WCIT Blog
Crosscut Picks up the International Trade = International Business Theme
Three weeks on the job, two profiles in the news. First the Puget Sound Business Journal and now Crosscut.com. Not too shabby. But what I like about the Crosscut article is not just the opportunity to stare at my own headshot. Although, hey, nice smile. Instead, I...
In Defense of International Junkets
This week, Publicola posted a news item on the travel expenses of Seattle City Councilmembers. Although there's nothing editorial in the article, it has all the telltale signs of criticism of government travel: 1) the outrageous sounding headline ("City Spent Tens of...
WCIT Release on Congressional FTA Action
In general, I hate to use the blog as a mouthpiece for press releases and corporate communications (it really takes away from the trademark irreverent, conversational tone that State of Trade is so dedicated to), but I thought y'all might be interested in my official...
What Can We Do To Ensure Our State Is Successful in International Trade Policy?
It's time, dear readers, to reach the final chapter of my "ABC's of WCIT" series of posts. We started by defining what an international trade issue is, and then followed up with an explanation of why Washington state residents should care about trade policy. So, if...
SAFETEA-LU & Sports Radio
One thing that's true about me is that I love listening to sports radio. It's tough for a young, hip guy in Seattle to admit listening to anything other than NPR and KEXP, but I toggle back and forth between 950 KJR and 710 ESPN nonstop. In addition to getting my...
WCIT Policy Alert: Momentum on Three Pending Free Trade Agreements
As they say, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Sure, one of my top priorities upon being hired as WCIT president was the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea. But, I figured that I'd need at least a week to get going before I...
Washington Trade Policy News Round-up: Architects and Foreign Language Students
Those of you who used to read my old blog, Prosperity Blog, know that one of my favorite things to do is to link to news articles that reinforce a point that I've been blogging about. That way, I look prescient and/or self-obsessed in your eyes, and at least one of...
PSBJ Welcomes WCIT
If the last post was entitled "To Paraphrase Mark Twain," then this one should probably make a reference to Frankenstein, George Romero or Lazarus...some clever play on rising from the dead. But that's exactly what WCIT has done over the course of a long weekend. On...
To Paraphrase Mark Twain…
Rumors of WCIT's demise are greatly exaggerated. That is, you might have noticed the article in the Puget Sound Business Journal about shrinking funding for international trade activities in Washington state. And I quote: The region’s trade-related nonprofits also...