 to July 2011, while non-Hispanic whites fell to 49.6 percent, the U.S. Census Bureau said today.http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-17/non-white-u-s-births-become-the-majority-for-first-time.html
If a racial identifier must be used, it is better to describe the cultural group or ethnic group with an appropriate term for that group.
The is no magic bullet or “Holy Grail” in education, there is what works to produce academic achievement in each population of students.
What moi observes from the Hong Kong case study is that success does not occur in a vacuum and that students from all walks of life can benefit from the individual intervention to prevent failure.
Related:

The Creation—and Consequences—of the Model Minority Mythhttp://colorlines.com/archives/2011/07/model_minority_myth_interview.html

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Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Exit Poll President 2012 Breakdown By Race - Romney wins Israelis, Whites, Protestants and Men

President Vote 2012 By Group
by Arthur Hu

Survey of 26,565 voters by Edison Research as printed by UK's Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2229225/Presidential-election-2012-Record-number-Hispanic-voters-head-polls.html

Here is the unsorted breakdown:

                   sample    pop       demo      repub     ratio
         men             47                  45        52  0.865385
         women           53        17        55        44      1.25
         white           72        63        39        59  0.661017
         black           13        12        93         6      15.5
         hispanic        10        17        71        27   2.62963
         asian            3         5        73        26  2.807692
         other            2                  58        38  1.526316
         18-29           19                  60        37  1.621622
         30-44           27                  52        45  1.155556
         45-64           38                  47        51  0.921569
         65+             16                  44        56  0.785714
         college         47                  50        48  1.041667
         non-coll        53                  51        47  1.085106
         Israel                              22        57  0.385965
         Muslim                              72        11  6.545455

These give estimates of how Israelis voted,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/05/us-presidential-election-americans-israel_n_2078983.html
One recent survey estimated that more than four-fifths of expatriate voters here cast absentee ballots for Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/the-axis/in-u-s-election-only-israel-and-pakistan-would-have-voted-against-obama.premium-1.475998 Haretz says they have a poll that shows 57 percent of Israeli voters going for Romney while only 22 preferred Obama.

and Muslims:

http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/poll-40-of-muslims-in-us-want-sharia-46-say-criminalize-blasphemy-incl-death-penalty/ showed Muslim voters favoring Obama by 72 to 11, though other polls seem to indicate they like Ron Paul even more, since Paul likes Israel even less and Iran even more than Obama.


http://www.opednews.com/articles/Tracking-the-American-Musl-by-Abdus-Sattar-Ghaza-121015-442.html
Tracking the American Muslim vote in 2012 election 10/16/2012 By Abdus-Sattar Ghazali
Four years ago, Obama enjoyed overwhelming support from Muslim voters -- 89 percent Muslims voted for him.


Catholics:
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=16173
Obama won Catholic vote, regular churchgoers chose Romney
CWN - November 07, 2012

Jewish:
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/11/07/3111381/fighting-over-every-percentile-arguing-about-the-jewish-vote-and-exit-polls
Fighting over every percentage point: Arguing about the Jewish vote and exit polls
By Ron Kampeas · November 7, 2012
"Expect four more years of tussling between Jewish Republicans and Democrats about the meaning of Obama’s dip from 78 percent Jewish support cited in 2008 exit polls to 69 percent this year in the
national exit polls run by a media consortium."

                        Ob  Ro
jewish      69 30 (jta)
catholic    50 48 (cnn)
protestant  57 42 (cnn)
no religion 70 26 (cnn)


Sorted by the Obama ratio:

