BACKGROUND: “The Committee on the Fiscal Future of the United States was established under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Public Administration, supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, to carry out a comprehensive study leading to a set of plausible scenarios for the federal budget, to put it on a path toward a stable fiscal future.”

KEY LINKS: “Choosing The Nation’s Fiscal Future,” National Academy Of Sciences, January, 2010 (downloadable summary – pdf file). Full text, and podcast. Community discussion site: ourfiscalfuture.org.

KEY FINDINGS:

FISCAL IMBALANCE – MEDICARE, MEDICAID, SOCIAL SECURITY: “The federal government is currently spending far more than it collects in revenues, and if current policies are continued, will do so for the foreseeable future. Over the long term, three major programs””Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security””account for the projected faster growth in federal spending relative to revenues. No reasonably foreseeable rate of economic growth would overcome this structural deficit. Thus, any efforts to rein in future deficits must entail either large increases in taxes to support these programs or major restraints on their growth””or some combination of the two.”

They are called “happy warriors.” We know them as individuals who take on the big battles of social and political change, all the while keeping their sense of humor and humanity. A happy warrior understands the long term commitment and tedious nature of enduring social and political shifts and that the greatest internal threat to positive change is personal cynicism and malice toward the opposition.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Don’t get me wrong, this is not about laughing our way to a better tomorrow or setting loose the speech police. I’m not against anger – the U.S. Constitution codifies the idea of being ticked off at our government leaders with added citizen protection for what is called the “redress of grievances.”

We live in serious times that demand serious debates and solutions. But the state of our public discourse really bothers me.

It is the personal nature of attacks that bothers me — the name calling deployed as a first strike to marginalize dissenting opinions. And, unfortunately, the anonymity of the Internet feeds this vitriol. As adults, what kind of message are we sending our children? To the biggest loud mouth go the spoils and his own reality show?

Seattle Times columnist Jerry Large recently featured West Seattle author Paul Loeb who has chronicled successful community and social activism. Loeb says that it is all about being hopeful, “giving people permission to enjoy life as they are being active.” Loeb highlights such leaders as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and civil rights icon Rosa Parks as examples of people who stay joyful in the midst of serious and prolonged battles for justice and social change.

I spent several years working in Washington, D.C. in the 1980’s and early 1990s. Back then, spring marked the Congressional softball league. The Federal Mall would come alive with dozens of softball teams from every side of the political aisle. I was working for then-Rep. Jack Kemp; our team was the Kemp Tax Wackers and we faced off with Democrat teams like the “Equalizers.” Last I heard, the Congressional softball league is long gone, dying a symbolic death in an era of hyper-partisanship. Rep. Kemp never attacked people personally, but believed that the goal was to win the opposition over to a better idea. He was a happy warrior.

Former President Bill Clinton shared his concerns on ABC-TV’s “This Week” about personal rancor in the politcal dialogue.

“…..we ought to have a lot of political dissent — a lot of political argument. Nobody is right all the time. But we also have to take responsibility for the possible consequences of what we say. And we shouldn’t demonize the government or its public employees or its elected officials. We can disagree with them. We can harshly criticize them….But I worry about these threats against the president and the Congress. And I worry about …careless language..which we’ve seen against the Republican governor in New Jersey, Governor Christie.”

For leaders like Clinton, the late Jack Kemp, or change giants like Desmond Tutu the key is not to make the battle personal. For them the bigger picture means that the truth always prevails. In this age of hyper-partisanship and hyper-vitriol, we need more happy warriors who capture what so many lose, the joy of the journey.

At any one time in Seattle there are many requests pending with the City’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) by property owners for permits to do things such as build a second home in their back yard, expand existing homes with possible impacts on the views of neighbors or the environment; build new town home developments, commercial or mixed-use projects; gain special zoning changes for new construction; and move around thousands or tens of thousands of cubic yards of dirt before some jobs start. The DPD 2008 annual report shows that overall, the department issued 35,476 land use and construction permits that year, including 6,556 building permits for property improvements valued at $2.59 billion. These graphs presented by DPD to the City Council’s Built Environment committee earlier this month show that building permits issued in Seattle in 2009 dropped to around 6,000, valued at about $2 billion.

Construction and land use decisions are closely regulated, to balance economic and personal interests with concerns about environment, aesthetics and traffic congestion. It’s true that building permit application notices are typically posted at the designated properties, so passers-by and neighbors can be tipped off that way. But that’s on a one-off basis. Community journalists including bloggers, as well as researchers, advocates and engaged citizens may be interested in bigger parts of the picture which can be viewed through a citywide database and online mapping.

