"OurSeattleHome" Team

Local News Crisis
The internet has brought us wonderful things in the last 15 years. It has also devastated local newspapers around the country. Many of them have closed or reduced staff that report local and regional news. Think of the Seattle City Council. Without local reporters attending Council meetings and publishing what’s happening, there’s very little information on what’s being considered and voted on by our representatives.
US Representative Mark DeSaulnier from California has introduced legislation in Congress, H.R. 6068, Saving Local News Act and states “news organizations are essential to our communities, holding government and powerful corporations accountable, and sustaining our democracy”. He is also introducing a new act titled Journalism Competition and Preservation Act which would help news outlets secure fair compensation from platforms like Google and Facebook that are profiting from news content. Please encourage your Representatives to support both of these proposals.

Our Fragile Democracy

I’ll get back to another real estate next month.

If you’re as old as I am, you’ve seen many new democracies get formed and fail after several years around the world. There have even been very well-established democracies fail during my lifetime. It dawned on me yesterday that democracies have been failing forever. I believe they fail because of a lack of commitment by its population to maintaining a rule of law and established principles of democracy.

The United States is on the precipice of a failing democracy. Every one of us is guilty of allowing just a few people to make the decisions on our behalf, without our input. It’s time for you step-up and become involved. Yes …. life is challenging. Put your feet into the shoes of those people who are just beginning to form new democracies around the world and feel what it’s like for them. If our democracy fails in the next few years, it’ll be a millennium to get it back, if at all.

It’s only you, and your neighbors, who can elect your representatives. Demand from your representatives what the issues are that are before them and provide your input. Research the topics. When you have a particular interest, contact your neighbors and friends and convince them that your issue is important. Communicate those to your representatives.

Since the US Supreme Court decision in 2010 allowing the formation of “Political Action Committees” that allowed for unprecedented spending on political campaigns virtually without regulation and, the internets’ demise of local and municipal newspapers with their political reporting, few people understand what their elected officials are confronted with in making their decisions. It’s time to be proactive and become involved. The older generation, like myself, who loved reading newspapers and, the younger generation who’ve never read newspapers, need to do their research of the political topics and communicate with their elected officials.

Just imagine what life will be like in 3 years with a new, unwelcome, president. Please get involved.

The Graystone Condominiums

The curtain walls are going up. Move-in is scheduled for the Spring of 2023. Within the next 2 – 3 weeks they will begin to transition from the 40+ “Reserved” reservations to going under contract on this 31-story, 271 unit, luxury condominium building. When completed, the Graystone will have numerous high-end amenities from its’ rooftop deck looking out over Seattle, co-worker lounge and meeting room, work-out room(s), and much more. It’s location on First Hill, just east of Interstate 5, means it’s within a short distance of downtown office buildings, the hospitals and medical buildings on First Hill, South Lake Union, and the retail/restaurants/activities on Capitol Hill. I was amazed at all of the residential towers that have been constructed or, are being constructed, in the immediate neighborhood. Once completed, the energy and walkability of this neighborhood will improve dramatically. If considering purchasing a condominium in the downtown Seattle Area, I highly recommend visiting the sales showroom on Madison Avenue.

I’m concerned for our planet. Governments around the world are continuing to pay lip service to the ever-increasing environmental threats that mankind imposes on our planet. World leaders will meet again in November to make financial pledges and set goals for limiting our pollution in the next 20 to 30 years. 20 to 30 years is too late.
In the last couple of years, we’ve seen massive destruction of forests because of wildfires, reductions of snow and ice caps at the north and south poles, huge reductions of fish in our oceans, unprecedented flooding around the world because of increased rainfall, etc. Mankind cannot afford to make just minimal improvements in the next 20 to 30 years. We need to make massive changes … NOW.
I pity the school children around the world. Unless we make changes today, they’ll face the apocalypse of our planet and species, including mankind.