Sorted by the Obama ratio:
                   pop         demo repub     ratio     vs white
         black       13      93   6      15.5    23.4
         Muslim                  72  11       6.5     9.9
         asian            3      73  26       2.8     4.2
         hispanic        10      71  27       2.6     4.0
         no religion             70  26                   (cnn)
         jewish                  69  30                   (jta)
         18-29           19      60  37       1.6     2.5
         other            2      58  38       1.5     2.3
         women           53      55  44       1.3     1.9
         30-44           27      52  45       1.2     1.7
         non-coll        53      51  47       1.1     1.6
         college         47      50  48       1.0     1.6
         catholic                50  48                   (cnn)
         45-64           38      47  51       0.9     1.4
         men             47      45  52       0.9     1.3
         65+             16      44  56       0.8     1.2
         white           72      39  59       0.7     1.0
         protestant              42  57                   (cnn)
         Israel                  22        57       0.4     0.6


Not that long ago before the 1990s, Asians were pretty reliably Republican, and until recently were still only slightly more Democratic than whites. This exit poll shows that Asians are 4 times more likely  than whites to favor Democrats, the same as for Hispanics.

Muslims prefer Obama by 10 to 1, which seems to show they consider Barack to be one of their own even if he's been reluctant to run as a friend of Muslims. The most supportive group are the Blacks, which if you compare to the white ratio of just 70%, come out as 23 times more likely to favor Obama.

Only the Israelis favored Romney by more than white Americans, which indicates that Israelis are certainly not convinced of Obama's claims that he is as true and loyal friend of Israel as he is of the Palestineans.

Most liberal religions after Muslims was Jewish and non-Religions, Catholics were about evenly split as I've noted they are pretty close to average American in anything, while Protestants who seem to weigh more the conservative than the liberal ones went for Romney, even they think he belongs to a weird Mormon cult religion, at least it's a conservative one instead of Obama's fake Black Liberation Theology.

Voting Patterns 1992-1994

Now I've tracked down exit polls by race going back to 1992 to see where the shifts are. I have a different way a tracking. First I compute the Democrat/ Republican ratio for each group. Then I divide by the rate for whites, so we have an instant measure of which groups are more likely to favor democrats so that 1.0 would be same as whites, and 2.0 would be twice as much.


What the data shows is that whites have been shifting from an even 1.0 in 1992 to 2/3 favoring Republican this year.

Asians used to favor Republicans, but then were about the same, and flipped for Democrats starting with Gore in 2000, with the latest election 4 times more Democratic than the whites, about as liberal as the Hispanics. I was somehow under the impression that Asians were still pretty close to whites, but that hasn't been the case since 1996.

Hispanics have always favored Democrats, but have grown from 2.5 to 4 times

Blacks historically were 10 times more democratic, but this increased to a factor of 24-30 with Obama

Table: Asian Democrat Ratio vs White
White shows D/R ratio
            1992 1996  2000 2004  2008 2012
white       1.0   0.9   0.8  0.7  0.8  .66
------------------------------------------
Minorities compare the D/R ratio to whites
black       8.5   7.5   15   8.3   30   24
asian     1/1.8   1.0  1.7   2.6  2.3  4.3
hispanic    2.5   3.7  2.3   1.6  2.8  4.0


Table: Each year 1992 to 2012
2012      Obam  Romney vs white
black     93     6     23.5
asian     73    26      4.3
hispanic  71    27      4.0
white     39    59      1.0

2008      Obama McCain  vs white
black     95    4    30.4
hisp      67    31    2.8
asian     62    35    2.3
white     43    55    1.0

2004      Kerry Bush  vs white
Black     86%   14%   8.3
Asian     64%   34%   2.6
Latino    54%   45%   1.6
White     42%   57%   1.0

2000      Gore   Bush vs white
Black     90      8  14.5
Hispanic  62     35   2.3
Asian     55     41   1.7
White     42     54   1.0
Asians favor democrats 55 to 42

1996     Clin    Dole   Perot   vs white
Black    84     12      4       7.5
Hispanic 72     21      6       3.7
Asian    43     48      8       1.0
White    43     46      9       1.0
Asians are only slightly more republican
than whites 48-46

1992     clint   Bush  Perot    vs white 
Black    83     10      7       8.5
Hispanic 61     25              2.5
White    39     40      20      1.0
Asian    31     55      15      1/1.8
Asians are more republican than whites 55-40

Minorities Increase In Electorate Population

The Pew Research Center released a report A Milestone En Route to a Majority Minority Nation
by Paul Taylor and D’Vera Cohn which predicts that non-white minorities will be a majority by 2050. They are currently 37% of population but 28% of the votes.