At the Seattle DPD’s Online Tools page, under “Mapping Tools,” click on “DPD Activity Locator” and then under “Select Activity” on the left, pick for review the permits for either construction or land use, the two key options.

New Seattle town homes

There are several criteria you must choose. Make sure to select a time frame, and one type of permit status (“application,” “issued” or “finaled”).

For instance, select:

The DPD Activity Locator returns a screenful of results viewable in mapped form. By double-clicking on a section of the city-wide map, you can zoom in on a neighborhood. Then click on individual icons for more information. Or click on “show results” to get a table which also displays all returns for your search, by address. (You click on the address of an entry for more data). Using either method you’re linked to the individual permit application summary for each entry, which describes what the permit is being sought for, and details the project’s previous permitting history if any (additional links are included), plus the name of the property owner or their representative, and that person’s address. As highlighted in the example above, one database classification of pending land use permit applications are those currently requiring City Council approval, or “council action.”

There’s one at 160 20th Ave. (just north of Yesler Way) which seeks council permission to rezone a 12,800 square foot portion of property for a new multi-family development. Another at 711 Bellevue Ave., at Roy St., requires council approval for rezoning 55,870 square feet of property for two new buildings with 58 residential units (plus retention of 51 more units in an adjoining building). The project entails 11,000 cubic yards of grading, 72 new parking spaces, 980 square feet of space for commercial use, and demolition of five single-family homes. Another at 7125 Fauntleroy Way S.W. seeks council approval for the re-zone of 228,000 square feet of land to expand an assisted living complex, with three new four- to six-story apartment buildings containing 314 living units, plus 57,681 cubic yards of land grading, 279 new parking spaces, the vacation of a street and demolition of 10 multi-family structures.

Other categories of land use permit applications to scrutinize include “design review” permits, “shoreline” permits, “variance” permits, “conditional use” permits and “SEPA” permits – for projects proposed in environmentally sensitive areas subject to the State Environmental Protection Act. (Some projects require permits in more than one category.)

Another important permit type is construction. You can choose to view construction permits for commercial/mixed use construction projects, multi-family residential construction, or single-family/duplex residential construction. You also choose whether to view new construction, or additions/alterations, or temporary construction. Permits in (not yet approved) “application” status are numerous and spread across the city. Pending multi-family construction permits include one for a 12-unit apartment building at 1966 Thorndyke in southeast Magnolia; and another, west of Bitter Lake at 13439 Greenwood Ave. for replacing a single-family home with an eight-unit town home complex and attached garages. There are many dozens more, which – again – can be picked out by location.

Why bother? Land use and construction permit decisions by city officials will affect daily life for generations to come. Different individuals and organizations have different perspectives and bring different “value-add” data and different values to the conversation about urban development, redevelopment, design, increased density, and the environment. A good starting point for all stakeholders is convenient online access to core information from – and mapping of – land use and construction permits; ones that have already been decided, and particularly those which are still under review, in “application” status.

If you already have a permit number and simply want to get basic information or a status update, use this page. Learn more about how to effectively comment to Seattle DPD on permit applications here. Guidelines for comments to the city council on all topics are here.

It was a real kick this morning to start our regular weekly Public Data Ferret feature on KOMO 1000 News Radio in Seattle, scheduled for every Wednesday morning at 9:15. Thanks to “Nine2Noon” anchors Brian Calvert and Nancy Barrick. They do an interesting show that in a lot of ways foreshadows where journalism is going. Lots of other journalists and bloggers, and journalist-bloggers, report on their latest work; their sites get a nice plug. There’s a clear realization by Calvert, Barrick and others at KOMO 1000 that “crowdsourcing” is where it’s at. Together we can do more than apart. The “zero sum competition” model that existed not so long ago in journalism is all but dead and buried. Referring readers and listeners to other valuable sites and sources enhances your utility and your audience. Newspapers are increasingly taking this approach, too. And a big part of the idea behind Public Data Ferret, our stand-alone searchable database of synopsized public documents, is to encourage citizens and citizen journalists to use some of the great tools that are already out there, online. Here’s the audio link (MP3) to today’s Ferret segment on KOMO 1000. Here’s the original online Ferret report we discussed on the air today. The full transcript of today’s radio segment follows, below.

Brian Calvert: “I’m Brian Calvert, KOMO News time, 9:15. And it’s time to check in on the “Nine2Noon” blogosphere. It’s our own little universe of news and informational blogs, here on the radio. And on Wednesdays, we see what’s being posted at communityforums.org, and specifically, the public documents uncovered by the Public Data Ferret. Matt Rosenberg joins us on the line. Matt, how are you doing this morning?”

