en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/124253 Comments by JSW http://www.komonews.com/economy/49468222.html#IDComment25974866 Last year, my company made it policy to not hire people who smoke (and to fire current employees who won't try to quit). The health insurance premium that my employer pays went down $55 per month per employee. If that isn't a good reason to not hire smokers, I don't know what is. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:37:45 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/economy/49468222.html#IDComment25974866 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/49387777.html#IDComment25857496 Me too. It seems like we always get last year's crop in the stores while the best apples are shipped to other states/countries. About 20 years ago, my family had an apple orchard in the Wenatchee valley, and I haven't tasted an apple from Washington that was as good as the ones they grew in years. Maybe everything is better with a little nostalgia. Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:45:11 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/49387777.html#IDComment25857496 http://www.komonews.com/news/47482302.html#IDComment23776928 Ideally, people this crazy don't get to adopt kids. Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:55:54 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/47482302.html#IDComment23776928 http://www.komonews.com/news/45493292.html#IDComment21953496 During daytime hours in Seattle, the 75 foot rule for portable stereo noise does not apply to owners and tenants when they are using the stereo equipment on their property. Thu, 21 May 2009 03:26:19 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/45493292.html#IDComment21953496 http://www.komonews.com/news/45493292.html#IDComment21930366 Ummm...Did you think it was reasonable for your neighbor to call the police about the volume of your stereo? I'm guessing from the sense of indignation in your comment that you thought it was ridiculous. Why should we allow other "cranky citizens" to control other's daytime noise? Wed, 20 May 2009 21:28:25 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/45493292.html#IDComment21930366 http://www.komonews.com/news/45493292.html#IDComment21930062 The Christmas Ships are completely different from these cruise ships. The music from the Christmas Ships is intended to be heard from shore. I don't know about what goes on in Silverdale, but in Seattle, people gather on shore to see the parade of Christmas Ships and sing along with the music. Wed, 20 May 2009 21:21:04 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/45493292.html#IDComment21930062 http://www.komonews.com/news/45101527.html#IDComment21577238 I think you are replying to my post... I was just playing devil's advocate. I don't think anyone should be held liable here except for the shooter. I brought up the police because the lawsuit basically argues that Denny's is responsible because they knew that they had a crime problem around the restaurant and didn't do enough to fight it. If we accept that argument, the same could be said of the police department. Crimes that occurred at Denny's were reported to the Police, therefore they should have done something more to prevent this shooting. The whole idea of this lawsuit is ridiculous to me. Sat, 16 May 2009 02:22:58 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/45101527.html#IDComment21577238 http://www.komonews.com/news/45101527.html#IDComment21560157 Agreed. I just don't see how a business can be held liable for not going above normal expectations to protect public safety. The hiring of private security may make good business sense, especially when something as public as this shooting occurs. However, generally speaking, the presence of security guards doesn't make me feel any safer, and this would not make me more likely to eat here. Fri, 15 May 2009 21:24:14 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/45101527.html#IDComment21560157 http://www.komonews.com/news/45101527.html#IDComment21555279 So, by this logic, all restaurants or shops in rough areas should be required to provide their own private police force. If anything, I would say that Kent police failed to recognize that this area has a relatively high rate of crime. If the police receive this many calls per year, they should have stepped up patrols. I guess everyone is responsible except the shooter, but this is only because that guy doesn't have anything worth suing for. Fri, 15 May 2009 20:48:21 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/45101527.html#IDComment21555279 http://www.komonews.com/news/44979912.html#IDComment21469375 It could be a mercedes that was pieced together from two wrecked cars. Sometimes, when the front end of one car and the back end of another are wrecked, shady auto body shops will cut the wrecked cars in half and weld the two good halves together. The buyer doesn't always know what they are getting until they get in a wreck and the car splits in two along the line where the frame was welded together. There were a few high profile accidents in seattle about 5 years ago where this happened. Thu, 14 May 2009 20:02:08 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/44979912.html#IDComment21469375 http://www.komonews.com/news/44813597.html#IDComment21329687 I find this equally perplexing. Maybe he is just a nice guy who is seriously out of touch with what is appropriate with regard to contact with other people's kids. My guess is that he