Now it common wisdom that minorities don't vote at the same rate as whites, but the reality is that since the civil rights era, not only literacy rates for blacks approached that of whites, but the voting rate is about the same, with white voters only 14% above their population, and blacks 8% above. The TWO groups that vote at 0.5 or 1/2 are the Hispanics and Asians that are largely immigrant, so the major problem there are the large populations of immigrants who are not citizens eligible to vote:


Table: Relative voting rate
Race        voter   pop     ratio   vs white
White       72      63      1.14    1.00    
Black       13      12      1.08    0.95    
Hispanic    10      17      0.59    0.51    
Asian        3       5      0.60    0.53

This table shows how the population has changed since 1960 and where it is likely to be in 2050, as well as what the 18 yr old population is estimated to be. 

Table: Population by race 1960, 2011, and 2050                                      
        1960    2011    2050   18 yr olds
white   85      63      47     56
hisp    3.5     17      29     21
black   11      12      13     15
asian   0.6     5       9       4

Sunday, November 04, 2012

GOP Bothell Washington Snohomish County Voters Guide 2012

I voted in MN this time, but here is a quick rundown for folks back home from a GOP standpoint, if you are a democrat, you can usually just vote the reverse position unless you happen to like the GOP candidate.

A special hello to Dawn McCravey who was a great Bothell parent and school board president who always fought for the parents and kids, and not  for whatever crazy programs the school administration wanted to have the board rubber stamp, and especially get rid of silly math.

This is what I got from typing in my address at
http://vote-wa.org/Ballot.aspx?State=WA&Election=WA20121106GA&Congress=001&StateSenate=001&StateHouse=001&County=061


Vote for ONE
Compare the candidates


Barack Obama - D

Joe Biden

Website

             


Mitt Romney - R

Paul Ryan


Website

             


Jill E. Stein - G

Cheri Honkala

Website

             


Gary Johnson - L

James P. "Jim" Gray

Website

           


Virgil H. Goode, Jr.CON

James N. Clymer

Website

     
James Harris - SW

    


Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson - J

Luis Rodriguez

Website

       


Peta Lindsay

Yari Osario

Website

  
U.S. Senator
(Vote for no more than one)
Compare the candidates
Maria Cantwell - D

Website

         
Michael Baumgartner - R

Website

             
Write in

Governor
(Vote for no more than one)
Compare the candidates
Jay Inslee - D

Website

             
Rob McKenna - R

Website

             
Write in
Lt. Governor
(Vote for no more than one)
Compare the candidates
Brad Owen - D

Website

         
Bill Finkbeiner - R

Website

       
Write in
Secretary Of State
(Vote for no more than one)
Compare the candidates
Kim Wyman - R

Website

     
Kathleen Drew - D

Website

     
Write in
State Treasurer
(Vote for no more than one)
Compare the candidates
Jim McIntire - D

Website

           
Sharon Hanek - R

Website

  
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State Auditor
(Vote for no more than one)
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James Watkins - R

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Troy Kelley - D

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State Attorney General
(Vote for no more than one)
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Bob Ferguson - D

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Reagan Dunn - R

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Commissioner Of Public Lands
(Vote for no more than one)
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Peter J. GoldmarkD

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Clint Didier - R

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Superintendent Of Public Instruction
(Vote for no more than one)
Randy I. Dorn

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Insurance Commissioner
(Vote for no more than one)
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Mike Kreidler - D

Website

             
John R. Adams - R

  
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State Senator
District 1

(Vote for no more than one)
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Rosemary McAuliffe - D

Website

       
Dawn McCravey - R
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State Representative
District 1 Position #1

(Vote for no more than one)
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Derek Stanford -D

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Sandy Guinn - R

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State Representative
District 1 Position #2