Matt Rosenberg: “I’m doing great, Brian, how are you guys?”

Brian Calvert: “Doing alright. Now, you guys are Seattle-based, what exactly would you say is the mission of the Public Data Ferret?”

Matt: “Well, our aim is to highlight online tools – documents and data – that will make government more open and will help citizens AND citizen journalists, engage.”

Nancy Barrick: “I love this one, using the online database to scope out health records at restaurants. Now this is definitely news we can use.”

Matt: “Well, it is. And it’s out there for all of us. Hyper-local bloggers, and you and I. I recently discovered the “restaurant inspections online” database (provided by) Public Health Seattle-King County. And inspectors are out there regularly, looking for violations that could increase the risk of food-borne illnesses, and they’re educating the operators, too. So, this is a great tool for citizens and community journalists. You just dial in the zip code you want and you scan the individual reports. So, I gave this (database) a spin for my zip code of 98136 – which is the Morgan Junction area in West Seattle, getting down toward the ferry dock there – and all in all, restaurants are doing pretty well, but you know, caveat emptor, “buyer beware.” There were various issues at certain places, with potential contamination, improper holding temperatures, and in one case – and brace yourselves here, listeners – insects and rodents coming through an unblocked entrance. So, to me, the upshot is, check the records first, always look for improvements where past violations have occurred, and always know that a place with a spotless record is a good bet.”

Brian: “Well, and, it’s really interesting, because you actually sent me the link to that one, and I was punching in some other zip codes, and I think what’s really important to note is when you find a restaurant with a violation, it’s important to note how long ago that violation was, and sometimes, restaurants really do clean up their act when they’re put on notice like this.”

Matt: “Well, that’s absolutely true, Brian, and looking through several dozen inspection reports for (the) 98136 zip code, I saw that pattern again and again. You know, you see four reports. So they go back to 2008 and you can really track progress. And so, a lot of places literally clean up their act, and that’s a tribute to the communication between the health inspectors and the restaurant operators. Here’s something good that government is doing on our behalf, and we may not even be aware of it.”

Nancy: “And how to nip that “ick” factor right in the bud. Now, Matthew, there’s so much good information. We don’t have a lot of time right now, so if folks want to check out the blog, where do they go?”

Matt: “Well, you can do it two ways. You can go through community forums, communityforums.org, and click through to the home page, and you’ll find a Ferret link at the top. Or you can go straight to socialcapitalreview.org, that’s our blog on public engagement, and click on the Ferret’s face!”

Nancy: “That’s easy to remember.”

Brian: “Well Matt, we look forward to our conversations with you every Wednesday at this time. Matt Rosenberg, thanks for joining us this morning, it’s 9:19.”

RELATED: KOMO-AM 1000 broadcasts are live-streamed here.

It’s time for Ferret radio. Starting tomorrow, Public Data Ferret founder and Countywide Community Forums director Matt Rosenberg will join Nine2Noon co-anchors Brian Calvert and Nancy Barrick on KOMO-AM 1000 Newsradio in Seattle every Wednesday morning at 9:15 a.m. to talk about the latest Ferret Finds. Public Data Ferret is a database searchable by jurisdiction and topic which highlights online public documents and data from city and regional governments in King County, Wash., and from the state of Washington and the federal government. It is an independent informational initiative of Countywide Community Forums, a public engagement program which unites citizen advisors with King County government. You can live stream KOMO-AM 1000 here.

Public Data Ferret welcomes your tips. Please send links to newsworthy online documents from local or regional governments in King County, the state of Washington or the federal government to Matt Rosenberg at oudist (at) comcast (dot) net.

BACKGROUND. The community of Shoreline, Wash. developed throughout the 1900s and voted to incorporate in 1995. It has 50,000 residents and is the 15th most populous city in Washington state. The Shoreline City Council at a March 5 and 6, 2010 retreat began to formulate its 2010-2011 goals and work plan, which were subsequently refined at an April 5 study session. Tonight the Council will have an opportunity to vote for approval of the proposed goals and work plan, which would then form the basis for more detailed work plans and the city’s 2011 budget.

KEY LINK. Shoreline City Council 2010-2011 Goals And Work Plan.