may be trying to condition the kids to trust him. It is really wierd that he would try to lure the girl when he lives so close to her that her siblings were able to chase the car to the man's home. Tue, 12 May 2009 21:14:06 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/44813597.html#IDComment21329687 http://www.komonews.com/news/44807652.html#IDComment21327439 How many people were killed by the mafia during prohibition? Banning the sale of alcohol won't make alcohol go away. Making a commodity that people want illegal just leads to a black market, and that usually brings a great deal of crime with it. As much as we would all like to come up with a solution that makes drunk driving go away, there will always be people who drink more than they should and get behind the wheel. Tue, 12 May 2009 20:30:57 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/44807652.html#IDComment21327439 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44787482.html#IDComment21311599 It's the bow ties. Tue, 12 May 2009 16:43:57 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44787482.html#IDComment21311599 http://www.komonews.com/sports/44683317.html#IDComment21266008 Yeah. Both teams were doing a lot of flopping because the referee was falling for it. Mon, 11 May 2009 22:47:48 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/sports/44683317.html#IDComment21266008 http://www.komonews.com/economy/homes/44597272.html#IDComment21086766 True. However, commuting can cost a lot too, and people often overlook that. I used to live about 30 miles from my office in Seattle. I calculated at one pont that I spent $2,000 per year for the gas I used on this commute, $1,500 for parking, and I wasted two and a half hours of my day, every day, commuting (If I went to work on every weekday, this would work out to around 27 full days of my life lost every year in traffic). Without even factoring in wear and tear on my car, the commute cost me almost $300 per month. For me, figuring out that I could save $300 made me realize that I could afford to move my family into Seattle. Now, I commute to my office on the bus in 15 minutes. City life isn't for everyone, but for me it has been great. Fri, 8 May 2009 20:29:37 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/economy/homes/44597272.html#IDComment21086766 http://www.komonews.com/news/44541812.html#IDComment21004702 There are problems with employees at every level of City departments. The tail and the dog are are both having convusions. They should start by getting better managment and accountability systems in place and then it will be clear who makes up the dead weight at lower levels. From my experience, there is a workplace-culture problem in city govenment that will be difficult to stamp out. Thu, 7 May 2009 23:15:51 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/44541812.html#IDComment21004702 http://www.komonews.com/news/44541812.html#IDComment21002974 I worked for the City of Seattle when I finished college and as a young know-it-all, I quickly figured out a few major problems in the way my department was managed. 1st, there is no accoutability for anything unless an employee is caught stealing or a citizen makes a complaint to the Mayor's office. 2nd, people spend their entire careers in one department. The people I worked with really believed in the work our department was doing, so from that perspective, long term employees are great. However, when everyone is promoted from within, there are never any new ideas coming into the system at the top level where they can really make a difference. Thu, 7 May 2009 22:56:07 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/44541812.html#IDComment21002974 http://www.komonews.com/news/tech/44530557.html#IDComment20992116 I agree. If the system would only be able to transmit the video within a room, then what is the point. I could see the benefit if we were able to store our audio and video libraries on a central server in a house and then access that content wirelessly from any room. Thu, 7 May 2009 19:01:26 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/tech/44530557.html#IDComment20992116 http://www.komonews.com/news/44491012.html#IDComment20913494 I am strongly anti-smoking, and I generally support laws that keep it away from me. However, when it comes to outdoor smoking, I would prefer that government stay out of it unless there is a focused purpose to placing a ban. I cannot remember ever being bothered by the smell of smoke on a golf course. For one thing, each golfing party is separated from the next by quite a distance most of the time. In my opinion, outdoor smoking should not be allowed in public places where kids and families congregate such as playgrounds, public swimming beaches, in the stands at sports fields etc. Otherwise, I don't see the harm (to others) of a person smoking outside. Wed, 6 May 2009 22:25:04 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/44491012.html#IDComment20913494 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44299527.html#IDComment20692993 We all hate mosquitoes, and I often have happy dreams about a mosquito free world. However, they are right down there near the bottom of the food chain. If we infect mosquitoes with a fungus that essentially prevents their ability to find food, couldn't we potentially be killing off a large populations of these bugs and the animals that feed on them, etc? Tue, 5 May 2009 00:09:06 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44299527.html#IDComment20692993