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Luis Moscoso - D

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Mark T. Davies - R

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U.S. Representative
District 1

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John Koster - R

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Suzan Delbene - D

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1st district Senator 
- rosemary McAuliffe D - I never liked this lady who was always pushing the WASL
- X Dawn McCravey - great Bothell mom and school board who always fights for students and parents and whatever dumb ideas the district wants the board to rubber stamp like "deform" mathematics
Endorsed by Everett Herald

1st District Rep Pos 1
- Derek Stanford D
- x Sandy Guinn R  King Co Repub Party endorsed

1st District Rep Pos 2
Luis Moscoso D
Mark T. Davies no party, but endorsed by Koster, King Co GOP


State Supreme Court Pos 9
Sheryl Gordon McCloud

Organizational Endorsements

Law Enforcement
King County Police Officers Guild (KCPOG)
Washington State Patrol Troopers Association
Supporting Organizations
Justice for All PAC of the Washington State Association for Justice supports Sheryl Gordon McCloud
NARAL Pro-Choice Washington
National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington State
OneAmerica Votes
Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest
Public School Employees of Washington
Retired Public Employees Council of Washington
Washington Conservation Voters
Washington Minority Business Action Committee
Labor Organizations
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Spokane Regional Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Aerospace Machinists District Lodge 751
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Washington
Communication Workers of America Local 7803
IBEW Local 46
IBEW Local 77
IBEW Local 191
International Longshoremen’s and Professional & Technical Engineers Local 17
Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 32
SEIU Local 925
SEIU 1199 NW
Teamsters Joint Council #28
Teamsters Local 117
UFCW Local 21
UFCW Local 1439
Warehousemen’s Union Local 23
Washington Carpenters Local 41
Washington Carpenters Local 816
Washington Education Association (WEA)
Washington Federation of State Employees Council 28, AFSCME
Washington State Council of County & City Employees, Council 2 (AFSCME)
Washington State Council of Firefighters
Tribes
Cowlitz Tribe
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Suquamish Tribe
Political Organizations
Washington State Federation of Democratic Women
Washington State Democratic Central Committee
King County Democratic Central Committee
King County Young Democrats
Metropolitan Democratic Club of Seattle
Seattle Democratic Party Meetup Group
Kitsap County Democrats
Mason County Democrats
Kitsap County Democratic Women
Clallam County Democrats
Clark County Democrats
Grays Harbor County Democrats
Klickitat County Democrats
Pacific County Democrats
Pierce County Democrats
San Juan County Democrats
Snohomish County Democrats
Skagit County Democrats
Spokane County Democrats
Thurston County Democrats
Whatcom County Democrats
Whitman County Democrats
Yakima County Democrats
5th District Democrats
11th District Democrats
14th District Democrats
15th District Democrats
23rd District Democrats
25th District Democrats
26th District Democrats
30th District Democrats
31st District Democrats
32nd District Democrats
33rd District Democrats
34th District Democrats
35th District Democrats
36th District Democrats
37th District Democrats
39th District Democrats
41st District Democrats
43rd District Democrats
45th District Democrats
46th District Democrats
47th District Democrats
48th District Democrats

Current and Former Public Officials

Chris Gregoire
Governor of the State of Washington
John Spellman
Former Governor of the State of Washington
Michael J. Murphy
Former Washington State Treasurer
Bonnie Glenn
Special Assistant for Juvenile Justice Policy
Washington State Department of Social &
Health Services
Amanda Lee
Former Member, Clemency & Pardons Board
Sen. Lisa Brown
Senate Majority Leader
3rd District, Washington State Senate
Former Sen. Syd Snyder
19th District, Washington State Senate
Sen. Christine Rolfes
23rd District, Washington State Senate
Rep. Sherry Appleton
23rd District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Rep. Drew Hansen
23rd District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Former Rep. Lynn Kessler
Former House Majority Leader
24th District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Rep. Steve Tharinger
24th District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Sen. Derek Kilmer
26th District, Washington State Senate
Rep. Laurie Jinkins
27th District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Sen. Karen Keiser
33rd District, Washington State Senate
Sen. Sharon Nelson
34th District, Washington State Senate
Sen. Adam Kline
37th District, Washington State Senate
Rep. Marcie Maxwell
41st District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Rep. Jamie Peterson
43rd District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Rep. Roger Goodman
45th District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Rep. Gerry Pollett
46th District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Rep. Ross Hunter
48th District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Sen. Rodney Tom
48th District, Washington State Senate
Rep. Deb Eddy
48th District, Washington State
House of Representatives
Tony Golik


































































































