Hospital Insanity

Just saw in the latest Snoqualmie Valley Record that clearing and grading has started for the new hospital. What struck a nerve with me is how they were describing the site as a nice lush fern laden tree covered landscape, then in the next breath, jumping for joy at ripping and tearing it all down! Thus the de greening of the Parkway continues amidst joy and jubilation of city leaders! Now I wouldn’t have such a gripe about this new boondoggle, and most of the funding will be from the Federal Government, but our tax dollars will be needed for its future and continuing operation. The last discussions I saw amongst many if not most Valley residents, was this hospital was not needed or wanted, yours truly included. In case you have been under a rock or had your head in the sand (or up something), there is a beautiful state of the art medical facility just being finished minutes away on the Issaquah Highlands! It has a fantastic ER facility of which I just recently visited and received the greatest medical care of my life! Why oh why on Earth does Snoqualmie feel the need for this! Methinks that some of our city leaders and hospital district officials need to feel important and relevant and this hospital will somehow put them on the map. Hope you think you are getting your wish because I see nothing but foolishness in this!

The Snoqualmie Tribe has bought the old hospital and is making payments on it. Move out of their way and let them turn it into a first class clinic for the upper Valley to serve their people and also the rest of us who may need their services. They will let each and everyone get medical care when we need it! Then we can dissolve this hospital district, lower our taxes, and enjoy the natural beauty we have out here without having to endure yet more concrete and asphalt. But alas the door has been opened and it was quoted by Hospital Administrator Rodger McCollum, “That’s our future, if growth happens, we have property across the street for a hundred-bed hospital.” Sounds just wonderful…….not! The whole thing just sickens me. So much so, that maybe I’ll head over to Swedish and get checked out. Oh and by the way, I surely hope we have some decent and responsible contenders stand up to some incumbents in the next City political election, because I am voting for them.

School Bond Vote – End Already!

My thoughts on our local School Bond Vote that has some around here glued to the election results like it was another 9/11 terror attack:

Holy Mother of Gawd I am becoming nauseated beyond belief at all this. Number one is I just got my property tax bill for this coming year and it is the highest it has been since we have lived here while my assessment is plummeting. And two, all this desperation to pull more money from the wallet is just about to make me yak. Hopefully this will end soon so some of you can have lives again if that is all possible. Pass, fail, whatever, it is not the end of the effing world and either way, the kids will be just fine.

Show Number 94 – Total Disgust

Well my disgust has brought me from cave under the Falls to pull out my microphone and record another podcast. This one has to do with the upcoming school bond vote being put forth to the voters of the Valley. I spew my rants of how I feel about the derision in this humble community and further more, my distrust in all levels of government. I have had my fill of both!

Listen To Show 94!

Valley Voters For Education
Organizing For Community Schools

North Bend Growth

You know growth in North Bend would eventually happen. They have long lifted the building moratorium by acquiring substantial water rights and have started annexing land to pull that growth into the city boundaries to as they say “manage that growth”. It sounded like a good idea because North Bend doesn’t need a “Ridge”! Both communities struggle to accommodate future growth while trying to preserve the rural quality of life that is beloved out here! North Bend had no choice for over a decade while Snoqualmie slapped up thousands of homes up on the Ridge adding a retail center there also that struggles to keep tenants! Now that the flood gates have opened in North Bend, we shall see how well they do!

The city annexed what was called the Tanner addition east of the city and plans on directing new growth there. The Valley Record recently posed the question to some North Bend residents of just what should go into the new annex and I was appalled at some of their answers! One said more houses, well that is a given! Another mentioned a chicken restaurant……what does she mean a KFC? The other two were very surprising! One said a WalMart Superstore and the other said a Costo! I don’t get it! I don’t understand the reasoning of why anybody would want a WalMart in their town! Both Snoqualmie and North Bend are working with Federal grant money to upgrade and improve their downtown infrastructures North Bend has long desired to improve their downtown core! If a WalMart were to ever be approved for developement, it would decimate and put a lid on that idea! Talking about ruining your rural quality of life! There probably will be enough houses built that will erode that soon enough! As for a Costco, drive to Issaquah which is less than 15 minutes away and do you big block shopping there! When you already have the roses to stop and smell, why wish for the asphalt that will forever remove them. Wake up people!!

Noise, noise, noise

Well okay, I sit on the fence on this one……noise from the Snoqualmie Casino Summer Concert Series! First off, I don’t live anywhere near the sound blasts from these events and second, even if I did, I probably wouldn’t hear much during the week night shows since I work nights. I’ll refer to my wife on whether she’d enjoy hearing the sounds of summer and for the most part, she wouldn’t mind sitting on the back patio jamming to the tunes of bands we loved in the past! I’ve seen the line up for the series and really, the musical acts showing up are really great and hearing them for free……can you beat it??

What really irks me is…..have we really all turned into such a bitch fest of a society? Did this exist back in the old days…….well at least the 40’s or 50’s when we were a post war nation on a rapid road of prosperity? I don’t know, but growing up in the sixties, I don’t remember much local bitching about anything……..but then again, I was just a kid back then! I mean my parents didn’t gripe much about the neighbors or what was going on in the neighborhood, or really anything! What the hell is the problem with today’s society that we have to gripe, complain, bitch, and argue about everything under the sun! Nothing can get done anymore without a forum of whether it should be done or not! Really, it has become ridiculous, think about it!

For now, just sit back and enjoy your free concerts for the summer, soon it will be over and the Tribe has said they would evaluate the speaker positioning for the next season. Also think about what is really important to bitch about…….is it really noise from some distant casino? I think there are many more things to focus your ire and ilk to. You think about it and let me know!

Snoqualmie Joe

Show Number 93 – A Rally Track In Snoqualmie?

Yes it could be true, an advanced rally driving facility could be heading to the old mill site! Hear all about it with my guests, Greg Lund and Bob Morris from Ultimate Rally Experience!

Listen To Show 93!

Ultimate Rally Contact Info

Show Number 92 – Community Center Final Word

The final city council meeting was held tonight before the final vote was made! This should end the debate on the long drawn out issue. Listen and see what the outcome was!!

Listen To Show 92!

Show Number 91 – Back From Hiatus

Well I have been rustled from my hibernation in my cozy cave beneath the Falls! Oh it was so confortable there! At the request of some concerned citizens, a new podcast has been recorded and posted. We all know that a simmering debate regarding a city community center has gone on for years now and now it looks as though the city officials plan on going on with partnering with and building a YMCA. Not everyone is happy as you will hear in this podcast! It was recorded at a Parks & Planning meeting on March 02, 2010! Listen and see what you think!!

Listen To Show 91!