It was a deathly quiet time in downtown Tacoma. There were more vacant lots than people. The Tacoma Mall had lured away most of the shops and those left were struggling. In 1969, the Downtown Tacoma Association was created to promote and develop retail trade in the City of Tacoma. During the same time I […]
To Ponder
Westside Story – Lakewood Raises Re-Inspection Fees
My last RIP article titled Westside Story – Lakewood Lacks The Capacity outlined Lakewood’s plan to confiscate more rental property owner money by raising the re-inspection fee. It seems that after spending 1/4 million dollars on a custom computer program, Lakewood City Council and Lakewood City staff forgot all about including a provision for keeping […]
Home from Home: Train of Thoughts
Trains have something nostalgic about them. So do train rides – not so much those for the sake of commuting to work in suburban areas as those undertaken for leisure. Maybe it is because their pace is so steady and calm. Maybe it is the landscape you pass through and wouldn’t see from any car […]
Letter: What is “an invasion of your privacy and wallet”?
Other than, of course, the Rental Inspection Program? Answer: “A mileage tax” according to the Seattle Times Editorial Opinion by Mariya Frost, this November 14.
Westside Story – A 9-Year-Old Gives Thanks
Sunday morning I ran into my espresso drinking pal, Jessie Garza, at Topside Coffee Cabin, AKA TCC. We got to talking about his grandson, Easton Garza, who is only 9 years old. Just look at what Easton has created using his good heart, wise lifetime observations, intelligence and artistic creativity.
The Big One is Coming – Our Category 9 Earthquake
The program for the November meeting of the Transportation Club of Tacoma (www.transportationcluboftacoma.org) was Major General Bret D. Daugherty. The general is the commander of the Washington National Guard, including both the Washington Army National Guard and the Washington Air National Guard. His program concerned the need to prepare for the probable horrendous earthquake we […]
My Chrysler Memories
On my piano I have a model of a 1955 two-door hardtop Chrysler Imperial. It was the closest model I could find to one of my favorite cars, a 1955 Chrysler New Yorker two-door hardtop with its 331 cubic inch Hemi V8. When my wife Peggy and I got married, I was driving the classic […]
Westside Story – “Lakewood Lacks The Capacity”
Between Mr. David Anderson, The TNT and I, we have written over 100 articles on the City of Lakewood’s Rental Housing Safety Program, known as RIP. On multiple occasions, we have communicated that this unnecessary and intrusive Socialistic program that punishes the innocent and judges them guilty until proven innocent because of the acts of […]
Look Out for Truckloads of All Electric Semis
My son, Del has a commercial drivers license. He has a local route. He loves the job. He picks up loads of everything from shoes to tires. He maneuvers though traffic on both the freeway and back roads and expertly parks any semi in some teeny tiny places. He talks to dispatchers and the workers […]