Richard B. Sanders  - endorsed by Washington GOP
  • Tom Chambers, Washington State Supreme Court Justice
  • Jim Johnson, Washington State Supreme Court Justice
  • Charles Smith, Former Washington State Supreme Court Justice
  • Phil Talmadge, Former Washington State Supreme Court Justice
  • Association of Washington Business
  • Washington Realtors
  • Farm Bureau
  • Washington Rental Housing Association
  • Associated General Contractors
  • Gun Owners Action League and NRA
  • U.S. Rep. Ron Paul
  • Rabbi Daniel Lapin
  • Washington State Republican Party
  • Human Life PAC
  • 43rd and 7th Dist Republicans
  • Christian Homeschool Network
  • Building Industry Association of Washington
  • Washington Credit Union League
  • Washington State Libertarian Party
  • Steve Hammond, President, Citizens Alliance for Property Rights
  • "We Believe, We Vote"
Elected Officials (current)
  • Senator Don Benton, 6th LD
  • Senator Jerome Delvin, 8th LD
  • Senator Janea Holmquist Newbry, 13th LD
  • Senator Mike Padden, 4th LD
  • Senator Pam Roach, 31st LD
  • Senator Val Stevens, 39th LD
  • Senator Dan Swecker, 20th LD
  • Rep. John Ahern, 6th LD
  • Rep. Jim McCune, 2nd LD
  • Rep. Joe Schmick, 9th LD
  • Dick Muri, Pierce County Councilman
  • Rep. Matt Shea, 4th LD
  • Rep. Cary Condotta, 12th LD
  • Toby Nixon, Kirkland City Councilmember
Others
  • Wes Uhlman, former Seattle Mayor
  • Pastor Joe Fuiten
  • Jeff Baxter, Former Washington State Senator, 4th LD
  • Douglas Kerley, Former Board Member, Snohomish Labor Council
  • Bill Lever, Former Yakima City Councilman
  • Catherine Milne, Former Mayor and Councilmember, City of Burien
  • Eugene Goldsmith, Former State Represntative
  • Yvonne Goldsmith, Former Ferndale City Council and Mayor
  • Michael Plunkett, former Edmonds City Council
  • Karl Duff, former President, Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners

























Washington Referendums

Sound Politics (conservative)
Statewide Measures -
For more information see: Freedom Foundation Guide
Referendum 74 - Concerning same sex marriage - Legalizes same sex marriage. An emotional issue but one with far reaching implecations. See Clear Fog Blog for several posts on same sex marriage and homosexuality. Vote Rejected
Initiative 502 - Legalizes marijuana. Society already has enough problems with alcohol abuse. Why add another? Vote No
Initiative 1185 - Requires super majority for legislature to pass tax or fee increases. Initiatives can be changed by the legislature after two years. I-1185 renews an existing initiative that is approaching its two year life. See News Tribune Vote Yes
Initiative 1240 - Authorizes 40 public charter schools in the state over five years. Vote Yes
Senate Joint Resolution 8221 - Implements recommendations of the Commission on State Debt. This SJR would amend the state constitution to lower the debt limit of the state from 9% to 8% and change the base for computation. Vote Approved
Senate Joint Resolution 8223 - This SJR amends the state constituion to allow the University of Washington and Washington State University to invest some of its funds in private companies. Currently, only state funds for pensions, developmentally disabled and industrial insurance are allowed to do this.Vote Approved
State Advisory Votes -
These are non binding votes required anytime the legislature votes to increase taxes or fees.
House Bill 2590 - Extends the existance of the Pollution Liability Agency which is funded by a fee on sellers of certain petroleum products. Vote Maintained
Senate Bill 6635 - Eliminates a Business and Occupation tax deduction for certain banks. Vote Maintained

