Birthing behind bars

Reading the recent article in The Seattle Times about doulas in the state prisons, I wasn't sure whether to feel proud or ashamed of my state. It's a horrible thing for babies to be born in prison — horrible for the mother and boding horribly for the child — made worse by the inhumane ways most prisons treat laboring women (some states actually handcuff women to the bed during labor, and prison health care is rarely good).

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Responding to her readers on paid family leave

When I recently wrote about Washington state’s landmark paid family leave legislation (only the second in the nation), Crosscut readers’ responses were striking. Two-thirds of comments expressed the same feeling: The legislation is “a token for the irresponsible,” a “confiscation of my tax dollars” for “social parasites.” One reader even called the legislation morally depraved.

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Washington stumbles toward landmark paid family leave

One of only a handful of states to enact such a program, it remains to be seen if the state can actually fund it. A 2009 ballot measure might be necessary to impose a payroll tax to cover the cost.

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A beleaguered Forest Service cancels reorganization

The once mighty Forest Service has fallen on hard times in recent decades, ever since the downturn in the timber industry, from which much of its budget and clout derived, and it has been hit by accusations of shoddy science under the Bush administration. The latest chastening arrived this week: According to an agency memo released by the whistleblower group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the Forest Service is quietly shelving an ambitious plan to restructure its operations, conceived as part of Bush administration efforts to outsource government functions to the private sector.

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Here come the plug-in hybrid-electric cars

Does your garage have an electrical outlet? Seattle-area companies, governments, and early adopters are at the forefront of driving down the cost of electrified autos. Later this year, you'll be able to modify your gas Prius for less than $10,000.

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In divorce, money trumps care-giving

The Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday, Dec. 6, that there is no right to a state-funded attorney during divorce. Brenda King couldn't afford a lawyer, but her husband, Michael King, could. No surprise: He got custody of the couple's children, even though she had provided the majority of care up to that point. King's case is typical. "The person who can afford an attorney, and a good attorney, in a custody case is much more likely to win," says Ken Saukas, founder of Divorce Attorneys for Women. And having more money itself makes a parent more attractive to a judge.

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