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	<title>KEN'S Corner &#38; The Real News...</title>
	<link>http://kenbalsley.com</link>
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	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:48:21 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Election statistics</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Since Thurston County went to an all vote by mail, voter participation has increased three to five percent over voting at polling stations. That fact came from Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman who spoke to the Tumwater Rotary Club today. Wyman said that voters have become predictable in mailing in their ballots. About 15 percent [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://kenbalsley.com/2012/02/22/election-statistics/</link>
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		<title>State budget shifts problem to local government</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Afraid to raise taxes in an election year and afraid of their powerful friends in education and state unions, the Washington State House&#8217;s budget shifts the burden to local governments. It&#8217;s the old kicking the can down the road, except this time they kicked the can into their neighbor&#8217;s backyard. Local governments were given the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://kenbalsley.com/2012/02/22/state-budget-shifts-problem-to-local-government/</link>
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		<title>No more Band-Aids for the state budget</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Don C. Brunell President Association of Washington Business There is finally a bit of good news from Olympia. The state’s Revenue Forecast Council reports that tax revenues for this biennium will be $96 million higher than projected last November, and state tax collections for 2013-15 are projected to grow by 6.6 percent. But we [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://kenbalsley.com/2012/02/17/no-more-band-aids-for-the-state-budget/</link>
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		<title>Emerging trends for local business</title>
		<description><![CDATA[There are several emerging trends that will impact local business both negatively and positively, according to Renee Sunde, marketing and development director of the Economic Development Council. Sunde made her remarks at the regular Wednesday meeting of the Gateway Rotary Club. The first trend is Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM). Not only is it one [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://kenbalsley.com/2012/02/15/emerging-trends-for-local-business/</link>
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		<title>Greece has a message for the US</title>
		<description><![CDATA[OK &#8211; I&#8217;ll admit it. I don&#8217;t know much about Greece. I saw the movies &#8220;My Big Fat Greek Wedding&#8221; and the &#8220;300 Spartans&#8221;, and I know that Greece set the framework for democracy (I suspect that democracy is of Greek origin) but other than that, I don&#8217;t know much about Greece. But, I do [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://kenbalsley.com/2012/02/14/greece-has-a-message-for-the-us/</link>
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		<title>Where have our congress members gone?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I saw my senator Maria Cantwell on television recently, at Sea Tac, talking about some new funding she obtained for the airport. It was a great photo opt for the senator, although she&#8217;s starting to look old. It&#8217;s been that long since I&#8217;ve seen her. But, more to the point, when was the last time [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://kenbalsley.com/2012/02/14/where-have-our-congress-members-gone/</link>
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		<title>New taxes not the answer</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The City of Olympia just completed its annual retreat, looking forward and contemplating what it wants the city to be like in the future. It appears that councilmembers and city staff still see downtown as the key to the city&#8217;s success and still want to see a vibrant and flourishing downtown business sector. They&#8217;ve talked [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://kenbalsley.com/2012/02/07/new-taxes-not-the-answer/</link>
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		<title>Carpenter Road to open next week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Carpenter Road should be opened to two-way traffic by the middle of next week. That&#8217;s the assessment of Lacey&#8217;s Director of Public Works Scott Egger. &#8220;The recent good weather has allowed the contractor to lay down asphalt and that should continue through the weekend,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We hope to be open by Wednesday, if the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://kenbalsley.com/2012/02/02/carpenter-road-to-open-next-week/</link>
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		<title>School bonds &#8211; No &#8211; - levies &#8211; maybe</title>
		<description><![CDATA[All of the school districts in Thurston County have a levy request before the voters &#8211; the big ones and the small ones. You should have received your ballot in the mail. You have until February 14 to get your ballot in the mail or dropped off at one of the many drop boxes around [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://kenbalsley.com/2012/02/02/school-bonds-no-levies-maybe/</link>
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		<title>Superbowl is what&#8217;s fun about America</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This Sunday marks the most important day in recent American history. The Superbowl. It&#8217;s Superbowl something or another. I can&#8217;t remember just how those Roman numerals work. It has to be close to number 46 or 47, somewhere in there. I remember the first Superbowl &#8211; - Green Bay vs Kansas City, I think. It [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://kenbalsley.com/2012/01/31/superbowl-is-whats-fun-about-america/</link>
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