Legislative news:

►  In today's Peninsula Daily News -- House could vote today to suspend I-960 tax controls -- Republicans attempted to delay the suspension of tax-limiting Initiative 960, but the Democrat-controlled House defeated the attempted delay by a 52-46 vote at 11:20 p.m. That defeat paves the way for the chamber to vote today on suspending I-960, which would hand the Democratic majority in both houses the ability to raise taxes with a simple majority vote rather than the two-thirds majority that the initiative.

►  At MicrosoftTaxDodge.com -- Legislators consider $100 million annual tax break for Microsoft -- HB 3176, sponsored by former Microsoft manager Rep. Ross Hunter (D-Bellevue), proposes changes to the B&O Royalty tax to give Microsoft an estimated $100 million tax cut annually and possible amnesty for more than a billion dollars in past tax evasion. Under current law, all of Microsoft's worldwide licensing revenues of about $20.7 billion annually are taxable. Under HB 3176, only the portion of software licenses sold to customers in state would be taxable.

►  In today's Bellingham Herald -- Rep. Dave Quall will not seek reelection to State House -- The 72-year-old Mount Vernon Democrat will not seek re-election to the seat he's held since 1992.

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Child-care subsidy may be pared to trim budget -- The state now spends about $2 million a month to help pay child-care costs for more than 4,000 working families in Snohomish County. But the program is facing the prospect of multimillion-dollar cuts.

►  From AP -- House approves nurse rest break requirement -- HB 3024 requires uninterrupted half-hour meal breaks and 10-minute rest breaks for every four hours worked, with exceptions for emergencies. Approved on a 63-34 vote, it now heads to the state Senate for consideration.

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Which legislation still has shot this session? -- Tuesday was the deadline for the House and Senate to approve bills introduced in their chambers that did not deal directly with the budget. (Budget-related measures do not face any deadline.)

►  At Olympia Newswire -- Tea Partiers and Obama-Nation host dueling rallies on Capitol Steps -- Conservative anger -- marshaled by talk radio hosts, bloggers and think-tanks -- seemed to drive the morning rally. But liberal hope -- organized primarily by students, unions, social service providers and immigrant rights groups -- animated a festive afternoon rally over twice the size of the morning’s event. Tellingly, the liberals were the better organized. There were considerably more of them and they appeared to be having a much better time. (See our rally coverage.)

►  In today's News Tribune -- Taxpayers more discerning than rallies let on (editorial) -- Taxpayers want something much different than all-or-nothing propositions. They might be open to paying more taxes to protect crucial services, if they are convinced that state government had made commensurate sacrifices (i.e., more state employee pay and benefit cuts.)

►  In today's (Longview) Daily News -- Workers' comp reform is long overdue (editorial) -- It's time Washington allowed private insurers to compete in the workers' comp system. This state has some of the highest workers' comp rates in the West -- higher than in Oregon, where private insurance companies are allowed to compete. The current system makes Washington an expensive place to do business. It's a drag on the state's economy that we can no longer afford to tolerate. 

(Rather than devote some news coverage to independent studies that proclaim the opposite to be true -- that Washington has some of the lowest rates in the nation -- lazy, ideological newspaper editorial writers continue to uncritically report the claims of self-interested business lobbying groups as fact.) 

Local news:

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- 
$35 million grant to extend North Spokane freeway -- The grant is coming from a $1.5 billion pot of money set aside in last year’s economic stimulus package approved by Congress, and awarded nationally on a competitive basis. “This is a huge win for a project that has long been the centerpiece of efforts to boost Spokane’s economy and create local jobs,” said U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-5th) submitted a formal letter endorsing the grant even though she was among Republicans in the House who unanimously voted no on the recovery bill. In a blog on her Web site, she criticizes President Obama and the stimulus bill for failing to create jobs.

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Everett may ask for tax hike -- City leaders put off a measure to pay for emergency medical services in July because they said the economy made it a bad time to ask for a tax hike. Now, officials are eager to put a tax boost back on the ballot this spring.

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Worker’s idea saves cash for Granite Falls School District -- Instead of having a contractor pick up the garbage, the district collects the garbage daily and Brandon Klepper hauls it to a county transfer station every couple of days. The result, district officials estimate, will save more than $2,500 a month during the school year.

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Sen. Cantwell seeks aid for small banks -- Community banks need the same kind of help that Wall Street received, and they need it now, the senator says.

National news:

►  In the USA Today -- Don't buy "free trade hype" (guest column by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka) -- This is not the moment to dust off George W. Bush 's failed trade agreements and ram them through Congress -- certainly not under the false premise that they will help solve our jobs problem. Haven't we learned yet to distinguish between the "free-trade hype" of Econ 101 -- and the hard, cold reality that our current trade policy has become a vehicle for offshoring and outsourcing good jobs?

►  In today's NY Times -- Stimulus jobs on state's bill in Mississippi -- Some economists have urged the Obama administration to take a more direct tack than passing more business tax incentives: they want the government to spend money directly to create jobs, much as it did during the New Deal. Mississippi and other states are directly paying the salaries of new hires at private companies by tapping into a relatively small pot of welfare money in the stimulus package that can be used to subsidize jobs directly.