HIGHLIGHTS. Key items include:

• “Acquire Seattle Public Utilities water system in Shoreline; develop feasibility analysis and financial plan; negotiate acquisition; develop transition and implementation plan;”
• “Update transportation master plan, including citywide trail, bicycle and transit elements;”
• Work with Sound Transit and other stakeholders to implement the regional voter-approved Sound Transit 2 plan for extended light rail, through Shoreline;
• Complete a transit-oriented development plan for the Aurora Ave. North Park-and-Ride facility at 192nd St.;
• Complete portion of construction and enhancement project on Aurora Ave. North, from 168th St. to 185th St.; complete design, (land) acquisition and bidding for construction and enhancement work on Aurora from 185th St. to 192nd St., and secure funding;
• Develop a “Healthy City” plan and complete scope of work for development of a city youth services master plan;
• “Work with Shoreline Community College to establish a continuing small business development and assistance program;”
• “Enhance opportunities for effective citizen communication and community engagement” through introduction of council meeting “e-comments;” social media tools such as Facebook and You Tube; holding community forums on key topics; and supporting growth efforts of community civic and volunteer organizations.

At ReadWriteWeb, Richard MacManus notes that neither online “open data” on its own, or online “linked data” on its own, is terribly useful. The real holy grail is online data that is open and linked. When this becomes pervasive, knowledge seekers will be better able to quickly survey that slice of the landscape they want to view, and then drill down, aggregate or add on where they wish. This without the piecemeal hunting for reliable data groupings that’s caused partly by unsophisticated or non-existent reliability indicies, and also current Web search protocols which tend to be keyed to exact terms rather than intended meanings. Linkage of open data will occur through use of “meta-deta” or descriptive terms of data categories.

This will allow search engines to capture broader meanings that link data and data sets, and is one core component of what is being called “The Semantic Web,” or “Web 3.0.” But it will require far-reaching agreements among data-providers on “master category” descriptors and their thorough application to online data. It’s not going to happen overnight, but business, government and non-profits will all find it in their best interests to collaborate on strengthening the ties that should bind data and allow filtering by reliability.

The initial “relational” piece is fairly huge in terms of knowledge organization and utilization. In fact, one of the real inventors of the Internet, is making this a priority.

The British government has invested £30 million (US$45 million), in a research center to further develop Tim Berners-Lee’s Semantic Web. The center, to be called the Institute for Web Science, will be run by Berners-Lee, who formulated the basic protocols for the Web, along with University of Southampton artificial intelligence professor Nigel Shadbolt…The Semantic Web is Berners-Lee’s vision for how the Web should evolve beyond its origins as a worldwide repository of human-readable hyperlinked documents…

By using linked data, machines should be able to make inferences and reason about data found they find the Web, without human intervention, in effect turning the Web into a worldwide database. Linked data relies on a number of still-emerging Web standards. One is RDF (the Resource Description Framework), which can link two disparate sources of data…Linked Data, a compendium of linked data sources, has counted over 13 million triples, or RDFs that connect two different sources of data, from 200 data sources.

Why is this so huge, potentially?

Our civil society holds together very well, all in all. But rarely are we more challenged to uphold it than when police genuinely abuse their authority, or are questionably charged with doing so, or are marked for death simply because of their chosen profession. Western Washington and the world were shocked when Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton was assassinated last Halloween by a man – allegedly Christopher Monfort – whose loathing for police and authority reached a disturbing crescendo in a Seattle courtroom last month. The shock after Brenton’s heinous slaying turned to horror when weeks later four Lakewood, Wash. officers sitting in a coffee shop were murdered in cold blood by grudge-bearing career criminal Maurice Clemmons. The King County Sherriff’s office has become concerned enough about antipathy toward law enforcement officers to call for development of better threat assessment tools. The tensions are not abating.

Following recent protests in Portland against police for fatal shootings of civilian suspects there, small groups in Olympia yesterday and Seattle today staged violent protests against what they allege is police brutality. But the message was off-kilter. Dominic Holden of The Stranger covered the Seattle rally and got a handout which lauded Monfort, now facing a possible death penalty for the slaying of Officer Brenton. The flyer stated in part:

Monfort talked about police violence getting out of control in this country, and the media doing nothing to stop it. He referred to similar consolidations of power and violence under the regimes of Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler. It is no coincidence that sometimes people snap, and do whatever they can to fight back against the agents of this system. To win just a moment of justice, a moment of vengeance.

They are the bravest of us, the most honest. We don’t want them to be forgotten, but we also don’t want those who allow themselves to feel outrage at the cruelty of this system to always sacrifice themselves, alone. We recognize that there are millions of us who hate our bosses, who hate the police, who hate the politicians, and we’re ready to fight back.

Seattle Weekly also covered the protest and reported on another handbill being distributed which showed a police officer in rear profile as a bullet-riddled shooting range target.

All pathological enough. But what is not being reported in the recent stories on the Olympia and Seattle protests are the key details of the two fatal shootings by Portland Police which are cited by organizers of the coordinated West Coast protests as evidence of police brutality.