Initiative Measure No. 1185 Concerns Tax And Fee Increases
Initiative Measure No. 1185 concerns tax and fee increases imposed by state government. This measure would restate existing statutory requirements that legislative actions raising taxes must be approved by two-thirds legislative majorities or receive voter approval, and that new or increased fees require majority legislative approval. Should this measure be enacted into law?

[ ] Yes x GOP endorsed
[ ] No
Yes
No
Initiative Measure No. 1240 Concerns Creation Of A Public Charter School System
Initiative Measure No. 1240 concerns creation of a public charter school system. This measure would authorize up to forty publicly-funded charter schools open to all students, operated through approved, nonreligious, nonprofit organizations, with government oversight; and modify certain laws applicable to them as public schools. Should this measure be enacted into law?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No x GOP does not endorse. Mostly rich people pushing for this, not ordinary people
Yes
No
Referendum Measure No. 74 Concerning Marriage For Same-Sex Couples
The legislature passed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6239 concerning marriage for same-sex couples, modified domestic-partnership law, and religious freedom, and voters have filed a sufficient referendum petition on this bill. This bill would allow same-sex couples to marry, preserve domestic partnerships only for seniors, and preserve the right of clergy or religious organizations to refuse to perform, recognize, or accommodate any marriage ceremony. Should this bill be:

[ ] Approved
[ ] Rejected x GOP endorse
Yes
No
Initiative Measure No. 502 Concerns Marijuana
Initiative Measure No. 502 concerns marijuana. This measure would license and regulate marijuana production, distribution, and possession for persons over twenty-one; remove state-law criminal and civil penalties for activities that it authorizes; tax marijuana sales; and earmark marijuana-related revenues. Should this measure be enacted into law?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No x not conservative
Yes
No
Engrossed Senate Joint Resolution No. 8221 Implementing The Commission On State Debt
The Legislature has proposed a constitutional amendment on implementing the Commission on State Debt recommendations regarding Washington's debt limit. This amendment would, starting July 1, 2014, phase-down the debt limit percentage in three steps from nine to eight percent and modify the calculation date, calculation period, and the term general state revenues. Should this constitutional amendment be:

[ ] Approved x if less debt is better
[ ] Rejected
Yes
No
Joint Resolution No. 8223 Concerning Investments By The University Of Washington And Washington State University
The Legislature has proposed a constitutional amendment on investments by the University of Washington and Washington State University. This amendment would create an exception to constitutional restrictions on investing public funds by allowing these universities to invest specified public funds as authorized by the legislature, including in private companies or stock. Should this constitutional amendment be:

[x ] Approved Sound Politics conservative
[ ] Rejected  
Yes
No
Advisory Vote of the People Senate Bill 6635
The legislature eliminated, without a vote of the people, a business and occupation tax deduction for certain financial institutions' interest on residential loans, costing $170,000,000, in its first ten years, for government spending. This tax increase should be:

supported by pro-tax organization
http://budgetandpolicy.org/schmudget/new-revenue-bill-a-step-in-the-right-direction-far-from-balanced-approach
mainly tax breaks for out of state people.

[   ] Repealed to lower taxes, supporters also support increasing other sales and capital gains taxes
[x ] Maintained Sound Politics, Liberals support
Yes
No
Advisory Vote of the People House Bill 2590
The legislature extended, without a vote of the people, expiration of a tax on possession of petroleum products and reduced the tax rate, costing $24,000,000, in its first ten years, for government spending. This tax increase should be:

[ ] Repealed
[ x] Maintained liberals and sound politics
Yes
No