►  In today's Orlando Sentinel -- Organized labor attacks Obama's space plan -- In a letter sent to Obama on Feb. 4, IAM President Thomas Buffenbarger said the White House idea to outsource flying astronauts into low Earth orbit would cost jobs, not create them.

►  In today's NY Times -- Political gridlock in Washington feeds new fear of debt crisis -- After decades of warnings that budgetary profligacy, escalating health care costs and an aging population would lead to a day of fiscal reckoning, economists and the nation’s foreign creditors say that moment is approaching faster than expected, hastened by a deep recession that cost trillions of dollars in lost tax revenues and higher spending for safety-net programs. Yet rarely has the political system seemed more polarized and less able to solve big problems that involve trust, tough choices and little short-term gain.

►  In today's NY Times -- A welcome, if partial fix (editorial) -- “Hi. I’m the C.E.O. of (Fill in the Blank) Corporation, and I approved this message.” A bill requiring those sorts of disclosures in political ads would keep special interest money in check and is the best solution until the Supreme Court reinstates a ban on businesses, or unions, using their treasuries to promote candidates. 

►  In today's NY Times -- Elders of Wall Street favor more regulation -- Put aside for a moment the populist pressure to regulate banking and trading. Ask the elder statesmen of these industries -- giants like George Soros, Nicholas F. Brady, John S. Reed, William H. Donaldson and John C. Bogle -- where they stand on regulation, and they will bowl you over with their populism.

►  From AP -- Temp job surge misleading -- When employers hire temporary staff after a recession, it’s long been seen as a sign they’ll soon hire permanent workers. Not these days. 

For now, Republican obstructionists in Congress have blocked President Obama's appointment of Craig Becker, a labor attorney, to the National Labor Relations Board. Why? Because he supports labor and has spoken positively in the past about the Employee Free Choice Act, labor law reform that would restore the freedom to choose whether or not you want to join a union.

That's right. Should a Democratic president dare appoint someone to the NLRB with a history of siding with workers instead of corporations and Wall Street, that person is not suitable to serve no matter how much experience and qualifications they have.

Meanwhile, dysfunction at the NLRB, with only two of its five board members in place, continues. Hundreds of rulings pertaining to the rights of working people await consideration and ruling. Historically, the president appoints NLRB members, three who support his party's policies and two who support the opposition. But no more. 

Giant multinational corporations -- the same ones the Supreme Court just granted the same free-speech rights as American citizens, allowing them to spend unlimited billions to elect their candidates -- run our federal government. They convince lawmakers to hand over hundreds of billions in taxpayer money to giant Wall Street banks and speculators. Those banks and companies have hoarded our money instead of lending it to jumpstart the economy, except for the billions they are distributing to their executives in the form of bonuses.

These giant international corporations who run your government know there is only one threat to their continued control of this country -- the ability of working people to exercise their freedom of association. That's why they hate Craig Becker, an attorney whose once dared worked for the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union, and that's why they won't allow him to serve on the NLRB.

President Obama has the power to appoint Becker anyway. He can appoint Becker during this week's Senate recess to avoid the Republican minority's procedural blockade of his nomination. But will he? Will he do the right thing for American workers, or will he naively continue to pursue "bipartisanship" that the Republican Party has no intention of granting him.

As AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka recently wrote:

We're used to the Republicans playing the role of Lucy and yanking the football away each time Charlie Brown tries to kick it. We've seen it on health care, jobs legislation, you name it.

President Obama has to end this farce.

Becker already received majority approval from the Senate, but apparently majority rule isn't good enough any more. A Republican filibuster -- joined by Democrats Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) -- blocked his nomination from going forward. By contrast, when President Bush made his initial appointments to the NLRB, a package of nominees including three management lawyers was approved unanimously.

Ask yourself this, if Democrats had blocked President Bush's package of NLRB nominees because one of them opposed unions and once worked for ExxonMobil or ConAgra or Boeing -- as if Democrats would ever have the will to do such a thing -- do you think G.W. Bush would hesitate for one split-second to make recess appointments?

Why does President Obama? Becker would be one of five NLRB members and though his vote on issues before the Board could lead to decisions siding with workers more times than not, he does not have the power to enact the Employee Free Choice Act. But even if he did, the majorities of both houses of Congress and President Obama himself all say they support the EFCA, as do the American people in poll after poll. 

Does sharing the opinion of the majority disqualify someone from service?  Apparently, if that majority opinion disagrees with Wall Street and multinational corporations, the answer is "yes."

Is this "Change We Can believe In?" It's time for this president to start walking the walk instead of just talking the talk.

Call the White House at 202-456-1111. Leave a message for President Obama to stand up for working people and appoint both Craig Becker and Mark Pearce to the National Labor Relations Board during this week's Senate recess. Stop these qualified appointees from being blocked by obstructionist Republicans.

For more information, read AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka's recent Huffington Post column on the subject, "No Deal!"