►  In today's Seattle Times -- End of Tim Eyman era signals opportunities for reform (James Gregory column) -- Washington last overhauled its tax system in 1935, not long after the Eymans of that era had been swept from power. Pragmatic voters and leaders understood the need for pragmatic change. They reorganized the tax code to produce more revenue because the state needed to expand its responsibilities. And they reorganized it to make it fairer. That was 74 years ago. Now, as the Eyman shadow lifts, let's set our minds to fixing some of the economic problems we face.

►  In today's Olympian -- Perhaps it's time for Eyman to declare defeat and go home (editorial) -- His latest initiative finished with just 42% of the vote, his second defeat in two years. Tim Eyman, who bills himself as the defender of beleaguered taxpayers, has a pretty dismal track record.

Trade news:

►  In the NW Labor Press -- WTO: 10 years later -- Ten years ago on Nov. 30, 50,000 people protested a meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle. The protests succeeded in delaying the summit’s opening day, and contributed to the collapse of plans for a new round of trade negotiations. It was one of those rare moments in history when ordinary people rise up and can no longer be ignored. It was a week of protest, and a coming-out party for a broad-based movement to oppose the “business-first” model of globalization. (Also see: WTO 10th anniversary events planned.)

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Ratify South Korea trade pact (editorial) -- For some Americans, whether to compete in the world is a big question. Here, there is no question. We made our decision long ago -- at Boeing and Weyerhaeuser, Microsoft and Costco, the Aerospace Machinists and the Longshore workers, in our universities and our ports. Trade is good, and we are for it. Get it done. (In addition to misrepresenting the positions of both unions -- the IAM opposes the South Korea trade pact and so does the ILWU, and here's why -- this editorial again deliberately dumbs down the trade debate to a question of being for trade or against it. Ten years after WTO, can't we please -- please -- start having a real discussion about U.S. trade policy and the decimation of our nation's manufacturing base? This for-or-against nonsense is insulting.)

Unemployment news:

►  In The Hill -- AFL-CIO wants TARP funds to target small business, not Wall Street -- AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka wants money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program to be plugged into economic programs that will help "Main Street," given reports that despite the infusion of federal funds, it is still hard for businesses and consumers to get credit.

►  From AP -- State unemployment rate up slightly to 9.3% -- The state lost an estimated 5,100 nonagricultural jobs in October, and the state's pool of jobs shrunk by 120,000 from a year earlier, a decrease of 4.1%. Washington's unemployment rate remains lower than the national figure, which is now 10.2%.

►  Local coverage -- Benton/Franklin (5.9%▲), Clark (13.7%▲), Cowlitz (12.2%▼), Kitsap (7%), Snohomish (10.2%▲), Spokane (7.9%▼), Whatcom (7.4%▼), Yakima (6.7%)

►  In today's Seattle Times -- State's jobless rate helps employers ask more from potential hires -- The long, grinding recession has allowed employers to demand a lot more from potential hires, as some recent local job listings illustrate. One health-care clinic, for example, wanted someone who had both marketing experience and knowledge of computer-networking software.

►  From AP -- Oregon's falling jobless rate: Have some given up? -- Oregon’s unemployment rate has been falling, but that could be partly because some people can’t find a job.

►  In today's NY Times -- Anti-sweatshop labor fight ends in win for students -- The often raucous anti-sweatshop movement at dozens of American universities, from Georgetown to UCLA, announces its biggest victory by far. Its pressure tactics persuaded one of the nation’s leading sportswear companies, Russell Athletic, to agree to rehire 1,200 workers in Honduras who lost their jobs when Russell closed their factory soon after the workers had unionized.